"Today's test is simple, if you want to be part of the ANBU, you merely have to wear this," Lord Naruto explained before Shikamaru extended his arm to me.

In his hand sat a cat-like ANBU mask with red stripes around the eyes and down the forehead.

"You're kidding?" I look at the two older ninja.

"You expect me to believe that's it? That all I need to do to earn a spot in the ANBU is put that on?" I raise an eyebrow at the Hokage and his advisor.

"You've always been the smart one Ukai," Lord Naruto said before smirking.

I looked at the two suspiciously, eyeing the mask before reaching my hand out toward it. My hand seemed centimeters away when a gust of wind whipped past me and the mask was gone. I lifted my head to see another ANBU ninja sitting on the windowsill, my mask in hand.

"Of course." I sighed.

"Retrieve your mask, and you're in," Lord Naruto smiled.

I looked at the ANBU ninja and they swung the mask on their finger before catching it, tilting their head and jumping away.

"You're going to need this," Lord Naruto added and Shikamaru extended his arm again, only this time, a Konohagakure forehead protector sat in his hands.

"Why?" I ask.

"You don't want it?" Shikamaru asked.

"I will protect this village, but I will do it like my Father, besides, rogue is more my style," I say heading for the window.

"Good luck Ukai!" Lord Naruto called before I was out the window.

'Now then, where did that shifty ANBU shinobi go?' I think as I serve the village rooftops.

I watched with eagle eyes before I saw grey and black moving through the streets, heading for the stone faces. I smirked, jumping along the rooftops, following the ninja at a pretty close distance and arriving at the faces first. I climbed up Lord Fourth's statue before front flipping onto the mountaintop and before the ninja.

"The ANBU is not what it once was, why don't you just hand over my mask and we'll call it a day," I walk slowly toward the ninja.

They, in turn, tied my mask to their belt and backflipped away from me, grabbing kunai to defend themself.

"Childsplay," I mumble, grabbing my own kunai and spinning it in my fingers before grasping the handle and staring the ANBU down.

I activated my Sharingan and stared at the string around their waist that held my mask. I stealthily slide my thumb over the kunai blade, running it down the handle before hurling it at the shinobi. Them being the skilled ninja they are, deflecting it. I clenched my right fist, grabbing the wire I had attached to the kunai before bringing my left hand up and doing a one-handed sign, turning my kunai into a fist sword before harshly pulling on the string to force it down. The sharp instrument cut through the string holding my mask, making it drop to the floor near the ANBU's feet. The ninja jumped away, trying to avoid my sword while simultaneously being oblivious to the fact that they had lost the item they were supposed to keep from me.

I was not going to waste time, fighting a ninja who is supposed to be ranked higher in skill, so I opted for just trying to retrieve my mask. I pulled the wire back, catching the fist sword in my hand before packing it away and putting my hands in my pockets.

"Lose something?" I smirk at the shinobi.

I imagined them growling before they put their hand to their belt, doing a double-take as they felt for the mask that should be secured there safely. Their head snapped to the front, the mask laying on the floor in the middle of us. They took a step forward, I copied their movements, smirking as I stared intensely at them.

'Come on, look up,' I think, readying my genjutsu for the second they meet my gaze.

I watched them as they watched me, neither of us moving before they drew their tentō, running full speed for my mask. I reacted, drawing my own sword and throwing it over to my mask, activating one of its many barrier abilities around the face wear. The shinobi tried to grab the mask but as the blue barrier formed, an electric current shocked the ninja, forcing them to pull their hand back.

I chuckled to myself, bringing my hand up and closing my eyes, reopening them with my Mangekyou Sharingan shining through. The ANBU ninja stared at me, watching as I wiped my foot along the floor in front and around me, making a circle around me before thrusting my hand to the floor. The ANBU shinobi then watched at my mask slowly sank into the floor. They took a step back in shock before my mask was completely underground, then they looked up at me.

"Hmm," I smirked, raising my hand in front of me as I waited for my mask to shoot from the ground.

The ANBU composed themself before running at me again, doing multiple hand signs that my Sharingan read as the hand signs for the Wind Release: Great Wind Protective Wall jutsu. I quickly copied the hand signs, taking a deep breath before blowing it out at the same time as my opponent. Our wind walls clashed, both pushing against each other, fighting for the right to demolish their true mark but neither getting through. Sudden movement caught both the ANBU and my attention and we watched as my mask shot from the ground, getting caught in between the two walls and being flung into the air, flying away before landing in some tree on the other side of the village. Both my opponent and I broke off our wind styles, following the movement of the face mask before turning to each other. We stared at each other before back to the mask then back to each other again. I dropped and stuck my leg out, going to swipe them under the ANBU ninjas legs to trip them only for the ninja to jump at me with outstretched arms to tackle me to the floor. We executed these attacks at the same time, so neither of us landed one. I quickly stood, watching the ANBU tuck and roll before standing and facing me again. I smirked, pulling my sword toward me before jumping off the stone faces and running for my mask. The ANBU caught on quickly, sheathing their tentō before jumping after me.