A.N. Hello again everyone! I'm glad to see people are reading my story and adding it to their favorites/alert lists. Ha, someone in Greece read my story, that simply amazes me for some reason.
By the way, I apologize if anyone noticed my story was posted twice. I've only recently switched to Open Office, and the first half of chapter one was written on Word Pad(I know, murder right?) So the first post had a lot of random line skips in the middle of paragraphs and I had to fix it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
OoOoOoOoOo
Naruto stepped out into the shining light of the early afternoon sun, a bright smile plastered on his face. Waiting by the door was Lee, his new forehead protector wrapped around his head, and wearing an equally bright smile.
"Congratulations Naruto-kun, I am glad to see that you have also passed your exams!" he exclaimed, giving Naruto a thumbs up.
With a laugh, Naruto looked over at the families that were gathering to congratulate their children. "You too, Bushy Brow."
"By the way, Naruto-kun, I have been wondering. Are you wearing a different outfit?" Lee asked, one large eyebrow raised.
Naruto chuckled, "Yeah, I got it as a gift from someone a few weeks ago."
"Who gave it to you?"
With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto said, "I don't know. I found them outside the apartment door a few weeks ago. They had a card that said, 'Good Luck'."
Lee scratched his head, "That definitely is odd..."
"Yeah, I was a little creeped out at first. But it was a good gesture, so I wish I could at least thank them." Naruto glanced over at the other Gennin, "By the way Bushy Brow, are you going to the training field this evening?"
After a short moment of deliberation, Lee shook his head. "No, I have decided to take the day off. I must be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to meet my new sensei in the morning."
Naruto tilted his head a little, smirking, and began to say something, but decided against it at the last minute and just shook his head. "Okay Bushy Brow, whatever you say. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Hey, with any luck we might be on the same team."
Lee smiled, "Maybe so, Naruto-kun." He lifted his hand in farewell then turned and walked away once Naruto had returned the gesture.
Naruto rolled his shoulders as Lee took his leave, a thoughtful look on his face. Turning, he walked over to the shade of his favorite tree and sat down on the creaky old swing. His gaze once again drifted over to the group of celebrating graduates. He smiled sadly and shook his head.
'Let it go, Naruto...'
Not being able to bear looking at them any longer, the young Uzumaki looked over at the school house he had been going to for so long. It was hard to believe that tomorrow was the last day he would ever enter that building as a student. His thoughts drifted and he hardly even noticed how much time had passed until the sun begun to set, casting its deep orange light across the village...
Orange. The color he loved most in the world. It had been the color of the first shirt ever given to him as a gift. Ever since then he and that color had been inseparable. Of course, the Hokage had given him clothing from when he was baby, but it wasn't the same. The shirt had been left outside his house on his seventh birthday, wrapped in lavender paper and an orange bow. It had even had a note wishing him happy birthday!
Standing up, he realized that everyone had left. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh no! I was supposed to meet Iruka-sensei! Damn it, I'm gonna be late!"
OoOoOo
As Naruto sprinted around a corner, he ran head-first into someone and fell flat on his back. "Ugh..." he groaned, holding one hand to a bump on his head and looking up at who he had hit. "Sorry...I wasn't-" His sentence was cut off as he realized he had run into a strange looking man in a green jumpsuit...walking on his hands.
"Do not worry about it, my boy. Such a weak impact could never knock one such as myself down. Now, if you had hit Kakashi, you might have knocked him head over heels."
Naruto stared at the man in front of him. Slowly, his eyes widened in horror. "O-Oh no! Lee fell into a time machine, got a haircut, and now he's an old man! I've gotta get help!" Naruto turned to run, but found his arm caught in the grasp of the man. 'Whoa...he's fast!'
The Lee look-alike was now standing on his own two feet, chuckling. "My young friend, I am not Rock Lee. But do not worry, several people have confused me for the newly appointed Gennin's relative. However, let me enlighten you as to who I am. The greatest taijutsu specialist in Konohagakure, I am the great, Mait... Huh, where did he go?" He asked glancing at the spot where the orange-vested Gennin had stood only moments ago.
Walking faster, Naruto glanced over his shoulder as he turned a corner up the street. "Phew, I got away while he was distracted. What a weirdo..."
OoOoOo
Naruto arrived at Ichiraku's a few minutes after his strange encounter and stood outside the stand panting. One of the flaps was pushed aside and Iruka stepped into the street with him, a smirk on his face. "How's my favorite Gennin doing?" he asked.
Naruto looked at the man he'd seen as an older brother for the past few years and smiled. "I'm doing great, Iruka-sensei."
"That's great to hear..." he trailed off for a moment, then continued, "Naruto, do you mind if I see your headband for a moment?"
A confused look appeared on Naruto's face. "Oh, yeah, sure," he said, untying the forehead protector and handing it to Iruka.
"Okay, now, close your eyes for a minute."
Naruto complied, albeit a little grudgingly. "Man, Iruka-sensei, you're acting really weird." Iruka didn't answer, but Naruto felt him tying something around his forehead.
"You can open your eyes now," Iruka said.
Naruto's eyes cracked open, and he saw that Iruka was no longer wearing his headband. Raising one eyebrow, Naruto lifted one hand to examine what was on his head. It was a headband, but not his own. He could feel several rough patches and a few scratches. Eyes wide, Naruto exclaimed, "But this is your forehead protector, why are you giving it to me?"
Iruka shrugged his shoulders, smiling sheepishly. "You don't mind, do you? I just figured it could be a memento for your graduation. You know, teacher and student swapping headbands."
With a loud laugh, Naruto grabbed his former sensei in another bone-crushing hug. "That's so cool, Iruka-sensei!"
After a moment, the two walked into Ichiraku's. "How's it going, Teuchi-san?" Iruka asked the man behind the counter as he and Naruto sat down.
The old man turned around and exclaimed, "Iruka! You haven't been in to see me for several days, I was worried about you!" Teuchi's gaze drifted to the short blonde standing next to Iruka, "Well if it isn't Naruto! And I see he's wearing a Konoha headband now, too. So, our little prankster passed the exams, did he?"
"I told you I would, old man!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at Teuchi.
Teuchi chuckled, "I suppose you did at that. So, how does free ramen sound to you? All you can eat."
Naruto's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Alright! Today is officially the best day ever!"
OoOoOo
By the time Naruto finally got back to his apartment that night, he thought his stomach was gonna burst. "God, I didn't need that eleventh bowl of ramen..." he thought, one hand gingerly holding his abused stomach. Walking over to his bed, Naruto grabbed a manga he had borrowed from Lee off of his nightstand and fell onto his bed with a groan. After reading a few pages, he gave up fighting his tiredness and sat the book back on the table. With a click, the desk lamp went dark and he rolled over on his side and shut his eyes.
Suddenly, three sharp knocks emanated from his door. Naruto sat up looked at the door, confused. "Who in the world would be coming to see me? Especially at this time of night." The bed creaked as Naruto lowered his bare feet to the floor and got up.
Being as quiet as he possibly could, Naruto crept over to the door. Carefully, he opened the door and looked out into the hallway.
It was empty.
Shaking his head, Naruto turned to go back into his apartment, but something on the ground in front of his door caught his eye. A small box, wrapped in lavender paper and an orange bow. Eyebrows raised in surprise, Naruto leaned down and picked up the box.
Taped to the side was a sealed envelope with 'Congratulations' written in large red letters across the front. "Wow..." Naruto murmured, examining the package, "This looks almost exactly like..." He trailed off and turned to walk back into the house. As the door closed behind him, Naruto ripped the envelope off and set the box on his kitchen table. He opened the envelope and unfolded the crisp paper. It read:
Naruto-kun,
I'm so happy that you passed your exam! I hope that all of your dreams come true.
That was all. No signature. Just a short message. Naruto smiled, 'Someone wrote me a letter!'
Setting the letter down, Naruto once again picked up the little box. Carefully removing the paper so as not to ruin it, Naruto lifted the lid off and looked inside. What he saw made him laugh.
It was an orange ramen bowl with small foxes and rabbits painted on the side. On top of the bowl were a pair of ornate chopsticks. "Wow," Naruto said again, studying the bowl. It was the nicest gift anyone had ever given him. He briefly thought about making ramen there and then just to use the bowl, but then decided against it. "No," he began, placing the bowl and chopsticks on his dresser, "I need to get to sleep, I need to be ready for tomorrow."
OoOoOo
Sunlight glistened through the glass of the Jonin meeting room, casting shadows across the room. Sitting on a couch in the corner, Kakashi read an orange book, ignoring the conversations of the other Jonin. To be honest, he didn't even want to be here, but the Hokage always insisted he at least let a team try to prove their worth to him. They never did.
"Hello Kakashi," Gai announced, walking up to the silver haired man. "Are you ready to once again lose to the awesome might that the springtime of youth gives to me?"
A moment passed, and the silver haired Jonin showed no sign of hearing Gai. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, Kakashi looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry Gai, did you say something?"
Frustration flashed across Gai's face and he clenched his fist. "Darn you for being so hip, Kakashi! I will not be defeated by one such as you!"
A sweat drop appeared on the back of Kakashi's head and he held his hands up. "I'm sorry Gai, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Gai, looking like he was almost at the point of jumping up and down, cried, "Of course you know what I am talking about! The assignment of Gennin teams by Hokage-sama, of course! We were assigned them yesterday, and I am sure that my team shall surpass yours! So tell me Kakashi, which Gennin have the Hokage chosen for you to instruct?"
Kakashi put a thoughtful finger on his chin and looked up at the ceiling. "You know...I don't really remember."
"What?" Gai cried, "How is it that today is the day you get your new students, and yet you do not even know their names? How will you know which ones you are supposed to collect today?"
Glancing at the other man, Kakashi shrugged, "I'm just going to be the last one to arrive, that way the only kids there will be the ones I'm supposed to teach. Simple, huh?" Ignoring Gai's cry of indignation, Kakashi asked, "What about you? Which students get to enjoy your tutelage?"
Gai, almost instantly forgetting his anger, grinned and gave Kakashi a thumbs up. "I have the most youthful team someone could ask for! This is why I know I shall be the victor of our wager!"
"Yeah, and who are they?"
"You will have to wait and find out, my good rival. I am sure the suspense is killing you!"
Kakashi raised one eyebrow, lowering the book into his lap. "Yeah, sure it is. But if I want to save my own life I could just read the roster that's on the wall over there."
"Curse you Kakashi, and your hip ways! One day I will prove to you the importance of being the most youthful person that you can be!"
OoOoOo
"Yosh! Naruto-kun, you and I are on the same team! Is this not wonderful news?" Lee shouted, jumping up and down as he and his two teammates walked out of the classroom and into the academy courtyard.
Naruto smiled, looking over at Lee. "Yeah Bushy Brow, it's great. But you might want to tone down the enthusiasm a little bit, I think you're scaring Tenten."
Lee turned to the brown haired girl next to him. "My apologies, Tenten-chan! I have let my enthusiasm get the better of me."
Tenten smiled, holding up a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it, Lee."
Lee looked up at the sky, one hand shading his eyes from the sun. "Ah, what a beautiful day it is. A perfect day for training. What do you think Naruto-kun, after we meet with our sensei, do you want to go to one of the open fields and train?"
"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "Sounds fun. What about you, Tenten? Want to join us? It's always more productive if you have more than two people there."
Tenten pursed her lips in thought before finally nodding, "Sure, I need something to do this evening anyway."
Lee shouted and jumped for joy, throwing his hands above his head. "Yosh! We have a new training partner!"
Shaking his head, Naruto asked, "So, where do you guys want to eat? We have and hour and a half to kill before our sensei arrives. Any ideas?"
"I heard that a new tea shop opened down the street. How about that?" Tenten suggested.
Naruto thought for a second and then shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, why not? What do you think Bushy Brow?"
"It sounds like a wonderful idea to me, Naruto-kun!"
The trio walked down the dirt road for a few minutes before arriving at a small building with 'Nina's Tea Shop' emblazoned across the front.
The door jingled as the three walked in,. The place was rather crowded and there appeared to be only one person working. That person, an obviously tired young woman with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, approached them. "Hello, welcome to Nina's Tea Shop, my name's Nina. Have a seat over there and I will be there momentarily to take your order," she said, indicating an empty table near the closest window.
"Thank you," said Tenten, smiling at the woman. "Take your time, we're in no rush."
Nina smiled thankfully, "I appreciate it. I don't normally have so much business but there's festival coming to the village, so it's been like this for almost two days! I'll be with you as soon as I can." She nodded her head at them and went back to dashing between tables.
"Wow, Tenten, that was really nice of you," Naruto said, looking at her.
Tenten smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "Well...It looked like she was being worked to death, and I'm not that hungry..." her eyes widened, "Oh gosh! You two aren't hungry, are you? I'm so sorry, I didn't think about it!"
Lee and Naruto looked at each other for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Do not worry about it, Tenten-chan, I am not hungry."
"Yeah, I'm not either, let's just go sit down."
They sat down at the table, Tenten across from Lee and Naruto. "So..." she began, scouring her mind for a subject to talk about. "Hm...how about...no. That's dumb...what about...?" She shook her head, "What type of techniques are you best at, Lee?"
"Well," Lee began, "My best technique style is Taijutsu, what's yours?"
"Kenjutsu," Tenten replied, resting her chin in her hands. "I've always been fascinated by weapon based fighting styles, so naturally that's what I decided to learn. What about you, Naruto?"
A thoughtful look appeared on Naruto's face. "Hm...You know, I'm not sure. I'm definitely no good in Genjutsu, I can barely pull off the basics. My Taijutsu is decent, I guess, but I'm still no match for Bushy Brow, and besides kunai and shuriken accuracy practice, I've never delved too far into Kenjutsu...and I only know a few Ninjutsu techniques. So, I guess I don't know." He shrugged and picked up a menu, "I'm sure I'll find out once we start training with our new sensei."
Tenten began to say something, but was cut off as Nina appeared next to their table. "Okay, I finally have a minute to hear myself think. What would you three like?" she asked, pulling out a small notebook from her apron pocket.
Naruto set his menu down, "I'll have the extra large miso ramen and a cup of green tea."
Lee's eyes widened, "Really Naruto-kun! Is there anything that you eat besides ramen?" he cried, turning towards his friend.
Shrugging sheepishly, Naruto replied, "Heh...sorry. I just can't pass up a good bowl of ramen."
"I'll have the calamari and a glass of water, please," Tenten said, after briefly glancing down at the menu.
Lee debated on what to choose for a moment and then decided on the curry and orange juice. "To keep up my vitamin C," he explained, grinning.
Nina scribbled down their orders and nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back with your orders. Thank you for being so patient."
As the young waitress disappeared into the kitchen, Tenten turned to orange-vested boy in front of her. "What are your plans for the future, Naruto?" she questioned, tilting her head to one side in curiosity.
Lee snickered, "I am surprised that you have not heard him yet, Tenten-chan, he shouts his dreams around the village almost every single day."
Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and shrugged, "So, why shouldn't I? It's true so it's not like I'm lying."
"What's true?"
Glancing at Tenten, Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "I'm going to become the Hokage and show everyone that I'm not useless. Then they'll have to stop ignoring me and realize that I'm somebody. Somebody important!"
Despite herself, Tenten could not help but smile at the energetic boy sitting across from her. For some reason, she believed that he was going to do just that. "I hear you Naruto, sounds like a plan!" she replied, her smile becoming a grin. "What about you, Lee?"
"To become the greatest taijutsu specialist this village has ever seen!" Lee cried, raising his arms over his head, his thick ponytail bouncing around at the sudden movement. "And yourself, Tenten-chan?"
"Wow, you two have such big dreams!" said Tenten, clearly impressed. "I've gotta admit, it makes mine seem really small. I just want to join the ranks of the ANBU black ops and be a great kunoichi like my idol, Tsunade."
The three continued exchanging idle information about themselves for a few minutes. The food arrived and they ate while talking, getting to know their new teammates.
"Really?" Tenten asked, amazed. "That was you?"
"Yeah," Naruto answered, "You should have seen the look on those Hyuuga's faces when they came out of their rooms that morning and saw that I had vandalized the side of their building with orange paint." He began laughing as he remembered, clutching his sides.
Lee gave the two a disapproving look. "I do not think that it was a proper use of your abilities!"
"Geez, I'm sorry, mom."
"Hey!" Lee cried indignantly, causing both Naruto and Tenten to laugh.
OoOoOo
The academy classroom was buzzing with noise from the countless conversations being held by its Gennin inhabitants. Naruto and his two teammates sat together near the top left of the classroom, waiting for their sensei to arrive and collect them.
At the bottom of the classroom, a door opened and a man wearing green spandex and a bowl cut hair style entered the room. "Hello, youthful young children!" he yelled, causing everyone in the room to stop talking and look at him. "I am looking for team fourt-"
"Hey!" Naruto cried, cutting off the Jonin in mid-sentence, "That's the guy from the time machine!" The entire room's attention once again shifted, now focused on the blonde. Tenten blushed a deep red and slid down in her seat.
Gai cleared his throat. "As I was saying, my youthful friend, I am looking for team fourteen. Would you please come with me?"
Naruto looked at Tenten, who was still slouched down in her seat trying to disappear, and asked, "What team number are we? I forgot."
Tenten sighed, "Team fourteen, unfortunately," she answered.
The room burst into laughter as the three new Gennin walked down to the eccentric man and followed him out the door. "Good luck!" one of them shouted from the back, his voice filled with mirth.
As the door shut behind them, Gai said, "Hello, my students! Is today not a perfect day to meet the team you shall be spending the next few years with?"
"Yes, sensei! I agree!" Lee shouted, clenching one fist in front of his chest.
Naruto fell into step beside Tenten, "Look at the two of them..." he murmured, "The resemblance is so creepy! I still say that this guy is Lee from the future or something."
Tenten looked at him, one eyebrow cocked in disbelief. "Really, Naruto? I'll admit they look a lot alike, but there's no such thing as a time machine."
"Maybe some jutsu went horribly wrong and transported him to the past!" Naruto speculated, waving his arms up and down.
With a shake of her head, Tenten replied, "Naruto, you really have quite the imagination on you, I'll give you that."
By the time they had arrived at Gai's destination, a shaded area underneath a small shelter, the green garbed man had already roped Lee into a conversation about youthfulness and now the two were talking to each other animatedly.
"They must be related," Tenten said exasperatedly as the two carried on their loud conversation with one another.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "Or, you know, a time machine could have been involved."
Tenten rolled her eyes.
Sitting down on one of the benches, Gai invited his new students to sit across from him. Once they had, he began, "Well, shall we begin? I am sure you three have heard talk about me around the village. I am Konoha's greatest taijutsu specialist, the Magnificent Green Beast of Konoha, Maito Gai!"
The three young ninja stared at him.
Gai's eyebrow twitched. "Or! Perhaps, you may know me as the only Jonin to truly understand the power of youth!"
Tenten and Naruto continued staring, but Lee jumped to his feet, "Yes, Gai-sensei, I have heard just that!"
"Really, my young pupil. And what reliable source did you gather this excellent information from?"
Giving the older man a thumbs up, Lee shouted, "You, sensei! Just a few minutes ago!"
Naruto snickered and Tenten's breath hitched as she tried to stop herself from doing the same.
Gai coughed. "Well, moving on to other things, what are your names and where do you see yourselves in ten years? You start," he said, pointing at Lee.
"Yosh! My name Rock Lee and in ten years I will be a great Taijutsu expert!"
"I admire your enthusiasm my young student. How about you?"
Seeing that he was pointing at her, Tenten began, "My name Izawa Tenten. By then I want to be in the ranks of ANBU."
Not needing to be told, Naruto spoke up. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto," he started, adjusting his newly acquired headband, "In five years, everyone's gonna know my name, cause I'm gonna be a famous ninja! I'll be the Hokage!"
Gai smirked, "My, my, the power of youth is strong in all of you. I know that you will all accomplish your dreams. Now," his tone became serious, "Before we go any further, I must inform you that in order for you to accomplish these goals, you must first prove yourselves by passing a test."
"Test?" Naruto asked, looking at Gai, clearly confused. "What are you talking about? We passed the graduation exams already!"
"Those were only to make sure you were ready for this test. Every Jonin must give their team a test, what kind of test they give is up to the instructor." Gai's tone gave no room for joking. "This test has a sixty-six percent rate of failure, out of the thirty-six that graduated the academy, only twelve will go on to be shinobi. The other twenty-four will go back to receive more training."
The three students stared at their new instructor, shocked.
"But do not worry!" Gai cried, standing up. His seriousness seemed to have completely vanished and he now wore a huge smile. "I have utmost confidence that all three of you will pass this test! Now, all of you must be tired, so go home and get some rest. After all, you have to be at your best to face what's coming tomorrow! Dismissed!"
With that said, Gai disappeared in a cloud of thick white smoke, leaving Lee, Tenten, and Naruto alone.
"Can you believe that!" Naruto yelled, jumping to his feet and stalking back and forth in front of his two teammates. "This is so not fair! We've already passed the damn exams, why do we have to take another one?"
Tenten laughed, "Don't worry Naruto, I think we should be able to pass. After all, with the future Hokage on our side, how could we possibly fail?"
The ominous cloud of gloom that had been surrounding them since they had learned of the test seemed to evaporate. "That's right! I don't know about you two, but no stupid test is going to get in the way of my dreams!"
"It will not stand in my way either, Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted.
The two looked at Tenten and she nodded, "I won't let it stand in my way either...but, I'm guessing that since we have this exam tomorrow, we won't be able to go training this afternoon, will we?"
Lee and Naruto looked at each other then back to Tenten. "Tenten," Naruto began, "You've got a lot to learn."
Lee pulled Tenten to her feet and together they led her to the training field.
OoOoOoOoOo
Well, there's chapter two. It came out a bit quicker then I thought it would because I got some last minute inspiration last night. I probably would have posted it last night but my internet kicked me off and wouldn't sign in until today. What can I say, dial-up sucks.
