Hey there! This is my first fanfic, EVER. Wish me luck!

Just a little info before you start reading. This story is an AU, starting out right after the whole Mizuki thing and Naruto stealing the scroll. So pretty early on. Also, in this timeline, Jiraiya came into Naruto's life much earlier, around when he was ten. He let Naruto sign a contract seal with the toads and trained him on how to use the Rasengan, but alas, Naruto was too young, and couldn't get past the last of the three steps. (He hadn't learned Shadow Clones yet), so Jiraiya left, saying he would return later, at an unspecified time to finish Naruto's training. Other than that, everything is the same. Naruto hadn't known about the fox until the Mizuki incidient, and he still doesn't know about his father. And reviews are welcome, and feedback is extremely helpful!

"Speaking"

Thoughts

Kyuubi

I do not in any way own Naruto or any characters from the original Naruto series. The ones I made up, however are mine.

Chapter 1: The New Team

Naruto sat in the Hokage's office, waiting for the old man to speak. He nervously shifted in his seat as the Sandaime read over a report of what happened. A minute passed. Two minutes. Five minutes. Finally the old man spoke. "Well, Naruto," he said with his aged voice, "it seems you have proven you are a capable ninja by beating Mizuki. He was at chunin level, while you had not even been made a genin yet. Iruka made a wise decision in letting you pass." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He was not in trouble.

"Thanks granps. This means I'm one step closer to becoming Hokage. Believe it!" Naruto grinned his famous foxy grin. Sandaime smiled at the boy. He thought about the events of the past few hours. After Mizuki had been arrested, Naruto had been taken to the Hokage tower to talk with the old man. Hiruzen had been joyfully shocked when he saw the headband on Naruto. It seems fate wanted the boy to follow in his father's footsteps…

He hasn't talked about the Kyuubi. Maybe it's better if I don't mention it. He's probably still getting used to the idea. "Naruto, I've been thinking, and I believe you have enough skills to be put into our elite program." Naruto's mouth opened in shock, but before he could say anything, the Sandaime continued to speak. "Our elite program consists of two teams, with three genins and one ANBU sensei in each team. These six genins are trained to be Konoha's best of the best."

"Wow, really old man? I say bring it-"

"Wait Naruto, you have to understand something first." Naruto quieted down. "This program will push you to your limits and even beyond that. It is not for the faint of heart. Are you absolutely sure?" Naruto sat there for a second, staring at his feet, shadows covering his eyes.

"I'm ready, granps," Naruto said in a serious tone.

Sandaime raised an eyebrow at the usually hyperactive boy's seriousness. I can't believe this is the same boy- "BELIEVE IT!"

There it was.

Naruto woke up with more enthusiasm than he had ever woken up with before. He was going to meet his genin team today. Sandaime had given him a time and location two nights ago, after the Mizuki incident. The blonde had two hours before the scheduled meeting time. For the special occasion, Naruto had decided to get new clothes with some money he had been saving up. He decided if he was going to be "Elite", then he should dress like it. Grinning all the way to the kitchen, (which was connected to the living room and bedroom), he fixed himself a cup of instant ramen.

After he had gulped his breakfast down, he put on his new clothes. Well, it wasn't exactly all that new. It was basically his old clothes, but instead of blue and orange, it was grey and black. Naruto glanced at the clock, and deadpanned. Only ten minutes until the rendezvous. The blonde bundle of energy burst out the door and ran toward the training grounds. On the way, he passed by Ichiraku Ramen. "Hi Ayame-chan!" he yelled as he sprinted past the girl.

"Was that Naruto?" Ayame shrugged and continued cleaning the dish she was working on.

Naruto finally spotted the training grounds in the distance. It was a large area surrounded by forest on three sides. The fourth side held a road that led back to the village. Near one of the trees, Naruto saw two figures. One was sitting on a branch a dozen feet or so up in the tree. The other was sitting at the base of the tree.

When the blonde got closer, he slowed to a walking pace and look upon his new teammates for the first time. Sitting at the base of the tree was a girl a little taller than Naruto. She had black hair tied in a ponytail that fell down a little lower than her shoulders. She was wearing a dark green tank top with black forearm bracers on both arms. She wore standard navy blue ninja pants and sandals. When she looked up at the approaching boy, her piercing purple eyes seemed to smile, and Naruto's heart flipped in his chest. She's... beautiful. He stopped around ten feet from the tree.

"Hi there!" Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Hi, I'm Shinkei Sentoki." After a long pause, she smiled tentatively. He seems to be in a good mood.

But her smile faded as a figure dropped down from the tree. The figure stood up as Naruto looked upon him. The boy had spiky hair, similar to Naruto's, but it was vermilion red. His eyes matched his hair, and he was dressed in all tan clothes, save his blue ninja sandals. "Great, a hyperactive, grinning idiot." Naruto glared at the boy.

"You wanna go, pal?" Naruto said through clenched teeth.

The boy frowned. "No...at least not yet." A pause. "Naruto, huh? I guess I should tell you my name if we're gonna be rivals." He smirked. "I'm Izo Gankona, and I'm going to be Hokage one day!"

"No way in hell a red headed teme like you is gonna be Hokage. That job is reserved for ME!" Naruto pointed at himself with his thumb. "Believe it!" The two boys glared at each other. Sparks seemed to fly between their eyes.

A new voice resounded from behind Naruto. "Calm down you two. I don't need my team bickering amongst themselves." It was an alluring feminine voice. Naruto turned, Shinkei stood up, and Izo's eyes widened. There standing right behind Naruto was a female ANBU with a fox-like mask. Long, light green hair flowed down to her waist. She was dressed in standard ANBU attire, except she carried no sword behind her. I didn't even hear her, or anything, Naruto thought in fascination.

"Who're you?" Izo asked.

"You can call me Kurai-sensei." Kurai looked down to the blonde in front of her. This kid looks exactly like him... "Well, welcome to Team Shadow. Let's start by talking a little bit about ourselves. My name is Kurai Sumato. I like ramen, and I hate people who don't care about others. I always wanted to be ANBU when I was a little genin, so I'd say I was pretty successful in my plans for the future. I specialize in...well you'll find out eventually." Her voice carried a smile as she said the last part. "You, purple-eyes. You're next."

"Shinkei Sentoki. I like meeting new people, and I dislike people who judge other's by their cover." She shifted her gaze to Izo, who snorted upon understanding her implication. "When I grow up, I want to settle down with a nice man and have kids who'll grow up to become great ninja. I specialize in water element jutsu and chakra sensory."

"Impressive. Alright, you next, red-head."

"My name is Izo Gankona. I like training, and I dislike annoying people. I'm going to be Hokage! I specialize in earth element jutsu and mole summonings."

"Short but to the point. Okay, blondie, your turn.:

Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen, too! I hate people who judge me. I'M going to be Hokage, so I can protect everyone in the village. I specialize in Shadow Clones and toad summonings."

Kurai smiled. "Well then. I think that's enough for today. Meet here tomorrow, at the same time. Don't be late." She formed the Ram seal and burst into black smoke. When it cleared, she was gone.

Naruto frowned. They had not even done anything! I guess sensei knows best...

"Well that was a waste of time. See you two tomorrow!" Naruto shouted as he ran off to his apartment. He was starving. How long had it been since he had eaten? Too long.

His teammates kept their gazes on him as he ran. Shinkei was the first to speak. "He's an odd one."

In the dimly lit Hokage's office, Kurai walked out of the shadows, but the darkness seemed to cling to her anyway. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage took a few puffs from his pipe. "I have a mission for you. S-ranked. It will last for a while. Are you up to it?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I live to serve you."

"The mission is actually quite simple. It doesn't seem like an S-class, but trust me, it is. Only someone of your caliber can handle this."

Kurai was slightly confused, but kept quiet. After a long pause, the Sandaime spoke again.

"Train Naruto to be the best."