A/N: Again, I really hated how I was progressing with this story. the paragraphs seem so cluttered now when I look at them. Hopefully I can figure out just how the hell I'm going to go with this. Anywho, here it is.

The Coming Storm

Chapter 1:

Graduating Misfits

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. - Helen Keller-

He laid there, the red fluid building in the back of his throat. It seemed so cold, so empty. He vaguely recognized three figures looming above him, though they were unfocused and unrecognizable through the blur. Their mouths moved, though he couldn't hear a word from them. It felt as if the world had simply stopped, not allowing his progression into time. Years of life put through his mind in a single instance, judging his worth in less time than one could blink.

Suddenly, it all stopped as a gleam of metal raced toward him.

A spiky haired blonde child could be seen marching down the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, a slight jump in his step, as if today was something even greater than the last. A smile that could split his face was proudly worn, along with the notable absence of his goggles, and was accompanied by the amazing cerulean eyes that seemed to shine with a profound joy. Along with his peppy attitude was his signature attire, consisting of an orange jacket with blue shoulders, a white collar and a red spiral on his back. The rest of his clothing consisted of orange pants that stopped just above his blue shinobi sandals.

"Watch out world, here comes Naruto Uzumaki, the Godaime Hokage!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist into the air.

Trudging along just behind him was a light brown, messy haired child with green eyes who seemed slightly older than his companion. He wore a bright red long sleeved shirt with the forearms of the shirt turned black, along with a dark blue stripe running down his shirt from the right shoulder to the bottom end of his shirt. He had light blue pants on and black shinobi sandals.

"Jeez, Naruto, give it a break. It's too early in the morning for crap like this." Miki said, walking beside Naruto groggily. 'I hate mornings. I feel like death.'

Said Academy students were walking towards the Academy right now to take their most important test: The Genin Exam. Both failed a consecutive three times already, and now, they weren't about to be outdone by their group of clan heirs. Today was the day they would begin their lives as shinobi.

"Aww, shut up! You don't have to be psyched for a good reason! You could have passed the Exam the first time you took it and you kept failing! The heck is with that?" Miki simply acted nonchalant to Naruto's outburst, strolling with his hands behind his head, a habit Naruto was adopting.

"That, my friend, should be obvious. I want to graduate with you, which is why I was always so adamant about you going before me so I could see if you passed or not. No way is my little bro gonna graduate on his own!" Miki explained.

Naruto nodded his acceptance before returning his attention to the path in front of him. He started as he realized just how close to the Academy they actually were, just coming up on the entrance. Grimacing, he started back after Miki noticing his best friend had made no indication of stopping.

The inside of the classroom was hectic, to say the very least. Sakura and Ino apparently had arrived a bit earlier than them considering they were bickering over who would sit next to Sasuke, who seemed to be silently wishing death on them. Of course, they were too preoccupied with the verbal war to notice there were actually two seats open on either side of Sasuke. Naruto immediately made to talk to Sakura before Miki stopped him, seeing all Naruto would get is a hit to the head.

Shikamaru was… well, Shikamaru was sleeping with a snot bubble comically growing and shrinking as he snored the day away. In other words, he was normal as usual. Choji was stuffing his face full of chips in a manner which rivalled Naruto's ramen consumption rate, which Miki had actually timed.

Kiba Inuzuka was sitting in a chair playing with his small, furry dog, Akamaru. A few of the girls who passed by him stopped momentarily to pet the small dog and giggled happily when Akamaru seemed pleased. Shino Aburame was doing his best to stay as inconspicuous as possible, though he probably should have gotten darker clothing than a light gray high collared coat which they honestly thought made him a more suspicious character.

Hinata Hyuga was sitting nervously in her chair, pushing her fingers together in anxiety, not having noticed Naruto and Miki yet. In Miki's opinion, it was a very good thing considering Naruto had an effect on the girl that effectively put all fire jutsus to shame. Of course, it probably wouldn't happen until after the exams when their presence was noticed.

This hope was thoroughly extinguished once the Nara, Akamichi, Inuzuka, and Aburame noticed their presence in the room and gathered around the two. The group's demeanor was slightly off, different from the usual bored, aggressive, hungry and stoic manner. There was a slight air of excitement lingering around Shikamaru, his lips curved ever so slightly upward. Kiba was a bit more jittery, the anticipation of becoming a shinobi adding to his usual restlessness, and his smirk was even more noticeable. Choji was eating his potato chips more slowly, however the difference in speed was only slight. Shino Aburame, while his sunglasses and high collar were blocking his expression, was literally buzzing with excitement, a slight hum coming from his body.

"Naruto! Miki! Right on time!" Kiba said.

"Good to see you guys." Choji said in between his snacking.

The two let out a smile for their friends. These four were their only other companions beside each other, and to see them all on the day they'd graduate brought them ease. Most failed to realize that a stunned Hinata Hyuga was currently as red faced as a fire jutsu and slightly panicking.

"Man, do they have to be holding the exams today? It's so troublesome." Shikamaru stated. His statement gathered a collective sigh from the rest of the group, save for Chouji.

"You could just be a little more excited, Shikamaru." Miki said. "I mean, on the way here I wasn't, but now I can't wait for it to all start."

"I think Shikamaru would rather do as little work as he could to get through the exam." Shinto stated rather matter-of-factly. The statement seemed to irk Shikamaru ever so slightly.

"Man, I thought you were supposed to be the quiet and mysterious kid, Shino?" Shikamaru's statement cause the group to to erupt in a small bout of laughter before dying down once more.

The group of boys continued to idly chat about whatever thought popped into their head until they heard the sound of a door opening. They looked up to see their favorite teacher in the Academy, Iruka Umino, followed by his assistant Mizuki. They both immediately grew large grins from seeing him, and noticing this, Iruka gave them a kind smile in return.

"Alright everyone, take your seats." All the students rushed to their seats, not wanting to be yelled at by Iruka's surprisingly loud voice. While Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Choji retreated to their previous seating arrangements, Naruto and Miki took their seats in the back of the classroom in the only two remaining seats.

"Alright, now you all know that today you will be taking your Genin Exam." Iruka-sensei began. "First we will start off with the written portion, followed by an examination of your taijutsu abilities, and we will end with the Ninjutsu portion. I want it to be clear that it takes a certain amount of points in total to pass. I will have Mizuki pass out the tests right now, so no talking beyond this."

'Oh no!' Naruto thought. 'I hate written exams! Of course we'd start with that!' Naruto threw a glance over at Miki who seemed to be contemplating the situation. 'If Miki glances over and sees that I'm failing he'll willingly bomb the test. He has to graduate this year, he'll be kicked out if he doesn't do it!'

"Miki?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Miki replied, with Naruto's face falling into a frown.

"I want you to pass. If you don't pass then you won't be able to even be a ninja anymore. I'm up in the air, so you'll have to pass without me, alright?" Angered at his word's, Miki snarled at Naruto.

"Like hell! I told you, I'm graduating with you!" He roared.

"Miki, please. Stop waiting around for me. You'll never get anywhere if I'm always holding you back." Naruto pleaded, desperation filling his voice as he did.

"Hey, you two!" Iruka called. "No talking allowed, remember?"

"Sorry, sensei!" They replied in unison.

Naruto and Miki both kept their eyes down, neither willing to say one more word. Miki couldn't help but consider Naruto's words. This year was the last year it was even possible for him to graduate, beyond this year if he failed, he would be barred from becoming a ninja since he would be too old in the eyes of the village. While he may have argued against it, he had to pass. He had his own dreams in the ninja world, and they couldn't be accomplished if he wasn't a ninja. So, he wrote, placing faith in his friend.

Soon, the test had been completed by every student in the academy's large classroom of heirs. Naruto seemed perplexed by most of the questions he was asked, taking a minute or two longer than most. Miki had been one of the first to finish the test, if not the very first. Iruka had wandered back into the room shortly after he had collected their tests, readying himself to make another speech.

"Now that your tests have been collected, it is time for the next portion of your Graduation Exam, the taijutsu portion. The objective is to try and last at least three minutes as while trying to score hits on your opponents do avoid they're attacks. For this task, a Mizuki has volunteered to be the opponent. While scoring blows is not necessary, it will improve your score in this portion of the exam, however, if Mizuki scores a bit on you, points will be deducted. You will also receive more points foreach half-minute you can spend against Mizuki."

Time went by rather quickly as the class migrated outside the school to a circular sparring ring made of rocks. The two did little to acknowledge the other students spar against their sensei, including their own friends' spars. They only took note of each of the students who intrigued them, noting their times and hits.

Shikamaru lasted the minimum three minutes before immediately raising his hand in a wave of defeat. Mizuki complied with him and said nothing as the Nara exited the ring, Shikamaru having done the bare minimum required to get by. The match ended with no hits scored by either participant.

Choji Akamichi had lasted four minutes, fifteen seconds inside the ring before being struck out by Mizuki. While the heavy boy had raw power on his side due to his family's Expansion Jutsu, he was still struck a few times by Mizuki. Choji had scored five hits while Mizuki earned three, earning the Akamichi two hits once Mizuki's own hits were subtracted.

Shino lasted considerably longer than Choji, clocking in at five minutes, thirty-six seconds until he voluntarily ended the match. His taijutsu skills were barely utilized here, as he was better letting his bugs do a majority of the work, tiring out his opponent, which in turn meant that while he lasted longer, he did not earn more hits. He earned three hits until Mizuki struck him twice. Most of the match was spent keeping Mizuki at a distance.

Kiba lasted longer than Choji , but less than Shino, clocking in at five minutes, ten seconds before he was hit out of the ring. His ferocious taijutsu style put Mizuki on the defensive from the get go, Akamaru providing distractions as they fought. However , his taijutsu was also a little sloppy, and Mizuki ended up scoring many hits on the young Inuzuka. In the end, Kiba had struck Mizuki six times while Mizuki scored five hits on Kiba.

Sasuke Uchiha was a force to be reckoned with inside the ring, clocking in at six minutes, seventeen seconds before he accidently stepped out of the ring. Sasuke used powerful blows and fast reflexes to dodge and block against Mizuki and used the strategy to great effect. In the end Sasuke had gotten six hits on Mizuki and came out without being struck once.

Miki was up next, with his battle lasting six minutes and thirty seconds exactly before, like Sasuke, accidently stepping out of the ring. His battle consisted of mostly dodging and catching Mizuki's extended limbs while using them to throw him off balance and strike, only blocking when completely necessary. He had scored four hits while only being struck by a glancing blow once.

Naruto lasted slightly longer against Mizuki than Miki, the whole spar lasting six minutes, thirty-seven seconds. Naruto used more of a brawler type of taijutsu, the unorthodox fighting style suiting him well. However, Naruto also took more hits as a penalty for his headstrong technique. In all, Naruto scored seven hits on Mizuki, though had taken four himself.

"Alright, we will now go back inside for the last portion of your exam." Iruka announced, students already pouring back into the school.

Once everyone was back in the room and seated, Naruto and Miki both took note of just how everyone was holding up. A few students looked exceptionally nervous, some were seemingly eager to get this exam done, and others just looked outright tired. Everyone took up their previous spots in the classroom, Naruto and Miki remaining in the back row as Iruka took his place at the front of the class.

"We will now begin with the Ninjustu portion of the test." Iruka announced. "For this section you will be required to make a minimum of three working clones, though you may produce more than that if you so wish. Keep in mind that if you fail to meet up to the required points by the end of this portion, you will not receive a headband. We have already tallied up the points for the previous sections and will be able to immediately tell you whether you pass or fail upon your completion of the Jutsu. Now, first up..."

Iruka's voice became little more than noise when he called out a student they weren't familiar with. If one were to look around the room they would see most of the students were grinning like mad men- or women. The Clone Jutsu was a relatively simple and easy ninjutsu to perform, requiring very little chakra and focus to perform. Of course, the simplest Jutsu just had to be the one Naruto couldn't perform.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it! That's just my luck. Clones!' He thought.

"Don't worry, Naruto." Miki said, causing Naruto to turn to him and see his smile. "I bet you'll finally get it right in there! Just make a ton of clones, not just one or three, I mean fifty or something like that!"

Naruto nodded, but everything else about his face made it clear he expected to fail. The squinted eyes, the fox like grin, his slightly more solemn tone of voice, all a part of his mask of happiness.

"Yeah, you're right. I can probably pull this off. No sweat!" He said.

"Miki!"

Both of them whipped their heads around to see Iruka had opened the door with a clipboard in his hand, looking squarely at Miki. It was his turn.

Giving Naruto one last friendly smile, he pushed his seat back and marched toward the testing room. Several students snickered at him, expecting him to fail like he usually would. However, he had no intention of doing so this year. He would finally start the true path to his dreams once he entered through that doorway. The first thing his eyes landed on was the row of Leaf headbands, bearing their insignia proudly. He knew, then and there, without question that he would succeed in his dream.

"Hello, Miki." Iruka said in a kind voice.

"Hey there, Iruka-sensei! Mizuki-sensei!" Miki replied with a grin.

"Hello, Miki." Mizuki replied. "Are you ready to begin?"

Too excited to contain himself, Miki nodded so fast it seemed like his neck would break from the sheer speed. He quickly flashed through the handsigns for the Clone Jutsu. Finishing with the tiger seal, he built up his chakra for as many clones as he could muster. Once he was satisfied with the build up, he was ready to show his results.

"Clone Jutsu!" He yelled.

The large amount of smoke in the small room made the examiners cough a bit. The room was quite literally filled to the brim with the white smoke of ninjutsu, and it was hard to breathe through it all. Just opening their eyes stung ever so slightly, and attempting to breath in any of the air was just as bad. Though when the smoke did clear, their eyes widened.

There were Miki clones everywhere. Not just three, or six, or nine but an estimated total of at least sixty of them, all crammed into one room. Iruka passed his gaze over all of them and confirmed that they were in fact perfectly normal clones. It was the quantity that irked him ever so slightly.

"Well, it's very clear that you pass… but isn't this overkill, Miki?" Iruka asked.

"Well, sorry for making so many clones." Miki mock pouted. "Next time I'll make sure not to show my teachers how well they taught me."

"Now, now, we never said that." Mizuki replied. "We were simply stunned, that's all. Come here and grab your headband."

Practically sprinting to the table, Miki quickly grabbed a black clothed headband and bowed to his teachers before sprinting out of the classroom. He had the best smile on his face, like the world was perfect and nothing could ruin it. When he called out to Naruto, he vaguely noticed about half the female population of the class look at him with wide eyes as a light blush rushed to their cheeks. Naruto let out a magnificently large smile and nodded his head in approval at his friend headband. He was about to run up to Naruto when Iruka emerged from the room.

"Miki!" He said. "You have to wait outside. Naruto can meet you once he has taken his ninjutsu exam. Once that's done you can both celebrate."

"You got it, Iruka-Sensei." Miki replied before turning to Naruto with that same happy smile. "Good luck, Foxy!"

Naruto was strangely silent while he marched down to the exam room. This could just be the beginning to his ninja career, one more step in his quest for Hokage. He was determined to pass this time, but couldn't help the nervousness that built up inside of him. What if he couldn't make a proper clone? What if he couldn't pass? Would he ever pass? What would Miki do without him? What would he do to console himself while Miki was out making a name for himself as a ninja?

Well, he couldn't find out if he didn't open the doors to the exam room first. With a deep breath, Naruto pushed open the doors.

Iruka and Mizuki-sensei were in the exact same positions as they were when Miki had taken the test. The same words were spoken, and somehow, Naruto drew courage and confidence from Iruka-sensei. He resolved that he would give it his all, that he would pass this year no matter what he had to do.

When all talk was out of the way, Naruto got into position, performing the hand signs for his worst Jutsu. Things would be different this time! He had to pass! The chakra began to mold. He would rise through the ranks with his best friend! They would conquer foes together, fight side by side, define the history of the Village Hidden in the Leaf! He had to succeed.

The jutsu was finally ready. A loud poof was heard, a smoke cloud Naruto. The smoke covered the jutsu extremely effectively. The room was silent enough to hear a speck of dust float to the ground. The smoke began to clear, and Naruto was starting to become anxious. He must have succeeded this time! There was no doubt! Then the smoke cleared, to reveal his results.

"You fail!" Iruka yelled.

The clone was sick. It looked as if it was ready to die, unable to support any of it's life. It was sickly pale and seemed overall dull. Naruto's heart sank. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to be able to pass. He was never able to make any progress with his dream. And worst of all, he was just holding Miki back all these years.

"Oh, come on, Iruka." Mizuki began. "Why don't we just pass him? It's his third time anyway."

Naruto's head shot up in hope, pleading with the eyes of his sensei. However, Iruka shook his head.

"I can't allow that. All the other students were able to make at least three perfect clones. Naruto-kun could only create one, and look at it. It's pathetic."

Not willing to hear anymore, Naruto ran from the exam room, out the doors of the Academy, and to his old childhood friend- the swing underneath a tree. He watched as all the new Genins were picked up by their parents. It was a bitter reminder of his loneliness, and only added to his anger for his own so-called family. They had left him. They obviously didn't care for him. Why were these kids allowed to live their lives without a care in the world? He had done nothing to deserve this.

It wasn't long until Miki had found him, and he instantly knew the entire situation would go a lot better if he was quiet and simply offered his company. Naruto was fully aware that there were at least two people muttering about how good it was that he hadn't passed. Miki must've missed it, putting his attention entirely on the blonde as he leaned against the tree with his arms crossed.

It wasn't entirely lonely though. A few girls in their class had come by Miki and tried to talk to him. He would offer them a few words with a rather kind smile before asking them to leave so he could be there for his surrogate brother. The action made Naruto smile a bit. He may have been abandoned by his parents, but his brother was right there with him. Naruto noticed the girls he said this to also look at him with a small smile even as they walked away. Why, though, he had no idea.

Miki had come into his life around the age of nine. They had met in the Hokage's office after Naruto and the Hokage had gotten back from a day of fun with each other, and Naruto was exhausted, so when he sat on the chair in the room to enjoy the magnificence of the office, he almost instantly had fallen asleep.

When he awoke, there was a silver haired man Naruto recognized as the Inu Anbu that had always helped him when things got really bad for him. In a flash though, a pair of forest green eyes invaded his vision. startled, he had jumped a bit and was instantly alert. That had been the first time he and Miki had ever met.

He learned from the Hokage the next minute that Miki was an orphan and would be living with him as well. Of course, that was also when Miki announced he and Naruto would be friends- whether Naruto wanted to be or not. The two had started to play and eat together, and became best friends as their bond deepened to something akin to family in mere weeks. It was the best day of his life when Miki had referred to him as his little brother. It marked the beginning of a better future to Naruto.

"Well, how are you two?" They both turned their heads slightly to acknowledge the sudden appearance of their sensei, Mizuki, with a kind smile on his face.

"As well as can be expected, sensei." Miki replied.

"Ah, I see," He said, "Why don't we all take a little walk?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you know he can't make an exception for you if every other student can perform the Clone Jutsu."

The three of them, Miki, Naruto, and Mizuki sat on the balcony of a building with their feet hanging over the edge, overlooking Konoha as a blazing orange sunset descended on the village. Miki, though quickly changed his position so he could simply lie on the stone balcony, instead.

"I know," Naruto replied glumly, "I just… really wanted to pass this time."

"It really means that much to you?" Mizuki asked.

"Of course it does!" Miki exclaimed. "It's his dream to be the Hokage of this village. He is fully prepared to fight for every single civilian and ninja in this god damn village, no matter how stupid they are. Of course he wants to pass."

Mizuki-sensei had simply let a calm silence fall over them. Just when they thought he wouldn't reply, he turned to them with a kind smile.

"Well, I guess that means I'll have to give you the secondary exam, then."

Both of them looked at him in confusion, not understanding just what he was talking about. Mizuki let out a small chuckle as he saw their faces, turning his face away from them. It was an innocent enough action, though neither of them saw the sinister smile that broke out on Mizuki's face.

"Too easy!" Naruto exclaimed.

It was night, and the moon had risen high in Konoha's sky. Miki lit up underneath the full moon as he and Naruto raced further and further into the woods around Konohagakure with the Forbidden Scroll. Now all that was left was to find a clearing to practice. Shooting a pleased and determined smirk at Naruto, to which he returned his own signature foxy grin, they picked up the pace to rush through the trees.

"You're telling me! All it took was one of your Sexy Jutsus to knock out the Hokage!" Miki exclaimed, while Naruto let out a snicker.

"Man, I had no idea gramps was such a closet pervert. That was gold!" Miki let out a roar of laughter at Naruto's words.

Soon they found an area perfect for the two of them. The trees were nicely spaced and still concealed them as well as if they had been in their branches. Sitting down, Naruto had decided to work top to bottom to make the choice of jutsu easier, though he frowned at the first one.

"Aw, man! Of course we start off with the Clone Jutsu!" Naruto wailed.

Miki quirked an eyebrow at his outburst, looking slightly skeptical at his exclamation.

"The Clone Jutsu?" He questioned. "That doesn't make sense. This is a Forbidden Scroll, so it should have Forbidden Jutsu, not something as simple as an illusionary jutsu they teach in the Academy."

Miki walked over to him and glanced through the scroll. Naruto was still hung up on the fact they were clones, and hadn't bothered to read farther than the name. However, Miki had read much, much more, and he loved every detail he learned on that blessed scroll.

"Better change your tune, bro! These clones are solid!" Miki exclaimed as Naruto visibly brightened. "Plus, do you see that? 'When dispelled, clones impart all of their knowledge and memories to the user, effectively lessening time spent reading, learning jutsu, assisting in information gathering, etcetera. This effect applies to all mental faculties of training.' This is like the holy grail of jutsu!"

"That's so cool!" Naruto said, bursting with enthusiasm. "Why the heck don't they teach us that instead of that stupid illusion clone they teach at the academy? This one is way more useful!"

Wondering just that, Miki quickly scanned the rest of the scroll for the exact reasoning. A technique that allowed someone to actually learn from their clones was far more useful than a simple illusion which could not actively interact with anything. It would be a fantastic convenience for shinobi in their village. It wasn't long until he found the warning for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"'Warning: Shadow clones will split chakra evenly between the user and clones and uses large amounts of chakra, thereby splitting chakra reserves in half from one clone, a third for two clones, and so on, often proving fatal to those with smaller chakra reserves. Jonin level technique, B-rank jutsu.'" Miki finished. "Well, we got why. Looks like this is deadly to perform if anyone with low or moderate reserves creates too many clones, and the fatality can occur just from creating a small number of them."

Seeing Naruto's worried expression, Miki quickly broke into a smirk. "But don't worry, I can tell you, with the amount of chakra you waste daily with pranks, you must have somewhere between Kage and Jonin level reserves, same for me."

"Sweet! So if I learn this, that means I'll definitely pass this make-up exam!" Naruto shouted.

"Plus, I'll get a new kick ass jutsu! I'm so glad I decided to help you pass this! I've never heard of this alternative, but hell, if you get a forbidden jutsu out of it, people should fail more often! I kinda wish I did!" Miki said with smile.

The two of them quickly got to practicing. Miki quickly got the hang of the clones, as well as Naruto, both completing the jutsu in just under an hour and both were ecstatic, immediately sending one clone each to read up on the next Jutsu along with themselves in hopes of committing it to memory, only to find it was a sealing technique. Losing interest in the scroll, Miki dispelled his clone and sat down by one of the trees while Naruto's curiosity simply got the better of him and he and his clone read the seal's effects, thoroughly enamored by the details.

"Why do you even care about that jutsu?" Miki asked. "Neither of us even know how to perform Fuinjutsu, plus the Shadow Clones alone are enough to make us a handful regardless of what else may be on that scroll. It's just a bother." Naruto shrugged, keeping his attention on the scroll in front of him.

"It just seems really interesting to me," Naruto said, "And you never know, this jutsu may be useful one day. If not, then I may as well recognize it if I see it." Seeing the logic in that, Miki let Naruto study his scroll in peace.

Meanwhile, Miki was becoming more and more confused.

It was well after one and a half hours since they started Naruto's supplementary exam, and so far, Mizuki-sensei had yet to appear. From what he had gathered, the purpose of this test was to learn a single forbidden jutsu, or as many as one could in that time until one of the ninja in the village could find them. That being said, the Chunin should have been scouring the forest in Konoha for them, yet it seemed that no one had even bothered looking for them, or hadn't even considered the forest yet.

"Yo, Naruto?" Miki called, as Naruto looked up from the seal, his clone continuing the reading.

"Yeah, what is it?" He asked.

"Just wondering, how long do you think it will take for a chunin to find us?"

"I'd say not too long from now. I mean, we're camouflaged, but it's not like it's very good camouflage. Especially with our bright clothing."

Miki scoffed. "Our bright clothing? Dude, you're bright enough to stand out like the sun! In fact, on a sunny day, you tend to literally blind everyone, including me! Not just from the insane amount of orange, but the orange just glows when the sun hits it! It's like a… a… a mini-sun!"

Instead of dignifying that with a response, Naruto simply stuck his tongue out at Miki, which basically meant Miki won the argument, causing him to chuckle. It wasn't one minute after their laughs filled the air that a new arrival came into their clearing.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed with a bright smile.

"I caught you two." Iruka stated rather matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, you were really fast. We were just talking about how long it'd take for a ninja to find us. At least the test's over now!" Miki exclaimed.

Iruka-sensei, however was utterly confused. Both of the children he just confronted weren't even scared that he had caught them. What's more, they were under the impression that they were taking some kind of test? What was the test for? Things weren't adding up for Iruka.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "What test?" Naruto bounded over to him with a vibrant smile on his face.

"Mizuki-sensei told us that if you can steal the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's Tower and learn just one jutsu from it then you pass the Genin Exams! That's how it works, so now you gotta pass me!" Naruto exclaimed.

'Mizuki-san?!' Iruka thought, his face lighting up in shock. 'But why?'

His thoughts were interrupted as the sound of kunai and shuriken cutting through the air made it's way to his ears. Thinking on his feet, Iruka quickly grabbed both Miki and Naruto and slammed them down. Both were confused before they hear the thunk! of the weapons in the tree behind them. When they saw the sheer number of weapons that were thrown, they were certain they'd most likely be dead if Iruka hadn't saved them.

"Well, well, that was quite the dodge, Iruka. You saved both of the village idiots!"

They looked up to see Mizuki sensei sneering down at them from a shadow on top of a large tree branch. on his back he had a large fuma shuriken. His eyes held a sort of maniacal amusement at the moment he had caused, almost appearing sadistic.

Of course, this paled in comparison to Iruka's sudden realization that Mizuki was his enemy. Mizuki was a childhood friend of Iruka's, and the fact that he would betray Konoha and steal the forbidden scroll seemed impossible. For Naruto, though, the only thing going through his mind was why his other sensei was attacking them.

"Mizuki! What is the meaning of this?" Iruka questioned. Mizuki maintained his sadistic grin, though.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm about to steal the Forbidden Scroll from those freaks. Though I do have to thank them for doing all the hard work for me, it's made my job easier. Oh, when I get paid for this scroll, I'm going to be very rich indeed." Mizuki ranted.

"Not on my watch!" Iruka pulled a kunai knife out of his pouch, though in a flash, another horde of kunai and shuriken had been hurled at him. Unable to dodge, he took the barrage.

Naruto and Miki's eyes widened as the combined force of the projectiles sent their sensei flying against a far tree, effectively putting about an equal amount of distance between the two chunins and them. Blood poured from Iruka's wounds as his movements were slowed. Mizuki's grin never left his face for even a moment. He was enjoying the torture. Naruto and Miki, however, were completely confused.

"What's going on? Why are you two fighting?!" Naruto yelled out. Iruka and Mizuki looked over at them before responding.

"Naruto!" Iruka called. "Mizuki tricked you and Miki! You need to run and keep that scroll safe, otherwise the village's secrets will be exposed! Run!"

About to comply, both Naruto and Miki began to run before Mizuki let out another unsettling laugh. Their hesitation cost them as he addressed them.

"Where are you two going?" He asked. "Don't you want to know, Naruto? Why you're shunned? Why you're hated?"

'What?' Naruto thought.

"No, don't, Mizuki!" Iruka bellowed. "It's an S-rank secret! It's forbidden!"

'S-rank secret?' he thought.

"On October 10th, twelve years ago, on your birthday, the Yondaime died killing the Kyuubi no Kitsune. But that was a lie! You can't kill something made out of pure chakra! So he did the next best thing and sealed it into a newborn baby. One who was born on that exact day."

'A newborn baby?' Naruto thought. Voices were beginning to mix in Naruto's mind.

"Shut the hell up you fuck-faced prick!" Was that Miki? He couldn't really tell.

'But that would mean-'

"That baby-"

"Mizuki, don't!"

'-it was-'

"-was you, Naruto Uzumaki!" The world seemed to fall back into place as Mizuki screamed the revelation. "You had the Kyuubi sealed inside you! You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

Taking in the shock-filled face of Naruto, Mizuki relished in it before he turned to Miki's hate-filled face.

"How does it feel?" Mizuki asked. "How does it feel to know that the one you call brother is nothing more than a broken demon?"

Naruto turned his head to see Miki trembling with his eyes shielded by his bangs. At first glance, Naruto had assumed it was out of fear of himself that Miki was shaking. However, when Miki tilted his head up to look at their traitorous sensei, he saw an anger like none other in the world. His eyes practically burned with hate and malice as he spoke.

"I'm going to kill you slowly for calling my brother a demon, you filthy little shit." The words were spoken with a deadly edge, and no one had any doubt that he would in fact murder the Chunin.

Iruka had managed to stumble over to their side, though Naruto was still confused, and more scared than he'd ever felt before. He was stumbling backwards to the trees, away from Miki and Iruka, away from Mizuki, away from everything. He needed to get out of there. Now.

So he turned and sprinted to the trees, hopping into the branches and setting a remarkable pace through the leaves.

"Naruto!" Miki and Iruka called.

Miki wasted no time, running after Naruto immediately. Iruka made to follow, though was stopped by a kick in the back from Mizuki.

"Like I'd just let you leave." Mizuki said. "Now, I think I'll get to killing those two idiots."

With that, Mizuki disappeared into the canopy, a few moments later followed by Iruka.

Naruto had stopped behind a tree, hopefully far away enough from everyone. Just as he thought he was safe, though, Miki appeared in the area in front of his tree. He was looking around for Naruto, having seen that he'd stopped somewhere around there, just not knowing exactly where. Not a minute later, he was joined by yet another Naruto and Iruka.

Feeling a headache coming on, Miki decided to dash behind a tree. Conveniently enough, it was the same tree Naruto was behind.

"Fuckin' finally!" Miki harshly whispered, making Naruto flinch a little. "I've been looking up, down, left, and right for you since I got here! The fuck are you doing?!"

Shushing Miki, Naruto focused his attention between the him imposter and Iruka-sensei.

"How'd you know…" the fake Iruka-sensei said as he turned into Mizuki. "... that I wasn't the real Iruka?" Just after that, the fake Naruto turned into their sensei Iruka.

"Because I am Iruka." He said.

"Why protect that demon?" Mizuki questioned, causing Naruto to frown. "It killed your parents and decimated Konoha shinobi! The monster should die, yet you protect them!"

"You're right, the Kyuubi did kill many leaf shinobi that day, including my own parents." Iruka began, deepening Naruto's frown. "But Naruto didn't!" His eyes widened. "Naruto is one of my most determined students. Sometimes he's too focused and it can make him seem like a fool, but Naruto can overcome those odds as long as he has people who care about him, like me, Miki, and Hokage-sama!

"I was like him when I was little." Iruka continued. "After the Kyuubi killed my parents, I cried for hours. I'd do anything for attention, even become the class clown and humiliate myself. You knew me then, you must have noticed how hollow I was! But I've grown, and now I know that if I can help Naruto I will do whatever I can to ensure he won't make the same mistakes I have. He is the future of Konohagakure, and I will not allow him to be framed for your crimes!"

By the end of Iruka's speech, Naruto was in tears. Miki patted him on the back to comfort him, and it felt good to know they truly didn't think he was a monster, even accepted him. Even now, knowing he was holding a demon within him, was bearable because of their words.

Mizuki's sneer, however, had not relented.

"If you love demons so much, then why don't you die for them!"

As his sentence was finished, Mizuki hurled his giant fuma shuriken at Iruka. Iruka's injuries, however, were too great, and he couldn't dodge it, though he didn't need too. In a flash, Naruto had intercepted the shuriken with the Forbidden Scroll and Miki had grabbed their sensei and moved to a tree branch to keep Iruka out of the way.

"If you so much as touch Iruka-sensei, I'll kill you!" Naruto coldly stated.

Miki had just finished propping Iruka up against a tree when he joined in. "We're gonna beat you to a bloody pulp, traitor."

"Oh yeah?" Mizuki replied cockily. "I'd like to see you try! I'm well above your level as a chunin. What are the dead lasts going to do against a seasoned chunin?"

Before he could even begin laughing, Naruto and Miki had already formed a cross handsign. Their chakra molded inside their bodies, flowing more quickly and more stable than before. Both of their eyes contained a hate for the sensei that was trying to frame them. He would not walk away from this without broken bones.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" They both yelled.

The entire clearing was filled with white smoke. Mizuki's eyes had widened, and silently went through the motions of denying that Naruto could have possibly achieved anything this advanced. It would just be another failure like Naruto's regular clones were!

So imagine his shock when that smoke cleared and he was surrounded by two hundred of both Naruto and Miki's clones. All of them eyed him hungrily, hoping to get at least one hit in on the Chunin. His eyes were wide as they all seemed to smirk in satisfaction. Miki and Naruto were both standing in front of him, looking all too happy with the pain their former sensei was about to experience.

"Dibs on his face!" One of Miki's clones called.

"No fair!" Naruto's clone replied.

"Oh, well." Another Miki clone said. "Looks like we'll all just have to charge."

"LET'S GO!" They all screamed.

That night, the village could only hear Mizuki's howl's of pain until daybreak came.

"I think we may have overdone it just a little bit." Naruto said.

In front of them was a sufficiently battered Mizuki. His bones had been broken in a million places, and Naruto was doubtful he could even be moved without experiencing some form of excruciating pain. Miki stood beside him, leaning on his shoulder. He wore a smile that Naruto could almost call sadistic as he stared at Mizuki.

"You ask me, he still got off way too lightly." Miki said.

'These are the kids I've watched grow into such fine shinobi?' Iruka thought.

It was then Iruka knew what he had to do. Looking at Naruto and how he smiled with his surrogate brother, how he looked so proud of himself defeating a Chunin, how proud he was when he said he completed a jutsu, it was obvious. He was ready.

"Naruto." Iruka called, causing naruto to look at him hesitantly. "Come over here, will you?"

Naruto gulped, unsure of what was to come, yet marched forward never the less. He had just learned he was a demon. He was scared of what Iruka-sensei was about to say, it could be good, or it could be bad. He came to a stop in front of his injured Sensei's place under a tree just as the licks of sunlight were spilling over Konoha.

"Close your eyes." Iruka instructed. Naruto complied, yet tensed in anticipation of pain.

What happened, though, was the feeling of fabric being wrapped around his head. Confused, Naruto dared not open his eyes to see what was happening in case it was some sort of cruel joke.

"Okay, open your eyes now, Naruto."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes to see the sun shining down on his sensei. He was smiling brightly at Naruto, despite the many wounds adorning his body. He looked as if he were happy for some reason. When Naruto remembered the fabric, his hand shot up to his forehead only to come in contact with a slab of metal. He could feel theengraving on it which felt very distinct to his hands.

The symbol of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Naruto trembled in what Iruka thought to be happiness. He cried tears of what looked to be happiness. Iruka's thoughts were proven wrong though when Naruto kept his head down and uttered words that broke Iruka's heart.

"Sensei… am I really a demon?" Naruto asked.

Miki looked at Naruto in shock. Mizuki's rants on Naruto had gotten through to him, after all, and Naruto was breaking down. Iruka enveloped Naruto in a comforting embrace, hoping to quell his sadness.

"No, Naruto, you aren't, you've never been a-"

"Why would Mizuki say that, then? I am, aren't I? You're trying to protect me!" Naruto accused.

"Naruto!" Miki yelled, drawing attention to him. "Listen, everything will be explained once we're back at the Hokage's office, alright? Then everything will be explained and we can go home."

Naruto bit his tongue and nodded. He had no reason not to trust Miki. Miki was always there for him, the least he could do is let him explain. After all, if he didn't have Miki, then he really didn't have anyone, did he?

A/N: Whew! That was a long chapter to write!

So a question that probably needs to be solved in the reviews, do you guys want me to go into detail about the fights in the Wave, or skim over them like I want to? The major plot of this story won't begin until after the chunin exams, which is something that WILL be detailed. However, the Wave mission is something I'm ultimately not looking forward to, as it simply feels like an annoying arc for me to write about, I don't know why, but it is. Though if you want to, I will write it out.

ADHD VERSION: pick whether I should skip the Wave and go on to the awesome Chunin Exams, OR detail their mission, which I will find tedious.

Hope you all enjoyed! Please review!

UPDATE: So I only just started working on Chapter 2. I had kept tweaking Chapter 1 thinking I hadn't uploaded it yet. So, as to not waste all that time I spent, I only have very slight changes in here from the original. This'll be the last time it happen.