Thank you list for reviewers:
Kaze no Tora (thanks for review)
anon (thank you for the review)
Gnosismaster (This story will have pairings voted on, so NaruSaku is a maybe)
sakuragirl13579 (In episode 1, Mizuki did tell Naruto about the fox and thanx for da know/knows thing :D)
demons and angels (thanks for reviewing)
Ice-Black Dragon (thanks :D)
Krymsom (again, the pairings will be voted on)
Silent Kunoichi aka. Fiona (Hehe, thanks for da review)
rickp2006 (don't worry, all will be explained soon)
Artemis411 (Thank you for your review)
Charms (yes, Sakura will be in team seven with kaka and Sasu. As for liking them…wait and see ;D)
It is you peoples who I am writing this chapter for so...yeah :D
Chapter Two
Honourable Grandson or Konohamaru?
It was a normal day in Konohagakure. The monuments were clean, thanks to a certain blonde scrubbing them after he covered them in paint, and everyone was going about their daily business. Everyone; except the new graduates of the academy, of course. They were all having their pictures taken today for their passports and official ninja registration forms, which would enable them to leave the village on missions and such in the future.
Three Genin walked towards the Hokage building, where the pictures were getting taken on the roof due to good weather and clear skies. Two girls with odd hair colours and one blonde boy. They were walking together, since the pink haired girl and the blonde boy had formed an almost friendship the day before and the second girl, who had dark indigo hair, had never minded the blonde and was proud to call him a friend.
The moon-eyed Hyuuga heiress was wearing a big tan jacket with almost white fir around the bottom and two fur balls handing from two thin tan coloured ropes on the collar. Two Hyuuga symbols, one on her left shoulder and the other on her right, also decorated the jumper. She had her baby blue three quarter length trousers on as well with her blue ninja sandals and her Hatei-ate around her neck. Moon-coloured, lavender eyes were wide and innocent without pupils, but held the potential for one of the most sought-after bloodline limits in Konoha, the Byakugan. Her smooth and shiny, dark indigo hair -which was cut short, into a pixie cut of sorts, with a small flick at the back as well as two slightly longer bangs to frame the flawlessly pale skin on her face- was combed neatly and Sakura had gently tucked a small daffodil from the Yamanaka flower shop in her hair near her right ear to compliment her hair and porcelain skin.
Sakura, who was the second girl, was wearing her long, silky pink hair down and it fell to just above her knees. Her outfit was the same in design to her Hyuuga friend's, but the colours were different. She was wearing a big, blood-red jacket with white fir around the bottom and two fur balls handing from two thin black ropes on the collar. She had her dark grey three quarter length trousers on as well with black ninja sandals. Two white Haruno circles, one on her left shoulder and the other on her right, also decorated the jumper. Her Hatei-ate was around her neck, just like Hinata's, and a miniature, palm-sized kunai hung below it on a silver chain as a necklace pendant. She wore a black silk ribbon tied around her waist loosely and black nail polish adorned her fingernails. In her hair, in the same place she had put Hinata's, was another daffodil.
The girls and tried to convince Naruto to wear a flower, but he stubbornly refused, saying he didn't want to look a girl. That earned him a hit from Sakura, who said it would only mean he would be in touch with his feminine side. He responded by say that 'getting in touch with his feminine side' also meant looking like he was gay. This time he earned a frown from Hinata, who also agreed with Sakura about men being aloud to be feminine while remaining completely straight.
"Are you sure you want to do that, Uzumaki?" The pinkette, who had dressed in her new training clothes, asked the blonde, who had just told her his 'absolutely brilliant and completely foolproof' plan for the ninja photo when it was taken.
"Yeah, yeah, Sakura-chan! You and Hinata-chan can look as boring as you want, but I'm gonna be different! This is gonna be so cool! I'll be the first to do something like this! Believe it!" Naruto claimed.
"Oh, I believe it alright. I believe that you're a complete moron! And we do not look boring! We look mature and sensible!" Sakura told him as she flicked his nose. Naruto grabbed the stinging place in the middle of his childishly handsome face and whined while Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Y-You two, please s-stop fighting." Hinata asked her friends softly, but they both managed to hear her. The two had learned to listen more carefully to hear Hinata and not have to ask her to repeat herself, even though Sakura was better at listening.
"We're not fighting." They said in union. "Shut up! You shut up! Don't tell me to shut up! I'll shut you up in a minuet! Quit copying me! Stop it! I'm warning you! I mean it! Stop!" The two continued immaturely.
Hinata smiled and giggled softly at the normal behaviour of her two only friends. All three of them had only two friends, the two they were with, but all for different reasons. Hinata, because she was shy and got bullied about it a lot. Naruto because everyone hated him; him and Sakura had found out that it was because of the Kyuubi inside him. Sakura had no other friends because she was powerful and cold to everyone –except Hinata and now Naruto as well- and everyone feared her for those two reasons alone, therefore avoiding her too. It wasn't fair, but that didn't really matter.
So that she knew everything and wasn't left out, Naruto had asked special permission from the Hokage to tell Hinata about the Kyuubi, since Sakura assured him that she would still like him and that Hinata could keep it a secret. Now that she knew, the three were closer than ever. Even though they had only formed the trio-friendship the day before, anyone passing them would say that they were practically a family, if it weren't for the fact they looked nothing like each other.
Naruto was the goofy, carefree member of the trio. He was the one who got everyone to let loose and speak their minds. The boy was also the one who helped Hinata in her quest to get Sakura to open up more, even though that mission was a failure so far. However, just because he acted like a kid all of the time didn't mean that he couldn't be serious. If someone hurt his special people –being Iruka, Sakura and Hinata-, then he wouldn't refrain from beating them to within an inch of their lives.
Hinata was the moon-eyed conscience of the group. If one of them did something wrong, just a glance from her innocent and child-like eyes would make them feel guilty about it. She was shy, that was for sure, but Naruto knew –from personal experience- that she could deliver one heck of a left hook when she needed to. Since she grew up with her father putting her down and her family expecting her to be the best, Hinata was rather nervous around people, but Naruto and Sakura were exceptions.
Sakura was the protecting soul of the team. Without her around, not only would the other two get picked on again, but -if she left for good- they wouldn't know what to do. It wasn't as if they relied on her completely, she was just the most responsible and grown up one of the group. People feared her, obviously, but Naruto and Hinata knew that the reasons for their fear were untrue. She wasn't cold; she just had a hard time showing emotion.
"W-We're here." Hinata told them. She no longer stuttered as much as usual around them when they were both with her, but would blush a lot around Naruto. If it was just Sakura, her stutter would stop all together, but the pinkette just said it made her look cute. Well, she didn't actually say that, but Hinata knew it was implied due to all the time she had spent with Sakura.
The two fighting Genin –aka Naruto and Sakura- nodded and they all walked inside the building together as they waited their turn in their respective chairs quietly. Well, Hinata and Sakura were quiet. Naruto ran around and yelled about the photographer taking too long. Sakura glared at the wall in front of her and then at the floor and Hinata grew worried about it. Normally, Sakura would just close her eyes, but she seemed to have grown colder to everyone –including the Hyuuga girl, but not so much that Hinata would cry or tremble in fear. Occasionally she would snap a truly nasty comment, but would apologise in her own way –like a guilty frown or fake smile- afterwards.
"Oi! We should promise to show each other the picture, even if it's really horrible and embarrassing!" Naruto declared.
"O-Okay then." Hinata agreed easily, always up for being nice and agreeing with her friends when she liked their ideas.
"Fine." Sakura huffed with a long sigh.
"Man, I can see someone I would rather avoid. He always steals my ramen and won't give me a chip!" Naruto complained as he saw the Akimichi boy step thought he door with his photo in his left hand and a bag of chips in the other. Naruto stood and walked forwards a bit, only to be followed by Sakura –just in case he needed quick help- and Hinata –since she was shy and didn't want to be left behind on her own.
"Oi, Choji! Can I have a chip?" Naruto asked rudely. Choji glared and pulled the bag closer to him. Sakura, seeing this as a way to wind up Naruto, smirked.
"Say, Choji-san." She called to him. Choji looked shocked by the fact she even knew his name. "May Hinata-chan and I have a chip? We skipped breakfast and are quite hungry." Sakura concluded politely, even if she could just scare him into giving her one. Choji's cheeks went a tint of pink and he nodded, holding the bag out do she and Hinata could reach it. The two took a single chip out each and Choji snapped the bag back quickly so that Naruto couldn't get one. He then grunted towards Naruto and walked out.
"No fair! That's the millionth time I've asked and you two got one on your first!" Naruto complained. Sakura rolled her eyes and swallowed the thin food substance before talking.
"Naruto, he's scared to say no when I ask." She confirmed, smirking when Naruto pouted. They all took sat back down and waited again.
"Next!" The photographer called. Naruto was about to jump up and go, but Sakura held him in his seat by his collar.
"Hinata, you can go. Naruto obviously hasn't learned manners or the traditional, 'ladies first' rule." Sakura scolded the pouting blonde. Hinata giggled and walked though the door and onto the roof, where the pictures were getting taken.
"Aww, but I can't wait any longer! Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined. Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I'm losing my patience with you, Uzumaki." She told him strictly. Naruto knew that when she used that tone she had really had enough, so he stopped complaining. Hinata's worry wasn't for nothing, as Sakura actually had turned a bit colder around other people because the way Mizuki's words affected her. The two shared a sister-sister bond, and Hinata knew when something was wrong with the blush-haired girl.
Hinata opened the door softly, letting it creak slowly as she pushed it like it was made of glass. When the door was open at last, she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her gently. The Hyuuga girl smiled a little and held the photo of herself to the eagerly waiting blonde and the amused pinkette.
In the picture of her, she was smiling shyly into the camera on her passport and ninja papers. It was really cute and she even had her trade mark blush on, due to the fact someone was photographing her. Sakura nodded and got up to go and have her picture done, even thought she hated photos with a vengeance.
"Naruto, be nice to Hinata or I'll crush you." She warned, knowing Naruto wouldn't really be mean to Hinata. It was, however, funny to see his face with an expression of pure horror.
"N-Naruto-kun, I h-hope that your p-plan f-for the photo w-w-works out w-well." Hinata told him kindly. Naruto grinned and hugged her gently, knowing that she and Sakura -yeah even Sakura- were more fragile than Iruka and could be easily crushed by his power hug, not that Sakura would let him hug her.
"Thanks, Hinata-chan! I knew you would believe in me, even if Sakura-chan said it was a dumb idea!" Naruto said gleefully.
"A-Ano, Naruto-kun…Sakura-chan doesn't a-actually think y-your idea is as dumb as she s-says." Hinata confessed. "I-I have known her for j-just under two years, and she was just j-joking. However, with her l-lack of emotions, m-most can't tell the difference b-between when she's sad and even when she's laughing o-on the inside. I can though, a-and I should tell you that she thinks y-your idea is f-funny."
"Really, Hinata-chan? No joke?" Naruto asked with stars in his eyes.
"Y-Yes, really." Hinata confirmed. Naruto hugged her again and she squeaked cutely.
"Thanks for telling me, Hinata-chan. You rock!" Naruto stated as he released her and took his seat again.
The door opened with a loud slam as it hit the wall, causing several of the Genin to jump, and a shadowed figure stood in the door-way. Judging by the shape of the silhouette, Hinata and Naruto could tell it was their friend coming back from her photo. Sakura walked into the room, slammed the door behind her angrily and sighed, showing Naruto and Hinata her picture as she had promised.
Her face was blank, as always, but Naruto and Hinata could pick up on the traces of a smirk on his lips and in her eyes the way only her true friends could. She rolled her eyes and put the photo away, swearing never to take it out again unless she needed to. Predictably, Naruto and Hinata believed her, knowing that she would rather rip it up and threaten the photographer to never tell anyone about it. But, alas, the photo was required for missions and assignments outside of the village and, if she didn't have it, they could even take away her Hatei-ate.
"You know what?" Sakura asked.
"W-What, Sakura-chan?" The Hyuuga heiress stuttered curiously.
"Yeah, what?" Naruto questioned crudely.
"Because of the daffodils, the photographer called me and you the daffodil maidens, Hinata-chan." She informed them with a smirk as she pointed to the small yellow flower in her hair. Hinata blushed at the name and smiled.
"Cool. You two are really pretty. Believe it!" The blonde grinned.
[--
A few minuets passed before Naruto was called up for his photograph to be taken nest and he walked out onto the roof in his usual orange jumpsuit with the blue shoulders, neck and waist as well as the white, chin-high collar. It had the red swirl on the back and wooden symbol on his shoulder as always. His feet were covered with his blue ninja sandals and he didn't wear his Hatei-ate, for a reason only the three of them knew at the moment.
"Good luck; you'll need it." Sakura said, muttering the last part. Naruto grinned at them and walked into the room, activating his special 'my-ninja-photo-is-going-to-be-so-much-cooler-now' jutsu. Yes, he actually named it that.
[--
"Listen kid, are you sure you want me to take you're picture when you look like that?" The photographer asked, leaning on the camera slightly, as he looked at Naruto's jutsu.
"Just do it! Come on, already! Come on, come on!" Naruto ordered impatiently as always as he posed for the picture. The man sighed and got ready.
"Ugh, fine. But don't blame me later." He warned. "Say cheese!"
Click.
Naruto grinned as he ran into the other room to show Hinata and Sakura his picture. Hinata gasped, turning pale as she pictured the look on the Hokage's face when he saw this, and Sakura just settled for shaking her head in embarrassment of knowing the idiot who invented that jutsu. Why did they react like that, you ask? The answer is simple and will be explained in the next paragraph.
His face was paler –actually white- and had red paint lining his eyes. The paint also made a symmetrical pattern on his face, where a line goes down his forehead, flicking out but continuing down, along the side of his nose, then across his cheek in a spiral. It then continues the line in an arc, not touching the mouth, and finishing under his bottom lip, were the two sides of his paint meet up with another line. His lips also had separate red paint around the corners and he had a red spiral on his palm, which he had in front of him while his left eye was closed and he was baring his gritted teeth.
Sakura took a look at the picture, then Naruto, who had undone the jutsu, then back to the picture, then Naruto, then the picture before sighing. She shook her head again and rolled her eyes, knowing what Naruto's reaction to her next statement would be.
"You do know that we have to show these to the Hokage after they're taken -meaning now- right?" Sakura asked him. Naruto's grin fell and he began to laugh nervously.
[--
The three Genin were sitting in chairs in front of the Hokage and his Jounin assistant. They had written out their profiles and -together with their pictures- the paper had their names, registration number, date of birth, age, birth sign and a box of personal information they could fill out titled 'profile'.
Hokages have to look though them and make a list of all of the ninja, but when he came to Naruto's he decided that he needed to have a chat with the orange-loving boy. However, it seemed impossible to try and convince Sakura or Hinata to leave him. It almost seemed as if she was protecting him in the same way she protected Hinata, who also didn't wish to leave Naruto alone. The third, who was constantly worrying over Naruto's safety, was glad to see he had made such caring friends.
Hyuuga Hinata's profile was the first on the pile and he observed it carefully as his assistant looked at Sakura's before he got the chance to.
Name: Hyuuga Hinata
Registration number: 102605
Date of birth: December 27th
Age: 12
Sign: CAPRICORN
Bloodline limit: Byakugan
Profile: I hang out with Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun. I enjoy training with them.
The assistant passed him Sakura's next while the man read over Naruto's –not without wincing when he saw the photo- and the third observed the young Haruno girl's.
Name: Haruno Sakura
Registration number: 102606
Date of birth: March 28th
Age: 12
Sign: ARIES
Bloodline limit: Classified
Profile: I help/hang out with Hinata-chan and Naruto. I train with them to get stronger.
He looked over Naruto's profile again as the three sat in front of him and his assistant and sighed. The written part was fine:
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Registration number: 102607
Date of birth: October 10th
Age: 12
Sign: LIBRI
Bloodline limit: None
Profile: Hobby is to pull pranks. Favourite food is ramen, mostly miso. I hang out with Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan all the time.
…It was the picture which worried him.
"Ahahaha!" Naruto laughed nervously with his hand behind his head as the third looked at his registration form.
"Hmmm." The third said.
"At first, you, I couldn't figure out exactly how to do it. It took me like three hours to work it out and stuff, but –finally- I got it. An art project on my face, only cooler, haha." Naruto boasted. The third looked at him blankly.
"Take it again." He ordered. Sakura bit her bottom lip to refrain from laughing while Hinata giggled at the look of anguish on their blonde friend's face.
"Huh? No way!" He protested.
"We can't accept this photo." The Hokage told him bluntly. "You two ladies have fine photographs, but not you Naruto."
"Ha!" Sakura boasted, now holding the daffodil she had in her hair, while Hinata kept hers in.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not doing it again!" Naruto claimed. "Transform!" He called, making the hand signs. Sakura, who recognised the signs straight away, practically leapt out of her chair to cover Hinata's eyes and then closed her own.
The clouds around Naruto almost fully cleared, leaving him behind in his 'sexy no jutsu' form like yesterday with Iruka. Sakura, still with her eyes closed, growled softly while Hinata just sat their. She didn't know what was going on, but was confident that her friends would tell her later.
"Pretty please, lord Hokage?" Naruto asked in his girl form with a voice to match, Sakura scoffed, but kept her eyes closed.
The Hokage took one look at 'Naruko', which is the name Naruto gave to his female look, and he yelled as he fell back in his chair, stunned by what he had just seen and heard. Naruto transformed back and just stared at the Hokage, now knowing that he was a pervert amongst the rest.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked irritated.
"Oh! Sorry, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan. You two can look now." He told them, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Sakura walked passed him on the way to her own seat and hit him gently in the back of his head before noticing the Hokage on the floor.
"Um?" She asked, Hinata nodding in agreement with the 'question'.
"I used sexy no jutsu and he fell backwards." Naruto told them. The Hokage got up and wiped his nose, trying to regain his dignity.
[--
A small child approached the door and stood by it quietly, listening to the conversation though the cracks.
[--
"That's the sexy jutsu, you say? Very tricky. Much too trick; don't do it again." The Hokage ordered.
"I agree with Hokage-perv-sama." Sakura said, smirking.
Naruto chuckled nervously again, rubbing the back of his head.
"And where is your Hatei-ate? The girls are wearing theirs." The Hokage stated, gesturing to the village symbols around the daffodil maidens' necks. "You're supposed to be wearing it."
"Oh, I'm not putting it on until the orientation." Naruto stated, rubbing his goggles. "I don't wanna mess it up."
"So, you want your Hatei-ate nice, but you photo -which is supposed to identify you- makes you look like a clown. It's for ninja training and missions, which is the key to your future. Look at this picture; you can't even tell who it is." The Hokage scolded calmly.
"Well, fine. How am I supposed to know all of this complicated stuff anyway? Is there some sort of rule book for pictures?" Naruto asked.
"It's obvious, baka." Sakura told him.
[--
The boy by the door took out a shuriken and held it up for attack. Naruto, Sakura and the Hokage all look towards the door, the Hokage's assistant and Hinata doing so seconds later. The door opened quickly, revealing a small boy with his weapon poised for attack.
"Old man! I challenge you! I'm going to defeat you and become the fifth Hokage!" A young child, no older than eight years old, yelled as he ran into the room. He had a tooth missing in the front of his mouth and a tan cap over his head, leaving a hole for his brown hair to poke out of at the back near the top. He also wore a yellow t-shirt with the Konoha symbol on it in red and a pair of tan, knee-length shorts with his ninja sandals and a long blue scarf.
He charged at the Hokage, and the newly instated Genin watched as he ran a few feet before tripping over his own scarf. Naruto sighed as Sakura's eyes, amazingly, softened when the child started weeping on the floor softly. Hinata only just managed to stop herself form going to the child's aid, but she noticed Sakura's eyes and smiled.
'My grandson…another headache.' The third thought as he adjusted his hat. Another man ran into the room, with black glasses like Shino's, a boy in their class, and his Hatei-ate on like a bandana. He noticed the fallen boy and gasped slightly.
"Grrrrr; something tripped me." The child complained. Sakura rolled her eyes at the boy's oblivious behaviour as Naruto sighed in annoyance, not knowing that he could be the same way.
"A-Are you okay, honourable grandson? And by the way, there's nothing here for you to trip on, it's pretty flat." The older man stated, adjusting his glasses.
'Who is this shrimp?' Naruto thought.
'Great, another annoying little weirdo.' Sakura groan mentally, knowing that this kid was a mini-Naruto already.
'I hope that he is okay.' Hinata, being cursed with the ability to care for everyone, hoped.
'It is that kid!' The man thought as he looked at Naruto. 'Hn. The nine tailed fox. Of course; he's the worst kind of troublemaker. That girl with him, the one with the pink hair, she is suspicious.'
"Alright, you're the one who tripped me, aren't you?!" The little kid accused, pointing at Naruto, who growled in response. The blonde grabbed the kids scarf and held him up in the air, a fist ready to hit him.
"You tripped over your own feet, dork." Naruto told him. "And why did you automatically blame me? It could have been her!" He said, pointing to Hinata. "Well, maybe not her…but she could have done it!" This time he moved his finger in Sakura's direction.
"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, her eyebrow twitching.
"Don't blame a pretty girl for what you did!" The kid yelled. Sakura smirked.
"I think I like this kid." She admitted.
"Hey, you!" The man in the door yelled to Naruto. "Take your hands off of him right now. He's the honourable grandson of the honourable third Hokage." He said, gesturing to the Hokage.
"Hm?" Naruto asked, looking at the kid.
'That stopped him. Just like all the rest. Ha! Now that he knows who I am, he won't dare lay a finger on me.' The kid thought, grinning.
"What's the matter, huh? I thought you were gonna hit me! Huh, tough guy? Afraid because the third Hokage is my grandfather?" The kid asked in a spoilt and confident voice.
"I don't care if he's your grandmother! So believe it!" Naruto yelled as he hit the kid over the head in the same way Sakura hits him.
'This guy is different.' The kid thought as he hit the floor.
"This is not looking good." The Hokage muttered as the Jounin, the one assigned to look after and train the kid, freaked out.
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. The kid looked up slightly, just to see if he should break out the water works. Obviously, this girl was going to stick up for him.
"What? You heard what he said!" Naruto complained, also think she was going to scold him.
"What are you talking about? I mean you just hit Hinata-chan when you swung your arm! Baka!" She hissed. Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to Hinata.
"I'm so sorry, Hinata-chan!" He cried. She just smiled.
"I-It's okay. You o-only brushed my ch-cheek with your kn-knuckle, a-anyway. No h-harm done." Hinata assured them both, smiling about how much they cared about a little, non-painful nick on the cheek.
[--
"Listen carefully. You are the honourable grandson of the honourable third Hokage. You cannot let riff raff like this draw you into a fight, even though he deserves it." The Jounin scolded the boy. "You see, he's far beneath you; you mustn't stoop to his level. As your elite ninja trainer, I am never wrong, which means I'm always right. I'm far above the other trainers, so heed my every word. Your goal is to become the next Hokage and I can teach you the best way to do it. Indeed, due to my great skill, I can take you quickly and easily to the top, but you must always, always stay close to me. You understand me? Right honourable grandson?"
Throughout the long and boring speech, the kid and gotten very, very bored. Therefore, when Mr Mean-Jounin-who-doesn't-like-Naruto looked towards the spot he was once taking, the kid was gone.
"Where'd he go now?!" The bandana wearer cried.
"I think he followed Naruto, but I have no idea where the boy and his companions are going." The Hokage stated calmly.
"He's with Naruto and those two ladies?!" He asked. "With the blonde, that's a disaster! Honourable grandson!" He yelled as he ran out of the building in search of the vessel and his friends, so he could also find his charge.
The Hokage sighed. 'How did he grow up to be like that? My grandson's quite determined; that was his twentieth sneak attack today, and if he starts running around with Naruto, he's sure to get even worse. Naruto wouldn't teach him anything really bad, would he?'
[--
"I'm telling you, Sakura-chan, I feel like we're being followed." Naruto whined to the girl as they walked down the street.
"I know we are, Naruto. Also, I know who it is, so you can just pretend its nothing, okay?" Sakura whispered to him as she noticed the small boy from the tower sneak behind another wall. Naruto narrowed his and turned around, only to have the kid pull a very bad disguise on at the last minuet to make him look like the ground, only his feet were still visible.
Naruto nodded and carried on following the two girls to their destination, now knowing why Sakura said to pretend its nothing. The reason? It is nothing. Nothing important, anyway. The kid continued to follow them and, despite Sakura's words, Naruto was annoyed. He turned and the kid tried to make it look like he was part of the fence.
"I know you're following us, so just give it up." Naruto demanded, pointing a finger at the badly disguised boy. He didn't move. "That's so obvious its pathetic." He said. The kid started laughing and he lowered the 'brilliant disguise'.
"Saw though me disguise, huh? The rumours about you are true; you're good." The kid complimented. "Alright, I'll be your apprentice and you'll be my trainer!" He declared.
"Huh?" Naruto asked, not really knowing what was going on. Sakura rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of 'boys' and Hinata giggle at her words.
"And afterwards, you've gotta show me how to do that sexy jutsu thing you did on grandpa Hokage." He said.
"This is some kinda joke, isn't it?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms. "Ask Sakura-chan…she's stronger." He added reluctantly.
"No way, Naruto!" Sakura said quickly. "He asked you!"
"Can't you just…go away?" Naruto asked the kid.
"No! I need a new trainer! Please, boss?" He begged.
"Huh? Boss?" Naruto asked, becoming interested.
"Yea! You're the boss! Boss, boss, boss!" The kid declared.
"Well, how can I refuse?" The blonde asked, rubbing the back of his head.
[--
"Listen, you wanna be a master ninja, then believe it! You need to learn to control your catra." Naruto lecture. Sakura and Hinata had left soon after Naruto accepted, saying it would be better to leave boys to be boys.
"Catra?" The kid echoed. "A cat?" He wondered as he mentally envisioned a mewing cat.
"I said, your catra." Naruto corrected.
"Boss, I think your talking about chakra." The kid corrected.
"Don't question me!" Naruto said, feeling pretty dumb. "Really ninjas say catra." He lied quickly.
"Really? I didn't know that! That's cool!" He announced.
'Hm.' Naruto thought. 'He believes anything I say. It's a good thing Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan aren't here to correct me.'
"Listen, I'll explain what charka is." Naruto told him.
"Chakra is the elemental life energy that is used to perform jutsu!" The kid recited.
"Wha-?" Naruto asked in wonder.
"The ninja arts combine physical energy from each cell in the body with mystical energy which is intensified though training and experience. When these two chakra mix, special hand signs allow the ninja to focus this combined energy for advanced jutsu." He concluded, reading a scroll.
"Know-it-all! You were just reading that whole thing!" Naruto accused.
"Or he could just be smarter than you, Naruto." Sakura, who was shopping with Hinata nearby and hear his yelling, proclaimed smirking.
"Sakura-chan! You're meant to be my friend!" Naruto whined like a five-ear-old.
"I'm not your friend, Uzumaki. I'm just someone to hangs out with and/or chooses to protect you sometimes. Hinata is my only friend." Sakura reminded him.
"Aw, so mean, Sakura-chan!" He cried quietly, but loud enough for the girls to hear.
"Pff, whatever." Sakura said as she walked off with Hinata, who was giggling over the antics of her friend and her friend/crush. Naruto, not noticing their exit from the scene he was creating, carried on babbling.
"I mean, you said I earned some of your respect yesterday, but you still don't like me! It's not fair and I-"
"Boss? The two girls are already gone." The kid told him, tugging on his trousers. Naruto looked to where Sakura and Hinata were, only to notice that they had moved to a stall which sold jewellery.
"Heh, girls like stuff like that." Naruto said, pulling the kid away again, knowing that Hinata and Sakura would rather continue with their shopping spree than go with them.
[--
"Anyway, as I was saying before. Yo, you can blab all you want about how to do ninja techniques, but it really comes down to one thing." Naruto continued his lecture when they were further down the road.
"What is it?" The kid asked, fully into the speech.
"Just plain hard work and guts. Believe it!" Naruto concluded.
"That's two things, but okay, I'm with you." He corrected enthusiastically.
"Alright, I'm going to throw some really big challenges at you now. Are you ready?" Naruto asked.
"I'm ready, boss!" He declared, clenching his fists in excitement.
"Good." Naruto began. "Good, now let's do it. Show me a transformation."
"Heh?" The kid asked in puzzlement, not really so excited any more.
"Believe it! Just show me what you can do and I'll take you to the next level." The blonde promised.
"Alright, sure, but um…what do I transform into?" He asked.
"Ah! Hm…" Naruto said, looking around. "There! Yeah right, you can transform into her." He said, pointing to a beautiful brunette woman with her hair in a ponytail, dark blue eyes and dressed in a simple blue kimono.
"No problem! Here I go boss." He stated as the kid began to concentrate his chakra into a Henge jutsu. "Henge no jutsu!" He yelled, placing his hands together with the correct hand sign.
A cloud covered him and when it cleared he stood there with the same style of clothes and hair as the woman, but 'she' was fat, short, had a crushed looking face with big lips, a uni-brow, a small beard and narrow fish eyes.
"Well, do I look like her?" He asked in a deeper voice.
"Uh…the clothes…kinda look like her." Naruto told him with a completely unimpressed and slightly freaked out look on his face.
"That looks like me?!" The woman asked angrily from behind Naruto. She hit him hard over the head and turned to the kid and smiled. "Now, now, honourable grandson, next time you transform into me, make me a little cuter, okay? Ta!" She said nicely before rushing off with a smile on her face.
"She's scary." The kid stated, looking at her as she left.
"You did it. Why am I the one who gets whacked around?" Naruto asked pitifully as he lay on the ground with bruised and a swollen face.
[--
"Alright, next we do some research on female beauty." Naruto claimed, now standing with the kid outside a books and magazines shop.
"Female beauty, right boss!" The kid stated happily. They snuck inside quietly and crept passed the sleeping clerk to a bikini and beach-wear model magazine. As they looked though it, the two laughed quietly to each other, stopping on a few good pictures. The clerk, who had woken up, was standing behind them with a duster.
"This is not a library, Naruto!" He told the blonde evilly. Naruto and the kid froze in place with the magazine still held between them. They turned guiltily and saw the evil look on the clerk's face and gulped.
[--
"Slight, minor set back, haha." Naruto chuckled, now outside a building were ninja changed their clothes or took showers sometimes with the little kid who kept being called 'Honourable grandson'.
"Yeah, minor." The brunette muttered.
"Now, this is the last stop, so give it everything you've got, okay?" He confirmed, turning to the kid. There, on his right eye, was a big blue bruise.
"Everything! Right boss!" The kid nodded.
"Henge no jutsu!" They called in union. Naruto was now in his sexy no jutsu form, but he had his usual jumpsuit on, and the kid was in the form he used when he had tried to copy the woman from earlier, this time in his own clothes too. They nodded at each other and entered.
Not five seconds after they entered, all you could hear were girls yelling and screaming.
"Naruto and you kid! Stay out of the girl's locker room!" A girl yelled at them.
"Get out!"
"You freak!"
"Pervert!"
[--
Naruto and the kid were now in a clearing in the forest. The former was covered in bruises, red marks, bumps and lumps from where the girls had hit/slapped/punched him all over and his clothing was slightly torn from the kunai and shurikens they threw at him to get him out. The latter, however, was perfectly fine and free from even the smallest scratch.
Sakura and Hinata, who were both in the changing room at the time and had to be the ones to drag them out, were now sitting in the clearing with them. Sakura kept glaring at the boys, but Hinata just frowned and sighed at their stupidity, Naruto should have known better than to do that when he had female friends who used that facility.
The clearing had one log for sitting and a drinks machine for when they got thirsty, since it was a training ground for academy students and young Genin who would need to stop and have a drink every now and again. As they weren't taking part in the 'training', Sakura had bought Hinata and herself a drink and they were sat on the log.
"Baka." Sakura muttered, taking a sip of her drink as Hinata put a final bandage over the last of the bleeding wounds. The pinkette could have helped, but she was too angry and Naruto was worried that she might hurt him further. There was that, but the blonde knew that this was nothing compared to her true anger.
"Why…do they only whack me?" Naruto asked himself sadly.
"Sorry." The kid said.
"Huh?" Naruto questioned, looking down at him.
"It's because I'm the grandson of a Hokage." He stated with a frown.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Naruto assured him with a small smile.
"Huh?" The kid enquired, taking his turn to be confused.
"I prepared you, so now you're ready to learn the sexy jutsu." Naruto said completely calmly. "Believe it! You're just gonna need to practice." He finished with thumbs-up and another smile. The kid stared at him for a moment before braking out in a smile.
"Practice! Alright boss!" He promised.
"Now the trick is to get all the curves in the right places."
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded, not believing that he was actually going to teach the kid. She got up to leave, also ready to take Hinata with her, but Naruto's plea stopped her.
"You can't leave, Sakura-chan. You and Hinata-chan are like our inspiration of feminine beauty!" Naruto whined. Sakura growled, but stayed put to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Hinata just blushed.
"All right! We get the pretty girls for inspiration!" The kid cheered.
"Yep! You ready?" Naruto asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"I'm ready, boss!" He claimed happily. "Henge!" The kid called, putting his hands together in the seal.
Smoke in the clear dispersed, leaving the kid looking like a fat woman in pink underwear with spike brown hair, making her look like a female human hedgehog.
"What do you think?"
"No go!" Naruto booed, observing the form for less than a second. "You've got to make her skinnier." He told him. Sakura rolled her eyes, but was inwardly glad the kid had some form of clothing on when e did the jutsu.
"Skinnier! Right boss!" He said, trying again. "How's that?"
"No, no, curvier!"
"Curvier, right boss! How's this?"
"Argh!"
"Baka-Naruto."
"Ahhhhhhhhh! Don't hit me, Sakura-chan!"
[--
"Naruto!" The Jounin growled as he kept looking over Konoha from the Hokage faces for Naruto and his female companions, hoping that his charge would be with them, but hoping the exact opposite at the same time. 'What has he done with the honourable grandson? Hmmm, what's his evil plan? Where did they go? I am a Jounin, the highest ninja level, and I'm an elite trainer of future Hokage. Any parasite that leaches onto my student…will be squashed.' He promised mentally before leaping off of the monument.
[--
Back in the forest with Naruto, the two girls and the kid, they had decided to take a break and were now sitting on the log near the edge of the clearing with the girls, drinking their own sodas. Sakura and Hinata had finished their own earlier, so Sakura had bought both a new one. Of course, Hinata complained and said that she could buy her own, but Sakura just shrugged and paid anyway.
"So, what's up with this obsession you've got with your grandfather?" The blonde asked curiously. Honourable grandson took a sip of his soda and looked down with sad eyes.
"My grandfather named me Konohamaru, after the ancient name of the village. So it should be easy to remember." Konohamaru, as the three now knew him, paused. "But no one calls me that name, not one person in the whole village. That's because, when they look at me, they don't really see me. All they see is 'the honourable grandson of the lord Hokage'. No one knows who I am. I can't stand it anymore' it's like I'm invisible. Like I don't exist. I hate that. That's the reason…I've got to become a Hokage now, so people know who I am!" He finished confidently. Naruto looked down at his soda as Sakura and Hinata just listened to the boys.
"Get real!" Naruto said. "You think people are gonna accept a squirt like you?"
"Eh?" Konohamaru asked in stunned confusion.
"A kid can't just turn into a Hokage after a day or two." He elaborated.
"What?!" The squirt questioned angrily, standing from his seat. Hinata was about to intervene, but Sakura silenced her.
"Let them work it out." She whispered to the confused Hyuuga heiress, who nodded in return, trusting her friend's instincts.
"It's not that simple. You keep saying Hokage, Hokage! To really be a Hokage, you know what you'll have to do?" Naruto asked him.
"What? What is it?" Konohamaru asked. Naruto grinned and looked the kid square in the face.
"You're gonna have to defeat me in battle!" Naruto proclaimed confidently. Konohamaru looked more than a little put off by the idea of fighting and trying to beat his new 'boss'. Sakura, who thought that Naruto was going to say something intelligent or worth while, rolled her emerald eyes.
[--
The third Hokage stood on the roof of his tower, looking at the face of the Yondaime Hokage in the monument.
"Lord Hokage!" Iruka called as he appeared behind the older man. "I've been looking for you."
"For what purpose?" Sarutobi questioned.
"It's about Naruto." The teacher said and he walked forwards. "Did he re-submit his ninja ID photo?"
"Hm." The Hokage grunted. Iruka smiled.
"You know, I gave him a lecture the other night, at the ramen shop, but he's still beaming because he became a Genin, a ninja trainee." Iruka stated, bemused by his blonde ex-student. "He thinks that it'll change things. That people will stop looking down on him now."
The third didn't respond right away, but carried on observing the face of the Yondaime Hokage, the one who died sealing the Kyuubi, the nine tailed fox demon, inside Naruto when he was first born.
"I fear his dream may not come true." Sarutobi confessed. "People don't change that easily."
"Huh?" Iruka questioned, looking up that the Hokage, who was still a ways in front of him with his back turned to the younger man.
"The nine tailed fox is within him. Not everyone knows that, of course, only those who fought the beast twelve years ago know the truth. I decreed that no one could speak about this. Even those who whispered it were punished severely. So the children of today know nothing about Naruto's connection to the beast that ravaged out village and nearly destroyed us all." The Hokage stared. "As long as the children are unaware of this, Naruto has some hope of being accepted. That was the wish of the fourth Hokage. Before he sacrificed himself to save us, he asked that when Naruto grew up, he should be regarded as a hero."
"A hero?" Iruka echoed questioningly. Sarutobi nodded solemnly.
"The fourth Hokage defeated the fox by sealing its spirit in a new born baby whose umbilical cord had just been cut. By containing the fox spirit within his tiny body, Naruto saved the village. That's why he's a hero." He said to the younger man. "Unfortunately; many of the villagers don't understand this. People are driven by fear. Many think the beast could take over Naruto's body. Some think he is the beast now, and their children feel their fear and hatred. And they soon turn against Naruto as well. You know what the ancients said about such things, Iruka?"
"What's that, sir?" He asked.
"When the people reject someone's very existence and look at that person, their eyes become cold. Cold as an ice storm in the deepest winter." The third stated with a shake of his wrinkly head.
"But sir-"
"You were kind to Naruto, but he needed more than one teacher from his school to help him." He began. "That is why I am half glad about what Mizuki did yesterday night. He told Naruto of the beast, and that Haruno girl heard every last word. She then showed him the not all people will reject him because of the beast inside him by accepting him into her, usually anti-social, life. Also, by convincing him to tell the Hyuuga heiress his secret as well, he now knows that he is not alone in this world any longer."
[--
The elite Jounin jumped though the tree, tracing the chakra left by the four under-teens, but mostly Konohamaru and Naruto's, since the girls were smart enough to realise they could be found and hid most of their chakra when they made it to the clearing. He landed on a branch behind the log the four were sitting on.
"I found you." He stated menacingly. The four looked around and saw the older and higher ranked man crouching on a branch.
"Huh?" Naruto and Konohamaru asked in union.
'Hmph; the nine tailed fox.' Jounin-mean-guy thought as he looked at Naruto in hatred.
'That icy stare. They all look at me that way.' Naruto acknowledged as he stood up.
"So, honourable grandson, time to go home." Mean-Jounin-person, or so he was christened by Naruto and Sakura, stated calmly.
"No way! I'm learning how to beat my grandfather so I can get the title; Hokage! Now don't get in my way!" He yelled back. Both Sakura and Hinata, although the latter was worried about doing it, moved closer to Konohamaru to stop this man from taking him without the kid's consent or permission. Sakura, being the cold and meanest on, gave the mean guy the coldest glare she could muster. He shuddered slightly.
"A Hokage is more than just a fighter." He said, walking closer to the four and getting a colder glare from Sakura. "He must know virtue, honour, wisdom and he must be skilled at a thousand jutsu. You don't even know one jutsu."
"Grrrr, Henge!" Konohamaru yelled. Sakura covered Hinata's eyes and closing her own, knowing the jutsu he was going to use.
The clouds cleared and he looked just like Naruto did in his sexy-no-jutsu form. Minor differences were that he had brown hair and it was down, as well as coal coloured eyes. However, he was naked and his modesty was covered by clouds. His hands were behind his head and he had his right eye closed in a wink.
"Hi there." He said in a female voice. "Do you like my jutsu?"
The 'skilled and masterful' Jounin took one look before his eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped as he yelled. Konohamaru changed back and looked at the man in disappointment.
"Hey, he's not defeated." He complained. Sakura opened one of her eyes slightly and then opened the other while uncovering Hinata's eyes.
"What-what-what kind of scandalous technique is that?! Such tasteless vulgarity can never influence me. I'm far above it. Not only that, but you preformed such a crude jutsu in the presence of two ladies! How tacky and rude can you be?" The man screamed, breaking from his stated of shock.
Naruto, who was watching the whole scene unfold, growled. The Jounin was now pulling on Konohamaru's scarf, trying to take him back to the village, while Hinata was stuttering at him to let the child go and Sakura growling and trying to pry his hands away without hurting Konohamaru.
"Honourable grandson, stop this right now! Naruto's turning you into a delinquent! Only my special training can put you on the fast track to becoming a Hokage!" He gasped, fighting against Sakura's sharply nailed hands and Konohamaru's struggling while trying not to lose his focus to Hinata's soft voice.
"Just leave me alone!" Konohamaru ordered.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto yelled. Around forty or fifty clone of himself appeared and Sakura groaned, getting a vague idea of what he was going to do. She left go of the Jounin's hands, since he was frozen in place with confusion, and jumped over to Hinata, ready to cover the shy girl's eyes again.
"Whoa! This is unreal!" Konohamaru yelled in amazement as he wriggled out of the Jounin's grasp and stood on his own.
"Hm. I'm not impressed. I'm a Jounin, an elite ninja warrior. I'm not some lightweight like Mizuki. Watch how a real ninja defeats an upstart." He stated, taking a few bold steps forward.
[--
The Hokage watched the whole scene though his crystal ball, using his tracking jutsu.
[--
Bad-Jounin-I'm-so-great guy stopped and observed the clones as Sakura sighed again and shook her head. Now she was positive that Naruto was going to do what she expected and was not looking forward to the time he called out his jutsu.
"Come on, boss." Konohamaru prayed out loud. Sakura looked down at him and then to Naruto and her eyes softened as she smirked, knowing that Naruto could and would win this. The clones all poised themselves to fight, as did the Jounin-mean-guy.
"Ready." The older man stated confidently.
"Henge no jutsu!" Naruto said.
"Henge no jutsu!" His clones echoed, all of the copying the original's hand signs. Sakura sighed and covered Hinata's eyes while closing her own. The heiress, getting used to this and what it meant, sighed and closed her own eyes, telling Sakura she now knew what to do. Sakura shrugged, although her friend couldn't see, and removed her hand.
Smoke covered the area and dispersed, leaving every one of Naruto's clones in sexy jutsu form, all giggling, smiling and winking at the Jounin present. They jumped at him and held onto his arms, legs and torso and he began to freak out. He flew back and landed on the ground, twitching his eyes and letting his jaw hand wide open. Naruto released both the Henge and the clone jutsu and stood as one blonde boy in the clearing.
"Gotcha with my harem jutsu." Naruto stated.
[--
'He's combined shadow cloning with his own invention, the Henge sexy no jutsu. What a foolish ninja technique…and he could probably get me with it too.' The Hokage groaned mentally as he watched the scene.
[--
"Oh man! I couldn't even beat that snobby trainer of mine! I wanna be Hokage so back, but I keep messing up. Why can't I so it?" Konohamaru whined back in the forest clearing with his new boss and the two girls.
"You really think it's that easy?" Naruto questioned him.
"Huh?" The kid asked.
"To be a Hokage, you have to be the greatest of all ninjas. You have to prove yourself so everyone believes in you. Look at me. I've been though a lot already. I've been ignored, pushed away and treated like I have the plague or something, and after all that, I found three people who believe in me. One of whom I don't think even likes me." Sakura knew who Naruto was talking about and she frowned. "To find those people, I had to get knocked down a lot and put down even more. So you better make sure that you're ready." Naruto lectured.
"For what?" Konohamaru enquired in a small voice. Naruto turned his back on the kid and his two female friends before answering.
"For lots of sweat…and tears, while you're learning to be a ninja." He declared. Naruto grinned and turned around to face them again. "Hehe, by the way, there is no easy way to becoming Hokage. Believe it."
Konohamaru just stared at him as he remembered his earlier words.
"If you really wanna be a Hokage, you're gonna have to defeat me in battle!" Naruto proclaimed confidently.
"Ha! Who do you think you are anyway, giving me a lecture like that?" He asked, turning his back on the blonde. "That's it; I'm not going to be your apprentice any more. From now on…we're rivals. Hehe." He concluded with a grin and a laugh. Naruto grinned too.
"Well I can't be your trainer anyway; because tomorrow, I start my advanced ninja studies. But I accept your challenge, and someday, we'll fight for the title of Lord Hokage." Naruto proclaimed.
"G-Good luck, Konohamaru-san." Hinata said from behind him. He stared at her, having someone actually call him by his birth name rather than 'honourable grandson of the honourable third Hokage'.
"Oi, Konohamaru?" Sakura called from behind him as she walked to stand next to Naruto.
"H-Huh?" The kid asked. Sakura smirked and tilted her head to the right slightly.
"You'll also have to prove your worth to me. After all, even if you do become Hokage, I'm not obeying some little runt who isn't worth the title, you got that?" She asked. Konohamaru nodded dumbly at her and she turned to Naruto and nodded.
"So let's all, all three of us, look forward to that day, Konohamaru." The blonde stated with a grin.
With those words, Naruto turned and walked away, raising a hand over his head as a farewell without turning to face the smaller child behind him as he did so. Sakura then smirked at him again and turned, also walking away. Hinata ran up to them and walked silently beside Sakura, who was in the centre of their trio. Konohamaru watched the backs of his new rival and the pink-haired powerhouse in awe, before he stood to attention and saluted them while they walked away.
[--
The third watched the scene and smiled to himself as he observed Naruto and Sakura. 'At last. He has finally started down the path…to becoming a true ninja. And she, who is still so full of vengeance and hate, will be able to let go and become truly loyal to the village hidden in the leaves.'
