Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Initial D nor any characters or abilities created by Masashi Kishimoto or Shuichi Shigeno
.
Date: 05/17/2011
Summary: This is a story about a young man born with a great burden. Because of who and what he is, Naruto is trained at a young age by Sarutobi. Because he has known nothing but ninja life throughout his life, young Naruto finds nothing interesting about it and decides to follow his dream to become a ramen cook working at Ichiraku's Ramen. Though Naruto is not interested in the ninja life, the ninja life is interested in Naruto.
Reviews: Please review. Oh, if you like Sasuke or Sakura, you will not like any of my stories, because I don't...at all. Enjoy!
Intial Naruto
"Again!" Sarutobi yelled at the young boy.
"Ojiisaaaan. This is boring." the young boy whined.
"Boring? Naruto, do you know how fortunate you are to be trained by the kage of the village. There are people that would kill to have this honor. Now, do it again." Sarutobi said. In truth, Sarutobi knew that Naruto had more potential than any other that he had seen. Not even his genius student, Orochimaru, was capable of reaching the levels that Naruto could reach, with the proper training.
The boy had soaked in every single bit of knowledge that the Sandaime had thrown at him. However, unlike Orochimaru, Naruto didn't seem interested in the shinobi lifestyle at all. Unfortunately, Naruto had no choice in the matter. He was destined to become a ninja.
Yes, though Naruto looked and acted like a normal ten year old child, he was anything but. You see, young Naruto was the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, a fierce demon and strongest of the tailed bijuu, known to flatened mountains and causing tsumanis with just the wave of a single tail.
If that wasn't enough, Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, just happened to be the Yondaime Hokage. He, like Naruto, had unmatched potential. However, he died protecting the village from the Kyuubi. After his death, Sarutobi vowed to make sure that his son reached his full potential, surpassing even his father. It was the least that he could do. Over the years, he had even come to think of Naruto as his own grandson, passing down knowledge and techniques that he hadn't even passed down to his own son, Asuma.
"Good." Sarutobi said, after Naruto completed the katas for ancient style of Da Sheng Men(Great Sage Style). This style was taught to Sarutobi by the Monkey King, Emna, himself. This style consisted of five variations of monkey style taijutsu.
Drunken Monkey, which uses a lot of throat, eye and groin strikes as well as tumbling and falling techniques. It incorporates a lot of false steps to give the appearance that it is defenseless and uses a lot of off balance strikes. The practitioner waddles, takes very faltering steps and sometimes fall to the ground and lies prone, while waiting for the opponent to approach, at which time a devastating attack is launched at the knees or groin areas of the opponent. In Drunken Monkey, you use more internal energy than any other. It is one of the more difficult of the monkey styles to master and also extremely effective against a standard, attack-oriented enemy. Countering this style involves shifting your body around often to ensure that the Drunken Monkey user impacts more solid, tougher areas of your body.
Stone Monkey is a "physical" style. The practitioner trains up his body to exchange blows with the opponent, something that Sarutobi remedied by sending Naruto to an eccentric jounin for strength training two years ago. Stone Monkey uses a kind of Iron Body method. It will leave an area exposed on its body for an opponent to attack, so it can attack a more vital spot on the body. The purpose is not to attack reflexively at open spots, but to try to hammer away at their weak spots until they give in.
Lost Monkey feigns a lot. Practitioners of Lost Monkey give the appearance of being lost and confused to deceive the opponent into underestimating his abilities, and he retaliates when it is least expected. The hands and footwork change and flow from each other at will. All monkeys are sociable animals and so they live in troupes or family groups. They are also very territorial by nature and so when they wander into the territory of another troupe, there is normally a fight possibly resulting in death to the trespassers. This technique incorporates the fear, nervousness and mischief of a monkey who has wandered into a neighboring territory, in that it attempts to pick and eat as many fruits and insects as quickly as is possible, while nervously looking around before scurrying back to its own home range.
Standing Monkey or Tall Monkey is a relatively conventional monkey that likes to keep an upright position and avoid tumbling around. This style is more suited for tall people. Tall monkey likes to climb body limbs to make attacks at pressure points. It is a long range style.
Wooden Monkey mimics a serious, angry monkey that attacks and defends with ferocity. The attitude of this monkey is more serious, and its movements are noticeably less light than the other monkeys. Wooden Monkey tends to grapple and bring its opponent to the ground.
These five styles are the main variants of the Da Sheng Men style that Sarutobi and Emna had passed down to Naruto. "Now, do your Hou Gun(Money Staff) katas. When you are finished, you'll work on your seals and calligraphy." said the old Hokage.
"But Ojiisaaaaan, my katas and calligraphy have been almost perfect for a while now. Besides, you promised that I would be able to go to Ichiraku's today. Ayame-neechan was supposed to be teaching me how to make noodles today." Naruto whined.
"Well, I guess that you'd better get to it, if you intend to make it on time. It shouldn't be too hard for someone with almost perfect skills, such as yourself." said Sarutobi, with a smile.
(Ichiraku's Ramen; Three hours later)
Naruto rushed into the ramen stand, only to be met by an irate Ayame. "How dare you show up two hours late? You could've at least warned me. I thought that you were serious about learning about the ramen business."
"It wasn't my fault, I swear. The old man had me training until now. I couldn't get away." Naruto explained.
"Listen, Naruto. I understand that you have your training to do, but the ramen business requires just as much training to be successful. You have to think about which one means more to you. It's all or nothing, there is no in-between."
"Hai, Ayame-neechan."
"Good. Now, go grab an apron. We have to make up for lost time."
(Sandaime Hokage's Office; The next day)
'Where is that boy? It's not like him to be late.' said Sarutobi, pacing in his office.
(Five hours later)
Naruto arrives at Sarutobi's office, wearing a short-sleeved, white, button-up shirt, black slacks, and casual black shoes.(think Ichigo's school uniform).
"Naruto, you'd better have a good explanation for showing up so late." said Sarutobi, glaring down at his student.
"I had to make some delivers for Ichiraku's. It took a little longer than I thought it would. I never knew that they had so many customers. But that may just be because they added dango to their menu." explained Naruto.
"Naruto, you'd better be joking."
"No, Ojiisan. After showing up late yesterday, I had a lot of time to think about my life and where I want to be when I get older. And, as much as I love spending time with you, I've never been interested in the shinobi lifestyle. And so, I've decided to work for Ichiraku's Ramen full-time. They even offered to pay me for delivering the food." said Naruto.
"No! I forbid it! You have entirely too much potential to waste your time as a...as a...A RAMEN DELIVERY BOY!" yelled Sarutobi, clearly not happy with this new turn of events. In truth, Sarutobi was prepping the boy to eventually because his successor. Between his students: a drunk, a super-pervert, and a power-crazed maniac, and his two top jounins: an eccentric psycho and a lazy, self-loathing pervert, there was truly no one left.
"With all due respect, Ojiisan, it is my life. Futhermore, I think it is a respectable profession. I've made up my mind, Ojiisan." said Naruto.
"Are you truly willing to give up all this time we've spent together?" said Sarutobi, sounding older than he had before.
"Not at all, Ojiisan, but I must follow my own path. Goodbye, Ojiisan." said Naruto, before turning and walking out of the office, leaving the crushed old kage in his wake.
'Minato...Kushina...I have truly failed you.'
(Ichiraku's Ramen; Two years later)
"Hey! Naruto! You coming or what?" yelled the Inuzuka boy.
"Kiba, keep it down. And coming to what?" Said Naruto, from behind the counter. While there were no delivers, Naruto worked behind the counter with Ayame and Teuchi.
"The the finals of the jounin exams is today. It's gonna be soooooo cool." said the excited Kiba, his puppy yelped in agreement.
"I don't see what's so cool about it." Naruto said, in an uncaring tone.
"Whaaat? Well, I don't know. Maybe it's the kick ass moves or techniques capable of setting a person on fire or slicing him to pieces in an instant. Yeah, there's nothing cool about that at all." said Kiba, sarcastically.
"I guess. Anyway, I've got to work. Sorry." Naruto said, not at all impressed.
"Maybe you should go." said old man Teuchi. "You've been working everyday for the last couple of years. Everyone needs a break every now and again. Besides, with these exams going on, I doubt that we'll get many customers." said Teuchi.
"You sure, old man?" Naruto said.
"Yeah, we can handle things here. Go have some fun." Teuchi said.
Before Naruto could reply, Kiba had already dragged him halfway down the street. "Man, just wait! When you see how bad ass these guys are, you'll be begging the Hokage to send you to the Academy. Unfortunately, for you, you'll have to start at the beginning. I, myself, am about to become a full-fledged genin. Once I pass this graduation exam next week, I'll become an official ninja. From there, I can only go up. After a couple of years of kicking ass and taking names, I wouldn't be surprised if they just gave me the title of Hokage! Then you'll be able to say that you know the Hokage personally!"
"Yeah." Naruto said, thinking back on his time with the Sandaime Hokage. Ever since Naruto had stopped training with the old Hokage, their relationship hadn't been the same. Though Naruto still thought of the old man as a grandfather, Sarutobi had taken to downright avoiding him. Naruto still saw the old man around the village every once in a while but no words were exchanged, only a head nod from the old man. Though it saddened Naruto to see the old man become so distant to him, Naruto continued to do what he thought would be best for himself.
Naruto was so deep in thought, he never realized that they had already made it to the arena. At least not until he felt the glares of the other spectators. Naruto had grown used to the glares, but that didn't mean he liked it. Though he never understood why he garnered so much hostility from the civilian and shinobi population of Konoha, he never cared to ask why. He was just happy to have the little friends that he had.
"Good. It's just about to start." Kiba said, oblivious to the glares being directed at Naruto.
"Citizen of Konoha, welcome to the annual jounin exams!" said the jounin proctor of said exams. Before he could say another word, the arena exploded with applause. After the applause died down, he continued. "The first match will be Histui Joi vs Shinji Semuru. At this time I will ask the rest of the contestants to step into the viewers box."
Once the other 14 contestants stepped into the viewers box, the proctor started the match. Both contestants attacked without hesitation, using taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu with practiced ease; sometimes even moving as nothing more than a blur.
Kiba pratically salivated over the prospect of, one day, becoming just as skilled as these ninja were. "Aw, man! I can barely even keep up with them! See? This is what I was talking about! Hardcore!" yelled the excited Kiba, as Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Nah, I'm sure they're just warming up. No way they would go full throttle at the beginning of the match. If they were, it'd probably be a lot harder to keep up with them." said Naruto, in his usually bored tone, while resting his chin on the rails and watching the match.
Before Kiba could wax intellectual about why Naruto was wrong, the two fighters below started moving significantly faster; making it even harder to keep up with them. At times, the two jounin seemed to vanish into thin air, only to appear in another area. This was how most of the other matches went as well. Most fought at a low jounin level, but some only managed to fight at a high chuuni level. It wasn't hard to tell who would be promoted and wouldn't.
After the exams, Kiba and Naruto headed back to Ichiraku's Ramen. "So did you guys enjoy yourselves?" asked Teuchi, while Ayame served them both with a bowl of ramen.
"It was alright, but they weren't serving any food there, so I couldn't wait to get back so I could get something to eat." replied Naruto.
"Something to eat? Are you kidding me? Who could think about food with all of that action going on around you? It was incredible! I'm so amped, I'm gonna go train right after I finish eating!" yelled Kiba. Kiba then gulped the entire bowled of ramen and rushed out of the ramen stand, waving at Naruto. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Naruto!"
"What a disrespectful little punk! The least he could've done was thanked the cook. In my day, it was mandatory!" said Teuchi.
"Calm down, old man. He's just excited. You know how Kiba can get." said Naruto.
(Training Ground; An hour later)
Kiba was in the middle of training with Akamaru, when an unexpected and unwanted visitor showed up. Sasuke Uchiha.
"So, what do we have here? A useless loser and his mutt." Sasuke said.
"What the hell do you want, you Uchiha shithead?" Kiba said, glaring at the boy.
"Nothing. I just heard the commotion, so I decided to see what it was. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was none other than the fleabag. Then again, I thought I smelled dog shit, so I should've known it was you." Sasuke said.
Before Kiba could reply, Sasuke started chuckling to himself. Kiba narrowed his eyes even more, before speaking. "What so funny, scumbag?" said Kiba, while Akamaru growled at the Uchiha.
"I was just thinking...you have to work this hard just to be mediocre. It's pretty pathetic. Then again, it's to be expected from your clan." Sasuke said, obviously trying to taunt Kiba into a fight. In an effort to prove his superiority and to test himself, Sasuke had taken to challenging all who opposed him. Though he mocked Kiba, he knew that Kiba's taijutsu skills were among the highest in his class and he wished to prove his dominance over the Inuzuka heir.
Unfortunately, for Sasuke, Kiba wasn't as naive as his grades suggested. "That's ironic, coming from you, considering that your clan doesn't even exist anymore." Kiba said. It was Kiba's turn to smirk as he saw the Uchiha turn from amused to furious.
Without warning, Sasuke darted toward the smirking Kiba, intent on wiping the smirk off his face. Caught off-guard, Kiba could do nothing but watch as the Uchiha closed the gap between them in an instant. But before he could reach Kiba, Akamaru attacked. Though it was a honorable and courageous effort, Akamaru was absolutely no match for the Uchiha. And, unfortunately, neither was he master.
(Five minutes later)
Akamaru laid next to his swollen and unconscious master, wimpering. The Uchiha had made quick work of both of them.
(Uchiha Compound)
Sasuke Uchiha had just returned to the empty compound, when he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure running, exiting the vacant compound. Enraged that someone not of Uchiha descent would dare set foot on the sacred land, Sasuke gave chase to the figure. The figure had entered the dark forest and taken to the trees.
After finally catching up, Sasuke threw his kunai at the trepasser. The figure nimbly dodged the kunai and landed on the ground, with Sasuke landing across from the figure. Due to the moonless night, the darkness of the forest, and the lack of the Uchiha's legendary doujutsu; the Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't see anything but the silhouette of the figure.
"You dare step your dirty feet on Uchiha land? What reason do you trepass on my land?" yelled Sasuke.
"..."
"Answer me!" yelled the Uchiha.
"...go home, Uchiha-san." the figure said, before turning to leave.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" Sasuke yelled as he darted at the figure's back.
(Five minutes later)
Sasuke groined in pain, as he laid on the forest floor. He had been absolutely no match for the dark figure. Within secords, he had been disabled and knocked unconscious. Yes, the dark figure had made quick work of him.
(Ichiraku's Ramen; The next day)
"Kiba! What the hell happened to you?" Naruto asked, running over to his friend.
"This? Aw, it's nothing. Me and Akamaru were training a little too hard and ended up messing ourselves up a little bit. Don't worry though, it'll take more than this to keep us down, right Akamaru?" Kiba said, followed by a bark from Akamaru.
Naruto didn't believe Kiba for a second. Not only was it impossible for those wounds to be self-inflicted, but Naruto could always tell when he was being lied to. However, he played along and conversed with Kiba about random topics, though his thoughts were completely different.
Truth be told, Naruto thought of Kiba as a brother, and to see Kiba hurt angered him greatly. But even more than being angered, Naruto was afraid for Kiba. Naruto didn't have many friends, so he cherished the ones that he did have. But it wasn't until now that Naruto realized that Kiba was a week away from taking on one of the most dangerous careers in the entire village, the career of a shinobi.
While Naruto was, in no way, shape, or form, interested in the shinobi lifestyle, protecting his friends was number one on his 'to-do list'.
After Kiba had left the ramen stand, Naruto continued with his day, though he was still troubled with thoughts of his best friend facing the dangers of the world by himself. It was a thought that Naruto couldn't except. Naruto decided to ask old man Teuchi for advice.
"Hey, old man." Naruto said.
"What's up, Naruto?" the old man replied.
"I've been thinking a lot lately."
"Really? That's new!" Teuchi joked. "What's on your mind?"
"Well...it's about Kiba. He's about to become a genin soon, but I don't think that he quite understands what that entails. I mean...the life of a ninja is a dangerous one. I feel like I should be protecting him, but I've already chosen my path. That being said, I don't know if I could look at myself in the mirror knowing that I could've helped him and didn't because of my own should I do?"
"I see. Well, let me ask you something. Why did you chose the life of a ramen cook over the life of a shinobi?"
"Oh. Ayame-neesan just told me to think about which one meant the most to me. Once I did that, the answer was pretty easy." replied Naruto.
"That was pretty wise of her. Well, I guess I'll give you the same advice. Sometimes, what we want to do isn't always what we need to do. And don't you dare let us stop you from making the decision that you think is right. If you remember nothing else, remember that every person's goal in life should be to live by what they think is right. When you stop doing that, become a puppet...a tool used by others for their own personal goals and beliefs."
"Hai. I understand. Thanks, old man."
(Hokage's office; The next day)
"Hokage-sama, you have a visitor." announced the chore of a secretary.
"Tell them I'm busy." Sarutobi said, doing his best to hide his first edition Icha Icha Tactics.
"Sir, it's that Uzumaki boy."
"...send him in."
Naruto stepped into the office and stood at attention in front of the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi had already lit his pipe and took a drag before finally acknowledging Naruto's presence. "What can I do for you today, Naruto?"
"Hokage-sama, I wish to be allowed to take the genin exam with the next graduating class." Naruto said.
The Sandaime's mouth hung open in shock, as his pipe hit the ground. Quickly schooling his features, Sarutobi spoke. "And what brought about this change? If I remember correctly, it was you that chose the life of a ramen cook over the life of a shinobi."
"And I still do. However, protecting my friends is more important than a simple career choice. Though I detest the shinobi lifestyle and it isn't appealing to me in any way, I realize that it's the only way to protect those that I care about." Naruto replied.
"Naruto...you have truly grown, haven't you? It took me years to come up with the same realization. Believe it or not, I never liked the idea of conflict. Neither did the other former Hokages. However, I saw it as a means to an end. It was because of that very fact that I and the other Hokages accepted the title. Our goal has always been to protect our loved ones within our villages, while trying to create a more permanent state of peace inside and out of our borders. It's something that I had hoped, and still hope, that you will carry on in the future."
"I understand Hokage-jiji, and I will try to obtain the peace that you and the other Hokages sought after. I see now that it is the only way to ensure that those that I care about remain safe."
"And I have faith that you will succeed where we have failed. Now, I'll make sure that Iruka knows that you'll be taking the exams with his class next week. I assume that you can still handle a simple Bushin, Kawarimi, and Henge jutsu, correct?"
"Hai."
"Good. Be at Room 301 at 8:00 am, six days from now."
"Hai."
"Oh, and Naruto, make sure you get some practice in. You may be a little rusty."
"That's funny, coming from you Hokage-jiji. Besides, I never stopped training. But, instead of making it a primary objective, I just did it as a hobby. It just didn't seem right to stop training, especially after all the time and effort we put into training together. Well, see ya Hokage-jiji."
As Naruto exited the Hokage building, Sarutobi watched as he disappeared into the village. "That boy is going to be stronger than all of us one day." he said to himself.
(Academy; Six days later)
"Alright, Naruto. First things first. When we enter this classroom, rule number one: avoid all Uchiha fangirls at all cost. Sure, they may seem harmless, but they can be quite ferocious, especially Ino and Sakura."
"Kiba, don't you think you're taking this a little too far. I mean, I'm sure I can handle a couple of mindless fangirls."
"You see? The fact that you're underestimating them just shows that you don't know what you're talking about! Now, pay attention. Fangirls may seem to be weak at first glance, but they are able become superhuman when it comes to defending the object of their affection. Which brings us to rule number two: avoid Sasuke at all cost."
"Fine, fine. Can we just go in now?"
"Sure, but stay close to me. I'll introduce you to a couple of cool kids in the class. Oh, and one more thing."
"What now, Kiba?"
"The third and most important rule: Stay away from Hinata Hyuuga." Kiba said, with a serious expression.
"Why?"
"Trust me, Naruto, she's not the type of girl that you wanna associate yourself with. She's ten times worse than the typical Hyuuga. Since she's the Hyuuga clan heir, she's been raised to be the most arrogant and obnoxious bitch in Konoha. She's a spoiled brat and she thinks she's superior to everyone else, but she's also one of the strongest in our class. She's never lost in a taijutsu spar and has even ended a couple of students' future careers as shinobi. She a ruthless bitch and I suggest that stay away from her if you don't wanna end up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Now, come on." said Kiba.
As they entered the room, everyone went quiet. Most were wondering why the ramen delivery boy was in their classroom. After a few second of awkward silence, the class just figured that he had to make a delivery. They soon went back to conversing amongst each other as Kiba directed Naruto toward the seats in the back row.
"Hey, Chouji." Naruto said, passing the husky boy.
"What's up, Naruto? You making a delivery this early in the morning?" Chouji replied. Chouji had become one of Teuchi best customers, and was also one of the only ones who had ever come close to beating Naruto in a ramen eating contest.
"Nah, I'm here to take the genin exams."
"Oh, well good luck. The lazy guy here is Shikamaru." Chouji said, pointing his thumb toward the pineapple haired kid, with his head on the desk. Though he seemed to be asleep, he rose his head when he heard his name. "Shikamaru, this is Naruto. He's taking the genin exam with us."
"Naruto? I've never seen you around here before. How is it that you're taking the genin exams with us, but you haven't been in class with us?" asked Shikamaru.
"Yeah! I've been meaning to ask you about that!" said Kiba.
"Well, Hok-" was all Naruto was able to say before he was interrupted by a loud crash through the door. Everyone's attention was drawn toward the door, as they watch two girls argue about who made it there first. One had pink hair and an unusually large forehead. The other was blond, though a paler blond than Naruto's own hair, and looked as if she dedicated entirely too much time on her outward appearance; at least for a ninja.
As they entered the classroom, they began to argue about which one of them would sit next to the Uchiha. Naruto tried to ignore their presence, but couldn't help but notice that there were vacant seats on both sides of the Uchiha. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice that there are vacant seats on both sides of the Uchiha. Why don't each of you choose one?"
Kiba shook his head, along with the rest of the male population; excluding Sasuke Uchiha. 'Naruto, you fool! I clearly told you to avoid all fangirl, especially those two! This isn't gonna be a good day for him.' Kiba though to himself.
Before Ino or Sakura could yell at the meddling ramen delivery boy, Sasuke spoke; while glaring at Naruto. He didn't appreciate the fact that Naruto had purposely surrounded him with useless fangirls. "Hey, ramen boy! What are you even doing in this class? Unless you have some food to deliver, I suggest that you leave." Sasuke said, while the fangirls squealed in delight at his demanding tone.
"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" yelled the chuunin instructor who had entered the door. Everyone had quickly found their seats, as Kiba guided Naruto to the back of the classroom.
"Now, as you know, today you will be taking the genin examination. For some of you, today will be the day that you will start your journey as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Remember what you have learned and you will go far."
"Hell yeah!" Kiba yelled.
"Kiba! Watch your mouth!"
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei." said Kiba.
"Iruka-sensei, why is the ramen delivery boy in our class?" asked the nosy Ino.
"Ah, that's right. Naruto Uzumaki, I presume?" asked Iruka.
"Hai, Iruka-sensei." replied Naruto.
"Yes, Hokage-sama warned me that you would be taking this exam. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Iruka-sensei." said Naruto.
"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei, but is it really alright for someone like him to take this exam? He hasn't even been here during class. Someone like him will be killed in an instant." said Sakura.
"Though the fangirl's pretty useless herself, she has a point. This clanless loser will probably die during his first mission." said Hinata, emotionlessly. Sakura glared at her, but said nothing. Hinata was second to none in a taijutsu battle. Not even Sasuke could beat her, so Sakura had zero chance of defeating her.
"Well, you'll have to take that up with the Hokage, since he's the one who suggested that Naruto be allowed to take this exam." said Iruka.
"The old man has gone senile." muttered Hinata.
"Besides, I'm sure that Hokage-sama wouldn't send him here unprepared, right Naruto?" asked Iruka.
"I've done some training, Iruka-sensei." said Naruto.
"There you go." said Iruka to the naysayers.
"Whatever. It's his funeral." said Hinata.
They were then given a written exam and a practical exam. After taking the practical exam, which consisted of throwing kunai and shuriken, they were given an hour lunch break. They were given an extended lunch break because Iruka had to grade each and every student based on their performance. Surprisingly, Naruto had performed flawlessly during the exams, though most just thought it luck.
During the lunch break, Naruto sat with Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru. While they conversed about the exam, they were interupted by Sasuke, his fangirls right behind him. "Hmphf. Well, at least you chose the right group to hang around, ramen boy. I guess losers have to stick together, right?"
"We have a completely different definition of the term 'loser', Uchiha-san." reply Naruto, still eating his ramen.
"Why don't you just leave, Sasuke?" said Kiba.
"Yes, your company is clearly not wanted, Uchiha-san." said Shino.
"Well...I was hoping to spar with the new guy, here." replied Sasuke, pointing his thumb toward Naruto.
"Troublesome." said Shikamaru.
"Can't you see that he's eating? Just leave us alone." said Kiba.
"Well, you don't seem to be eating. How about you and I spar." said Sasuke.
"..." Kiba looked down at the ground, while clenching his fist.
"I see. Afraid that I'll beat you just as bad as I did last week, huh?" said Sasuke, with a smirk.
Hearing this, Naruto dropped his chopsticks in his bowl and placed his bowl on the ground. Naruto then looked at Kiba and asked "Was he the one that injuried you last week?"
Kiba looked up and met Naruto's gaze. He almost gasped at what he saw. He had never seen Naruto look so serious. He felt weak under Naruto's gaze, as if Naruto held some form of superiority over him. In an instant, Naruto seemed to go from a happy-go-lucky ramen delivery boy to a seasoned shinobi. Kiba felt compelled to answer truthfully. "Yeah." Kiba said, shame abundant in his voice.
"Then I will fight you, Uchiha-san." said Naruto, standing up.
"No! Naruto, you can't fight him! He's one of the best fighter in the class!" said Kiba. He didn't want to see Naruto end up like he and Akamaru had. Akamaru whined in agreement.
"Yeah, Naruto. Just ignore him. He's too troublesome." said Shikamaru.
"I concur." said Shino, while Chouji nodded in agreement.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides...I've beaten him before." said Naruto.
Everyone seemed in shock at that proclamation, even Sasuke. A ramen delivery boy besting a Uchiha? Not likely. "Yeah, right! Like I would ever lose to trash like you!" said Sasuke, furious that the boy had lied about defeating a Uchiha.
"Naruto, are you sure? I mean, that's a little hard to believe." said Kiba, in disbelief.
"Well, yeah. It was the same night of the jounin exams. I had cut through the Uchiha compound because I had a delivery to make and I didn't want to run around the entire compound. Then, he attacked me, so I knocked him unconscious." said Naruto, nonchalantly.
"YOU! Your the one that ran through my compound!" Sasuke growled. Sasuke then retreated to the open grass, ready to begin the spar and regain his lost honor. "I'm gonna enjoy beating the shit out of you, ramen boy!"
"You mean...you mean you really did beat him?" Kiba asked Naruto.
"Wait a second. I think I just figured something out. Naruto, how long have you been training before today?" asked Shikamaru in a whispered voice, though Sasuke and his fangirls were too far away to hear anyway.
"Well...actually, I don't really know. I've been training with Ojii-san every since I could remember. But, two years ago, I chose to be a ramen cook instead. I still trained by myself, but I considered it as recreation, as opposed to shinobi training." said Naruto.
"Ojii-san?" Kiba and Shikamaru asked, simultaneously.
"Yeah...old man Hokage." replied Naruto.
"WHAT?" yelled Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru, and even the ever-stoic Shino.
"Hey! Ramen boy! You ready or what?" Sasuke yelled.
"Yeah, get your ramen-delivering ass over here, so Sasuke-kun can show you why he's the number one rookie!" yelled Sakura, backed by Ino.
Naruto walked toward Sasuke until he stood across from the Uchiha. Without warning, Sasuke darted toward Naruto. On the side, Hinata watched the fight, smiling at the prospect of the ramen boy's humiliating defeat. Though Hinata had never met the boy personally, her clan had held the boy with the utmost contempt, something that she had inherited from them. If she disliked the Uchiha, something that was also passed down to her from her clan, then she absolutely hated Naruto.
Sasuke came in with a wild crescent kick, intent on ending the fight quickly...and he succeeded, though not the way that he had wanted. Naruto merely dropped down onto his back, giving the appearance that he had fainted and had been missed by Sasuke's kick by pure coincidence.
Before Sasuke could boast or brag about the ramen boy's embarassing loss, Naruto simply kick Sasuke in the groin; something that was completely unorthodox to the Academy students. Every male in attendance winced as Sasuke collapsed to the ground. Naruto then got up, dusted himself off, turned and walked back to his friends; leaving the curses of the Uchiha's fangirls in his wake.
"Remind me never to piss him off." said Kiba, his left eye twitching, mirrored by a nodding Shikamaru, Chouji, and Akamaru.
"Hmm. His style seems to be very formidable." said Shino.
"Huh? It just looked like he kicked him in the balls." Chouji said, between munches.
"No. It was more than that. He put himself in a conpletely vunerable position to make Sasuke drop his guard. It's not something that you would learn at the academy. We're taught to fight in a more traditional form, which have been branded into our brains by musle memory from the katas that we perform. While his style does seem to still have a set form as well, it's also more chaotic and impulsive; yet seems to focus on the more sensitive parts of the body. In the academy style, we take whatever hits that we can get, in hopes of wearing our opponent down. It also ensures that we are less vunerable to the opponents attacks." explained Shikamaru.
"Oh." Chouji said.
"And if there's any doubt how powerful his style can be, just think. He just took down the number one rookie in seconds. Though one could argue that it wasn't the most honorable victory, we are shinobi, not samurai. In the shinobi world, there is no such thing as an honorable win; only a win." Shikamaru continued.
When Naruto had returned back to the group, he had a confused expression on his face. "Hey, Kiba, are you sure that this was the guy that gave you so much trouble? I've seen you fight and you shouldn't have had too much trouble with him." Naruto said, with a dumbfounded expression.
"Well, I had been training with Akamaru for a whole hour prior to that jerk attacking me. Not to mention that I kinda lost my composure when he attacked Akamaru." Kiba said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"I thought so. You have to do a better job of keeping your temper in check, Kiba. I know for a fact that you're faster and stronger than he is. You shouldn't have a problem beating him in taijutsu. Don't lose confidence in yourself just because of one loss. You have to learn from it."
"Yeah...thanks, Naruto." Kiba said.
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" asked Naruto.
"Well, isn't that a noble gesture? And your style seems to suit you well. It's quite cowardly...and weak. Care to spar against one with a truely superior style, ramen boy." said Hinata, walking toward the group; with an emotionless expression on her face.
"No, thank you." Naruto stated before turning back around and conversing with his new friends, Kiba, and Akamaru. Naruto was well aware of Hinata's disdain for him. For one who received hate-filled glares on a daily basis, it was mere child's play to determine if someone didn't think too highly of him. And, from the looks that Hinata had been giving him throuhout the day, it was obvious that Hinata was in the group that didn't think too highly of him. Then again, no Hyuuga treated him with anything other than contempt, so it was a no-brainer for him.
"You scared?" Hinata asked.
"No, Hyuuga-san, I just have no reason to fight you. Besides, our lunch break is over." Naruto replied, following by Iruka coming out and calling the students back into the classroom.
"That's Hyuuga-sama to you, ramen boy." said Hinata, through clenched teeth.
"...-sama? Your station as a clan heir, which I assume you are, hold no weight in relation to a non-Hyuuga; such as myself. Therefore, only those within the Hyuuga clan are obligated to address you as such, Hyuuga-san. Now, if you'll excuse me." replied Naruto, walking back to the academy.
'You can't run forever, ramen boy. You will bow before me.' Hinata said in thought.
"Man, Naruto. You sure have a way with the ladies." Kiba said, sarcastically, as they entered the classroom. "You shouldn't antagonize her like that. She can be pretty vindictive."
"I wasn't antagonizing her. To be truthful, I rather just avoid her and not have anything to do with her. It's entirely too..."
"...troublesome?" Shikamaru asked, with a smirk.
"Exactly." Naruto replied.
Sasuke and his loyal fangirls would be the last to enter the classroom, after Sasuke finished vomiting his lunch. While Sasuke's glare was laced with malice, it paled in comparison with Hinata, Ino, and Sakura.
'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' thought Kiba. However, Naruto didn't seem to even notice or care about the glares he was receiving, as he looked completely bored.
Before any words could be exchanged, Iruka spoke to the class. "Alright, class, I've been given permission to give you your team assignments. If I don't call your name, it means that you will have to try again next year."
The tension in the classroom could be cut with a knife. The Uchiha fangirls were on pins and needles, hoping to be paired with Sasuke. The remainder of the class, excluding Naruto, were dreading the moment when the Uchiha's team was annouced. A fangirl riot was imminent, and everyone was preparing for the worst. Apparently, someone had actually lost an eye went Itachi Uchiha's team was announced. It seemed that history was set to repeat itself.
Finally, the moment of truth had arrived. "Team Seven will consist of Sasukee Uchiha, Shino Abumare...and Sakura Haruno. Your sensei will be none other than Kakashi Hatake" Iruka announced. Following the announcement, a fangirl battle royal commenced. There was hair, teeth, fire, brimstone...all of the ingredients of an apocalypse.
Thirty minutes and ten med-nins later, Iruka continued relaying the team assignment to the student and injured fangirls. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Team Eight will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga; led by Kurenai Yuhi."
Hinata smiled deviously and Naruto muttered the only thing that came to mind. "Shit."
A/N: Alright. Tell me if you like the story. I watching Initial D and like the main story and character, so I wanted to try something similiar. I made Hinata a bitch because I like stories with Hinata being an arrogant bitch, like Neji. I've got one more story that I want to try. It will be based on the Berserk manga, since it's easily one of my favorites. I'll be alternating between making chapters for each story, and even plan on editing and continuing my first story. Until next time.