The Steel Path
by macross_green
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (the setting, characters, etc).
Author's Note: This is almost immediately an AU story, of course. However, it will follow, more or less, the canon setting. There will be a few rather large changes, however, so be warned. Though this is an AU story, my Naruto will not be super-powered or exceptionally intelligent. Considering I typically find him to be below average when it comes to intelligence (but rather good at spontaneous bursts of insight and tactics), I will be showing him as being a tad more intelligent than his manga-self. However, I am sad to report that a fair amount of this will be a bit of a retread, so I apologize in advance for not basing this story further on in the storyline. You have been warned.
"So, when's your birthday?" the voice of one of the teachers asked, and the normally alert student blinked. The teacher wasn't looking at that student, however- instead, the teacher was looking at a young blonde boy that had started school only days ago. She wasn't sure what to make of the kid- he was short, his orange jumpsuit was unzipped down almost to the midchest. The kid just sat there, almost staring past the teacher before actually looking up and his eyes widened. "Well?" the teacher asked, and one could easily hear the annoyance in her voice.
"What does it matter?" the kid mumbled, glancing away as he just crossed his arms on the desk. The teacher shook her head and looked away.
"It matters because I plan to celebrate the birthdays you kids have with the class. This is your homeroom, after all, we can have a little party once in a while this year." There were a few cheers from the other students at that information, and the woman smirked. "Not all the time, however. If your birthday isn't during the school week, there's not going to be a party. So, Uzumaki..." and the teacher turned back around to face the boy. "When is it?"
"On the weekend, huh?" the boy told himself, and then shrugged. "What's it matter? There won't be school that day, so I won't say it." The teacher sighed.
"Fine. Let's see... you were the last one on the list..."
"Dead-last!" one voice popped up, much to the delight of the other students. Even the normally stoic Hyuuga in the room let a smile creep onto his face for that one, and the Nara boy just cracked a little grin right there and then. Naruto shrugged off the type of attention he didn't care that much for, but glared at the boy that had said that all the same.
The teacher went off to deal with that troublemaker, and in the interim many of the students had begun to talk amongst one another. The drumming of fingertips from the part of the desk beside him caught the blonde's attention, and slowly he turned his head so he could see the girl that had been forced to take the seat beside him thanks to the arrangements of the teacher. "What?" he asked miserably, and the black-haired girl smiled in return. She was pretty new here, though he could tell she was a little older than him.
She leaned in close while the uproar in the classroom continued. "You know, they pick on you because you show them that it affects you, Naruto." she told him, and then grinned. "Don't let them get to you. They'll stop bugging you sooner than you think if you do." The boy blinked, and slowly sat back up.
"How?" The girl wasn't quite sure how to respond to that at first, and so adopted a thoughtful look on her face. Naruto just watched her, oddly captivated by the fact that she'd actually spoken to him without being condescending or yelling. Then she nodded, and reached over. He could feel the poke she gave the goggles that he wore on his head as they were pushed down onto his scalp.
"Try smiling?" was the suggestion, and the girl just giggled a bit.
The boy, on the other hand, felt as if he'd just been given a shortcut to becoming the next Hokage. The grin that spread on his face was simply priceless. "Smiling, eh? Thanks, um..." he rubbed the back of his neck lightly as he watched the giggling girl for a moment. She was nice, but he had no clue what her name was! Even if they had been sitting beside each other for a few weeks now, he had no idea. The girl blinked as she realized this herself, and then grinned.
"I'm Tenten."
"Nice to really meet ya, Tenten. Thanks." That cemented it, right there, for the blonde boy. No pranks for her! "Say, want to practice after school?"
The near-feral smile that came to Tenten's face made Naruto start to reconsider the offer made. "You got it."
Needless to say, there were no pranks played by the hyperactive, attention-seeking blonde boy of Konoha that evening.
***
A year passed, and the various grades of those in the class slowly filtered each of the students into various categories of 'worthiness' in the eyes of the teachers. At the forefront were the exceptional students, such as the haughty Hyuuga boy that was expected to graduate during the next academy exam. Tenten was the second highest ranked kunoichi and in the same year as the Hyuuga, so she was often hanging around him and his group of 'worthies'. Not that there were many of them, to be honest. Only two others than those two, the top two shinobi and kunoichi in the class. The Hyuuga wouldn't have it any other way, and Tenten didn't mind it so much most of the time.
But for Naruto, class-life had passed him quickly by. Though he didn't do too badly when he tried to do something, it was his lack of true motivation that kept him with that same nickname that had been blurted out a year ago. Along with his fellow dead-lasts (Shikamaru, Chouji, along with Kiba and Akamaru), they skipped class all the time and hung out at the kunai practicing area all the time in order to escape the wrath of their various teachers. Distracted as well by his interest in the Haruno girl, dead-last became the most annoying person in the academy according to all but one of his instructors. It was a unanimous decision when, a month later, that the classes would be split up. The older students would receive more specialized instruction and preparation, while the younger students that would take a little more time to learn and graduate would be placed under Iruka Umino.
The split was announced the same day.
"And so, as a result of the teacher's meeting, we will be dividing this class in two." Iruka stated. The female teacher, Taya Onbato, looked on as she leaned against a clean portion of the green chalkboard behind them both. "All students who are over 12 years old will be leaving with Onbato-sensei, and the rest of you will remain in this classroom with me. As a result, this is the last day that you will be all together in class, so say good bye today. Onbato-san, is there anything you'd wish to add?"
The woman looked around at the students and then shook her head. "Nothing at all, Umino-san. It will be good to be able to focus on fewer students rather than a large number of them this year." The woman turned to leave, and one of the students gasped as a good portion of green chalk lifted with her clothes as she moved away from the chalkboard. Completely unaware, the teacher left, much to the surprise of the others still in the room. Naruto could barely hide a grin, but did so... though there was one particular person watching him with a completely unsuppressed grin.
Iruka just turned back to the rest of the class with a shake of his head. "You can now spend the rest of the afternoon on your own. Free time, but don't leave the grounds. Naruto Uzumaki, I will see you in the conference room in five minutes." the remaining sensei stated, not asked, and Naruto's head fell from it's previous position of pride into one of impending doom. The laughter that erupted within the classroom just made his shoulders slump even more. Iruka stared down at the blonde for a few seconds before heading out the door to the room across the hall, and Naruto groaned.
"Hey, where's that smile at, Naruto?" he heard from a familiar voice, and the boy looked up to see Tenten there with a slight grin on her face. She wasn't the only student up and talking, as most everyone had done so with their own groups. The older Hyuuga sat in place across the room, staring at the one-year-younger Hyuuga, who was attempting to at least perfect some sort of invisibility jutsu, if one noted just how she attempted to hide herself away from the others in the room. A quartet of young ladies surrounded the one Uchiha in the room, hidden away towards the back of the room and with his back to the wall in what seemed to be an obvious effort to keep anyone from being able to sneak up on him... or to at least keep himself from being surrounded by his adoring fans. The blonde shrugged.
"You're getting stuck with Onbato-sensei, Tenten." he bitterly commented, and the girl just shook a finger. Already 12 years old, the girl hadn't yet hit puberty... but it couldn't be too much longer. There were signs of other girls in the class changing already. Neji had even hit a bit of a growth spurt already, and a few others weren't too far behind either. Naruto couldn't help but to smile at her.
"That's better. And yeah, I guess I'm stuck with her until I graduate." she responded, and then glanced to the door. "You better get to Iruka-sensei. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting, and the sooner you get it over with the better, right?" Tenten leaned in. "Besides, we haven't sparred this week yet, so get this done fast."
Swallowing, Naruto looked at her wide-eyed and nodded. "Alright, see ya when I escape Iruka then!" and with that, the blonde went to go and accept his 'fate'.
Tenten shook her head even as she noticed a boy in a brown coat walk down from what was once considered the 'dead-last' side of the room. The single-braided black hair that was fell to just past his shoulders, large eyebrows that hovered above eyes that suggested that he was wearing glasses (when in fact, they were merely really freakin' huge eyes) had left the boy mostly shunned by most of the serious ninja in training in the room. The fact that he was routinely the very dead-last in almost every grade he got in the various ninja arts made it obvious that he either had a disability or this was just his way of getting out of doing chores and jobs at home.
Rock Lee, she reminded herself. The poor guy couldn't use even the most basic ninjutsu or genjutsu techniques, but she knew that his taijutsu was actually quite decent for anyone their age. Though often ridiculed, she knew that he was respected during taijutsu practices and he had her respect as well- she had defeated him once, before he had begun practicing almost non-stop. The second time was merely two months ago, and she had met defeat that time herself. In a full spar, he had yet to defeat her, but with the rate that his form was improving she had no doubt that it was merely a matter of time. When he spoke to Neji, the Hyuuga spared the boy a glance and then nodded once before Lee grinned, challenging him to a spar.
The two left the room, and Tenten shook her head. Boys will be boys.
***
"So, Tenten, you plan to go to the academy today? Why?" Neji asked his teammate. A year had passed since her team had graduated the academy, and being given Gai-sensei as their team-leader. She shrugged a little as Gai led Lee through several cool-down exercises... ones that would make others think that the two were actually working out intensely. That wasn't happening at the moment- but it had happened for several hours earlier that very day, after their D-rank mission had taken place. The two were sprawled out on the grass, worn out after the intense training exercises that Gai had put them through earlier that day. Catching the damned cat took far more out of them than most would think, and more than one team considered the possibility that the cat was actually some sort of demon in disguise.
"Today's the day that more students graduate, Neji. I hear that Uchiha-guy is this year's top rookie, like you were last year." Tenten replied, and the Hyuuga's eyes almost imperceptibly narrowed.
"You want to go back to see who graduated... allow me to guess. You think your friend, the 'would-be' Hokage will be among them?" Neji snorted at the nod that Tenten gave him. "Unlikely. He's a loser. Dead-last last year... other than Lee, that is. Dead-last this year, I would think. Even Hinata is stronger than that idiot, and she's weaker than the Uchiha." the cruel young man shook his head. It was one point that was drilled not only into his head, but into the head of every Hyuuga in Konoha- Hinata, the would-be heiress of the clan, was the weakest kunoichi the clan had likely ever produced since the beginning of their very bloodline. Granted, the Uchiha were once a prominent, proud, and powerful clan, but this Uchiha was the last. And the head of the Hyuuga, Hiashi-sama, did not take second-place to anyone, for any reason, lightly.
And Tenten knew it.
"He's been working hard. And look, Lee graduated without being able to use genjutsu or ninjutsu." she retaliated, and the Hyuuga shrugged.
"True, I suppose, though he is still this team's weak link. How he graduated from the academy with us, I still cannot fathom. Still, he at least has proven useful at times. Perhaps you might be right, Tenten, but I still believe that even should he graduate, dead-last is still dead-last." Neji smirked. "And if that is the case, then it is likely that Uzumaki will be on the same team as that Uchiha. That sounds like their fate to me. And should we ever meet, I am certain that I can defeat the Uchiha."
Tenten giggled, and Neji looked at her almost as if she'd farted instead. She waved a hand playfully. "Sorry, I just remembered yesterday's chase. I still can't believe Naruto managed to outrun and escape the ANBU and jounin all over the village." Neji twitched at the memory of it, the young man remembering how he had somehow wandered into the path of many of Naruto's pursuers and had had to scramble out of their way before it was too late. Even with his vaunted, prideful eyes, he had to admit that the boy had become rather skilled when it came to escapes and running. The way Uzumaki managed to take the time to say hello to Tenten was just a bit disconcerting, to say the least.
"It was fate, Tenten, that let Umino-san catch Uzumaki rather than the ANBU." Neji conceded after a moment of thought. She shrugged. "Perhaps you should try using those tarot cards of yours to do a reading for him sometime. Fate likely has something to say about his immediate future." The Hyuuga nodded again. "Perhaps the Death card might pop up. For a dead-last, the end of a struggle such as his to become a real ninja would be perhaps the kindest event fate could give to him."
Little did Neji know that Tenten had already done such a thing for her ex-classmate, but she shrugged. Fortune-telling took many shapes, but there was one thing that Neji didn't grasp about the concept. Likely, it was due to the clan that he came from, but for some reason she couldn't help but to wonder just how someone on the same team as Lee, someone who shouldn't have been able to graduate without performing ninjutsu or genjutsu... had done just that. Fate only takes people so far, and she knew it. But none had ever been able to get him to truly accept that. Some day, maybe...
Finally, Tenten slowly stood up and stretched. "Tenten, are you ready to train some more?" Lee exclaimed, even as he finished his 97th push-up. Tenten turned back to look at him, the buns in her hair almost threatening to unravel as she shook her head quickly.
"No! Gai-sensei, pardon me. Is our training over for the day, or is there another exercise that you'd like to introduce to us today?" she asked, and Gai looked thoughtful for a moment.
"A good question. No, just practice the chakra control exercises I gave you scrolls for while you are at home and think about the power of youth, Tenten-chan! Neji, you may go along as well if you wish. Lee, let us do a quick ten laps around Konoha before we finish for the day." Lee cried out in excitement and the two were off with a flurry of dust kicked up behind their running forms.
"See you tomorrow, Neji-san."
"Hai."
The two departed, one towards the Hyuuga compound. That one couldn't wait to hear how badly Hinata had done in the exam today when he got back to the house. It was all but certain that the girl wouldn't be able to meet her father's lofty aspirations for the would-be heiress of the clan. It wouldn't even matter if she was the top kunoichi of her class, he knew. The girl was far too timid, meek, and overall weak in the family's taijutsu to be taken seriously by the clan as a whole. A smile crept onto his face as he wandered back towards his home.
The other walked from the training grounds toward the ninja academy. She was just hoping that her friend could produce a bunshin- he had managed a henge a week ago after staying up for three days straight, practicing it. How he had managed it, she didn't even want to think about, let alone know. It couldn't have been easy... right? She hadn't had nearly as much trouble producing a mizu bunshin as he wound up having with just a simple transformation technique like a henge. Still, she had no doubts that he'd be able to pass the taijutsu portion of the exam. Ninjutsu, such as henge and the bunshin were a different thing altogether. And she didn't have a clue about his genjutsu abilities, but he'd never complained about being unable to use them since figuring out the henge technique. The academy didn't really teach genjutsu either, but did give basic lessons on dispelling them anyway.
Upon arrival, there were a bunch of adults with their kids there. She couldn't see Naruto anywhere in the courtyard where most of the students were showing off their new, shiny hitai-ite to proud parents or guardians. The smile she had on her face faltered as she walked past a brooding Sasuke Uchiha, who merely held the hitai-ite in his hand as he headed towards the training grounds. There wasn't a scowl on the boy's face... which was an improvement, at any rate. For once, there was no sign of the boy being followed by his adoring girls, and out of the bunch that she remembered from the year before, only two were visible as they talked excitedly with their parents. Both Yamanaka and Haruno were chattering away as they talked with their mothers, the former's father likely on a mission while the later's father was probably working... well, wherever it was that he worked. She had mentioned before that neither of her parents were ninja, so that left that out.
Tenten shook her head, stepping past the Nara's boy and father, who just leaned against the school's walls for a good view at the clouds overhead. Movement to her right got her attention, and it was a wiry older man with a Konoha hitai-ite on his forehead. It took her a moment to remember that it was a teacher that she'd only known for a few months before she had graduated, and the name escaped her for a moment before it suddenly came to mind. Mizuki-san. She nodded to herself as she looked in the direction that the man was gazing, and there under the tree, away from most of the others, was the boy she'd come to check up on. The downcast look on his face told the tale, and her smile fell completely as she sighed. I'm sorry, Naruto. We should have spent more time on anything other than taijutsu and genjutsu.
Then she noticed Iruka-san with Hokage-sama not too far away, somehow almost ignored by the others near them. What's the Hokage doing here? And he seems to be looking at Naruto. I wonder... Tenten shrugged, and looked back to the boy as he got off the swing that was suspended in the air by one of the tree branches above his head. She glanced back to where she had seen her old sensei and the Third Hokage, but both had simply vanished. Even as she started to walk after Naruto, her attention was drawn to Mizuki-san as he followed the blonde troublemaker from the school grounds. Well, I guess someone other than Iruka's being nice to him for a change. That's good. Tenten smiled, and then was tapped on the shoulder by someone. Turning around, she found herself faced by Hinata, who smiled a little and let her hand fall to her side. "Hello, Hyuuga-san." she said, noticing the hitai-ite tied around the younger girl's neck. "Congratulations!"
The smile that the timid Hyuuga gave her almost made Tenten sigh. I can't believe she's related to Neji. She's definitely in the wrong clan if she's so obviously sad about graduating, rather than happy like everyone else. Neji's going to enjoy this too much.
"Uh, um... Tenten-senpai, why were you watching N-Naruto-kun?" the hesitant girl asked her, and Tenten smiled a bit.
"I was hoping he'd graduate today and I could take him out for some ramen for dinner after a spar. You know, to celebrate? Looks like that's not gonna happen, though." Tenten shrugged, glancing back in the direction that Naruto and Mizuki had disappeared in before looking back to Hinata. "What about you? I see you graduated. Where's your father?"
The younger girl's face flushed and she looked away, muttering something under her breath in a voice so quiet that Tenten couldn't quite hear her. Then she spoke up a bit. "I do not think that f-father will be c-coming today. I will g-give him m-my report when I return h-home. S-soon, of c-course." she said, looking back up to meet Tenten's eyes with a small smile. Forced smiles... Looks like she and Naruto have something in common. Tenten considered her for a moment and then nodded.
"Do you have to be home soon? If you'd like, let's go get a snack. My treat, okay?" Hinata's face went crimson and Tenten smiled. "Alright, let's go. If your father asks, just tell him the truth... and if Neji bothers you, just tell me." she whispered to the younger girl, one hand on Hinata's back to turn the meek one around and led her into the village to a shop she knew from her days at the academy. It was close to her father's smithy, which was pretty much perfect for a Genin with fairly low income, despite the past year's worth of various D- and C-rank missions.
I just hope Naruto doesn't take this too badly... again.
***
Several hours later, and a somewhat lighter wallet after saying goodbye to Hinata, Tenten found herself on a familiar path heading towards Naruto's apartment. It was getting dark out now, and there looked to be a stormfront slowly moving in as the moon came out from behind the clouds for a moment. A streak of orange headed off over the street, but came to a halt a short distance ahead of the bun-haired girl, revealing a grinning Naruto. "Hey, Tenten! Can't stick around, I gotta go pay the Old Man a visit. See ya later!" and with that, the orange streak of hyperactivity was off before the stunned girl could say a word.
Tenten turned to watch the boy bound off, launching himself up to the rooftops after climbing a bit on a wall, up onto a balcony, and then to high elevations before she could even call after him. The orange speck disappeared into the darkness, despite just how obvious the coloring of his jumpsuit was, and she sighed. Crazy Naruto. Hope he's not pulling any pranks tonight. Still, good to see him in good spirits now, at least.
Little did she know what the knucklehead was actually going to be doing, as she turned and headed for home. Hopefully, her father hadn't needed her for anything while she'd been out, but he knew her schedule with Gai-sensei was erratic at best anyway.
The next morning brought only the worst of rumors to her ears, even coming from Gai-sensei. NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! The blonde stole a scroll from the Hokage's very own house! "Well, fate has decided... that dead-last will be simply dead, when the ANBU get hold of him." Neji commented after their sensei told the tale. Lee seemed saddened- he knew of this Naruto as a fellow dead-last merely a year ago. Tenten shook her head.
"There's more to this story, I think. Naruto's not the type to steal from the Hokage. He pranks, he causes chaos, and he can be annoying at times, but he wouldn't go against the village." she stated, and even Neji had to give pause to that. Tenten shrugged. "He wants to be the next Hokage, right? Why would he do that?"
"Why do adults hate him? There must be a reason to that as well, Tenten. No one will say why, though." Lee added, and both Neji and Tenten looked at him at the oddly relevant observation. She nodded, and Neji shrugged.
"It's fate, that's all. The Hokage has been lax with that dead-last for a long time, so whether he lives, dies, or is simply kicked out of the academy is all up to fate. Whatever happens, I doubt we will have to deal with him again." Neji stated. It was Tenten's turn to hesitate, but she nodded absently. I really hope Naruto isn't kicked out. Things would only get worse if he was.
"Alright Team, let's go see the Hokage for today's mission. And perhaps we'll discover what has happened to the youthful Uzumaki that you're so interested in as well." Gai told his team, and everyone filed in behind him as he started jogging towards the Hokage's tower.
Upon arrival at the tower, there was a bit of a commotion at the base of the tall building that Team Gai was quickly in position to see. The Third Hokage stood on the steps leading inside the tower as several Chuunin and Jounin stood watch, forming a semi-circle around the pair before them. One was Umino, and the other was Uzumaki holding a large scroll. And on the blonde's forehead... was a Leaf hitai-ite.
"Old man, here. Sorry to beat you last night to get the scroll, but I just had to graduate. I won't steal from your house again, I swear to Kami I won't." Naruto was saying, and the amused expression on the Hokage's face was priceless, as if this was the funniest thing he'd heard in weeks. Though they couldn't see Iruka's or Naruto's faces, it was quite obvious that both suspected that they'd be in some sort of trouble. A jounin came to take back the pilfered scroll from the 12-year old, who was surprisingly was using his head about the whole thing and using his few manners to boot.
"Naruto, Iruka, thank you for capturing the traitor. Ibiki will be taking care of our guest from now on." the Hokage stated, and he spared a glance to the side, where a sealed Mizuki was held upright and silent by the large, scarred man that was Ibiki Morino. He and his Chuunin subordinate took the captured ninja away, flanked by a pair of jounin that had made up the semi-circle of people that had been a part of the procession in progress before the tower. The old man turned his gaze back to the two before them, and his glance to Iruka's head and then to Naruto's made him nod. "Iruka... he passed the bunshin test, I take it?"
Iruka nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama. He proved he could pass the bunshin test last night while assisting with the capture of Mizuki." he said, and then winced. "My apologies, Hokage-sama, for not catching Mizuki before he could affect the students.
The third just shook his head. "None are necessary, Iruka. Teachers are supposed to be trusted with the welfare, the teaching of our students, and assisting with the raising of our children to become ninja. We must be better prepared in the future, that is all, for any who might attempt to otherwise sway our precious young people into inadvertently working against their homes. The ANBU shall be assisting in this endeavor from now on. Now, if someone would be so kind as to escort Iruka to the hospital to see about his wounded back? I do have other duties to attend to today, and it seems as if our genin teams are looking eager for their daily missions. Oh, and do remember to have your students come here in two days to have their pictures taken for their ninja identifications, Iruka." The teacher nodded in response this time.
Naruto laughed a little, and then looked to Iruka. "I'll take sensei to the hospital, old man. Don't worry about it." he said, teacher and student sharing a grin before turning to walk away. Naruto blinked as he saw the crowd of ninja that he had kept from getting their missions, a number of them shocked to see that the boy actually survived a confrontation with the Hokage... and survived after stealing from him, no less! Tenten grinned even as both Lee and Gai gave him their customary, trademarked 'Nice Guy!' thumbs up and smile as the pair passed the team. Naruto grinned even more and slapped Iruka on the back, causing the Chuunin to fall forward a bit from the unexpectedly painful blow.
Gai-sensei just shook his head. "Ah, the springtime of youth. Lee, make a note that Naruto Uzumaki is full of the fires of youth!" he commanded, and the shorter bowl-cut boy immediately jotted down that note for his sensei. Neji twitched, and Tenten just shook her head. "Yosh! Now, to get in..." and the jounin sensei just shook his head as everyone that had been watching the Hokage a moment ago rushed into a line for the various missions that would be given out today. "In line."
***
Several hours had passed since the pair's arrival at the hospital. The silence that permeated the air as Iruka lay on his bed was annoying to at least one person that had been allowed into the room. The doctor had tried to tell the boy to get out now that his sensei needed rest, but Iruka had vetoed the idea. Left alone in the hospital room, it didn't take long for Naruto to say something. "Sensei, you're gonna be okay, right?" came an unusually sullen and quiet voice from the boy. Gone was the artificially cheerful face, the ever-present smile. It was without a mask on that Iruka saw the boy this time as he hung his head. The pain medicine was still kicked in, and so the teacher could swear that Naruto had formed a few bunshin as he sat on the nearby chair. But where did the other chairs come from, if that was the case?
"Naruto, I'll be fine. It was just a few stitches, after all. Nothing too serious. The doc says I'll be outta here tomorrow after the medic-nin takes another look in the morning. So relax, get out there and have some fun." Umino told the boy, and then shook his head. "No pranks though. The Hokage still isn't happy about the monument caper two days ago." Naruto had the decency to look at least a little sheepish at that remark.
"Hai, hai. Alright, no pranks for a while, sensei. But just for you. I... I do owe you, after all." Naruto conceded, and then he grinned. "Gama-chan'll hate me for this, but... Tomorrow, Ichiraku's on me, okay sensei?"
"I'll hold you to that, Naruto. Now get outta here, you dang troublemaker!"
Laughing, the blonde got off the chair and practically hopped over to the window, lifting it open to let in a somewhat warm breeze. "See ya tomorrow, Sensei!" and with that, the orange-clad would-be genin took off, landing on the ground with a wide grin as he walked down the street... Towards Ichiraku's ramen stand. Iruka thought as he watched his student head down in the general direction of both his crappy little apartment and the one food stand that didn't throw him out immediately because of what he was.
Out on the street, Naruto's grin slowly faltered as he reached up to his hitai-ite and pulled it off his head. Looking at the grimy protector-piece, he used a bit of his not-quite as dirty jumpsuit to try and clean it off, polishing his former-sensei's hitai-ite. Damn, I think I should go see Tenten's place. I'm sure her dad's got something to clean this thing off better than I can. Not water, though, that can rust. His course deviated immediately as he looked around. The area around the hospital was one of those places that he unfortunately knew fairly well- most shinobi did, after all, though today was merely his first day actually being one.
The glares he got from everyone else he passed never seemed to cease. Sometimes, he could see himself as just some island in an ocean full of hungry sharks. Sometimes he got hurt whenever he tried to go into the water, to escape that one little island in an effort to find true land on the horizon. Reality really is a lot like that dream. Naruto shook his head quickly, dispelling the idea as he caught himself doing exactly what Tenten had told him not to do. Frowning. Quickly, he chuckled and grinned again before he put the hitai-ite into his pocket. It stuck out a little, but most of it was there. Not really a problem, as long as I don't bump into anyone or lose it. Good to go.
He thought about it for a second. Well, mostly. Gotta get this thing all cool and shiny for the ceremony. I wonder if I could blind anyone with it if I... The grin on his face somehow seemed to get even wider as he contemplated blinding Iruka-sensei with reflected light off his old hitai-ite. Naruto shook his head afterward. Nah. Iruka-sensei doesn't deserve that. Especially after this morning. I hope that bastard Mizuki gets exactly what he deserves! That's what he gets for tricking me!
"Hey... you're that kid, ain'tcha?" An unfamiliar voice asked, and Naruto glanced around. Someone actually talked to me? The blonde's eyes settled on an older man, probably well into his thirties or maybe his early forties. "Thought so. Not that many blonde kids around, and even fewer goin' around wearing such a dumb color, too." the old man commented, and the boy bit back a growl. The old man wore some sort of red robe and had white hair that fell to just below his shoulders. I don't know this guy. Naruto thought to himself as he searched for any ideas as to who this moron could be. There were no tell-tale signs to be had.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What's up?" he asked, and the old man spat at the ground between them.
"Respect yer elders, you little bastard. The Hokage might put up with ya, but no one else will. What do you think you're doing in the human part of town anyway? Get outta here, you're stinking up the place." Naruto blinked, and then took a whiff of his jacket- it seemed to be in good condition, though a bit dirty, but it wasn't like it was really dirty, was it? It doesn't smell... well, not that bad.
The blonde smirked. "Old man, I dunno what the hell you're talkin' about, but I'll think about not kicking your ass into the river for bein' stupid." With that, he continued walking towards Tenten's place, despite knowing that she likely wouldn't be there. The old timer just grunted and shook his head, walking along the path away from the container of the Kyuubi. Naruto kept his facade up until he neared an alleyway and ducked inside of it. After a quick glance around, he shivered. The old man knows too. Mizuki and Iruka-sensei weren't lying. I really do have a demon inside me. Maybe I shouldn't have threatened that guy... I bet the Old Man will hear about this somehow. Damn it!
Stepping back out of the alleyway after a moment to collect himself, Naruto continued on his way towards Tenten's place- all the while, trying to maintain some distance between himself and the other pedestrians. It was a futile effort, considering almost everyone gave the kyuubi's container a wide berth anyway. At least the rest of his little trek went without a hitch, and soon he was standing outside a rather hot, open-air smithy. Clangs of various tones and volume could be heard, and every so often within the darkened shop there were sparks that flew up when hammer struck heated metal, to shape the metal into its eventual form.
"Ah, the blonde kid that Tenten trains with. Orange outfit, strange tastes, kiddo. So, what brings ya here?" came a voice from beyond a not so dark doorway, which soon revealed a sturdy looking man in his mid-forties. The dark hair cut short, perhaps merely an inch or two long, he looked almost nothing like Tenten. Was he her father?
"Um..." and for once, Naruto hesitated when it came to speaking to someone. This was a new person to him who hadn't threatened him or looked down on him (other than physically). I don't want to make things weird for Tenten or anything if I can help it. What do I say? He heard a grunt, and Naruto looked back up to the taller man, grinning. "Sorry, just trying to get things straight in my head. Basically, I was hoping to find something I could use to clean my hitai-ite for the ninja identification pictures in a couple days. Tenten told me you work in metal here, so I figured you'd have something that'd be good."
The man nodded, and chuckled. "Just a hitai-ite? That's it? What's your name again?"
But before Naruto could respond, another person came up from within the smithy. "His name's Uzumaki, Yenta-san. He's that... one kid." The younger man came around to where Naruto could see him, and the superior look that the newcomer gave him made Uzumaki glare back in response. "We shouldn't be serving someone like him. I still need some help with the details on this..."
The old man shot the younger one a glare, and this time Naruto was surprised. "He is wearing a Leaf hitai-ite. I am obligated to assist Konoha ninja, whether they be genin or Hokage, Isaku. Go get me some solvent oil, and if I hear you suggesting that we deny service to another nin while you're working here... you won't be working here for long. Understood?" Isaku blinked, a shocked look on his face before he nodded and spared Naruto a hate-filled look before turning and doing as he was told. Yenta looked back to the young boy and sighed. "Damned child, that one, and not in the way as I might say the same about you, Uzumaki-kun. Listen, next time come back with Tenten and we can set things straight. That boy will soon be feeling quite the punishment for his words, I guarantee you that. I will not have someone turn down a Leaf ninja when we can be of assistance."
Naruto's jaw, which had dropped, quickly found its way back into place again after a moment, and he grinned before bowing to the old man in appreciation. "Thank you so much, um... Yenta-san?" The old timer nodded and Naruto grinned again. Isaku returned and handed a large bottle of solvent to his superior, who nodded as the younger man retreated into the forge. Yenta smiled.
"Okay, let's see the hitai-ite." Naruto pulled it out of his pocket, and looked at it for a moment before looking back to the seemingly-nice old man. Can I trust him not to take it and not give it back? Is this all some sort of prank, like what I'd do? A second later, he nodded, and set the hitai-ite onto the man's outstretched hand. "Ah, not bad workmanship at all. A little beat up. A hand-me-down?" Naruto was confused about that phrase until he realized what was meant.
"Something like that. My teacher, Iruka-sensei, gave it to me this morning." Naruto explained, and the old man grinned.
"Umino-san? Well, I think I've heard something about that. So that was you, hm?" Yenta remarked, squirting some of the solvent onto the metal portion of the hitai-ite, and then pulling a clean cloth from a nearby drawer to start wiping it down. The grime, small amounts of blood, and whatever else had stained the steel slowly rubbed off at the firm motions of the man's fingers over the forehead protector. "Listen, come back tomorrow and I think we can spare a few things for you. Just don't tell anyone, okay? Least of all, Tenten." The old man grinned as the metal of the hitai-ite began to nearly gleam in the noon-day sunlight.
"Why not?" Naruto had to ask, the urge to do so simply overwhelming the sudden urge he had to yawn as well. Yenta chuckled.
"Because I know you two spar, and I think it'd be good for you to surprise her sometime, rather than the other way around. A father has a right to tease his only daughter, I think." Handing the hitai-ite back to Naruto, the boy looked at the shiny new-looking metal protector and could actually see his reflection in it. "Anyway, no charge today, Uzumaki-kun. But if you see Tenten, tell her to hurry home. The dishes are awaiting their savior tonight." That got them both to laugh, and Naruto bowed again before darting off, his new hitai-ite firmly held in one hand as his stomach finally growled loudly. Up for about the entire past 24 hours or more since the exam, he had two things left to do today- sleep was one.
But ramen was the other! And in a battle between sleep and ramen, in the young blonde's head, there was only one decided victor.
***
"Alright then, jounin sensei to be. We should now go over your choices for your teams. Though, I think one student requires a quite... dedicated touch." the voice of the Hokage was kept low, of course, in part due to his unfortunate smoking habit, exacerbated by the fact that he actually held a lit pipe between his lips at the same time. Flipping between the sheets of the 27 or so youths that had passed the academy exam this month, he had to choose carefully as to which one was the one he was going to pick out. Finally, his fingers came to a sheet without a picture on it.
"Uchiha, Sasuke. The last survivor of his clan, as we are all well aware. Unfortunately, we have but one jounin amongst us capable of instructing the boy on his latent abilities when they finally do manifest. Hatake, he is your student by default." The Hokage fixed the lazy, one-eyed jounin with a stare, and almost groaned as he noted that Kakashi was already reading his precious Icha Icha book. Second volume, he could tell, from the title that wasn't covered by the jounin's hand as he held it aloft. He wasn't alone as he shook his head at the lack of attention being paid, even as the jounin glanced up and gave his trademark smile hidden behind the mask. The one eye that could be seen showed the same smile, however.
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
The old man sighed and looked amongst the others, automatically giving out a few student files to various other jounin sensei. Pausing as he came to a certain kunoichi, he shifted his attention to one of the few jounin kunoichi that were in the room. "Hyuuga, Hinata. She is now your student, Yuhi-san. I believe the two of you know each other?" The kunoichi nodded grimly, and the Hokage smiled. "Good, that will make it easier for her to know a familiar face as her sensei. Now, let's see..."
More time passed as he assigned other students to more teachers, and then the basis of the individual team's was down to one last jounin. "Sarutobi, Asuma." The Hokage grinned as he saw his son start and shook his head. "Nara, Shikamaru and Akimichi, Choji, will be on your team. It is up to you, but I would recommend Ino Yamanaka for your team as well. We all know how well the previous trio did, so it would be worth it to try once again."
Asuma nodded. "I'll take Yamanaka then, Hokage-sama." Great, I get a slacker, a glutton, and one of the biggest loudmouths as well. He smirked. This should be entertaining.
With that, he looked over the remaining sheets, handing the three that Asuma had now to the younger Sarutobi. That left a fair number to choose from, a total of 16 remaining. "Other than Asuma, I recommend that the rest of you look over the remaining students and choose who you would like to have round out your teams. Also, remember that each team should be balanced." A glance over the 8 remaining sensei told him that they had already begun to weed out the potentials for their various teams... other than Kakashi. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hiruzen shook his head and sat back to let them all look over the papers.
Several were snatched up quickly. Mostly, the more above-average and average shinobi and kunoichi were chosen first, including Shino Aburame by Kurenai. Hiruzen could tell from her choices that she was looking for a team that would be mostly specialized in some sort of reconnaissance work. It was a good goal, but he had taken a good look at every student profile that had come in on those papers and knew there would likely be some sort of issues between the two that the genjutsu specialist had chosen. Though compared to others... it wasn't too much of an issue, so far.
It wasn't until the stack of papers had fallen half in height that Hatake seemed to finally notice what was going on, looking up from his Icha Icha novel to look amusedly at the other jounin-sensei who had by now finalized their own possible teams by stacking their papers in their laps. "Ah... Hm. Who do we have left, eh? Anyone interesting?" the one-eyed wonder asked aloud, glancing to the remaining papers on the Hokage's table. There was a flash of recognition in his eye, and it didn't take a genius to realize that he had quite likely seen Naruto Uzumaki's profile. "Ano? I thought this gaki didn't make the grade yesterday. Did he somehow manage to slip his paper into stack, Hokage-sama?"
That question gathered a few laughs amongst the other Jounin, but the Hokage shook his head seriously. "No. He passed this early morning by assisting Iruka Umino in capturing Mizuki. He was a traitor and is now entertaining Morino." Hatake took another look at the paper- no sign of that at all on it, let alone any techniques that might've been able to be helpful in a battle. That 'Sexy Jutsu' sounds interesting, but could it have been useful in a battle? Doubtful.
Fortunately for Kakashi, there was another interested party in this story. "Hokage-sama, how did Uzumaki help a chuunin to apprehend this Mizuki?" Kurenai Yuhi requested, to which the Hokage smiled.
"Simple, really. Perhaps you have all heard about his latest prank from last night... namely, sneaking into my home and stealing a scroll of forbidden jutsu?" The group nodded as a whole, other than Kakashi. This brat managed to sneak into the third Hokage's very house and made it out with a scroll? How is that even possible? "Well, it turns out that Mizuki tricked him into doing it, promising him that if he mastered even one of the jutsu on the scroll that he would allow Naruto to pass the exam to become a genin."
Kurenai shook her head, even as several other jounin in the room snickered at the thought of a shortcut being allowed. "Allow me to continue. After I dispatched ANBU to apprehend the boy, it took hours for any to even find him. It was finally Iruka, the boy's teacher, who found him in the forest. According to their report, Iruka attempted to protect the boy until he could get back to the village, but..."
"Protect him? The demon-child?" one jounin exclaimed angrily, standing up with his shoulders squared. Hiruzen glared at the objector, and the man silently sat back down, though the protest that had erupted had its effect on the rest of the room.
"Yes, he attempted to protect him. Even saved him from a deadly strike from a large shuriken that the traitor used." The old timer decided not to bore them with the minor details, such as the badly-timed motivational speech solely for the boy's benefit, but at least a few jounin had to at least respect the deed. "The boy then demonstrated, successfully, his mastery of one of the forbidden jutsu and proceeded to 'disable' the traitor. Let us say that Mizuki was unable to walk under his own power after the boy was through with him." The stunned silence that came into being was shattered by the sound of a paperback book landing on the floor a moment later.
Kakashi picked up the book quickly and pocketed it. "A mere student, not even a genin. Uzumaki managed to learn one of the forbidden jutsu? Which one?"
Hiruzen fiddled with his pipe for a moment, taking out some tobacco and refilling the end of it before lighting it with a match. He barely hid back the smile as the jounin seemed to wait with baited breath... the suspense in the air was almost palpable, he had to admit. Even Asuma looked interested, despite already having a full three-student team. He took a deep inhale of the pipe, and then blew out a slow, steady stream of smoke for several seconds. Finally, after almost half a minute of them waiting, he shrugged. "Kage bunshin no jutsu. He managed to create a very large number of clones, perfectly, and defeated his own Taijutsu instructor from the academy."
The Third Hokage just watched in amusement as the instructors considered this new information. Still, the boy is the container of the demon-fox. It is very unlikely that anyone would just take the boy for their team, despite his mastery of that technique. Far too many see him as the demon, and not the shinobi he could become. Sometimes, I wonder if I did the right thing for him, and for the fourth, by passing that law...
Then, a hand settled upon the paper and drew it up so that the owner could read it.
"I'll take him for my team."