Fūjin

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People see Naruto as this idiotic, happy-go-lucky gaki but oh boy, they don't know how wrong they are. Beneath the mask is a rare genius brimming with unsurpassed potential and power. Follow him on his quest to become Konoha's strongest Shinobi: The Hokage. AU

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Main Relationship Focus: Team 7 Friendship
Genres: Action & Adventure, Drama, Friendship and Suspense
Rating: T for violence and language
Length: Epic
Warnings: None yet.
Disclaimers:
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Kishimoto Masashi, various publishers including but not limited to VizMedia. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Beta(s): Dray, Amber and her cute (kid-cute) son A.J

A little background: The title 'Fūjin' is actually the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods and yes, it's a reference to Naruto's bloodline limit and his future position of power.

Additional Notes: Below are the indicators of various formats used in this fic –

"Bold, Italic and in quotation marks" – Kyuubi
"Italics and in quotation marks" – Naruto's responses or conversations with the Kyuubi
Italics and no quotation marks – Naruto's thoughts to himself

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Chapter II: The Infamous Bell Test

"Hey, guys, good morning."

It was ten minutes past eleven and the three Genins of Team 7 seethed as they saw their Jounin sensei strolling down the dirt path as if he was not late. This time, the loudness and anger was deliberate as Naruto and Sakura shouted at the very latecomer.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!"

By two hundred and fifty minutes… The amount of books I could read in that time…

"Forget about the time that has already slipped through your fingers. Focus."

"Hai."

The Kyuubi merely chuckled and retreated again. Naruto sighed mentally and then demanded for the test in his usual, hyperactive manner.

"WHATCHA WAITING FOR?! GIVE US THE TEST!!!"

The Jounin cocked an eyebrow and took out a timer from his rucksack. Everyone stared at the contraption and Sakura inquired, "Er, what is that for?"

Was it just Naruto's imagination or was that an evil glint of glee in the brown eye?

"This is a timer and it's set for noon."

Yep, it wasn't his imagination; that evil glint of glee really did exist and it's real bright now. The lanky man took out two silver bells from his belt and dangled them from two fingers. The metallic bells caught the sunlight and shone brightly.

"Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before the time's up."

The glint decidedly became even more evil as the Jounin continued, "Those who don't have a bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

So that's why he told us not to eat…

A stomach growl rumbled and three sets of eyes landed on the stoic Uchiha whose cheeks were tinged with a faint pink. Naruto smirked and thought, So he's human after all…

"You only have to get one bell. There are only two so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump."

Naruto groaned comically, "Aww man!"

"And," their sensei's cheerful demeanour changed into something darker as he finished his sentence in a dead serious tone, "the person who doesn't take a bell fails so at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

Naruto raised a mental eyebrow. Does he think that we're idiots or what? I haven't heard of a two-man team. It's impossible to have a team with less than three people. Either we pass or fail as an entity; there's no failing one of us. I don't think anyone will fall for that stupid lie…

The blond boy looked at his dumbfounded female teammate who looked on the verge of a breakdown and surprisingly, a glint of apprehension in their stoic teammate's dark eyes. Naruto sighed inwardly, I take that back, there are people stupid enough to fall for that. Oh well, I guess I will have to play along, too... and I think there's something deeper to this…

"If you want, you can use shurikens and kunais; you won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

"BUT YOU'LL BE IN DANGER!!"

Naruto cringed, not only because his sensitive hearing really was going to get damaged sooner or later, but also because he realized that his pink-haired teammate was really naïve. Their teacher was a Jounin and that meant professional Shinobi, individuals with a certain level of skills who weren't going to get killed by a bunch of twelve-year-olds playing with weapons…

But he had an image to maintain, so…

"Yeah! You're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser!! We'll definitely kill you!"

Not.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say…"

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes and then charged at his sensei with a kunai in his hand; after all, he was the team idiot. But not without thinking: I am going to hurt for this stupid performance…

True to his Jounin status, Kakashi quickly stopped the charging blond with a hand to his head and he twisted Naruto's hand effortlessly to direct the kunai's sharp point at the smaller boy's neck. Judging from his teammates' facial expressions, Naruto gathered that they didn't see their sensei's movements.

"Calm down," came Kakashi's cool voice, "I haven't said start yet."

"Great show. Now pay attention, gaki, this is a Jounin."

"Well, it seems you're finally prepared to come at me with the intent to kill. So you've finally acknowledged me?"

Naruto bristled outwardly but he smirked inwardly. You have no idea.... Kakashi-sensei...

The Jounin chuckled and said, "It seems like I'm beginning to like you guys. Okay, let's get going."

"Ready…"

His teammates crouched into a sprinting position and Naruto did the same.

"BEGIN!"

The three Genins leaped out of sight quickly into different directions. Naruto found an interesting spot in a tree and performed a simple Genjutsu before effectively suppressing his chakra. Once he was set, the Kyuubi's voice rang out in his head.

"The most important thing for a Shinobi is to be able to hide yourself well."

"You gave me that lesson when I was six."

"Well, that's the lesson your sensei is trying to teach your teammates; remember, not everyone's at your level."

"Sorry, I'll listen better next time."

"So how are you going to get the bell?"

"I'm going to wait for the two others to try out first before deciding on anything. I've got five options but nothing's set in stone."

"Alright, I'll leave you to observe. I'm going to take a nap."

The Kyuubi's presence lessened and Naruto turned his attention to his sensei, who was standing in plain sight in the middle of the large opening.

I think Sakura would try first because she's so damned nervous with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins; she's itching for some action.

True to his predictions, the pink-haired girl appeared soon enough as she ran towards her sensei with intent burning bright in her green eyes. The Jounin seemed a little surprised to see the girl first. Naruto chuckled inwardly and observed that Kakashi seemed to be rather pleased with that look in his student's eyes.

Sakura suddenly stopped and Naruto narrowed his eyes to see better. It turned out that Kakashi was rummaging through a little pouch and Sakura was eyeing him suspiciously.

"Shinobi fighting lesson number one: Taijutsu. I'll teach you about it." Naruto's heightened senses allowed him to see and hear everything clearly, even at a distance.

He's going to use a weapon?

What made an appearance from the pouch nearly caused the blond gaki to fall out from his hiding place. Sakura's jaw dropped when she saw the title of the small orange book, "Icha Icha Paradise."

Naruto blanched and then he fought his giggles as he thought, I didn't know that our sensei was a pervert…

"Sensei! Why are you reading in the middle of a fight?"

The man didn't even look up from his book as he replied, "I just want to know what happens next but don't worry, it won't make a difference against you guys."

Sakura just looked even angrier and Naruto was intrigued.

"I'LL TOTALLY KICK YOUR ASS!"

Man, that girl has one hell of a temper… If left alone, it's going to be a liability to the team…

The girl launched herself in the air and aimed her elbow at her sensei's head. Naruto watched as it was about to hit the Jounin, who was still reading the book at a leisurely pace. The boy wasn't disappointed when the man blocked the move easily while not watching at all.

He's got some skills…

Sakura tried again and again as she got more incensed by the second but Kakashi blocked or ducked her attacks without any effort on his part. Suddenly, Sakura lost sight of her sensei.

"A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind, girlie."

"Wha—" Sakura didn't even manage to finish her word before dropping limply onto the ground after Kakashi hit a pressure point. Naruto had to admit that he was slightly impressed. He also knew that somewhere amongst the bushes, Sasuke was watching, too.

I think I should find Sasuke now and we have to work together. There's no way to beat him alone.

Apparently that was what the other boy thought too as they found each other in the midst of thick trees.

"Dobe…" Sasuke seemed reluctant to ask first so Naruto did it for him with his idiot persona.

"As much as I hate you, teme, I think we need to work together! Did you just see what he did with Sakura-chan?! He just—"

"Okay, keep your voice down, dobe. I don't want him to find us, so shut up."

The boys spent fifteen minutes drawing up a plan; it was mostly Sasuke's efforts but Naruto did what he could without revealing himself too much. When it was done, both boys looked at each other and there was something there. Naruto smiled inwardly. I think we're going somewhere here…

"Hey, if you guys don't get a bell before noon, you won't get lunch." Kakashi's voice rang out as the Jounin wondered where his students were. He took a look at the timer and saw that there was only another twenty minutes left.

As if answering him, Naruto appeared, charging at him with a loud yell. The Jounin sighed and then went through almost the same procedure with Sakura before throwing him into the nearby river. When the blond boy got out, Kakashi stood above him.

"You know the terms of the test, right? No bell, no lunch."

"I KNOW, I KNOW!!!"

Kakashi sighed and looked down at him. "You sure are weak for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage."

"KUSO! I CAN STILL FIGHT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! I WAS A LITTLE CARELESS, THAT'S ALL!!"

The Jounin cocked his head to a side and then imparted another piece of advice before turning his back to his blond student to continue reading his book, "Carelessness can be your worst enemy, you know."

Yep, and you're gonna get reacquainted with that lesson, too…

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"Hn?" The man turned around at Naruto's shout and then six kunais flew out of the bushes, aimed for the Jounin. The weapons pierced the man's head but Naruto knew that the man would use the Kawarimi no Jutsu to substitute. It wasn't any less gory and it was a topic discussed between the boys and they had agreed to continuously throw weapons from different directions. The man continued dodging, hopefully unsure of the Uchiha's position.

Unbeknownst to the Jounin, the random and rapid weapons were actually traps activated by Sasuke's real attacks. Suddenly Sasuke shot out of the bushes to attack their teacher and his foot connected with the man's hand, sending the man a few feet back. Then a dance of Taijutsu commenced.

Sasuke spun his other leg in an attempt to land a hit, only to be blocked, but the Uchiha was not to be deterred as the boy twisted his body around and tried a punch. The display of flexibility was impressive and the Jounin looked challenged for a moment. Naruto joined in and it was a flurry of blocks, kicks, punches and twists. Sasuke then tried a midair roll with his leg out and it connected with Kakashi's arm. Upside down, the Uchiha caught a glimpse of the bells and made a grab for, only to miss them by a fraction of an inch.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto suddenly shot out of the bushes holding a purple book that looked rather similar to Kakashi's orange version. The blond by the Jounin's side disappeared and the man widened his eyes. Kakashi was distracted by the title of the newest book of the adult series, "Icha Icha Heaven!" and his eyes widened; he hadn't gotten a copy yet because it was to be released tomorrow. The blond grinned foxily and opened the book right in the middle, shouting, "I'M GOING TO SPOIL THE NEWEST ICHA ICHA BOOK FOR YOU, SENSEI!"

Kakashi actually shut his eye and Naruto laughed. When the Jounin reopened his eyes, he saw the Uchiha smirking at him and a shit-eating grin on the container's face. Kakashi's eyes widened when Sasuke held up two silver bells in between his fingers mockingly and blank pages met the Jounin's eyes.

Then the man did the last thing the boys expected him to do: Laugh his ass off.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It took quite a while for Kakashi to get over the bout of laughing; while he was doing just that, Sakura woke up and joined her teammates. She looked around confusedly and asked, "What happened?" Then she saw the bells in her crush's hand. "Sasuke-kun! You got the bells! Wow, you're so smart!"

Sasuke leveled a calm glance at his female teammate and drawled, "It's not just me; the dobe contributed, too. The book was his idea. Stupid but workable since it got Kakashi-sensei."

"WHAT?!"

Naruto saw his cue to guffaw loudly and scratch the back his head modestly. Then his stomach growled loudly and Kakashi straightened, regaining his cool composure once more.

"Well, congratulations on getting the bells. I said that the two who had the bells would get lunch but I don't remember saying that whoever got the bells automatically passes. So let's get some lunch, and sorry, Sakura-chan, you're on the stump." The man did not sound sorry at all as he led the three Genins to the timer and the stump.

The silver-haired man rummaged through his bag and handed one bento each to Sasuke and Naruto, then tied Sakura to the stump. The girl glowered at her teacher but she didn't struggle because that was the rules of engagement.

"You guys look really hungry. Oh, and by the way, something about the training…Well, there's no need for you guys to go back to the Academy."

Sakura shouted for joy from her restricted position, "THEN!! THEN!! ALL THREE OF US…!!!"

The man was smiling as his lone eye curved. "Yup, all three of you should quit as shinobi!" That even got a surprised stare from the Uchiha. Then Naruto remembered something he read from the archives and widened his eyes.

Holy! I remembered his list of past students and their records… There were none!

Naruto suddenly remembered his role and shouted, "QUIT AS SHINOBIS?! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! WE GOT THE BELLS!!"

"Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be shinobis."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and dashed straight for their rude teacher and ended up being sat on by the Jounin who had the Uchiha's hands firmly in his grasps. "See what I mean?"

"NO! DON'T STEP ON SASUKE-KUN!!!"

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Is that all she can think about right now? That Sasuke was being sat on? Seriously, she needs to get her priorities straightened out if she wants to be a good shinobi…

"The Uchiha and the blond may have a chance, but you—" he stared at Sakura coldly, "—you have no chance at all."

Naruto had to say something.

"Hey, you! We're a three-man team and we stay as a three-man team! Nobody's leaving or failing; we're just starting to learn the ropes and Sakura-chan will become better and stronger than you! Screw you and your decisions, if you're not willing to teach us, then we'll find someone else to help us!"

What surprised Naruto was that he actually meant it, every single word of it. Sakura sent him a grateful look and Sasuke added his piece as he gritted out from beneath the Jounin, "We stay as a team."

"Yeah! We stay as a team!"

"HOW DARE YOU GO AGAINST A TEACHER?!" Kakashi suddenly thundered and the three Genin gulped but held on. Sasuke was released from his captive state when the man leaped up in fury.

"We stand by our words and we're not afraid of you!" Sakura shouted at the Jounin and then just as the man was going to shout at them again, Kakashi changed his demeanour completely and he was scarily cheerful now.

"Pass."

"Wha?" Sakura was confused and Sasuke frowned. Naruto smirked inwardly. So it was a test...

"Pass? But why?" Sakura asked, still utterly confused.

"You guys are the first."

"Huh?" Naruto pasted a stupid look on himself and Kakashi elaborated.

"Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all just morons; if I told them they failed, they just gave up and left. Nobody went against me before in defense of the whole team."

Kakashi smiled, his lone eye curved again. "This is called teamwork and it's important because it determines a shinobi's life or death in some situations. A shinobi must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the shinobi world are called trash… but you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are… lower than trash." The soliloquy ended in a serious mood. Naruto felt the respect he had for his new sensei raise a few notches.

This guy actually knows what he's doing and he's pretty cool…

"That ends the training! All of you pass! Okay! Starting tomorrow, Team Seven will begin its duties!"

Naruto felt a need to cheer and this time, it was sincere.

"YAY! I did it! We did it! We're shinobis!"

Sakura joined in the cheering and Sasuke couldn't help but crack a small smile, too. Naruto caught it and thought, Well, he's not all hopeless…I think this is going to work; I really think so...

Another loud growling from someone's stomach destroyed the moment and again, all three pairs of eyes were on the Uchiha, who shrugged unrepentantly and answered, "I didn't eat breakfast."

"Alright—" their sensei released Sakura and gave her a bento, "—dig in."

"Congratulations, gaki. That was entertaining; I especially liked that trick you did with the book. That was pretty," the fox demon chortled, "funny."

"Thanks, Kyuu-sama."

"That bento isn't going to satisfy you; I think it's time for you to find suitable substitution, especially when you will most likely have missions outside the village."

"Hmm… that's something to think about. I need something light but substantial so…"

"Definitely not dried ramen all the time, it's not healthy."

"I can't help it, it just tastes so good! Hey! Maybe I could check out power bars or something similar… it'd be easy to carry. I'll research about that tomorrow. Right now, I just want to sit and take a break."

"Sure, and congratulations again."

"Thanks."

Naruto looked at his team and quirked a small smile as he observed Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura. Everyone was eating and nothing was said but there was something there and the blond reveled in the connection. Sakura then made a move to sit beside Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Hmm?" The girl actually looked apologetic as she wringed her hands nervously.

"About the thing I said just now… that the thing I disliked most was you? I take that back now… thanks for sticking up for me. Things wouldn't have turned out like this if you didn't help me…"

Naruto was shocked but covered his surprise quickly before giving the pink-haired girl a bright smile. "It's okay, I'm used to that kind of reaction—" Sakura became slightly worried and confused again while their sensei's eyes dulled in sympathy, "—so it didn't really do anything. There's no need to thank me, that's what teammates are for. We're a team, so yeah, it's nothing."

The girl suddenly smiled brightly and nodded, "Okay. I'm glad to be in your team, Naruto."

The blond boy was touched and couldn't trust himself to speak without his voice breaking so he nodded.

"Hey, dobe," Sasuke's voice broke through Naruto's musings, "we should work out a time to train together." The dark-haired boy turned to Sakura. "You, too. So let's talk about our strengths and weaknesses, and what we want to work on. I don't want to waste time."

Kakashi looked like a proud parent as he observed his students without interrupting them. Naruto spoke up first but was careful not to reveal too much.

"I don't tire easily and chakra's not an issue, I think. My taijutsu is alright but that's about it." Sasuke nodded curtly.

"I'm above average in ninjutsu and taijutsu, but I need to increase my chakra stores and work on genjutsu."

Sakura thought for a while before replying.

"Erm… I'm good at chakra control but I don't have a lot; I think my taijutsu is weak, too. I think I need training in everything." The girl had a downcast look on face; Naruto patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't look so sad. Now's the time to start and everyone has to start somewhere, right? So we'll get through this as a team and we're going to become the most powerful team in Konoha's history!"

The boy surprised himself again because that was also sincere; Sakura's face lit up with a smile and Naruto also saw a glint of hope in the Uchiha's dark eyes. An amused chuckle could be heard in the recesses of his mind. Kakashi chose this moment to make his opinion known.

"I'm glad to hear that you have such ambitions. We'll start training tomorrow, so meet me here at eight." The three students were about to nod before glaring at him.

"What?" the Jounin asked innocently.

"You're going to be late again, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura admonished and Kakashi shrugged.

"Maybe I won't be. Alright, I've got something to go to now, so I'll see you three tomorrow."

The Jounin vanished again and left the three Genins to themselves. There was an awkward silence before Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, you guys want to eat ramen? I don't think I'm full from the bento. My treat, let's go celebrate!" Sakura nodded eagerly and then a pair of green and a pair of blue were trained on the Uchiha, who stood up and brushed his white pants.

"What are you two waiting for? The bento sucked."

Naruto laughed wholeheartedly and offered a tan hand to Sakura, who took it without a moment of hesitation. Sasuke sent the blond boy a smirk and the Jinchuuriki's bright blue eyes sparkled as he grinned back.

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Kakashi reappeared in a flurry of leaves in another open space that seemed to be infused with a certain melancholic serenity. In the middle of the plain stood a stone with multiple carvings and the Jounin whispered to the Memorial Stone as he sat beside it, "Hey, Obito."

The breeze was pleasant as it caressed the partially covered cheeks of the Jounin, who rested his head against the cool surface.

"I took on my first Genin team today and they are quite an interesting bunch." Kakashi was silent for a while as he enjoyed the peace. "And one of them… one of them is Minato-sensei's son. He looks so much like sensei… and he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

"You would think that a kid like that would grow up sad and cynical with everyone shunning and hating him but you should see him. Naruto is… he's strong. What a fitting name, Maelstrom, his personality is just like that. Just… he's just like you.

"But I just can't shake the feeling that there's more to him than it meets the eye. There's just something deeper, something more powerful. It's something innate and not the Kyuubi." Kakashi narrowed his eye but it curved when the Jounin continued introducing his team of Genins.

"I got a cousin of yours in my team as well. He's an interesting character but he's set on getting revenge. Sasuke is quite talented but he's so somber for a kid his age; I hope Naruto will be a good influence.

"The girl is a bit shaky and flaky since she's got this horrible crush on your cousin; yes, the Uchiha charm," Kakashi chuckled, "but she has pretty good chakra control, might turn out to be a medic Nin like Rin. It's just like us all over again but I can never be a sensei like Minato-sensei.

"You should see them; within an hour of working together, they were already talking about training and helping each other. It's nothing short of impressive and I can see that Sakura's motivated by her teammates. That's real teamwork and I have a feeling that they're going to be someone to watch for. Maybe they could cut it as a free-response team."

Kakashi looked into the clear sky whose colour was so similar to Naruto's eyes.

"Maybe this is a chance for me to atone for my mistakes; God knows I've made many…" Kakashi's lone brown eye filled with guilt as he sighed, knowing that his best friend's death was a consequence of one of his mistakes.

A breeze caressed his cheek a little more forcefully as if admonishing him for his unproductive moping. Kakashi laughed softly.

"I'll do my best to make them the best shinobis Konoha has ever seen. Thank you, Obito." With the curve of his visible eye, the copy-cat ninja left in better spirits. As he walked away from the memorial stone, a semi-transparent manifestation of a grinning teenaged boy with gravity-defying black hair and a tacky-looking pair of goggles appeared on the stone, staring at the retreating back of his visitor.

Do your best, Kakashi… I've never regretted taking that blow for you… Just don't waste the chance that my sacrifice gave you and keep on living…

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TBC…

YAY! Hope you guys like it!

Kage.