Well here we go!

SunlitSky21: This was actually a really useful review. I'm new to writing so thanks for the insights. My thought process was to describe everything in detail because I always appreciate long stories, but I didn't really consider that it could be redundant. Also thanks for bringing up the language differences between characters, I didn't take that into account.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

Naruto stood hidden on a tree branch, with the Scroll of Sealing strapped to his back. He looked down at the two chunin in the middle of an intense battle of eyes. His academy teachers, Iruka and Mizuki, were taking a break from their fight to stare instead. The air was very tense, from what Naruto could sense.

"Iruka, don't be an idiot here," Mizuki stated to his brunette counterpart. "He's a demon, he's the reason you're an orphan and he should be punished for that. Don't you understand? Stop protecting him and see him as he is! If we allow him to keep up this charade of being a ninja, he'll only bite Konoha in the ass!"

Naruto stood there and listened to Mizuki talk about him. Why? Why did this have to happen to him? It was always him. He always had to deal with the hatred of the villagers and he had to live the life of loneliness that those bastards made him endure. He finally understood now why he had been subjected to that treatment. He was the Kyuubi that had attacked the village twelve years ago. It all made sense now. Why parents held their kids away from him with fear in their eyes and why he had never been acknowledged as the person he desperately wanted to be seen as. It all made sense now.

"You're absolutely right, the Kyuubi would do that," the ponytailed chunin replied.

Naruto's head sunk. Iruka had been the one person to actually show any interest towards his development in the academy. Sure he had sent the blond to detention more times than he could count, but he did that because he genuinely cared about the blond and was invested in Naruto getting the knowledge he should get out of the academy. To hear Iruka agree with Mizuki destroyed him. He stared at the tree branch. "I guess Iruka didn't care. Maybe I am the demon."

"But Naruto would never do that!" Spiky blond hair flew back as his head shot up. "He's had to deal with the bigotry of the villagers for as long as he's been alive. I, unfortunately, thought as you did, foolish Mizuki. But I learned from interacting with that knucklehead that he's an amazing person. He's the kind of person that people flock towards because the light in his eyes never fades, even through the shit he's been through from the villagers.. He's a shinobi of Konoha, and as such I will protect him with my life! Even if that means dying to a traitor!"

The overlooking blond saw everything in a blurry mess. Tears obstructed his vision as he looked down at Iruka with an emotion he hadn't felt for a long time. Hope filled his heart with the conviction in the chunin's voice and Naruto felt that he had a purpose.

Mizuki threw a large fuuma shuriken at Iruka when he saw the opportunity and it seemed like the battle would end there, but it was intercepted as the butt end of the Scroll of Sealing met the top of the spinning shuriken, sending it towards the ground. Mizuki looked at the scene in front of him and was met with the same blond they had been talking about moments before. His golden hair shadowed his eyes.

Naruto looked up at the blue haired chunin with a look that could bring demons to a bow and an aura that reminded him of the monster that Mizuki thought this boy was. Then he spoke. "If you ever lay a hand on Iruka… I'll kill you!"

Mizuki stood silent for a second and saw Naruto put his goggles on. He considered what Naruto had said, but his cockiness won over. He thought an academy student didn't have a chance to defeat the seasoned chunin he was.

"What could you possible do? I don't know if you've forgotten, but let me enlighten you, you're nothing. I'm a chunin"

Naruto stood there with his unfazed stare and spoke in pure conviction. "Underestimating me is the last mistake you will make in your pitiful existence."

Mizuki saw Naruto's fingers move to a cross pattern and he heard Naruto shout something, but his mind was clouded when smoke filled the entire surrounding forest. When it cleared he saw hundreds of perfect copies of the blond standing in front of him. Then he noticed said blond saying something else, but his hearing was shaky.

"Kill him," Naruto ordered. Not a moment later his clones sprung into action, as groups took turns at dealing with the trembling chunin. Thousands of punches and thousands of kicks flew in unordered conjunction until they stopped as quickly as they had started.

Minutes later Naruto stood above the beaten and deceased body of the man that had called him a demon. He looked down at his corpse with pity. He dispelled the rest of his clones. They wouldn't be needed anyway. When he did, the memories of the fight from countless angles and perspectives knocked the unsuspecting child out.

-|A Few Minutes Later|-

Naruto opened his eyes to see Iruka staring at him with concern in his eyes.

"Naruto are you alright," He asked.

The blond just stared at him blankly for what seemed like an hour until his eyes lit up and he smiled. "I'm great Iruka!" His enthusiasm seemed out of place. Then his face transformed from one of glee to one of confusion. "What happened again?"

Iruka almost face-faulted at the question. How could Naruto forget this? Oh well. "You defeated Mizuki." Iruka avoided using the word 'killed' in case Naruto wasn't ready to handle it. "The reason you blacked out was because you used the Shadow Clone Jutsu too heavily in the battle. Do you remember now?"

Naruto seemed to enter a state of intense thought for a minute until he released his tensed face. "Yeah, I remember. Mizuki explained why the villagers hate me and you defended me. Thank you." The last sentence left Naruto with a tear rolling down his cheek.

Iruka noticed that and immediately responded. "Naruto, you're like a little brother to me, we both went through something similar. Life's not always what it's expected to be you know? We both grew up without parents. There's no tougher task for a child than to learn the harsh realities of this world alone, and even more so for you given what the villagers have done in the past. Mizuki was spouting nonsensical lies. It's my job as a chunin of Konoha and as somebody who cares about you to defend you no matter what."

Naruto looked at him with pure respect. The man in front of him was one of the few people who had taken an interest in his existence, and now he knew why. Iruka actually cared about him. That was a foreign feeling for the blond. The only other people to do that were the Sandaime, Teuchi, and Ayame. It was nice to be able to add Iruka to the exclusive list.

A thought came to his mind. "Is what Mizuki said true?"

"You are not the Kyuubi, Naruto." Iruka saw Naruto release a sigh of relief. "But he was right when he said that the Kyuubi was sealed inside you." Naruto sunk down again. "I'm sorry Naruto. This burden isn't something anybody should have to bear, but unfortunately it's not something that can be changed. Now I know you. You don't ever give up. You have a determination that rivals even the most stubborn shinobi. I know that you can handle this burden and I know the Yondaime knew it too. You have to know that no matter what anybody says you are not the Kyuubi. You are Naruto Uzumaki and you are a somebody worth believing in. That being said, why don't you take a look at your forehead."

Naruto immediately reached towards his forehead expecting to find his goggles. Instead he was met with cold steel. He glided his fingers over the Konoha leaf symbol. "Is this what I think it is?" Iruka nodded. "Why?"

"To be honest you've earned it. Not only did you display an excellent use of a clone technique, which is the only reason you failed in the first place, but you also defeated a chunin. I'd say those are actions befitting a genin."

Naruto gave a thousand watt smile. He honestly didn't know what to say to the man in front of him. There weren't any words available to the loud-mouthed kid.

Iruka filled the silence. "Why don't we grab some ramen. It's on me, as a celebration of your promotion! We can talk to the hokage after eating."

Naruto could only nod and they headed out.

An ANBU sealed up the body of Mizuki and retrieved the Scroll of Sealing after having heard everything that went down. The ANBU member didn't see it as a problem that the genin-chunin duo were going to eat before seeing the hokage as the hokage himself wouldn't mind it. The masked ninja disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

-|At Ichiraku Ramen|-

Naruto and Iruka arrived at the little ramen stand in a half an hour. They were walking at civilian pace due to the duo being tired from the previous events. Iruka lifted up the curtain to the stand and Naruto walked under it in silence. The trek from the forest had been a silent one. Both people had a lot to think about.

There was a masculine voice heard from the back as the two sat down. "Is that Naruto?"

"Hehe you're always able to tell it's me even though you don't see me. Yeah it's me old man."

Another voice was heard in the back, but this one was younger and feminine. "Naruto?"

"Hey Ayame!"

A girl slightly older than Naruto with long brown hair and black eyes came out of the back. She noticed that Iruka was with Naruto. "So what'll you guys have this time?"

Iruka spoke up first. "I'll just have a bowl of vegetable ramen please."

"Sure thing," she replied and looked over at the hyperactive genin.

"Um… I'll have two bowls of beef ramen and a bowl of chicken ramen to start."

Iruka looked over at the blond and smiled. "Your apatite never ceases to amaze me. I can only imagine the dent this will have on my wallet."

Ayame chuckled at the two and then noticed something different about Naruto's appearance. "What's that on your forehead Naruto?"

The blond gave his thousand-watt smile and replied. "It's a headband! I'm a genin now!"

"Wow, hey the first two bowls are on us then to celebrate."

Iruka looked slightly relieved at that.

Naruto looked elated. "Awesome!"

"Anyway I'll go help dad take care of those orders for you guys."

"Hey, Naruto we should probably talk," Iruka said in serious tone.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Do you realized what happened today?"

"I killed Mizuki," he replied.

"How are you doing with that? I know that my first kill wasn't something I remember fondly and that's putting it lightly."

"I don't like that I killed him. I actually didn't mean to, but I was so angry at what he was saying. I guess my clones were just as mad as I was and they didn't hold back."

"It happens to the best of us sometimes, but you need to learn to control your emotions, Naruto."

"I know. The thing is, I have no doubt in my mind that he deserved to die. He betrayed Konoha, he tried to kill me and he tried to kill you. I just wish it hadn't been me that dealt the final blow."

"Yeah I get that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Naruto, you have to understand that this is what shinobi do. We kill for our village. We do terrible things so other people can go about their lives without worrying about such things."

"I know. I still want to be a shinobi. That'll never change."

"Good. You're a natural at it anyway. It's best to not waste that."

Naruto gave a small chuckle at the complement. "Thanks."

Ayame set down the ramen silently and went back into the kitchen to give the two some space.

"Naruto I want to tell you what it means to be a shinobi, or at least what it means to me. I know you don't pay attention in my lectures because you think they're boring, but I let it slide because frankly it doesn't matter in the long run whether or not you know when the Shodaime was born or what his favorite flavor of dango was. But this is important, so please pay attention." Naruto looked up and Iruka could tell that he had his attention. "I grew up with parents and lost them in the Kyuubi attack. Before you say anything I want to tell you that I don't blame you for that. You didn't do anything wrong there. Anyway, when I lost them I lost everything. My friends drifted away. This was probably because I pushed them away. The reason isn't important. I lost my way and I lost my purpose for being a shinobi. Then one day, when I was sulking, I decided to wander around the village. I saw children playing with their siblings and I saw parents smiling at the display of joy. Something clicked for me there. In that moment, it wasn't about me anymore. I realized that I don't matter. That doesn't seem like a good realization, but let me assure you it was. In this world you can't think only of yourself. Doing so isolates you and destroys your reasons for getting stronger. Those children made me realize that they are what's important. A fire sparked in my eyes. I trained to be stronger and eventually I became a chunin. I asked the Hokage if I could teach at the academy and he told me I could. Since then I've worked hard to educate the youth of this village because the children of this village are the future of this village. The thing I'm trying to get at is this: if you only work hard for yourself you'll soon realize that it's not enough. In order to truly get stronger you must find people to fight for. When you feel like everything's gone you'll still have that and that's enough. Only through the need to fight for something worth fighting for can you become stronger."

Naruto stayed silent through all of it. He absorbed everything Iruka was saying. "I think I understand."

"You have a goal to become the next Hokage right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

"I believe that if you can find reasons to get stronger then nothing will stand in your way. I believe that you have what it takes to surpass everybody else. Naruto, I believe in you."

A tear rolled down the blond's cheek, getting caught in one of his whisker scars. "Nobody's said that before," he replied softly. "I will get stronger, believe it! I won't let you or anybody else down again."

Iruka ruffled Naruto's hair. "I believe it. Now, I've said what I wanted to say and the ramen is getting cold so let's eat up."

The two ate in relative silence for the next half an hour. Once both of them were done Iruka paid and they headed out towards the Hokage's office.

-|At The Hokage's Office|-

It didn't take long for the genin-chunin duo to arrive at the Hokage's office. When they walked in they saw a masked shinobi handing the Sandaime a small scroll and disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Hello Naruto, hello Iruka," the aged Hokage said.

"Lord Hokage," Iruka responded.

"Old man," Naruto greeted.

He was met with a fist to the head from the chunin to his left. "Show some respect Naruto."

Sarutobi laughed at the display. "I can assume you're here because of what happened earlier today, correct?"

Both Iruka and Naruto nodded.

"As I thought. Boar just handed me the body of Mizuki and told me his perspective of the whole thing as an observer. If what he said was correct then I believe we have a lot to discuss." The last sentence was directed more towards Naruto than anybody else.

The blond didn't miss that though. "Yeah we should talk about some things."

"Can you both first give me your separate recountings of what happened? It would help me with filing all of this if I was given a first person perspective on the matter."

Iruka nodded and stepped forward first. "After I heard that the Scroll of Sealing was missing, I helped look for it..." He went on describing the events in as much detail as he could. A security incident involving traitorous actions requires details. "... And after defeating Mizuki, Naruto dispelled his clones and blacked out."

"Naruto, care to describe your point of view?"

"Sure thing. After I failed the graduation exam Mizuki approached me, explaining a different test I could take to graduate..." Naruto also didn't spare any details in his recounting. "... As Iruka said, I blacked out after that."

The Hokage seemed to be lost in thought as Naruto closed his summary up. "Well was a disaster," he summed up. The old Sarutobi turned to Naruto. "How are you doing with the whole Kyuubi thing?"

"I don't really know to be completely honest. I mean it sucks that it's the case, but I can't do anything about it now. It is nice to understand why the villagers have hated me though. But I wish you had told me about this sooner," he responded.

"That's fair. The reason I didn't tell you was because I wanted you to have a normal life. If you knew then maybe you wouldn't be able to make friends your age. You deserved to know though, so I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"I get it. I appreciate the sentiment."

"Now, onto the other matter at hand. Naruto you stopped a traitor and prevented him from stealing the sacred Scroll of Sealing. Granted you were the one that retrieved it for him, but you had no reason not to trust Mizuki at the time so we'll let that one slide. For the stopping of a chunin traitor, which was done by killing him, you will receive the pay for a B-rank mission and it will also go on your record as a B-rank success. Additionally, Mizuki had a small bounty which increased the moment he turned against his village so you will also receive that."

Naruto looked excited at all of this. Getting a B-rank mission under the belt was nothing to sneeze at. Especially considering his rank of newly-minted-genin. "Wow," was all he could say.

The Sandaime turned to the chunin. "Iruka you will also receive the pay for the mission and it will also go on your record."

"Thank you Lord Hokage," Iruka responded respectfully.

"Iruka you may leave. I still want to discuss some things with Naruto here."

Iruka bowed and left.

"What did you want to discuss with me?"

"Naruto, you want to be Hokage someday right?" The blond vigorously nodded. "As I thought. Trust me, I truly believe you can do it. But before I send you back out I wish to impart some wisdom on you. A Hokage must be strong. They must be the strongest shinobi in the village in fact. But more than that a Hokage must be smart. A Hokage needs to know all about politics in order to actually be elected, and they should know more than most others on battle strategy. Do you know how I got the title of 'The Professor?'" Naruto shook his head. "I got that title because whenever I didn't know something I researched it until I knew it as well as I knew anything else. A shinobi can be really strong physically and know a lot of jutsu, and that's good, but the thing that separates a good shinobi from a great or legendary shinobi is their ability to think and apply their knowledge in situations where it matters most." Naruto was listening to everything the old Hokage was saying.

"You are a genin now. That grants you some rights that you didn't have before. The first thing, and the most important one in my eyes, is that now you have access to the shinobi library. Use that privilege and learn about anything you want to learn about. The second thing is that you are allowed to purchase shinobi-grade weapons and gear from shops. I know you've had some trouble with shops in past, so I'll recommend Higurashi Weapons as a good place to start. It's run by an ex-shinobi so you shouldn't have much trouble. Also they sell clothes so you may want to get a new set."

"Hey my clothes are awesome!"

"They may be comfortable, but in terms of stealth they are terrible. Unless of course you're using it to blend in with the sunrise over the Hokage Monument while you paint all over it." Naruto looked bashful. "But more often than not it's a hindrance."

He relented at that.

"Now the third thing is you now have access to the training grounds around Konoha. Use them for training if you want. Open space is a nice thing to have for training. I recommend training ground 53 if you want a grassy area or training ground 44 if you're looking for more of a challenge, but it's up to you."

"That's a lot of benefits. Damn."

The old man chuckled. "Yeah being a shinobi does have its upsides."

"Is that all? I have a lot of stuff that I need to think about."

"Just one more thing if you're willing to stay a little longer." Naruto nodded. "You learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing, but there's a secret to it that I'm not sure if you know about. It's actually the reason you blacked out after dispelling them. Once a clone is dispelled, all of the memories of that clone goes back to the user. The memory feedback can be brutal so be careful with how many clones you dispel at a time. Now I'm not going to tell you exactly what this can be used for, but I think you can figure it out. Consider it your first exercise in the quest to take this hat from me." That seemed to light a fire in Naruto's eyes.

"Now before you leave you have a week before you need to go back to the academy for team placements. Use this time as you wish, but I recommend studying up and improving your skills. With that you're dismissed."

Naruto thanked the Hokage and left his office. He said bye to the secretary on his way out and headed back to his apartment.

The Hokage looked at a picture on the wall and smiled. 'You would be so proud of him Minato. Hopefully you're watching him. He'll surpass us in no time. It'll be quite the sight.'

-|Naruto's Apartment|-

Naruto arrived at his door after a long walk. There were a lot of profanities written on his door, but he learned to ignore them and just walked inside. After the long day he desperately needed a shower, so he took a quick, cold shower and headed to bed. 'So I have a week to figure this stuff out. That's plenty of time. I'll be so much better by the time team placement rolls around! I wonder what the old man meant about the benefits of the memory feedback feature of the shadow clones. Oh god. I'm so tired. I'll think about it tomorrow,' and with that he knocked out.

So that's the first chapter done. This is my first time doing any writing so let me know if there's anything you think should be changed. I know it's a little cliche at the moment, but it'll diverge as the timeline progresses.