Disclaimer: Hey, everyone! I don't own Naruto! Oh, don't feel bad though, since you probably don't either...unless you're Masashi Kishimoto...and if you are...well, then I feel honored that you're looking at this. Ahem, anyway, on with chapter three!

Glowing Embers in the Wind


Chapter Three: The Reason

"Hokage-sama, we have to find him, and we have to find him now! He's gone too far this time!" spoke a random Chunin amongst a group of shinobi that had been summoned before the Hokage during the middle of the night. A general murmer of agreement was made, and the old man sighed.

"Enough. Find Naruto, and make sure that you bring him back here safely. I'm sure there's more to this than we're aware of." Sarutobi spoke, and then he gave them the signal to leave. In a burst of wind and leaves, the group of shinobi were gone.

The Third Hokage pinched the bridge of his nose, and looked up to the Hokage Monument behind him. He looked at the fourth face on the far right, and sighed, "Minato...what I wouldn't do to have you here with him sometimes..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto bounded through the trees, and landed in a small clearing next to a shack. He had done it, he had successfully retrieved the Scroll of Sealing from the Old Man's place, and now he only had to learn a simple jutsu from the scroll and then he would be able to become a Genin. He grinned, and plopped onto the grass while unraveling the scroll.

"Now...let's see...hmmm, Shiki Fuujin...ew...corpse spirit sealing? Now way...hm...hey, what's this?" Naruto looked closely at the scroll, and groaned, "Aw, man, another clone technique...wait...Shadow Clone?" Naruto studied it, and shrugged, "Why not?" Naruto stood up, and cracked his knuckles, "Time to learn a new jutsu! Man, Itachi and Sasuke will be blown away when they see this!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Iruka had been searching for almost an hour when he suddenly saw a flash of orange. He smirked, that blue jacket was great overall, but Iruka had keen vision ideal for shinobi, so it wasn't hard to pick out the streaks of orange on the otherwise dark jacket.

He hopped closer to the clearing, and landed quietly. Naruto seemed unaware of his presence, and he walked up to face Naruto while the boy was still breathing heavily, his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath.

"So...this is where you were..." Iruka said, and Naruto looked up and jumped a bit.

"There you are, Iruka-sensei! I was wondering when I'd run into you!" Naruto grinned, and Iruka took a closer look to see he had indeed been training. What could tire out a bundle of raw energy like Naruto so easily though? A thin layer of sweat was visible on the boy's face, and his hair was matted against his forehead. He was chuckling though, so he must be pleased about something.

"Naruto, why did you steal the Hokage's Scroll of Sealing? That scroll contains some very powerful and forbiddden techniques." Iruka forced a frown on his face, and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Forbidden? But...Mizuki-sensei said that if I get this scroll, learn a technique from it, and come to this spot, then I could graduate and become a Genin!" Naruto replied in confusion.

"Wait...Mizuki said that?" Iruka suddenly heard the sound of projectiles cutting through the air. He quickly pushed Naruto away, and then put his arms up as he was pinned to the wall of the shack by a couple shuriken.

"Well, well...Iruka, I'm surprised to see you here. Thanks for helping me find the brat..." Mizuki appeared from the darkness, a large shuriken that dwarfed the ones thrown earlier in his hands, "Naruto, give me that scroll, now!"

Iruka turned to Naruto as he yanked a shuriken from his thigh, "No, Naruto, don't listen to him! He's trying to steal that scroll from Konoha!"

Mizuki laughed, "Oh, you're a fast one, Iruka, I'll give you that!" Mizuki grinned menacingly, and pointed to Naruto, "Naruto, Iruka's trying to keep you from passing! That's why he wouldn't let you pass! Haven't you ever wondered why he never offered extra help? Why he always yelled at you?"

Naruto gave Mizuki a concerned look, then turned to Iruka briefly, then back to the white haired Academy teacher, "What do you mean?"

Mizuki laughed, "Oh, that's right...you never were told about your secret..."

Iruka went wide-eyed, "Mizuki, no!! That information is forbidden by the Third Hokage!"

Naruto looked to Iruka, "What information?"

"Naruto, don't listen to Mizuki! Give me the scroll and we'll take Mizuki to the Hokage so he can be dealt with." Iruka drew a kunai, and gritted his teeth as his legs throbbed in pain. He blocked off the sharp pain, and drew a breath, "Mizuki, stop this! Why are you doing this?"

Mizuki laughed yet again, "You wouldn't even be able to understand the very beginning of my reasons, Iruka!" Mizuki smirked, "Naruto...have you ever wondered why you were always left alone when you were younger? Why everyone still glares at you, even though you're a part of a family now? Why no one ever helped you in the Academy and let you struggle back when you first started out?" he grinned as Naruto seemed to be taking a step back. Iruka was yelling for him to stop, but it was too late, "The reason why, Naruto, is because of what happened twelve years ago! The Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha twelve years ago, and the Yondaime Hokage died supposedly defeating the fox. However the truth is that the Demon Fox was too powerful to be killed, so the Yondaime died sealing the fox inside the body of a infant born on the tenth night of October, the same night the Kyuubi attacked!"

Naruto was paralyzed with shock, already piecing together what Mizuki was saying, "You...mean?"

Mizuki began to spin the shuriken around on his back, "Yes, Naruto! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox! The incarnation of the Kyuubi itself!" he laughed maniacally, and he grinned, "Now then, die, Demon!"

Naruto was frozen stiff and watched as the massive shuriken went flying at him. He almost felt like just letting it hit as he processed the information. Time seemed to slow down. He balled his fists, waiting for his death...

Splurch!

The sound of metal hitting flesh was heard. Naruto opened his eyes, expecting to see the shuriken imbedded in his chest...instead, he saw a face of a teary-eyed Iruka looking down at him, "Naruto...I'm sorry...I really should've paid more attention to you..."

Naruto looked to see that Iruka had blocked the shuriken's path, taking it in the back, narrowly missing his spinal cord, "Iruka-sensei...why?"

He laughed, "I guess...you reminded me of myself when I was younger...I had no family after the Kyuubi attacked..." Naruto looked away, "I was angry at first...but I realized you're not to blame..."

Naruto looked up at him in disbelief, "Wha-what?"

Iruka shed a few more tears, feeling the years of bottled up grief and guilt hitting him, "It must have been tough...living alone for almost eight years...I'm sorry, Naruto...maybe if I had been a better teacher, then maybe I could have helped you sooner. I wish that the village could have seen through the thing inside of you, and realized that you're just another boy striving to be a ninja..."

Mizuki clapped, "That's beautiful, Iruka, if not a bit morbid as well." Mizuki pulled out a second shuriken, "I'll deal with you first, then I'll take care of the demon brat!"

Iruka yanked out the shuriken in his back, and tossed it to the side, "Naruto...I'm sorry this had to happen...but I need you to help me..."

Naruto nodded, and made his hands into a seal he hadn't used before, "I can handle him!" Naruto began to gather chakra, "I'll show you my newest technique, jerk, and beat you to a pulp with it!"

Mizuki snorted, "Please, you're not even a ninja! What could you possibly do with the amount of experience you have?"

Naruto grinned, "Just watch! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The sound of a couple hundred puffs of smoke was made, and Mizuki was soon looking at an entire army of Naruto Clones...real ones...not illusions. He went bug-eyed, "Wha?"

A few of the clones grinned, "Well, aren't you going to attack?" After a few seconds of no reply, one of them laughed, "Looks like we'll be making the first move!"

The sounds of screaming were heard as Mizuki was dealt the beating of his life.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Itachi had been running through the woods in search of his adopted younger brother when he heard a scream of pain. He headed towards the direction, and within a few seconds was looking down upon a clearing filled with Shadow Clones of Naruto. In the midst of the fray was Iruka leaning against a tree with the scroll of sealing, and Mizuki, unconcious and bruised beyond easy recognition.

Itachi watched as Iruka called Naruto over to him, and congratulated him for putting up such a good fight and not handing over the scroll. It seems that Mizuki was behind this.

Naruto was then told to close his eyes, and Itachi let a small smile cross his face as Iruka untied his hitai-ite and placed around Naruto's head. He decided to make his presence known, and jumped down from the trees, "Iruka, I see you found Naruto."

Iruka and Naruto both looked up, and Iruka nodded as he slowly got up, "Yes...it seems there was more behind this than we thought. Naruto had been tricked into stealing the Scroll of Sealing by Mizuki...but in the end, everything was taken care of. Naruto stopped Mizuki, and proved his ability as a ninja."

Naruto beamed with pride, "Itachi, look! I'm a Genin now!"

Itachi nodded, "Well done, Naruto. Still, there are some things that need to be taken care of. Kaa-san is worried sick about you, and when Sakura found out about you going missing she started panicking. We need to meet with the Hokage and explain all of this."

Naruto nodded, and with Iruka and Itachi picking up an unconcious Mizuki, the trio left to speak with the Third. Little did they know that a certain old man had just put away a crystal ball and was currently smoking contentedly on a pipe. Naruto was definitely a boy of many surprises.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto sat quietly in his room as the sun began to peek over the horizon. He had just got home with Itachi after explaining to the Third of what happened. Sarutobi told Naruto that he was proud of Naruto for doing the right thing in the end, and Iruka promised to treat Naruto to Ichiraku ramen sometime in the future.

Naruto wasn't happy right now however. He looked in a mirror, and frowned as he looked at the whisker marks on his cheeks. He frowned and looked out the window. It all made sense now...the glareds...the cold looks he received...he gritted his teeth, and banged his fists against a pillow. Why? Why him?

A knock at his door got his attention, and he looked to see a smiling face of his mother, and he looked away. Mikoto frowned sadly; Itachi had informed her that he found out about him being a Jinchuuriki, "Naruto, honey, look at me."

Naruto shook his head, and tears began to form in his eyes, "Why did you take me in if you knew what I was?"

Mikoto said nothing for a moment, and instead wrapped her arms around her blonde-haired boy, "Naruto...if you think that you are the Kyuubi, even for a second, stop it right now. You're not a demon, you're a boy. A boy with a family that loves him, and cares for him deeply."

"I'm not just a boy...I'm a Jinchuuriki...a demon vessel..." Naruto looked up into the black, peaceful eyes of his mother, and he looked away, "How many Uchiha members died on that night...?"

Mikoto sighed, "I'm not too sure...half of the clan maybe...but that doesn't matter. You're not responsible for what happened."

Naruto let the tears finally fall, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..." Mikoto replied.

Naruto swallowed tightly, "Mom? How long did you know of the-?"

"Ever since you were born." she replied, and he nodded.

"What about Itachi?" Naruto asked.

She continued to hold him, "Probably since he became a Chunin...the Hokage informed him the day he started watching over you during the late afternoon times."

Naruto let go, "I'm going to tell Sasuke tomorrow..."

Mikoto put her arms on either of his shoulders, "Itachi and I will be there with you, allright? Is there anyone else you want to tell?"

Naruto thought about Sakura and Ino for a moment, then Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji, "Not right now..."

Mikoto nodded, "Kakashi also knows too, if it makes you feel any better. He still cares about you all the same too."

Naruto gave her a smile, a bit strained, but it was there, "Okay..." he paused for a moment, "It's going to take some time for me to get used to this...but..." he hugged his mother a final time, "...thanks, Mom."

She rubbed his back, and kissed his forehead, "There's no need to thank me; you're my son, and I'll love you no matter what happens."

Naruto was soon fast asleep in his mother's arms, and she quietly tucked him in and set his alarm so that he could wake up tomorrow morning in time to head out with Sasuke to have his team assigned to him.

As Mikoto closed Naruto door, she was greeted by her eldest son, "Is he going to be allright?"

Mikoto nodded, realizing Itachi was having a rare moment of concern for one of his younger brothers show, "He's had a long night...but I know that he'll get through this in the end. He wants to tell Sasuke about it tomorrow."

Itachi nodded, "I'll try and get some time off tomorrow then, and I'll be sure to get Kakashi over as well. He's practically an uncle to the boys."

Mikoto laughed, "He's also a perverted man at times, and I don't approve of his choice of reading."

Itachi shrugged, "Well, if things go my way, he won't be reading any Icha Icha for a month..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto woke up to the sound of his alarm, and groaned as he blinked out the sleep in his eyes. He then remembered that today he would be assigned his team, and he jumped out of bed, quickly throwing on his clothes. He was about to run out of his room, when he noticed a flash of metal , and saw his forehead protector on his dresser. He laughed, and quickly tied it on. He then bounded down the steps, and was greeted by the smell of eggs; Itachi was cooking breakfast today!

"Morning, Naruto." Sasuke said with a wave. He found out about Naruto's little event last night, minus a few important details, but the thing that mattered the most to him was that he was now a Genin as well.

"Hey, Sasuke." Naruto then turned to the young man in front of the stove top, and grinned, "Itachi, you got a day off or something?"

Itachi nodded, "I figured I deserve a day off, and my team doesn't find anything wrong with that either." he handed Naruto a plate of eggs and two slices of toast with an apple, "I expect that apple gone, too. Kaa-san's been on your case about eating fruits and vegetables for over two years. Now that you're a Genin, you better start eating healthier."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Itachi, then dug into his plate. Sasuke was quietly sipping some tea, having already finished breakfast. As Naruto finished his meal, he sighed with satisfaction, "Thanks, Itachi. I'll see you later!"

Sasuke headed out the door in front of Naruto, and just before the blonde exited the house, Itachi called to him, "Naruto."

Naruto turned to see Itachi standing behind him, "I'll be here when you want to talk to Sasuke later on today about that certain topic...okay?"

Naruto gave a weak smile, "Thanks...Itachi."

Itachi nodded, "Go on now, before Sasuke gets ahead of you to try and steal Sakura from you."

Naruto growled at the obvious teasing from his older brother, "Shut up! She's not my girlfriend!"

Itachi raised an eybrow, "Did I ever say she was?"

Naruto yelled in frustration, and bounded off to catch up with Sasuke.

Sakura was surprised to see both Sasuke and Naruto standing outside when Ino and her walked out the door of the flower shop. Ino laughed at how Naruto's headband was too loose for him, and then asked how he got to be a Genin. Sasuke was the one to reply, saying that some things were taken into consideration, and he passed. Naruto nodded, thankful his brother was a genius sometimes.

Ino shrugged, and the four began to head to the Academy. Sakura walked over to Naruto, and smiled, "Naruto, who do you think our teammates will be?"

Naruto rubbed his chin, "I don't know. Truthfully I don't mind, but I think I may have a problem with Kiba. He can be a real jerk sometimes, but I guess that I wouldn't mind still..." he lowered his voice a bit, "I don't know if Ino and I should be on the same team though...she can be real scary when she's angry...as nice as she is."

Sakura giggled, and Ino sneezed. Sasuke turned to the two, and rolled his eyes. Why wouldn't his brother just ask her out, already? The only thing that could possibly be more annoying than being around them and their weird behavior was if they were on the same team as him...well, at least they would know each other.

They arrived about ten minutes early, and they all took seats next to each other. Iruka walked in shortly after, and grinned to his students, "Well, I'm both happy and disappointed that this may be the last time I'll ever see you in a chair before me. However, you're all Genin now, and as such, shinobi of Konoha. Always remember what that means to you, and keep it with you, for a shinobi of the Leaf carries the Will of Fire, and that is what gives us strength. I hope that all of you become fine shinobi in your own way, and I'm sure that I'll be hearing about your accomplishments in the future..." he paused for a moment before taking a look at his clipboard, "Now then, I will call out your names, and designate which teams you will all be on."

Naruto was hardly listening for awhile, still pondering on what he would be doing later tonight when he got home. His mom and Itachi would be there to help him...but he was worried about what Sasuke would think. Would Sasuke hate him? Would he be afraid of him? He didn't know. Sasuke would most likely not even give a visible clue as to what he felt; Sasuke was sometimes as hard to read as Itachi. Only years with the Uchiha family had given him the rare gift of being able to read beyond the blank and indifferent expressions of Itachi and sometimes Sasuke. It was almost a trade secret, since aside from a few other shinobi such as Sarutobi and Kakashi, almost no one could understand the Uchiha brothers.

Naruto suddenly perked up when he heard his name, "Team Seven will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno," a whistle from Kiba was heard, followed by a death threat from Naruto, and Iruka telling the two to pipe down, "and Sasuke Uchiha. Allright, everyone, you'll only have to wait here, and your Jounin-sensei will be here to meet up with you."

Naruto looked over to Sasuke, who smirked a bit, "Well, looks like we lucked out, eh, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged, "It will be easier working with you, I guess. You're probably one of the best when it comes to stealth in this class. I wonder who we're getting for sensei though..."

Sakura smiled a bit, looking to Naruto. Though she was quiet on the outside, her inner self was doing cartwheels and dancing like no tomorrow. She was on a team with Naruto! She couldn't have asked for anything better. Not only that, but Sasuke was part of their team too! Two of friends were on a team with her. A small part of her was disappointed that Ino and here were separated, but Sakura knew she'd still see her.

First to arrive was a woman with red pupils and black hair. She was a rather beautiful woman, and she seemed to give of an aura of mystery, wisdom, and deadliness typical of Jounin kunoichi. Kurenai Yuuhi smiled as she caught sight of Hinata Hyuuga among the students. She was interested in teaching her in particular, seeing as she had heard a bit of Hinata's background and the fact that she was the supposed heir to the Hyuuga clan...thought that was a shaky topic these days, "Will Team Eight please follow me?"

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata all got up and quietly followed her out of the classroom (Naruto would have thrown a punch to Kiba's face, but Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket beforehand). Shortly afterwards, a man with a rather dark, yet very well trimmed beard came into the room. The faint smell of smoke hung on him, and he wore a grin on his face that spoke millions of things about his character, "I'm Asuma Sarutobi, the sensei of Team Ten. Follow me, I'll be taking you guys out for some lunch."

Shikamaru groaned from the back, and Chouji got up rather quickly upon hearing about the offer of food. Ino walked passed Sakura, and waved goodbye to her as she followed her two oddball teammates. Though she seemed to be a bit annoyed, a faint smile hung on her lips that Sakura noticed. It seemed Ino wasn't too disappointed with the choice of teams.

Slowly, the other kids filed out with their respective Jounin. Eventually it was just Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. They had been waiting for almost two hours now.

"Hey, Sasuke...your turn." Naruto spoke as he pointed to a picture of half of a man hanging from a gallow. The three had decided to pass the time with a game of hangman on the chalkboard, and currently Sasuke's turn.

The door opened suddenly, and Naruto laughed as a cloud of chalk dust exploded in the face of a masked shinobi. Naruto continued laughing until he suddenly paled upon realizing who it was, "Kakashi?? You're our sensei?!"

Kakashi Hatake sighed, already a bit miffed at the whole predicament he had been thrown into. He was happy to have two talented students, because he knew that Naruto and Sasuke were both really good. He knew a little about Sakura from Naruto, and meet her once or twice, but most of his information came from Iruka. She was book smart, and had a very sharp mind. He had indeed been given a rare gem of a team.

However...he wasn't thrilled at the fact that he'd be the one to fail them instead of being the one to teach them. He had yet to ever pass a single Genin team, and until he did, he would never, ever, enjoy being a Jounin-sensei.

"Yeah, the Hokage decided to punish me for being late to a few meetings of ANBU years ago by making me your teacher. Oh, by the way, Naruto, I'll be stopping by later, okay?" Kakashi replied, and Naruto gave a nod, catching on to the hidden meaning. Looks like he wanted to be there to help Naruto as well.

Naruto frowned, "What's that supposed to mean? If I had known you would be our sensei, I would have just went to get something to eat and take a nap before you got here. What a waste of good chalk dust."

Kakashi shook his head, mumbling something about pranksters, "Okay you three, meet me up on the roof. We'll get to reintroduce ourselves and such." With that said, Kakashi dissapeared in a swirl of smoke.

Sasuke sighed, "Great, Captain Tardy is our sensei...we'll never get anything done with him."

Sakura shrugged, "He's not that bad, Sasuke. Besides, he's already taught you and Naruto a few things, and your brother used to work with him didn't he?"

Sasuke nodded, "Itachi says he was one of the worst ANBU in regards to punctuality...but he had the fewest amount of failed missions next to Itachi."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, not to mention he's the only other guy that has the Sharingan right now besides Itachi. Once you get yours awakened, Sasuke, I'm sure you'll get training from him and Itachi."

The trio of Genin eventually reached the roof, and looked to see Kakashi leaning on a railing while reading Icha Icha. Naruto pointed to him, "You're still reading that?!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he pocketed his book, and smiled behind his mask, "Naruto, reading shouldn't be considered a bad thing."

Naruto decided to hold back a retort, and sat down next to Sakura. Kakashi, along with a few others, was aware of the awkward feelings of friendship between the two. He was actually notorious for giving Naruto a hard time about it, but not to the same extent as Kiba was, "Okay then, let's start off by introducing yourself. Sakura, you first."

Sakura gave an awkward grin, "Kakashi...do we really-?"

"First off, it's Kakashi-sensei, and secondly, yes, I think it's an important part of becoming a team. So, go on." Kakashi interrupted, and waved his hand for her to continue, "Just tell us about your name, likes, dislikes, dreams...that sort of stuff."

Sakura nodded, "Okay, well, as you all know, I'm Sakura Haruno. My likes include Umeboshi, reading, and being with my friends..." Kakashi noted that she blushed a little while giving a quick glance to Naruto, "My dislikes include people who bully others, superficial idiots, and spicy foods...my dreams...um...well, I want to be able to help others as best as I can by being a great kunoichi..." again she gave Naruto a quick glance, which he missed. Kakashi was only glad that she wasn't one of those raving fangirls that Sasuke and Naruto had to deal with on a daily basis when they left for the Academy and after lessons were done.

Kakashi nodded, "Very well, you're next blondie."

"I have a name you know.."

"Well, then let's pretend I don't know that."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kakashi, but eventually settled down, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, though I was taken in by the Uchiha clan when I was younger. My likes include my mom and brothers, my friends, ramen, and training! Let's see...dislikes...hm...I guess I don't like jerks...but then again who does? Oh, I dislike people who cruel for no reason too. Let's see, my dream is to be Hokage!"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, 'If only you knew how right that sounds coming from you in particular, Naruto.'

"Very well, you're up next Sasuke."

Sasuke cracked open his eyes. He wasn't sleeping, he had indeed caught everything that had been said, but he liked to concentrate more on things by closing his eyes to listen better, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I like a few things, namely my family and training, and my few friends. My dislikes include people who are ignorant, and those who are abuse their power. My dream is to help bring honor back to the Uchiha name with my brother, and become one of the greatest Uchiha in history." he smirked, then added, "and make sure Naruto gets the position of Hokage so I can have him give me good missions in the future."

Naruto grinned, while yelling, "You won't be waiting long!" and Sasuke gave a small smile. Sakura rolled her eyes at the two, but a smile was clearly on her face. This team may just be the one he had been waiting for. Then again, if that was the case, he better read all that he can of Icha Icha before it was too late.

Kakashi was definitely pleased with what he had heard. Everyone of them seemed to have a somewhat similar goal in mind as to what they want to do; be the best that they can be. He smiled, and decided to drop the bomb on their good mood, "Well, now that that's taken care of, I'll tell you about the myself. I'm Hatake Kakashi, and my likes and hobbies are none of your business." the words 'Icha Icha were mumbled by a certain blonde, "I heard that. Let's see...dislikes, hm, I have a few, nothing important I guess. My dreams...never gave them much thought."

The three Genin merely groaned, that was expected from the Jounin; learn just his name and that was it. Truth was, they already knew him to a certain degree, "Right, now, let's talk about the test."

The expressions he received made him chuckle on the inside, "T-test?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yep. This one is a pass or fail, with chances of failing being over sixty-six percent. Screw it up, and you go back to the Academy for another year." Kakashi said, his voice still bored and indifferent, even though in reality he was very interested in how this would turn out.

"Kakashi-sensei...what about the test we took back in the Academy?" Sakura asked, and the two boys gave nods showing their thoughts being similar.

"Oh, that test was to see who even had the potential to be a Genin to begin with. We don't need to bother with those that don't show any signs of being ready yet." the silver haired Jounin replied with a shrug, and he handed the three papers with some notes, "I suggest you look this over; these papers are review on what you three should already know." Kakashi stood up, "Anyway, Naruto, Sasuke, I'll see you two later today. Sakura, take care." he was about to dissapear when he spoke once more, "Oh yeah...I recommend that you skip breakfast tomorrow...unless you don't mind throwing up later from the test."

As the three kids walked home, Naruto looked from Sakura to his brother, "You don't think he meant that...do you?"

Sasuke gave a shrug, "You can never be too sure with him...he's a sarcastic jerk one minute, a jolly Jounin another, then dead serious the next."

Sakura sighed, "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow morning I guess."

"Later, Sakura." nodded Sasuke.

Naruto grinned, "Okay, Sakura-chan. I'll see you tomorrow! Make sure to eat a big dinner tonight since we can't have breakfast tomorrow."

Sakura rolled her eyes while smiling, "Right, right. I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto." she gave him a hug, and then waved goodbye to Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto watched her go with a small grin on his face, "Man...you've got it bad..."

"Shut it, Sasuke!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After dinner that night, Naruto sat quietly at the table, and he felt Itachi's eyes on him as well as Mikoto's. He nodded, but then gave them a sad grin, "Kakashi-sensei's stopping by too."

Mikoto nodded, giving him an understanding smile, "He'll be here when he gets here. What matters is that you do this the way most comfortable to you."

Naruto looked to see Sasuke looking up at him, "What are you talking about, Kaa-san?"

Mikoto looked at Naruto, then back to Sasuke, "Sasuke, Naruto has something very important to tell you...something that he found out recently..."

Sasuke nodded, and saw Itachi get up, "I think it would be best if we discussed this matter in the living room." There were murmurs of agreement, and the four headed into the said room.

Naruto shifted in place uncomfortably, and noticed Sasuke giving him a worried glance, "Naruto...what's the matter?"

Naruto looked at his brother...one of his best friends...and he felt his chest tighten, "Um...Sasuke...you know about the Kyuubi, right?" He could see the gears already turning in the younger Uchiha's head, and saw him nod, "Well...the Fourth Hokage...didn't die defeating the Kyuubi, it was too strong...he had to take care of it a different way."

Sasuke looked at his older brother and mother, and they both nodded, so he continued to listen to Naruto, "Well, on that night, the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi away...inside a newborn kid so the chakra coils could adjust to the demon fox's chakra. You do know what night that was...right?"

Sasuke's eyes widened, "October tenth..." he shook his head, "...but...you were born that night...and...that was twelve...years..." he got up, "No...you're lying!!"

"Sasuke, please, don't get upset at Naruto, listen to him!" Mikoto said worriedly. Naruto was already looking down in shame.

"He can't be the Kyuubi! He's not a demon!!" Sasuke looked at his brother, and Itachi nodded, "No!! I don't believe it!!" he ran up stairs, and the sound of his door slamming was heard. Naruto's knuckles were white as he gripped his pants tightly while kneeling on the floor.

"He hates me..." Naruto said, and he tried to hold back tears, "I always wondered...why do they hate me? I guess this reason is good enough for the way I was treated..."

Mikoto drew her adopted son in close, "Naruto, he doesn't hate you. He's just upset...this is a lot for him to take in too..."

Itachi got up, and Mikoto looked at her eldest son in the eyes, "I'm going to go talk with Sasuke."

"Itachi..."

"Don't worry, Kaa-san. I know how to deal with Sasuke when he's like this." Itachi replied quietly, and he kneeled down to put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto...you're not the Kyuubi...don't think that, even for a second."

Naruto nodded as Itachi got up and went up the stairs. Mikoto heard a knock at the door, and slowly got up to answer it. She opened the door to find a silver haired Jounin, "Yo."

She sighed, and Kakashi got the message, "Bad timing?" She merely nodded, "Mind if I talk with Naruto?" She gave another nod.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sasuke sat in his room, staring bitterly outside from his window. He didn't even move as he heard his door open, "Sasuke...that was uncalled for..."

Sasuke said nothing.

Itachi walked over to his brother, and sat next to him, "Naruto's upset about what you did...and I really think you should apologize. It would be wise..."

"Is that reason why he is hated by some of the villagers?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "Yes...you noticed how people look at him too?"

Sasuke nodded, sighing, "Yeah, it's hard not to. Naruto just seems to brush it off though..."

Itachi looked at Sasuke, and frowned a bit, "Naruto is not the Kyuubi. He merely holds it inside of him. In a way, he's constantly protecting us."

Sasuke nodded, "I just...I hate how idiotic some people are...I mean...yeah, he holds the Kyuubi in him...but he's not the demon fox..."

Itachi nodded, "Perhaps you should go down and talk to him. Naruto just learned of this awhile ago, so he's not entirely comfortable with this knowledge yet."

Sasuke nodded, and followed his brother downstairs to see Naruto...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kakashi was sitting on the patio outside of the Uchiha household that looked out to the garden, "Naruto...you want to talk?"

Naruto was sitting with his back to the wall, and he nodded, "Kakashi...is it right to not be mad at the villagers for hating me?"

Kakashi sighed; Naruto asked a question that was deep, "Naruto...that alone shows that you're mature beyond your years." Kakashi gave him a smile, "Listen...not everyone hates you..."

"Yeah...well that's because most of the friends I have don't know of the Kyuubi. What if Sak-" he stopped himself, but Kakashi already knew what he had planned on saying.

"Naruto...though I don't know her as well as you or Sasuke...she seems like a very bright and caring girl. If she's a real friend...I don't think that she would hate you for it."

Naruto nodded, "I guess you're right."

Kakashi ruffled his hair, "You better get some sleep, otherwise you'll be falling asleep at the test tomorrow..."

"Heh...I could sleep in and have a long hot shower, and I'd still be waiting an hour for you." Naruto retorted. Kakashi simply shrugged.

"My point is, Naruto, no matter what anyone says, you are not a demon, and you have people who care about you. Even Itachi does...though he doesn't say it."

Naruto nodded, and then a voice interrupted the two, "Naruto..."

Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing at the door, looking down at the ground, "I want to talk...about what happened earlier...I'm sorry..."

Naruto noticed Sasuke was giving his rare honest-to-good guilty frown, "It's okay, Sasuke. I forgive you."

Sasuke sighed, "I still want to talk about it."

Kakashi got up, "Well, maybe your mother has some food left over. I really didn't eat anything yet for dinner today..." he got up, silently cuing Sasuke to take a seat and talk to Naruto.

The two were quiet for awhile, then Naruto spoke, "So...are you more afraid, or just surprised by this?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Surprised, I guess. I mean, yeah, the Kyuubi is in you...but I don't think that I should have reason to be scared of you. Besides, I've known you since we started at the academy, and you never did anything horrible like the Kyuubi was said to be able to do in the stories..."

Naruto nodded, and lifted his shirt, "The Old Man told me that this seal on my stomach is what holds the Kyuubi in place. See?" Naruto channeled chakra into his stomach, and a black swirl with markings appeared, "It was done by the Yondaime Hokage...and it alone holds the Demon Fox in me. If it ever got out...well, we'd be in trouble."

Sasuke nodded, "So...are you going to tell anyone else?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not for now...I'm still not sure if I want to...but I at least think my family deserves to know." Naruto grinned, "Even if you are a jerk sometimes, you're still my brother, and that's what matters most."

Sasuke snorted, "Yeah, well, I'd rather be a jerk than an idiot." the smirk on his face made Naruto laugh; there was the Sasuke Naruto knew.

The two sat in quiet for awhile, looking at the night sky. Time seemed to crawl as the stars began to appear. That's when Naruto asked Sasuke, "Hey...Sasuke, after we pass the test, we'll be on missions...and leaving the village too."

Sasuke nodded, and continued to remain quiet. He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps, and the two turned to see Kakashi behind them, "Well, I'm off. I'd recommend getting some sleep; tomorrow's you two and Sakura take the test."

"Yeah, well you just wait. We'll pass with flying colors tomorrow!" Naruto shot back, grinning while Sasuke gave a small smirk to Kakashi. The Jounin said nothing, but smiled behind his face mask.

"Well, save the big talk for tomorrow, Naruto." he gave a wave to the two boys, "I'll see you later." with that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Naruto sat awake in his room that night, looking out the window of his room. He saw the Hokage Monument from here, and a small smile crept on his face as he looked at the Fourth Hokage's stone carved face, "I guess I have some sort of connection to you after all." He smiled as he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The following morning Sasuke sat in the kitchen as Naruto walked down the stairs from his room. He noticed Sasuke eating an apple and drinking some juice, and he raised an eyebrow, "Sasuke...Kakashi said we shouldn't eat breakfast."

"Heh...well, I'm still eating. I can't function right if I don't eat something for breakfast." he bit into the apple and picked one out of a basket on the table. He tossed it to Naruto, "Eat something. I know how you get if you don't eat."

Naruto took the apple and begrudgingly bit into it. He chewed, and sighed, "I better bring something for Sakura-chan too. She and Ino are always trying to diet, which I still don't get. She probably hardly ate anything last night if I know her...I'm going to have to talk with her about that later..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Idiot, you seriously have a problem..."

Naruto took a ferocious bite out of his apple while staring at Sasuke, "If you weren't my brother...I'd-"

"We better get going, otherwise Sakura's going to ream us out for being late." Sasuke said, basically ignoring Naruto's interrupted threat. Naruto grumbled, picked out a few plums and put them in a bag while stomping outside to join Sasuke over to training ground seven.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura sat quietly on a post while waiting for her team to arrive. That's when she saw a flash of blonde hair followed by Sasuke coming her way. She smiled and jumped off her seat while waving to Naruto and Sasuke, "Hey, you're here!"

Naruto grinned wide, and held a bag in front of him. Sakura looked at him, and he spoke, "It's your breakfast. I got you two plums, I know how much you like them."

Sakura was about to speak, but Sasuke interrupted, "It's not much, but we need something in our stomachs; it common sense."

Sakura sighed, "You didn't need to get me anything, you guys." she took a plum and happily bit into it, letting the juicy fruit leak into her mouth. After chewing it down and swallowing, she let out a satisfied, "Ahhh."

Naruto smiled, "Heh, I knew you'd like them."

"Thanks, Naruto." she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he began stuttering a 'your welcome' as she bit into her plum again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Where is he?! It's almost ten o' clock!!" Sakura growled out as she sat under a tree, trying to avoid the sun, "It's been two hours since he was supposed to arrive!"

Naruto and Sasuke would have told her that this was expected, but the inclined not to. As wonderful of a girl that she was, Sakura tended to get a little edgy when she was kept waiting too long for someone.

The sound of a puff of smoke got the three kids' attention, "Yo."

Sakura jumped up and looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, you're late!"

"Ah...sorry, I was walking down the street when a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way to reverse the bad luck..."

Naruto grinned as Sasuke placed a few ryo notes in Naruto hands, "You win...I thought he was going to make an excuse about helping someone."

Naruto chuckled, "Nah, I knew he would use an odd one today."

Sakura gave the two boys an annoyed look, "You knew he was going to be late?"

Naruto raised his hands nervously in defense, "Heheh, easy, Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei is usually late for anything. Sasuke and I never know how long though. Sometimes it fifteen minutes, other times it's five hours..."

Kakashi laughed nervously, then straightened himself out, "Right...now then, I suppose we should get this test started," he dug into his pockets and produced to small bells, "The purpose of this test is to see if you can beat me and steal one of these bells from me, however, I'll be fighting as well. Think of it as a sort of survival test. You have until noon to get them from me. Whoever doesn't get a bell will fail this test, and be sent back to the academy for another year."

Sakura spoke, "But...Kakashi-sensei...there's three of us...and only two bells."

Kakashi smiled, "Ah, very observant, Sakura." he then gave them a dead serious look, "Now, as she pointed out, there are only two bells, but three of you. That means that one of you will be failing this before the day is over. Of course...you could all fail if that were the case as well." he shrugged, "In the end, the maximum number of people passing this exam is two, no more than that."

"You can't be serious!" Naruto yelled, but Kakashi nodded.

"I am..." he set an alarm clock on a stump, "Now then, this clock is set to go off at noon, and I have two lunches here as well for after the test. Whoever fails will be left unable to eat as well."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all suddenly realized how smart they had been to eat something ealier. That was why he said not to eat anything for breakfast; to fool them.

The three waited for the clock to hit ten, and then Kakashi looked to the three, "Go!"

The three jumped off in different directions as Kakashi let a smile spread on his masked face, "Hmmm...they all are meeting up it seems...perhaps I was wrong about them."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were all sitting in a tree about two hunded yards away from the clearing where Kakashi was. They had an idea in mind, but there was one problem...who would be failing in the end?

"I'll let you two take the bells," Naruto said with a shrug, "I technically wasn't qualified to be a Genin to begin with."

Sakura frowned, "Naruto, that's not true. You just don't have the same amount of chakra control as some of the others do to produce a Bunshin, but that doesn't mean you should be held back another year..." she looked down, "I'll do it..."

"No. I volunteered to take the fall, and I can. You two are my friends, and I have a technique that can hold him down long enough for you two steal the bells..."

Sasuke looked at his brother, and sighed, "Naruto..."

"Relax, Sasuke, I'm not upset with it." he gave them both a grin, and Sasuke noticed it was forced. Sakura did too, but she said nothing. There was no way of convincing Naruto otherwise.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all discussed their ideas, and after about twenty minutes into the test, they came up with an idea. It should work...that's what they thought at least.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kakashi walked through the forest, reading his book while chuckling a bit every now and then. He suddenly looked ahead to see a grinning Naruto as he stood in the path ahead of the Jounin.

"Allright, Kakashi-sensei, let's do this, fair and square! You and me, one on one!" Naruto shouted, pointing to the Jounin while clenching his free hand.

Kakashi groaned, "Naruto...didn't they teach you anything about stealth in the Academy?"

Naruto laughed, "I don't need stealth to beat you! You're just a lazy shinobi who is chronically late!"

Kakashi took a moment and noticed that Naruto wasn't alone. He sensed Sakura and Sasuke nearby, hiding in the foilage, 'Heh, seems they caught on...'

"Hey, are you paying attention to me?! That's it, now I'm going to bury you into the ground! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto made six shadow clones of himself, and one of them spoke, "Here we go!"

Kakashi smiled, "Well, so I see you learned a technique from the Scroll of Sealing after all," he shrugged, "Very well, if you're so confident that you can win, why don't you stop talking and actually do some fighting?"

Naruto growled, "That's it, now I'm going to throttle you!" Naruto along with his clones, ran at Kakashi, yelling like a berserker.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura and Sasuke waited a distance from where the others were fighting, waiting for the chance to jump in.

"Do you think Naruto can pull this off?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, Kakashi isn't a Jounin for nothing...Naruto looks like he has the advantage at the moment though." the Uchiha replied.

"Oh really, does he now?" The two whirled around, only to be face to face with Kakashi, "Yo."

end of Chapter Three- Finally, I updated! Heh, this one took me some time to get around to finishing. Well, the secret's out to a few more people now...well, namely Naruto and Sasuke. Expect this to change things a bit in the future. As for Sakura...she may find out later, or she may not. Naruto has a family to fall back on, so this may make things easier for him to handle. I mean, yeah, Sasuke and Itachi aren't the greatest at comforting, but Mikoto's there. Anyway, hope you enjoyed chapter three! Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

Shiki Fuujin-- Corpse Spirit Sealing Method- (original)- A Fuuinjustu (sealing technique) developed by Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, who used a variation of this technique to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto. The user of this Fuuinjutsu makes the proper hand seals, and calls forth the Shinigami (Death God), and in exchange for the user's soul, the Shinigami will remove the opponent's soul from their body. If the Shinigami is unable to remove the entire soul, then it can use a knife and remove a portion of the soul, and thus render the corresponding part of their body dead and useless, such as arms or legs. Then, the opponent's soul or portion of it will be sealed into the chest of the caster of the justu, and then both the soul of the caster and soul or portion of the soul of the opponent will be consumed by the Shinigami, making them unable to pass into the afterlife. The souls remain within the stomach of the Shinigami, where they will be locked in hated combat for all time. While this technique is a Fuuinjutsu, it's also considered a Kinjutsu (forbidden technique) because it kills the user.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-- Shadow Clone Technique- (original)- Unlike the Bunshin no Jutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a technique that creates a copy of the user that has both form and substance by distributing chakra into the clone. The Shadow Clone can also use any jutsu and other tactics the original user has on knowledge. Once the clone is dispersed by an attack, damage, or by the user themselves, all information gained from the clone is passed onto the original ninja, as well as any other clones.

Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu-- Multiple Shadow Clone Technique- (original)- An advanced version of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu where the user creates not just a few Shadow Clones but several hundred (even thousands) of clones. Depending on the skill level of the user, the amount of chakra needed to pull off the technique will vary. Those with less control will need to use more chakra compared to those with better control. This Jounin level technique was banned by the First Hokage, but many still learn the technique, such as Naruto and Kakashi.