The Academy door was open, as it always was that early in the morning. The genin at the front desk barely looked up from her book as she walked by, and she resisted the urge to giggle as she climbed the steps and wiggled the doorknob to her classroom. Finding it unlocked, she slipped inside and descended the stairs with a quiet cackle, snagging an eraser from the chalkboard and the chair from behind the teacher's desk. Standing on the chair, she balanced the eraser on top of the teacher's door, jumping down and scurrying underneath the desk to set up a small launcher and its payload.

Rubbing her hands gleefully, she skipped up the stairs and withdrew a bucket half filled with glitter and a spool of wire from a hiding place, and set about placing the bucket on top of the door and creating a simple pulley system. You see, when someone pushed the door open, the wire attached to the door knob would pull on the bucket, dumping small measures of glitter on to the people coming in. And if, say, a certain someone kicked open the door, well it would be a shame if the contents of the bucket would be poured on their head, wouldn't it?

Bouncing excitedly on her heels, she didn't notice a bedraggled form roll over on the chairs at the next row of desks. With a silent huff, Naruto awoke to the sight of a taut, athletic rear clad in tight black shorts jiggling slightly as the owner rocked on her chair. "Well, that's a great view to wake up to."

The girl squeaked in surprise and almost jumped off the chair, nearly tipping over as she wildly windmilled her arms, eventually managing to regain her balance. Spinning around, she found him lying on the chairs like a bench, looking up at her with sparkling blue eyes and a lazy, good-natured smile. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said quickly, flashing him a nervous smile. "I didn't know anyone else was in here!"

"S'alright," he waved her off, sitting up with a jaw-cracking yawn as he stretched his arms, getting a series of cracks for his efforts. "Whatcha doin'?"

She giggled guiltily, hiding a blush behind her sleeve. "Hehe, oh, you know, just setting up a few non-lethal traps for my fellow genin. Gotta keep 'em on their toes, y'know?" She rubbed her hands together nervously. "You-uh, you won't tell anyone, right?"

Naruto gave her a friendly wink. "'Course not. It'd pretty rude of me to stop you from helping your classmates," he paused in thought. "My classmates too, I guess." Rummaging in his sash, he withdrew his flask and took a drink as the girl hopped down and took a seat next to him.

"Sorry to pry, but do I know you?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head. With her dark hair, pale skin and white, pupil-less eyes that had just a hint of lavender, it was really quite adorable. "I can't help but think we've met before, but I think I would've remembered meeting a cutie like you," she finished with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, you look familiar to me, too," Naruto muttered, scratching the side of his head in thought. With a shrug, he held his hand out to her. "I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meetcha."

She took his hand and shook it firmly, but held onto it as his name finally sunk in. "I'm Hinata…" She began, trailing off as she suddenly remembered where she'd seen him before. "You're that boy!"

"Am I?" He asked amusedly, glancing at their joined hands. Bringing them up, he kissed her knuckles. "'Hinata,' huh? Nice name. Fitting, too."

Flushing deeply, Hinata withdrew her hand and tapped her forefingers together nervously. "T-thanks," she stammered, taking a deep breath to soothe her nerves. "I remembered meeting you a long time ago. Do you recall that time when a couple of kids were picking on a little girl?"

…

"P-please, I'm s-sorry!" A much younger, smaller Hinata cried, a hand on her reddening cheek as she knelt on the ground, her cute lavender yukata getting stained by the dirt and grass. "I-I don't k-know what I did, b-but I'm s-sorry!"

"You're gonna be even more sorry when we're done with you!" A boy, two years older than her wearing a red shirt and white shorts, his orange hair puffing out around his head. "You think you're better than us, Hyuga?! Just 'cause we're civilians doesn't mean we're weak!"

"Yeah!" Two boys with plain features chanted behind him, sneering victoriously as the older boy stomped toward her. "Get 'er, Taku!"

"We don't need your help!" Taku growled, lifting a foot menacingly. "We don't need you lookin' down your nose at us!"

"Hey!" A pebble bounced off the older boy's head, making him stumble away with a cry of pain. Through tear-filled eyes, Hinata looked up to find a boy her age with a shock of blond hair standing with his hands on hips, glaring at the boys with narrowed blue eyes. "Whatcha think you're doing, huh?! You havin' fun, pickin' on a girl who didn't do anything?!"

"Shut up, freak!" Taku screeched, rubbing his head furiously. "You don't know nothin'! Get outta here before we beat you-!"

Naruto dashed forward and jumped, sinking his foot into the bully's belly. "Who cares!" He shouted, wincing as the older boy lashed out and winged him on his temple. "I'm not running! You don't scare me!" It was ungraceful, the very definition of brawling, but Naruto fought against Taku, taking a punch but returning it twofold, blackening the bully's eye. The blond stomped on Taku's foot and kicked him in the shin, taking a back-hand to the mouth that split his lip open.

Naruto growled and kneed Taku in the stomach before grabbing him around the ears and headbutting him visciously, knocking the bully on his back. The older boy sat up, dazed and hurt, reaching a hand up to feel his nose. Seeing the red on his skin, Taku's eyes welled up and he scrambled to his feet, running away as fast as he could. "You'll pay for that!" he whined, stumbling over an exposed tree root and face-planting in the dirt. With a loud sob, he crawled away. "I'm telling the teacher!"

The other boys watched him go before looking at Naruto fearfully. He glared at them and stepped forward, making the two yelp and run after the older boy. "That's right! Run, ya jerks! That's all you're good for!" He turned around, smiling broadly at an awe-struck Hinata. "Sorry 'bout that, but I couldn't let 'em pick on a pretty girl without doin' anything about it!" As if to punctuate this, he flashed her a thumbs-up and a wink.

"Oh! Um, t-thank you…" Hinata stammered, a red filling her cheeks as she glanced away, her eyes falling on the thin rivulet of blood spilling from his mouth. "You're hurt!"

"Aw this?" Naruto licked his lip and spat a bit of blood to the side, grinning widely. "Don't even worry about it, it's just a scratch! Now, I gotta go. I think someone needs a new paint job!"

The young Hyuga blinked up at him. "B-but you'll get in trouble!" She said worriedly, her mind racing. He defended me, I don't want him to get in trouble!

The blond cocked his head in thought for a scant second before shrugging. "I get in trouble all the time!" he admitted cheerfully, "Don't worry about me, pretty girl! Prankster King, awaaaay!"

As he made to dash off, Hinata threw out a hand. "Wait!" She called, ignoring her embarrassment at raising her voice in public. "U-um, what's your name? Please?"

"Naruto Uzumaki!" He shouted, hitting her with another wide grin. "Remember the name, 'cause I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" Then he sprinted away, whooping at the top of his lungs.

Watching him go, Hinata poked her forefingers together as an indescribably warm feeling suffused her chest. Then, the blood rushed to her face and she nearly fainted as she realized what he'd said.

He called me pretty.

…

"Ha!" Naruto barked out a laugh, slapping the desk as he finally recalled that day. "I remember that now! That's right, I dumped a bucket of paint on that kid's head. Why were they picking on you, by the way?" He turned a curious look on Hinata, who was still blushing and poking her fingertips together.

Instead of an answer, Hinata suddenly shook herself, staring at her fingers in betrayal. Then, she brought them to her mouth and bit down on them, hard enough to hurt but not draw blood. "Dammit, I thought I was over that habit," she muttered, flushing slightly as she found Naruto arching an eyebrow at her. "Oh, uh, sorry. I just…" Hinata shrugged helplessly. "Trying to break that habit. What was the question?"

The drunken blond reached into his sash and pulled a pre-made bento out, setting it on the desk. "Hungry?" he asked, flipping the lid off to reveal a row of taiyaki still steaming. "I was wondering why those kids were picking on you."

Taking one with a quiet 'thanks,' Hinata took a bite and sighed at the taste of warm red bean filling and sweet dough on her tongue. "Well," she said around a mouthful, "Those jackasses were having trouble with the leaf sticking exercise, so I tried to help them. Apparently, I was 'looking down my nose at the clanless nobodies,'" she snarked, rolling her eyes as she took another bite.

"Some people are just stubborn," Naruto shrugged, snagging his own taiyaki and tearing into it. "Sorry I didn't remember you, but that was several years, several drinks and several blows to the head ago. To be fair, you're completely different from back then."

The Hyuga kunoichi arched a delicate eyebrow at him. "Good different?" She asked carefully.

He winked at her cheerfully. "I think so," he replied easily. "You definitely look happier."

"I am happier," she agreed, finishing off one fish-shaped snack before taking another. "Thanks for breakfast, by the way. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here so early? I mean, I always come here early so I can set up my prank-I mean, my 'non-lethal traps,'" Hinata hurriedly corrected herself, smiling brightly at him.

Naruto shrugged, sipping from his flask. "Couldn't sleep, decided I might as well do something useful and take a look at the classroom. Then I got tired and decided to take a nap," he answered simply before smirking playfully. "I will say, the view I woke up to was great."

Hinata blushed slightly, but gave as good as she got. "Well, I like what I see, too," she raked her eyes up and down his lean form and finished with a wink. They shared a friendly chuckle and finished their breakfast. "By the way, you want to get lunch with me later?" she asked around a mouthful of taiyaki. "I could show you the best stores, the new restaurants…the best views…"

Naruto chuckled. "Very tempting, I won't lie-" he began, only to be interrupted by the door opening. A boy covered up almost completely by his beige jacket walked inside the classroom, not feeling the slight trickle of glitter into his hair, and gave them a slight nod. Choking back a laugh, they gave him a small wave in return and watched him take a seat on a lower level. "This is going to be an awesome day, isn't it?" The blond murmured to himself.

"Oh yeah," Hinata giggled, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. "Believe me, it hasn't even started."

They watched as more students entered the room, each receiving a small sprinkle of glitter in their hair as they passed under the bucket, giving Naruto a strange look as they saw him, before finding a seat and a friend.

As the room began to fill up, Naruto looked down at the teenagers sitting below him, frowning as a realization struck him. "I don't know who any of these people are," he said to himself.

"Don't worry, I know everybody," Hinata assured, leaning against his shoulder to whisper in his ear. "The boy in the jacket?" She pointed at said boy, who was sitting near an open window, staring intently at the ladybug perched on his finger. "That's Shino Aburame. His clan are like, hives for chakra-eating bugs. It's kinda creepy, but they've got the best silks in Fire Country. He's really quiet, but nice enough."

Her finger descended on a rotund boy steadily eating from a bag of chips, his cheeks marked with swirls. "The big guy is Choji Akimichi. His clan cook for and run the best eateries in Konoha, and use body-modifying jutsu. He's kinda lazy but nice, and he gets really angry when people call him fat." The window next to Choji slid open, and a lean teen with a dour face and brown hair pulled back into a spiky tail climbed through, taking a seat next to him. "That guy that just came in is Shikamaru Nara, of the Nara Clan. Most of them are really smart, but super lazy. They use Shadow-controlling jutsu and have a huge herd of deer they take care of. I think they sell the antlers for medicine or something."

"Ya got alot of clan kids in this class, huh?" Naruto asked rhetorically, taking a sip from his flask.

"The most in one class in years," Hinata answered, before directing his attention to a purple-haired girl sitting in the front, leaning boredly on her hand. "That's Ami. I heard she's related to a really tough ANBU, but no one knows for certain. She used to be kind of a snot, but she's gotten better the last couple of months." Perking up, Ami turned around and spotted them looking at her, giving them a friendly wave. "Hey Ami," the Hyuga kunoichi greeted with a wiggle of her fingers.

The door opened again and in stepped a boy with messy brown hair, slit eyes and red fang-like marks on his cheeks. A medium-sized white dog trotted by his side, and thus avoided the glitter as it sprinkled into the human's hair. "Hey, Hinata!" He greeted cheerfully, his smile fading slightly as he saw the blond man sitting next to her. "…And other guy who I don't know."

"Hey Kiba," Hinata replied distantly, her attention focused on the dog as it bounded up to her. "Akamaru! Who's a big, strong doggie? That's right, you are! Yes you are!" She rubbed his head affectionately even as the dog licked at her fingers and yipped happily. "Oh, Akamaru, meet my new friend! His name is Naruto, he's really nice."

Kiba fixed Naruto with a searching look as his dog reluctantly slipped away from the Hyuga's friendly fingers and trotted towards the blond. Naruto gazed down at the dog, not backing away as he set his paws on the chair and stood, coming nose to nose with the human. The drunk blinked. "Well hi there." Akamaru sniffed at him, his wet nose tickling Naruto's cheeks before he huffed approvingly and started licking the blond's face. "Alright, alright!" Naruto chuckled, scratching the big puppy's neck. "Nice to meet you too, Akamaru."

Hinata beamed as her new friend played with her old one, her smiled fading slightly as Kiba descended down the steps and whistled for his dog. "C'mon, buddy, we're gonna sit with Shino," he said, snapping his fingers as Akamaru whined. "You can play with 'em later, come on, man!"

The dog finally acquiesced and departed the two with a final lick of their fingers, trotting off after his human partner. Wiping his face, Naruto glanced at Hinata and nodded at the pair. "Who're they?"

"The guy is Kiba Inuzuka, part of the Inuzuka Clan," she explained, wiping her hands off on the bottom of the desk. "They partner up with ninja dogs, ninken, which is what Akamaru is. They're a lot bigger, smarter and tougher than regular dogs, and they can use chakra. I heard some of them can even speak. The Clan as a whole are hunters and run most of the veterinary services and shelters."

"Must be pretty wild," the blond joked, getting a quiet giggle from Hinata.

"They can be," she nodded. Just then, the door at the bottom of the classroom opened quickly, the eraser dropping and being caught by an average-looking guy, his brown hair pulled back with the standard Konoha hitai-ate on his forehead, and a long scar that started on one cheek, crossed over the bridge of his nose and ended on the other.

"Really?" He said sourly, arching an eyebrow. "While I'm glad whoever is pulling these pranks is starting to take them down a notch-" There was a quiet thwip as the launcher hidden under his desk fired, its payload impacting his face and bursting in a cloud of paint. He sighed as the teenager started laughing, the pattern of the paint making him look like an old-fashioned geisha. "Dammit, Hinata."

"See, that's why I always arrive fashionably late," a silver-haired man joked, patting the teacher on the shoulder and guiding him out of the room. "You go get cleaned up and I'll call roll, alright Iruka?"

"Yeah," Iruka sighed, tossing the eraser on the desk and leaving with a huff. "One more month, one more month…"

The silver-haired man chuckled quietly, pulling a clipboard out of his vest. "Good morning, class!" he sang.

"Good morning, Mizuki-sensei!" the class chorused back, sounding bored already.

"Calm down, why don't you?" he sighed, clicking a pen. "We've got a little less than five minutes until the bell rings, so I'll take roll while we wait for our last arrivals, eh? Choji Akimichi!"

As he spoke, the student door slammed open, the bucket tilting over completely as two girl strode through the door arm-in-arm, grandly announcing, "We're he-!" Before they devolved into indignant shrieks as the remaining glitter poured down, coating them in the sparkly substance. One of the girls, a lithe athletic type with pink hair and green eyes turned on Hinata with a growl. "Hinata! I know it was you!"

Hinata stuck her tongue at them. "It wasn't me, Sakura, I've just been sitting here with my new friend!" She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, giving Naruto a look. "And you didn't see me set up any pranks, right?"

"I did not, no," he answered calmly, which was true from a certain point of view. He'd seen her butt as she finished securing the bucket, but he hadn't seen it all.

"Dammit, Hinata," the other girl, a well-shaped blonde with her long hair in a high ponytail, griped as she tried in vain to get the glitter out of her hair. "Now I look like a stripper!"

The Hyuga kunoichi smirked dryly. "Ino, you already-"

"-look like a stripper," Ino finished with a huff, "Ha ha, easy joke, shut up. This better wash out or I'm going to be so nettled."

"Idiots," a stoic, feminine voice came from behind them. "I told you there was a prank set up on the door." The girl that emerged from the door was tall, with skin a few shades darker than Hinata and long black hair in a ponytail, her dark blue shirt straining slightly against a respectable chest, with off-white shorts showcasing some rather nice legs.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Ino huffed, her gaze falling on the scruffy blond sitting next to the class prankster. "Ohoho, and who's this?" She murmured huskily, slipping around Naruto's left to sit on the desk next to his arm. "Hi there, I'm Ino, Ino Yamanaka." She held a hand out to him, smiling in a rather predatory manner as he kissed her knuckles politely.

"Naruto," he replied simply. "Pleasure to meet you."

Ino chuckled throatily, leaning back on her hands as she surveyed him. "A gentlemen, eh? Well, the pleasure's all mine, Naruto," she drawled seductively before nearly squealing as Sakura pushed her away by the face, sending her tumbling to the next floor below.

"Good god, Ino, can you hold off on the skanking for one damn minute?" she grouched, giving Naruto a sheepish shrug. "Sorry, she's kinda…flirty."

Naruto gave her a wink. "Hey, me too," he replied easily. "Us blondes have more fun, after all."

"Exactly!" The Yamanaka crowed, popping up as if she'd never been pushed. "See? Someone gets it!"

"Ahem." They all looked down to the desk, where Mizuki stood with his clipboard. "Thanks. Hinata Hyuga!"

"Here!" Hinata called, her white eyes locked into a staring contest with the dark-haired girl's coal black.

"You missed," she finally said with a minute smirk.

"I'll get you one of these days, Sasuke," the Hyuga muttered, grinning a challenge at the other girl.

"Uh huh," Sasuke replied dryly, her eyes flicking up to meet Naruto's for a brief second before she turned away and descended the steps to an empty row of seats. Sakura and Ino took the empty seats next to her, while Naruto leaned back in his seat with a thoughtful frown.

"So," he whispered to Hinata, "that girl down there…that's Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

The Hyuga prankster nodded. "Yeah, that's right. You remember her?"

Naruto hummed. "Yeah, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember him being a…well, him." He turned to her with a confused look. "Sasuke's a girl?"

"Surprised the hell outta us, too," Hinata concurred with a shrug. "We all thought she was a boy, but one day she comes in and she's got boobs growing in. I guess we just thought she was a he 'cause she's got a guy's name, but nope. All girl. And my arch-enemy."

"Arch-enemy?" The drunken blond asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I can never hit her with a prank, she somehow always manages to avoid them," Hinata growled, clenching a fist and raising it dramatically. "But one day! One day I will have my Revenge!"

Mizuki sighed, looking up from his clipboard. "Hinata, will you stop? You're already gonna have to clean all this crap up afterwards, don't make me give you detention."

"Sorry, Sensei," the Hyuga shrugged, "I was being dramatic."

"Must be Tuesday," Mizuki muttered to himself before checking off the last name. "Alright, class, as you've no doubt noticed, we've got a new student…or a returning one, depending on how you look at it. Everybody, please welcome Naruto Uzumaki, he'll be joining the class in this last month before the Genin Tests."

As the class turned around to look at him, Naruto gave them a casual wave. "Hey," he said, taking a drink from his flask.

"Come on, Naruto," the silver-haired teacher, gesturing for him to rise. "Stand up and introduce yourself…and is that alcohol?"

"Fine," the blonde sighed, standing up from his seat. "And yes, it is. Alright, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I used to live here about five years ago, I went on a jaunt around the countries for a bit and now I'm back. Hi."

"Hi." The class chorused back, but with a few confused looks. Iruka emerged from the teacher's door, still wiping his face with a wet rag. "Are we all set?" He asked Mizuki, getting a nod from his assistant. "Settle down, class, we've got a lot of reviewing to do before we break for physical training, so pay attention. Now, Konoha was formed a long time ago, when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha came together…"

Sitting in his chair, Naruto sighed and withdrew a pencil and a notebook from his sash and began to take notes. He knew he'd be tested on it later, and while he'd gotten much better at focusing due to his constant state of slight inebriation, it only really worked when he was studying something interesting. And this was not.

And he already knew most of it.

A little more than two hours later, Iruka set his book down and took a deep drink of water. "Alright, class, head outside and we'll start the review on your physical training. Naruto, can you stay behind for a minute?" He turned to Mizuki. "Can you get them started? I'll be out in a bit."

"Sure thing," his old friend replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "Remember, he's just a regular kid with a few extra bits, alright?"

"I know, I know," Iruka waved him, turning a level look on the descending blond as his classmates escaped the room via the door and windows. "So, Naruto. I understand you've been away for a while, and that you probably weren't partaking in any sort of ninja training while you were gone. I'd like to know what you skills and abilities you have, so I can pull together a lesson plan and perhaps a tutor so you can catch up."

Naruto grunted affirmatively, taking a sip from his flask. "Alright, I can handle that," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Like most non-ninja fighters, I've been trained to reinforce my body with chakra, as well as increase my speed and strength. I prefer to wander or mosey more than tree-hopping, but I can pick it up again pretty easily. I prefer to fight hand-to-hand, but I can handle a katana and wakizashi pair fairly well."

"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you pick that up?" Iruka questioned carefully, looking up from his note taking.

"The man I traveled with, he was a ronin and a Master of the Art of the Drunken Fist," the blond replied, sighing heavily as a frown tugged at his lips. "I wouldn't say I'm a Master since that implies I have nothing left to learn, but I could fight my sensei to a stand-still more often than not when using Suiken. I'm also fairly well-versed in a second style of fighting and I've recently picked up another." At the teacher's arched eyebrow, he explained, "Training and learning new styles are one of my hobbies."

"Mm," Iruka grunted, making a note. "So, as far taijutsu is concerned, you don't need any instruction there, though you will still be tested. Any skill with throwing weapons?"

Naruto shook his head. "Unless you count rocks, no. Sensei tried to teach me some method of throwing shuriken, but I never got it down." He took another drink as the teacher made another note.

"Alright, what about jutsu, elemental or otherwise?"

The blond bobbed his head. "I'm pretty good with fire techniques and I'm getting a handle on water, but nothing else besides that."

Iruka hummed again, scribbling something in his notepad. "So you'll need a tutor in the Academy Three Jutsu," at Naruto's curious look, he explained. "The Three are the pillars of a good ninja's mindset: Evasion, Misdirection, and Blending. Evasion is the Kawarimi, which is switching with something from the environment to avoid attacks, and if you've pre-prepared switching materials, they can be used as traps. Misdirection comes from the Bunshin no Jutsu, which creates non-physical copies of the user or anything else, really. They don't affect the environment, so a well-trained adversary can spot them fairly easily."

"Then why not teach a clone technique that's actually physical?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

Iruka sighed deeply, pinching his nose in irritation. "Sorry. It's a good question, but one I get fairly often. See, physical clones are more chakra-intensive, and most genin don't have the reserves for it. After graduating and more in-depth training, that's generally when ninja learn physical clones. Besides, the Bunshin jutsu is actually one of the most versatile jutsu we have. Yes, you can create copies of yourself to create confusion, but you can also create copies of weapons. One kunoichi I knew would throw a fan of clone kunai at an enemy with one or two hidden inside, and she would create a clone that she would hide inside. It made fighting against her a real pain in the ass." He paused, noticing the impressed look the younger man was giving him.

"Alright," Naruto nodded, crossing his arms and leaning back against the front row desk. "You've convinced me. What about the last one?"

"Last one is Blending, the Henge no Jutsu," Iruka explained, clapping his hands together as a cloud of smoke covered him. As it faded, Naruto found the Sandaime Hokage standing in front of him. "As you can see-" the voice was even the same "-it allows a ninja to take on the appearance of another or even an object, although it won't stand up to close scrutiny. Depending on what it's used for, you need to have knowledge about the person you're transforming into, otherwise it won't be very realistic."

"So I need to learn those to pass, then?" The drunken blond asked, tapping his chin in thought as he sipped from his flask, the dragon carved into the side glinting in the light.

"Yes. Passing both the physical and jutsu portions of the Graduation Test would give you a passing grade," the teacher shrugged. "Not a high one mind you, but passing, which should be good enough for your purposes. Now that I've got an understanding of your capabilities, I'll see if I can pull together a tutor or two…for now, let's join the rest of the class outside."

The two of them exited the classroom through the teacher's door, walking side by side. As Naruto took another pull of his sake, Iruka gave him a suspicious side-eye and resolved to talk to him about it later. As they neared the outdoors, the teacher paused and patted himself down, cursing as he realized he'd left his clipboard back in the classroom. "Damn. Excuse me, I forgot something," he spun around, brushing against Naruto's shoulder as he went. "Sorry."

Naruto watched him go with an arched eyebrow before shrugging and continuing on, but not without a parting comment to his sash. "I felt what you did there," he said mildly, taking a sip from his flask. "That wasn't necessary. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, so stop it." He reached into his sash and withdrew an unfamiliar coin purse. "Huh. Dolphins."

Stepping into the sunlight, he found the class spread out across a well-tread field of grass; part of them went through very basic kata while others through shuriken and kunai at wooden dummies, while the rest were sitting in the shade of a tree with leaves sticking to their foreheads. Walking towards the last group, he plopped down next to Shikamaru, the Nara cracking an eye to glance at him. "Yeah?"

"What're you guys doing?" he asked, playing with a leaf.

"Leaf-sticking exercise," Shikamaru grunted, sighing as he fell back against the grass. "You take a leaf, and try to make it stick to your skin using your chakra. That's it."

"Alright," Naruto muttered to himself, pressing the leaf to his forehead and calling on his chakra, a trickle of warmth flooding through his skull. As he dropped his fingers, the leaf shot off of his head, looping in the air to rest on the grass.

"Too much chakra," the Nara said faintly.

Over the next hour or so, Naruto continued to try and stick the leaf to his forehead, and failed every time. Several drinks and a quiet sigh later, Shikamaru suggested he try with two leaves instead of the one, which the drunken blond found to be easier, though not by much.

"Alright, class!" Iruka called, the sun high in the sky. "It's time to break for lunch! Be back in thirty minutes, or it'll be detention with me!"

Naruto brushed himself off as he stood, offering a hand to Shikamaru and hauling him to his feet. "Thanks for the advice."

"Yeah, no problem," the Nara replied with yawn, stretching as he walked off with Choji Akimichi.

Hinata bounced up next to him, her bright smile on full blast as they began to leave the field. "So, you wanna catch lunch with me?" she offered, folding her hands behind her back as they walked. "There's this small hole-in-the-wall that makes these really good sandwiches."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "That does sound nice…but I kinda promised the old man I'd eat with him today."

"Oh," she ducked her head, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Old man?"

"Yeah, he's-" Naruto perked up as the Sandaime appeared in a swirl of leaves, his triangular hat perched on his head and a smile on his wrinkled face. "Hey, old man. You're right on time."

"Punctuality is an important facet of any ninja, my boy," Hiruzen greeted with a cheeky wink, his gaze falling on the Hyuga kunoichi standing next to his honorary grandchild. "Oh? And who's this? Hinata Hyuga-chan, if I'm remembering correctly."

Reddening, Hinata bowed deeply. "Y-yes, I am Hinata Hyuga! It's a pleasure to meet you, Sandaime Hokage-Sama!" Noticing that Naruto was not, in fact, bowing, she tugged sharply on his sleeve. "What are you doing? This is the Hokage, you need to be respectful!" She hissed worriedly.

"Nah," Naruto shrugged carelessly, taking a sip of his sake. "I'm good. You ready for lunch, old man?"

"Been looking forward to it all day," Hiruzen replied, tapping his chin in thought. "Today feels like a barbeque day, don't you think?"

The blond nodded agreeably. "Sounds great." He paused, glancing at Hinata. "Actually, can I bring a plus one?"

"Of course!" The Hokage said with a smile. "The more the merrier. Come, let's get going, it wouldn't do to have you return late to class on your first day."

Naruto smirked and held an arm out to the still-red Hyuga. "Sweet. Coming?" Hinata looked between him and the leader of the village, quietly taking his arm and nearly hiding her face in his shoulder. "How's your day been, old man?"

"As fine as it typically is," the Hokage shrugged, chewing on the stem of his unlit pipe. "Paperwork, meetings, missions…all the important but completely boring aspects of ninja's life, and they're so much worse for me. I don't know why all the young'uns want to Hokage, it's terrible. Especially on my back."

Hinata giggled shrilly into Naruto's arm, not entirely certain that she was actually witnessing the Sandaime Hokage, the feared God of Shinobi, walking and talking, even bitching about his position like a normal person. It was freaky.

"Yeah, running a village is hard work," the blond hummed, sipping from his dragon flask.

"Mm," the Sandaime agreed, stopping in front of a restaurant with a sign declaring it as 'Miki's Place.' "Here we are," Hiruzen announced, holding the door open for the younger members of the party. The Hyuga prankster muffled another slightly hysterical laugh into Naruto's shoulder as they stepped inside.

"Welcome to Miki's, how can I…help you…" The portly man who stood at the counter went pale as he realized who he was talking to. "Ho-Hokage-Sama! It-it's an honor to have you v-visit our establishment!"

"Is it?" The Hokage said softly, the smile fading into something a little less open, a little more controlled. "I've heard good things about this place, and I was hoping my party and I could enjoy a meal here."

"O-of course!" The man stuttered, shakily waving them passed the counter with what could charitably be called a smile. "R-right this way, Hokage-Sama!"

Walking through the building, other customers would look up from their meals grilling on their tables, their eyes would pass over them once before locking onto the white robes and hat of the Hokage. Then, they would stare in shock and awe at such a figure being in the same restaurant, going to eat food…

Like a normal person.

The Hokage let out a tiny, almost inaudible sigh as the waiter led them to a table and set a trio of menus on the surface, bowing nervously and scurrying away as they took their seats. Still clutching Naruto's arm, Hinata squeezed in next to him, nearly burying her face in the menu. "…Should've gone to Ichiraku's," Hiruzen muttered, thumbing through the edible options. "The seasoned pork looks rather tasty, I have to say."

"I like the look of the marinated steak," Naruto replied, dryly looking at the old man over his menu. "And I could've told you that, old man. At least they don't treat you like you're about to snap and murder them all…right, Hinata?" He teased the prankster, lightly nudging her with his elbow.

"Oh! U-um, yes," she fidgeted with the plastic menu, her face terribly red. "P-please excuse me, Hokage-Sama…"

"It's alright, Hinata-chan," the Sandaime smiled gently at her. "I know I can be scary, but please, just treat me like a regular person in this kind of situation."

"Okay!" Hinata nodded firmly, breathing a relieved sigh before finally sliding away from Naruto. "Thanks for being my shield," she mumbled embarrassedly.

"Anytime," he replied, his eyes raking over options. "Oho, they have eel. I haven't had eel in a long time, that sounds good."

The waiter returned with a notebook in hand, giving a nervous smile even as his voice shook. "H-how can I s-serve you today, Hokage-Sama?"

"I'd like the seasoned pork with a side-serving of salad and a pot of jasmine tea, please," the Sandaime spoke, turning to the couple on the other side. "It's my treat, so feel free to get whatever you want."

"Thanks, old man, I'll treat you to ramen next time," Naruto grinned, setting his menu down as he turned to the waiter, who gawped at his impertinence. "I'll take the barbeque eel and the marinated steak, with rice as a side. And what would you recommend for an alcoholic drink to pair with that?"

The waiter opened his mouth and hesitated, blinking as he looked out of a window. "Al-alcohol? It's…the middle of the day…"

The blond arched an eyebrow at him. "…And?"

He gulped and peered at his notebook in thought. "W-well, we do have rice beer made with red beans…"

"Alright!" Naruto closed his menu and set it aside. "I'll take a glass of that. Hinata?"

"I'll have the chicken with a side of gyoza," the Hyuga kunoichi said primly, folding her hands on the table. "And a some pomegranate juice to go with it."

The waiter bowed deeply and scurried off, leaving the three alone. "So, Naruto, how's your first day back?" Hiruzen asked, sighing as he leaned back into the plush seat.

"Good so far, but a little boring," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm a bit behind on the whole jutsu front, and chakra control and throwing weapons." Naruto sucked his teeth dispassionately. "Not so much on the physical side or history, but still…I'm gonna have to work hard to catch up."

"I can help you!" Hinata offered with a bright smile, grabbing his arm lightly. "I'm one of the top kunoichi in class, I know all the material."

The Sandaime tapped his chin in thought. "While that's a nice offer, Hinata-chan, it is the last month before graduation. The test and reviews are only going to get more demanding as time goes on, and you should focus on your own studies. Perhaps you could tutor him in one facet, while others handle the remaining ones." He turned a look on Naruto. "Naruto, my boy, do you have any money?"

"Some," he replied simply, winking at the waiter who returned to their table with a tray of drinks. "I could probably afford an apartment, if that's what you're thinking."

"That's nice to know, but I was thinking more of hiring a ninja to tutor you," Hiruzen hummed. "Well, if your other classmates are up to the challenge, perhaps it won't be necessary."

"I can ask around," the Hyuga prankster offered, rubbing her hands gleefully as their food was served. Given that it was cook-it-yourself place, the main course was raw, but still. Before long, the meat was grilling and they'd dug into the side dishes. "Despite being my arch-enemy, Sasuke's quite good at the Academy three and I hear she's been practicing higher-ranked techniques in her off-time."

"I'll ask Iruka-kun to set it up," Hiruzen smiled as he plucked a piece of pork from the grill and popped it in his mouth. "Mm, this is quite delicious."

Conversation died down, replaced by the partaking in their freshly-grilled meals. "Mm, old man," Naruto offered a chunk of steaming eel around a mouthful of rice, "Try the eel, it's tasty."

The Sandaime ate the morsel and hummed appreciatively. "You're right my boy, it's good."

"Ooh, can I try?" Hinata asked, receiving a bite in return. "A little rich, but I like it! Here, try my chicken."

The blond chewed thoughtfully. "Oh, that's yummy. The little bit of lemon really ties it all together."

Chuckling to himself, Hiruzen glanced at a clock and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Ah. Good food and good company make the time fly, I suppose," he directed the younger couple to the clock while he signaled for the waiter. "We need a few to-go boxes and the check."

"Sorry to cut this short, old man," Naruto sighed, finishing off his rice beer. "The class room calls."

"Indeed," the older man chuckled as they packed the remainder of of their lunches away. "As I said, it's my treat. You two get back to the Academy, I'll handle the check."

Hinata stood quickly and bowed, her forehead nearly bouncing off the table. "T-thank you for lunch, Hokage-sama!" She blushed nervously at the amused looks from the men. "W-what? H-habits are hard to b-break, you know?"

"And you were doing so well," Hiruzen shook his head with a chuckle. "I suppose the only way to cure you is repeated exposure."

"I-I suppose," the Hyuga kunoichi stuttered, clearing her throat. "T-thank you for the help, Hokage-sama."

Naruto chuckled under his breath, offering Hinata his arm again. "I'll see you later, alright old man?" They waved as they left Miki's Place and made their way back to the Academy. As they approached the building, the blond turned to Hinata with a grin. "You pulled that stutter out on purpose."

She flashed him a bright smile and a victory-sign. "Yup!" she admitted with zero shame. "Getting lunch with the Hokage and my new friend all the time? Sign me the hell up! Which I just did."

Naruto shook his head admiringly. "Clever girl."

Hinata winked. "Kunoichi."

…

They arrived at the classroom with a minute to spare and settled into their seats for another lecture about history, but this time it was about the other nations, which made it about twice as interesting. Naruto took careful notes and made sure to mark some subjects for further study. The day ended after that, but Iruka called him, Hinata and Sasuke down to the front as everyone else was dismissed.

"As you know," the teacher nodded at Naruto, "our newest member is behind, far behind, I'd like to ask for your help in bringing him up to the class's level. Since you two are the best in class this year, I figured you would be the best to ask for help in this matter."

"I already volunteered to tutor Naruto-kun in chakra control, sensei," Hinata spoke up, flicking her hair back with a confident smile aimed at Sasuke. "It's what I'm best at, after all."

The Uchiha kunoichi arched an eyebrow at her. "You're a Hyuga, it'd be disappointing if you weren't," she said shortly, turning her coal-black gaze on Naruto and completely ignoring the way her words made the Hyuga deflate. "Hm. I suppose I can cut into my training time to tutor. But know this," Sasuke leveled a serious finger at the blond. "You waste my time, I won't bother teaching you a damn thing. You show up on time and put in the work, we won't have any problems."

"Gotcha," Naruto winked at her, getting a huff in return. "Does thirty minutes after class work for you two?"

"Hm." Sasuke grunted, while Hinata replied with a bright, "Yup!"

Iruka clapped his hands, pushing away from his desk. "Alright, that settles it. I'll see you all in class tomorrow." He turned back to the chalkboard and began erasing the lecture written on it.

"We'll start tomorrow," the Uchiha kunoichi muttered, dashing out of an open window.

"Think so you're soooo cool, don't you?" Hinata grumbled, taking Naruto's arm as they began to leave. "I actually have family training tonight, so I can't start today either. We can start the day after, okay?"

"Whatever works for you," Naruto nodded, pausing in the doorway and spinning around. "One sec." Reaching into his sash, he pulled a coin purse decorated with little cartoon dolphins. "Hey, Iruka."

The scarred teacher turned around with a curious expression. "Yeah?"

"Found this outside," the blond answered, tossing the coin purse to him. "Be a little more careful, yeah?" He left with a cheeky wink, rejoining Hinata on the way out. They walked in comfortable silence, broken a minute later as he asked, "Hey, Hinata. Why were you and those people so freaked out about the old man? I know he's the Hokage and everything, but that was a little…over the top."

"Oh," Hinata frowned uncomfortably and the afternoon felt just a little darker. "Well, about five years ago, something happened and it made him absolutely furious. His Killing Intent could be felt all over the village. It was so bad, a couple of people had to go the hospital for anxiety and heart attacks. The four jonin who gave him the news almost fainted from the pressure, and they're veterans from the last war!"

Naruto hummed in thought. "Five years ago, hmm?"

"Yeah, it was terrifying," the sunny Hyuga shuddered, drawing closer to him. "Hey wait a minute, five years ago. Isn't that when you…?"

"Yeah."

Hinata's eyes widened in realization. "…Ooooh. Wow, he must really care about you." She tapped her chin in thought. "Actually, that was the second time I can remember him being that angry. The first time…well, something bad went down with Kumo, and he had to give up someone to keep the peace. I think we would've gone to war if he hadn't calmed down…"

"Who woulda thought, pissing off the second person to be called the 'God of Shinobi' is a bad idea," Naruto murmured, drawing a quiet giggle from Hinata. "By the way, I want to say thank you. I was kind of dreading today, starting in a new school and all, but you made it all a little brighter, like a ray of sunshine."

Hinata beamed at him, leaning over to peck his cheek. "Glad I could help," she said brightly, drawing away from him. "This is me," she explained, jacking a thumb at the gates of the Hyuga compound. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course," he gave her a parting nod and wink, moseying off as he drew his flask and took a deep drink.

"Onee-chan?" A girl's voice pulled Hinata from her watching Naruto, turning to find a younger Hyuga with unbound brown hair and similar eyes tilting her head curiously. "Who was that guy?"

Hinata smiled softly. "His name's Naruto Uzumaki, Hanabi-chan, a new classmate of mine. He's very kind."

"You kissed him." Hanabi pointed out simply.

Her sister flushed but looked pleased. "I did," she replied bluntly.

The younger Hyuga hummed thoughtfully. "Naruto Uzumaki…has blond hair, blue eyes and whiskers on his cheeks…" She snapped her fingers in realization. "Isn't that the name of the boy you've had a crush on for years?"

Hinata resisted the urge to bury her flaming face in her sleeves. "…Maybe…"

…

Instead of heading for the Hokage's home, Naruto diverged from the road and strolled through the dappled forest, enjoying the afternoon breeze as he drank. Finding a calm, empty clearing, he flopped down against the wide trunk of a tree and drank deeply. "Thanks for being quiet today," he said aloud, seemingly to no one. "What'd you think of all the jutsu and chakra crap we saw today?"

Twin streams of sake flowed from the mouth of the flask, one bursting into flames as the other became water, both twisting into the forms of miniature dragons. "Anything that'll help you protect yourself is worthy to learn, in my book," Hosei replied, curling around his shoulders and settling on him with a sigh. "Looking at the map, I think I've found a few areas of investigation, based on where the Water Dragon was."

The Water Dragon huffed. "You know my name's Mugawa, Fire Dragon," Mugawa retorted, twisting through the air to land on the grass. "I like the imagination behind the techniques. It's so nice to see people as a whole bettering themselves…even if it is for combat."

"Yeah, I can definitely see ways to integrate those moves into my repertoire," Naruto nodded, humming as he took a deep drink. "And to think, there's so much more beyond just those three that I have to wonder how effective I could be in the future."

"Especially with a team backing you up," the Water Dragon added, before giving a draconic smile. "And don't think I didn't notice the fact that most of your possible teammates are pretty girls, Naruto."

The blond chuckled to himself. "Yeah…" He muttered, though his smile was slightly flat as he raised a hand to the necklace under his shirt. "A few of them seem rather skilled, too."

"Hmph!" Hosei scoffed, turning her nose up at the thought. "I wish you wouldn't flirt so much, Naruto. They're just a distraction on your road to becoming the Ultimate Dragon Warrior."

Naruto scowled slightly as he took a long pull from his flask, Mugawa rising up with a retort. "Hey, all work and no play is bad for your health!" she hissed, coiling angrily, "Just because you're so desperate to bring all the Dragons together doesn't mean he has to be! We literally have all the time in the world!"

"No, we don't!" Hosei spat back, rising from her position around Naruto's neck, the human ignoring the byplay in favor of drinking. "I don't why I'm surprised, I should've expected an eel so deep in her own whirlpool wouldn't be able to feel how the winds are changing!"

"I was trapped in a box a hundred feet below the surface for thousands of years!" Mugawa raged back, her body of water writhing with white foam. "But of course you wouldn't care about that, would you?! You selfish, toothless, sputtering Ash Worm!"

Hosei charged the Water Dragon with a roar, the two clashing with a ringing hiss as flames burnt away water and water suffocated fire, a cloud steam floating away in the breeze being the only evidence of their brief conflict. Naruto sighed, taking another swig before letting more sake flow out and the dragons reform. "You done?" He asked shortly.

"Yes," the dragons replied bitterly, turning away with twin huffs.

"Good. Can you two takes notes of whatever interests you while I'm in class?" Naruto asked, drinking deepy before capping his flask and storing it in his sash. "You two might catch something I don't, after all. And I might…be a little distracted."

Mugawa cocked her head in concern, observing the uncharacteristic slump to the blond's shoulders. "What undertow got him?" she wondered softly.

Hosei sighed mournfully, shaking her flaming head. "Those days are coming up," she replied sadly, twisting in on herself until she extinguished herself in a cloud of smoke.

The Water Dragon looked from the drifting smoke to the departing blond with a draconic shrug. "Well…that was cryptic." Her liquid form went still before collapsing to the ground with a splash.

…

…

…

…

A/N: Hey look, another chapter for the new story! Yay!

Now, before anyone gets all snotty, remember the A/N of the first chapter? That's right, I warned you. I warned you there would be more differences than just Naruto leaving.

So yes, Sasuke's a girl. BUT (and a big but so you know I'm being serious) I've got a good reason for it. A really good one, actually, that has an effect on the plot later down the line and a connection to another important character.

Also, Sasuke's not the only one. There are three, the other two are a secret. Again-again, remember the first chapter! This ain't no weird harem thing, these are genuine story-driven reasons that will have an impact on future events. And those events aren't 'they have sex.'

Speaking of a harem (since that's like, the second most-asked question I get besides 'what's wrong with you?') and there will be one. I mean, come on, pretty much every story I've written is harem-like, if nothing else, and this one is no different. Except more realistic to the setting, I'd like to think and no, I'm not talking about some 'I need to restore my clan!' or that CRA nonsense, I'm talking genuine reasons. And, now that I think about it, it's more 'multiple partners' than it is 'multiple love interests,' though that is a part of it.

Just trust me on this, okay? I think I've earned a little bit of that.

Dragons: Hosei is the Fire Dragon, while Mugawa is the Water Dragon. They kinda hate each other and not in the 'fire/water are opposites' deal, it's more personal than that. Fire burns hot, water rages, really they're just too similar to get along.

Big thanks as always to AJR3333, Dareigh, NorthSouthGorem and Kurogane7 for being soundboards, editing, ideas and all that good shit. Give the ones who write a check and a shout-out from me!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you look forward to more.

Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S.: I doubt the guy's ever read my stories, but man I love me some Kenchi618 stories. Christ that guy can write. I've been re-reading Shinobi of the High Seas and The Newest Challenger again to get me in the mood to write some Naruto.

Also, I've been reading a lot of different stuff lately. Game of Thrones, A:TLA, Even some legend of Zelda fanfiction. Naturally, I've been bouncing between stories because of that. Well, that and my own stress from bills, insurance and a lack of money.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus