Author's notes – I didn't know if posting this was a good idea. The first two chapters of this story were actually written before my other story on this site "He's Not Normal" even started. Since then, I managed to write three other chapters in two weeks, and then my inspiration went downhill. Three days ago, my Muse came back to me and helped me writing the sixth chapter of this story, so I decided to give it a chance after some editing. It has more or less the same starting point as my other story and it actually inspired it in some ways, but there are major differences between the two, the first one being the genre. While "He's Not Normal" is my attempt at writing a parody, with this one I'm trying a more serious approach, but not too much more serious. Hope you'll enjoy it, or better, them both.

Warning – I'm Italian and without a beta (a much needed beta I'm said and I happen to agree), so this story will probably be a big huge mistake from a grammatical and syntactical point of view. I hope it doesn't suck completely from other points of view as well. Anyways, consider yourselves warned. There will be many mistakes both in my attempt at writing in English and in Japanese (or at least those few Japanese words I will have to use). You can point them out to me at your leisure. I'll do what I can.

Disclaimer – Don't own Naruto. Don't own his world. All I own is hangin' on my back.

Chapter 2 – Introductions

I reach the Ninja Academy with roughly five minutes to spare on the clock, but I'm not surprised to be the last Genin to arrive. Not at all. I remember clearly how in my first life, I was practically the personification of excitement - and of smugness - the day of the Teams assignment.

There are many empty seats because of our low number, and after a quick scan of the classroom and an encouraging smile to Hinata, I start toward Shino, greeting him friendly with a wave of my hand. A few Genins look at my new clothes with a weird expression. Well, I guess a Naruto dressed in blue can be quite shocking after years and years of just orange.

I sit beside the bug user and notice that he's stiffer than ever. Not only that. The general atmosphere permeating the room seems charged with tension. Many students are chatting, seemingly relaxed, but my millenarian experience in talking, working, and in general living with the vast majority of them, helps me to notice the anxiousness hidden behind those words and chuckles. I, instead, couldn't be nervous even if I tried. I experienced this day too many times to feel troubled by it.

A few minutes pass before Iruka-sensei enters the room, effectively silencing the constant buzzing you can always hear slithering through a class full of anxious students. The fact that these students just became ninjas doesn't matter at all. The Chuunin enters alone and I find myself grinning, reasonably certain that Mizuki got himself in trouble trying to steal the forbidden scroll in the Hokage Tower. After all, the bastard got what he deserved in everyone of my past lives. That is to say that when he was lucky he ended up in prison after getting soundly beaten up by some Jounins or sometimes by the Hokage himself.

Iruka's starting speech is always the same. I could probably recite it with him. I'm sure he uses it for every group of freshly made Genins. I listen with half an ear as I let my eyes wander and search my possible teammates. I wouldn't mind at all if I ended up in the same team as Hinata – the memories of my last life during which we were happily married are still fresh in my mind –, but considering I had love relationships with every girl in this room – and more than once –, I think I can honestly say I have no real preferences.

When I finally reconnect my ears to my brain, Iruka-sensei is reading the members of Team 7 already. Oops… If they put me in one of the previous groups, I'll have to ask someone and probably make an idiot of myself. Good start, Naruto!

"…Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Akimichi Chouji."

I think about the potential of these three Genins working together while Sakura cheers like she just won the lottery. It's a good Team. I remember they were known as 'The Tank Team' some lives ago, and I think there's no need to explain exactly why. The attacking power is definitely remarkable and if the pink-haired girl becomes a medical ninja specialist as often happens, then all their possible risks would decrease considerably making them a very powerful offensive Team. Of course, there's the some-times traitor Sasuke to take into consideration, but I think I got the hang of avoiding that, after thousands of years of experience.

"Next, Team 8…" Iruka resumes. "Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba."

I glance in Hinata's direction. The girl seems disappointed, probably because we're not together. Her eyes are downcast and her forefingers pressed together in that very familiar gesture. She should be happy. Her Team is great and very balanced. It will mainly be a reconnaissance group considering the girl's eyes, Kiba's and Akamaru's nose and ears, and Shino's bugs, but the Team will be far from weak offensively. The techniques of the Inuzuka clan are one of the strongest in the Village, the Hyuuga's Jyuuken is deadly in close combat and just one bugs' swarm of an expert and prepared Aburame can suck you dry of chakra, devour one of your limbs or poison your body in a few seconds. Not bad at all.

There are only twelve Genins left, that is to say four Teams. Iruka doesn't call my name in the ninth group either, but before reading the next one, I notice him glancing quickly at me. Here I come.

"And now, Team 10. Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Uzumaki Naruto."

I frown a little. This is almost new. It didn't happen very often in the past and I should be happy just for that. And I am. The thing is I'm not sure my two teammates will be as well.

I move my gaze on them. Shikamaru doesn't seem very interested, like always. Ino is completely still, unnaturally stiff. I would have expected some whining from her, an explosion even. Nothing, instead. Not a word, not a sound, not a gesture. Shikamaru too seems surprised, at least judging by how he's looking at her with his brows furrowed. We exchange an interrogative glance before shrugging at the same time.

When all the Genins are finally assigned to a Team, Iruka explains us that our new Senseis will get here in the afternoon and that for now we're free to go out and do whatever we want. Ino practically bolts out of the classroom, disappearing in an instant. I approach the Nara boy and follow him out at a slower pace. On the Academy ground there's no trace of the pretty girl, but Shikamaru doesn't appear bothered. The lazy boy makes his way to a grassy mound and lays there on his back. I watch him for a second before sitting next to him.

We remain like that, in silence, for some minutes, he with his hands under his head observing the clouds passing by. I start playing with some blades of grass, making one of them float just by using my chakra in one of the basic exercises to control its flow. Not that I'd need it. Millennia of practice made my technique absolutely perfect. I'm not bragging when I say there's no one in the whole world with a better chakra control than me.

Slowly I add another blade of grass to the first, then another, and another, and I make them float without difficulty, everyone in a different direction. It's relaxing. The exercise doesn't require much attention from my part, and I can let my mind wander without purpose. I know Shikamaru is watching me very intently while trying not to show it, but it doesn't matter. I won't be able to hide my real skills from my very Team, at least not all my skills.

I remember all those times I have been Ino's and Shikamaru's teammate, all those strategies we used and the role every one of us had. When my mind comes back on Earth and my eyes move away from the clouds the Nara boy seems to love so much, I find myself with something very similar to an incomplete Rasengan levitating over the flat of my hand. The only difference is that it is made of blades of grass. It has been absolutely unintended, something dictated by my subconscious.

I chuckle a little as I let the whirling mass disperse. With a sigh, I stand up smiling like the idiot I am.

"I'm starving," I say. "I'm gonna buy some ramen. Do you want anything?"

Shikamaru just shakes his head, still lying in his comfortable position.

"Okay. See you soon, then."

I dust my new blue clothes a little as I make my way to the exit of the Academy, feeling Shikamaru's gaze on me all the time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Move your ass, Shikamaru! Hurry up!"

I hear Ino's shouts, her piercing voice weak from the distance. I start toward it calmly. My stomach is full and I feel very energetic, despite I doubled with some of my chakra the weights I bought yesterday.

I run swiftly and silently from branch to branch, on the trees surrounding the training ground of the Academy. My teammates are now visible in front of me, Shikamaru in the exact same position I left him before going to eat an hour ago. Ino is standing a couple of meters beside him, the hands on her sides in a menacing pose. The girl is already maturing physically. I can clearly see some round areas that I know will put to the test my hormones of teenager.

I'm about to jump down and in front of them when a question from Shikamaru stops me.

"What do you think of our Team, Ino?"

I crouch on my branch and closer to the tree-trunk to take advantage of its shadows. There is something incredibly exciting about listening to someone talking freely about you without the littlest suspect of your presence. Oh, I have no doubt that what Shikamaru really wanted to ask was, 'What do you think of Uzumaki Naruto, Ino?'

The pretty girl frowns a little. "I think I should have been in the same Team as Sasuke-kun!" she whines with a childish voice. When she notices Shikamaru's serious and mildly annoyed expression, the kunoichi waves a fist in front of her face. "Don't you dare say anything bad about Sasuke-kun! If he was in this Team in your place, or in that loser Naruto's, then we would definitely be the strongest." The Yamanaka girl pauses for an instant before continuing with a dreamy expression, "Not to say, the prettiest…"

The Nara boy snorts derisively, making it harder for me not to mirror him. I somehow manage it and he's the only one to receive Ino's death glare.

"And yet, Naruto got one of the highest scores in the exam, and if it hadn't been for the written part, he would have been on top of everyone," says Shikamaru with his usual bored tone, certainly false in this occasion like in many others. "And he really helped Chouji with his throwing technique of kunai and shuriken. You did see it as well, didn't you, Ino? Did you see how much Chouji improved in only twenty minutes?"

"He just got lucky during the exam," Ino answers shrugging. "And about Chouji… I guess no one can be completely incompetent in everything. Maybe Naruto is passable with throwing weapons."

"Passable?" I see Shikamaru lifting an eyebrow. "He got the highest score possible. Your Sasuke-kun didn't even get near him."

Now Ino is just mad. I'll have to remember not to say anything bad about Sasuke in front of her, at least not before a while. The girl doesn't seem intentioned to concede the point. "We're talking about Naruto here! The dead last, the idiot, the loser Naruto!" she shouts and I almost burst out laughing from my position above her while the Kyuubi growls inside my head.

"Even after all this time together," he tells me, "I don't understand how you can let these brats talk about you like that." I just smile knowingly at that. He would probably prefer if I just went around beating to a pulp whoever looked at me funny. "I liked it more when you where a murderous bastard…" he adds after a while confirming my thoughts.

I shush him mentally. The show is about to finish but I have to find the right moment to make my appearance.

"I repeat it; yesterday probably had been his lucky day. Very lucky," Ino almost shouts.

I decide to jump on the stage at this point. I could wait probably the perfect moment, but now it will make an impression as well. I drop from the branch landing a few steps away from my two teammates. My grin threatens to morph into full laughter, but if I start now, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop.

When I make my appearance, Ino stops completely. A marble statue would have seemed more alive than her. Shikamaru wears a surprised but mostly annoyed expression. If that is because he didn't notice my presence or because I was eavesdropping, I don't know.

"How long did you listen, Naruto?"

"Long enough," I reply amused. Ino is still frozen on her spot. When I meet her shocked blue eyes fixed on me, the young Yamanaka looks down and blushes furiously. That little reaction seems to free her from her stillness and the girl brings her hands to the hair and hides some curls behind her ears in a self-conscious gesture.

"We should go, I think," I say after a couple of seconds of silence, pointing at the Academy building. "Our new Senseis will get here soon."

Shikamaru nods and together we start toward the entrance.

"Naruto…" Ino calls me with an uncertain voice.

Turning back toward her with a grin, I find her with her eyes still downcast and a blush on her face.

"Don't worry Ino, it's okay," I tell her but seeing her unconvinced expression I continue. "Really. I'm not offended because I know you're wrong about me." My grin widens even more. "It's like if someone called you ugly. You could not even believe it, because you know you are a very pretty girl."

Satisfied by my successful compliment, at least judging by the doubled blush of her cheeks, I start walking again toward the Academy, hearing Ino murmuring something that for all I know could be 'Thanks' as much as 'Idiot.'

Behind me, Shikamaru sighs.

"Troublesome."

Once into the classroom, we see that about half of the Genins are still missing. I approach the current Team 8 noticing that the two ninjas behind don't follow me. I pat Shino on the back to attract his attention. If I had done that to Hinata, I would have literally knocked her out.

"Oy, guys! What's up?"

It's Kiba who answers me with a smirk. "Nothing much. We're just waiting. And you? What are you doing here? Did your Team kick you out already?"

I shrug. "Something like that," I reply honestly taking the young Inuzuka by surprise.

"Really?"

"Nah. Not exactly." I decide to change the subject. "I think yours is the best Team. Mainly reconnaissance, but not bad in a fight either." I wink at Hinata and she blushes more than ever. If she doesn't quit with pressing her forefingers together, then she will have to pick them up from the pavement.

"What point did Iruka-sensei emphasize to us? The importance of avoiding one-dimensional Teams to favor instead those well-balanced in the multiplicity of their members." Shino agrees with me in his own way.

I try to mimic his stern voice and stiff posture when I answer back. "That is to prevent an enemy from taking advantage of an evident weakness, one intrinsic in a too specified Team." I lift my hand and adjust a pair of invisible sunglasses on my nose.

Kiba barks a laugh and even Hinata doesn't contain a little giggle. Shino really does adjust his sunglasses and looks at me with both eyebrows visible above them.

"Precisely."

I just grin friendly at him.

We talk a little more and when I approach my Team again, I find it near Team 7. Ino, quite obviously, is orbiting around an expressionless Sasuke and is arguing with an annoyed Sakura, while Shikamaru is listening to Chouji with apparently little interest.

When I reach them, the Uchiha boy looks at me with a serious and vaguely menacing expression. If I didn't know I could beat the crap out of him without even using my hands, then I could be worried. Maybe.

"Follow me outside, Dobe."

Sasuke turns around without waiting for my answer and disappears from sight beyond the doors of the Academy. My only reaction is that to lift my eyebrows and look at the others interrogatively. Receiving only confused and, in Shikamaru's case, bored expressions, I just shrug and follow him out of the classroom.

The dark-haired boy is standing into the fighting circle where yesterday the taijutsu part of the exam took place. It's clear what he wants is. I walk forward stopping one step out of the circle. The other members of our Teams followed us, and not just them.

"Fight against me," Sasuke says.

I sigh tiredly. If I hadn't already seen this scene countless of times, I could even have been amused. "Why?"

"Because I want to." Good answer. It fits a spoiled brat.

"Ah," I say simply as if he had been exhaustive.

"Step in the circle," he… threatens me? Yes, that was a threat.

I feel something rising inside me. I'm craving to take Sasuke and slam him on the ground. To hit him on his head until that little brain he still has starts working properly again. To shout in his face that he can't waste his life like that, that he has to look around, here and now, instead than to the past like he constantly does.

I swallow back these thoughts without hesitation. Nothing of all that would work, or at least it never did in my past lives, when I had given in and acted like that.

I plaster a fake smile on my face instead. "You know, you should quit with all that brooding and sulking. It isn't good for your skin. You'll find yourself all wrinkled by the time you're thirty."

That's cheating again. I'm not just predicting that. In some of my past lives, Sasuke seemed really old at that age. Of course, the Village women all found him very cute anyways. Except those lives in which he turned evil. Imagine that…

Sasuke growls at me.

"Step. In. The. Circle," he says throwing every word like it was a kunai.

'Give the little twerp a lesson,' the Kyuubi whispers alluring in my head.

I ignore the Fox but let the smile fall from my face. It was starting to hurt to pretend.

"Sasuke, it's stupid to live with the only purpose of avenge yourself," I say in a soft voice. The truth is that I really pity the now stunned boy in front of me. "It's stupid and useless and going on like that, you'll miss so many beautiful things." I pause. "And your brother isn't worth them."

His eyes widen and the next instant, the Uchiha boy is already shooting across the circle, his face a mask of rage. He's fast for a Genin. But he's also inexperienced like one. I dodge easily his punch and with just a step, I'm behind him with his left arm in a firm grasp. When he realizes it, it's already too late and he's laying on the ground on his stomach, with all my weight on him, one of my feet on his head, and his arm in an inextricable grasp. He starts struggling for a moment, but a little pressure on his arm and head forces him to stop in pain. I ignore the boy's gasp and the Fox's cackle.

"If you want Itachi to win, then go on living like this and you'll succeed perfectly," I say in a very low voice so that he's the only one who can hear me. The others didn't move at all. Strange… I would have expected a reaction at least from Sakura. I force my attention back on the boy beneath me. "Tell me… why do you hate him?"

"Why?! Why?!" Sasuke hisses barely holding back tears of frustration and rage. "He slaughtered my clan! My family!"

"Because it's his fault if you're all alone," I correct him.

"Don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yells, finally recovered from what I suppose should have been a shock.

I ignore her. "But you persist on staying alone, despite many people would do everything just to stay beside you." I free him from my grasp and step back as he starts to stand up. As to confirm my words, Sakura runs to us and offers him help, but he waves her away, too proud and, frankly, too stupid to accept.

The Uchiha boy turns around and starts to walk away from the Academy, leaving behind a pained Sakura. That makes me mildly annoyed.

"Grow up a little, Sasuke."

After a second of hesitation, he keeps on walking away at a faster pace.

I stay for a moment more before making my way to the Academy doors again. I sit down in one of the many empty seats and rest my right cheek on the cool surface of the desk, as the other Genins start to enter in small groups. Everyone of them looks at me surprised, awed or even suspiciously. I meet their gazes without problem until my teammates and Sasuke's approach me. The pink-haired girl is looking at me murderously.

"Naruto-" she starts to yell.

"Sakura," I interrupt her gently but firmly, lifting a hand. "He called me 'dobe'. He wanted to fight. Try to get around your crush at least to be objective like a good kunoichi should be."

The girl blushes and opens her mouth before closing it again, as if she wanted to say something about what I belittled using the term 'crush'. Then, her expression softens a little. At least, it seems like she doesn't want to behead me anymore.

"Yes... but… you…" She doesn't know what to say. That happens when there's nothing to say. I let her get to that conclusion by making her stammer a little more. Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji remain silent as well, the blond girl with an odd expression on her face.

"Fine," Sakura concedes in the end with a sigh. "Your only fault is to have won the fight." Here the kunoichi pauses and blinks a couple of times as if her brain had just processed that particular thing. "How did you do that? Sasuke-kun is the strongest, the fastest…"

I just shrug but see that the answer to this question interests the majority of the classroom, judging by how many are listening to our conversation. "Sasuke was angry. Or better, furious. But rage and fury aren't very useful against a lucid opponent, even if weaker," I say wisely without saying much. I give all my attention to Sakura and speak gently. "Go and bring Sasuke back. Our new Senseis will be here soon, and if he's not here he won't make a good first impression."

The young Haruno seems on the brick of tears. "He… he doesn't want me. And I don't know where he went. I… I tried to follow him, but I lost him almost immediately…"

I smile at her. "I know where he is," I admit and everyone looks at me as if to say 'And how would you know that?' I ignore their expressions and continue as if all was normal. I cannot tell them I sent some clones after Sasuke after all. It would complicate things. "He's in the weapon district, inside the shop called 'Attack Is the Best Defense!' You know it, right?" The girl nods. "Then go or Sasuke will get into trouble." I prod her with some shooing gestures.

After a couple of seconds of indecision, Sakura reaches the doors, glances at me one last time and then bolts out.

The classroom falls into silence and many Genins are staring at me openly now. I offer them my brightest smile – that strangely enough shows my longer than normal teeth –, and they turn in another direction immediately. Ah, now that's better.

"You know, Naruto… you are starting to seem a little too full of surprises for my tastes," Shikamaru tells me, and beside him, Chouji agrees visibly, nodding his head and crunching a fistful of his inevitable chips.

I chuckle. "You don't even know the half of it."

"Ah yes, I'm sure."

"And you're the one to talk, Mister Nara 'I Keep My Grades Average So Nobody Expects Too Much From Me' Shikamaru!"

Ino's head snaps in his direction so fast I fear she hurt herself. Still, she looks at him incredulously. The boy just takes his face in his hands and murmurs something indecipherable. My money is on 'How troublesome'.

"What the hell is he talking about, Shikamaru?" Ino asks a little shocked.

Luckily for the lazy Genin, before the pretty girl can start saying or doing something else, some ninjas enter the room. They all are Jounins, they all have been my Senseis in some of my past lives and one of them will be in this one. We watch as they stand at attention, some more than others, and look at us with serious expressions, again some more than others. Next to me, Chouji whimpers softly once. I guess he's worried about the two absent members of his Team. But it doesn't matter how many times I lived this day, it never happened that Sasuke's group didn't get Hatake Kakashi as Sensei.

And, of course, Hatake Kakashi is not here yet. He won't be before three hours or more.

One by one, every Jounin calls his own Team and steps out with its members. I notice with great pleasure that the only one who is looking in my, Shikamaru's and Ino's direction is a bearded ninja with a cigarette lit up between his lips.

Sarutobi Asuma.

I don't cross my fingers behind my back only because living thousands of lives made me skeptic about the helpfulness of these gestures. Asuma is possibly the funniest Sensei I've ever had. Except maybe Mitarashi Anko, but that is a different kind of fun… Anyway, my silent prayers are granted when it's Asuma's turn to claim a Team.

"Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino. Come with me." His deep voice is music to my ears and I rush to the door barely repressing the cheer on my lips.

When I step outside, Asuma is already sprinting at slow speed through the training ground of the Academy. I sense a genjutsu to my right, but I recognize it as something created by Yuuhi Kurenai. It will be up to Hinata, Shino and Kiba to face it. Instead, I start running after my new Sensei, feeling Ino and Shikamaru behind. We catch up with him after a couple of seconds, only to see him pour on the speed to try and outdistance us again zigzagging between the trees surrounding the Academy. I keep his pace easily, apparently as much as my teammates. As I run, I remember all those other times Asuma made us do something of the sort. It was one of his favorite exercises.

When the Hokage's son increases the pace for the fifth time, Ino starts to remain a little behind. The seventh time, Shikamaru too seems to struggle a little to trail us. I feel fresh as a daisy and not because my body is better trained than theirs – well, maybe because of that too – but because my two teammates are not able to use their chakra properly yet. They probably don't know how to pump it under their feet to accelerate, and there's no way they can use it to strengthen their muscles like I do.

When Ino is about to disappear out of sight, Asuma halts on a naked hill that looks on the whole Village. I stand beside him and observe the landscape below. After roughly half a minute, we are reached by a fatigued Shikamaru and after some other minutes also by Ino, red-faced and breathless. She seems unsure if sitting is a good idea or not, but in the end, her legs take the decision for her. With an unlady-like grunt, the young Yamanaka lays down on her back in an attempt to regain her breathing.

After some minutes of silence, disturbed only by the distant noises coming from the Village, I decide to speak up.

"Sensei, is there a reason why you brought us here?"

Asuma hadn't done anything like this in any of my past lives. Now that I think about it, I'm sure I had this exact thought in a previous existence, when I noticed how the Jounin never repeated the same test more than once. This explains how the Hokage's son is completely unpredictable and therefore, exciting.

The man turns slightly and looks at every one of us in the eye.

"Look down there," he says and we comply, Ino pulling herself up on her elbows. "That is the Village of Konoha, the Village you swore to protect by accepting the head-protector you're wearing. You'll have to give your best and even your worst to that Village and its Hokage. There's no other way." Here he pauses a little with a thoughtful expression. "Well, there is another way actually, but I don't recommend it," he adds grinning.

I lift my right hand to my hitai-ite and let my thumb slide on its surface in a horizontal gesture. The other way consists in becoming a missing-ninja whose symbol is an incision going all the way from side to side of the head-protector. Asuma nods with a more serious expression.

"So…" he says clapping his hands once and rubbing them together. "Why don't we sit down, sunbathe and chat a little, eh?"

The Jounin plops down facing Ino and Shikamaru and I mirror him.

He stretches yawning for the next ten seconds, then he takes another drag from his cigarette and resumes with his talking. "What do you say if we introduce ourselves to each other?" When we nod our heads, the Hokage's son continues. "Well, I think it fair if I go first. My name is Sarutobi Asuma. I like smoking my cigarettes, playing almost every existing game in the world, and fighting strong opponents. I dislike those who lecture me about smoking – and sadly they are far too many –, and I hate arrogant people and cats. They're really awful." His annoyed expression is amusing. "This will be my first Genin Team, as until two years ago, I worked as guard of the Land of Fire's Daimyo for more than ten years. That's all, I think." He doesn't mentions that little detail about his father. He never does. "Now you, Naruto right? Introduce yourself."

"Okay," I say with a wide grin. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like having fun, all kinds of fun. I too like fighting strong opponents," 'but they are very rare nowadays' I add to myself. "Hmmm… one day I'll become Hokage and I'll have the respect of everyone in the Village."

My last comment, said in a matter-of-fact tone, clearly surprises Ino and Shikamaru, who where expecting something more similar to boasting and bragging. Well, they have to start to reconsider me after all. Because it's a different me the one they will have to work with from now on.

Asuma-sensei nods at everything and makes an interested face at my last statement, as if he didn't know that was my dream. Yeah… sure, I'm really buying it...

"Your turn, Shikamaru."

The boy huffs once with a bored expression before starting. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. I like sleeping and playing shogi. I don't hate anything, that's too troublesome. But I mildly dislike annoying people. And my mom. Well, she falls into the 'annoying people' category, really."

I chuckle a little and Asuma smiles. Ino's huff is just because of feminine sympathy, I think. The son of the Hokage turns toward her.

"Ino?"

"Yes, my name's Ino Yamanaka. I love going out to shop with my friends and with Sasuke-kun," and here only Asuma manages to repress a snort, but just because he doesn't know the Uchiha boy and how there's no chance he could shop with anyone, let alone Ino. "I hate those who don't respect Nature," she adds tossing me and Shikamaru a death glare, "and those who look down on me because I'm a female ninja." She nods her head, apparently content with her personal summary.

"Perfect," Asuma says. "Now I want every one of you to introduce your teammates."

"What?" Ino asks confused and I can't help but grinning. I knew that was coming. It's another one of the favorite 'games' of the Hokage's son.

"It's simple. You have to give an honest and detailed description of Shikamaru and Naruto and they will do the same with you and each other." Asuma shows the girl a charming smile, the cigarette dangling from the left side of his mouth. "You start Ino."

"Why have I to be the one to start?" she demands uncomfortable, but the Jounin just shrugs. "Fine," she huffs. The girl looks at me, but then averts her eyes and positions them on the Nara boy. "Shikamaru is the laziest person in the Village, but I'm pretty sure even in the other countries he has not many rivals." She shows her tongue to him in a playful gesture. "We know each other from when we were little, so I know it," she adds in a confidential tone addressing to Asuma as if the Nara boy couldn't hear. For his part, the son of the Hokage only nods with a serious expression. "He doesn't talk very much, but when he does he's annoying as hell. My father often dropped me by his family and I was always the one who did all the talking."

"There's a thing called silence, you know..." Shikamaru grumbles, but Ino ignores him.

"When he doesn't sleep, he's always hanging around with Akimichi Chouji who is almost as lazy as him. But he at least talks a little more, even if with a mouth full of chips..." she says almost disdainfully. "Oh and at the Academy, he always ended up in trouble because he never did his homework." She decides to make clear her point as if it wasn't already. "If something requires some kind of effort, then be sure he won't do it."

"Anything else? A good thing perhaps?" Asuma asks partly amused.

"Well... his fishnet T-shirt isn't bad," she admits and everyone except Asuma rolls his eyes. The Jounin, instead, nods his head and points at me.

"Now Naruto."

"Naruto..." Ino begins uncertainly, without looking at me. She needs a few seconds before really start talking and I can't wipe a grin out of my face. "Naruto is loud and annoying. He always pulls pranks on the Villagers and Shinobi, going way over the line. He too always ended up in trouble at the Academy, but more for doing something stupid than for not doing homeworks. He tries to compete with Sasuke-kun, but he's not... uhm..." she hesitates as she darts her blue eyes toward me, and I have to bite the insides of my cheeks not to laugh. She's clearly remembering me literally on top of the Uchiha boy not thirty minutes ago. "Anyway, he can't do a basic jutsu like the Henge to save his life. And have I really to talk about that awful orange jumpsuit of his?" This time I can't help but laugh at her disgusted face, as I lean on the grass behind me. "At least," she adds after a moment, eyeing my new blue clothes, "he wears something decent today."

Asuma smiles. "We'll have to do something about that jumpsuit then, eh Naruto?" he's trying to light up a mood there's no need to light up. He probably thinks Ino's words were hard... he should have been there an hour ago, when he called me, if I remember correctly, 'the dead last, the idiot, the loser Naruto!'

"I'm not promising anything," I say with a grin of my own.

"Okay," Asuma nods. "Your turn Shikamaru."

"Have I really?" the boy huffs.

"Yes, you have," the Hokage's son confirms in his deep voice, tilting his head to a side as if assessing him.

The young Nara sighs turning his attention to me. "Two days ago, my opinion on Naruto wouldn't have been much different than Ino's. 'A loud, annoying braggart who always pulls pranks' surmised his character well enough." He stares at me for a long moment letting his bored mask slip off his face. "But now, I don't know… I'm not saying he's not 'a loud, annoying braggart who always pulls pranks' anymore, but I think that isn't enough now. He showed different aspects of his personality overnight. He seems more mature, not to say stronger and more skilled. He did defeat Sasuke and Mizuki-sensei easily after all, although he had probably been underestimated by them both. And he got one of the best scores in the exam and the best one overall in the practice portion of it."

I grin wolfishly at that, and I can see Asuma weighing me up with this new information out of the corner of his eye. You'll know how much I'm really strong soon enough, Sensei.

"He also displayed some… advanced abilities and knowledge" he adds probably referring to my Kage Bunshins and my 'grass Rasengan'. "It seems like he downplayed his skills until the Genin-exam, but something is not adding up."

His dark eyes try to bore into me, but my grin is immovable. He's a smart guy, that's for sure. Not that it was that difficult to smell something fishy in my latest behavior after all. I'm not exactly trying to lay low here.

"Very good," Asuma says pleased with this last… gentler judgment.

After another interested look at me, Shikamaru turns toward Ino, assuming a bored expression again. Not a good sign, I'm speaking from experience. "Ino, you are annoying and talk too much, more so when you're around your precious Sasuke-kun. That obsession of yours and of pretty much every girl at the Academy is almost more irritating than my mom waking me up early in the morning. You're a superficial little girl apparently interested only in dresses and boys. And you're often bossy and have a bad temper which is a huge no no in my book."

He says all this almost in one breath and without pause. His decision of directly addressing the girl serves only to harden his already strong words. When he finishes, Ino has a murderous glint in her eyes, as if to confirm Shikamaru's last comment. Asuma-sensei rubs his temples with both hands, with an expression that clearly says 'I had hoped this went better'. I guess we could say his little game somewhat backfired. I'm pretty sure that despite I assisted and participated to this thing countless of times, this one is the harshest of them all. I can see stormy beginnings for Team 10.

"Uhm… your turn Naruto," the Jounin says offering me a half begging, half discouraged look.

I smile. Poor Asuma, he didn't see this start coming. But he should have expected it, at least partially. Kids are often brutal, sometimes cruel. They don't always understand or care for their actions' consequences.

Fortunately for him, I'm not really a kid.

"Hmmm… who should I start with?" I ask to myself tilting my head from side to side. Shikamaru has a bored expression – as always – while Ino has opted for a somewhat snobbish one. Women first, right? I fix my eyes on the young Yamanaka, and she stiffens visibly. Maybe not this time. I turn to the Nara boy and he eyes me almost sleepily.

"I could mix it up a little perhaps..." I say thoughtfully rubbing my chin with my hand. I miss my white beard a little. But I can't do anything about it. It won't appear before a long time. "Okay," I say making up my mind. I give all my attention to Asuma-sensei and start talking.

"Ino and Shikamaru are not as different as they might seem." My introductory comment isn't exactly well received, at least judging by the double "WHAT?" that comes from the two Genins. "Their attitudes certainly are and those are what we all see most of the time. She's passionate, he's apathetic. She's bossy, he's passive. She's energetic, he's lazy and so on. That is why they rub each other the wrong way so much."

I can see Asuma is very interested in my statements, and very amused by all the sputtering the two are keeping on doing. He nods his head with a knowing smile as he puts out his cigarette and drops it into an apposite compartment of his Jounin uniform. I so terribly don't want to know what unspeakable hideousnesses are hidden in there.

"But when things get serious, both are there, present for those they care about. Even for each other, yes," I add turning to them when they try to deny it. "They both exude self-confidence and leadership, each in their own different way. When they absolutely want something, they do whatever is necessary to get it." At the incredulous look from Ino to Shikamaru, I feel an explanation of that last point is needed. "Think about what he's done at the Academy," I tell her. "He could have easily been the best student of our class in almost everything. Still, he chose not to stand out, and don't underestimate how difficult it is to hold back like that. Believe me, I know." I strongly hint that that's what I did as well, and Shikamaru and I receive two stunned looks from the girl. "Anyways, what I mean is that you are more similar than you think, and that both of you have what is needed to become a good Shinobi of the Leaf."

I could have said something more specific - I know them very, very well after all -, but there was no need, really. I already made my point, judging by the thoughtful silence that follows my last comment. Ino and Shikamaru are looking at each other with very skeptic expressions. Ino can be as stubborn as hell, and Shikamaru, while very intelligent and observant, is still a little kid. It will take more than just a few words from 'the dead last' to make them notice and hopefully accept it.

"Very good," Asuma-sensei says standing up. "Now that we know each other fairly well..." and here our incredulous looks prompt him to add, "for a starting point... we can pass to something else." He dusts his green vest before looking at us with a smile. "I want you to show me your best shot. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, you choose... I want to see the thing you feel the most proficient in." He looks around with an approving expression. "I think we have enough room here."

I stand up and offer a hand to Ino. She takes it after a moment and I help her on her feet, while thinking what to do. For a moment, I ponder the idea of showing Asuma the complete version of the Rasengan, but then settle for my Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It's definitely my favorite move, if not the one I'm the most proficient in, and it is affectively important to me. There are others, many others, as well, but this one will be impressive enough.

I see my two teammates hesitate, so I decide to start for first. "Asuma-sensei, may I?"

"Go on Naruto. I hope you're going to show me your infamous Sexy no Jutsu I heard so much about," he says smiling.

I'm oh so gonna wipe that smile off his face. I was ready to hold back a little by making the seals and letting smoke and sound make an appearance, but that grin of his made me change my mind.

My grin is much wider when, a second later, thousands of Naruto appear everywhere around us, every one of them yelling a loud "Oy!" that deafens me as well, despite I knew they would have done that. Neither smoke, nor sound anticipated their coming and I performed no seal at all. All this without breaking a sweat.

The nearest clone to Asuma pats him on the arm when he sees his completely stunned expression, and the Jounin makes a double take. Ino's and Shikamaru's expression are not that different, all with their open mouths and wide eyes.

I laugh - and when I say 'I', I mean every 'I' there - with another deafening, not to say eerie, result.

"N-Naruto... are they Kage Bunshins?" Asuma asks me - the very me - stammering less than what I expected. He starts touching some of the clones to test their solidity and much to his surprise and delight, everyone he touches is solid indeed.

"Yeah, and I can do a lot more," I say and each Naruto nods his head in agreement. Ino and Shikamaru still have their mouths open as they look at the multitude in front of them. And behind them. And to their right... and left.

I smirk. "So, what do you think Sensei?"

He turns toward me slowly, showing me very wide eyes. He lifts a hand, palm to me, as if to stop me or shut me up. He starts searching in one of his chest pockets and soon enough produces a cigarette package. He takes one from it, puts it between his lips and lights it up with a hand gesture. Then he takes a long drag, exhaling very slowly, eyes closed. When he opens them again, he reveals a serious expression on his face.

"Not bad," he says in a bored tone and I burst out laughing. He smiles too after a moment. "Dispel them so we can continue. There's too little room now."

I chuckle again as my Kage Bunshins disappear, again without producing neither smoke nor sound. Asuma shakes his head disbelievingly.

"Ino, let's see what you got."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sometimes later, we all are dining at Mitsuruka's, a place I grew accustomed to in some of my past lives. The owner, a forty years old man who is now glaring at me from behind the counter, has a daughter I married a couple of times - seven, I think. Maybe the man can sense the danger. The girl, Karena, is serving at the tables. She's already very pretty at thirteen, and she's glancing now and then at my whisker marks with an interested expression. I thank her with a sweet smile when she puts my grilled steak in front of me.

"You already hit on her, eh Naruto?" Asuma asks trying to embarrass me as Karena goes back to her father. We're the only customers at the moment in the late afternoon.

I just grin at him. I'm not a little kid who blushes at the littlest teasing. "Nah. Don't think so. She was simply fascinated by my unusual marks. They're almost fox-like."

It's Asuma instead who feels uncomfortable at my statement. Tonight he'll be at his father's door knocking forcefully and shouting 'He knows! He knows!'

Now, that's an amusing image!

Anyway, he's a Jounin and an expert one at that, so he shows his wariness with just minimal shoulder stiffness. "You could use that to chat her up," he replies smoothly.

"Oh yeah, sure," I say, slicing my steak. "I could use something like 'Hey pretty girl, I've got a lot of marks on my body. Wanna see them?' That's just perfect to start a relationship." Asuma snorts, while Ino seems disgusted and embarrassed. Shikamaru... Shikamaru is thoughtful. I hope he isn't thinking about my marked naked body. He had never been gay in any of my past lives. But he is, after all, going through a phase of sexual instability...

Bah! Who am I kidding? The Nara boy always ends up with a smocking hot kunoichi. There's no way he could be interested in a boy, fortunately, if said boy is me. He's probably thinking about my comments, maybe even putting everything together and discovering my secret. Well, one of them anyways...

"Who could be interested in someone like you?" Ino says with a scowl and still a slight blush.

"Hey, not everyone likes dark-haired brooding boys, you know? Who doesn't like pretty blue eyes and golden locks of hair?" I exclaim, rolling a blond curl around my finger and batting my eyelids at her. "And what about a sunny, not to say funny, attitude?"

"Well, not me!" she shouts, blushing furiously and averting her eyes.

"Really?" I keep on teasing her. "Still, you should know blondes have more fun."

Her sputtering is interrupted when Karena comes back with two bowls of sauce. I smile at her.

"Thank you very much," I say and she smiles back. She has the cutest dimples.

"You're welcome."

"Sorry..." I stop her as she's starting to step away. She turns around and tilts her head to a side. "I... I just wanted to say you're very pretty when you smile."

The cute blush that creeps on her cheeks is the only comprehensible answer I get as she stammers something before bolting to a door and out of sight.

The shocked silence at the table prolongs for some seconds.

"What?" I say finally with a grin and Asuma starts chuckling.

"Oh my, they gave me a wannabe Casanova."

"You were flirting!" Shikamaru says with an almost disgusted expression. I guess he didn't hit puberty yet, for him to react like this. Or maybe, he really is gay... At least, he isn't feigning boredom anymore.

"I was just complimenting her." That has always been my line of defense, in every one of my lives. I admit it can have some flaws, but I like it.

Ino is sporting an unhealthy angry-red on her face and she's started eating her meal with a dangerous forcefulness. She wipes her plate way before me, and that's really an accomplishment.

"Want some?" I ask her, pointing at my plate and trying to ignore the death glare coming from the restaurant's owner not too far away. "The steak is really good. Ino, you should eat some." Her plate was just... pathetic. Two carrots, a potato and a mountain of vegetables. Mine is overflowing with delicious meat and sauce, and I already gobbled down a lot of appetizers she barely touched.

"No," she says forcefully.

"Why not? It seems like you're still hungry."

"I said no! I have to watch my weight," she answers scowling.

I frown at her. "That's one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard and I heard some quite idiotic ones, especially coming from my own mouth."

"WHAT!" the girl half snorts half yells in an unlady-like sound. At least she's also amused and not just mad at me.

"Nevermind," I say waving dismissively with my hand. "Do whatever you want. It's your body after all."

Asuma decides to change the subject as soon as possible. "So... as I already said, tomorrow we'll start taking missions," the Hokage's son says in his deep voice. We Genins nod our heads, Ino after a last moment of grumbling. "They'll be boring ones at first," he continues with an annoyed expression, "but with time we'll get something more serious. The missions will help us understand how to work as a Team and what to expect from its every member. I want you to think about today, about what your teammates did and said, and try to somewhat reconcile them with your own abilities."

I already did that using way more information than just what Ino and Shikamaru let out today. After my little demonstration with my impressive jutsu, my two teammates performed their basic clan techniques, the Nara's Kagemane no Jutsu and the Yamanaka's Shintenshin no Jutsu. Both are very useful already but when they'll learn something more advanced, it will be even better. After that, Asuma made us spar against each other to see how our taijutsu was. Even with my weights on, I had no problem at all against them, but I was positively surprised by Ino. The girl is fast and agile and when she'll start using chakra to improve in both, she'll be a force to recon with. Shikamaru held back a little as always and even a mild beating from my part couldn't motivate him enough to give his best. Asuma gave pointers here and there in his usual gentle way and soon enough he called a halt and took us here to dine.

"I'm glad I was assigned to this Team. I see great potential and possibilities in you. If you play your cards right, you'll be Chuunins in no time."

"We just made Genins," Shikamaru groans. He's clearly thinking about what a pain it would be to take another exam.

Asuma just shrugs before returning to his plate.

Some food, conversations and cigarettes later, we are ready to go. After a little more of flirting from my part, we exit the restaurant leaving behind a fuming father and a blushing daughter.

"You're shameless, Naruto," Shikamaru says shaking his head. We're still in front of the building, under the yellow light of a streetlamp.

I feign annoyance. "Again, she was kind and I just complimented her."

"If you had complimented her kindness instead of her 'chocolate eyes', then I could have believed it."

"Whatever," I say shrugging and turning to Asuma. "What now, Sensei?"

"Now?" he asks lighting up another cigarette. He then pumps a fist in the air cheerily. "Now it's bedtime!"

Shikamaru and Ino roll their eyes, but I mimic the Hokage's son playfully. "Yay!"

He chuckles one last time. "No, seriously. Get a night of rest. Tomorrow we'll work hard on training and missions so you'll need a full dose of sleep." He starts walking away. "See you at seven in front of the Hokage tower. Night!" He disappears behind a corner leaving us in silence.

Shikamaru puts his hands in his pockets and start walking in the opposite direction in a not so different manner than our Sensei, but from a midget without a cigarette it hasn't the same cool effect. Of course, he doesn't care at all and that makes him cool.

"See you then."

"Bye," Ino and I say in chorus.

"So..." I turn toward her. "I'll accompany you home."

She's shocked for an instant. "You... you don't have to."

"No, I don't," I agree, "but it's a beautiful night and I like walking very much."

"Well, I don't live far from here... Are you sure?"

"Yes, let's go."

We walk side by side without talking. She seems embarrassed, but I'm really enjoying the fresh air and the silence. We reach her house, the first of a large complex all owned by the Yamanaka clan, and I accompany her till the front door. She fumbles with the keys for a while, her back to me, before turning around.

"Thanks," she says looking at her feet.

I smile at her, starting to step away.

"No problem. Good night."

"Night."

I watch her enter the house before going back to the street.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I'm running lightly through the woods near the south gate of the Village, jumping back and forth between the trees' branches and the ground with a slow pace. I've been followed for two minutes now, but I almost reached the perfect spot. There, I see it already.

I enter the clearing five seconds later. It's fairly big, wide, with just a lonely tree roughly in its middle. I slow down to a stop at a few meters from its trunk and wait for about a minute. Then I turn to my left and look between the bushes and right in a dark pair of eyes, now widening in shock.

I sigh.

"Come out, Sasuke."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Author's notes – I had to do some serious editing for this chapter. There were a couple of scenes I didn't even recognize as my own. I was thoroughly disgusted by their fluffiness. I hope I managed to clean them up enough to make them at least bearable now. I don't know how much it will take me to post the next chapters. If they're as bad as this one was (and maybe is), then it could be a while.