Naruto was buried in his book, as usual. He was reading Icha Icha Paradise again. He never gets bored with Jiraiya's books. Jiraiya just does not have to know he reads Icha Icha. It's not like he could take the book away. He already read it and he would have to take the book from him. Naruto wasn't just going to sit back and let that happen. He flipped over to another page and his eyes started the journey going up and down the page.

He continued to read even as Athena left his side and four different chakra was picked up. Someone was coming after them again. He was hoping that they would have a no trouble day on their way back home. Apparently it was too much to ask. Someone going to interrupt his reading time. They were pretty close. Hidden, but close. He knew where they where, but he wanted to read his book so he could wait for them to make the first move. Besides he had Athena doing her thing in the shadows.

Athena landed on a near tree branch and jabbed a marked kunai in the tree. The ninja were getting pretty close to Naruto. She caught sight of one. She only raised an eyebrow and moved onto her next target. Another tree was marked. And another. She jumped around from tree to tree, jabbing the special kunai into it's wood.

"Naruto, it's about time you close that book" She muttered to herself as she landed on forest ground. She had her first target in sight. Her hands went to the short swords on her back.

"But no one attacked me yet" she heard Naruto whine in her head. She sighed, but smiled.

"Fine, I guess I'll draw first blood" the ninja turned, she was gone. Why did he feel like he was being watched? He couldn't pick up on any chakra near him. The only he felt belonged to t-

His thoughts were interrupted by sharp pain. He looked down to find the end of a blade straight through his stomach. He grunted and fell to his knees.

The blade was retracted. Athena quickly swiped it through the air to rid it of the blood while she sent the other through the air. She heard a grunt of pain and a thud signaling that her twin blade had hit it's target. That's two down.

"No fair, you took out two" Naruto's voice was in her head again.

"That leaves two for you, don't be greedy" Athena responded as she crouched down to the dying ninja. She rested a hand on his wound and started to quickly heal him just enough for him to make it back to wherever it is he came from. What happens to him after that is none of her concern. He knew of the risk he took coming after the siblings.

The other ninja had fell right by a tree she marked. She was there in an instant. The blade was pulled out of his chest. The blood was removed and both blades returned to their place on her back. The dying ninja was quickly healed and she was gone before he could even open his eyes.

Naruto sighed and put away his book just as a kunai came flying at him. Why not a jutsu? He caught the kunai and returned it to sender. He heard a satisfying groan of pain and nodded in success. He could sense the two. They were right under the trees Athena had marked. He saw what she did. She trapped them for him.

"Nice"

He was gone and the two ninja were on their guard. The boy is well know for his speed and unpredictable attacks.

One ninja felt his chakra behind him, he turned with his weapon raised but he was not there. All he managed to catch was a flash of orange. He felt his chakra again, but he was gone. He was confused. Where was the boy.

The ninja stumbled back when he was dealt a blow to the face. A hit to the back followed and he turned. He still could not spot the boy. He looked up and saw the kid smiling down at him from a branch. He had a kunai in his hand. He dropped it. The ninja side stepped.

"You missed, kid"

"Looks like I did" Naruto sighed and shrugged. "Oh well"

The man blinked. Naruto was gone again. And suddenly the boy was right in front of him, holding the same kunai.

"Did I really miss? " he questioned as he jabbed the kunai into the man's stomach. He sent a bit of Kurama's chakra through the blade and into the man. He tumbled in pain and crashed to the ground. His entire body was on fire. "Did you know one's chakra could be poisoned? "

That was the last he said before he disappeared leaving the man on the ground bleeding and suffering.

"Hello there " Athena was standing above him and crouched down to remove the kunai.

"It's you"

Athena said nothing and healed the man just enough.

"Goodbye" and she was gone.

Naruto dealt the other unsuspecting ninja the same fate. He was lying on the floor bleeding and poisoned in less than a minute. Athena appeared by the boy's side and healed the ninja just enough.

"Let's go"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The two vanished, leaving four battered ninja behind.

~~~~~~

Athena fished a book out her back pouch. The bingo book. She searched through it. Maybe one of those ninja were present in the book. Sadly they were not. She hummed and returned the book to her pouch. Naruto was reading the Gutsy Ninja again. He was lost in his own world as usual.

It had been a full year. The two went all over together. Athena had helped Naruto talk to his half of the nine tails. Yin Kurama was sent in with the boy to make his other half see the bright side of things. Apparently negotiating with oneself is not as easy as the fox thought. Was he really so stubborn? It was on that day that he looked at himself in a new light.

Things worked out in the end. Yin Kurama did his job and got his reward. Naruto had a talk with and befriended the his half of the fox so Athena granted him access to the outside world with his other half.

Since both of them had the foxes and both of them formed some sort of friendship with them the two could communicate through a telepathic link they shared. It was very useful in the field.

Their one year together was mostly spent going after ninja listed in the bingo book, just to make money and improve. By doing such a thing they built their own reputation and gained their own spot in the bounty book. It was something Naruto was very proud of while Athena didn't seem to care.

In that one year time Athena worked on building her spy network. Naruto helped her in the task so it became their spy network. They had spies everywhere and no one would even know. Most of their spies are the least suspected.

But as Athena says, the least suspected is the most suspected.

"We're here" Naruto finally looked up from his book. The gate to the leaf was before him. The book was returned to his pouch as he glanced at Athena. She smiled as she spotted a sleeping Kotetsu and Izumo. Those guys will never change. It brings back memories.

She remembered how strong the urge to throw a stone was.

"I am not resisting it now" she picked up a near stone and observed it. It was flat. It would move fast and if she threw it just right it could cut someone. "Perfect"

"You're going to throw it at them? "

"Yeah" Athena launched the stone at a nearby tree and watched it bounce off the tree and hit first Izumo then Kotetsu right in the head.

Both guards jumped awake and rapidly looked around. Their eyes landed on the two blondes.

"Who are you two? Why the hell did you throw that stone? "Izumo questioned.

"Athena"

"Naruto"

"You were sleeping on the job again"

The guards blinked and took a better look at the two. Where they really the two toddlers that left the village seven years ago. They noted the red lines under Athena's eyes. They were longer, but it was the same. Boy had she changed. She still had the waist lengh hair. The eyes. The lines. What she gained was a body of a woman. Shouldn't she be twelve? Why was she so developed? The two remembered who her mother was and everything made sense. Wow, did she take after her.

Athena sighed. "Stop staring you fools, I'm twelve"

The boys looked away and scratched their cheeks.

"And you ask why I like jackets " Athena said to Naruto as she zipped up her red jacket. She only zipped it up half way for the time being.

Naruto shrugged.

The two paid closet attention to the boy. He had grown out his side bangs. They now framed his face similar to his father's former hairstyle. He had the whiskered cheeks. The prominent blue eyes. The toothy grin. The only difference with him was his length and built. He was very lean and slightly taller than Athena

"You've grown"

"Yeah who would have thought we'd grow in seven years" Athena said sarcastically and Naruto chuckled.

The guards sighed. "Alright let us take you to see the Hokage"

"No need" Athena casually sent a kunai over the gate. Naruto rested a hand on her shoulder and the two waved.

~~~~~~~

Hiruzen took a puff of smoke. Apparently his two favorite blondes were supposed to return soon. He looked down at his mess of a desk. Maybe Athena could help him out again. He didn't feel like writing anything. He didn't even know what was in front of him anymore. He was sure some important request was in there somewhere.

He sighed.

"I'm too old for this"

"Couldn't agree more"

The old man jumped when he heard a girl's voice behind him. He turned to find Athena sitting in his windowsil, her drawing pad in hand as she eyed the man with a calculating gaze.

He'd recognize that gaze anywhere. It did help that she looked a lot like her mother and had two red lines going down her cheeks past her nose.

If she was there, where was Naruto?

"Someone requests a babysitter? I thought the Hokage handled important things" Another voice and he turned to see Naruto going through his paperwork with ease. He just glanced at them and put them aside. He had created four heaps as he read. "There's something about ANBU all the way at the bottem. That's important stuff isn't it? "

Naruto looked so much like his father. He even grew out the side bangs.

"You've matured" Hiruzen noted with a smile.

The two shrugged. Athena slipped off the windowsil and placed herself in one of the chairs opposite the old man. She had closed her drawing pad and looked at the old man.

"You've adopted more wrinkles"

"Why do you have to be that way Athena? " Hiruzen sighed. He didn't need her to point out the obvious.

"Hey, since you're too old, I can take your place" Naruto offered with a big smile. "I'd make history "

"You're not even a genin"

"So? I've made a name for myself"

"I'm aware" Hiruzen recalled the bingo book. A certain ANBU had let him see the bingo boom. To his shock Naruto and Athena are two of the most wanted wandering ninja. Their bounty is impressive and they've earned themselves nicknames.

"They refer to you as the Orange flash"

Naruto smiled proudly and held up one of his special kunai.

"I tend to use this a lot"

"He loves the Flying Thunder god technique. You should have see his face when he gained this title"

He was so happy he wanted to tell his parents immediately, even though they already knew. Of course in his excitement he could not enter a meditative state, so he asked Athena to help him.

She knocked him out.

"And you, Athena. "

The girl looked at him blankly.

"Shadow Princess And Devil's shadow? "

"People need to stick to one name when it comes to these things" Athena sighed.

"How did you claim such names? "

"It's obvious isn't. I stick to the shadows. Sometimes I'm not in the mood and let Naruto handle things while assisting him in the shadows. Sometimes I do feel like doing something so I handle it, but I'm not someone a ninja is likely to detect easily or at all, so yeah"

"She's a master of stealth, I'm telling you" Naruto added. "She could sneak up on anyone. You won't even know she's there until it's too late"

"And let me guess, sometimes you fight together, hence the Blonde devils"

They chuckled and fistbumped.

"Oh yeah, that is the most prominent name"

Hiruzen sighed.

"Well then, Blonde Devils. Welcome back"

"It's good to be back"