Yo, it's Z here. A new chapter, forever in the making but hopefully you'll still enjoy it. Just one thing before we get going guys. I'm not a review nazi. I'm not going to say "if I don't get X amount of reviews I'm not going to continue this fic". But I do have a bit of a pet peeve when people fav my story or put me on their author list without taking the time to review. I got about ten times more fav's then I got reviews, a while appreciate that you like my story, it's a little wack. I don't review every fic I read, but when I fav something I make sure to let the author know I really liked it, so if your going to fav it or if you just really like what you read, let me know! It might help motivate me to get out chapters faster.

With that said here we go!

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"Down!

"Two-hundred ninety seven, sir!"

His arms felt like lead. His muscles screamed in protest. From his chest to his hips felt like it was on fire.

"Down!"

"Two hundred ninety eight, sir!"

He was barely moving at this point. He was doing all he could just to stay up.

"Down!"

"Two hundred ninety nine, sir!"

He didn't move.

"Down!"

"Three hundred, sir!"

Unable to support him for even a second longer, Naruto's arms gave out, and he came crashing down to the earth with a resounding thud. The fifty or so other thuds that accompanied him proved that he was not alone.

Minahara Takashi towered over the fallen trainees smirking like to the devil himself. To the cadets in training, he might as well have been.

Naruto panted, uncaring that his face was in the dirt, and tried get feeling back into his limbs. He began to lift his head up only to see a pair of ninja sandals staring back at him.

Too big for a trainee. That could only mean...'Oh great'.

"Namikaze!" the baron of hell was calling his name again. "Do you honestly believe I'll let you pass off that piss poor showing as push ups?" Takashi asked.

Naruto said nothing, still desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, ignoring me now are you boy? Wrong move. Namikaze, front and center!"

The boy in question let out a moan of misery and began sluggishly pulling himself off the ground.

"Do you think we have all day? Do you think we are running on your schedule? I said front and center. Now!"

The blond scrambled to his feet, having already learned the consequences of taking too long. He made his way to front of the group, half limping, with great trepidation. His eyes darted around, surveying the rest of the training area. They were in a field, about a hundred square yards. At the far end of the field a target area was set up, with hanging bulls eyes for shuriken and kunai practice.

"You were slacking off on those last fifty! I should make you do all of them over again. But I'll be nice. Ten more, right now.

The jounin was picking on him. Naruto understood this by now. There were others who hadn't even been able to hold themselves up past the first two hundred, and Takashi wasn't making them come to the front. His arms were still numb, and he felt as if he couldn't do a single push up more. 'The hell did I do to piss him off so much? He treats me like I slapped his mother.' While it was true he picked on Naruto more than most, he treated all of them like they weren't worth a second of his time. Looking out at the group and the uniforms they were wearing, Naruto couldn't help but think back on the initiation speech the man had given them.

"Listen up! From this moment forward, you are property of the Reserve Corps, and you will remain so until you either finish your conscription, get promoted out, which stands as much chance as a snowball in hell, or," his smile was completely vicious at this point, "die." Takashi turned and began to strut back and forth in front of the rows of young ninja, staring each one in the eyes and smirking as they looked away. There were a few though who returned his gaze, refusing to be cowed. He noticed the Namikaze brat was among them. 'Well well, looks like the brat has some spunk. We'll see how long that lasts,' he thought smugly.

With his posturing over, Takashi continued on with his speech. "Konohagakure no Sato is the strongest hidden village among the Elemental Nations. It is known for its wealth of powerful elite ninja, such as Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and of course our great Lord Hokage." The first two names were mentioned in a tone that was half mocking, half grudging acknowledgement. However it was clear as their instructor mentioned the last name that he held nothing but supreme respect for the man who held the title. This made Naruto scowl a bit, as it seemed even here his father was venerated.

Still Takashi continued on. "You," he addressed the trainees assembled before him, "are not the elite. Nor will you ever be. Those trained in a four man cell can wear what they choose, get to bond with their teammates into a close knit unit, have more of say in which missions they receive, and are paid in proportion to the difficulty of the mission.' Once again he was smirking, and Naruto wished fervently he could wipe that smirk off the jounin's face. Takashi continued on.

"You all are grunts. You will go where we tell you, work with whoever you are told to work with, will be paid the same no matter how dangerous your mission is, and all of you will wear," he stopped, mockingly looking at some of the bright or expensive clothes his trainees were wearing, before continuing on. "This", he spoke, gesturing the the dull green uniform he was wearing. "Konoha Reserve Corps. Combat Fatigues, Standard Issue. They are to be worn at all times you are on duty, including entirety of your Basic Training. At all times you are on duty your head is to remain completely covered. For now you will be given a basic bandana, but you will still be required to cover you head with your ninja headband upon completion of this program. Failure to comply will not be tolerated" Takashi stated with a tone that brooked no argument.

"After completing your Basic Training, and you all will complete it, you will attain the rank of genin. Get used to it, for it is the only rank you will probably ever see. If, by some chance of inconceivable luck, you manage to impress your commander in the field some years down the road, it's possible you might attain the rank of chuunin via field promotion. However, that is very unlikely, and if you even think for a second you miserable brats will attain the rank of jounin you are sorely mistaken."

Takashi turned, staying silent for second as his words sunk in, before beginning again. "This, is our KIA Wall," he spoke, gesturing to the wall behind him. Naruto knew about the memorial stone in Konoha proper. All of Konoha's heroes were carved into the slab of obsidian rock. However, unless they had performed an extraordinarily heroic action like that Uchiha on his father's old team, no one under the rank of jounin were listed, making the names listed relatively short.

This memorial was completely different. The slate grey wall was of unremarkable material, almost oppressively dull. However, compared to the memorial stone, it was huge. About twenty meters long, if Naruto had to guess. From the top to the bottom, there were neatly engraved names which filled about two thirds of the wall. The rest was mostly blank, but he could see new names that looked freshly engraved starting to spill over into the unmarked section.

"For those of you who are still not getting the picture, let me spell it out for you. We of the Reserves are Konoha's lowest. We serve wherever we are called to. We carry out whatever mission we are assigned to, until it is completed, or we meet our end." The cadets milled about, fidgeting nervously as the ominous words darkened their thoughts.

"Some of those in the higher ranks consider us expendable," Takashi continued. "In a sense, they are right. However, we always do our duty, no matter the cost. We are prepared to lay down our lives for our village at any time. That, is the true meaning of being a ninja of Konohagakure. These names you see behind me are the names of true patriots, who gave it all in service of their village. For that, their names will be remembered forever, even if it is only their brothers and sisters in the Reserves who honor their sacrifice."

Naruto didn't know what to think. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he was scared. At first he had just been ashamed that he would be thought of as a loser, a disgrace to his family. Now he was beginning to realize that his situation was much more serious than that; deadly serious.

Takashi watched the assembled trainees, noting the emotions which danced across their faces. Shock, nervousness, and finally, a sense of grim understanding. 'Good, they are beginning to realize that this isn't a game'. Nodding in satisfaction, he began again.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow, the real training begins. Dismissed!"

Naruto's thoughts came back to the present as he noticed Takashi staring at him.

"What are you waiting for, Namikaze? I said ten!"

Naruto grumbled but got down on his hands. As soon as he began to lower himself to the ground, his arms began to tremble. He made it to three before they gave out and he came crashing back down to the dirt.

"Looks like you're going to need extra training. Meet me at this field at oh four thirty sharp," said Takashi, his voice without an ounce of sympathy. He turned to the rest of the cadets. "Dismissed!"

xXXx

Natsumi was, for lack of a better word, bummed out. Her brother had shipped off for the Reserves, and she hadn't even gone to see him off. Sure, he was an asshole and sure, he got on her nerves like no other. But he was her brother, her twin even, and the fact that he already had falling out with their parents made her feel like she had let him down in some way. However, in a slump or not, she still met up with her friends at their per-arranged meeting spot, which of course was the Ichiraku ramen stand. "Hey guys," she greeted her friends without much fanfare.

"Hi Natsumi! You ready to go shopping later?" responded her friend Yamanaka Ino. Her other friends, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru just waved to her. Natsumi noticed the look on Shikamaru's face, half bored, half irritated, and assumed that he had only come because Ino had all but forced him to, as usual. Chouji had most likely come because Shikamaru was coming...and there would be food.

"Hey Natsumi, what's wrong?" Ino must have noticed the look on her face.

Natsumi sighed, playing with one her pigtails as she debated what to tell her friend. Ino was a bit of a gossip, but she figured she might as well tell somebody. It's not as if the whole village didn't know what had happened already.

"I'm sure you guys know, but my brother shipped out yesterday."

Ino's face still looked confused. "So? I thought you hated your brother, you always said he was a jerk to you anyway."

Natsumi sighed again, looking down into her bowl of ramen as if the soupy noodles held the answer to all of life's problems. "We never got along, not really. But he's still my brother. Him and my mom aren't really close, and you all know what happened with dad. I was really mad at him when he left..." she trailed off, getting a little choked up as the memories came back to her. "I didn't even see him off," she said at last.

Kiba took this opportunity to chime in. "No offense Natsumi, but from what I heard your brother got what was coming to him. I mean baiting the Hokage? How stupid do you have to be?"

Natsumi continued looking down, and Ino punched Kiba in the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Kiba growled.

"Idiot! Can't you see you're not helping?" Ino replied.

"Whatever."

"Troublesome" was all Shikamaru added to conversation. Chouji simply continued to inhale his ramen.

Ino shook her head in disgust, before turning back to Natsumi. "Well, it can't be that bad right? I mean sure he's in the Reserves now, but after he's finished his time there he'll be able to come back and get on a team," said Ino, trying to cheer up her friend.

"Actually, that's not exactly true," an unknown voice broke into their conversation. The five children looked over to see a man with silver hair and a black half mask covering his face. One eye was covered with his ninja headband, and his other eye gazed at them with a friendly but bland expression. Natsumi instantly recognized him as Hatake Kakashi, her father's old student. It wasn't that surprising, seeing as this was the Hokage's favorite lunch spot which had just recently began serving sake as well which drew a lot of older ninja to stop by. Kakashi continued on.

"Once you're in the Reserves, you almost always stay in the Reserves. The majority of Reserve ninja don't make it to chuunin, and reaching jounin is almost unheard of. Because their training is different than those with a jounin sensei it's extremely difficult to integrate them into the primary ninja force after their conscription is completed. Most leave after they've done their time. A few stay, but either way they're not likely to make a long career out of it," he said with a shrug. Natsumi balled her fist at the man's indifference to the situation.

He got up from his stool nonchalantly, ignoring the glare the redheaded girl was giving him. "Tell your father I said hi, would you?" he asked as his eye winked close into what could only be described as an eye smile. Then, he casually walked away, face buried in a little orange book that suddenly appeared in his hand.

Natsumi's eyes went back to her ramen, now cold, ignoring her friend's questions about who that weird scarecrow looking guy was. Somehow she felt even worse than before.

xXXx

The son of Namikaze Minato was, for the first time in his life, finding out what being truly miserable felt like. He thought he had known before, with both his parents constantly on his case while everyone praised his sister. And while intellectually he had known his life was pretty damn good, he always had a nagging impression that he had gotten the short end of the stick.

Boy, was he mistaken.

"Well well, look who it is."

Oh joy, it was his fan club.

"The son of our great commander has come to grace us common ninjas with his presence." The voice was literally dripping with sarcasm. Machida Odo, resident heckler and all around antagonist of one Namikaze Naruto made his presence known. Odo was the deadlast of the most recent class, and as such he had a pretty big chip on his shoulder. His assignment to the Reserves had only deepened his resentment, and he chose Naruto as the target to vent his bitterness upon. It didn't help that the boy was huge for his age. His thick arms and legs, in addition to his big ears and puffy face, gave him the slight resemblance to a large ape. Odo's two friends, who Naruto had dubbed his henchmen, flanked the larger boy on either side.

"Up yours, Machida," was Naruto's only reply. He moved to take his place on the chow line, ignoring the indignant look on Odo's face. They said the slop they were served for breakfast lunch and dinner was high in protein and containing all the essential vitamins and minerals to help their bodies repair from the high strain. All Naruto knew was that it looked like crap and tasted even worse. Still, the day's training left him completely ravenous, and he grimaced as his stomach growled impatiently. 'What I wouldn't give for some ramen, even the instant kind' he thought despondantly. As the server ladled some high protein crap tasting gruel into his bowl, Naruto made to turn away and begin his lunch. Alas, it was not to be.

"Don't turn your back on me Namikaze!" Odo's infuriated voice rang out across the mess hall. Naruto turned to see the hulking figure of his recently acquired nemesis towering over him.

"Or what? I aint scared of you! Make a move you gorilla faced bastard!" Naruto didn't think much of his old friends. They hadn't even come to see him off before he shipped out. However, if hanging with street kids had taught him one thing, it was to never be afraid of a fight.

Odo's face reddened in rage, and without thinking he started to throw a wide haymaker in attempt to overpower the smaller boy. In turn, Naruto did the first thing that came to mind: he threw his plate of steaming gruel right into his attackers face. Odo screamed in pain, trying in vain to wipe the hot soupy mixture off of his face. His friends stared in shock before the the bigger boy screamed at them. "What are you waiting for? Get him!"

They started for Naruto, the first one throwing a haymaker just like Odo had tried. Naruto snorted, anticipating it by dipping under the blow and returning fire with a straight right to the boy's nose. A satisfying crunch was the reward for his efforts. He celebrated with a quick smirk, but this proved to be his downfall. That split second was the only opening his other attacker needed. The boy barreled into Naruto, taking him down with a brutal tackle. Naruto's head smacked against the floor, leaving him dizzy and disoriented with no way to defend himself as the other boy climbed on top of him and began raining down blows. Just as Naruto felt the world begin to start drifting away him, a voice cut across the mess hall, freezing everyone in their tracks.

"Just what is going on here?" Takashi's voice was hard as rock and the four boys stood stock still like a deer caught in headlights. The man didn't even wait for an explanation before barking out orders. "Machida, Namikaze, Yashikama, Suzuki, outside. NOW!" The four trainees immediately managed four weak "Yes sirs" before filing out of the mess hall, with one still wiping gruel from his face and two other wiping the blood from theirs. Outside the building they lined up against the wall as their instructor paced back and forth in front of them. Naruto's vision was still swimming, and he shook his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs. Takashi's voice interrupted him and it was the epitome of unimpressed.

"I don't know who started it. I don't know and I honestly don't give a shit. You are here to learn what it means to be a soldier, not to act like school yard brats! You will fight when I say you fight. Not a second before and not a second after. Is that understood?" Takashi ground out.

"Yes sir!" Chorused the four boys.

"Good. Now, DOWN!"

The four boys dropped to ground like lightning, pushing the earth in a conditioned response that had already been drilled into them. One hundred push ups later, Takashi grudgingly dismissed them, and they all began shuffle away with their heads down. That is, until Takashi's voice stopped two of them in their tracks. "Namikaze, Machida, you two stay behind."

"Yes sir", the boys bit out with a groan and sigh as they resumed their places in attention against the wall. Naruto wiped nervously at his nose, which was still spewing blood down the front of his uniform.

"Since you two want to fight so much, I'm going to let you fight", the man stated with a smirk. The boys looked at each other, and then at his smirking face, and Naruto had a sinking feeling that Takashi didn't mean what he was implying. Naruto was correct. "Namikaze, from now on after training is finished for the day, you are to report to me directly. If you want to fight so much then you can fight with me."

Naturo felt a lump form in the pit of his stomach as soon as the words left Takashi's mouth. Fight that man? No way in hell he wanted to do that! The man was a monster, and that was just when he was barking out orders. But it wasn't just that. He would have to do it right after a day of exhausting training. Beside him Odo snickered, and Naruto could only glare at his rival. "Machida! Why are you laughing? You are to report to me an hour later. And if you think it's so funny, I can have you do pushups while you wait", threatened the drill instructor menacingly.

Odo shut his mouth abruptly, eyes going wide as he scrambled to cover himself. "No sir, nothing's funny sir!"

"Didn't think so. Now you two are dismissed! And don't be late, or you will regret it."

"Yes sir!" The two boys shouted before scrambling off back to the training grounds.

Takashi watched them go, expression hard as his eyes followed him. Then, a dark grim slowly made its way to his face. 'Now this is going to be fun', he thought to himself.

xXXx

Naruto's whole body felt like one big mass of aches and pains. Still, despite his condition he made his way towards the back of the barracks, dreading what was to come but knowing it would only be worse if he was late. He reached the back of the building, which was a just an empty area with grass, and saw Takashi waiting for him. The look in his eyes promised pain in the near future.

"Good, you're here on time. Looks like you're actually learning something."

Naruto only grumbled.

"Come to the center," Takashi ordered. Naruto complied, eyeing the man warily. Takashi took up a position opposite of him, eyes watching his every move. "Since you're so keen on fighting, let me see what you got. You're going to attack me with everything you have. Don't hold back."

Naruto looked hard at the trainer. His hands were in his pockets, and the way he was standing left him completely open. If he could surprise Takashi with his speed, he might be able to get a couple hits in before he was taken down.

Without warning he charged, fists blazing towards Takashi's face. Just as he was about to land the hit, something hard and fast smashed into his ribs.

"Oof!" Naruto was sent flying. He crashed into the ground in a heap, all the air knocked out of his lungs and his chest burning.

"Pathetic" Takashi sneered. "Is that all you got?"

Naruto panted, taking big gulps of air as his chest spasmed. Finally his lungs were able to calm down and he glared up at his tormentor. He climbed to his feet and made his way back to the center of the field, determined not to back down. Deciding to try something different, he shifted his stance, drawing on the little bit of the academy taijutsu he knew.

This time he approached Takashi slower, fists and feet flying in sloppy but traditional forms as he attempted to hit the much larger man. Takashi was unimpressed. He slipped a punch, another kick hit air, a third was blocked as the man lifted his leg slightly. Naruto tried again, sending a straight right to Takashi's solar plexus. The man simply pivoted to the side, letting the punch slide by him effortlessly. He slipped his hand out of his pocket and cuffed Naruto in the head. The blow was little more than a hard slap, but it sent Naruto sprawling to the ground anyway.

Takashi snorted. "Is this what they're teaching in the Academy these days? Or are you just completely useless?"

Naruto once again climbed back to his feet. He looked at Takeshi, still standing there with his hands in his pockets, and Naruto felt the fire of anger burning within his stomach. 'I'll get this bastard at least once if it's the last thing I do!'

Abandoning the Academy taijutsu, Naruto went back to what he had picked up from his time hanging out on the streets. He put his hands up to guard his face and approached Takashi slower this time. Takashi's eyes narrowed for a second a second, but Naruto paid it no mind. When Naruto was in range, he threw a quick jab at Takashi's face, before jerking his head to the side and letting loose a straight cross. Takashi dodged the first one, but the second one actually forced him to use his hand to parry. Takashi's hand flashed out, seeking the side of Naruto head once more, but Naruto quickly brought his right hand back to cover the side of his head.

The blow was blocked cleanly this time, but it still made the boy stumble. Regaining his balance, Naruto backed up and reset. Something had changed though. Takashi's stance now resembled something more proper. His body was angled, and his hands, now out of his pockets, were in a similar position to Naruto's guard, if still a bit lazy. 'It doesn't matter, I'm still going to get him,' thought Naruto.

He approached again, this time going for a front stomp to the jounin's chest. The kick was parried to the side, and the jounin easily stepped inside his guard and landed a knee to Naruto's stomach. Naruto doubled over, only to have his legs kicked out from under him. He laid there for a second, and he realized he was starting to become intimately familiar with the ground. 'Son of a bitch!' he swore to himself. 'That's it, I've had it with this shit!'

Naruto slowly made his way to his feet once more, eyes never leaving the jounin. Pain flared through his muscles, both from the day's training and from the hits he had taken, but he refused to submit. Takashi watched him back, not swayed an inch by the death glare Naruto was giving him.

The blond once again took up his stance, an aura of determination surrounding him. He charged at Takashi one more time, and jounin narrowed his eyes in disgust. 'Hasn't this kid learned that doesn't work already?' Naruto threw a fast jab, then jerked his head to the side, just like he had learned in the street. The move saved him as a punch flew through the space his face had just been inhabiting. He followed it up by feigning a straight right, then ducked under Takashi's round house kick. 'Now' Naruto thought. Just as Takashi was reorienting himself, Naruto leaped into the air, bringing both feet up and lashing out with a vicious drop kick. Takashi's eyes widened as the kick approached his face. 'Shit!'

'Yes!' Naruto thought, 'I got him!'

Just as Naruto was about to claim his victory, Takashi blurred, hands knocking aside Naruto's legs as if he was a five year old. Naruto barely had time to looked shocked, body flailing comically in the air, before a vicious front kick prevented his descent to the ground. Naruto's eyes widened as all the air rushed out of his lungs once again, only to be launched towards the other side of the clearing as he was hit with a blindingly fast spinning back kick. He crashed to ground in a crumpled heap.

This time, he didn't get back up. Takashi watched the boy as he lay on the ground, chest heaving as his lungs attempted to hold in oxygen. The jounin's expression hadn't changed much throughout the fight, but his thoughts were a different matter.

'This kid...he actually has potential' Takashi grudgingly admitted to himself. He had first noticed something when he had seen Naruto's stance. While still containing a lot of holes, it was similar to the down and dirty, but effective, style he himself personally used. 'Not like that flowery crap they teach at the Academy.' But it wasn't just that. The kid had started to adapt to him as they fought, and had even pulled out some completely unpredictable moves at the end. 'I even had to use chakra to block that last attack'. On top of that he had never backed down, even though he had been getting his ass handed to him.

He watched as Naruto slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, noting with satisfaction that even though the blond had been defeated, he refused to stay down. Despite himself, Takashi found he was beginning to like the kid a little bit. Maybe with a little push in the right direction...

"Listen up, brat, and listen well because I will only say this once. The life of a ninja is not a game. There is no time to goof off and be lazy, that kind of attitude will get you killed in the field." He stopped, noticing the boy had stopped looking at the ground and was now paying attention to what he was saying.

"I've read your file. I know why you're here, a full year early, and what you have been doing for the past few years. That shit won't cut it here. I've already told you all, but I"ll say it again. Many in the Reserves don't make it past their first year, some even less. However, there are a few who rise to the occasion, and become extremely capable ninja despite their situation. The difference is their attitude. It's this simple, you fight the way you train. It's easy to coast through basic training doing the bare minimum, but when you're in battle and you find yourself out classed, it's too late to wish you had put more into your training, you're already dead."

Naruto looked down at the ground. Takashi's words were getting to him. He knew he had slacked off in his training throughout his life. He had been lucky enough to have had elite tutors at his disposal, and he had blown it all off to slack off and hang out with his friends. Now he was beginning to wish he had taken his training more seriously.

Takashi watched as his words reached the young boy, allowing him to ponder what he said before continuing. "I don't care what you think of me. I don't care if you hate me like you've never hated anyone before. But it's my job to make sure that when you all go out there, you at least a have a chance to survive the situations you will find yourselves in. But the truth is I can only do so much. In the end, it comes down to one thing: you. You have to have the will to be the best, to push yourself to your limits, and then push yourself beyond them. If you can't find it in yourself to do that, then not only your death, but your teammate's deaths, are all but assured."

Takashi watched as Naruto became lost in his own thoughts. He was glad his words seemed to be sinking in, but he wanted to make sure before he left.

"It's time for you to make a choice, Namikaze. Either you will continue going along as you have been, or you will decide to give it everything you've got. The choice is yours, but know that whether you survive the next few years is up to you."

With that Takashi left the golden haired boy to his own thoughts. Naruto sat on the ground for a long time, thinking on what Takashi had said. Finally, his hands balled into fists, and he looked up at the gray sky, eyes hard and full of determination.

'I don't care if I'm in the Reserves, or what my father or mother, or my sister think. No more slacking off. I'll make it out of here. I'll be the best. I swear it.'

A little ways away, sound of thunder rumbled in the sky. A storm was coming, and it's name was Namikaze Naruto.

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There you guys go. I know there are probably some mistakes in it, but if I can start cranking out chapters more than semi-annually (lol but not really) maybe I'll find myself a beta reader.

Next Time: Welcome To Hell Pt. 2