I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.

Naruto gave a yawn as he woke up. He had finally graduated from the academy.

He gave a snort as he thought of that.

He grumbled, flipping the sheets off of his body and sliding out of bed.

After taking a shower, he got dressed. He didn't think he would need to, but he made sure to put on his normal clothes on under his bright orange outfit. He wore standard black ninja pants with two bandages wrapped around his pant legs, keeping them tight to his body so they wouldn't make a sound. On top of that, he wore a short-sleeved black shirt that clung to his body. His arms were covered in bandages from his elbow down, covering hundreds of little tattoos.

Over that, he wore a large orange jacket with many pockets. A small whistle hung off the shoulder that also had his clan symbol sewed in; the Uzumaki spiral. He wore this jacket zipped up all the way, hiding his fit body from the world. His bright orange pants were baggy enough to fit over his black pants as well, successfully making him look like a knuckleheaded ninja.

He strapped on his kunai pouch and slid it around so that it rested at his butt. He didn't wear another one. He slipped a katana sheath under his orange pants and strapped it to his leg, only putting the sharp sword back into its plain sheath after it was secure. He made sure that everything was in perfect order before sitting down to eat breakfast.

A black-clothed shadow clone handed him a plate of food and a glass of milk before disappearing. He had made four clones to prepare breakfast, and the last one hadn't 'killed itself' yet. He frowned before pasting an emotionless face on. The clone hurried over and placed four bowls on the other side of the table, pinching itself a moment later to go away.

Naruto finally smiled as two cats leapt up onto the table. One was pure white, lean and wiry. Her fur was soft, but it was kept short so that it didn't get in her way. Very light red bandages curled their way up her front legs, allowing her easier mobility. A few tufts of fur peeked out, but it didn't matter. Her tail was long and thin, but it was deadly strong. She wore a headband around her neck, but instead of the Konoha symbol, an Uzumaki swirl was carved into it. Her eyes were both golden, but one of them bore a scar. This cats name was Yin.

The other cat was a little larger, with a thicker build. His fur was jet black, sleek and short. His eyes were the same color as Yin's, gold, but he didn't have a scar over his eye. His scar was on his right ear, a nick showing amid his black fur. He didn't wear bandages around his front legs, but he did have the same type of headband tied around his neck. His tail was short compared to Yin's, but he didn't use it much. Instead, he relied on his sharp claws and teeth. His name was Yang.

Both cats ate quickly but politely, lapping up warm milk with pink tongues. Naruto ate his food quickly as well, watching them with kindness and love in his eyes. They were about five years old, adopted by Naruto when they were kittens. Naruto didn't find them, though, oh no. Yin had found him as a three week old kitten, the only one in her litter to survive. She was hungry and cold and tired, and she rested on Naruto's chest. He had recently just gotten beaten up by a mob, on his birthday, and was healing rather slow that night. She seemed to help his healing, and he always thanks her for saving his life that night. She started training with him.

The other cat, Yang, was adopted in the same manner. He came along as a month old kitten when Naruto needed help from his attackers. He somehow managed to drag five ANBU members to Naruto right before Naruto would have been killed. Yang joined their quest soon after, bribed with catnip and milk.

Now the three were a sub-ANBU team, and Naruto was the captain. He only brought Yang with him on team missions, though. Yin was his secret. He was the captain of Squad Seven, and he had three other members. He took command over two other males, Inu and Mitsu, and one female, Rona. Those were their codenames, of course. He did know who they all were, however, but because they were the closest things he had to friends he kept his secret. ANBU prided themselves on keeping their identities a secret.

Naruto finally got up from his seat, creating three shadow clones to clean up their dishes. He didn't use any handseals, already having mastered this Jutsu so that he could make a small amount of shadow clones with will alone.

Naruto sat down in the seat next to his 'rival', Sasuke, and rested his head on the desk. Today they were going to be given Jonin sensei's, and he wished for the millionth time he could stop his charade and show people what he could really do. But no, he had to keep it up in case old man Hokage kicked him out of the ANBU. He actually fooled everyone there, signing up under a false real name and an even falser identity. In ANBU, his hair was black and his mask was of a bunny. It had been humiliating at first, but then he had made a name for himself.

His ANBU team was famous in the ranks, and Naruto was also in the bingo book. His rank was "SS-rank, flee on sight". His name was "Ruby Maelstrom."

Naruto raised his head off the table and glanced to the right, ears hearing something in the distance other than the usual chatter. He noticed Sasuke glancing his way, but he ignored him. His shoulders fell from their hunched position a moment later, and his eyes closed once more. His body stayed tensed, ready for whatever he heard. He could tell Sasuke wondered what the hell was wrong, and he turned with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Get ready, teme! Your fangirls are here!"

Sasuke's face visibly paled and he nodded once, actually listening to Naruto without insulting him. Naruto shrugged and made sure he was settled back into his seat before resting his head back on his desk. To everyone else, it looked like he was sleeping. But the blond was really ready to spring into action any moment.

Only moments later, two girls ran into the room, shoving and pushing each other. Naruto could hear their voices screeching in his ears, even though they were all the way at the back of the room. Wincing, he stopped channeling chakra to his ears so that he didn't get ear damage. Sakura and Ino raced down to the row with Naruto and Sasuke, clamoring for the broody boy's attention. Naruto didn't pay much attention, but when he heard his name being said he glanced up.

"What?" he asked, a smile bright on his face.

Sometimes he hated his mask.

"Get out of my seat, Naruto. I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, something that the group of girls watching him noticed right away.

"It's not your seat, we don't get assigned seats."

"Well, I want to sit there."

"Too bad, Sakura, I'm sitting here. I sit here every day, remember?"

Sakura was shocked that Naruto would actually talk back to her. She was used to him obeying her every command, like a slave or something. He had always asked her out on dates, but she turned him down every time. Sasuke-kun was hers!

Before Sakura could insult him for what he said, Iruka strolled into the room and called everyone to their seats. Sakura grumbled a little but sat down next to Naruto. At least she was closer than Ino….Oh no, wait! Ino was right behind Sasuke-kun! Sakura sent Naruto a sharp glare, but he didn't seem to notice.

"…Giving you your team assignments, alright? I'm going to start at team one…"

Naruto already knew what team he was on. Inu had talked to him about taking a break from ANBU to be a jonin sensei for a while. Naruto had accepted this easily, as Inu seemed to connect with him more than the others, and he wished him good luck. Later on, disguised as a prank, Naruto found out the team matchups. It figured that he was stuck on a team with Sasuke and Sakura, but the funniest part was that Inu was going to be his sensei. He would really have to step up his mask, since he knew if he put one toe out of line his sensei would know it was him.

Sakura had cheered when she found out that Sasuke would be on her team but seemed to flatten when Naruto's name was also called. He didn't bother with anything, since he already knew that. He just yawned and pretended to sleep. Sasuke didn't say a thing either. Behind him, Ino groaned; she had wanted Sasuke on her team.

After lunch, team seven was the last team in the room. Even Iruka had to leave; making Naruto a little sad that one of his precious people left him. He ignored Sakura's rambling about how cool and strong Sasuke-kun was. Sasuke really wasn't all that strong, but everyone seemed to think so. Well, not this blond ninja.

Finally Naruto felt his sensei's chakra and leapt from his seat, keeping his speed down so that the other two didn't get suspicious. Since this was the first time either of the boys showed any movement, Sakura stopped ranting about how it was love that brought Sasuke and her together. Naruto let out an odd little giggle as he pulled a chalkboard eraser from the front of the room and wedged it in the door. Sakura tried to scold him, but inside she was cackling.

Naruto sped to his seat and put his head back down on the desk, falling into a light sleep. He heard the eraser fall right onto the silver-haired man's head and resisted a laugh. Even though he had been taught to kill all emotions to be an effective ninja, he still found it funny. The rest of his emotions were locked up, away while he was on duty as a ninja. And that was a full time job.

"My first impression of you guys…. I hate you."

Up on the roof, Naruto kept bouncing around, acting his part of the knucklehead everyone knew him as. Inside, he wondered what their Genin test would be. He bet it would be the same test the man gave every time he asked for time off from squad seven to take on a genin team. So far Inu hadn't passed a single person.

"Alright, bouncy. Sit. Stay. Good boy."

Naruto kept up his grin, even when Sakura stifled a giggle. Sasuke let out a 'hn' and glanced away.

"Now. To get to know each other, I want you to state your name, your hobbies, likes, dislikes, dreams…" The man seemed to trail off.

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" Sakura asked, eyes wide.

"Alright. I'm Hatake Kakashi, I have many likes and dislikes…hobbies…hm….My dream isn't any of your business. You next, pinky."

Naruto actually smiled inside, a rare smile that he actually meant. Kakashi was still the same as ever. Never liked to reveal anything, only liked to know about other things. During their ANBU circle much like this one, they had to do the same thing as now. In place of their name, they gave their codename. When Kakashi had done this, he said the exact same thing. Eventually Naruto learned a lot more about the man, but he had to spy, cheat, and lie to get the information. One mission was so difficult at first that Kakashi thought they were going to die and Naruto had to fight for both of them, using ten clones to surround the pair to conceal them from harm. Kakashi had spilled his guts to the little boy, not caring that he was talking to a ten-year old. Kakashi had trusted his life and soul to his ANBU captain.

Naruto had gotten them out of it by using the Kyuubi's chakra, a genjutsu over his team's eyes to make them see a different chakra so they didn't know it was really Naruto. Kakashi had apologized after, when Naruto had dragged everyone on their team back three days later, starving and injured. The only thing that kept them alive was that Naruto felt so light after Kakashi had trusted him entirely that he went into two tails and killed every enemy in two minutes flat. After that he had hunted for them, feeding them after roasting it with a fire Jutsu. Kakashi had been the worst, since he froze up for the first time ever during a mission. That was only four days before he resigned again in hopes of passing a genin team.

Naruto had missed Sakura's introduction, but it was Sasuke's he had to listen to.

"Uchiha Sasuke. No hobbies, few likes, many dislikes. I don't really have a dream as much as an ambition….to kill a certain man…"

Naruto sighed internally. This was the mission that he had self-appointed after reading all his classmates files; to save Sasuke from himself. Sasuke's file had been full of praise, and he had wondered why his class mate had been talked about so much. He watched over him for three months before making it his job to make sure that Sasuke didn't go mental, or at the very least not let Sasuke leave Konoha.

"You're up, bouncy."

Naruto gave him a modified glare before going on eagerly. At least, he hoped he sounded eager.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I love ramen. I hate the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to cook. I have many hobbies, including pranks and taking care of my two pets. And my dream is to become Hokage!"

In reality, Naruto could easily become Hokage. He had even invented a Jutsu that took out perverts, and the old man was taken down so quickly that no other man alive beat his record for fainting from blood loss. His chakra level was easily over Kage, and with the Kyuubi's chakra and strength it made him even stronger. His speed rivaled no one and his attacks were based on hit and hit harder. His healing ability made it easy to keep healthy, and even if he got hurt during the battle, he bounced back so quickly that he didn't even notice it. He could fight until everything was dead without even stopping to heal himself or focus on defense.

He caught Kakashi's serious gaze, even though he doubted the other two didn't. He must have been thinking, just like Naruto. Finally he relaxed and seemed to lighten up a bit.

"Okay, well I'll see you three tomorrow for your Genin test!" Kakashi spouted cheerfully.

Sakura narrowed her gaze in confusion. "But Kaka-sensei, we already took the test. We're already Genin."

Kakashi shook his head.

"Nope. That was just to weed out the really bad ones. This is the actual test. Now, I'll see you tomorrow at six am. Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

Sasuke spoke up now, "Why not?"

Kakashi's gaze looked serious again. "Because you'll throw up."

Naruto got a little training in before he decided to pick up a mission with squad seven. Since Kakashi was still on until he knew his team had passed, they could still take full team missions.

Naruto brought along Yang, as he always did. Yin stayed at home, but only because Naruto wanted to bring her tomorrow for the test. It was good to keep a surprise up his sleeve, and Kakashi hadn't met Yin yet. Yang was the one that went on ANBU missions.

He shoved his orange gear away and slipped four scrolls into his lightweight vest, most of his equipment in them just in case. If he needed to go Kyuubi-mode again, he wanted to at least have better food than rabbit or fish, even though both were healthy. He liked ration bars better, and having tents and blankets were a plus. He had a whole case of soldier pills in case of emergency as well. All of this and more were sealed into these scrolls. He channeled a little bit of chakra to one of the tattoos on his arms, bandages missing. He didn't wear them on missions. Blood got in the way. As the seal tattoo took effect, his hair turned black and his chakra coils seemed a little different. No one suspected him to be Naruto now.

He tied his porcelain mask around his head and left in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto yelled out commands to his team, using phrases only they knew to confuse the enemy.

"Inu! Use a Chidori on ninja number two!"

Naruto had numbered the ninja, targeting them with a nod and hand sign to tell his team before they lunged in.

"Mitsu! To your right!"

Naruto himself was facing ten ninja on his own, slashing with his sword and killing ninjas with a single punch. His strength was a part of it, but he added chakra to it and made sure he hit the nose going up. Bones always shot into their brain, killing them quite easily. A sword through the heart worked quite well, too.

Naruto managed to kill all of his attackers in time to see Kakashi on his knees, blood gurgling out of his mouth. A ninja was posed behind him, ready to take the kill. Naruto's blood boiled, and in an instant his chakra flared red and he was between the ninja and his comrade. His blade, held in his left hand, was buried in the man's stomach. His right fist was imbedded in the ninja's chest, a hole going right through his heart. Kakashi fell over, unconscious, but Naruto did not turn to help him. Not yet.

When the blond captain was finally finished with the man, you couldn't even recognize him. He was just guts and blood. Naruto didn't let his chakra go, however. He just turned and knelt, forcing a medical jutsu through to the man beneath him. He barely moved as Rona joined him, moving his hands through seals that would make their work better. Naruto supplied the chakra, while Rona supplied the smarts. Naruto made a clone as fast as he could to get something out of his vest.

Using the clone to get the soldier pills out of his vest, he swallowed five and closed his eyes in preparation for the pain. Once it started to leak through, he shoved the chakra through Rona's hands into Kakashi's heart. They managed to restart it and Rona used some of Naruto's chakra to make a clone of her own, sending it around Kakashi's body to start healing his other wounds.

Kakashi took a deep, shuddering breath, and Naruto thought quickly, seeing through a red haze of bloodlust. He ripped off Kakashi's ANBU mask and gently peeled his facemask off. The man on the ground didn't move, but his chest heaved up and down, desperately searching for oxygen. Naruto shoved chakra into his civilian mask tattoo and ripped off his own mask. He pressed his lips to his subordinates and blew air deep into Kakashi's lungs. He went back up and pushed a clawed hand down gently on his ninja's chest and applied some healing chakra, feeling where the damage was. He blew into Kakashi's mouth once more before satisfied the man would live.

Rona checked over Inu one more time and finished wrapping a leg wound that she didn't have enough chakra to heal. She nodded once to Naruto and he slipped his mask back up, switching back to his real face with black hair for ANBU. He glanced over to see where Mitsu was. Rona's twin was leaning heavily against a tree, wrapping a bandage clumsily around his hand.

As Rona rushed over to help him, Naruto picked Inu up bridal style, he couldn't carry him any other way, and started walking home. The man was still breathing, but they needed to get home before another attack could be launched. They finished their mission, anyways.

The next morning Naruto got up a little late. He awoke at seven-thirty, but he didn't care. He figured that Kakashi would need time to rest it off anyways, so he wouldn't be late compared to his sensei. He went through his normal routine, this time holding Yin in his arms as he walked out the door. One hand stroked her fur slowly as he made his way to the training ground.

Sasuke and Sakura were already there, looking tired and hungry. Naruto, not actually very tired even though he went on a deadly mission the night before, gave a big grin.

"Heya, sleepy heads!"

Sakura gave him a withering look.

"You're calling us sleepy heads?"

Naruto just widened his grin.

"Well, since you are tired, and I'm not…"

Sakura just sighed and motioned for him to sit down.

"Hey…" Naruto began, actually quietly for once, "I know that you don't trust me, but I know all about Kakashi-sensei. He won't be here for a while, so why don't you rest while you have time? I don't mind keeping watch…"

Sakura looked at him like he was crazy, but Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes, leaning once more against the tree. He was asleep in an instant, but Naruto shook him awake a moment later. Sasuke was prepared to growl at the blond, but instead of seeing a bright smile right in his face, an apple and a brown bar were being handed to him. He unwrapped the bar slowly and took a bite. He almost spit it out.

"What the hell?"

"Ration bar" Naruto murmured. "Gives you plenty of energy. Sensei said not to eat, but I think he was trying to see if we would follow the rules. Plus, we need strength if we need to do whatever he wants us to do."

Sasuke grimaced but finished the bar quickly. After he ate his apple he went back to sleep. Sakura, after seeing Sasuke eat what Naruto gave him, ate her food without complaint. She scrunched her eyes up while eating the nutritious bar, but she kept quiet.

"Thanks" she murmured before drifting off to sleep.

Naruto let Yin prance around the clearing, chasing butterflies while waiting. He wanted to do something, but even training would wake Sasuke and Sakura from their light slumber. So he did the ANBU thing and stayed where he was, relaxed but focusing on staying safe. He didn't even realize as three more hours passed by like it was nothing.

He felt Kakashi's chakra traveling closer, so he stood up and stretched for a second before gently nudging his team with his foot. Sakura woke with a start, but she stood up and stretched. Sasuke just stood with a light yawn. They looked better than before, and he hoped they were ready for this test.

Kakashi finally stopped in front of them. He seemed to be smiling, and he carried a clock and three lunches. Naruto grinned at him, but Kakashi seemed not to notice. Naruto did pick up on the slight limp the man had, but the other two didn't notice anything wrong. He made a note to work on observation skills. He hoped that his friend wouldn't go too hard on himself, since he would most likely reopen a wound.

"Right, so-"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi seemed to wince, although again only the blond saw it. He shook his head slightly and gazed at his new sensei, wondering if he would make it without collapsing.

"Today I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar" Sakura said, a little quieter this time. She stuck out her tongue at him.

Kakashi smiled at this, his one visible eye crinkling up into an upside-down U shape.

"Now, today we're going to do the bell test. You three have to come at me with the intent to kill. Your objective is to get these bells." The jonin gestured to the two bells hanging off his belt.

"Hey, wait" Sakura protested, catching onto the numbers in a second.

"There are only two bells, and there are three of us!"

"Sakura is correct!" Kakashi grinned, "One of you isn't passing. Only two of you can go on and become Genin and hopefully onward. The third one, the one without a bell, will go back to the academy."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Naruto bet that he was really focusing on getting a bell. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"So, so" he started, drawing attention to himself, "what would happen if we really killed you? Would we pass?"

Sasuke was staring at him like he couldn't be serious. Sakura voiced those thoughts out loud.

"Naruto-baka, you couldn't kill a Jonin!"

Kakashi was looking at him thoughtfully, like he couldn't place something.

"Oh well. Anyways, was there anything else?" Naruto asked sweetly.

Just as Kakashi was shaking his head, Yin jumped into Naruto's arms. He held a hand out right in front of her face, and she parted her jaws to let two small objects fall into his palm.

Naruto grinned at the three of them staring at him. "I win" he stated.

Yin purred and jumped back down, continuing her butterfly chase. He used one hand to rub the back of his neck, a foxy grin plastered on his face. Then he turned serious and faced his two team mates. He placed one bell in each of their hands.

"Here." He said, backing up a step.

Sakura looked confused. "Why…?"

"I don't need 'em. Sasuke, you need to go on to fulfill your goal, and Sakura, you can help him. I don't mind going through the academy again. It wasn't like I did much work anyways!" Naruto sounded cheerful, even though they guessed he wasn't.

Kakashi watched carefully, to see what the other two would do.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"Here." Sasuke held his bell out to Kakashi.

Now Naruto looked surprised. He tilted his head and waited for the explanation.

"If Naruto goes back, I go back."

Sakura glanced at both of them before shoving her bell back to Kakashi as well.

"Me too. We're a team, right?"

Naruto nodded slowly, his grin gone. He didn't wear a frown, but his face was emotionless.

Kakashi looked into his hand, which held the now returned bells. This has never happened before. Oh well.

"You all….. Pass!"

"WHAT?!"

Okay! So if you're new, carry on! If you're rereading or have been alerted to chapters or something, read this! I wanted to clear some things up, so I edited all I have posted here. Nothing too dramatic, but I did change a few things. Hopefully it isn't as confusing, and in the next chapter I believe it's introduced - they are not 12/13 years old. I know, I know, a lot of fanfics change it, but... I like being able to explore with whatever. It's hard to add romance (important but not the main concept) when they're only 13. So! Other than that, it's pretty much the same. Though, Naruto is still short. Teehee!