Summary

The Butterfly Effect is a story about how a few small changes in the beginning of Naruto's shinobi career can result in a huge difference in the way Naruto's life plays out. Naruto gets serious about becoming a shinobi and starts learning at a rapid pace to make u for all the time he wasted while in the academy.

Timeline and setting

I follow the following rules in my story -

Students generally graduate at 12.

Naruto is 14 since he failed the academy exams twice. His other classmates are 12.

Kurenai became genin at 12, was promoted to chuunin at 14 and to jounin recently at 18.

Chuunin exams are held once every 2 years. Gai's team graduated one year before Naruto's team, but Gai held them back from participating in the exams held the current year for gaining more experience.

The next chuunin exams will be held in 2 years.

Disclaimer

I do not own Naruto the series or any characters within it. I do not seek to profit in any way from this story. It is merely a piece written for personal satisfaction and others' reading pleasure.

Chapter 1

After 30 minutes of continuous running, Naruto arrived at a forest clearing holding a large scroll with the kanji for 'forbidden' written on it. He just sat there for a few minutes trying to catch his breath before opening the scroll.

"Let's see here… what kind of jutsus this scroll has…" said Naruto quietly to himself as he began to read.

Kage Bunshin

Kage Bunshin is an A class kinjutsu (Forbidden Technique) due to its high chakra requirements and the potential dangers in using it. This technique allows the user to create a solid clone as opposed to just an illusion. The clones are made up of pure chakra and have the capability to think independently, fight, or do any task as they are ordered.

Benefits: The clones can fight independently of the original. They can be used for multitasking, thus saving a lot of time. The greatest benefit of this technique is that the original learns whatever the clone learns. Thus if a clone reads a book, the original will remember reading it once the clone is dispelled.

Cons: The downside of using this technique is that it divides the user's chakra equally between all the clones. Thus, if a person with a low chakra capacity uses this technique, he/she pay pass out due to chakra exhaustion, or may even die. The other downside is that if too many clones are dispelled at the same time, the amount of information flowing to the original may cause a backlash of sorts and result in severe mental injury to the user.

Seals: Ram

Directions: Form the seal…

"So lets see… solid clones… fighting and learning capabilities… equal chakra… should not dispel too many at the same time…" said Naruto in the same quiet voice after reading about the technique.

"Now to actually use it…"

--== ( Time skip: 1 hour later ) ==--

A panting and ragged Naruto lay in the middle of the clearing with an excessively pleased expression on this face. Realizing that he didn't have the time or the energy to practice any more techniques from the scroll, he took out a small notebook and a pen and copied down all details related to some of the techniques complementary to the Kage Bunshin.

A few minutes after he was done Iruka arrived at the scene to see a ragged Naruto with the forbidden scroll beside him.

"NARUTO!!! Why the hell did you steal the Forbidden scroll from the Hokage's office?? What the hell were you thinking?" yelled Iruka as he closed in on Naruto.

[ Events as in canon ]

--== ( Time skip: 1 hour later ) ==--

"Lets go to Hokage-sama's office and return the scroll…" said Iruka softly

Naruto merely nodded and released Iruka from the crushing hug.

--== ( Hokage's office ) ==--

The Hokage puffed his pipe while he pondered over the series of events as told to him by Naruto. There was no doubt about the authenticity of the story. He had seen the events unfold through his crystal glass orb. He had seen Mizuki confess about manipulating Naruto into stealing the scroll. He had also seen him reveal the secret about the Kyuubi's sealing. The city council was screaming for some punishment for Naruto. Stealing a forbidden scroll from the Hokage's office was not a small crime. Had Naruto done this out of his own volition, even the Hokage would have ensured that the punishment be severe, regardless of how much he adored Naruto. But he knew that Naruto merely assumed that a teacher would never lie to him. Even the Hokage believed that if the young could not trust their own senseis, then there is no one left to trust. But he also had to ensure that such an event would never be repeated again.

"Naruto…" the Hokage began softly. "I cannot find words to tell you about the severity of the events that occurred today. The scrolls are forbidden for a reason. Should Mizuki have escaped with it, the situation would have been disastrous."

As the Hokage spoke, Naruto's shoulders sagged as he felt that he had disappointed his leader. The old man was one of the very few who had ever supported him, stood up for him, or showed him any kind of affection. To disappoint him was not something he could bear. He felt like his heart was about to explode with sorrow and shame.

Iruka was speechless. He was sitting beside Naruto and had expected him to be let off easily seeing that it wasn't his fault, but it seemed that Naruto was going to be punished for his actions. He was about to say something, when the Hokage raised his hand in his direction commanding him subtly to remain quiet.

"You let Mizuki manipulate you into stealing the scroll. As an aspiring ninja of Konoha, you should have seen through his manipulations…" the Hokage continued "however, when you realized the truth about the situation, you chose to do what is right and protected not only the scroll, but also Iruka sensei to the best of your abilities. By doing this you have made me very proud Naruto…"

At this Naruto's head shot up as he looked into the old man's eyes only to see happiness and pride instead of anger and shame. He could not hold it in any longer. The sorrow and shame that seemed to overwhelm him broke through and he jumped towards the Hokage and latched onto his waist, burying his face into the old man's cloak, he cried his heart out all the while promising him that he would never do something so stupid again.

The Hokage consoled him by running his hand through his hair and offering words of comfort. Iruka smiled softly on seeing this, as he realized what the Hokage was trying to do.

After Naruto was back in his seat the Hokage continued, "Mizuki has been termed a traitor to Konoha and his punishment will be decided after he is stabilized. He is currently being moved to the prisoner section of Konoha Hospital under guard. Had Mizuki escaped, a B rank mission would have been issued to retrieve the scroll and eliminate Mizuki. Therefore, you'll be getting a B rank mission pay as the reward for capturing Mizuki." Naruto smiled softly upon hearing this.

"The council is demanding some punishment for you…" Naruto paled upon hearing this and his eyes widened. Iruka tried to interrupt but was stalled by the speaker. The Hokage chuckled upon seeing their faces and continued "… and I think 5 D rank missions will have to do…" Naruto's face relaxed upon hearing this. "… without pay…" Naruto winced but was still relieved. "… with Tora." It was Iruka who now winced and looked towards the young shinobi with pity while the person in question just looked confused.

"So I get some money as a reward, and I have to do a bunch of D rank missions without pay?" asked Naruto.

The Hokage merely nodded and asked, "Now Naruto… how does it feel to be a genin?"

Naruto gave a dazzling grin while replying enthusiastically "OH YEAH!!! Finally… I passed. I can't wait to do actual missions."

"Good… Now… lets see which techniques you copied from the scroll." said the Hokage.

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, while Iruka yelled "NARUTO!! You can't just copy jutsus from the forbidden scroll."

Naruto handed over his notebook with a pout. The Hokage went over the jutsus and determined that the jutsus were only complementary to the Kage Bunshin and not very dangerous for Naruto to learn due to his rather large chakra reserves. He said "Well Naruto… I'll let you have these jutsus on the condition that you will not teach them to anyone who is below the rank of jounin, and you'll be very careful with them as they could really hurt someone."

Iruka gaped at the Hokage while Naruto cheered "ALRIGHT!! You're the best jiji."

The Hokage just chuckled. He handed over a check to Naruto with the reward amount on it. Naruto looked at it and exploded "WHAT??!! You get this much for a B rank mission?? I can buy all I need with this kind of money…" His face then dimmed ever so slightly but the Hokage caught it, and asked, "Is there something wrong Naruto?"

"Nothing jiji" Naruto smiled, but the Hokage saw through the act easily. He had seen Naruto use it so many times over the years that he had become quite adept at recognizing it. He said, "Come on Naruto… I thought after all these years you trusted me. You know you can tell me anything right?"

"Its just that I want to buy so many things but the shopkeepers refuse to sell me anything, or overcharge me for poor quality material… but its okay… don't bother with it…" said Naruto.

The Hokage frowned a bit and replied with a soft smile "Why don't you come to my office tomorrow morning at 9 and I'll take you to an old friend of mine for a little shopping."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Thanks jiji."

"No problem Naruto… now go home and get some rest."

As Naruto was about to get up he asked with a very sad voice "ne jiji… am I a… monster?"

The Hokage sighed. He had been expecting that question sooner. He replied "Tell me Naruto… if you put a rock in a bag, does the bag become a rock?"

"No but…"

"Similarly, you are the Kyuubi's jailer… not Kyuubi itself. You do great service to Konoha everyday by preventing the Kyuubi from getting free. The people fail to see the difference and hence treat you the way they do. In time I'm sure they will come to see you for who you really are. Don't lose faith in them Naruto. I can't tell you why you were chosen for this task till you get a little older, but know this… the Yondaime believed in you and trusted you to protect the village he died protecting. His last wish was for you to be treated as a hero… but the memories of that day are still fresh in peoples' mind. A lot of people died that day. It will take time for people to get over that. Meanwhile, work hard and get stronger. Protect the village, and remember… the knowledge if the Kyuubi's sealing is an S class secret. Do not reveal it to any one you don't trust absolutely."

"Thanks jiji." Replied Naruto as he turned and left.

The Hokage sighed and said to an apparently empty room "You can come out now."

A woman appeared in a corner of the office as the genjutsu hiding her was dropped.

"Its not polite to eavesdrop on the Hokage's conversations Kurenai…" said the Hokage.

"Gomen-nasai Hokage-sama. I happened to follow Uzumaki Naruto on his way here just to keep an eye on him and ended up here." replied the woman.

"Quite a kid isn't he?"

"Indeed Hokage-sama."

"Is there anything you need?"

"No, Hokage-sama"

"Then you are dismissed."

"Good night Hokage-sama"

The woman disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

--== ( The next morning ) ==--

The next morning Naruto reported at 9 and was taken to a ninja goods store, on the other side of town, by the Hokage. As they entered the store Naruto drooled at the items kept on display, while an old man who was probably the shopkeeper looked up and said "Ah… good to see you Hiruzen. What brings you here this fine morning?"

Naruto looked at the shopkeeper in awe. He didn't think anyone in the village called the Hokage by his first name.

"Just bringing you a new customer, Aki"

Aki looked at Naruto and said "Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

Naruto took on a guarded expression and replied uncertainly "Hai…"

The shopkeeper noticed this and smiled saying, "Don't worry Naruto. I am not like the other villagers. You are always welcome here whenever you need anything."

Naruto relaxed and replied "Thanks ojisan."

The Hokage seeing that Naruto was okay now, said "Okay Naruto. Take your time. Buy anything you need, okay? I have to get back to work. Remember, you can always come to me with anything that might bother you. And don't forget, the team allocation is at 10AM at the academy in a week. And come see me at 9 tomorrow for the missions. Okay?"

"Hai… thanks jiji."

The Hokage just waved and left saying, "Take care of him Aki. I'll see you around."

Aki then looked at Naruto with a smile and asked, "So Naruto, what can I do for you?"

Naruto replied, "Well ojisan, you see, I just became a ninja and I need new stuff like weapons and clothes."

"Hmm… okay… lets do the weapons first… which weapons do you prefer?"

"Umm… I don't know… kunais and shurikens I guess…"

"Hmm… that's pretty basic… lets see… a set of 50 kunais and 100 shurikens…"

Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing that and said, "I can't afford that much ojisan… I only have this much money…" as he handed over his reward check to Aki.

Aki looked at it with a surprise and said "You don't need this much to stock yourself up, Naruto."

"You don't huh?" said Naruto as they both realized that the other shopkeepers had always cheated him.

"No you don't. Now don't worry. I'll fix you right up with exactly what you need. Now… apart from the shurikens and kunais, do you plan to use any other weapons?"

"I don't know…"

"How's your taijutsu?"

"Uhh…" Naruto said with a sheepish grin, which basically conveyed everything that Aki needed to know.

"Hmm… so you suck at taijutsu…"

"HEY!!!"

"How about a sword?"

"Really? You think I can learn how to use one?"

"Of course. You'll have to work hard, but with enough practice, you can be good at anything you wish. Most people believe that you have to be really good at taijutsu to be a good swordsman, but that is not true. Some of the world's best swordsmen suck at taijutsu."

"Cool!! I'll try a sword"

"Good… what kind?"

"Umm… I don't know… You're the weapons expert. What kind do you suggest?"

Aki chuckled at that and said, "Good answer Naruto. You see, most people waltz in here to buy a sword and just go for a cool looking one regardless of whether it may suit them or not. Lets see… What is your element?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what chakra affinity do you have?"

"Huh?"

"I see… follow me."

Aki took Naruto to the counter and took out a blank piece of paper and handed it to him. "Flow some chakra through that paper." He said.

As Naruto did as asked, the paper split into two before the two parts burned into ashes, startling him.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"You see, Naruto, every person has one or more chakra affinities. It means the element that your chakra most responds to. The paper I gave you is a special paper, which is used to detect which chakra affinities a person has. Usually a person of your age has only one chakra affinity. You have two. The paper split into two, indicating an affinity to wind, and caught fire, indicating an affinity to fire. Having 2 affinities at your age is rare but not unheard of. It just means that wind and fire jutsus will be easier for you to perform. It's actually quite a good combination if you learn to mix them well. With this information, I can choose a blade for you, which will respond well to wind or fire natured chakra. Mostly wind, because there is nothing sharper in this world than some well molded wind."

"Sugoi!!!"

"Yeah. You should read more about these things in the library."

"As if they'll allow me in there…" Naruto muttered quietly. Aki caught it and frowned, but let it go for now.

He went into an adjacent room and returned with a wooden case in his hand. He opened it to reveal a sparkling silver sword. It had a wide blade, 2 and a half feet long, which tapered towards the tip up to a certain length, where it ended with a triangular tip. The blade looked like it was made up of pure silver with a whitish tinge to it, and looked sharp enough to slice anything in half on just touching it. The hilt was black with gold linings on it. It had quite a regal appearance. The guard was a golden disc with kanji for wind engraved on it. The sheath was royal blue in color with a clip at the open end of it to hold the sword in position. All in all, it was quite simple, yet it had a royal look about it. It was one of the most beautiful things Naruto had ever seen.

Naruto looked at it in awe. Aki chuckled and said, "Go ahead."

Naruto picked it up with shaking hands, as if afraid to break it. It seemed perfect. Like it was designed for him. Aki smiled seeing this and Naruto kept the blade back in the case.

"Okay… so what else do you need?"

Three hours later Naruto had finally finished his shopping. The counter now had the shuriken and kunai set, his sword, 2 bundles of explosive notes, storage scrolls, shoulder pads, shin guards, knee pads, elbow guards, dark blue torso armor, 4 sets of black pants, some shirts of different colors, a basic first aid kit, shoes with metal toe guards, some casual clothes, a bunch of blank scrolls and notebooks, and training weights.

Naruto gaped at the stack, then looked at Aki and asked "Ojisan, are you sure I can afford all that?"

"Of course, Naruto." Aki replied.

"Okay… so how much do I owe you?"

After spending some time calculating the bill, Aki said "120,000 ryo."

"WHAT??!! Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Wow… I still have 80,000 ryo left."

B rank missions paid anywhere between 150,000 to 200,000 ryo, which was divided into 5 parts of 20 percent each. 1 part went to the Konoha treasury, while the remaining 4 parts were divided between the members of the team, usually 4. Since the mission for which Naruto had been paid was issued by the Konoha government itself, there was no cut for Konoha on it. Plus, since he had completed the mission by himself, he received the entire amount.

"Thanks a lot, ojisan."

"You're welcome, Naruto. Oh and before you leave, could you please collect your sword in a week? I need to make a few adjustments to it before you use it."

"Sure, ojisan."

"Oh and Naruto…"

"Hai?"

"For your library or general shopping problem… use a henge." Said Aki with a chuckle as Naruto looked at him slack jawed before muttering "Genius."

--== ( Next Day at the Hokage's office ) ==--

"Are you here for the D rank mission, Naruto?" asked the Hokage.

"Hai jiji" replied Naruto.

The Hokage took out a scroll and handed it to Naruto saying, "Your mission is to find and retrieve Tora the cat unharmed. Tora is the Daimyo's wife's cat, and its quite fond of running away from the house."

"That's it? Find a cat? All right!! I'll be done in no time."

"We'll see…" said an amused Hokage with a semi-sadistic grin on his face, which scared Naruto slightly.

--== ( 3 Days Later – Hokage's Office ) ==--

Kurenai was just about to enter the Hokage's office when she saw a yellow blur go by her into the office. The next thing she saw was Naruto, wearing ragged clothes, down on his knees in front of the Hokage yelling, "I'm so sorry jiji for all the stupid things I've done in my life. Please forgive me. I promise I won't ever do such things again. But please please PLEASE forget about the punishment. I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!! It's not a cat… it's a monster!! AAAHHH!!!"

Kurenai giggled, which turned into a full-blown laughter, while the Hokage looked on amused. Naruto just sat on the ground with a pout.

"Oh my… I haven't laughed like that for a long time now. But you know Naruto, its disrespectful to just barge into the Hokage-sama's office…" said Kurenai

"Ahh… don't worry about it Kurenai-san. I only do that when I know that its okay…" said Naruto sheepishly.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know who I am?"

"But of course… Yuuhi Kurenai… A rank jounin… also know as the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha… Major strength: Genjutsu. Major weakness: Taijutsu. It is said that your targets find themselves already caught in a genjutsu by the time they realize that you're around. The bounty on your head was recently increased to 5 million ryo." Replied Naruto.

By the time Naruto finished speaking Kurenai's and Hokage's eyebrows looked like they were trying to merge with the hairline.

"How do you know all that, Naruto?" asked the Hokage.

"The Bingo book, where else?"

"And why would my name be in the bingo book?" asked a confused Kurenai.

"Not the Konoha Bingo book… the Kiri Bingo book, Kurenai-san" replied Naruto.

'Amazing… most genins don't even know about the bingo book till they become chuunin.' thought Kurenai.

"Where did you get a bingo book, Naruto?" asked the Hokage.

"The library, of course"

"The library copy is not allowed to be viewed by genins, Naruto"

"You'll be surprised by the number of ninja who fail to see through a simple henge, jiji"

The Hokage frowned on hearing that and thought 'Note to self: upgrade village security.'

"So, you need something Naruto?"

"Nah… I was just bored so I thought I'd come see you. I just delivered the cat for the fourth time in 3 days. I'm now trying to come up with a plan to murder the cat and get away with it." Said Naruto with a chuckle.

Kurenai laughed lightly, while the Hokage just chuckled on hearing that.

"I'll let you get back to work jiji. Sorry about eating into your time Kurenai-san." Continued Naruto.

"No problem, Naruto. By the way, we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Yuuhi Kurenai." Said Kurenai while extending her hand forward.

"Lovely meeting you, Kurenai-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He replied shaking her hand, after which he just waved at the two and left.

"I can't decide if he is hyperactive or just plain energetic." Said Kurenai.

"At the moment, he was just energetic. He used to put up an act to hide his true emotions. He has grown after the Mizuki incident." Said the Hokage.

"You're quite fond of him aren't you, Hokage-sama?"

"I don't play favorites, Kurenai, but yeah. Sometimes he just makes my day. You know this one time, when he was 5, I was in a very boring meeting here with Hyuuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku, and Naruto barged in here completely naked, waving his underwear around, followed by a couple of ANBU who were trying to catch him. When asked about it, he just said that somebody stole all his clothes leaving him with only that underwear, and nobody believed him so he thought he should go to the Hokage to complain about it. The looks on Fugaku's and Hiashi's face were priceless." Said the Hokage, laughing lightly.

Kurenai was laughing so hard that she couldn't catch her breath.

After a while the Hokage asked her "So what can I do for you today, Kurenai?"

--== ( 3 days later, in the Hokage's office ) ==--

10 jounins were gathered in the Hokage's office, along with Iruka.

"I suppose you have spent the last few days thinking about who you would prefer to have on your teams. Lets finalize the list of teams now." Said the Hokage.

People believed that the teams were chosen on the basis of their academy scores. This was not true. The common belief that the dead last of the class was placed with the rookie of the year came into being because people only made requests for specific members of the team, and since nobody generally asked for a weak student, they were allocated where they would balance the teams the best.

This year too most jounins did not have any specific preferences. Only a few did.

Hatake Kakashi came forward and said "I would like to have Uchiha Sasuke on my team. I believe I can train him well and also help him awaken his sharingan."

"A logical choice…" said the Hokage. "Do you have any preferences for the other two teammates?"

"No sir."

"Okay then. Asuma? How about you?"

"I don't have any preferences as such. I guess I can take the Ino-Shika-Chou team." replied Asuma.

"Hmm… I'm not planning to have that team this year. I do not wish to repeat the same patterns again. Any person who has done some research on the past Konoha teams would know how to perfectly counter teams based on such patterns."

The jounins nodded at that, seeing the logic behind the train of thought.

"Anyone else has any preferences?" continued the Hokage.

Kurenai came forward and said "Hokage-sama, I would like to have Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto as my team."

Some of the jounins present snorted on hearing that. Some chuckled.

"You actually want the dead-last of the class to be on your team?" asked Asuma.

The remaining jounins nodded while Kurenai, Iruka, and the Hokage frowned upon hearing that.

"I will not have that kind of talk in my office." Said the Hokage, which silenced everybody at once.

"I assumed that you would go for a recon team, Kurenai" continued the Hokage.

"A pure recon team consisting only of trackers would be weak when actually faced against an enemy, Hokage-sama. I intend to make an all round team with abilities to execute any kind of mission."

"I still don't understand your choice of students. Why would you ask for the weakest student?" Said Kakashi.

"Yamanaka Ino will be quite helpful in interrogating enemies thanks to her clan jutsus. Nara Shikamaru may have poor grades in class, but the Nara family is known for its strategic mind. I have confirmed this with his father. Shikamaru is quite adept at plotting out strategies to solve any problems. And lastly, Uzumaki Naruto. While he may be untrained at the moment, he will do well with under guidance. He is a frontline fighter type. If he works hard, he can become quite strong."

The Hokage smiled upon hearing that, and Iruka beamed, while the remaining jounins shook their heads.

"Okay. I suppose no body has any problems with that?" asked the Hokage.

No body replied.

"Excellent. If there are no other suggestions, we will finalize the teams today and you can meet them tomorrow at the academy at 10 AM the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."

--== ( 8:30 AM the next morning. ) ==--

Naruto arrived on time at Aki's shop to collect his sword. The old shop keeper saw him and waved him in. He presented Naruto with the sword case and asked him to open it. Naruto opened it and gasped.

Golden kanji was embedded, on the royal blue sheath, along its length, which said 'Uzumaki Naruto'.

Aki smiled as Naruto suddenly caught him in a hug, and said, "Think of it as a gift for making my day last week Naruto, and remember, you're always welcome here. Now go. Sarutobi is probably expecting you."

Naruto bounded down the street towards the Hokage's office after thanking the old shopkeeper profusely, and promising to come back soon.

Naruto arrived at his office at 9. On seeing him, the Hokage's secretary said with a grin "maa maa Naruto… somebody is looking handsome today…" The Hokage's secretary had always been friendly with him.

Naruto just blushed and returned the grin before entering the office. The Hokage looked him over and gave an approving nod at his choice of clothing. He had chosen not to wear his new clothes before the team allotment.

"Hey jiji… look what Aki-ojisan did for me…" said Naruto with a dazzling smile on his face, as he showed the Hokage his new sword along with the sheath.

The Hokage held the blade in his hand and returned it after giving it a test wave he said, "That's a good sword you have there Naruto. Are you planning to learning kenjutsu?"

"Hai. You think I can do it?"

"Yes I do, Naruto. I think you can excel at anything you set your mind to."

"Thanks jiji."

"Now, the reason I called you here today is because I wanted to talk to you before you meet your new team."

"Sure jiji. What about?"

"You see, Naruto, you are now a ninja of Konoha. You'll face real dangers during missions. It's not like the academy anymore. The opponents you face now will aim to kill, not just to test you. Mistakes can be fatal during missions. Not just for you, but also for your team. You understand that don't you?"

Naruto caught the serious tone of the Hokage and thought about what was said for a moment before replying "Hai jiji. I understand."

"Good Naruto. I want you to be very careful when you go out for missions. You once asked me what it means to be Hokage. Remember what I told you? It means to protect the members of your village. Everyone. Regardless of whether or not you like them. Well, you start with your team, Naruto. Become strong so that you can protect not only yourself, but also, your teammates during missions. Work hard so that you don't make any mistakes. Can you do that Naruto?"

"Hai jiji."

"Good. Your new sensei has specifically requested you for her team. Work Hard, Naruto, and become strong. Make me and your new sensei proud, Naruto."

That was the final push he needed. As he thought about the possibility of disappointing jiji again, his face took on a determined expression. He would work hard. He would become strong. He would protect his team, and his precious people.

"Hai jiji."

The Hokage smiled softly up on seeing the expression on his face and said "Good, Naruto. Now, go on. Enjoy your day. Tomorrow you'll be allotted to your new team."

"Hai. Who is my new sensei, jiji?"

"You'll know when you meet her, Naruto."

"I never really asked you jiji… what happened to Mizuki?"

The Hokage sighed and said, "He died before reaching the hospital Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened on hearing that. He looked lost for a moment before he got up and said, "I see… I'll see you around, jiji"

"Are you okay, Naruto? You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I'm fine, jiji. I just need time to let it sink in." said Naruto as he left.

--== ( Later that day ) ==--

Kurenai was enjoying a walk around the training grounds when she came across Naruto sitting on a log with an empty expression on his face. Naruto didn't even seem to notice her as she approached him.

"Hey Naruto… what're you doing?"

Naruto looked up with a grin, that didn't seem to reach his eyes, and said "Oh, hey Kurenai-san. Nothing. Just thinking."

Kurenai saw through the act and remembered the Hokage telling her about it. Being a genjutsu specialist, she was quite adept at reading people's emotions. "What's wrong, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto's smile faltered before he schooled his expression again and said "Nothing at all, Kurenai-san. Why do you ask?"

"Come now, Naruto, I thought we were friends. Tell me what is bothering you. May be I'll be able to help you."

Naruto just stayed silent. Kurenai decided to give him the time he needed. After a few minutes she notices a tear drop make its way down his face as he said "I really am a monster…"

Kurenai frowned upon hearing that and sat beside him asking him "And what made you come to that conclusion?"

"Mizuki never made it to the hospital that day."

Kurenai finally understood what he was thinking about. He had just learned that he had made his first kill a week back. Kurenai remembered her first kill perfectly and also remembered her reaction to it. She decided to tell him the same thing her sensei had told her.

"You are not a monster, Naruto."

"But…"

"Tell me, Naruto, what do you think would have happened if Mizuki had escaped with the scroll? He could have become really powerful by learning some of the more advanced techniques from it. Or he could have sold it to someone like Orochimaru, which would have been worse."

Naruto, of course, knew who Orochimaru was thanks to the bingo books he had read.

"But…"

"Tell me, Naruto… why do you wish to be a shinobi?"

"Huh?"

"Think and tell me."

After a moment of thinking, he replied, "To become stronger. To have enough strength to protect those who are special to me. And to become the Hokage, eventually, so that I can protect the entire village. I was supposed to be about protecting people. Not killing them…"

"Then tell me, Naruto, would you have been happy if one of your loved ones were to be killed by a person, who you could have killed earlier? What would you do if the only way to protect your special people was to kill the enemy?"

She could see the understanding dawn in his eyes. She said, "Sometimes it is necessary to kill your enemies, Naruto. So that they don't harm you, or your loved ones later. That is the world we live in. Mizuki chose to betray the village. Could you have lived with yourself if Iruka died because you refused to kill? Make no mistake, Naruto, he would have killed both you and Iruka that night if he had the chance."

Naruto finally understood what she was trying to say. He sat silent for a while, thinking about it. Kurenai just sat silently beside him as she saw his expression grow more determined every second.

"I think I understand… I need some more time to think this over."

Kurenai stood to leave and said "Do that, Naruto, and take care of yourself." She disappeared in a swirl of leaves before he could thank her.

--== ( The next day - 10 AM – The Academy ) ==--

Naruto walked into the class, deep I thought. All activity ceased as the students stared at him. He was known to be an annoying loudmouth who would always wear an ugly orange dress, and yell something stupid as soon as he entered the class. The class did not know that his annoying loudmouth personality was just an act to gain some acknowledgement. That is not to say that hew wasn't cheery or energetic by nature. But he did take it to an obnoxious level to get some attention.

The Naruto they saw before them was shocking. Quite a few students looked at him with slack jaws. No one had ever seen him wear anything apart from orange. He was wearing a black pant, a gray shirt with his blue armor on it. He had a kunai pouch strapped to his right thigh, a belt with several storage pouches on it, and a sword strapped to his back with golden kanji on it denoting his name.

What was even more shocking was that he hadn't said a word since he came into the class. He was merely lost in his thoughts as he walked towards the back of the class and sat beside Shikamaru.

Shikamaru too had noticed the change but didn't ask anything because he was too lazy. He merely said, "I thought you failed." To which Naruto replied, "Nah. They passed me later." That was the extent of the conversation before both Naruto and Shikamaru rested their heads on the desk and waited for Iruka to arrive.

Naruto had gotten over his guilt yesterday itself. He was mainly thinking about all the time he wasted over the years, and all the annoying things did to do to attract attention. He looked at his classmates who had now resumed their previous activities. His gaze fell on Sakura and as he analyzed all his previous interaction with her he realized how he always looked like a puppy pining for some attention from her despite the fact that she hit him or insulted him at every chance she got. He decided that he would have to get over her and quit some of his more annoying habits so that he could concentrate more on learning.

The students became quiet when Iruka arrived in class.

"Ne Iruka sensei, why is Naruto-baka here if he failed?" asked Sakura.

"Geez… isn't it obvious that I passed since I'm wearing a hitai-ate? I wonder how you topped the written exams if you can't even figure that out…" replied Naruto.

Sakura's eyes widened up on hearing that. She had never imagined that Naruto would actually insult her. The class too was shocked. It was well known that he had an epic crush on Sakura.

Shikamaru snorted and said, "I really don't think mugging up everything the book says requires any brains."

Sakura paled as she wondered what was going on, while the class just gaped at them shamelessly. Shikamaru had never actively said much in class apart from his usual 'Mendoukusei'. For him to actually respond to something said in class, and actually insult someone was just plain shocking.

Sakura regained her bearings and screeched "SHUT UP NARUTO-BAKA!!! I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!"

"URUSAI!!! Will you please stop screeching like a banshee!!" said an irritated Naruto while unknowingly releasing some killing intent. It wasn't enough to faze Iruka, but genins who had never experienced it before shut up and maintained silence. Sakura was scared. She merely shrunk into herself and sat quietly in her seat after muttering a meek "sorry".

Sitting beside him Shikamaru said "Finally some peace and quiet. Thanks Naruto."

"No problem" said Naruto as he relaxed and the small KI disappeared.

"Moving on…" said Iruka who had been watching the events so far with an amused expression.

"Naruto was given his hitai-ate to signify his passing as a reward when he caught a traitor chuunin and defeated him." Continued Iruka.

The class looked at Naruto with awe as someone asked, "Who was the traitor, Iruka sensei?"

"Mizuki" replied Iruka.

The class gasped as someone asked, "What happened to him?"

Iruka looked at Naruto as if asking whether he should tell them. Naruto merely shrugged, and Iruka replied, "He is dead. He succumbed to the injuries shortly after fighting Naruto."

The class gasped again as they looked towards Naruto with expressions like shock, awe, disbelief, fear, and respect clearly visible on their faces.

"Now… onto the team assignments…" continued Iruka "Team 1: …"

[Team 1 to 6 announced here.]

"Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Inuzuka Kiba. Your jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." said Iruka.

Sakura cheered upon hearing her name. Kiba swore something about being stuck with emos and fan-girls.

"Team 8: Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. Your jounin sensei will be Yuuhi Kurenai"

Hinata felt sad that she wasn't on the same team as Naruto. Ino sighed thinking 'Great. Just my luck to be teamed up with a lazy ass and the dead-last.' Shikamaru merely shrugged and said "Not bad…" which caused the students to gape again. Naruto just smiled softly and looked pleased.

"Team 9 is still in active duty. Team 10: Hyuuga Hinata, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino. Your jounin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma."

After announcing all the teams, Iruka left saying "Well, that's it. Please wait here for your jounin senseis to collect you."

After a few minutes a group of jounins arrived and took their teams with them. Only two teams remained - Team 7 and 8.

Yuuhi Kurenai entered the class and looked around. She saw Kiba checking her out and thought 'Thank god I didn't get the pervert on my team.'

She saw Naruto and gave him a smile saying "Hey Naruto"

Kiba looked green with envy, while Naruto replied "Hey Kurenai-chan" with a grin.

She noted the '-chan' suffix and smiled softly. She then flicked a finger on his forehead and said "Kurenai-sensei, Naruto"

'Kawaii' thought Kurenai when Naruto blushed deeply and replied "Hai" with an even wider grin that threatened to split his face in half.

'Hmm… he seems to be fine today… looks like he got over his guilt… good…' she thought as she looked at her other two students and nodded to each with a small smile saying "Follow me Team 8. We are going out for lunch."

--== ( End of Chapter 1 ) ==--