A/N

I apologize for the long wait. I was busy with college and whatnot. Anyway, I'm extremely happy you guys are liking the story thus far. It's my first fic so feel free to criticize the hell out of it. I want to get better for you guys. Many of you said that it felt like I was rushing it. To them, I agree. I'm not sure if it was due to me trying to crank it out before I left for vacation or me just not really liking to write slow parts. Either way I will do my best to slow it all down. Thanks again guys and enjoy.

Naruto of the Fire Fist

Chapter 2 – Two Man Genin Cell

"Naruto" - Person Talking

'Naruto' – Person Thinking

"Naruto" - Summons/Biju Talking

'Naruto' – Summons/Biju Thinking

"Shadow Clone Jutsu" - Justu/Technique

Naruto woke up to the feeling of ice cold water being dumped on him. He sat up ramrod straight and saw his pops in his signature good guy pose. He groaned loudly as he looked at the clock on his bedside table.

"Ughhhh, it's five in the morning. What could you possibly want at five in the morning?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Better yet, why the hell are you so chipper at five in the morning?" he asked as he studied him. Sure enough, his father was fully dressed and looked like he had been up for hours. He would never understand his pop.

"AHH, BUT TODAY WE ARE BLESSED WITH ANOTHER YOUTHFUL DAY MY SON! WE MUST SHOW OUR APPRECIATION BY JOGGING AROUND THE VILLAGE ONE HUNDRED TIMES!" Gai yelled at the top of his lungs, completely disregarding the fact that the sun hadn't even risen yet and he had just woken up everyone in the apartment complex.

Naruto just groaned again as he swung his legs off the bed. He ought to be used to his father's madness by now, but sadly, he wasn't. He didn't think he ever would be. 'Might as well get up and get warmed up for the damn Genin exam' he thought.

Thirty minutes later, he was awake, if just barely, and ready to do his pop's version of warm ups which could be considered hell for an ANBU, let alone someone who hasn't even graduated from the academy yet.

"You really need to get a girlfriend pop" Naruto said as he sat down at the table, eagerly awaiting his breakfast. "Maybe then you wouldn't feel the need to wear those horrid green tights" he smirked. Insulting Gai's tights always got him riled up and when Gai gets riled up, it's bound to be entertaining.

"NO GIRL IN THE VILLAGE CAN MATCH MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH! AND MY TIGHTS ARE SEXY! WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL ME THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA?!" he yelled.

"No one calls you that pop. You call yourself that" Naruto deadpanned as Gai sweatdropped.

"Either way" Naruto said between bites, "We need to get started on our warm ups. I have the Genin exams in a couple hours and knowing you it'll take that long to finish these warm ups" he stated.

Gai had the decency to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Hai, then lets go and SHOW EVERYONE OUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" he screamed as he ran full speed out the door leaving a Gai shaped hole.

Naruto sighed heavily as he got up and followed his deranged father. "Every damn time. This is like our two hundredth door!" he mumbled to himself as he stepped through the hole and hurried to catch up to Gai's pace.

Hours later and they were finally done with their warmups. Naruto collapsed and even Gai looked like he would drop any second. This is what Kakashi walked up on. He saw Gai and suddenly became very serious. Gai had called him here today to help him explain to Naruto the most important part of being a shinobi.

Gai saw Kakashi and he too became serious. He looked to Naruto, the young man who had become his son over the years. He had come far from the small, malnourished boy he had saved all those years ago. If he was honest with himself, he was quickly becoming one of the most powerful shinobi in the village. He sighed as he remembered why he had asked Kakashi here. Today was the day he broke his son of the illusions of being a shinobi.

"Naruto" Gai said. Naruto instantly shot up from his resting spot. The tone his pops had used was rare. He had only heard it a few times since he had lived with him but he recognized it well. Gai was completely serious about something and that meant that it was important.

Gai, seeing that he had Naruto's full attention continued. "Naruto, being a shinobi isn't a game. Shinobi don't run into castles and save princesses. We don't use flashy jutsu or shout out techniques. Shinobi die everyday. Being a shinobi of Konoha means that you have to be willing to die for your village. You have to go on every mission and accept the fact that there is a very high chance that you won't come back. Real shinobi are stealthy. We kill people before they even know what happened. We ruthlessly slaughter men, women and children if that is what our mission entails. Shinobi have no morals, Naruto. We leave no man alive because every person left alive can recover and come back for revenge. As a shinobi of Konoha, that is something you cannot risk. Every single enemy you run into will have to die unless explicitly stated otherwise in the mission parameters. After you have heard all of this do you still wish to become a ninja?" he asked his son.

Naruto, for his part was stunned. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he would have to kill, but he thought he would only kill those that could not be redeemed. To hear his father, the most peaceful and fun-loving man he knew, state so coldly that everyone he ran into on a mission would need to be killed shocked him to his core. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

'If I leave someone alive after my team killed theirs, they will go back to their village and recover. They will grow stronger until the time comes for them to come back and take their revenge. They would kill anyone close to me just to sate their thirst for vengeance. I cannot allow such a risk to my village live. How naïve I was to think that enemy shinobi could be redeemed. How idiotic it was for me to think that they would happily join our village and adhere to our ideals. I was a fool, but not anymore' he vowed to himself.

He looked up at the two people he respected the most with a fire of determination in his eyes. "I do. I will gladly lay down my life to protect the people of this village" he responded with such devotion that it momentarily stunned Kakashi and Gai.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with pride visible in his eye while Gai looked at him and was nearly brought to tears as he remembered when his dear friend stated the same exact thing as he was inducted as The Fourth Hokage. 'Minato, you would be proud of the man your son has become' he thought.

"I know you will Naruto" Gai said. "Now get up, the Genin Exams are in thirty minutes and you shouldn't be late" he told his son. Naruto suddenly looked panicked.

"Thirty minutes?" he shouted. "I have to go! I'll see you pop, Kakashi!" he shouted as he ran off to go get ready.

"He'll be just fine Gai, you don't need to worry about him." Kakashi told his rival.

"I know. I almost feel bad for his enemies. He has surpassed me" Gai said as he was walking away leaving Kakashi dumbfounded. 'He was joking right? Wasn't he?' he thought furiously to himself as he shunshined to the Hokage's office to get a look at the new crop of Genin.

Naruto walked into the classroom just as the bell rang and was immediately accosted by Iruka.

"NARUTO! HURRY UP AND SIT DOWN SO I CAN CALL ROLE!" He screamed.

"Maa maa, calm down sensei, you're too worked up. Maybe you should find yourself a girlfriend" Naruto said as he walked to his usual spot near the window.

Iruka stuttered and turned bright red as he feebly attempted to come up with a response. Accepting defeat he settled the class down and finished taking role.

"Alright everyone, today is the Genin Exam. First will be the written test, then we will go outside for the weapons and taijutsu portion and then we will come back inside for the ninjutsu portion. Good luck to you all" he spoke as he began to pass out the written tests.

Naruto took one look at his test and scoffed. 'Really? Who was the Shodaime Hokage? Who are the three Sannin? Name one of the five elemental natures? This has got to be the stupidest test ever. I could have passed this when I was three' he thought furiously. 'Was I really just wasting time coming to this dumb academy? Eh, no matter, easier for me' he thought as he quickly finished his test and turned it over.

He scanned the classroom and saw that he was the first to finish and promptly fell asleep. He was awaken by a shy civilian girl who quickly blushed bright red as he thanked her. He sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day as he walked outside for the next test. Throwing ten kunai and ten shuriken at a target that was twenty-five feet away. He could do this with his eyes closed.

Most civilians that were called up only manged to hit around ten total while the clan children did slightly better at around thirteen.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Iruka called out as the emo brooder swaggered up while throwing a glare at the blonde. Naruto honestly thought the last Uchiha was hilarious.

His dream, or ambition as he liked to call it, was pitiful. Sasuke was so spoiled by the council he didn't even know what hard work was. He thought himself so good and so much better than all the other genin it was funny. He was so dead set on killing Itachi that he forgot that by the time Itachi was 12, he was already an established ANBU, well on his way to becoming a Captain.

Sure, Sasuke was decently skilled for a genin, but that was all. He was mid-genin level at best, and even that was a little iffy with the way the standards for Konoha shinobi had dropped since the Third Great Shinobi War. Undoubtedly, the second Sasuke ran into a genin from another village, he would get his ass royally kicked. And he would be waiting for it. Oh, how he would love to see Sasuke get whipped by some no name genin from one of the minor villages. 'Ahhhh, that'll be the day' Naruto thought to himself with a small smile that just served to anger Sasuke.

Fuming, Sasuke walked up and let his kunai fly hitting fifteen of the twenty targets. He looked back at Naruto with a cocky smirk, expecting him to bow down to his superior Uchiha might, only to find him flirting with the same civilian girl who woke him up. Before he could do anything, Iruka told him to go stand back with the others.

"Uzumaki Naruto, it's your turn" Iruka called out.

Naruto looked up. "My turn already?" he asked. "Well, wish me luck Hiruka-chan" he said to the civilian girl with a wink before strolling up to Iruka.

"Alright Naruto, all you need to do is hit as many targets as you can."

"I'll tell you what Iruka-sensei, I'll do you one better" he told the academy teacher. Before Iruka could ask what he meant, Naruto let loose his shuriken and kunai all at once. His jaw dropped when he saw that every weapon had not just hit the target, but hit a vital spot.

"T-that's a perfect score for Uzumaki Naruto. No one has gotten a perfect score since Uchiha Itachi did so congratulations Naruto. That was very impressive" he said while still trying to compose himself.

The loud squeals of his fangirls could be heard from the Hokage tower. Naruto was walking back to Hiruka, but not before giving an absolutely furious Sasuke his patented cocky smirk. 'That ought to drop him down a peg or two' he thought with a smile.

He walked up to Hiruka and threw his arm around her. "Thanks for wishing me luck Hiruka-chan" he told her with a smile while squeezing her shoulder a bit and letting go. Meanwhile every girl in the class was glaring at a barely conscious Hiruka.

"Alright, alright calm down kids. Now it's time for the taijutsu portion of the test" Iruka told his class before leading them to the academy training grounds. Iruka began calling up kids and judging them as they sparred. Finally, there were only two student left. "Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto" Iruka called out.

(With Hokage)

Many of the Jonin had come to the Hokage's office today to see the genin exams. "Ahhh, this will be a good match" Anko said as they all watched the Hokage's crystal ball. There were murmurs of agreements throughout the room before Kakashi walked in.

"You're all fools if you think this will be anything more than a joke. Naruto is so far beyond Sasuke's skill level it's not even funny" he said lazily while still reading his smut. Many people didn't agree with that but Anko voiced her confusion before anyone could comment.

"What do you mean Kakashi? Sasuke is second in the class only to Naruto. It should promise to be a very good fight" she said condescendingly, as if she was obviously right.

Kakashi just scoffed, not even bothering to look up from his book. "You are a fool Anko. Gai has been training Naruto since he was five. He is well beyond the level of a mediocre academy student" he said lazily. "If you don't believe me just watch. But, just as a warning, don't blink or you'll miss it" he said as he walked to a corner and continued reading leaving many Jonin confused and Anko extremely pissed off and embarrassed.

"It is starting so stop your bickering" the Hokage said as he focused on the crystal ball. He himself didn't even know what level Naruto was at, but he knew that it was far above genin.

(Back With Naruto)

Naruto walked up and scoffed. "This is going to be over before you can blink" he said to the gay emo. There was no arrogance in his voice. Only truth and a cold brutality.

Sasuke sneered. "I am an Uchiha! An elite! A no name, clanless loser like you should learn your place. Trash like you should just die."

Naruto's stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. "Coming from you that's hilarious. The Uchiha, whose clan was demolished in one night by a single man. For a group of so called elite they weren't really much now were they? They actually were pretty pathetic. Stealing the hard-earned jutsu of their comrades. Is that what you call being an elite? If so, than you're just as pathetic as your weak clan. On the other side of the spectrum we have my clan, the Uzumaki, revered for their skills in fuinjutsu and kenjutsu, who were killed off by no less than the combined forces of Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri and even then, we lasted a hell of a lot longer than one night. You see Uchiha? Do you see now the differences between our clans? You're nothing but a pathetic academy student with an overinflated ego and second-rate skills, but more importantly, you're Itachi's foolish little brother" he told Sasuke with hardened eyes.

By the time Naruto stopped talking, Sasuke was more angry than he could ever imagine being. He clearly heard Iruka tell them to start and right as he was about to charge the blonde, Naruto suddenly disappeared from his view. Before he could wonder were he went, he felt a blinding pain in his jaw as he sailed through the air and his world faded into darkness.

(Back With Hokage)

The room was silent, bar the occasional perverted giggle from Kakashi, as they watched the rest of the academy students finish up the jutsu portion of the test. Suddenly, Genma spoke up. "Did anyone see him move?" he asked the stunned group of Jonin. The only nods were from Gai, Kakashi, and the Hokage. All at once the room erupted into chatter.

The Hokage raised his hand and the room instantly fell silent. "I will be taking requests for Genin teams now" he told everyone. Most of the lesser known Jonin requested civilian children knowing they had no chance at getting any of the clan heirs. Finally, only Hayate, Anko, Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi were left.

Hayate stepped up. "Hokage-sama I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. His speed combined with a katana would be deadly. I believe he would do well under my tutelage" he said respectfully before bowing and walking to the back of the room.

Next up was Anko. "Hokage-sama I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. I feel as though his speed, coupled with my stealth and infiltration skills, would make him a formidable assassin" she told him before standing next to Hayate.

Asuma walked up and bowed. "I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. No specific reason really, I just feel like I wouldn't have to do much with him as my apprentice" he said with a shrug.

Kakashi didn't even look up from his smut. "I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. I was an ANBU Captain and I can teach him many things" he drawled.

Finally Kurenai walked up. She was one of the lesser known Jonin. She relied heavily on her genjutsu but it didn't stop her from attaining the rank of Jonin. "I wish to have a two man team consisting of Yakumo Kurama and Naruto Uzumaki. Yakumo's exceptional genjutsu and Naruto's speed and deadly taijutsu would make them an efficient assassination squad" she said with a small bow.

The Hokage stared impassively at the five Jonin. "Kurenai's request is granted. Yakumo and Naruto will become the leafs first two man Genin cell. Kakashi, you are too absorbed in your past to teach an apprentice effectively. Asuma, you are too lazy for your own good. Anko, you are only a Special Jonin, you don't have the necessary skills to teach someone with Naruto's skill set yet. Hayate, Naruto has expressed an interest in weapons but he adamantly refuses any of the more tradition and widely used weapons. Kurenai's request was a no brainer. She has the genjutsu skills necessary to help Yakumo and the tenacity to keep up with one such as Naruto. The rest of you will get your Genin team assignments in a few are all dismissed" he told them with a small wave of his hand.

Kurenai was brimming with excitement. Her request had been granted! She had seen the Uzumaki boy training before. She knew that he could probably beat her in an all out match. His speed surpassed Gai's and from what she had heard from her friend Yugaou, he had created his own taijutsu style that was as deadly as it was amazing.

Then there was Yakumo, her old student. Jiraiya had sealed away her Edo demon and Yakumo's health had drastically improved. She no longer looked to be sickly and was now blooming into a beautiful young woman. Her prowess in genjutsu was unsurpassed. Her squad was going to be the best. She would make sure of that.

A/N

So I've been thinking. How many of you guys would like for me to have Naruto stray from his path of only using taijutsu and have him start learning ninjutsu as well. He will most likely specialize in fire and wind ninjutsu if I decide to go that way. I'm also thinking of having him gain an interest in using a gunbai (big war fan like the one Madara uses). Let me know what you guys think. Again I'm sorry for taking so long to update.