Lionheart: Yo, another new chapter from me. I finally found time to write a new chapter for Naruto/Hogwarts. I was pretty surprised by the reviews I was sent. Thank you everyone who supported me through it. I really appreciate it.

Many of you mentioned you couldn't wait to see Gaara; I won't let you down now. One of you mentioned your distaste for yaoi. You definitely WON'T be disappointed. I hate yaoi. (Sorry for all you yaoi lovers, but as a male, I just can't see guyXguy working in fanfiction.)

Note: Many of you are probably wondering (Dude, where the hell have you been?) So sorry, but my computer crashed, deleting all the files that I had saved, including the five last chapters of "Back to the Beginning."

The reason I didn't restart it right away, was because I kind of got lazy, Hehe. Anyway, I'll do my best to try and finish it up. There's not much left anyways.

Also, I have a new story I currently working on, and it focuses on Naruto, training a new team of Genin. Personally, I like this story a little better, because I have a little more room for creativity than 'Back to the Beginning'. When it's up, check it out.


Chapter 2

The Mission Begins!

The seven Shinobi followed Dumbledore out the door, and down a flight of stairs. As they walked, Sasuke and Naruto drifted to the back. "Hey, Sasuke, so what do you think so far," asked the blonde, curiously, "about this mission I mean?"

Sasuke shrugged, "feels like it's baby-sitting. Still, we should be on the lookout for cloud ninja; they aren't exactly pals with us." Naruto chuckled, "C'mon, no cloud ninja is going to beat us. Remember last year; they sent those ANBU after us. Big mistake!"

Naruto punched the air, imitating his win over one particularly brutal cloud ninja. Sasuke shook his head, though he was smiling, "Don't let your ego get the best of you Naruto. I made that mistake once…"

Naruto smiled seeing how much Sasuke had opened up since his defeat. 'Wow, Sasuke…you've really changed since I beat your ass down.' As if Sasuke could tell what Naruto was thinking, he said, "Don't worry Naruto. I'll beat you next time."

With that, Sasuke chuckled lightly and walked ahead, leaving Naruto to stare blankly at his friends retreating form, "Damnit, how does he always know what I'm thinking."

Moments later, the group arrived at a large set of double doors. Dumbledore paused and turned, "Okay, the students are awaiting you behind this door. When you go in, all you need to do is walk up the center aisle, where one of my professors will be waiting. Do exactly as she says." Dumbledore waited, making sure each of them nodded, before turning to Kakashi.

"Well, then… the two of us will be off." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but regardless, followed after Dumbledore. As he left, glanced back at his team, 'God, I hope this doesn't turn into a disaster.'

Meanwhile, the others turned back to the door. Shikamaru casually stepped up, and took out his cigar from his mouth. "You ready?" Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Lee all nodded. They were all anxious to see what was beyond the doors. Shikamaru shrugged, and opened the door slowly.

A bright orange light met them, as they walked through, and took in their surroundings. The hall was lit dimly with large orange lights. The ceiling took the shape of the sky outside, and for a moment the Shinobi thought there was no ceiling.

"Nice scenery," said Naruto, casually, "realizing the 'sky' was just an imitation. "It's not Genjutsu…interesting," noted Sasuke. "My Byakugan tells me it is the ceiling…yet…it's not," said Neji, vaguely. The group looked at Neji, who stared back, "Don't worry; no one saw me activate it." Shikamaru sighed, as he turned to see the rest of the hall.

Directly down the center path was a red rug that led to a stool. An old lady wearing long black robes, and a pointed hat awaited them. A group of children huddled close together in front of her. And behind them, were three familiar faces.

"Oh," cried out Lee, a little too loudly. Neji quickly nudged his friend, "Shh, we're not supposed to attract attention. Keeping a low profile means not jumping every time we see someone we know." Lee tensed up, and tried to smile, "Oops." The others wisely kept their poker faces on, not wanting to repeat Lee's mistake.

"I guess that's the professor Dumbledore-San mentioned," whispered Shikamaru, nudging his head toward an old lady. "Right," said Sasuke, as the group slowly proceeded forward. "I feel like I'm the center of attention," whispered Naruto to Sakura.

"You idiot. That's because you are the center of attention," whispered Sakura, back, "they're all staring at us…at me! Stupid kids, don't they have anything better to look at?"

Many eyes followed the seven Shinobi as they slowly made their way to the front. Most of the boys kept their eyes on Sakura, and whistled as she passed by, making the kunoichi more than just a little on edge. The girls, not wanting to be outdone, did their best to get noticed by Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto, all three of them, doing their best to keep their eyes forward.

And in front, three pairs of eyes trained themselves on the group. The one female whispered to the other two, "Looks like they finally showed up." The male on her right, a large bulky teen with purple markings on his face snorted, "Hn, you mean…'Shikamaru finally came,' don't you," he whispered. The female blushed, "You idiot."

The third male, keeping his eyes focused on a particular blonde, said quietly, "Shut up Temari…Kankuro! We'll talk later." Kankuro frowned, "Pfft, fine Gaara!" Gaara resisted the urge to smile.

Back with the leaf shinobi, the guys found more than a few pairs of eyes trained on them. The majority of them belonged to women. "Stay together guys…you guys don't know it, but fan girls are crazy," mouthed Sasuke. Neji tried to chuckle, but he felt really nervous, "S-so, the great Uchiha is nervous with a few girls around?" Sasuke's face darkened, "You have no idea."

Without any serious incident, although there was one, where Sakura had to forcefully push away a small girl groping for Sasuke, the group made their way to the stool. The old lady eyed them all, and introduced herself. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said simply, "Now, you all have a basic grasp of the rules, so all that's left to do is to sort you into your appropriate houses. So, when I call your name, please come up to the stool, and place this hat on your head."

The woman held a pointed, blue hat that looked as if it had been around for years, up, so everyone could see, before placing it on the stool. She then opened up a scroll of paper and began calling names.

As the sorting took place, the leaf Shinobi, split into two groups. "Lee, Sakura, and Naruto, you're group one," whispered Shikamaru, "stand somewhere else. Try to keep talking to a minimum. And get looking out for Potter. He's in Gryffindor, remember; it's that one with the red banners with lions on it," said Shikamaru, watching a boy who was placed in Gryffindor sit there.

Naruto, Sakura, and Lee nodded, and inconspicuously melted into the crowd of kids, leaving the remaining three together. "Alright, we'll make up team two," said Shikamaru, "we're now directly in the middle of Naruto's and Gaara's team, though I have no idea what they're doing here!"

"Backup, most likely," whispered Neji, trying to catch one of the sand shinobi's eyes. Shikamaru held him, "No, we'll talk to them later. Like you told Lee; we need to stay cool for now. Let's just wait out this sorting thing for now. I've got it all set up. We need to rig this sorting so we each end up in the houses we want." Neji and Sasuke exchanged a glance, "What houses do we want," they asked, in unison.

Shikamaru waited for a boy who had just been called to pass him before speaking again, "We need to retain these groups of three. Gaara's team should go into one house, our team in another, and Naruto's team in the last." "What about the last house," asked Sasuke?

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "I don't like those guys," said Shikamaru, looking over at the Slytherin table, "they have a bad feel to them; kind of like people who would backstab you without any hesitation. We're just going to have to stay away from them and set up some something so we can keep an eye on them. Bunshin (Clone) wouldn't be a bad idea. Besides, like Dumbledore said, if we get in their house, all chances of protecting Potter are gone. We can't handicap ourselves like that."

The other two nodded. "Anyway," said Shikamaru, "no more talking anymore. The crowd's thinning. Sasuke, you know a jutsu for telepathy right? Tell my message about the houses to Naruto and Gaara. Make sure they keep quiet also." Sasuke nodded, and closed his eyes, reaching out for Naruto and Gaara.

Meanwhile, all of the kids, save for the ten shinobi had been sorted. The leaf Shinobi found themselves the center of attention, even worse than before. They were lucky as Dumbledore stood, "Welcome…welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, as some of you may have noticed… we still have a group waiting to be sorted. Some of you may be wondering why they appear older than most first years. They are!"

Shikamaru groaned, 'C'mon old man, get on with it.' "The ten of them," continued Dumbledore, "are actually foreign exchange students from a school in Japan. They will remain with us throughout the year, learning our style of magic along with this year's sixth year students, and then leave at the end of term. I expect all of you to treat them with the same respect, courtesy, and honesty you treat your peers with. So, then, let's begin they're sorting."

The old lady stepped out once again, with a different scroll. Opening she said, in a clear tone, "Haruno, Sakura!" Boys whistled, as Sakura slowly stepped up to the stool. Confidently she placed the hat on her head, as she had seen so many before her do. She wasn't startled when she heard a voice in her head.

"Hm? A Konoha Kunoichi, eh? I've never sorted any of your kind before!" Sakura smirked, 'Hmph! You probably won't be sorting any more of us after this year.' The Kunoichi heard a gasp in head, "Oh, there are more of you? Well, I won't keep you waiting then. So, let's see what's inside the head of a Shinobi."

Sakura waited calmly, as the hat muttered to itself. "Hm, nice…nice. Smart, that's Ravenclaw there. Also, you have a natural ability to be able to think independently and critically; that's definitely Ravenclaw. What else? What else; don't want to put you someplace too soon. Oh ho, a strong determination to protect those around you, with your dreams of being a medical ninja. Ah, I see…a certain boy deep in your heart? I wonder if he is here," wondered the hat, as Sakura's cheeks turned pink, 'You shut up about that.'

"No need to get angry," said the hat quickly, "but anyway…that could be Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Mm, what else is there to know? Ah, this…your childhood; you used to have…" The hat paused and pondered over something. It soon decided for it said, "never mind. I know exactly where to put you."

Before Sakura could wonder what the hat was going to say before it stopped, she heard it yell, "Gryffindor!" The kunoichi blinked, but quickly placed down the hat, and ran to the table on the middle right. She chose an empty seat, next to a brown haired girl, a dark-haired boy with a lightning shaped scar, and a red-head with freckles.

"Hi," greeted the bushy haired girl, with a warm smile, while the two boys she sat with watched carefully. Sakura smiled back, ignoring the stares of the boys around her, and said, "Hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Sakura."

The other girl smiled back, "I'm Hermione…Hermione Granger. Welcome to Hogwarts. So, do you like it? How is it compared to your school in Japan?" Sakura bit her lip, trying to think of a reasonable and believable story. She quickly came up with one. Faking nervousness, she said, "Umm, well, it's very different. Like, this Great Hall… we don't have those. We generally eat alone with just our sects." Hermione blinked, "sects?" Sakura nodded, "Yeah, think of them like your houses; except we live together in sects. We usually don't interact with others outside our sect at our school though. There are five sects, Hidden Leaf, Hidden Sand, Hidden Cloud, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Stone."

"So, how about those guys," interrupted the red-head, pointing to where the remaining Shinobi stood. Sakura hesitated; unsure of how she would answer that question, but luckily she was bought some time, when Hermione lightly smacked him. "Ron! Don't interrupt other people's conversation; it's rude."

The red-head, Ron, groaned as he rubbed his head, "Geez, Mione, calm down. I was just asking a question." The third boy laughed, "So…umm Sakura; are they in the same sect as you?" Sakura smiled, "Well, we came in three different groups. The two boys over there; you know the blonde and the guys with the bushy eyebrows? They're from my sect, the leaf sect. The other two groups are from separate sects. I think they're sand and umm...mist."

"Oh," said the dark-haired boy. "So, how did you get here?" "Oh, umm…we took something called a p-pot-key," said Sakura, slowly, unsure of the exact term. The trio laughed. "You mean a port key," asked Ron. Sakura frowned, "Y-yeah, I think so. Professor Dumbledore had us all touch a boot…and we were all transported here." "Yeah," said the dark-haired boy, "that's definitely a port key! That must have hurt...since it was your first time. Oh…by the way, I'm Harry…Harry Potter." Sakura's mouth almost dropped into a frown, but the kunoichi stopped just in time. 'Harry Potter…this is him? Well, part one of the mission completed. Found Harry Potter.'

As Sakura greeted the trio, the old lady called the next name on her list.

"Hyuuga, Neji!" "Good luck, Neji," whispered Sasuke, as Neji stepped forward. "Watch out for the fan girls." Neji gave Sasuke a look, before attempting to calmly walk up to the stool. He managed to keep his poker face, and picked up to the hat. Slowly, the Hyuuga prodigy placed the hat on his head.

"Aha, another Shinobi! Excellent, excellent," exclaimed the hat, in Neji's head.

Neji blinked, 'Please, get on with the sorting. I don't like it when people stare at me.'"Alright…no need to get all ninja on me," said the hat, "so, allow me to take a look. Let's see…you are a strong-willed type…confident, I see. That would make a good Slytherin, but for some reason, I don't think you would fit well in there. What else…you shinobi are so interesting. You're past is quite dark I see…you father was sacrificed for the good of your village, and until recently you have been kept in the dark about it. Hm… but you've changed now, so that doesn't help.

You used to be boastful…but…hmm, who's this blonde I keep seeing in your memories." Neji smirked, 'That's Naruto Uzumaki, one of the strongest Shinobi in Konoha village. He's here with us today.' "Oh," said the hat, "Well, I can't wait to sort him. But, meanwhile, back to you. Oh, like the first one, you are a born genius; easily able to think critically. That would make a good Ravenclaw…yes I think that's where I will put you."

Neji sighed, when the hat shouted out "Ravenclaw!" 'About time,' thought the Hyuuga, as he walked over to a table underneath blue banners with a raven on them. (A/N: It's a raven right?) He was quickly surrounded by girls and boys alike, all eager to know more about him.

"Right," said the old lady, looking at her list, "Next is… Lee, Rock." "Yosh, I am ready," shouted the Taijutsu specialist, enthusiastically. As the whole hall stifled their laughter at Lee's bushy eyebrows, his bowl haircut, and his spandex uniform, Shikamaru and Sasuke shared an embarrassed look.

"Trust Lee to make a scene without even doing anything," said Shikamaru, watching as Lee gaily skipped up to the hat. Sasuke frowned, "We're screwed…between him and Naruto…I can't bear to watch how one disaster will lead to the next." "I think Naruto is the least of our problems," said Shikamaru, looking over at the sand trio, darkly. He caught the eye of a certain sand kunoichi, who smirked at him. Shikamaru groaned, 'Why did 'she' have to come?'

Meanwhile, the sorting hat was carefully analyzing Lee's personality. "Not a bad soul here. I see strong determination…you were born with little talents, but through your hard efforts you became a powerful ninja. You are loyal to your fellow comrades, and would protect them with your life. Hm…what else. Ah, you have a great spirit. You're an outgoing person; yet you know when the time to be serious is. I think I know where to place you."

Lee cheered as the hat yelled, "Hufflepuff." The green, spandex wearing ninja ran over to the table underneath the yellow banners, where a crowd of roaring students awaited him.

"Looks like this might be so bad after all," said Shikamaru to Sasuke. Sasuke opened his eyes, "Whatever. You're next, Shikamaru. Try not to be too lazy, walking up there. I don't like waiting."

Shikamaru smirked, as his name was called, "You'll never change, Uchiha." The genius sighed as Sasuke chuckled, and dug his hands into his pockets as he walked up. Shikamaru placed the hat on his head and sat down on the stool, with a bored expression.

"Hm, let's see. Very smart…oh a real genius type, are you? Ravenclaw would be good for you, but allow me to delve a little deeper," said the hat. 'How troublesome…a talking hat,' thought Shikamaru, thinking of how he could be watching clouds, or smoking cigars.

"Interesting…real interesting. You used to be the laziest boy in your village… That is until your Sensei was murdered before your eyes. I can see the change you went through; how you slowly pulled yourself together and became a better ninja for his sake and for yours. You're a tactical and military genius. You Shinobi are so interesting," said the hat, gleefully, "I've never had so much fun sorting students."

Shikamaru froze, and raised an eyebrow, 'What did I get myself into,' he thought. "Well, you have excellent leadership skills; that would make a good Gryffindor, yes I can see the determination and the 'will of fire' you have. On second thought…I think maybe Ravenclaw is good for you. You seem to get along well with the Hyuuga boy anyway." "Ravenclaw," shouted the hat!"

Shikamaru quickly pulled off the hat, and walked over to the Ravenclaw table. The Jounin took next to Neji, who gladly let him sit in between him and an overly flirtatious girl.

"Sabaku no Gaara," announced the lady. Gaara slowly walked up to the stool, passing Naruto and Sasuke along the way. He raised his eyes to them for a brief moment, so only they would notice, before taking his seat and placing the hat on his head.

At the Gryffindor table, Ron and Harry watched Gaara's sorting carefully. "Definitely Slytherin, huh, mate," asked Ron. "Could be," replied Harry, "can't tell for sure. I mean…it could go any way." "But 'arry, look him. He looks like he would jump out and kill us all."

Harry sighed, "Ron, your exaggerating!" "Really, Ron, grow up," interrupted Hermione, "for all you know, he could be a Gryffindor." Ron snorted, "Fat chance." Sakura gave the red-head a side glance, 'Now I can see why we need to be careful around these guys. That Hermione girl is smart, and that Potter and the Weasley kid are just nosy. If they catch any slip-ups, we're done for. Good thing Lee didn't end up in Gryffindor.'

Meanwhile, the hat calmly talked to Gaara inside his mind, while delving into the man's memories and emotions. "Hm, now let's see…whoa! Quite a strange one you are; very different from the others! You used to be a cold-blooded killer; a shinobi who lived for blood. Now, you've changed; you're more social, kind and caring, respectful. My, you're a difficult one to place. I'll have to spend a little more time on you."

Gaara remained silent, clear of thoughts, as he waited for the hat to finish going through his memories. "Well, I've found some suggestive traits. You care about your siblings and your village's inhabitants very much. You would die to protect them; and you've already done so. Hm, odd…oh I see, you were brought back to life. I could place you in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff; which would you prefer?"

'Put me with Uzumaki,' said Gaara, simply. The hat didn't speak for a moment, searching Gaara's memories for whoever Naruto Uzumaki was. The hat quickly found a strong memory of their fight. 'The blonde boy I'm thinking about,' said Gaara, trying to picture Naruto in his mind's eye, 'is Naruto Uzumaki.' The hat was silent again, and when it finally spoke, its voice was soft, "I see…so he is the one responsible for the changes you've undergone. You've had a tough life Sabaku no Gaara…but I know where to put you now."

"Gryffindor," shouted the hat. Hermione smiled triumphantly, while Ron's mouth dropped, "No way." "Told you," whispered Hermione. Sakura smiled, 'Well, this might not be too bad. Now, we just need one more. Please be Sasuke…or Naruto…'

The hall was silent, as Gaara calmly removed the hat, and made his way towards the Gryffindor table, where the students were half-heartedly clapping.

The Kazekage took a seat next to Sakura, and stared back as she and Harry's group trained their eyes on him. "Hi," said Gaara, uncertainly, and suddenly. Sakura stifled a giggle, while Harry and Ron introduced themselves, nervously. "Hi, mate, name's Harry. And that's Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Pleasure," replied Gaara, shaking their hands. "Umm," interrupted Ron suddenly, pointing at the gourd on Gaara's back, "what's that?" Now that the question had been brought out, a whole crowd of Gryffindors gathered around Gaara's gourd poking at it and asking questions about it. The kazekage, crossed his arms, and answered each question, one-by-one.

"Next," announced the old lady, "Sabaku no Kankuro." Hermione shushed Harry and Ron, while Sakura and Gaara turned to watch the sand Jounin's sorting. "Okay, look at this guy…emo if I'm right. Just look at all that make-up," said Ron, "definitely Slytherin." Gaara chuckled lightly, "It's face paint." Ron blinked, 'Huh.' "Same thing," he said, while Sakura and Hermione both hit Ron, "Shut up!" The former buried his head in his arms, "Great; now I have two girls on my back." Harry laughed, "I'm betting Hufflepuff, mate," said Harry, mischievously, throwing the challenge out.

Ron stopped from trying to avoid Hermione. "You're on," he said, with determination."

Meanwhile, with some amount of disgust, Kankuro threw the sorting hat on his head, and with an annoyed look, sat down. The sorting hat began his analysis immediately.

"Hm…Hm…so you are the brother of Sabaku no Gaara." 'What of it,' thought Kankuro? "Hm, well, I can tell you're very different from him. You have a lot of pride and confidence; you're quite boastful sometimes. That would make a good Slytherin. But, you can also be a kind, patient, loving brother, who cares for his younger siblings. I can tell you've changed since you noticed the difference in your brother's attitude on life; you've started to actually respect and love him as a brother. You two are quite loyal to each other…though I'm sure you know all about that."

Kankuro turned red, 'I don't know what you're talking about.' The sorting hat's laughter sounded like a constant ringing Kankuro's head, irritating the Jounin immensely. 'Will you hurry and put me somewhere; I'm getting tired of your laughter.'

"Very well, I know where I should put you." "Hufflepuff," shouted out the hat. Kankuro nearly ripped the hat off; he certainly used a little more than necessary force. While the sand Jounin stalked over to the Hufflepuff table, Harry clapped Ron on the back. "What'd I say, mate…I win."

Ron groaned, "I thought for sure he was Slytherin." "Well, you were wrong, Ron," said Hermione. "You shouldn't judge my brother by his looks," interrupted Gaara casually, "he's actually a very loyal person, once he gets to know you." Ron's mouth dropped, "H-he's your brother? Really?"

Gaara blinked, before nodding. Ron's mouth dropped even further, "Whoa, whoa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything I said, mate…just a joke…you know." Gaara shook his head, smiling, while Sakura, Hermione, and Harry shared a laugh.

"So," said Harry, who noticed the next name called was 'Sabaku no Temari,' "is that girl your sister, Gaara?" The red-haired sand Kazekage turned in his seat, "Yes, that is Temari. Looks likes she's going into Hufflepuff." And so it was. Quickest to be placed, Temari barely placed the hat on her head, before it yelled Hufflepuff without a second thought.

"Wow, it must suck to have been split up from your brother and sister, right," asked Hermione. Gaara shrugged, "Well, if what you have been telling me about classes is true, then I'm sure I'll see them around. And besides, it's nice to get out and meet new people once in awhile."

From behind the trio, Sakura's eyes widened, 'Wow, Naruto wasn't joking when he said Gaara changed…no not just changed. He's like a completely whole new person.'

"So, tell me about your sect," said Hermione, suddenly, interested. Gaara blinked, and was about to ask, 'What sect,' when he caught Sakura's eye. She mouthed, 'Just play along.' 'Hm, we're going to have a talk about this,' thought Gaara. Out loud he said, "Well, not much to say about it. It's not very different; our sects are like family…we study with them, train with them, eat with them, sleep in the same room, you know…the usual." Hermione looked skeptical, "Well, there's got to be some differences."

Gaara exchanged a look at Sakura. The latter gave the former a shrug, so Gaara scratched his head to buy some time for him to come up with some story. "Well, I'm sure our training is different from yours. I did a bit of reading on European schools, and apparently you use…wands, is it?" Hermione brightened, "Oh yeah, so you guys don't use wands? Then how do you cast spells, magic?" Gaara blinked at the sudden curiosity, while Harry and Ron gave him looks of sympathy. "Better answer everything in one go, mate," said Harry, "or she'll never stop."

Meanwhile, only two more Shinobi waited to be sorted. "Uchiha, Sasuke!" Sasuke slowly walked up to the sorting look, keeping his cool façade. The Uchiha kept his hands in his pocket, and didn't look anywhere, except directly in front. He could literally feel the stares he was getting from the female population and it wasn't helping him keep calm.

The Uchiha closed his eyes as he placed the hat on his head, determined not to look at anyone. The sorting hat immediately pointed this out say, "Well, you don't look like the social type to me. Hm, you are friend of that 'Naruto' no? Well, let's see what I can tell about you."

"You lived a pretty sad childhood; all your entire family and your clan were murdered by your elder brother. You sought to exact your revenge, even turning to evil and abandoning your friends for your one goal. And then…you were defeated by this same Naruto…and the two of you are best friends now. Hm… you're going to be a tough one to sort."

'Don't put me in Slytherin…I know your thinking about it,' thought Sasuke, suddenly, 'I-I don't want to go there.' "Oho," replied the hat, cheerfully, "that is interesting. Would you be interested to know that Slytherin is actually the best place for your growth? You're a born-genius as your friends call you, you like to maintain your reputation of being the best, and you're cunning, tricky and very complicated. Many of your kind I always place in Slytherin. You have all the traits necessary for it. So tell me…why you not want to go to Slytherin?"

'It's true that I once turned to evil, and abandoned my friends, but I was brought out of my stupidity by Naruto, and I realize now that friendship is the strongest bond, and the strongest strength a person can rely and draw upon. The power of friendship…that is what I learned and I don't think Slytherin is going to help me with that. I want to change myself; I'm not proud for what I did, but I can't change my past. All I can do is try to live with my sins and repent for them.'

The hat was silent for a moment, blocking out its thought from Sasuke. "I see…that is a very strong argument there. Very well, I shall not place you in Slytherin. You will be…" "Ravenclaw," shouted the hat.

Sasuke smirked as he placed the hat on the stool. He sat between Neji and Shikamaru, disappointing the females, who were already plotting to catch him alone in a hallway. The dark-haired Uchiha carefully shared a glance with Shikamaru and Neji. He mouthed, 'I'm leaving it up to you to keep them away from me.'

Shikamaru slapped his head, 'How troublesome,' while Neji groaned, "we're screwed."

The old lady rolled up her scroll, and nodded to Naruto. "And Uzumaki, Naruto." Naruto, all grins, waved to Sakura as he confidently strode up to the hat. The blonde cheerfully placed the hat on his head, and waited for its decision.

"Uzumaki, Naruto…you can't imagine how long I've waited to sort you. I've heard all sorts of tales about you…how you defeated the sand boy, the Hyuuga, and the Uchiha kid."

Naruto's smile broadened, 'Ha, yeah I beat all of them real good.' The hat laughed for a moment, "Well, you're a real bragger alright. But I can sense that you have the power and ability to back up your words. You're like that Gaara boy I can see; you have some dark presence in your body; I'll just stay away from that. I see in your memories that you were shunned as a child because of this beast; you were forced to live a lonely life, devoid of happiness. But despite all of your bad luck, all the dirty looks people gave you, you never gave up hope. And then, it all paid off. You became stronger, and slowly people learned to respect you."

Naruto paid close attention as memories of his childhood flashed through his mind. 'Actually, hat, I was close to giving up. If it hadn't been for Iruka-Sensei, I might have turned out just like Gaara.' "But you didn't," replied the hat, cheerfully, "And instead… you went from a lowly disrespected little boy, to one of the strongest in your village. Possibly even 'the' strongest. You know naturally that one can change his destiny through hard work and determination. You are loyal to all of your friends, and you have a strong sense of right and wrong. All of these traits, experiences, and memories tell me to put you in this house…" "Gryffindor!"


Lionheart: Oddly, enough, I thought this chapter was crap. Tell me what you think though in a short review; maybe I'm just overthinking this a bit. But it seriously was damn hard write for the hat.

Note: When the hat was sorting Naruto, it said that Gaara had a 'dark presence.' Key word: HAD (I know he no longer contains Shukaku, the one tailed raccoon.) Also, NO YAOI.

Sorry about not putting anything for Temari. When I look at her and Kankuro, I think…same thing, okay! That's why really.

Anyway, ciao; I hope to have the final five chapters of Back to the Beginning up soon. Thanks for hanging around.