Uzumaki Naruto strode silently through the pre-dawn streets of Konohagakure, kept warm by his long-sleeved dark green shirt with black patches over the elbows, and sturdy black combat trousers that billowed slightly around his calves. Around his waist was wrapped a long black sash, which fluttered along behind him. On his feet were jika-tabi, which he preferred to the rigid sandals most ninja wore.

A morning fog pervaded the cobbled byways of the great village, making them slick with moisture and lending an ethereal atmosphere to streets as they were gradually lightened by the sun that had not yet peeked over the looming shadow of the five stone faces that made up the Hokage Monument.

The cheerful melodies of songbirds chirping their morning greetings to each other began to sound as the first rays of sunlight sparkled down over the village. Soon, Naruto knew, these streets would be crawling with pedestrians as they took in all the sights, sounds, and smells that the many merchants and hawkers advertised. There would be an easy atmosphere of contentment, happiness, and camaraderie among the various neighbors, friends, and business partners that would be going about their day. It was Konoha at her most beautiful, a welcoming place, full of light and good cheer—unless your name was Uzumaki Naruto.

The jinchuriki had quickly learned to avoid places such as this, where many people congregated. Naruto refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing his emotions. The refusals of services offered so freely to even foreigners, the rejection, and cruel smirks. The eyes. They dared Naruto to protest his treatment, mocked his plight, and were full of mad, unseeing hate. In turn, Naruto's own blue orbs were filled with icy apathy and disdain.

Once, when he had still held out on his childish hope for acceptance, an old man that went by the name of Teuchi had allowed him to eat in his rather prosperous restaurant that specialized in ramen. He and his daughter had been the first outside of Naruto's psuedo-family to acknowledge the blond.

The next day a fire had not only claimed the establishment, but the lives of the man and his young daughter. The official Konoha Military Police report had blamed the conflagration on a kitchen fire. Naruto knew better, of course. Which is why, little more than a week later, Naruto found it difficult to give a damn when the Uchiha clan was brutally slaughtered by it's own prodigal son. Served the corrupt bastards right in his opinion.

Naruto was now wiser to the ways of the world, or just ridiculously overexposed and jaded if you asked the Godaime. He'd learned to avoid others, and come to relish the peace and solitude of Konoha's more quiet side. Thus, his habit of rising at five o'clock in the morning and doing his warm up exercises in the deserted training grounds the littered the village before heading to the Academy, his current destination.

Today he was a bit more alert and excited than usual, however, and with good reason. If all went well, by the end of the day he would be sporting a Konoha hitai-ate somewhere on his person. As the sun rose fully over the five stone heads of the Leaf's greatest ninja, illuminating the village that was quickly waking up, Naruto took to the rooftops and made a beeline for the Academy.

oOoOoOo

As usual, Naruto walked into the building trailing slightly behind his sensei, Iruka. Iruka was always the first Chuunin instructor to the building, and often the last to leave. Because of this he often opened the building, allowing the black and green clad blond inside.

At first Iruka had looked at Naruto with the same angry eyes as the rest of the villagers. However, over time he had become accustomed to the presence of the boy. Words were not exchanged between the two, they never were, but both recognized a kindred spirit of sorts in the other. They had not become friends, but at least Iruka hadn't tried his level best to fail him out of malice him like the previous teachers.

With a nod to one another their paths diverged: Naruto into the classroom, and Iruka to turn on the lights in the rest of the building. Naruto settled down in the seat furthest from the entrance, in a corner so no one could sneak up on him, and near the large windows if he needed to make a speedy exit. He didn't expect either, but he did live in a village full of ninja. Better safe than dead. Soon Iruka's assistant, Mizuki, entered the classroom, carrying a few clipboards and a small box, out of which he pulled a few papers, which he arranged into two stacks on the desk.

Naruto, as he always did, sat, silently observing as Mizuki, task completed, took his seat. The room gradually filled: The Aburame heir; the last (loyal) scion of the Uchiha; an assortment of would-be ninja that were too unremarkable to hold his attention; the obnoxious Inuzuka mutt and his companion, Akamaru; the oddly fierce Hyuuga heiress; yet more nondescript children; the overbearing, if somewhat cute, Yamanaka Ino and pink haired Haruno Sakura were followed only by that bum of a Nara, and his robust friend Akimichi Chouji, who took their seats as the two kunoichi hopeful began the traditional jockeying for position next to the silent, brooding Uchiha.

Naruto's first impression of the would-be ninja of Konoha's Shinobi and Kunoichi Academy was that they were loud. Very loud. That had been almost five years ago when Naruto had entered the school at the usual age of eight. The young demon container's opinion of his peers had only degenerated since. Not only were they far too noisy, the vast majority of the students only seemed interested in playing ninja, rather than serving the village as its protectors, something that had been ingrained in him since he had first learned to sense and manipulate the chakra that flowed through his body.

From his lessons with Sarutobi-sensei, he was aware that only a small percentage of the students that passed through the pristine halls of the well maintained building ever became ninja. The rest went on to work in one of the many trades that supplied or supported the shinobi protectors of the village. Some went on to serve as samurai for Fire Country's Daimyo, while others protected the smaller trade caravans that didn't require, or couldn't afford, ninja protection.

Even among those of his year, which was a veritable nest of potential with all the clan heirs in attendance, less than half would graduate to become shinobi. For the most part, the rest of his classmates were the second or third sons of wealthy merchants or nobles. Entrance into the Academy did not come cheaply. There were exceptions, of course, such as Haruno Sakura, whose father was a rather renowned, and purportedly eccentric, painter.

Naruto himself was also an exception. He'd known that he was an orphan since he could understand what the words meant. His parents were unknown, and likely to remain so due to the confusion caused by so many refugees fleeing the Demon that remained trapped inside of him. This too, he knew of, as Sarutobi-sensei had finally explained it to him two years ago on his tenth birthday. Being the intelligent child he was, he had deduced long ago that he was not the same as other children. After all, the Sandaime Hokage would not personally train just anyone. The assassination attempts had been a bit of a giveaway as well. Naruto had taken the news more or less in stride, after the old man had assured him that the Demon had no chance of escaping

These attempts had not only been directed at him, but his make-shift family as well. Nine years prior, Sarutobi Mitsuru had been tasked with a seemingly simple B-rank mission, from which he had not returned. His wife, Amaya, wracked by grief and a horribly difficult birth had passed away just a month later, leaving behind her son, Konohamaru.

After that the Sandaime had decided that the best course of action would be to separate. After well rehearsed falling outs with his remaining son, Asuma, and soon after Jiraiya and Kakashi, Sarutobi and Naruto had holed up in the Sarutobi manor by themselves. Konohamaru lived with his uncle in the village, and was cared for mostly by the Sandaime's old secretary and he had his own personal trainer in the Jounin, Ebisu.

As such, Naruto had essentially grown up on his own. The relationship he shared with the former Hokage was more of a student-teacher relationship than that of a grandfather and grandson. Sarutobi was often busy secretly advising Tsunade, going out to covertly meet with Jiraiya to hear his reports, or surreptitiously peeping at various womens' communal baths. The time he spent with Naruto were full of practical historical and economical lessons, chakra control exercises, and teaching Naruto various ninjutsu, and helping Naruto develop his own bastardized form of the Sarutobi taijutsu style that his sons had created together.

The door slamming shut effectively shut up the jabbering students and pulled Naruto away from thoughts of his messed up family. The scarred Chuunin stood front and center before the class, smiling coolly as his gaze wandered up and down the rows of ninja hopefuls, before unnecessarily calling for attention. This was the one day where every eye was on him--all the ones that were open anyway.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm sure you're all excited," here Iruka glanced askance at an already snoozing Shikamaru, "so I'll be brief. As you should know from me telling you every day for the past month, the Genin test is broken up into four portions: Physical Conditioning, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, and Practical Knowledge. In charge of each section will be a Chuunin proctor, who will explain each test to you before you begin. If there are any questions before we start ask now."

Naruto looked on idly as the no-nonsense, brown haired Chuunin fielded a few questions. Once the students had run out of inquiries Iruka ordered the class to follow him and swiftly bound out of the open window, followed closely by Mizuki and the Genin hopefuls.

oOoOoOo

Naruto followed the chattering Genin as they darted through the trees, presumably to one of the nearby training grounds where the tests would be set up. Sure enough, after a few minutes they arrived at the spacious Training Ground 11. Landing silently behind the rest of his chattering peers, Naruto, more out of habit than anything, tuned them out as he scanned his surroundings. This was, he knew, one of the more isolated training grounds as it was reserved exclusively for use by the Academy. As such the students were more than passingly familiar with it.

Truthfully, it was nothing more than a large clearing, the ground made infertile and flat by decades of students trampling over it. Surrounding the clearing are the massive trees that gave the village its name. Between the towering plant life were several paths leading away to various places: back to the academy, the village proper, and other training grounds.

Naruto focused on his teacher as he introduced two Chuunin who would be assisting in conducting the tests. The first, Hagane Kotetsu, had medium-length, spiky black hair, a small rectangular beard. Across his nose and cheeks ran a thin strip of bandage. He stood with an easy smile, with his hands in his pockets and a laid back stance, as he surveyed the various students arrayed before him. He acknowledged them with a quick wave, his smile broadening as he noticed that several of the females in the class were staring at him, oblivious that Iruka had already moved on to the second proctor.

Kamizuki Izumo was squatting next to Kotetsu, idly sharpening a kunai on a small whetstone. His eyes, well the one that wasn't covered by long brown hair, were wandering over the students. His gaze briefly paused on Naruto, who returned it, studying the Chuunin. Izumo's hitai-ate was connected to a dark blue bandanna that covered his head. Like Kotetsu, he wore the standard Konoha vest and combat garb, though the neck of his shirt rose to cover his neck and chin.

Iruka wrapped up his introduction and announced that it was time for the test to begin. Naruto could see that some of his classmates had been getting antsy to begin. He snorted softly at their impatience. One of the first things Sarutobi-sensei had taught to him was to be patient and observe. Impatience and a lack of information often ended in a dead ninja. That these children were still lacking such knowledge was appalling.

Mizuki took over, wearing a disarming smile, as he explained the first test, "Form up into four lines, make sure you have plenty of room, then begin stretching," after a couple of minutes he continued, "Okay, for the guys: seventy-five jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit ups. For the ladies," he said with a grin and a wink towards the Hyuuga heiress, "fifty of the same. You have twenty minutes to complete all of the exercises. If you happen to be unable to complete them in time you will fail this portion of the exam. Us proctors will be walking around to make sure everyone is doing the exercises properly. Any questions? Alright, Begin!"

Naruto quickly and efficiently worked through his tasks, neither rushing nor going too slowly, and finishing well before the time limit. The Inuzuka and Uchiha seemed to have raced, as both had finished ahead of him and seemed slightly winded, as they stood off to the side, watching the others. Naruto walked over into the shade of the trees on the south side of the training field, near where they entered. Once there he went through his own set of stretches, as the couple of minutes given prior were not sufficient for him. By the time he finished most of the students were done and standing by idly as the final minutes ticked down. Surprisingly enough one of the heirs, Ino, was still among the small pack of students. She seemed to be mouthing something under her breath, and Naruto trained his eyes onto her pink lips. Having long ago learned the art of lip reading, Naruto realized that she was counting, and was ignoring the directions and doing the boys' allotment, not the girls.

It was undoubtedly foolish, in Naruto's opinion, to put pride first in such a situation. Even so, Naruto felt a smidgen of respect for the pure stubbornness of the act, and she had finished before the time limit, if only by a minute. To no one's surprise, especially not the young Demon Jailor's, there were a handful of students who failed to complete the test. Naruto refrained from snorting in derision as the red-faced students joined the small throng. The Uchiha showed no such restraint, and the Inuzuka was caught short by Iruka's hard stare as he opened his mouth to taunt the failing students.

Mizuki stepped forward, drawing all eyes to him. The other three proctors leapt away into the trees to the west. The blue-haired Chuunin cleared his throat and smiled winningly at the gathered students, "Good job, everyone! All of you did well. The next portion of the exam will be held at training grounds twelve and thirteen. Twelve for the boys, thirteen for the girls. They're about ten minutes away down those two paths," Mizuki vaguely gestured to the two paths, visible to the right, "I suggest you begin," his broad smile unwavering, "because the next exam begins in five minutes."

With that, Mizuki disappeared with a quick hand sign and a swirl of leaves. Naruto didn't waste time scowling at the unoriginal exit. Instead, he took to the trees, the rest of the males hot on his heels. As he left he spotted the Hyuuga scion, followed closely by the other kunoichi hopefuls, dashing for the path that paralleled his own, separated by a thick stand of trees.

Naruto let out a grunt as he was unexpectedly knocked off course by a more feral than usual looking Kiba, Akamaru on his head, tongue lolling out. The Inuzuka sent him a sharp toothed grin as he bound from tree to tree slightly ahead of Naruto. Naruto grinned back, revealing his own longer than average canines. It was then that Akamaru gave a startled yelp, seconds before a log ran into the Inuzuka.

Traps! Naruto's senses went into overdrive as he used a handspring to somersault over the log. He twirled, upside down in the air, narrowly dodging a flurry of shuriken that screamed past him and thudded against a tree trunk before falling to a ground. They'd been blunted then. Even though they could cause severe bruising, Naruto noted as he heard a startled cry, followed by what sounded to be a painful thud as someone behind him crashed into the ground.

The blond bounded from tree to tree, using his momentum to springboard from trunks and branches. Being the fastest and most acrobatic student in the class, as well as one of the smallest, Naruto dived, spun, and darted through openings in the trees most others would choose to go around or barrel through, quickly putting him ahead of the pack, which is why he was the first to encounter the Bunshins, Henge'd into masked shinobi, that flew at him from out of the trees and directed kunai and shuriken at him from three sides. Because the attackers were damping their chakra there was no telling if there could be real shinobi among them, so he had to dodge every projectile as if they were real.

Naruto quickly realized that it'd be near impossible to progress while making sure he wasn't hit, and he knew time was quickly winding down. It was this that prompted him to return fire, consequences be damned. It wasn't like they had stated that he couldn't, after all.

The Bunshin began disappearing as they were met by deadly kunai thrown expertly by the Naruto. They were soon joined by more projectiles as others caught up, and noticed what Naruto was doing. Before long the entire group landed in the massive clearing that made up the joint training areas. Naruto was grinning as he noticed that the girls had all arrived before himself and the other males. He didn't care, that had been fun. Apparently some of the others didn't think so.

"Hey!" Kiba's loud shout rang out obnoxiously, "How'd you girls," he spat the word like it was some sore of insult, "beat us here?"

"The path was probably easier for them, they're delicate! Wouldn't want to break their nails!" One of the others jeered. He was echoed by others, all trying to gain favor with the Inuzuka mutt. He wasn't an Uchiha or Hyuuga, but his clan was still large and influential.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the ass kissing. Kiba, as usual, ate it up. At least until Hinata activated her Byakugan and asked snidely if the dog user's bravado was to compensate for what was greatly lacking elsewhere. Sasuke smirked, Naruto grinned, and the girls howled with laughter.

Kiba, embarrassed, growled threateningly and took a step forward, only to be halted by the arrival of the four examiners. Naruto was disappointed, he'd have enjoyed watching the cocky Inuzuka be thoroughly dismantled by the Jūken.

The students turned expectantly to the proctors. Naruto noted with some satisfaction that Iruka bore a shallow cut across the one already on his nose. Kotetsu stepped forward to introduce the next test.

"Okay, boys and girl! Time for the taijutsu portion of the test. This is gonna be fun! You ladies follow Izumo and Iruka here," he gestured behind him in the general direction of the other Chuunin, "over to training ground thirteen. The rest of you are with me and Mizuki right here."

Kotetsu lead them closer to the tree line, and further away from the departing females, before explaining further, "Alright, this is how we're going to do this: You all will take turns sparring my Kage Bunshin. You may use whatever style you wish, but no ninjutsu or genjutsu. If your style is dependent on a technique then you may use it, but ask first to make sure it's alright. You'll be evaluated by myself and Mizuki on footwork, power, and speed. Extra points if you manage to dispel my Bunshin," here he chuckled slightly, "which can be done with an incapacitating blow. The spar is over when either fighter is unable to continue, you forfeit, or ten minutes pass."

With that said, he formed a Ram seal and four replicates appeared next to Kotetsu, all wearing the same smirk as the first. They spread out around the clearing, leaving plenty of room around each of them. Across the field Naruto could see several copies of Izumo doing the same.

Mizuki began calling names off of the list in alphabetical order. The only notables in the first quad were Aburame Shino and Akimichi Chouji. Shino, robbed of the use of his Kikaichū, stuck to the basic fighting style taught to all students, he lasted three minutes before he was disabled and forced to forfeit by a foot on the back of his neck as he lay flat on the ground from a rather acrobatic leg sweep.

Chouji, under no such limitations, was using his Bubun Baika no Jutsu to attack and ward away the Kotetsu clone. He was too slow to hit the quick Chuunin, who himself was using the academy style, but his size allowed him to keep the black haired ninja at bay. At least until, five minutes in, the clone darted inside his guard and delivered a crushing uppercut to the rotund Akimichi's chin, knocking him flat on his back and ending the fight.

The next fights of note were Kiba and Shikamaru. Kiba swaggered up to his opponent, with Akamaru giving a bark of encouragement from the sidelines. Using his clan's Shikyaku no Jutsu and Tsūga style, Kiba gave the clone a decent run for it's money, managing to keep on the offensive using his speed and dangerous attacks. However, on one pass, which Kiba had cockily exclaimed would end the match, the Inuzuka over extended on a dodged blow and received a devastating knee to his gut for his troubles, ending his fight in the eighth minute, as predicted.

The Nara, on the other hand, didn't even try. He put up a pittance of a fight before forfeiting two minutes in with the explanation that it was to troublesome to explain. By this time the girls had finished and joined them, just as the final two students, the Uchiha prodigy and the Demon Brat himself, were called.

Sasuke's fan club, boys and girls, immediately began cheering as the blue clad Uchiha stepped forward alongside Naruto. To Naruto's surprise, though he didn't show it, the clones disappeared with a puff of smoke. The two quietest students turned questioning gazes to Kotetsu.

Kotetsu grinned and answered the unspoken inquiries, "For some reason... I think I'm going to need fresh clones for you two." With that he performed the Kage Bunshin technique and two clones popped up before the boys.

Naruto shrugged and glanced at Sasuke, who gave him an unreadable look before following the clone in front of him. Naruto followed suit, standing a short distance away from him and adopted a ready stance. The jinchuriki quickly took in his immediate surroundings, before crouching low in the beginning stance of a style he and Sautobi-sensei were in the process of creating. It was as of yet unnamed, but Naruto and his surrogate grandfather were very happy with it's development.

A breeze kicked up, causing Naruto's scarf to flutter behind him like a tail. As the brief wind died the spar began. The Kotetsu clone rushed at him, aiming a swift sidekick at Naruto's head. Naruto cartwheeled over the kick, springing from the handstand the maneuver had put him in and launched himself, spinning in a tight flip, over the shadow clone and lashing out with a strong kick at his opponent's head, but he found only air as his opponent turned to dodge. Landing low on all fours, Naruto tried to catch the replication with a sweep kick, which missed, Kotetsu's clone dancing back out of range.

Infusing his limbs with chakra, Naruto quickly launched himself at his opponent, using his smaller size and great quickness to dodge the retaliating blows, and returning his own, seemingly random blows, all of which were blocked. Dodging a roundhouse kick, Naruto performed what looked to be another cartwheel, however, instead of doing the flip, Naruto used his right hand to launch his body off of the ground, aiming a kick at the clone's chin.

The clone stumbled back to avoid the unexpected strike, and Naruto capitalized, already in the air from his missed modified Konoha Shōfū, he somersaulted, using the momentum to bring down his heel on his adversary's hastily thrown up block.

Using it's superior strength, the clone pushed Naruto back and immediately went on the offensive. Naruto was hard pressed to keep the swift, powerful blows at bay, never mind mounting an effective counterstrike. Finally an attack broke through Naruto's defenses, and the powerful kick the the gut sent him flying back, and expelling all the air in his lungs.

Naruto rose to his feet, gasping, and wiped a trickle of blood from his lips. The clone was moving much faster and more purposefully than it had against the other students. If Naruto wasn't enjoying himself so much he might be annoyed by the unfairness.

The clone stood, wary and ready several feet away. Naruto straightened and grinned fiercely at the fighter across from him and called out, "Let's kick this up a bit, shall we?"

The clone was suddenly overcome with an ominous feeling as Naruto almost disappeared from his sight. Fast! Was all he had time to think before the short blond was on him, throwing wild, random, yet somehow quick and powerful punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. It was the clone that found itself on the defensive, having to tun exclusively to dodging as each hard blow he blocked ate away at his chakra store, and thus his time remaining in existence. The assault continued relentlessly, blows coming from every angle, and the damnable sash interfering with his peripheral vision.

The clone, feeling its chakra stores drying up, made a desperate gambit and threw a chakra packed punch at the boy. Naruto dodged inside, springing up and delivering a catastrophic blow the the clone's solar plexus.

The clone exploded into smoke around Naruto. Naruto looked over to see how the Uchiha heir had fared, only to realize that the other clone was no where in sight, and that the Uchiha was watching him with a superior smirk. Naruto shrugged and rejoined the restless crowd, many of whom were crowing over how unbelievably cool Sasuke had been.

"Uzumaki," Naruto turned his head, surprised that someone was talking to him, as it was rather unusual, to see that it was the reclusive Aburame that had addressed him, though the boy had not even turned to look at him, "that was an interesting fighting style."

Naruto understood that this was as close as Shino, ever polite and unobtrusive, would come to asking a question. He left it up to Naruto to answer or not. He silently studied the insect user before turning his back to the front, where the Chuunin were explaining the Ninjutsu/Genjutsu test, and debating whether or not to answer.

"It doesn't have a name," he said quietly, "and it's not yet complete, but I'd say it's coming along nicely, wouldn't you?"

Shino gave off a small snort and remained silent. It felt to Naruto as if he were smiling, or at least as close to smiling as any Aburame came. Naruto smiled too, happy at the realization that Shino didn't avoid him out of fear instilled by parents, but that he just avoided everyone in general and held no ill will towards him.

By now the sun was riding high in the sky, and Naruto estimated that it was nearing 10 o'clock. A steady, if light, breeze was rustling the leaves of the trees, causing their branches to sway and dance. Naruto knew from his lessons with sensei that, except in the forests high in the few mountains that dotted it, the Land of Fire never experienced true fall or winter. The trees surrounding the village would turn to brilliant hues of reds, golds, and oranges, and for a scant two months the country would look as if it were awash with fire. That time was still a few months off, in the dead of 'winter.' Tourists would come from all across the Elemental Countries to see the magnificent sight.

Soon the ninjutsu portion of the exam was underway, and cries of "Bunshin!"and "Henge!"filled the autumn air. Many explosions of smoke sounded as the kawarimi revealed logs and small boulders, and in Naruto's case, a blustering and confused Inuzuka Kiba. There was a reason Sarutobi-sensei never let him get bored: he tended to play pranks on whoever was nearby.

Once everyone had been tested, the so far quiet, Izumo stepped forward. His smile was soft as he gestured for everyone's attention.

"So, if any of you have other techniques you'd like to show for additional points, please step forward," Once the very small number of students had done so, he continued, "Anyone else? Last chance... Okay, you," he said pointing at the Nara, "Go."

And so it went, Shikamaru reluctantly performed his clan's signature and most basic jutsu, the Kage mane. It went on as expected, each clan heir or scion showing off the basic techniques of their clans. The Hyuuga girl even did an incomplete Kaiten. Sasuke, predictably, showed off by producing an assortment of fire techniques, from the Grand Fireball to the Dragon Fire. His fans, also predictably, went nuts.

Naruto rolled his eyes, though the Uchiha did have a decent technique arsenal for his age and standing. The next of note was the pink haired harlot, Haruno Sakura. She kept shooting glances at Sasuke, as if to make sure he was watching her so she could impress him—he wasn't. She smiled in his direction anyway before performing her technique: a very limited Nehan Shōja no Jutsu. Due to her chakra reserves being rather pathetically low, the genjutsu only affected those in a fifteen meter radius from what he could gather, and its effects were rather under par as well. It put a few of the weaker students to sleep, but most managed to avoid it since they saw it coming. Shikamaru, all too willing to sleep, also seemed to fall prey to Haruno's illusionary jutsu.

Naruto merely bit his cheek to ward off the effects, not wanting to use his other method of freeing himself from genjutsu. It'd have been... troublesome to say the least. Once the pink haired girl had canceled the technique and been forced by Iruka to wake up all those she had put to sleep, it was Naruto's turn, as he was the only one that had yet to go.

Naruto briefly pondered which technique to use before a great idea hit him and he turned to assess his targets. Naruto grinned as an unsuspecting Izumo told him to begin, Sarutobi-sensei was right, it was a bad idea to let him get bored.

Quickly shifting through a few hand signs Naruto quickly called out, "Suiton: Teppōdama!"

The large ball of water hurtled straight at the unsuspecting students. Naruto had made sure to pack the ball with as little chakra as he could and maintain the technique, he didn't want to hurt them too badly, at least not where he would be caught. As expected most of the would-be Genin froze up as the jutsu unraveled just before it crashed into them, drenching them all except for Sasuke and Shino, who had managed to step away and were observing their dripping wet classmates with a small smirk and the typical unreadable look, respectively.

Naruto was busy chugging from a medium sized water bottle he kept in his side-pouch. Using that much water from in the body left one rather thirsty. He was also keeping an eye on the others, in case they decided to retaliate. Ino and Sakura were looking particularly murderous. Naruto noted that they were rather attractive when angry... and wearing soaked clothing. Kiba actually looked amused, Naruto assumed he was grateful for the bath. Akamaru was busy shaking himself off from his perch on Kiba's head. Naruto idly wondered if he'd marked that territory. Shikamaru was wringing out his jacket and muttering under his breath, while Chouji stood next to him carefully checking his bag of snacks. The Hyuuga was looking back at Naruto, a small smile tugging as her lips, her jacket was waterproof, after all.

The Chuunin were all staring at him. Iruka looked annoyed, but Naruto thought he saw a glimmer of amusement in those brown eyes. Mizuki looked impressed, after all it took a lot of guts and/or stupidity to knowingly piss off a bunch of killers-in-training. Kotetsu was outright grinning, and gave him a quick thumbs up when he thought no one else would see. Izumo looked faintly amused as he walked over to Naruto.

"I'm going to assume you can do that move properly when you want to, right?" Naruto nodded and smirked at the man, "Alright, then go rejoin the others, unless you have more to show...?"

Naruto shook his head and frowned at this before sidling over near the Uchiha, hoping the proximity would keep the two glaring kunoichi from attacking him. It worked, as their gazes quickly softened lest Sasuke think they were glaring at him.

The Chuunin, after a brief discussion, led the way back to the Academy at a brisk walk. On the way Iruka explained the final test, which was simply a written test on general and practical things to know when on missions outside of Konoha.

Arriving back at the school, the two visiting Chuunin waved goodbye to the students before taking off, presumably for the Administration building. The students filed inside and retook their usual seats. Iruka handed out the test and they began. It was relatively easy, though there were a couple of answers Naruto thought he missed.

Once the test was over an hour later Iruka announced that the students were dismissed and that the Graduation ceremony and banquet would be held at the Memorial Stone near training ground seven at seven o'clock that night.

Naruto filed out of the Academy with the rest of the students, a full four hours before class usually ended. It was another eight until the Graduation Ceremony. The event was a big deal to the village. The ceremony was a chance for families to show off their up and coming children, as well as a memorial service for the fallen ninja of Konoha, thus being held at the Memorial Site. The people of the Village Hidden in the Leaves had a great respect for the dead. It was part of the village's belief system: Healthy respect for the dead, who taught the current generation, and the passing down of knowledge to the future generation, in the hopes that they'd be greater than the last. The Will of Fire.

Naruto briefly wondered if Sarutobi-sensei would make it back in time for the event. He'd left two days ago to meet some of his own contacts in River Country. The blond jinchuriki didn't know the reason, only that it was important. All the notice the former Hokage had given him was a brief note telling him that he'd be back in less than a week, and a jutsu scroll containing a new ninjutsu, Fūton: Daitoppa.

Though Sandaime had made sure that Naruto was versed in enough basic nature manipulation to perform low level techniques of any element, Naruto's passions were for Fuuton and Raiton. They worked exceedingly well with his rather wild, high speed style. He was passable with Suiton techniques. Fire and Earth he found nearly impossible above D rank. He didn't like them much anyway.

Figuring he had time to kill, Naruto took his time heading back to the secluded manor he and his teacher resided in. He wasn't particularly eager to be alone in the place, as it didn't feel like home without his ape-faced grandfather filling the place with the pungent scent of his Grass-imported tobacco. Naruto hoped the old man was okay.

Naruto took the long way, avoiding the busier streets in favor of the less crowded domestic districts. Mothers hurriedly called their children indoors, shooting him sometimes fearful, sometimes venomous glances. Naruto ignored them, so used to it by this time that he hardly noticed.

Coming upon the house some twenty minutes later, Naruto quickly bypassed all the traps he had set up prior to departing early that morning. They were just another practical defense in case someone attempted to destroy the property when he and the Sandaime were away. He entered and made himself a quick sandwich from some left over steak, which he quickly heated. Former Hokage ate well, and so did their students. The slab of meat was rare, very rare. Naruto had a bit of a thing for meat in all its many forms. The refrigerator had enough beef, chicken, and pork in it to resemble a butcher's shop.

Naruto, sandwich in hand, made his way to the basement, which had been converted to his room for a couple of reasons: he felt more comfortable underground in the darkness, and most assassins would check the upstairs bedrooms first. There was also the easy access to the kitchen to consider.

The room was spartan at best. Rectangular in shape the room was fairly large. A large, queen-sized bed dominating the far corner, directly opposite of the stone steps he was descending. A hardwood nightstand with a small reading lamp situated atop it stood adjacent to the bed. A long rectangular window rode high on the wall across from the stairs, peeking out into the spacious backyard. The wall immediately to his right was bare, save a large poster, proudly emblazoned with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

The ceiling was low, only eight feet high. Covering the ceiling like a spiderweb was a massive seal. It supported the house far better than any beams could ever hope to. The walls were a dark, warm wood, beneath it ran the same structural support seals as the ceiling, though modified for vertical weight rather than horizontal. The floor, beneath a thick, shaggy, deep blue carpet, was stone. The wall to his left, running perpendicular to the stairway, was held honeycombed scroll shelves, most were empty, but that would change as Naruto gained more scrolls, either gifted to him, made by him, or stolen from the corpses of his enemies.

Anything on a body was fair game as far as most ninja were concerned. Some ninja were still confident enough in their abilities to travel with valuable technique scrolls. As of now Naruto only owned seventeen scrolls, not all of which contained techniques.

Nestled away between the far wall and the scroll cases was a door that opened into a cellar. Naruto had broken in once. Having a hangover during his teacher's brutal training quickly convinced him that the vice was not for him. He'd leave that to Tsunade-hime.

Finishing his sandwich, Naruto brushed his hands off on his pants and quickly collected the gray, unmarked scroll. Naruto didn't label any of his scrolls on the outside. No use helping any potential thieves, after all. Quickly checking to make sure that it was indeed the Fuuton technique, Naruto departed and made his was to a secluded training ground near the Clan District. It was mostly unused, since all the clan compounds had their own training grounds or elected to use different ones. Naruto had sometimes found the younger Hyuuga heir, Hanabi, training there alone. She always ignored him an he returned the favor, not exactly eager to interact with one of the haughty Byakugan users.

The large training grounds were deserted today, and Naruto quickly made his was to the southern side of the compound, which was lined with ancient, gnarled, scratched oaks. These trees had taken quite a bit of abuse over the years, though less in recent times. Naruto had added his own fair share of marks into the wood of the ancient behemoths.

On two of the trees, held up by tough cords, dangled three wooden dummies. It was here that Naruto stopped and unrolled the scroll, sitting down among the large roots and shade below one of the trees. His brilliant azure eyes quickly ran over the scroll, memorizing hand signs and suggested chakra flow.

Like most wind techniques, the faster one circulated one's chakra through their inner coils, the faster and more damaging the technique became once released through the tenketsu. It was for this reason that high level wind jutsu were extraordinarily difficult to master. If the user's chakra control could not keep the careening chakra firmly inside the coils then it could escape into the body or out of the release points, damaging not only the tenketsu with too much raw chakra, but potentially causing harm to the ninja's organs.

This is why most Wind practitioners utilized some type of external tool, such as a fan, that they could push chakra into then release it with a wave of said object. It was a shortcut, and the effects weren't as powerful as they otherwise could be, but it was definitely safer. Naturally, Naruto had shown nothing but scorn when the Sandaime had implied that he could get Naruto a genuine Suna War Fan.

Naruto snapped the roll closed and deposited it in his hip pouch as he sprung up, and moved across from the dummies. Naruto quickly ran through the hand signs a few times, letting his fingers get used to that particular pattern. Rabbit first, for speed, then Rat for control, Horse to combine the two, and finally Tiger for power.

Before learning a single technique, Naruto had learned the basic concepts and theorems of how ninjutsu, and to a lesser extent genjutsu, worked. Hand signs helped mold the chakra into the correct densities, speeds, and flows that were unique to each and every jutsu. With practice, lots of practice, one could eventually learn to mold one's chakra in a familiar way and perform a technique without hand signs.

The same could be done with voicing the technique, which was simply a way to help the body release the technique when it was ready. It helped add force and will behind a jutsu, much like the shouts most taijutsu styles used when performing hard kicks and punches.

Naruto let his hands drop to his sides, taking a deep breath before flying into motion, crouching slightly as his hands came back up and raced through the seals. He could feel his chakra racing through their coils like hounds on the hunt, burning as he worked to keep his massive store in check. Jabbing his right hand forward with a shout of "Fūton: Daitoppa!" the tenketsu in his palm flew open, the wild chakra flying out, kicking up air with it's powerful movements... and dispersing around him with a short, if rather strong, warm breeze.

Naruto blinked, "Son of a bitch," he succinctly summarized.

That that much chakra could have so little effect... He was set if Ino or Sakura ever asked him to blow dry their hair. Naruto analyzed what had happened, reviewing it in his mind's eye. He quickly came to a conclusion. He needed to funnel the chakra externally for it to be of any use, rather than just a complete waste of chakra. Unfortunately, that meant he needed to work on his chakra control.

Naruto got the distinct feeling that he had been set up for just such a realization.

"Damnit, old man! Could have just told me to practice it..."

Naruto could practically hear his teacher's smug chuckle. Naruto continues grumbling under his breath at the conveniently absent ape-faced bastard. He tended to talk to himself a lot when he was training, a side effect of being alone almost all of the time, not that he cared. He hated it when people attempted to psychoanalyze him.

A bit calmer now, Naruto proceeded to dash up the nearest tree, or more accurately, he ricocheted between two trunks, launching himself higher with each spring. He came to rest lightly on the very top of the tree, clinging with chakra and at the same time using it to redistribute his weight. Essentially he was making himself lighter, though it was a bit more complex than that in theory it was a fairly basic talent for shinobi. The view was nothing short of remarkable. Konoha and spread out below him in one direction, spanning far to the north and east, an island in a sea of trees. Naruto could make out the sounds of the village as a light buzzing as it's denizens went about their day. Closer by, Naruto could just barely make out the shapes of people as they moved about their compounds.

Despite his treatment, Naruto didn't think he'd ever be able to call another place home. For all its shortcomings, Konoha was a beautiful place. He had a precious few worth fighting for. It was enough.

Slowly, so as not to lose his balance, he began running through the basic Konoha kata taught at the Academy, as he wasn't suicidal enough to try his own style while one hundred and fifteen feet in the air. For the next two hours he ran through them, gradually speeding up each movement until he was going near full speeding. All the while pumping and maintaining the flow of chakra through his feet. The exercise was exhausting, and it was only because of his deep reserves that he was able to persevere for as long as he did. Even so his limbs were shaking with weariness when he finally made his way down to the base of the tree.

He sat down heavily amid the roots, catching his breath from the not quite controlled descent. After resting there for a few minutes he rose to his feet with a grunt and headed back to the manor, hoping he wouldn't accidentally set off a trap in his tiredness. Luckily he didn't and he dragged himself to the shower on the second floor, where he remained, letting hot water loosen his muscles, for the better part of an hour.

Feeling a bit revitalized, Naruto made himself a slightly larger meal and took it down to his room, settling down on his bed with the large plate of breads, sharp cheeses, and a large array of meats. Pulling a nonfiction novel from his nightstand, Naruto flipped through to his page. The book had been a gift from Hatake Kakashi for his twelfth birthday. It had been written by Kakashi's father, the legendary White Fang, Sakumo. It was a recounting of many of the missions he had taken during the lengthy Third Great Ninja War. The renowned shinobi had witnessed with despair as the Will of Fire had sputtered as the war dragged on. Missions became more important than lives. Konoha was becoming vicious in its dealings, more and more like those they fought.

Naruto was engrossed with the long, historical book that had never been published. He was only about halfway through, and the book was getting darker and darker. Naruto read until his eyes drooped and sleep claimed him.

oOoOoOo

Naruto awoke, his room dark, lit by the soft glow of the setting drifting in through the window. Naruto figured it was around six, so he swiftly got up and dressed. His outfit now the ceremonial black and gray rather than his usual black and green.

He slipped out of his house and swiftly headed towards the Ceremony grounds. Massive bonfires dotted the village walls, throwing flickering light and shadows on the Leaf decorations painted on them seem to dance like fire. Naruto could feel their heat on the breeze.

Naruto slipped through the shadows, avoiding adults, dressed brightly in vivid reds, golds, oranges and blues. They most were accompanied by somberly clothed, yet excited small children, bouncing and imploring their parents to hurry lest they be late!

Naruto arrived at the training ground/park behind a sea of people. Like years previous, a large, U-shaped platform had been erected around the memorial stone. Row upon row of seats sat before the stage, and ninja and civilian alike mingled as they found their seats. Large fires, though much smaller than those on the wall, ringed the entire area, casting light over the proceedings.

On the stage were three rows of tiered seats, most of them already occupied. Tsunade sat, resplendent in the robes and hat of her station, gazing down warmly at her gathering peoples. On each side, sat some of the most important ninja in the village, the Clan Heads. Looking regal and important, they made small talk among themselves. As was traditional, they wore the purest white. Behind them, in the next row sat Naruto's classmates.

Sasuke sat, directly behind the sole empty seat on the front row, a show of respect to the fallen Uchiha clan. His face was stony as he glared at the seat before him, his eyes distant. Like the rest of the clan heirs, he wore a black kimono beneath an ashen gray hakama.

Predictably, on either side of him sat Ino and Sakura, their skin showing pale in the firelight next to their dark clothing. They had dressed identically it seemed, and even wore their hair the same way, with a black ribbon holding it back from their faces. They were shooting almost concerned glances at the brooding Uchiha. Once again Naruto felt a brief pang of pity for the boy before brushing it off.

Naruto made his way up onto the stage, finding a seat on the back row, where a few more students, and Iruka were seated. He wished that he could talk to the Tsunade-hime, but they had an image to maintain. She hadn't even glanced at him as he found a seat. Naruto let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes, waiting for the proceedings to begin.

He didn't have to wait long. The thundering beat of a massive drum silenced the chattering horde. Naruto watched on as the Godaime rose and stepped forward, her stately visage drawing gazes like moth to flame. She cut a remarkable figure in the pristine robes and hat. Naruto could see the awe on the faces of the civilians, to whom Tsunade, was something of a fairytale figure. The job of Hokage did not allow much intermingling with the affairs of the non-military portion of Konoha. As such it was a rare sight for those outside of the shinobi ranks. Even had she not carried the Hokage name, she was still the granddaughter of the Shodaime, who had achieved near mythological status among the populace.

Tsunade halted the drums with a raised hand. Silently, she surveyed the crowd, and they stared right back. Naruto imagined that she bore a small smile, her warm, honey-colored eyes sparkling warmly, reflecting the firelight.

"My little brother; his name was Nawaki... the day he became a Genin I gave him this necklace, as a gift" here she held up a simple chain, from which dangled a small, blue-green stone. "On that day he told me that he would become Hokage, for that was his dream. He wished only to protect the people of this village, our way of life."

She stopped, hands clasped loosely behind her back as she surveyed the crowd. Abruptly she turned to face the assembled students, her eyes held a glow that had little to do with the fires. Her gaze raked over them, pausing to stare into each of their eyes. Naruto returned her gaze, and she held it a fraction longer than she had with the others.

She continued her thought, "This was during the darkest days of the Third Great Shinobi War. Life expectancy for a Genin on the front lines was measured in mere minutes. They were told to escape if they could. They were only to act as couriers and not participate in the battles. No matter what."

Her eyes burned as her gaze bore down on them. Naruto absently noted that several of his peers were fidgeting nervously. He paid them no mind, his eyes were locked onto the first female Kage in any of the Great Nations.

"The next day my brother departed on his first mission as a shinobi of Konoha. The platoon he was delivering a message to was returning to Konoha with highly valuable information: positions, supply routes, patrol routes. Things that could turn the tide of the war. The four man team was ambushed by twelve Stone-nin as Nawaki arrived. Three teams consisting of Chuunin and Jounin, all out for blood. The only mercy in war is death. Nawaki, knowing that there was no hope for victory, knowing that they'd be slaughtered to a man, fought. As a ninja of Konoha he battled enemies he had no business even looking in the eyes."

Tears flowed down her cheeks now, yet her voice and gaze only grew more fierce, radiating such a wide range of emotions that it was impossible to untangle and separate them all. Naruto was positive he heard pride, however.

"He fought side by side, back to back with his comrades, fellow ninja... and complete strangers. He fought. And he died," she was forced to pause as she was visibly flooded with emotion, but she went on. "To a man, the Stone-nin were killed. All of our ninja save one badly wounded Chuunin. As is our custom, he burned the bodies of his teammates. Nawaki, he brought home, along with information that helped us defeat Tsuchigakure after years of bloody, senseless war."

Somehow Tsunade's soft voice was reaching there very back rows, for not a sound was made save the crackling and popping of burning wood. Every soul in attendance was hanging on her every word.

"My brother broke the rules, and he paid the ultimate price. Some would consider him to be the worst type of shinobi. However, he stood by his comrades when he was needed. He didn't run away, he wouldn't run away. To abandon fellow Leaf ninja was simply not something he could do," Her voice rose, commanding as her clear alto voice sounded out. "That is the Will of Fire that will never die as long as a single leaf remains on the great tree of this village! We do not abandon one another. We protect that which is precious to us. Therein lies true strength. The names on this stone," she gestured to the large slab of obsidian that had names of the fallen chiseled into it, "they are our lovers, our fathers, our mothers, our brothers and sisters. They are heroes, every one."

Tsunade's eyes swept over the entire assemblage, abruptly her posture loosened, the fire in her eyes put on the back burner.

"Inside of each and everyone of you, shinobi or civilian; adult or child, the fire burns. Protect what you love with everything you have, and no obstacle will withstand your might."

For what seemed to be the first time that night, Tsunade blinked, and the crowd erupted into raucous cheers for their Hokage. Naruto admitted to himself that he too had been swept up by the powerful story. He quickly shook it off, though a warm feeling remained with him. Probably just the fires burning all over the place.

As Tsunade sat, Hyuuga Hiashi stood and addressed the crowd at large, asking first if there were any heir announcements. There were several, but only among the merchant clans. The same went for wedding contracts. It was not uncommon for pompous merchants or clan heads to announce such things to the general populace, who naturally ate it up and would regurgitate it back up at every opportunity like a deranged mother bird.

At last Hiashi took his seat, done recognizing the agreements on behalf of the council. Iruka made his way forward next and gave the exact same speech about how proud he was off all the students, whether they'd passed or not, that he'd given the year before. He reminded everyone that those who failed could enroll and test again up to three times.

By now the sun had sunk, and, save the distant watch fires, everything outside the ring surrounding the ceremony was enveloped in darkness. Eager faces glowed in the darkness, light reflecting off of brightly colored clothing.

Then he gestured to the side, and two teenage Genin carefully walked onto the stage, bearing between them a table covered with a shimmering red cloth. They set it before Iruka, who nodded at them, before disappearing back to wherever they'd come from. Iruka swept the cloth away, revealing over two dozen hitai-ate. The forehead protectors were burnished, and they gleamed red. Along with their forehead protectors they were to receive a brilliant red and orange sash. A representation of their adulthood in the eyes of the village. From now on they would wear the colors of flame at festivals, rather than the ashen colors of youths.

Iruka pulled a relatively large scroll from his hip pouch and unfurled it, and began calling out names. Each name was met with cheers, some louder than others, such as the Hyuuga. Naturally the Uchiha's name was met thunderous applause. Naruto rolled his eyes as the crowd went silent when his own name was called the crowd went silent. Children were quickly shushed, and many looked on pensively, deep frowns marring their faces.

As he was wont to do, Naruto ignored the villagers and their oppressive silence as he tied the hitai-ate around his head, and made his way back to his seat. He thought he felt Tsunade's gaze, but he refused to meet it. He didn't want to see pity in those eyes.

Iruka rolled the scroll close with a snap, announcing that the new Genin had all been called. The girl next to Naruto immediately burst into noisy sobs, hunching over as her body over her knees as she shook. Naruto rolled his eyes at the overdone display. The crowd was filled with people either cheering or shouting in protest that their children weren't selected. Naruto, for some unfathomable reason, had a feeling that his becoming a Genin was not met with much joy. It may have had something to do with all the glares being sent in his direction. There was really no telling.

The crowd quieted when Iruka removed a daisho, a matched katana and wakizashi, from beneath the table. They were ornate without being useless in combat, with a simple black sheathe and hilt, both adorned with the symbol of the Leaf and the kanji for fire. Iruka drew the katana with practiced ease and examined the blade, allowing the crowd to do so as well.

As always it was a masterpiece blade. Master Blacksmiths all over Fire Country clamored to be allowed to craft the blades every year. Having the geniuses of Konoha wear your blades was an unequaled form of advertisement, though some never bothered to use the weapons.

Iruka smoothly resheathed the blade, and set them both on the table. He turned to smile at the eager faces of the crowd.

"This year we had many, many exceptional students, and it was an honor to teach them, and watch them grow into shinobi. The competition for Rookie of the Year was as close as I'd ever witnessed, with two students in particular showing skill far beyond their level. Unfortunately we can only award one student, and this year the prize goes to Uchiha Sasuke."

Though they'd no doubt expected it, the crowds erupted into applause. Sasuke, traditional smirk firmly in place, rose to accept the two weapons. Iruka nodded to Sasuke and they both returned to their seats. Tsunade stood once more and turned to address the new Genin.

"Tomorrow morning those of you who passed," fresh sobs burst anew from the pathetic girl, "will meet at the Academy at 0700. There you will be assigned to four man squads consisting of three Genin and one Jounin. Until that time you are dismissed. Congratulations," she finished, smiling warmly at them.

With that the festivities began. Everyone filed back into the village where they would party and celebrate well into the night. People would drink to their fallen heroes and to heroes yet to come. Food and games would be prolific. Chuunin would patrol the alleyways to make sure nothing got out of hand, while ANBU took over the wall patrols.

Sakura and Ino had immediately latched onto the arms of the new Rookie of the Year, who, if his expression was anything to go by, was considering trying out his new blades. He was almost dragged after into the village. Naruto snorted as his gaze wandered over the dispersing crowd. Already bawdy songs and jokes were flying through the crowd. He knew those same voices could just as easily curse his very existence and, if drunken enough, attempt to end it.

"Naruto-san," a soft, yet commanding voice came from his right.

Naruto turned to see the Godaime Hokage standing at his side. He hadn't even sensed her arrival, yet he knew she hadn't attempted to mask it from him. She was just that good, or he was that distracted. A worrying thought. She'd removed her hat, and Naruto noticed that her hair was not bound in the usual two pony-tails. It was also longer than he remembered. Then, it had been several years since he'd been this close to the gorgeous woman.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" He replied, his voice stiff and formal. He missed the close, almost familial relationship they'd had before. He loathed that the villagers and council could even take that from him. He knew it was necessary, for the safety of everyone. He couldn't help the bitter taste of resentment that came along with it.

Tsunade did not face him, her eyes were scanning the crowd just as his were. Her hands were enveloped in the long sleeves of the robe. She'd long ago dropped the permanent Henge she'd hidden behind. She was no less beautiful for it. She had aged well, only the barest of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her hair was somewhat more pale, though her skin had darkened to a more olive hue. Naruto tried not to notice that other attributes were just as perfect as ever. He failed. Fucking puberty.

"You held back at the exams. I know Sensei has taught you enough to be able to defeat the Uchiha, especially since he has yet to awaken his Bloodline," the question was there, though she'd phrased it as a question.

Her voice lacked emotion, Naruto wondered if it was because she was unsure where they stood with one another now. Naruto sure as hell was. Even false enmity could create a very real distance. Naruto tried to get a feel for her out of the corner of his eye. He face was as expressionless as her words had been.

"Hokage-sama, we are ninja. Our trade is deception, information is both our greatest ally and worst enemy. It would be foolish to flaunt my abilities when my file can be accessed easily by many people who are not fond of me or my bad habit of breathing."

Tsunade nodded at his response, "That is sound reasoning, Naruto. If only your peers possessed a similar maturity and ability of forethought. Though..." she paused, turning to him fully. "the price of such was far too high."

Naruto frowned at her words, not meeting her gaze. He did not respond, there was nothing he could say to that, after all. Tsunade allowed a small smile curve her lips.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing a bit more of each other from now on... Naruto-kun."

She left with those parting words, headed back to the Hokage tower. Naruto watched her go, wondering if the change from student to full-fledged shinobi was quite as dramatic as it was starting to seem.

Not wanting, or, more accurately, not able to participate in the oncoming festival, Naruto returned to the manor to call it an early night. He had a feeling he'd need his rest.

oOoOoOo

Chapter one, down. Took a bit longer than I expected to finish it. Still feels a bit choppy to me, but I'm shaking the rust off. The pace should be picking up, meaning each story won't span a single day, though that's an interesting short-story idea. Groundhog Day, make Naruto relive the Sasuke retrieval arc a few times. Would be amusing.

It's come to my attention that I could use a Beta. So if anyone wants the job feel free to say so. Now that Finals are gone I may have more time to update, I'll try to make a writing schedule. Anyway, feel free to leave me your responses.