Hello Everyone! Well I was not expecting this big of start when I published this story. Now I'm going to point this out right now, that I usually don't update like this. This was just brought about because of the reactions that I've gotten for this story. I'll be answering reviews down at the bottom just to inform you all. I will only be doing five or six because there were so many this time around. So without futher ado the story!
Updated: 9/27/2016
As Always Everyone please support the Official Release and Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Naruto Franchise!
Chapter 2: Academy Times, Fun Times, and Training Time
It has been a few months since some drastic changes have been made in Naruto's life. A new home, new friends, and another shot at a successful future. Though right now all he wanted was for Ino to get out the door so they could go to school.
"C'mon Ino we don't have all day ya' know!" Naruto shouted in front of Ino's bedroom door
"I'm brushing my hair I'll be down in a minute!" Ino shouted back at her bedroom door and was indeed brushing her growing blonde hair
Naruto sighed and went back down the stairs where Inoichi was already sipping his morning coffee, and Yami was preparing a light breakfast. Normally they would have plenty of time to eat, but recently Ino has been getting into her looks. So in consequence they have almost been late a few times. He knew he didn't have to wait for her, but they've been close friends since he moved in next door. So he couldn't just bring himself to leave her behind.
Naruto grumbled as he took a seat in the kitchen "I mean we were almost later than Shikamaru, and he always the last one to class."
Inoichi chuckled "Now that is quite a feat indeed. Especially if he's anything like his father." He took another sip of his coffee.
At that moment Ino began walking down the stairs in her traditional outfit of a faded orange shirt, and purple skirt. She still had her purple brush in hand as she took a seat, and began to eat what breakfast was in front of her.
"Good morning Mom, Dad!" She said cheerily and looked over at Naruto and stuck out her tongue "Good morning to you too."
Naruto replied sticking his own tongue at her "Right back at you." When Ino turned her head back to her father Naruto noticed that the back of her hair was a mess, and let out a sigh and picked up her brush and stood behind her and began brushing her hair
"What are you doing?!" Ino jerked around and glaring at Naruto who had his hands up defensively
"Your hair is messy so I'm fixing it. Is that ok?" Naruto asked and after a moment Ino turned around with a huff without answering, but Naruto took that as a sign to continue.
As Naruto resumed brushing her hair, Ino closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair with a small smile of content on her face. For those spectating it looked absolutely adorable. Inoichi had a risen eyebrow in contemplation, while Yami had a bright smile of 'knowing'. She knew plenty that the two of them had crushes on one another, but they were each unaware of the other.
After a few more minutes Inoichi coughed into his hand startling Naruto and Ino "I'm sure if you want to be on time you may want to go right about now."
Naruto looked over at the clock and quickly handed the brush to Ino "You got everything Ino?"
Ino grabbing her backpack and her bento from the counter "Yeah I got it let's go!"
And with that the two bolted out of the Yamanaka household with Inoichi shaking his head in amusement, and Yami laughing quietly behind her hand.
While on their way to school they actually ran into Sakura Haruno, her most notable features were her pink hair and to those who were mean enough to point it out her large forehead. She's a good friend of Ino's but for some reason or another doesn't like Naruto. Not that it bothered him much, he wouldn't let his friend choose one or the other he just let things be, and thankfully so did Sakura though lately…. Things have been heated between the two of them.
"Running late Forehead?" Ino shouted out
"I could ask the same to you Ino-pig!" Sakura replied as they began running more to the school in a race.
Naruto merely let out a sigh, and kept a comfortable pace behind the two of them as to not get between the two. He had done that once before, and it did not end well for him. So the race to school began… well at least for those two anyway. Because of course they were racing to see who could be the first to sit next to Sasuke Uchiha. Who, in Naruto's opinion, was by the far the most brooding person you could meet. The most you could get out of the guy was a grunt, that is unless you beat him something. Naruto excelled at this at times nowadays and it seemed to shock his class that he took things so seriously now. Though thankfully there was only a few people who actually berated him for 'surpassing' their 'precious' Uchiha. This is included Sakura of course, but Ino had decided to encourage Naruto. Even though she semi pursued the Uchiha it still hadn't stopped the little moments between the two like this morning.
As they approached the school building, Naruto jumped ahead of the two girls so he wouldn't get stuck behind the door to the classroom. With that done he was finally able to enter the classroom and take his seat at the back next to the spot that Shikamaru would sit at once he got there. He shared a fist bump with Choji before he sat down at his own seat. Seeing as he had a few minutes before class started he pulled up his hood and leaned against the wall to rest his eyes.
"Dobe."
Naruto let out a sigh, and kept his eyes shut "What can I do for you teme?""So much for resting." Kurama chuckled from within his mind
Now unfortunately for him this seemed to attract quite a bit of attention from everyone in the class…. Including the fan girls for Sasuke, and oddly enough Naruto's who he found utterly annoying, but he at least told them that he wasn't interested and talked to them as friends which in turn made them like him more… go figure.
"Don't call him that!" Sakura shouted at Naruto
One of the girls on Naruto's side who was named Yume shouted back with "He called him names first!"
Naruto put up a wincing smile and asked "Could you girls please not shout? Some do have sensitive hearing, and well it can be kind of rude though thank you for your concern." Sakura merely huffed, and Yume nodded with sparkles in her eyes. He turned his attention back to Sasuke "Now what can I do for you?"
"What did you get on the last test dobe?" He asked bluntly eyeing him
"What's it to you?" Naruto responded, trying his best not to smirk
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, he didn't like to have his requests questioned "It doesn't matter, just answer the question."
"Nooo. I don't think I will." Naruto leaned back against the wall, and shut his eyes. He ended up giving a 'shoo' gesture with his hand
"What's the matter dobe? Afraid you did worse than me? Like you could do any better than me, one of the elite." Sasuke bragged, stuck up his chin pompously
Naruto opened an eye at him and gave a slight chuckle "Whatever helps you sleep at night. I could care less how I did on the said test. I gave it my best shot, but in all honesty that paperwork means nothing to what we'll do when we graduate." And before Sasuke could retort "I would suggest you go take your seat, as you may know, our sensei will be hear any second now."
Sasuke merely huffed and sulked away to his seat where he would continue to brood the rest of his day away. After a few seconds Shikamaru walked in through the door with a yawn, and sat down next to Naruto and shared a fist bump with him before laying on his arms to sleep his day away. As soon as that happened the teacher walked in the class quieted down, and thus the lectures began.
. . .
Mid-day: Academy School Grounds
Naruto let out yawn as stretched as he walked over to his favorite patch of shade tree "Man this morning's lecture felt like it would take forever."
Ino giggled walking next to him "Well we all know math isn't your favorite subject."
Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head "Yeah you're right. How about you Shikamaru?"
"It's all a drag if you ask me." He grumbled walking alongside Naruto
"That's your answer for everything Shikamaru." Choji stated digging into one of his ever present bags of chips.
They all shared a laugh as they sat at their usual spot and broke into their lunches. Choji's of course was the largest of the bunch, but yet for him that was average. Shikamaru's was the most average of the group. Now if one were to look at Ino's, one would think she ate a lot, but all it was it had two lunches with in. One for Naruto and one for Ino. Shikamaru was first to finish, and so as he normally did, sprawled out onto his back and watched the clouds lazily drift on by. Ino went to talk with some other girls, Choji sat next to Shikamaru looking at nothing particular. While Naruto was surprisingly fast asleep resting up against the tree.
In another clearing there was a supervised spar taking place between the ever hotheaded Kiba Inuzuka, and the forever brooding Sasuke Uchiha. It was nothing too impressive considering they wouldn't be learning the academy style taijutsu until next year, but Sasuke already knew most of his near extinct clan's taijutsu 'Interceptor Fist'. So it was really a one sided match, not that it wouldn't help Sasuke's already inflated ego. After a few minutes the match was called with Kiba on the ground nursing his sore ribs, and a smirking Uchiha above him. Of course there was the cheering from his fan group, which he ignored of course. Without even bothering to offer any help to Kiba he brooded off somewhere on the school grounds.
"Wow, Sasuke-kun is powerful!" Sakura practically squealed in delight in seeing her crush win easily
Ino merely shrugged not all that impressed "He already knows a taijutsu form so it was kind of obvious who would win."
Sakura looked appalled "Even if the mutt knew taijutsu, there would be no way he could beat Sasuke-kun!"
This banter continued on until it somehow ended up with who could get Sasuke's heart first. That was how the rest of their lunch break was spent till the bell rang, and the students went to pick up their bento's and get back to their assigned seats. Ino rushed over to her spot by the tree and began picking up her bento when she looked up and realized Naruto had fallen asleep.
"He's just rubbing it in my face now." Shikamaru grumbled sitting up noticing how peaceful Naruto looked
Choji of course munching on his chips looking at the same sight "I thought he looked kind of tired this morning. Was he at it again Ino?" he looked over at Ino to see her staring at the resting blonde
Ino nodded and looked over at the two others "Yeah he was training in his backyard last night. I'm pretty sure he was studying last night too." After wrapping up their bento box she walked over to Naruto and then whispered into his ear Free Ichiraku Ramen
Naruto was instantly standing up "Free Ichiraku Ramen?! Where?!" He looked around frantically but noticed the three laughing friends of his. He pouted and looked over at Ino "That was mean Ino."
Ino stuck out her tongue "Would you rather me do the other 'thing'?"
Naruto waved his arms frantically "Nope! That was perfectly fine, oh hey bell rang I think we should go!" With that he bolted off into the school leaving a giggling Ino, and a confused Shikamaru and Choji
"So what's *munch* the other thing?" Choji asked as he stood and munched on his bag of chips
Ino blushed for a moment before shaking her head "Sorry you'll have ask Naruto that. That's an inside secret." She replied with a wink and rushed off after Naruto
"Troublesome girls." Shikamaru grumbled and walked lazily over to the school building with Choji right by his side.
. . .
Later that day: Uzumaki Residence
"C'mon Ino, you're the one who wanted me to help you with your taijutsu in turn for helping me with my math homework." Naruto let out a sigh as Ino sat on his back porch refusing to budge
"I don't want to bruise my arms." She pouted and crossed her arms
Naruto groaned "And I don't want mess with multiplication tables." She refused to listen and turned her head to the side. Naruto was beginning to get frustrated, but instead got an idea "How about this, we'll just cover the katas of the Academy taijutsu. No contact."
She turned to face Naruto who had a determined look on his face, and reluctantly nodded "Fine." She huffed and hopped off his porch "Let's get this over with."
With a thankful nod, they began running through the basic katas. It wasn't overly hard to do, and they wouldn't be required to know this till next year, but it doesn't hurt to know it ahead of time. Though Naruto already had the Academy taijutsu down flat, and was working on the Uzumaki taijutsu 'Linked Motion'. It relied heavily on the bloodline of Chakra Chains, or at least a type of chained weapon. Its main goal was to snag enemies and rip them to shreds in fluid motion. A true master of the style could have three hundred sixty degree defense, since the way they moved their bodies was spherical.
Naruto's progress on the 'Linked Motion' was painfully slow. The actual rotation wasn't that bad once you learned to shift your targets as you moved, but it was the weapon portion that the problem. There no weapons for his age, or size for that matter, that he could use to practice with. He also couldn't produce a single chain let alone a few chain links. According to his clan scroll he would have to wait a few years to be able to find out if he even had the bloodline. Though he was confident he did, he wouldn't count on it till he was sure he had it. So until then all Naruto could do was practice the motion so he wouldn't be disoriented later on.
After a couple of hours, and working up quite a sweat Naruto thought it time to stop "You're getting better Ino."
Breathing somewhat heavily Ino nodded with a small smile "Thank you! Well I'm gonna go shower, I'll see you in a little bit!" She waved and took off through his house to next door
This had been the norm for them for a while now. She would do some hands on training with him, and he would do some book work with her. A simple trade that helped leaps and bounds. He even helped Choji and Shikamaru from time to time of certain aspects. Though with Shikamaru it was more like playing a game of Shogi or Go, but he still managed to get the lazy Nara to do some basic katas. Surprising enough he could pick it up quickly and then he would resume his favorite hobby of cloud gazing.
So after a quick shower Naruto grabbed his pack and walked over to Ino's house. He opened the door and was greeted with the smell of flowers and potting soil "Afternoon!"
Yami poked her head from around the door to their green house and waved "Hello Naruto-kun, how was your day?"
"It was pretty good Yami-san." Naruto replied with a smile "I'm happy it's the weekend though."
Yami chuckled "That's good to hear. You ready to work this weekend?"
Naruto nodded "Yeap, it's a harvest and delivery day right?"
Yami nodded with a smile "Indeed it is, I'm assuming you'll be manning the cashier?" She had a knowing smile on her face, it was no secret that when it came to plants he didn't have the greenest thumb. Though he still tried from time to time to get better with them
Smiling sheepishly Naruto replied "Yeah if wouldn't mind, last time I nearly destroyed an order."
"It's fine Naruto-kun, we all make mistakes." Yami disappeared for a moment before reappearing "I do believe Ino is waiting for you upstairs, so go ahead, we'll talk about your shifts later."
Naruto nodded and went up the stairs leaving Yami to tend to the business. When Naruto came into the kitchen he was greeted with a freshly cleaned Ino, and a tired Inoichi, but was engaging with Ino with a smile.
"Yeah he was sleeping like a log." Ino giggled and Inoichi chuckled
"Is that so? How'd you wake him up, did you mess with his whiskers?" Inoichi smirked knowing full well Naruto was in the room
Ino giggled again "No, but I teased him with free Ramen."
"Oh my, that's almost as bad with him." Inoichi chuckled and turned to face a semi red faced Naruto "Well hey there gaki, you ready for your lesson or are you going to fall asleep on us?"
Naruto grumbled and sat down at the table "I won't fall asleep."
Inoichi just laughed, while Ino giggled and Naruto continued to grumble. Till finally they were able to get started on his math. It wasn't anything too complicated, but a little help didn't hurt, and besides all his assignments were copied and sent to the Hokage to have professionally checked. It was the only way for Naruto to get any fair grading. At the beginning there was a problem with falsified test being turned in, but it was taken care of when the academic staff got a thorough scolding, but just to be safe a copy of his homework was still sent.
After his homework was dealt with Inoichi and Yami talked with him about his shifts for the weekend, and did a little bit of accounting exercises with him so he was on top of his money situation. After it was all said and done it was around ten at night when Naruto went home, and crashed into his bed.
. . .
A Few Months Later (Summer): Yamanaka Flower Shop
Naruto was sitting patiently at the cash register waiting for his shift to be over so he could go train his chakra control. It was a bonus assignment of the summer vacation to work on their chakra control so they could learn the basic Clone jutsu. Though Naruto already knew the Shadow Clone jutsu, he still needed to work on his control to not summon so many clones. He had a problem with it since his reserves were so large that jutsu that required very little chakra were basically impossible much like the Clone jutsu. Yet that didn't deter him from trying to balance it out, if anything he didn't want to waste chakra, because wasted chakra was almost a one way ticket to death.
*Ching!* "Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop how may I help you?" Naruto asked with a smile, oh one thing should be mentioned Naruto was disguised by a minor genjutsu making his hair brown and his whisker marks hidden so that way villagers weren't deterred from shopping at the shop. Normally Yami or Inoichi wouldn't want their business, but this was one of their main sources of income so they had to do this.
"Ah yes can I get a bouquet of roses?" A male villager asked looking around the display flowers
"Of course how many? We have some already made from five, seven, and of course the standard twelve." Naruto said with a smile "God, I don't know how Yami or Ino put's up with this fake smile and attitude all day."
"I'll take the one with seven, thank you." The villager said after a moment of thought, and so Naruto rang up his order, and sent the man on his way.
After he left, Naruto let out a sigh and looked up at the clock "Ahh closing time, finally." Naruto jumped off his seat, and switched the sign around from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED'.
Yami came out of the green house with a smile "Good work today Naruto-kun, you're definitely getting better."
"Thank you, but I still don't see how you do it day in and day out." Naruto stretched, and let the genjutsu fall off him "Well I'm going home, and do some practicing. Tell Ino when she gets back that she's more than welcome to come over and work with me."
Yami nodded with her ever present smile "Of course Naruto-kun, I'll see you tomorrow."
Naruto nodded and began walking out the door "See you then!"
Naruto walked over to his house and waved to the few walking through the street with a smile, and entered his home. It was homier than when he first started out all those months ago. Now there were pictures around with him and Ino's family, and even a few with just him, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. Though his personal favorite is the one with just him and Ino where they had their arms around each other's shoulders giving the 'peace' sign with their biggest grins. These were open for display on a table by the entrance of his house. The rest of the house had his own little touches here and there. There were even touches of Ino since she had insisted that he have flowers. Naruto always did his best in taking care of the flowers.
"So Kurama what's your take on the chakra control exercises?" Naruto questioned as he sat on his back porch looking around his yard.
"I'll have you tree running by the end of the summer vacation brat." Kurama chuckled from within his mind "Go find some small pebbles. Normally leaves would be sufficient, but due to your large reserves we'll start with something a little heavier and work our way down."
Naruto did a mental salute and set off on his task of collecting his required 'equipment'. It didn't take him very long to find a decent amount, and so sitting cross legged on his porch he awaited further instruction.
"Alright brat, much like the leaf exercise concentrate chakra into your palm and keep pebble level." Kurama instructed, and Naruto set off on his task
The first couple of times the pebble in his hand literally shot off into the sky. To say the least Kurama was humored to the point he couldn't breathe. So after having to take deep calming breaths, he resumed and tried to feel the chakra flow through his hand. Focusing on his palm he felt a slight trickling feeling flowing to his hand, and he kept it that way. The pebble began hover right above his palm much like the leaf was supposed to. When Naruto saw this he was excited, but didn't dare break his concentration.
"Just like that." Kurama stated, seeing Naruto's progress "Hold it there for as long as you can. The goal here is to be able to do it sub-consciously. To do it without thought."
Naruto merely nodded and concentrated at the task at hand. Despite trying to keep the same flow, it was continuously fluctuating making it exceedingly hard to keep the same level going through. He didn't know how he was supposed to put any less chakra through if he was putting what he believed to be the minimum amount he could output. This didn't deter him though, and so for the rest of the evening he focused on this single task. He didn't even hear Ino knocking on his door.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this… I actually think I can use less… let's try" that was his thought process before *Smack* "Gah!" Naruto fell onto his back, cradling the top of his head in his hands, and looked to his side to find a peeved looking Ino clenching her hand into a fist "Why did you do that Ino?!"
Ino pouted at him "I was waiting at your door for ten minutes! You wouldn't answer the door."
Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, moving sitting up "Sorry about that, hehe. I was really into my Chakra Control practice."
Ino looked around and saw the pebbles on the porch "The teacher said we're supposed to be using leaves, not pebbles baka."
Naruto nodded "They did, but I have a bigger pool of chakra. So I have to start off with something a bit heavier." Naruto shrugged "I plan on working my way down to leaves…. hopefully." He grinned, and stretched out his arms
Ino watched as he stretched "Have you done your exercises this evening?"
Naruto sat stock still, and then groaned "Aw man… well no time like the present. Care to join me?"
Ino shook her head "Not this evening, I already took my shower thank you. Maybe tomorrow since it's the weekend."
Naruto nodded, and then examined Ino more closely her eyes were slightly red. Naruto's brow furrowed in concern "Are you alright Ino?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ino put on a smile, but Naruto knew it was fake.
He used to see it in a broken mirror every morning "You know you can tell me anything right? I won't force it out of you." Naruto looked down at his hands "Sometimes it's better to tell than it is to hold it in."
After a few moments of silence Naruto thought he made his best friend angry, but shortly after that thought he felt Ino's back press against his as they sat on his porch. They leaned against each other listening to the silence until Ino began her story. She had gotten into an argument with Sakura. Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal, but this one wasn't like the others. It got heated because they were saying they would be the one to get their precious 'Sasuke-kun'. It went to the point where Sakura said something she shouldn't have. She didn't want to be Ino's friend anymore, she would fight her to the end for his heart. That was putting it nicely. Now this may seem like a petty argument, but for kids their age it was a pretty big deal especially since they were friends before she even met Naruto.
As Naruto listened he couldn't help, but feel angry at two people. Yet it wouldn't do any good to take any action against them. So instead he reached with his hand and grabbed Ino's and held it in silence. Ino had shed a few more tears from recalling the memories, but she didn't feel anywhere near as bad in Naruto's presence. It felt comforting, and just knowing that he was there was enough for her.
After a few more moments in silence Ino finally spoke "Thank you Naruto." She used her free hand to wipe some of the tears from her eyes. She let go of his hand, turned her waist and rested her head against his back "Don't ever leave me ok?"
Naruto was shocked, he had never seen Ino like this before, but he put on a small smile, and closed his eyes "Wouldn't dream of it." Smiling, Ino stood up and grabbed Naruto's head in her hands "What you doing Ino?" Naruto asked curiously, not being able to see behind him
She bent down and kissed the spot where she had hit Naruto, and in turn Naruto's face burned bright red, and steam could almost be seen coming from his ears earning a giggle from Ino "My way of apologizing." She ran to the back door, turning around giving a true grin and waved "See ya tomorrow Naruto-kun!" With that she ran through the door, through his house, and out the front door. Leaving a very confused, beet red Naruto on the back porch.
Kurama chuckled inside of his head "As always you humans are ever amusing."
"Shuddup." Naruto mumbled in his mind.
. . .
Konoha Ninja Academy: 2 Years Later, end of Third Academic Year
"Come on Naruto you got this!"
"Sasuke-kun could never lose! You can do it Sasuke-kun!"
These were merely some of the cheers going on around the competitors circle on the school grounds. Right now it was the end of the year assessment testing to map out the progress of Academy students. Those who were present were some of the parents, two different Chunin examiners, and the Hokage himself….. well at least a clone of himself.
Inside of the ring was the ever Brooding Queen Sasuke Uchiha with a determined smirk on his face, and of course the Prank King Naruto Uzumaki with an equally determined smirk. All the previous spars were pretty standard for their ages, but this fight was the most anticipated. The class was equally divided on who would win this match. Of course each side had their few 'fan-girls' which Naruto would never understand why they would become Ninja if they weren't going to do anything productive. If there was one thing he and Sasuke could agree on it was that, well besides to agree to disagree of course.
"It's a shame we can't use our respective fighting styles." Naruto stated as he stood at main pose for the Academy style taijutsu.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted "As if you could have your own style dobe. I don't even know why you bother fighting back, you're still going to lose."
Naruto rose an eyebrow "I never give up, I will fight till the end, as that is the way of the Shinobi." With that said the two rushed forward and began trading blows once more.
To the side the Hokage Clone had a small smile at Naruto's words, while the two Chunin wore small smirks of approval. The two knew Naruto would go far he kept that train of thought. As the fight continued on with the two never giving ground on the other. Despite everything Sasuke found a slight grin on his face. He was having fun with this fight, someone to push his limits. Naruto was having the same thoughts as the two continued to trade blows. Neither had actually landed a hit on the other as they moved in perfect synchronization. It was almost hypnotizing to the crowd around them. To the Chunin's eyes they could see that some areas could use some improvement, but that came with experience, and of course when their bodies began to fill out. Though of course the Academy style was not for everyone, but since this was required for the exam they had to nitpick on their reports.
As the minutes dragged and the two sparring began to breathe harder, the Hokage clone gave a nod to one of the Chunin examiner. He stepped forward, rose his arm, and called the match "I hereby call this match a draw."
The two immediately stepped back from one another and bowed respectfully while panting "I'll wipe the floor with you next time dobe." Sasuke stated locking eyes with Naruto
Naruto grinned back "Funny how you say that every time and it always ends the same way… in a draw." He turned and walked away, while Sasuke semi scowled at his back before turning around to brood his way back into the classroom the end of the year instructions.
Back inside in the school building the students chattered away excited for the end of the year. Some talking about the trips they would be going, others about their training schedules, and of course the usual gossiping from the girls.
"Your fight was exceptionally well done." The ever stoic Shino Aburame, complimented
"Thanks Shino." Naruto grinned "You're fight wasn't that bad either."
Shino nodded "Kiba-san was formidable opponent."
Kiba grumbled and rubbed his sore jaw, and his ever faithful Akamaru yipped from atop of his head "I hate Academy style, it's so rigid compared to my clans."
Naruto could only nod and agree "It's not my favorite, but next year they're allowing us to use our own."
"It's troublesome, having to relearn everyone's unique style." Shikamaru stated from his resting position on the table, while Choji merely nodded very content on his bag chips
"Is anything not troublesome for you Shikamaru?" Naruto asked rhetorically
He got an answer anyway "Cloud gazing is one."
"Right, how could I forget?" Naruto tapped his temple jokingly
They continued their conversation for another few minutes when the clone of the Hokage walked into the room, and silence followed. The clone eyed the room, and he gave a warm smile "You all have done exceptionally well this year. Everyone in this room shows great potential, and as of this point you have passed the half way point. The next three years will be more intensive in your training, and of course when most of you begin your paths of your families or clans."
"You all contain the Will of Fire, that has been passed down from generation to generation. You are our future of the village. I look forward to what you have to offer for our village. So now I bid you good luck and I will see you all in three years' time for your graduation exams." With that, the clone dispersed with a puff of smoke
The instructor of their first three years said farewell and bid them good luck into the future. Students began to file out of the school building dividing off into groups or meeting up with their parents. Most of the students who were in clans collected their students this was no exception to most of Naruto's friends. Though Naruto didn't mind at all, he wouldn't hinder his friend's progress because he would be alone. In a way it made it easier for him to train his own way with his Shadow Clones and clan techniques. So at the current moment it was just him walking home with the occasional glare thrown at him or, the smile and wave the closer he got to Yamanaka compound.
Though he strayed a bit from his original pathway in search of Ninja supply store. He needed some Chakra paper. Naruto knew that he was young to begin dabbling in Chakra Natures, but one of the clan jutsu's required Wind Chakra and Water Chakra. There was a reason that their crest was a 'Whirlpool' after all. The only difference was that the jutsu wasn't bloodline based, if you had the appropriate Chakra Natures you could learn the technique. So thus his mission to find Chakra paper.
He came to the one supply store that he knew would supply him, and that was Himiware's Ninjaware. He walked in with a smile, and was greeted by a mountain of a man, and his name was Wan "Welcome! Oh it's you Naruto!" His voice boomed with a hearty laugh. The man before Naruto was well muscled and tanned. No hair on his head, but had a bushy beard, warm eyes. He wore a white t-shirt with a blacksmithing apron, and wore fire-retardant black pants and tan yellow work boots. "What can I do for you? You don't need another fitting do you?"
Naruto shook his head "No, I'm here to get some Chakra paper. Would you happen to have some on you?"
Wan gave Naruto a grin "We just got a fresh shipment, can I ask what for?"
"Just thought it would be neat to know, ya know?" Naruto grinned "Help me plan out my training."
Wan gave off a laugh "An excellent reason my boy. I only have one request."
"Of course, Wan-san." Naruto replied respectfully
Wan grinned "Let me see what you get."
"That seems fair to me." Naruto nodded "So how much for one?"
"It's on the house since you're a dedicated customer." Wan replied with a smirk, and pulled a piece of Chakra paper from behind the counter "Now I'm sure you know how to use it, but I'll tell ya anyway. Just channel your chakra into the paper, and the effect should vary depending on your Chakra Nature. Split in half is Wind, Soaked is Water, Crinkling is Lightning, Turned to Ash is Fire, and finally Crumbing to Dust is Earth."
Naruto nodded, and took the paper in his hand. After a minute of just purely studying said paper he finally channeled his Chakra. A wave of excitement washed over Naruto, the paper spilt in half meaning he had the Wind Nature, but both pieces of the paper also became soaked with water. He had both of the Natures he wanted and they were even stronger than he could have wanted.
"Well that's not something you see every day." Wan commented looking at the remains of the Chakra paper.
Naruto looked up with a curious look "Why's that?" he had a general idea, but didn't hurt to get actual information
"Well this is the Land of Fire for a reason." Wan continued on to explain "Most of our Ninja here have affinities for Fire, and then the occasional Lightning. Suna is the place where most Wind Natured ninja are affiliated and then there's Kiri where Water Nature ninja are. Both of your Chakra natures combat our common ones." Wan contemplated for a moment "Though there are the occasional Water Nature ninja here, but Wind is by far the hardest. The only one that I know of would be The Hokage's own son Asuma, and he's currently guarding the Daimyo."
Naruto merely shrugged "Well it's not like I need to train with them right away I just wanted to know, I got nothing, but time right now." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either
Wan nodded "Well I'm glad I got to see something interesting." He let out a boisterous laugh "Well I'm sure you got things to do so run along. Let me know if you need a fitting or even new set."
"Will do Wan-san. See you later!" With a wave Naruto walked out the door already beginning to map out his training schedule this summer.
. . .
Naruto's Private Training Ground (A Week Later)
Naruto had stumbled upon this place when he was running away from ANBU from a prank he had pulled several years back. It was secluded and it wasn't a part of the traditional training grounds given to the new Genin teams, or current circulating teams. It was the perfect place to set his clones out to work without prying, and sometimes jealous, eyes.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out and around him a group of twenty five physical clones' awaited orders "Alright today is Jutsu day!" There was a cheer throughout the clones, and the extra clone stepped forward, and Naruto handed him the scroll to read through the jutsu portion. "The jutsu that we are attempting to learn for the next few weeks is Vortex Palm." Getting a collection of nods he continued "This is a stepping stone to Spout Devastation. So we have to get this one down before we go any further." The clone reading the scroll handed it back and popped, and all the clones knew what to do, and went off to at least attempt to work through it.
"I want you to work on trying to summon your Chakra Chains." Kurama interjected into his thought process. "You need to learn that on your own, and not use clones to learn it. Jutsu is one thing, but to your mother that was special, a rite of passage among Uzumaki."
Naruto nodded, and gave a small smile "Who am I to disagree?"
Opening up his treasured Clan Scroll, he began reading over the process of wielding and creating his Chakra Chains. He thought it was still too soon to learn, but it wouldn't deter him from trying. As he read it over for what seemed to be the thousandth time, it told him it may help to actually feel an actual chain, felt how it moved in his hands, and know the weight of the chain. So that is exactly what he did. Pulling out a storage scroll, made by himself, and brought out the chain he had been working with his taijutsu style. He pooled in front of him and began pulling it up from the ground. Watching as it uncoiled, sway, and flex at different angles. He completely immersed himself into his single task before him. When he got like this there were only two people that could pull him out of it. Kurama, being in his mind after all, and of course his growing crush Ino.
His next goal was to envision the chain within his mind. He closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all thoughts, and imagined a single chain link, and then another, then another, and so on. Seeing the chain his mind he held out his hand palm jutted out forward, and began pushing chakra to his palm as the scroll instructed. Keeping focused on the image before him willed the Chakra to take its shape. When he opened his eyes and was welcomed with the sight of…nothing, absolutely nothing.
Naruto let out a sigh "Well I guess I just haven't reached that age yet."
Kurama nodded within his mind "That is more than likely, your mother didn't achieve it until the age of fourteen, but I wanted to see if your father's blood would help it progress quicker."
Naruto shrugged "Ehh for all I know I was doing it perfectly, but hey if you have to hit a certain age then so be it. Though the scroll said that it can be emotionally related whatever that means."
Kurama hummed thoughtfully for a moment "That tends to be the case for most clan bloodlines, but I can't recall if your mother was under an emotional situation or if it was due to hitting a general age."
"Well it's no big deal." Naruto stretched and looked up at the sky to see the sun setting in the distance "Wow time flies." Naruto mumbled
"It's a good thing that you train in secluded areas." Kurama shook his head in his mindscape "If this were combat you would be dead."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Well this is why I'm an academy student, and not a fully fledged Ninja."
Kurama scoffed, and let Naruto be. Dispelling his clones, he processed their knowledge. Surprisingly enough they managed to get the fundamentals down, but they had to do repetitions on the hand signs to be able to produce what he wanted. He ran through a single set of hand seals pouring a bit more chakra into the jutsu. Jutting out his right palm forward, and bracing his left hand on his right forearm. He could feel the water spinning in hand, and felt a grin work its way onto his face. Twitching his wrist, he saw a torrent water surge from his hand spinning fiercely. It wasn't as powerful as it should have been, but it did peel the bark of the tree he was aiming for.
Now Vortex Palm can be used two different ways. It can be used mid-range like he had just accomplished unleashing a powerful force of water from his hand that swirls violently. Then there's the close-range capability. If the user gets up close and personal they can directly apply to the target it sends them off spinning harshly, but not before feeling as if they were smacked with a solid brick wall.
Balling his hand into a fist Naruto grinned "Yosh! I'm on my way!" Calling it a day, Naruto leapt into the tree's and made his way home.
. . .
Yamanaka Compound Training Grounds
Ino was laying on the ground panting, and sweaty. Her father had worked her into the ground "Daddy I can't take anymore….." She pouted. It wasn't far from the truth, she was low on Chakra, and she had been given a thorough workout today. At least for her body standards in this case.
Inoichi nodded "I suppose so, well we have all summer vacation." He looked down at his daughter and gave her a warm smile "Keep up the good work, and you'll be a powerful Kunoichi in no time."
Ino gave a small grin, and pulled herself off the ground. She walked alongside her father to their house. During the walk she wondered how Naruto handled it. He had been training years before she was, and it was really evident that he was by far the strongest in the class. Sure Sasuke was strong, and she knew he was forced to hold back due to being stuck with Academy Basics. Things were going to be interesting next school year, this much she knew. Though she was a bit worried about the taijutsu portion of her schooling. Her clan didn't really have a style of taijutsu. She figured she would be perfectly fine in the other categories, but taijutsu was definitely not her strong suit. Sure she wanted to look great for Sasuke-kun, and maybe someone else. Yet unlike Sakura, who was content in just looking her best for him, she knew looks wouldn't save you in a battle, well to an extent…. Yeah she went through Kunoichi seduction training… it was sickening to her.
"Daddy?" Ino spoke as they walked through the streets. Inoichi looked down, and rose an eyebrow "What should I do about taijutsu?"
This took him by surprise, but he could tell she was serious. "What brought this up?"
Ino continued to look forward "Well our clan doesn't have a taijutsu style, and the Academy style isn't really all that great. I don't want to be caught in a situation and have nothing to get out of it."
Inoichi felt a swell of pride inside, his daughter understood what most Kunoichi still lacked today "Well I'm glad you see it that way, I'll look into finding you a tutor for taijutsu. I encountered the same problem, but unfortunately my mentor has passed."
Ino beamed up at her father, embraced him a hug "Thank you Daddy!"
With a smile they continued walking on home, and by coincidence they ran into Naruto who looked slightly worn out, but nonetheless gave them a smile.
Ino felt a bit embarrassed being caught in such disgusting sight, but Naruto didn't seem to mind "Hey Naruto how goes your training?"
Naruto gave her a thumbs up "It's going pretty well, and I see you were working hard. Awesome!"
Ino smiled a bit, and decided it wouldn't hurt a bit to ask "Hey Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked at expectantly, giving his undivided attention "Do you think you could teach me some taijutsu?"
Both Inoichi and Naruto had looks of surprise on their faces. Naruto's was because of the fact she was willing and looking for ways to improve her taijutsu. Inoichi's was because well….. she is his little girl. Though in all honesty he couldn't think of a better teacher than your peers. He'd actually seen Naruto's taijutsu in semi-action before, and he couldn't help, but think it may very well fit Ino's flexibility.
Naruto shook off the surprise, and rubbed the back of his neck "Well the thing is I only know two styles. The Academy style, and well… Linked Motion." Naruto knew he had to tred carefully with this conversation. Yeah he liked Ino a lot, and has known for a few years, he didn't know how she would take knowing what he contained.
Ino cocked her head to the side "Linked Motion? I don't remember that being a style in our studies."
"Well it's kind of died off, and it was mainly used by the Uzumaki clan. I found it in a couple books in the library on an off chance trying to learn about my family." Now that wasn't a lie, he did go to the library to touch up on his family "I thought since it was my families style I thought I would learn it. Though I don't know how proficient I am in it."
Ino nodded, the answer was pretty sound "Would it be alright if I tried to learn it?"
Naruto hesitated, he wanted to help his friend, but not sure if handing out his family's style was wise "What do you think Kurama? I know you were listening in."
Indeed Kurama was, but what Naruto couldn't see was a knowing grin on his face. Kurama was not a matchmaker, but when you've been imprisoned in two women, especially Uzumaki women, you tend to pick up on things "I don't see why not. It shouldn't hurt your training schedule either in fact it would be good practice for you anyways."
"If you say so." Naruto commented back, and looked back at Ino who was waiting expectantly "Well I guess it wouldn't be a problem, but be warned it's not easy by any means easy, and it relies on flexibility and your other senses."
"Hai! Naruto-sensei!" Ino gave a mock salute, and smile
Naruto chuckled and held a hand to his chin "Hmm Naruto-sensei, I like the ring to it."
"Don't get used to it." Ino stuck out her tongue at him, and he replied in kind "So what times will you be able to train me?"
"I was thinking the morning before you start your regular training, as well as my own. Good way to get blood moving don't ya think?" Naruto grinned "Besides I believe for the first few weeks we'll be working on the motions with this one."
Ino's brow furrowed, which Naruto found quite adorable "Just on the motions? Don't you think that's a bit much?"
Inoichi chuckled bringing himself back into the conversation "Oh believe me princess, he knows what he's talking about. I've seen it in action, you'll want all that practice."
Ino rose an eyebrow, but shrugged "Ok, well I trust you. So tomorrow morning then?"
Naruto nodded "You got it!" He stretched and let out a content sigh "Well I'm gonna wash up and look over the other end year practice assignments. Something about learning how to Henge and such."
Ino nodded "I'll be doing the same, see you later Naruto-kun!" and she walked into her house
Naruto waved and looked up at Inoichi who was giving him a hard look "Uh Ponytail?" Naruto felt uncomfortable underneath his gaze
Inoichi rose an eyebrow "Hmm well I guess there's no harm, but if I find out you hurt her in the wrong ways." He cracked his knuckles to get his point across
Naruto nodded furiously "Understood Ponytail!" He saluted and bolted into his house
Inoichi chuckled and walked inside "It would seem these next three years are going to be interesting indeed."
. . .
Naruto's Private Traing Ground (Three Years Later)
"C'mon brat two more miles." Kurama stated inside his mind
Right now we find ourselves watching Naruto doing his usual set of morning laps, but of course Kurama kicked it up a notch. Naruto was panting lightly as he continued on his jog slash run. Over the course of the three years his stamina and endurance had reached new heights. Most would consider his work load insane, but he knew two other Shinobi who were way worse with their training methods.
"I know, I know." Naruto grumbled inwardly "What wouldn't I give for different shirt though."
Much to Naruto's discomfort, his long sleeve black shirt was soaked with his sweat, but that only meant he had worked himself rather well. A few minutes later he finished his last two miles, and did some mild pacing to keep his muscles from cramping, and for his breathing to calm down. Looking up at the sky he found he had about two hours before he had to go to the Academy. It was Final Examination Day, and most importantly it was the day he knew he would graduate. Yet there was still one last thing he had to do before all of that, since it would be the last time he would be able to do it. So with a mischievous grin he took flight into the trees.
. . .
Yamanaka Household
Ino walked out of her house with her hair tied up, and a arcing over her eye. She was dressed in her brand new Ninja armor. She was practically guaranteed to graduate near the top of their class. So her father took her out to buy her new Ninja gear as a graduation present. It consisted of high collar sleeveless top, with light purple arm sleeves. Underneath she wore a typical mesh shirt which was covered with bandage wrapping all the way down her waist. Starting at her waist she wore a purple waist cloth, with black shorts underneath. Which then had more bandage wrappings around her thighs. On her right leg was her brand new Kunai pouch, and a standard issue waist pouch around her waist. Even though dressed as a Ninja she knew she wouldn't have a problem turning a few heads. She hoped Sasuke would actually take notice of her, and maybe so would a certain blonde. Of course that thought just reminded her how far she was behind him, and that for whatever reason the school deemed someone else to be the higher Kunoichi.
The only reason she wouldn't be top Kunoichi is because of Sakura being a total nerd and had near perfect Chakra control. It really peeved Ino that she still couldn't get her Chakra control that good, and of course the fact that she wasn't book smart enough like Sakura made her angry, but she didn't let it bother her. She knew that book smarts weren't enough to keep you alive. So with that in mind she walked over to Naruto's house, and knocked on the door.
Hearing a muffled "Come in!" She turned the nob, and walked in
She looked around, but couldn't find Naruto anywhere "Naruto-kun where are you?"
"In the restroom be out in a minute, make yourself comfortable." Naruto called out.
Ino walked in, but before she continued she turned to look at the pictures on Naruto's entrance table and smiled. It showed all the good times that they shared, and also some class photos. There was one from their summer trip last year as a class. Everyone was in their swimsuits smiling at the camera. Though like a tradition, when it started she didn't know, but there were multiple photos of every year at the end of a school year they had their arms around each other's shoulders, and giving the peace sign with their biggest smiles. Tearing her eyes from the photos she made her way into his kitchen and sat down at the island eyeing the clock. They had time to kill, but if they weren't careful they would be late, and she would prefer to leave that Shikamaru.
"Whew sorry about that, worked up a sweat this morning." Naruto stated coming around the corner into the kitchen
Ino turned her head around to reply when the words stopped in her throat. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise. Naruto's attire had changed. Instead of the white hooded jacket he used to wear, he was now pure black body fitted jacket with no hood. His grey cargo shorts were now replaced with white cargo shorts, with black stripes down the sides. He had his waist pouch attached behind him, and his Kunai pouch on his right leg. Around his calves were black bandage wrappings, and flowed into black ninja sandals. All in all, in her words and eyes, he looked rather dashing.
"Ino-chan?" Naruto looked at her expression with a risen eyebrow, and waved his hand to catch her attention "You ok?" Naruto examined her attire and found that she really good "You look like one hell of a Kunoichi, Ino-chan."
"Huh?" Ino quickly shook her head, and sported a small blush "Really?" she stood up and did a small spin "Daddy bought it for me, as a graduation present."
Naruto smiled "Yeah it looks great on you." He looked over at the clock, and felt a different kind of smile tug on his lips "Well let's get going, wouldn't want to be late now would we?"
With that they walked out the door onto their last day as Academy students. As they walked through the streets they received several smiles, and waves. Even when they left the Yamanaka compound they were greeted with smiles and waves. Though there were the occasional glare sent his way it was nowhere near as bad as it was when he was younger. It probably helped that his pranks didn't really affect any of them, but more of the people he knew who could take a joke, or the people who actually deserved it, even in the villager's point of view.
"So what do you think the last exam will contain?" Naruto asked as they walked
"I would think it would be a jutsu test. They've been pushing it a lot lately." Ino stated as they walked "Though I could see a taijutsu test, but I doubt it. Since those that do pass they don't want to wear us out before we go to our Jonin-sensei's."
Naruto nodded "I agree." He glanced sideways at her "So how goes your taijutsu training?"
Ino smiled over at Naruto "It's going pretty good. I finally was able to stop the chain from wrapping around me or hitting me." Naruto chuckled "It's not funny! If you would have told me, I would've been able to fix it right away."
"That was the whole point." Naruto stated as they got closer to the academy "It took me forever to figure out how not to get myself killed by my own chain. So I had to let you figure it out, besides I'm sure your fix is different from my own. So I don't know if my method would have helped you or not."
Ino merely huffed, puffing her cheeks "Leave it to you make yourself the good guy and make look like I'm looking for a way out of hard work."
Naruto laughed, and Ino joined in soon after. They walked into the Academy doors, and into their classroom. Surprisingly enough the majority of the class already here. So they took their seats towards the back of the classroom like they normally did. Ino decided to save her energy instead of contesting against Sakura or any other girl for the spot next to Sasuke. Sure she wouldn't mind sitting there, but in the end it was just a seat. Though what they forgot to mention was all the heads they were turning.
A lot of guys stared at Ino's figure, all the while the majority of girls looked Naruto figure. By no means had they truly matured yet, but it showed what they were going to have later on. Though the real kicker was that it even tore the eyes of Sasuke's fangirls away from him. Now Sasuke could care less about the girls, but it was merely the fact that Naruto was getting more than attention than he was. Though he didn't say anything it was the last day of the year, and he wasn't going to cause trouble.
"Yo Kiba you ready?" Naruto asked leaned against said person's desk
"Hell yeah!" Kiba thrust a fist in the air, and Akamaru barked "Been waiting for this all year."
Naruto chuckled and stuck out his fist "I'm with you on that one." They shared a fist and he turned his attention to Shino "How's the Hive Shino?"
Shino shifted his gaze over to Naruto and nodded in greeting "They are doing well Naurto-san. I wish you luck on the test."
Naruto grinned "Nothing to worry about."
Ino on the other hand was talking to Choji "Hey Choji you ready for today?"
"Of course *munch*. I'm making sure I pass. If I do my dad is taking me out for an all you can eat buffet tonight." Choji grinned, digging right back into his ever present bag of chips
Ino rolled her eyes "Of course that's your reasoning." Shaking her head she saw Shikamaru enter the room with his usual lazy pace "Hey Shikamaru you ready for today?"
Surprisingly there was a slight grin on his face "Yeah, I made sure I did enough to pass, and not be considered 'dead last' anyway. I'm just ready for this to be over with. It's such a drag." He took his usual seat, and laid his head to rest upon his arms. Typical Nara.
Before Ino could reply to her lazy friend, Iruka-sensei entered the room with his clipboard and called the class to attention. Yet when he entered there was the lack of Mizuki-sensei. He explained the final exam would be over the Clone jutsu, and a standard Henge. Then he glared Naruto who was smiling cheekily, while he explained that unfortunately Mizuki would not present for the exams due certain… circumstances that involved orange paint, feathers, and glue.
Now for some of the class this would be a walk in the park, but for those who came from civilian families, who decided not to practice Chakra control this was not going to end well for them.
Iruka one by one called students in for their exams. The students who passed or failed were sent in two different directions. The ones who passed were sent to another classroom where they would get their Jonin-sensei team assignments, while the ones who failed would leave the Academy and wait for the next school year or in most cases drop out. During this time Naruto waited patiently as his friends were called into the room.
Finally Iruka-sensei came out and called his name "Naruto Uzumaki."
"Alright!" Naruto grinned and followed Iruka into the room "Let me know when Iruka-sensei."
Iruka sat down behind his desk and looked up at Naruto with his strictly teacher face "Alright Naruto, three Clones." Naruto made the hand sign and three clones 'poofed' to life as he like to call it. Iruka nodded approvingly "Alright now dispel two, and do two different Henges. One on you and the other Clone." Naruto nodded, and did just that. Dispelling two of his Clones, he Henged his clone as the third Hokage, and then for Naruto he changed into the Yondaime. Iruka found it rather impressive that he could Henge into the forth since all Naruto could go off is photos. "Well done Naruto, I would like to say Congratulations, you graduate."
"Alright!" Naruto cheered, and the dispelled his clone and Henge. He walked over to where the metal plates with the Leaf Symbol. Picking up a black cloth he clasped the metal plate and tied it around his forehead "Now I'm one step closer!"
Iruka smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm "Ok Naruto you'll get your team assignment shortly. It would seem one of the Jonin-sensei's knew you would pass, along with some others. I look forward to what you can accomplish. Now get out of here, I got other students to grade."
Naruto grinned and bolted from the room. When he entered the room he found that were still a few civilian's that got through, but for the most part it was clan kids. Naruto went and joined up with his friends, all showing off their brand new head bands, or some cases arm bands, or even waist bands. This went on for a long while until that last few of the students came into the room. Finally after what seem like an eternity, and the slowly falling in the horizon Iruka came into the room with his clipboard in hand with a content smile on his face.
"Alright everyone, I have your team assignments right here. When I tell you your teams you are free to leave. You'll meet with you Jonin-sensei here in this classroom tomorrow, at noon." With that said Iruka focused his attention on the clip board, and began calling out team numbers. Naruto listened tentatively for his name or his friends name's "Team 7 will be Kiba Inuzaka, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."
He felt sorry for Kiba for being stuck with Sasuke, and Sakura on Team 7, but not much you can do when your dead last of the class. They'll put you with you the two 'best'. Yeah Naruto was peeved that he didn't get the 'Rookie of the Year', but all in all it's just a title. The only reason, and the only reason, is because of the fact his affinity for genjutsu is non-existent.
"Team 8 will be Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and Ino Yamanaka."
Hello again! So what do you think? I had some fun with this chapter, and before you guys mention it in the reviews yes I know there were a few big time skips. Well I wanted to get to Naruto's Ninja career, but I know that I had put some filler in the story on how he progressed, even then his progress is somewhat hidden. I'll be revealing more later on, it'll keep you guys on the edge hehe. I already have a special event to occur, and I'm sure you all enjoy it... for the most part *evil smile*.
The Reviews
bigfan22: I'm glad you like my writing style, and I hope that I can meet most expectations.
Guest1: Well I don't know about sex slave... I mean I rated it M, but to be honest that stuff doesn't really intrigue me. Though there will be a bit of SasuSaku bashing, but nothing to extreme here.
bankai777: Well I hope that last line answered your question hehe.
sweetlilly90: Thanks for the compliments! I also agree with you Ino is NOT the sharing type, and so I decided there would be no Harem... but that doesn't mean their wont be a bit of flirting... hehe
StrikeFreedomV2: I"m sorry about that in the first chapter. Now I normally go back through when I get the and fix my grammar mistakes, so just be patient with me on that front. Now for future reference it would be most appreciated if you would PM about grammar. Thank you!
Alright now that's done, I'll bid you all adieu! Leave a like or follow if you enjoyed, PM me if you have a request or grammar issues with my story and til next time
As Always Everyone please support the Official Release and Enjoy! Later Days!