Naruto rested his head against the desk while waiting for the Chunin that was supposed to announce the teams. He was bored and annoyed. Jiji left, Kyuubi was sleeping, the girls in his class were sending him death glares, Hinata was staring at him and he couldn't stand the smell of the mutt behind him. Seriously, what was taking the Chunin so long?!
Rolling his eyes, Naruto's mind wandered to the day before. He stole the Forbidden Scroll, learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, discovered something called Uzumaki Adamantine Chains, Iruka died- why was Kyuubi suddenly desperate to speak to him? Naruto sighed and followed the pull that led him to Kyuubi's chamber.
Once he was in his mindscape, Naruto followed the large, red pipes that were filled with Kyuubi's chakra. There were designs on the walls all around him and he could sense the hatred and malice that the Kyuubi produced, but he could also sense… fear? He walked through the doors that led to the gate that held Kyuubi and asked, "What's got you so scared, fuzzy?"
"I am not fuzzy!" the mighty Kyuubi no Youko roared at the small boy in front of him.
The Kyuubi was big, like really big. Taller than the Hokage Monument big, and the Monument was huge. However, Naruto didn't even flinch as the Kyuubi roared, bared its teeth and waved its tails around in a threatening manner. No, Naruto wasn't scared, because he knew the Kyuubi's weakness. So instead of cowering in fear before the mighty beast, Naruto smiled and said, "Poor Bunny-chan, sitting all alone in my apartment. I wonder if I should let it go…" The Kyuubi immediately quieted down.
"You wouldn't," Kyuubi hissed out in an angry whisper as he glared down at Naruto. Naruto simply gave a smirk and when Naruto smirks, even the great Kyuubi shudders in fear. The Kyuubi sighed and rested its head on its paws, "We need to talk."
Naruto could sense the seriousness in Kyuubi's tone and he furrowed his brows, "About what?"
Kyuubi's eyes narrowed and a feral snarl twisted his lips, "Uzumaki Adamantine Chains."
Naruto tried to hide his curiosity, but due to the way Kyuubi's snarl became more intense, he guessed he did a bad job of it. "What are the Uzumaki Adamantine Chains?" Naruto asked, "And why are you scared of them?"
The Kyuubi snarled, "I'm not scared of them, I simply know what they are capable of and -" Naruto opened his mouth to cut the Kyuubi off and the Kyuubi roared "Let me speak!" Naruto was genuinely frightened this time. Before, when the Kyuubi roared, it was over something trivial, but now he could sense the seriousness and distress in its voice. He quickly closed his mouth.
"The Uzumaki Adamantine Chains are a forbidden fuinjutsu: a sealing art. They are the unbreakable weapon, the ultimate defense and," the Kyuubi narrowed its eyes when it saw the curious look on Naruto's face, "an irreversible curse. They have a mind of their own and it takes countless lifetimes and an unyielding will to gain control of them. Once you have them, it is impossible to get rid of them. I have seen hundreds of Uzumakis fall to their power and, if you decide to pursue the strength of the Uzumaki Adamantine Chains, you will, without a doubt, end up just like those before you."
Naruto scowled and turned to walk away, but once he reached the exit of the chamber, the Kyuubi called out, "You will end up just like your Mother."
Naruto stopped and whispered, "You knew my Mother?" over his shoulder. The Kyuubi grinned, it was full of hate and disgust, but Naruto thought he saw fear in the Bijuu's eyes. "Yes, I knew your Mother, and she was the foulest and most rotten human being I have ever met." Naruto opened his mouth to question the Kyuubi, or maybe yell at him for disrespecting his Mother, but he felt a small piece of something hit his forehead and then the feeling of forcibly being pulled from his mindscape. As he left, he called out, "This conversation is not over!" The only thing he heard in response was the Kyuubi's deep, malicious laughs.
Groggily, Naruto opened his eyes and blinked at the light that assaulted them. He looked forward and saw Izumo and Kotetsu glaring at him while his classmates laughed at him. He sighed, realizing that his body must have fallen asleep while his consciousness was in his mindscape. He sat up and yawned loudly while he stretched, his eyes narrowing at the piece of chalk in front of him and the way Kotetsu's arm seemed to be slowly lowering from a throwing position. Plastering a grin on his face, Naruto looked up and asked, "What're you two doing here?"
Izumo snorted and said, "Reading team assignments," with an amused look on his face.
Naruto nodded and excitedly asked, "What team am I on, dattebayo?"
Izumo looked down at the clipboard in his hand and smirked at Naruto, "I was just getting to that." He cleared his throat and began to read the names on the list, "Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno -" he was cut off by Sakura's agonized wail and Ino's shout of "Haha, Forehead!" but he just cleared his throat again and continued, "and Sasuke Uchiha." Kotetsu had to hold in laughter at Sakura's gloating and Naruto's gobsmacked look. Sasuke just grunted and said nothing.
"Wait a second!" Naruto shouted while standing up, "Why does a totally awesome ninja like me have to be on a team with a loser like Sasuke?!"
Kotetsu and Izumo chuckled, but Izumo answered, "Well, I'm glad you asked Naruto. It's because you were the worst of your class and Sasuke was the best. It's to balance the teams out. Anyway, let me finish. Team 8: Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame. Team 9 is still in circulation. Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Your Senseis will be here soon, we won't be back. Have a nice day."
Naruto tried to be patient. During the first hour he waited, he sat quietly and rested his head. During the second hour, he started to tap his fingers in code and he hummed nonsense songs. However, during the third hour… "Where is this stupid Sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed as he paced around the room and tugged at his hair.
"Che, be quiet, Naruto," Sakura muttered while sneaking glances at Sasuke, "You're too loud."
Naruto huffed and continued to pace, mumbling threats aimed at the very late Sensei. He was still upset because of his conversation with the Kyuubi. How did the Kyuubi know his Mother and why did it say such cruel things about her? He talked to the Kyuubi for answers and left with more questions. Why was the Kyuubi scared of the Adamantine Chains and what did it mean by saying they were a curse? Naruto sighed, it was pointless to think of something he couldn't answer.
Naruto finally sat down, his anger calming itself. He rested his head on his hand and stared at his two "teammates". Sakura was attempting to gain Sasuke's attention and Sasuke was glaring ou the window. Naruto scoffed quietly, wondering what was so special about Sasuke. He didn't understand, why did everyone bow at his feet? He wasn't anything special. Sure, he was the "Last Uchiha" and was the Rookie of the Year, but he wasn't a prodigy and was only at the top of the class because people like Shikamaru didn't try. Sakura might be the Top Kunoichi, but that was only in book smarts. She wasn't particularly strong and acted like a fangirl almost all of the time.
But, if Naruto was honest with himself, he wasn't all that strong either. He was the dead last of his class and he wasn't very smart. He failed almost every test there was and still couldn't make a basic clone. It was an upsetting and humbling thought; he wasn't perfect. Of course, he knew that already, but he always ignored the facts and claimed to be the best. Sighing once again, Naruto promised himself to be less judgemental, to become stronger and to help his teammates become stronger as well.
"- Wake up, idiot!" was all he heard before he was pulled from his thoughts by a fist crashing into his head, "Sensei's here." Naruto blinked and stared at Sakura from his place on the floor before the words registered. Enthusiastically jumping up, Naruto looked at his new Sensei and all of his excitement faded away as he made eye contact with the one and only Kakashi Hatake.
His eyebrow twitched and he thought, Old Man, how dare you make this perverted jerk my Sensei!
In the Hokage Tower, Hizuren Sarutobi suddenly felt a feeling of dread.