Chapter 3: Training

The return trip was fairly uneventful for team seven. They were all a bit tired from the battle and the bridge building so none of them talked much at all. Sakura of course still liked to break the awkward silence from time to time.

As the group neared Konoha, Sakura sighed heavily, "What a long trip…I can't wait to take a shower and sleep in my own bed."

"Agreed," Naruto added. The pink haired girl looked over at Naruto and began to stare at him. This was very unusual for the blonde. Ever since Naruto saved Sakura's live from Zabuza's sword, the girl seemed much more interested in him.

He pretended not to notice her awkwardly long stares or smiles, but Naruto wondered what was going through Sakura's head. Sure he saved her, but Sakura had no interest in him. Or so he thought.

Sakura's interest in Naruto seemed to only grow with time over the past week. Although despite this opportunity, Naruto found himself oddly put off by Sakura's attitude.

'I wonder if she really likes me? Probably not. She is most likely only interested in my secrets…just like Sasuke.' Naruto's mind trailed to the thought of his raven haired team mate. He didn't know why he cared so much about her rejecting his friendship.

Lately, Naruto's mind had been more focused on Sasuke than Sakura. He didn't know why either. Naruto hated Sasuke…or so he thought.

'She's such a bitch she treated me like I was nothing for four years. Then we become team mates and her attitude completely changes…she was being so nice to me…and now we're back to square fucking one!' Naruto didn't show it, but he was tormented by the hold the Uchiha girl seemed to put over him.

Sasuke looked back and saw Naruto staring at her. She huffed irritably and looked away, 'Damn it…why is he staring at me again? Just don't look at him Sasuke…I can't risk letting my guard down again.'

Naruto sighed as he looked forward again. Sakura noticed the animosity between the two genin and was secretly happy about it, 'I'm so glad they don't like each other…Sasuke is such a bitch.'

Before they reached the gates, Kakashi stopped and turned to face his team. They all looked at him curiously as he pulled out the black bag Tazuna gave them.

"Do not relay the events of Zabuza or those chunin to anybody. If anybody found out that I took three genin on an A rank mission then I'd be in trouble. However, seeing as how you three did an excellent job on this mission, I am going to split the money the townspeople gave us three ways between all of you," Kakashi explained.

The three genin were surprised as the jounin began to distribute the money from the bag among his three disciples. "Wow! Look at all this money!" Sakura shouted gleefully.

"Don't go around flashing it though…if you lose it I won't be responsible and will deny its existence," Kakashi stated.

"How come we're not doing it four ways? You did a lot of work Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked.

The masked man laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "Well consider it a bribe…I really don't feel like doing all the paperwork to explain how I took my genin team on an A rank mission and almost risked…"

Kakashi caught his tongue as he looked at Naruto. This went unnoticed by everybody except the blonde, but he pretended he didn't.

"You three get a long night's rest and meet me at training ground seven tomorrow afternoon. Feel free to sleep in. You deserve it for doing a good job," Kakashi said proudly. The three genin pocketed their money and nodded as they followed their sensei through the gates of Konoha.

The guards waved at them as they entered the village. Kakashi waved at his team and disappeared leaving the three of them alone.

Sasuke left without saying a word towards the Uchiha Compound leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. The blonde was glad to be home.

'Finally…maybe now I can get some alone time with my scroll!' Naruto thought as he began to walk towards his apartment.

Much to his surprise, Sakura followed him and grabbed his hand. He turned around curiously to find the pink haired girl smiling at him. "C'mon Naruto, let's go have some ramen to celebrate our mission!"

'Aw damn…she couldn't have picked a worse time to ask me out to dinner,' Naruto thought as he examined Sakura. There was a brief silence before the blonde spoke up, "I would love to Sakura-chan, but I am really tired…how about tomorrow?"

'What the fuck? Did he just turn me down? I thought Naruto was head over heels for me?' Sakura thought in disbelief as she held onto the boy's hand.

"Naruto, you're the one always asking me out on dates and now when I finally offer you one you refuse? What gives?" Sakura asked.

Naruto pulled his hand from her grip and sighed, "It's not that I don't want to Sakura-chan, It's just that I really feel like getting some sleep. I promise you we'll hang out tomorrow."

Sakura looked a bit unhappy about the situation but nodded her head as Naruto took his leave.

She shook her head and sighed as she leaned against a nearby wall. 'Naruto is like a completely different person…it's hard to believe he's the dead-last, knucklehead he used to be. There's a lot more to him than I originally thought…I need to get to know him better.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was extremely depressed to put it lightly. She had a sad look etched across her face as she walked through the doors to her house.

'Why…why did I say those things to Naruto. I just ruined my chance to become his friend for good. Damn it! Why am I always thinking about him…screw him! He's not so great!' Sasuke thought angrily as she threw a kunai against her wall imbedding a clock.

Despite her inner turmoil, Sasuke knew she was lying to herself. Naruto was without a doubt the most fascinating person she had ever met. Every single time she thought she had him figured out, he would do something new.

His wide range of powerful jutsus was a great example. 'How can he be so strong? He's just like Itachi…Mr. Fucking perfect! Naruto made me look bad…he even had a damn bridge named after him!'

The Uchiha girl hated herself for it, but she was deeply jealous of the new Naruto. Ever since she learned about his secret training from Jiraiya, Sasuke found herself in Naruto's shadow.

It was not a feeling she was used to. All throughout the academy, Sasuke had always been the top student. She took a decent amount of pride in the fact that she was far superior to all of the other genin. Although that was no longer the case it seemed.

The fact that Naruto, the dead last academy student and known pariah of leaf village, could make her look bad was an extreme blow to her pride. Sasuke shook her head as she wandered into her room.

'How am I going to kill Itachi if I can't even beat Naruto of all people?' Sasuke thought depressed as she lied down on her bed. Her mind continued to race at the thought of the blonde.

'I'll just have to train harder…seven days a week from dawn till dusk! With my new Sharingan Naruto won't stand a chance.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi made his way to the Hokage office with his mind in shambles. The copy-nin was proud of Naruto's outstanding assistance during the mission, but the fact that a mere genin held off a swordsman of the mist was just mind blowing to him.

It didn't take long before Kakashi was outside the door of the Hokage's office. He knocked on it awaiting a response. After a brief moment he heard the familiar voice of the Hokage, "Come in Kakashi."

The jounin entered the old man's office and closed the door behind himself. He saw Sarutobi facing the window with his hands folded behind his back. There was a moment of silence before the jounin spoke up, "Naruto is too powerful to be a genin."

The Hokage nodded his head without turning around, "He's a lot like his father…what did you expect?"

Kakashi shook his head and replied, "I am serious…that kid is jounin level at least. Why wasn't I told about his training?"

The Hokage finally turned around and sighed, "Don't feel that bad, Kakashi…I wasn't even aware of it for the first year. Jiraiya's actions surprised even me when I found out. Although, I didn't say anything and allowed it to go on…I figured it was probably for the best."

"I suppose you're right…since he is a jinchuuriki he will need to be strong," Kakashi agreed.

The Hokage nodded his head, "Naruto is a lot like his father…but without proper guidance he could end up like mother. He was trained so that he would have the ability to handle being a jinchuuriki and so that he could continue Minato's legacy."

Kakashi nodded his head and sighed, "That kid is something else. He even made the Uchiha girl look bad by comparison and she is a pure genius."

The Sandaime smiled as he studied the copy-nin, "So tell me…how did your mission to Wave Country go? You're a week past your ETA in Konoha. Was your mission a success?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "Yes it was…a bit rough but we pulled through just fine."

The Hokage looked interested, "You know…I was going over recent sightings in Wave Country and they say that Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, was spotted there."

Kakashi sighed deeply, "We fought off Zabuza and a criminal leader named Gato. My team and I completed our mission with zero casualties and successfully killed two missing nin known as the Demon Brothers."

The Hokage raised a hand to his chin and looked at Kakashi seriously, "So you killed two missing nin from Kiri? That might not bode well for our relations with them."

"Actually…Naruto killed them," Kakashi corrected him. The Hokage was shocked to hear that. He sat down in his chair and shook his head in disbelief, "That's not good…killing at such a young age greatly cripples one's psychological development."

Kakashi crossed his arms, "Well it happened so fast that I wasn't able to stop him…hell I didn't even know he had the gall to kill people. Although he did seem genuinely remorseful about it."

The Hokage sighed deeply as he pulled out his pipe and began to smoke, "Please tell me that Naruto didn't find out anything about Whirlpool Country or his clan…"

Kakashi looked concerned and shrugged, "I…don't think he did. Although there was a strange thing that happened during the mission. We were at a civilian's house and Naruto walked out because a boy called him a killer."

The Hokage intently focused on Kakashi waiting for him to continue.

"Sasuke and Sakura volunteered to go talk to him and left afterwards…I stayed with the civilian to ensure the mission priorities. Anyways, four hours later, Sasuke and Sakura returned saying that they couldn't find Naruto. That wasn't the strange part though…then this boy came into the house and claimed that people spotted a red eyed demon in the forest," Kakashi explained.

The Hokage dropped his pipe on his desk and looked concerned, "Red eyes? Is something wrong with Naruto's seal?"

The copy-nin shrugged, "I have no idea…but anyways, I followed a trail into the woods and found Naruto later that night. He told me that he located Zabuza's hideout on the northeastern part of the island courtesy of taking a bandit hostage."

"No! Kakashi for your sake you better hope that he didn't discover what that place was!" The Hokage said sternly.

The jounin looked nervous as he continued, "Naruto told me that he went inside…I thought it was too late at that point, but he didn't ask me anything or seem different in anyway so I assume he did not find out that he was in his Clan's Compound."

The Hokage sighed in relief as he shook his head, "Well that's good…I don't want him finding out the truth about that place."

"Although…there was one thing that had me extremely worried though…Zabuza said something about Naruto being part of a great clan to him. That kid is normally energetic and curious, but he didn't say a word about it…I have no idea what that could mean…" Kakashi said.

"For the time being, I would suggest leaving Naruto alone. Alerting him would make it much harder to keep an eye on his behavior," Sarutobi concluded.

"Please tell me that this mission will be off the record…" Kakashi requested.

"It will be…I do not want anybody finding out about this. I assume your team has been briefed?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "I told them to keep it to themselves and even split the bonus we received from the villagers between the three of them."

"Good…I am glad you were able to straighten out that mess. From here on out, your team will be restricted to D rank missions until after the chunin exams. I don't want Naruto and Sasuke anywhere away from the eyes of Konoha," The Hokage said.

Kakashi nodded his head and took his leave, "I'll keep you informed if anything new happens."

"Wait…I have a mission for you Kakashi. I want you to lead a squad of Anbu to that compound and destroy it. Naruto must never learn about it," The Hokage ordered.

"I'm not active duty in Anbu anymore…plus I have a genin team to watch," Kakashi replied.

"If your team can fight off an A rank criminal like Zabuza, I'm sure they will be fine. Plus, I need you to go," Sarutobi commanded.

Kakashi sighed deeply and nodded his head, "I'll prepare at once Hokage-sama."

After Kakashi left the office the Hokage took a long inhale of his pipe. 'I pray that Naruto never learns about the horrible things that clan did.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was lying in his bed after finally getting home. He opened his scroll studying it, 'Hmm…here's a list of the basics to learn the bloodline. First I must have great chakra control…check. Second I must be able to perform Earth, Fire, and Water jutsus…well shit. How do I do that?'

Naruto skimmed through the scroll until he reached the bottom which had basic jutsus. He read the first one interested, 'Doton: Doryuu Joule' (Earth Style Rampart) It showed the necessary hand signs required a small picture of what the jutsu looked like.

'That could come in handy…but how exactly would that help me do Lava jutsus?' Naruto wondered as he started memorizing the hand signs.

"It is relevant because it teaches you how to harness earth chakra. Once you're able to do earth and fire, you'll have to simultaneously use them to make lava," Kyuubi answered.

'What the hell? How do you know that and I don't?' Naruto asked shocked.

"Don't ask me stupid questions…just study your dumb scroll."

Naruto did as the bijou commanded and looked at the second basic jutsu, 'Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.' (Fire style: Grand Fireball technique)

Naruto immediately recognized the jutsu, 'That's the one Sasuke is always using…that shouldn't be too hard to master. I already know the hand signs for that one.'

The third basic jutsu was one Naruto recognized from his fight with Zabuza, 'Suiton: Suihashu.' (Water Wave Hand)

Naruto laughed as he read the jutsu, 'I guess this was the only one Zabuza was able to learn from the scroll hahaha! Well at any rate this should be easy to master. I am already good at water jutsus.'

Naruto looked at the basic jutsus for a minute until an idea crossed his mind, 'Oh I get it…these are here because they help maximize the potential of Lava and Boil jutsus. That rock wall can be used to make a lava fall and the water and fire jutsus are both aimed attacks which I mix my different elemental chakra with.'

"You're going to need to tread lightly if you intend to keep these bloodline abilities a secret. Training in Konoha is out of the question if you intend on using Lava and Steam…"

'You're right…I'm going to need a new place to train. Not to mention now that my team is aware of my strength, they'll be keeping a close watch on me, especially Kakashi-sensei.' Naruto replied.

"I have an idea…isn't there a large forest in the village off limits to almost everybody?" Kyuubi asked.

Naruto thought for a moment until he remembered what the fox meant, 'You mean the Forest of Death? I guess that would be the best place to train in secret…it is usually locked up twenty four seven.'

"I suggest you wake up early and go check it out…it would be a good place to be secretive."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't believe it, but lately the fox seemed to be making a lot more sense. Ever since he killed those two chunin, Naruto found himself listening to the nine tails a lot more than usual.

Most of the time he tuned out the random ranting of the demon, but lately he was starting to enjoy their conversations. Naruto concealed his scroll as he rested his head and went to sleep, 'I can't wait for tomorrow.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi's mind was still wandering over the issue regarding Naruto. He feared what the boy would do if he found out the truth about his clan.

'Naruto can't learn the truth about his mother,' Kakashi thought as he shook his head. The jounin made his way to a certain door and began to knock. Opening the door, a shirtless and tired Asuma answered him, "Kakashi? What do you need?"

The jounin gave Asuma a serious look and replied, "It's about Naruto…can you tell me a genin managed to master wind chakra in a year?"

Asuma looked a bit taken aback from this question, "I…umm, well I don't know. Why are you asking me…oh wait a minute, you're his jounin instrutor."

"Just how much about wind chakra did you teach him?" Kakashi asked curiously.

There was a brief silence before Asuma answered, "I taught him every wind jutsu I know…he's almost as good as me at some of them. I even got him his own pair of trench knives. You've got it made with that kid on your team Kakashi…he's going to make the chunin exams look like a walk in the park."

Suddenly, a woman with a robe on came up behind Asuma. Kakashi immediately recognized it as Kurenai and chuckled, "Is this a bad time?"

Asuma shook his head and laughed, "Kind of…hit me up later Kakashi and I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Naruto."

The masked jounin nodded his head and took his leave. As he left, Kurenai looked confused, "What did Kakashi want? And what's this about Naruto?"

Asuma sighed and shook his head, "It's nothing…let's go back to bed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day was very cloudy and dark. Naruto woke up early as usual and stared at his ceiling contemplating his plans for the day. 'I still have all that money I got from the mission…maybe I should go shopping.'

"I would suggest buying a replacement in clothing. Your orange jumpsuit is going to stick out like a sore thumb if you try to sneak around."

'You're a fox…why should I take fashion advice from you?' Naruto asked as he sat up in his bed.

"Just be practical…"

'I guess it couldn't hurt to buy a stealthier outfit…but don't think that means the orange is going to go away.'

"Whatever…do what you want fool."

Naruto proceeded to get dressed and gathered his money before walking out the door. As he made his way through the village, he noticed very few people out and about.

It wasn't surprising. The weather suggested a high probability of rain. Also, it was still fairly early and most people were just opening their shops for the day.

Naruto spent about an hour looking for an appropriate clothing store. He wasn't really in a hurry seeing as how most were just opening anyways. Upon finally finding a suitable shop, the blonde genin walked inside.

As he walked through the door, the shopkeeper instantly recognized who he was. The man gave Naruto an odd look but remained silent as the boy browsed through his shop.

Naruto glanced over and saw the look on the man's face. He turned away and sighed as he recognized the look, 'I hate it when people stare at me like that.'

Naruto ignored the cold stare of the shopkeeper and looked over his wares. 'Guess I'll have to wear a lot of black if I want to be stealthy…that shirt looks pretty cool.'

Naruto found a sleeveless black shirt with an orange swirl on the back. There were several of them, which he decided to pick up.

He continued to mix and match different articles of clothing until finally he came up with a suitable outfit. Naruto took the clothes to the front of placed them on the counter in front of the shopkeeper. He eyed the boy suspiciously until Naruto pulled out money to pay.

After an awkwardly silent check out, Naruto took his new clothing home. He immediately dashed through his door and began to change into his new outfit. After he was finished, he hung up his orange jumpsuit and looked himself in a mirror.

Naruto's new outfit consisted of a sleeveless black shirt with an orange swirl on the back and black ninja pants with a an orange stripe running down each leg. To top it off, Naruto also wore a new pair of black ninja sandals. Overall, his appearance looked much less noticeable…or so he thought.

'Good, I should be less noticeable now,' Naruto thought as he walked out the door once more. He had his scroll concealed in his ninja pouch as he made his way towards the Forest of Death.

Naruto only knew of its whereabouts because of Jiraiya. The sannin would often recommend the Forest to Naruto to hone his survival skills, but he saw no point in training in it until now.

The blonde jumped across the rooftops of Konoha as he made good progress towards his destination. As he leapt, he heard a loud grumble come from his stomach. 'There's no way I can go train on an empty stomach…guess I should grab something to eat. I'd kill for some ramen right now!'

"Maybe you could eat something other than that crap for a change since you have money."

The jinchuuriki thought about Kyuubi's suggestion for a moment, 'Hmm…ah what the hell, I might as well try one of these other restaurants. They won't turn down paying customers.'

"Their greed likely overshadows their hatred for you…" Kyuubi added. Naruto nodded in agreement as he landed on a busy street.

He looked around at the different restaurants and spotted a Dango shop. 'That sounds pretty good. Although I've only had Dango once in my life.' Naruto made his way towards the restaurant and walked inside.

As he entered, he received several odd looks from the inhabitants. The owner came up and eyed him suspiciously, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, I am here for the Dango lunch special," Naruto replied. The man crossed his arms and raised a brow, "Do you have money?"

The blonde pulled out some money and nodded, "Yes sir I do."

The owner sighed as he pointed the blonde to a booth in the back. Naruto took a seat at the booth and looked around the restaurant again.

Several of the older people were staring at him, but all of the younger ones didn't pay him any heed. The blonde trailed off in thought as he stared at a wall, 'I'll have some breakfast and then I'm going to train in the Forest of Death all day.'

"Didn't that pussy with the mask say you had to be at your team training ground by noon?" Kyuubi asked amused. The reminder irritated Naruto greatly, 'Damn it…I don't feel like seeing my team and doing some worthless D rank mission.'

"Naruto? Is that you?" A voice sounded. Naruto was drawn from his thoughts by a long blonde haired girl, "Who the hell are you?"

Ino was completely taken aback by Naruto's rude acknowledgement. She crossed her arms and glared at the genin, "What do you mean who the hell am I? We went to the academy together for the past four years…ring a bell moron?"

Naruto took a closer look at the blonde and recognized her, "Oh…it's you."

Ino looked annoyed as Naruto turned back to staring at the wall. 'I think this is the first time this girl has ever spoken to me…I don't even remember her name.'

"Her name is as insignificant as her pathetic life."

Naruto looked over at Ino who was still standing in front of his table with her arms crossed. "Is there something you need?" The blonde asked with a careless tone of voice.

"Can I sit down?" Ino asked. The boy shrugged, "I don't care…"

The blonde girl sat down across from Naruto directly in front of the wall he was staring at. He looked at her curiously as she began to speak, "So…we've never actually spoken to each other before."

"Why would anybody speak to the dead last? I mean it's not like he's a human being or anything," Naruto responded sarcastically.

"There's no reason for you to be such a jerk! I just wanted to talk to you!" Ino shouted at him.

"Fine…what do you want to talk about?" Naruto sighed. There was a brief silence before Ino responded, "Well, first of all, I wanted to ask you how in the world did you get a perfect score on the final?"

Naruto shook his head and sighed deeper, "That stuff is easy…I don't see why you're even concerned about it."

"It just doesn't make sense…I mean you didn't even know the answers to any basic questions a week before it happened. Tell me the truth…I promise I won't tell anybody, I just really, really, really want to know!"

The blonde sighed once more, 'Anything to shut her up…not to mention now that Sakura knows it's not like it'll be a secret for much longer anyways.'

Just then, the owner walked over to Naruto's booth and handed him a plate of Dango. He also had one in his hand for Ino, "Are you eating with 'him?'"

The blonde girl nodded her head, "Yes I am."

The man placed Ino's plate in front of her as well. After he walked away, Naruto picked up his first Dango stick and began to eat a dumpling off of it.

"Well are you going to tell me or not?" Ino demanded as she watched the boy eat. After Naruto finished chewing his food he answered her, "What did you want again?"

"Urgh! Don't play dumb Uzumaki, you know what I want!" Ino shouted. The scene attracted the attention of several nearby people. Upon hearing her words, Ino looked completely embarrassed as she sat down blushing madly.

"Hahaha!" Naruto laughed at her as she looked away trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You jerk! You did that on purpose!" Ino shouted at him. Naruto didn't bother responding as he continued to eat his food.

Ino stared at him impatiently before slamming her hand against the table, "Seriously, tell me now!"

"Why are you so curious anyways? You didn't give two damns about me a few weeks ago…and now all of a sudden you come demanding information from me that isn't relevant to you in anyway whatsoever," Naruto said.

"Asuma-sensei said that we should be more like you…I want to know why," Ino answered. The blonde looked confused at her answer, "What? Why would he say that?"

"Hell if I know! Shikamaru, Chouji, and I thought he was out of his mind…but after hearing about your perfect score on the exam and everything Sakura has been talking about lately, I am beginning to wonder."

Naruto finally finished his food and stood up to leave. He approached the owner and handed the man money including a decent tip. The man looked surprised by the boy's generosity and actually smiled, "Have a nice day kid."

Naruto nodded and left the restaurant. He didn't get far before a rabid blonde girl pounced on him from behind wrapping her arm around his neck, "Damn it Uzumaki! You are not allowed to walk away from me when I am talking to you!"

Much to Ino's surprise however, Naruto ignored her still as he leapt onto a nearby rooftop. She growled as she tried to tighten her chokehold on him.

It lasted about half a second before Naruto flipped the girl off his back and drew one of his trench knives holding it to her throat, "Leave me alone! I don't have time to play twenty questions with you!"

Ino looked shocked by Naruto's actions and remained silent as he pulled the weapon back and put it away.

The blonde girl took a closer look at the boy with the sun over his head. His hair was golden and luminescent with the glow of the sun overhead. Ino took a closer look at his outfit and found herself impressed, 'Woah…I never realized that Naruto was so cute before…wait what did I just say?'

Naruto then offered a hand to the girl, "Look, I'm sorry Ino, I am just in a bit of a hurry this morning…here let me help you up."

As she grabbed the boy's hand he pulled her up to her feet. Ino found herself staring at him the whole time, 'Naruto looks so…different.' Without realizing it, Ino was still clenching Naruto's hand tightly.

"Umm…you can let go now, Ino…this is getting awkward," Naruto said.

The girl instantly let go of his hand and looked away embarrassed with a slight blush, "It's not like I wanted to touch your hand or anything!"

"That must be why you didn't let go right away then…got something you want to say?" Naruto asked amused. Before Ino could come up with a comeback, Naruto soared onto a nearby rooftop and began to take off at high speed.

'Did he just flirt with me?' The thought caused Ino to blush shamelessly as she sat down on the rooftop. She shook her head and laughed aloud, 'No way! There's no way in hell that I would ever date him! Although he is strong from what Sakura says…NO this is the dead last moron I'm thinking about here!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'It took forever to get that girl off my case…' Naruto sighed as he landed on the street looking around in case he had been followed.

The blonde cautiously walked around the corner of the alley he had landed in to observe the outer edges of the Forest of Death. It was gated and locked and Naruto could scarcely make out several chunin patrols wandering the perimeter where he was at.

'This place looks pretty busy…there's got to be a less public place where I can enter and exit undetected.'

"Naruto, is that you?" a voice sounded from behind. The blonde turned around to identify the source and spotted a familiar person, "Kiba? What do you want?"

'Fuck…why do I keep running in to these people?' Naruto inwardly groaned as spotted the three members of Team eight looking at him curiously.

"Oh snap, It is him guys! Wow, I can't believe you actually became a genin…" Kiba laughed. Naruto looked at him emotionlessly and sighed, "I don't have time for your shit, Kiba."

"Yeah you must have important stuff to do like D rank missions! Our team got to go on two C rank missions in the past two weeks!" Kiba bragged.

"Wow this kid needs to die…"

'Big fucking deal…I got a bridge named after me for fighting off missing nin,' Naruto inwardly sighed.

Naruto didn't bother saying anything as he looked away and back towards the Forest of Death, 'Alright…this area is definitely too populated. I think there might be a small pocket near the edge of the hot springs where I can go in from.'

"Hey are you listening to me dobe!" Kiba shouted.

"Ignore him, Naruto…it is good to see you again. Congratulations on becoming a genin," Shino spoke up. Naruto turned around and smiled at the shaded bug user, "Thanks Shino, and congratulations to you three as well."

"Hi N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata managed to say quietly. The blonde turned his gaze towards her and noticed a large blush covering her face.

"I forgot what your name was again…Hyuuga right?" Naruto asked as he approached the girl. Hinata's blush deepened as he extended his hand, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but I guess you already know that."

"I-I am H-H-Hinata…I know who you are N-Naruto-kun," The shy Hyuuga responded as she shook Naruto's hand.

"Something wrong Hinata? You look a bit flustered?" Kiba asked as he eyed the girl curiously. Naruto placed a hand on her forehead and nodded, "You might have a fever."

Suddenly, the shy girl fainted upon Naruto's hand touching her forehead. The genin managed to catch her and looked at her concerned, "She looks sick, you guys should have kept a closer eye on your team mate."

Kiba looked annoyed, "Hey, Hey, don't go off lecturing me Uzumaki! Hinata was fine until you showed up!"

"You're the ones who came to me…" Naruto shot back.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga girl woke up and saw herself in Naruto's arms. A scarlet blush covered her face as she saw his sleeveless arms and sparkling blue eyes.

'Oh my goodness…I am in Naruto's arms! Is this a dream?' Hinata thought as she stared longingly at the boy.

"Naruto-kun…hold me in your arms forever." Hinata sighed passionately as she stared at him. This caused the boy to look down at her confused, "Hinata, are you alright? You fainted all of a sudden and now you're talking really funny."

Reality hit Hinata just then, 'Oh no…I am awake!' The white eyed girl instantly fainted again. "Put Hinata down Naruto before your ugliness kills her!" Kiba shouted.

Naruto shook his head and sighed as he handed the unconscious girl to her team mate, "Here, go get her checked or something…I gotta go."

"It was good seeing you again Naruto," Shino nodded. The blonde waved at the boy as he left leaving Team eight alone once more.

"I wonder what's wrong with Hinata?" Kiba said concerned as he began to carry the girl. Shino shook his head and sighed, "She's fine…let's take her back to Kurenai-sensei."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto spent the next three hours stealthily patrolling the perimeter of the Forest of Death. He located several probable entrance sights but continued searching for a better one.

Finally, he reached an area near the mountain range of the Hokage heads that had good cover for him to sneak in through. Naruto looked around cautiously for anybody watching or following him. Unfortunately, for him, he saw a flash of pink running towards him.

"Naruto! What are you doing right outside of my house?" Sakura asked as she ran up to the blonde. 'Damn it…so much for this spot!'

Naruto looked around and saw several nice homes around him. They weren't extravagant or anything, but they were comfortable looking.

"Are you following me or something? How did you find out where I lived?" Sakura laughed.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he waved at the girl, "No, Sakura-chan, I wasn't stalking you or anything…I was just on a walk and ended up over here."

"Liar! You followed me didn't you?" Sakura giggled. Naruto was slightly confused by the giggle.

"Seriously, Sakura-chan, I was just looking for somebody and…"

Before the blonde could finish his sentence, Sakura interrupted him, "We both know you're full of crap, Naruto…you were looking for me, admit it!"

"These people are pissing me off!" Kyuubi growled.

'Is Sakura flirting with me? This is the weirdest day of my life.'

"I'll take your silence as a yes…so anyways Naruto, you still owe me that date at Ichiraku's Ramen you promised from yesterday," Sakura stated.

'Why does everybody notice me and want to hang out with me the one day that I am trying to be invisible?' Naruto inwardly groaned.

"Well…I already had Dango for breakfast and-" Naruto was cut off again by Sakura.

"It's almost noon though! You haven't had lunch yet! I'm sure you're probably hungry!" Sakura said.

'What? It's almost noon already? Damn…so much for my training today,' the jinchuuriki inwardly sighed.

"What about Kakashi-sensei and our daily meeting with him at the training ground?" Naruto asked.

"Screw that, Kakashi-sensei is always late anyways…we'll just go after lunch," Sakura reasoned. Finally, Naruto nodded his head in agreement, "Alright, let's go get some ramen then!"

"What a fucking waste of time…don't go hang out with this dumb mortal kit! You have training to do!"

'Shut up Kyuubi! I can't train right now anyways…'

The fox growled at his comment but didn't bother replying as Naruto and Sakura made their way to Ichiraku's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was furiously trying to master the technique she copied from Kakashi during the battle with Zabuza. The Uchiha girl managed to copy the basics of Chidori and had been honing it to a certain degree.

Her progress had been decent for the past few hours, but nowhere near what would be considered perfect. Sasuke had been training since the crack of dawn.

This wasn't unusual for the Uchiha girl, but this morning she amplified her routine threefold. Even the basics were exhausting. Lately, Sasuke had been improving her speed. She added hardcore cardio and resistance weight training in her legs to improve her speed.

'I have to get faster if I want to keep up with my Sharingan…then if I can master this jutsu from Kakashi-sensei, I'll be much stronger! Naruto's water jutsus won't stand a chance against lightning!'

For the first time that day, the girl took a break as she walked back inside her house. She looked at the clock on her microwave and noticed the time, 'It's five till noon…guess I should go waste a few hours doing D rank missions.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and Sakura were seated at Ichiraku's Ramen stand happily eating. The pink haired girl smiled at the carefree look her team mate had as he went through several bowls.

"So anyways, Naruto, tell me a little more about yourself…I barely know anything about you other than what I've heard from the academy and seen on our missions," Sakura requested.

The blonde swallowed his current mouthful of ramen and looked over at Sakura. There was a brief silence before he spoke up, "Well there's not really much to say about me, Sakura-chan."

"Oh c'mon, tell me about your childhood or something," Sakura replied. Sakura then saw a sad look cross Naruto's face at the mention.

'My childhood…' Several depressing memories swept through Naruto's mind at the mention. Other than his memories with Kyuubi, one memory haunted him still. When he was a six year old boy, he stood across from a large crowd of villagers.

They all stared at him angrily with crossed arms as he cried his heart out. This memory caused Naruto to drop his chopsticks and stare into his bowl.

Sakura looked a bit concerned by his actions and put a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it…I'll be here if you do though."

Naruto looked up at her as his mood changed back to normal, "It's nothing worth mentioning Sakura-chan, I was just an orphan is all."

The pink haired girl looked confused as Naruto's sad expression changed to a casual happy one.

Sakura decided to change the subject afterwards, "So anyways, how did you end up as Jiraiya-sama's apprentice?"

Naruto shrugged at her question, "I am not really sure to be honest…he just found me one day and it sort of happened."

"There's gotta be more to it than that!" Sakura said persistently.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Honestly, there isn't…"

'Why does Naruto always keep things from people? It's like he's trying to hide from everything…or everyone,' Sakura concluded as the boy ate his ramen.

"Enough about me, Sakura-chan…I'm more interested in hearing about you," Naruto said.

"I'm not…don't make me sit through this shit."

"You're curious about me?" Sakura asked gleefully as she put a finger to her mouth. Naruto nodded at the girl causing her to smile.

"Well I guess I'll tell you about my family first. My mom is a village elder and my dad is a medic nin. They're both pretty strict and don't let me do much of anything fun. Although ever since I became a ninja, my dad has been giving me a weekly allowance and mom let's me stay out late," Sakura explained.

"This is more boring than watching grass grow…"

"Your parents sound pretty cool Sakura-chan. Got any other family members?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded her head, "I have grandparents and an aunt, but that's about it."

"So why did you decide to become a ninja, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I don't want to listen to this nonsense!"

'Shut up Kyuubi…for fuck's sake I can't even hear her with you yelling in my head.'

"Well, I decided to become a ninja because I want to become a medic nin. It is what my dad does…and he is always telling me stories about how Lady Tsunade, the sannin, is a super great medic. I want to become respected and talented like her," Sakura answered.

Naruto nodded his head interested, "That's commendable…Jiraiya used to tell me a lot about her. He said she was the granddaughter of the first Hokage."

"Wouldn't that make her related to you?" Kyuubi asked.

Naruto was completely caught off guard by the fox's question as he looked past Sakura at the wall, 'No way…I guess I didn't realize that.'

"Tell me more about Jiraiya-sama…I hear he very powerful," Sakura requested. The jinchuuriki nodded his head in agreement, "Jiraiya-sensei is very strong…but he's got his weaknesses."

Sakura looked shocked at the mention, "Weaknesses? Are you kidding? He's a legendary Sannin!"

"He's kind of a perv…" Naruto said slowly.

Sakura looked unconvinced, "You must be mistaken…nobody that exalted could be a creeper."

Naruto laughed at her statement and shook his head amused, "Well whenever he comes back to Konoha, be sure to tell him that…"

"So why did you decide to become a ninja?" Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto smiled at her and instantly answered, "That's easy…I want to become Hokage."

Sakura sighed and shook her head, "There's got to be more to it than that…why do you want to be the Hokage? It's a hard job that requires a lot of responsibility."

"Old man Sandaime, is why…he's done so much for me and he's the one who talked me into becoming a ninja. He said that if I became a powerful hero like Yondaime, then everybody in the village would start noticing me and treating me like I am somebody," Naruto answered honestly.

"You don't have to become Hokage to get people to like you…you're a pretty cool guy Naruto. A lot cooler than I originally thought. If you opened up more, I am sure people would like you," Sakura responded.

Naruto looked away and sighed, "It's not that simple for me…"

"Sure it is! I mean nobody hates you…I'll bet if you did something nice for a bunch of people that it would go a long way!" Sakura suggested optimistically.

'Maybe she's right…maybe if I show the villagers that I am a good guy, then maybe they will start liking me.'

"Don't listen to her words…these people are never going to change. You'll always be the Kyuubi kid to them. Trying to become a public kiss ass will only waste your time and end up biting you in the ass!"

"Maybe Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied distantly.

The two finished up their meal shortly afterwards and Naruto paid. He and Sakura left the ramen stand together.

"We should get to the training ground quickly…we're already an hour late!" Sakura said as the two headed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Upon reaching Team Seven's training ground, Naruto and Sakura were relieved to see nobody there.

"Phew, we made it before anybody else!" Sakura cheered as she and Naruto arrived.

Naruto sat down near "his tree" as Sakura leaned against the bridge. Suddenly, the two of them heard a voice, "You two idiots are an hour late…and so is Kakashi-sensei. What a waste of my time."

They both saw Sasuke sitting in a tree sharpening a kunai with a bored look on her face.

"That's why we're late! Why bother coming on time if Kakashi-sensei is always late!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke ignored the pink haired girl as she caught sight of Naruto's new outfit. She eyed the boy up and down with an approving smirk on her face, 'Wow…Naruto looks really cute today.'

The blonde looked up and managed to catch Sasuke staring at him. She instantly broke eye contact and huffed causing him to sigh.

After a moment Sasuke spoke up, "So, Sakura…you and Naruto had good timing showing up at the same time."

"We were having lunch!" Sakura said as she glared at Sasuke.

That immediately caught the Uchiha's attention, 'Lunch? They were eating lunch together?'

Sakura managed to catch the angry look on Sasuke face and stuck her tongue out. The Sharingan wielder burned with jealousy at the thought, 'That whore! How dare she move in on him!'

Sakura beamed with pride as flipped Sasuke off. The Uchiha girl snarled as she looked away, 'Whatever…I don't care…those two idiots belong together.' Sasuke managed to convince herself.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, can I sit next to you?" Sakura asked in a girly voice as she held her hands together in front of Naruto.

The blonde looked up and smiled, "Sure thing Sakura-chan."

Sasuke didn't look because she knew she would kill Sakura if she did. 'I don't care…I don't care…I don't care.' Sasuke kept repeating in her head as she sharpened her kunai harder.

"Naruto-kun…you look so cute in that outfit!" Sakura squealed in a fan girl manner as she wrapped her arm around his.

The way she said "Naruto-kun" almost made Sasuke sick. 'That god damn banshee is going to die!'

Sasuke immediately jumped out of the tree and charged towards Sakura.

"Morning guys!" Kakashi said cheerfully as he walked across the bridge. This instantly caused the Uchiha girl to stop in her tracks and look at the masked man.

"Morning!" Sakura and Naruto said in unison as they stood up.

Kakashi looked at his team and sighed, "Well I've got good news and I've got bad news."

"What's the news?" Naruto asked.

"The good news is the Chunin exam is a month away. The bad news is, I will be gone for the next two weeks and unable to train you three for it…" Kakashi began.

"What? Where are you going Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"You guys might not know this, but I am a former Anbu. Even though I am a jounin instructor, I am still technically part of Anbu and I have an important out of village mission to go on," Kakashi answered.

"Why do you have to go? Can't they send somebody else?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook his head, "No, it is a covert mission that I am required for…I am sorry, but you three will have to train on your own for the next two weeks."

"Where is this trip to?" Sasuke asked.

"I am unable to tell you three anything other than the fact I am going. You don't have any more missions for the next month. Train hard for the chunin exams. When I return, I will help you three make the final preparations," Kakashi elaborated.

"Isn't that a bit unfair though? We won't have our sensei to train for the chunin exams!" Sakura shouted.

"You three have each other…feel free to spar and train together. The chunin exam will require a lot of team work."

'This is a perfect opportunity to get more training in!' Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously.

"When are you leaving?" Naruto asked.

"In a few hours…anyways, I just wanted you three to know. Seeing as how you are all very experienced for genin, it shouldn't matter much if I miss a few weeks with you. Just be sure not to slack off," Kakashi answered.

The three genin nodded in unison. A moment later, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'Time to ditch these two and go train,' Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously again.

"Well I'll see you later, Sakura-chan," Naruto said before darting into the distance. This left Sasuke and Sakura alone.

The pink haired girl began to walk away until she felt a strong kick hit her in the back. This sent the pink haired girl flying to the ground full force.

Sakura turned over and looked up worried as Sasuke stomped on her leg. Sakura cried out in pain as Sasuke began to beat her.

"You think you're something little miss Haruno! I have had enough of your bullshit!" Sasuke growled as she stomped on one of Sakura's arms.

After a minute, the raven haired girl stopped. She watched Sakura groan in pain and sit up.

"What the hell is your problem, Sasuke?" Sakura shouted as she grabbed her leg and grimaced in pain.

"I'm only going to tell you this once…stay away from Naruto!" Sasuke shouted.

Sakura stood up and dusted herself off and then the situation hit her, "Why do you care? I can't help it that Naruto likes me!"

That was the wrong thing to say to Sasuke. The Uchiha tackled Sakura to the ground and began to punch her in the face, "FUCK YOU!"

Sakura kneed Sasuke in the stomach and managed to push the girl off herself, "Get off me you crazy emo bitch!"

Sasuke dropped into a fighting stance and smirked at Sakura darkly, "You want to fight me Haruno? Make my day Barbie!"

Sakura shook her head and laughed, "Hahaha, you're just a waste of my time."

Sasuke cracked her fists and glared at Sakura, "You don't even like Naruto…stop messing with his head!"

"I do like him as a matter of fact! You just need to back off!" Sakura shot back.

Sasuke shook her head irritated before turning around and leaving. Sakura laughed at her as she walked away.

'What the hell is wrong with that girl…why does she care so much about me and Naruto hanging out?' Sakura wondered as she headed home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke got a considerable distance away before she screamed out angrily, "DAMN IT! Why does my life suck!"

The Uchiha immediately channeled chakra into her arm and punched a nearby tree causing it to splinter and split in half.

'This isn't fair…why should she be allowed to date Naruto? I am so much better than her in every way…why doesn't Naruto like me?'

The raven haired girl sat against a tree and looked down in shame. She knew why Naruto didn't like her. It was her own fault for pushing him away.

'Fuck this…I am going to train harder and harder! I don't need Naruto and I don't need anybody!'

After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke managed to repress the thought of Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke stood up and went through the hand seals of Chidori. After a moment, she channeled a large amount of lightning in her hand. It sparked powerfully and shook as she held her hand out.

'I wonder what else I can do with this…'

The Uchiha girl then swung her hand as she spliced her chakra launching a large number of lightning needles impaling a bunch of trees.

'I'm going to experiment with this! I will become stronger!' Sasuke shouted inwardly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A large group of Anbu were waiting the east gate of Konoha. Approaching them was the famed copy nin Kakashi. He was attired in a standard Anbu outfit with his dog mask covering his face.

As he walked into the group, one man turned to Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi-senpai…are you ready to leave for Wave Country?"

The dog masked jounin nodded his head, "Yes, let's leave immediately."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto raced back to his second choice entrance for the Forest of Death. It was a remote looking area with a lot of trees to cover him. Wasting no time, Naruto immediately headed into the Forest of Death.

He traveled for about an hour until finally he reached a large clearing in the Forest. 'This ought to work. I doubt anybody comes through here, and even if they do it's easy to hide in this place.'

The blonde sat down against a tree as he pulled out his scroll. He skimmed through it and reread the basic jutsus on the list. He memorized the hand seals to do them and then put the scroll away.

'Well I guess I should start practicing this.'

"Doton: Doryuu Joule!" (Earth Style Rampart) Naruto felt the ground beneath him crack slightly upon doing the technique. He sighed as tried it again.

This time it created a larger crack in the ground beneath him.

'This is going to take forever! Mass Shadow Clone time!'

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly, a hundred Narutos appeared.

Naruto then delegated different assignments to each clone. He made forty of them practice the earth jutsu, another forty the fire one, and twenty for the water one.

He put less on the water jutsu because he was already skilled at it which would make it easier to master.

'I should camp out here…It would be easier than sneaking in and out all the time.'

"That's a great idea…at least then you wouldn't be wasting time talking to weak idiots about there meaningless lives."

Naruto watched his clones practice tirelessly and sighed as he rested his head against the tree, 'Hmm…well Jiraiya-sensei did teach me survival training. I guess It would be possible to spend a week or two in this forest. Although I'm sure somebody would notice if I was gone for two weeks.'

"Put up a barrier so that Hokage can't use his crystal ball to find us." Kyuubi suggested.

'How do I do that?' Naruto asked.

"Let me do it…I will need to take control of your body for a minute or so though."

'What? Hell no…I don't trust you Kyuubi!'

"Well it's that or a squad of Anbu showing up to take your little scroll away from you…It's pretty obvious that the Uzumaki Clan was feared by Konoha. I don't think they would take kindly to you learning the bloodline," Kyuubi convinced.

Naruto sighed in defeat as he began to channel Kyuubi's chakra. He felt his senses temporarily cut off as he allowed the fox to take control of his body.

True to his word, Kyuubi put up a barrier. After a few minutes, Naruto felt control of his body returning.

'I am surprised you kept your word…' Naruto said as he sat down against the tree again.

"Helping you helps me. I have no reason to turn against you since you pretty much do what I say anyways."

'So how does this barrier of yours work?' Naruto asked interested.

"It's like genjutsu except a hundred times better. Trust me…nobody is going to find you in here."

Well I've got a long two weeks of training ahead of me then. Naruto stood and crossed his arms as he thought about something he himself could do.

'I guess it couldn't hurt to practice Rasengan some more. I want to make a big one like Jiraiya-sensei can do.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well that's Chapter 3 for my small group of readers. I hope you enjoyed another fun filled chapter. Sorry if you got offended by all the cussing, but this story is rated M for a reason.

Kyuubi sure is a jerk isn't he? I hope you guys didn't mind the commentary from him

Anyways, thanks for reading.