"This is a fan fiction, I do not own Naruto in any from being anime, games or published format."
Naruto honestly did try to get to sleep early to listen to the Hokage's speech, but he had a few problems that made that impossible. First, his neighbors were not what you call considerate in more days, but that day they flat out were even worse than usual. The threw rocks through one of the few intact windows in his apartment. The stone ricochet off the wall and broke his very last bottle of his favorite juice.
This was not going to end up well for them, he made five shadow clones and simply told them to find the punks who through the rock and beat their skulls in. The clones did just that. And they even got a nice thank you gift from a local booze hound, he wasn't able to sleep because of their racket, so with them unconscious and severely beaten. They wouldn't do this sort of thing in a hurry.
The second problem came when one of the clones drank the entire bottle from a dare of another clone. This made the other three clones drag the one that made the dare and the one that was drunk home. Which in turn made a racket at his apartment. So Naruto gave each a hard punch to dispel them. Nothing like remembering drinking the most foul stuff he ever had, and seeing himself hit himself.
The third problem was the one that finally ruined his sleep. For some reason Kyuubi really hated and I mean really hated Hiruzen Sarutobi. So in order for Naruto not to do the honorable thing and respect the old man, he made him stay up all night, listening to his lectures on the other tail beasts, where they came from, even stuff about the sage of the six paths. You would think that hearing someone give a few history lectures, you be out like a light, but not Kyuubi. He actually told it with such passion that Naruto could hardly close his eyes, so he got no sleep.
In the morning he had to skip his entire breakfast, and run as fast as he could to the academy, he simply overslept. It didn't help that he had a huge hangover that he could not remember why he was having a hangover in the first place. When he arrived Iruka flat out asked him why was he so late. He didn't know why he said it but he said something that made everyone grown when they heard it. He simply told Iruka that he simply was lost on the path of life, and could not find the way to correct it.
"Naruto are you drunk? on any medication I should know about?" He told him that his roommate decided to do something rather loud, and he could not get any sleep. Iruka finally understood what he was talking about. "Well you missed the Hokage's entire speech, but the good news is that you haven't missed the team placements and the title award for achievements and merits. So find a seat and we can get started."
He walked towards a seat and saw that Sakura was walking towards him. "Look, banshee you hate me, I don't like you, do me a favor and sit as far away from me as possible, and I will not have to beat your head like a drum. And if you are wondering where the Emo is he is three rows ahead of me." Sakura told him that was where she was headed anyways. She wouldn't want to be close to him to save her own life. Naruto simply said that he felt the same way.
Iruka began to read about the achievements of the students, and Sasuke was sure that he was going to be rookie of the year, apparently he forgot the beatings he got from Naruto during practical exercises. "So the Rookie of the year is: Naruto Uzumaki, and our Dead Last of the class : Kiba Inuzuka. Traditionally we would place both Kiba and Naruto in a team, but this year we are breaking the mold. So you can stop scowling Naruto, Kiba is not going to be your teammate. He, Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee are going to be on team seven, lead by Kakashi Hakate."
Lee was very happy about being placed with such a youthful team. Naruto just waited to hear about his team, and there it was. his team was Hinata Hyuuga, a guy named Sai and himself and their teacher was Anko Mitarashi. He had no complaints, at least his team leader was not going to make things boring. "Now do you have any problems with your team, Naruto?" Iruka clearly asking out of some personal concern.
"You mean besides the fact that I got a guy who wasn't even in my class, a girl that is so shy that she faints every time I even try to said hello. No the only thing I hoping is that our teachers fixes Hinata's shyness problem fast, or our team might as well be given a permanent room at the hospital." Anko was just walking into the classroom as she heard what Naruto finish saying. She was smiling when she saw he too had the same idea as she did.
"We can talk about that on our way to our training field and that is number 64 if you are wondering. Come one get up, Sai is probably drawing pictures of grass our of sheer boredom." Hinata and Naruto got up and followed her. "So our training ground is the forest of death?" Sai could hardly believe they were headed to a place most people try to avoid.
Hinata looked she had been sentenced to death, Sai went along and did not say a word, Naruto was acting like he was going to the happiest, most fun place ever. During his time in the academy he sometimes camped out in the forest, while others had sent time with their families, holidays, vacations, any time he did not attend the academy or had to wake up early the next day.
Anko was watching Naruto and couldn't believe that he was simply that happy. Most people consider going to the forest of Death a punishment. When they finally got to the forest she seem to want to do something. "Naruto is there something you want to say?" Naruto smiled walked over to the forest and simply looked at it, "Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home."
"Hey, Sai is it just me or is Naruto acting like he wants to put up a sign on one of those trees that reads (Home, sweet Home)" Anko actually told her their was such a sign and he did place it there a little over five years ago. "Well let's get introductions done. I am Anko Mitrarashi, I like to torture criminals and dango. I hate sexist creeps and Orochimaru. My dream is to become strong enough to kill Orochimaru and find a person to marry and form a family."
"My name is Hinata, I like my family and my plushy collection. I dislike discrimination and bullies, My dream is to marry a strong man, and to do away with the bird cage seal." She then looked at Sai, "My name is Sai, I like training and painting, I dislike anything that would harm Konoha. My dream is to become ANBU Commander."
Everyone waited for Naruto, and he did not say a thing, "Oy, Blondie sometime this century would be nice?" Naruto glared at her. "I didn't think I needed to introduce myself. Everyone pretty much knows who I am, or at least they think they do. But Fine, you want an introduction, you will get an introduction."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I don't think you care what I like, I don't have a year for you to finish your list on why you hate me. My dreams well you probably want to know so you can crush them to dust, so I will not tell you." Hinata and Sai had the unmistakable look of we only got his name. Anko went right next to him, and punched him hard on the top of his head. "Are you sure it's Uzumaki and not Hakate? Give me a proper introduction and stick your emotional garbage with the rest of your garbage."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like foxes, wolves, and training. I dislike most of the idiots that hate me for something I couldn't even help being. My dream is to find woman that can love me and form a happy? " Anko told him that she was, maybe she might even find a nice lady for him to woe and romance. "But how do you feel about dogs?" Naruto told her he was fine with them, even played with some when he was younger, but there was someone he knew hated dogs with a passion.
Anko nodded her head and understood what he was talking about. "Of course he does." Anko walked up to them, and sat down looking straight at them, "Well kids the test for my team is a little different than most. Mine is very simple, you see this forest? well you just have to survive for one week with nothing but the clothes on your back. If you can survive that, then you should have no problem with my training, so without further ado, had over all your weapons, scrolls, and other supplies."
Hinata of course wanted to know how would they survive without anything but their clothes. They needed shelter, food, water and something to use to defend themselves. Anko told her that everything they would ever need was in the forest, food, shelter, water, and even weapons if you knew how to get by. That was the point of the test, to see if they had the skills needed to survive.
"So we just have to camp out for a week? that's it? Anko I know you don't hear this often, but thank you, thank you so much, this week is going to be so much fun." Naruto was clearly the only one who was happy about their situation. "Don't mention it kid, I am glad you feel that way." Anko left them and so their week started.
"Well I don't know about you two, but I need something to eat, gather some water and get to my camp site before the night." Sai was the first to ask where was his camp site, Naruto told him the it us on a few tree branches that grew close together a few hundred feet off the ground. "I am no idiot, there is no way I am sleeping on the ground, and be easy prey to something that lives here."
"But Naruto what are we supposed to do? I can't walk up a tree. Sai I don't know if he can. So how are we going to survive for an entire week?" Naruto told Sai that there was a stream about 20 feet from their current location, they were going to need to find some large animals and use some of their skin to make water tight bags, He told Hinata to use her eyes and locate the animals he described. Naruto took a piece of rock and made some makeshift spears.
"But are we going to kill some poor animal?" Naruto told her that it was them or us. Sai took one of the spears and he and Naruto got ready to pounce. Ones the animal was near both Naruto and Sai jumped on it, managed to kill three pretty good size animals, Naruto's finger nails seemed to grow a bit longer and he used his sharp nails to cut the skin of the animals and made several pouches, one was for the meat, and the last three where for the water.
Hey each took a pouch and followed Naruto to the stream, and when Sai asked if they could eat the fish that were seeming, he only said that if he had a death wish, sure he could eat those fish. "What do you mean, Naruto?" He told Hinata the fish has a very strong poison as a natural defense. "This is one of the things Anko told us we could use as a weapon."
Naruto told them they would need to sleep on shifts and keep an eye on the two that were sleeping, at least till Hinata and Sai could do the tree walking exercise to reach his camp site. Beneath that camp site was a large opening almost as if the tree had made a cave with it's roots. So they started the tree walking exercise after Naruto got done explaining how to do it and showed them how.
It took Sai two days to reach the camp site up on the tree, and Hinata took 4 days. So the last three days were actually pretty fun. They got used to working together, and even sort of liked Naruto's cooking, The forest of death was a veritable haven of items, food and supplies if you knew where to look. As the last day arrived Hinata was pretty much over her shyness and what as cold and calculating as Naruto and Sai. Sai manages to open up a little with them, and managed to even tell a bad joke or two.
Naruto relaxed and was able to lower his guard a little bit. The entire experience had been a good way of building trust, and emotional bonding. There team work was a necessary if they wanted to survive. Anko finally showed up at the gates and called for them with a flare. The three jumped from branch to branch and reached her positions fast.
"So why do you think I had you do this?" Sai asked is it wasn't just a plain excuse to let them have some fun? Naruto could only laugh, "I guess I really am a bad influence on you Sai, I guess I really rubbed off on you." Hinata told her for teamwork and to learn the harsh truth about life as a ninja. "As expected that is the right answer. Nice going with the bags Naruto, and the tree walking exercise. I have to say that your nails growing out like that was a surprise." Naruto smiled at Anko, "A friend gave me a little help."
"So we got Hinata over her shyness and unwillingness to injure someone or something. We got you to learn some teamwork, and you managed to do that tree walking exercise pretty good. So I can say that we are now officially team 64. congratulations team, you pass."