All disclaimers are on the first Chapter.

Please Read, Review and I hope you are enjoying the story.

Zen walked down the busy streets of Konoha looking for a ramen stand. While listening to some people on the streets talk about a ninja academy teacher by the name of Iruka Umino. So far everything he been hearing about this Iruka person has been nothing but good things. I hope this Iruka-sensei person will be my teacher. Zen thought to himself as he continued his search for a ramen stand. He knew from experience that it was never wise to go shopping on an empty stomache. The memory of one such incident suddenly replayed in his mind as he walked.

*FlashBack*

Five year old Zen was annoyed that he had to do the shopping for his mother. He had a list in his hand as he looked down at the long list of what he had to buy. The only thing he was greatful for was the fact that he knew how to create a clone or two that could help him carry all the damn shopping bags. He chose to get the clothes shopping over and done with first. He hated clothes shopping with a passion. He also really regreted not eating breakfast that morning. However he didn't want to anger his psycho mother from hell who happened to be very drunk that morning either.

Shopping was the best way to escape her drunken wrath. Also if he got it all done and managed to get everything on the list, he had a sixty percent chance of not ending up in the hospital. Time seemed to go by slowly as he searched for the clothing items that were written down on the list. Why the hell was it so hard to locate some of these items? He wondered bitterly as he searched for the items on the list. Also he had no idea what bra size his mother needed. Yet here he was starring at the bras and their different sizes in pure confusion as well as in embarrassment. He silently cursed at the fact his mother was forcing him to do this. At least she could have put down what size she needed.

A woman who worked in the woman's clothing department slowly approached to shoo him away from the woman's undergarments. Basically thinking he was a young pervert in the making or was planning on using a bra for a sling shot. However before she could say anything he held up a shopping list. "My mom forced me to do some clothes shopping. She didn't write down what size she needed. Could you help me out miss?" He asked her politely while trying to exsplain his situation even though he looked very embarrassed about the whole ordeal.

The woman blinked at him as she looked at the shopping list, and than sighed. "If I was you kid, I would skip trying to buy your mother's undergarments and let her do her own shopping for those items. However the other items are easy to find there located right near the changing rooms."

"Right...Thanks for the help miss." He said as he walked away from the undergarment section of the woman's clothing section. He wasn't sure where that lady went but he soon began to feel rather dizzy, mostly from his hunger. He tried to ignore it but it only grew worse as time seemed to tick by slowly. Soon the dizziness grew so bad that it caused him to passed out. He collapsed against one of the changing rooms doors.

Sadly fate must have hated him that day, because when he collapsed against that door the door opened. Where it revealed a woman making out with her lover. Both of them were completely obvilious to the fact that the door had been accidently forced open when Zen had collapsed against it. Also they were obvilious to the fact that their was a unconscious kid on the floor, and the lovely timing of the woman's husband who had just came around the corner. Needless to say the woman's husband saw the affair going on with his own eyes.

"What the hell is going on here!?" The woman's husband yelled making his wife and her lover spring away from each other in alarm, besides the fact they had been startled half to death. The woman and the woman's lover were only in their undergarments.

"Beloved...I can exsplain." She said fearfully.

"There's nothing to exsplain, love. You were unhappy with this loser and chose me. Since I make you much more happier than he ever could." The woman's lover said smirking.

"Beloved...don't!" The woman yelled in fear as her husband glared hatefully at her lover.

"Tch...I guess my soon to be ex-wife, never told you about me." The woman's husband said snarling in rage.

"What's there to know? You seem weak." The woman's lover said as he stood there.

"I happen to be a hidden mist, Jounin." The woman's husband said as he pulled out his hand band from his pocket. "I just don't wear my headband on my days off." The woman's lover paled dramatically at those words as he began sweating bullets in fear. "I'm going to give you a five second head start, before I tear you apart." The woman's lover took off running without even grabbing his clothes that were on the floor of the changing room. The woman's husband put his head band back on as he shot his soon to be ex-wife a dark hateful look. "I want you out of my house within twenty four hours with all your belongings. Also I hope you don't mind if your lover is missing parts off his body." With that the woman's now ex-husband took off after his prey.

When Zen started to come around roughly a few minutes latter. He slowly sat up right, only to see a half naked woman glaring down at him in rage even though tears were running down her face smudging her make up. "This is all your fault you horrible little perverted brat, you ruined my marriage!" She screamed as Zen ended up being slapped and shaken violently by the distressed woman. While her ex-husband began to try and murder his soon to be ex-wife's lover somewhere outside the clothing store. Turned out the woman's lover was only civilian, that worked at some kind of bar roughly a few blocks down the street from the clothing store. It took three people to pull the distress woman away from Zen, before she strangled him to death. He was honesty confused by everything that happened but someone kindly told him what happened while he was out cold.

He managed to finish up his shopping before stopping at one of his favorite restaurants to eat some Ramen. Afterwards he headed home, only to be greeted by his psycho mother who looked furious. In the end his mother still ended up beating him up for not getting everything on the shopping list. How was he suppose to know there had been a second shopping list? One that had her clothing sizes written down on it, besides a few other items on it as well. Considering the fact that it had been her that morning, who had only handed him only one shopping list. He learned to never to trust his mother when she was drunk, and should have known better than to trust her that morning.

*End Flash Back*

Zen honestly didn't want to deal with another situation like that ever again, in his life time. True grant it he was only five when that whole situation happened but he swore never again to shop or do anything on an empty stomache. So here he was using his senses to try and find a ramen stand. While trying to avoid the group of idiot drunks that were still looking for him.

He often had to dive quickly into an alley, behind something or someone to avoid the idiots that were looking for him. While keeping his true skills hidden from the ANBU that was assighned to watch over him. He sighed at this. "Man, they just don't know when to quit." He grumbled under his breath as he continued his search for a ramen stand. True he could have stop and ask someone for directions. However he was paranoid that if he did stop to ask for directions, his ANBU tag along or guardian would figure out something wasn't right about his story.

He knew that he could eat at some other restaurant in the villiage. However he determined to have ramen one way or another. His nose soon caught the drifting delicious smell of ramen and like a predator zooming on it's prey. He bolted in the direction of the mouth watering delight, being careful not to accidently bump or crash into anyone as he ran down the busy streets. Being the crocodile's summoner he gained a few abnormal abilities from them, like how to follow things by scent alone accurately kind of like that of a dog, how to detect things hidden in thick mud or muddy water were visablabilty was very poor and lastly how to sense heat signatures in the dark.

His nose lead him directly to Ichiraku's Raman stand, where he slowed his run to a slow walk. His eyes lit up in pure joy that their really was a ramen stand here in Konoha. He smiled as he walked inside, and took a seat up at the front counter. He than placed his order for a large bowl of hot spicy chicken ramen with extra chicken as well as extra vegtables. The look he got from the woman was sort of priceless, since here was kid wanting extra vegtables in his food. She gave him a kind smile and nodded as she quickly put his order in.

Zen blinked since the lady had placed his order in so quickly. It was almost like, quick put the order in before the kid can have second thoughts about the extra vegtables in his ramen. Not like he was going to change his mind in the first place. He liked his ramen to have a lot of meat and vegatables in it. He had a strange feeling that most kids around here didn't like vegtables, all that much and was honestly confused as to why they wouldn't like them. In this world you eat what's placed in front of you or go away hungry. That was how he was forced to grow up.

Zen was pulled out his thoughts when the blond haired boy from earlier arrived and suddenly noticed him. "Hey! You're that kid who summoned those big aligators!" Naruto yelled when he noticed him. Zen was just super glad that none of his crocodiles had heard that, or else all hell would have broken loose. His crocodiles would not hesistate to kill the poor fool that had dared to call them an aligator even if was an honest mistake.

"Crocodiles. I summon crocodiles...not aligators." Zen said softly as his eye twitched slightly at his crocodiles being called aligators.

"Naruto, it's not polite to shout and point at people." Iruka scolded him before he looked at Zen with an apologetic smile "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine...aligators and crocodiles are often mistaken for one another. Just be thankful my summons didn't hear that...they get a bit violent when they are mistaken for aligators." Zen said truthfully. That was understatement of the year, his crocodiles would destroy the poor unfortunate victum in a matter of minutes if not seconds for their honest mistake.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked suddenly as he pulled Zen from his bitter thoughts.

"I'm Zen Kogin, you?" Zen asked.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be Hokage someday, believe it!" Naruto said grinning as he sat down beside him. Iruka sat down on the other side of Naruto.

"It's nice to meet you Naruto. So you want to be Hokage, huh? That's cool. Me, I just want to be the best ninja that I can be, hopefull becoming a jounin someday." Zen said making Naruto smile. "I take it you go to the academy?"

"Yep and this is Iruka-sensei, he teaches us at the Academy. Even though he can be really boring." Naruto said only to yelp as Iruka hit him hard on the head with a irritated exspression.

"My classes are not boring! If you would just pay attention and not goof off during class, you might actually learn something!" Iruka snapped.

"I'm suppose to start the academy tomorrow." Zen said nervously after Naruto and Iruka placed their orders in. Iruka looked at him with a soft but serious exspression.

"Do you know whose class you be joining?" Iruka asked Zen. Naruto was also surprised by this but was strangely quiet as Zen and Iruka talked.

"I have the form that the Hokage gave to me right here...I'm suppose to show it when I arrive at the Academy tomorrow. Haven't really looked at it to be honest." Zen said truthfully.

"May I see the form that the Hokage gave you?" Iruka asked. Zen took out the form and handed it to Iruka who quickly read it. He than smiled. "Seems like you will be in Naruto's class, meaning you are my new student."

"Really?" Zen and Naruto asked with wide eyes of surprise.

"Really." Iruka chuckled.

"YES!" Naruto cheered loudly at the thought of having Zen in his class. Zen was also happy to be having Iruka as his teacher, from everything he been hearing Iruka was one of the best teachers in the Academy.

"Cool. I look foreward to your class, Iruka-sensei." Zen said grinning just as the lady brought out Zen's meal and placed it down in front of him. Zen then smiled at the sight of the delicious mouth water ramen in front of him.

"Is that extra vegtables in your ramen?" Iruka asked in surprise when he noticed the vegtables in Zen's ramen.

"Yep." Zen said grinning like a evil Cheshire cat.

"Yuck, vegtables are gross." Naruto said frowning.

"Hey, I happen to like vegtables and I also have extra chicken in my dish as well Naruto." Zen said as he picked up his chop sticks and began to happily devour his meal as Naruto talked to him. He nodded to what ever Naruto was telling him. Even though he wasn't really paying attention. He was only concentrating on the delious meal in front of him. He was in heaven as he happily ate his ramen. This ramen was way better than the ramen he was use to eating.

"Zen, could we be friends?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Sure. To be honest with ya, I never had a friend before unless you count my crocodiles. I might be a bit harsh as well as rude at times but that's just part of my personality. I'm not use to having friends." Zen said making Naruto smile at that. Zen then put a mouthful of ramen into his mouth.

"Can you teach me how to summon crocodiles as well?!" Naruto asked making Zen's eyes widen as he suddenly choked and nearly sprayed his ramen out of his mouth when Naruto asked him that.

"Cough...cough...what?!" Zen asked as he cleared his throat after managing to swallow his mouthful of ramen. Eventhough he burnt his mouth and throat on his hot ramen.

"Can you teach me how to summon crocodiles?" Naruto asked him again.

"Naruto, it's possible that Zen's crocodile summons are a clan secret and he won't be able to teach you that." Iruka said when he saw how Zen reacted to the question.

If anything Riff might just try to eat me, if I let Naruto sighn the scroll without asking if it's okay for an outsider to sighn a family scroll. I owe Iruka-sensei big time for this. Zen's innerself said.

"Are they a clan secret Zen?" Naruto asked looking away from Iruka sensei to Zen.

"I'm afraid so Naruto...I mean I could ask the boss summon but I don't think he'll let you sighn. Sorry." Zen said.

"Oh well...can you still summon your crocodiles to scare the girls in the class or have them eat Sasuke?" Naruto asked grinning.

"Naruto!" Iruka scolded him with wide eyes.

Zen smiled nervously at this. "Naruto, my crocodiles are only used as a last resort type of deal, so no way in hell that's happening. Besides some of my crocs aren't too friendly around others and will not hesitate to attack the first thing they see. I rather not kill my classmates." Zen said with a nervous smile.

"You're no fun." Naruto said pouting

"However what I can teach you, is some awesome pranks. That my crocodiles have taught me." Zen said while never noticing Iruka's look of pure horror at the thought of another prankster let loose in his classroom helping Naruto out with pranks.

"Awesome!" Naruto said with wide eyes that seemed to sparkle with mischief. Iruka looked almost ready to start crying at the images of having two pranksters loose in his classroom played in his mind. Wasn't one Naruto bad enough?

"However Naruto the pranks that I teach you, you can't use them in school or on Iruka sensei. Deal?" Zen asked him.

"Deal." Naruto said after a few minutes thinking it over.

Iruka was still dreading the thought of what kind of pranks, Zen would be teaching Naruto. However he was happy that Zen was setting some ground rules with his pranks. However knowing Naruto he would in some way find a way to use those new pranks and unleash them in the classroom when Zen wasn't around. Iruka's head dropped a bit. "You two are going to be the death of me." Iruka said sighing.

"If I wanted you dead Iruka-sensei, all I have to do is summon one of my crocodiles that really dislikes people and just set him loose." Zen said grinning at him. Iruka's face paled dramatically at that. "However I wouldn't do that, I rather not deal with a furious Hokage and have upset parents screaming at me for killing one of best teachers around in the academy from what I've heard around town today." Zen said. He wasn't lying while walking around trying to locate this place he had heard people talking about how Iruka was one of the best teachers in the academy even though he had no idea who Iruka was at the time.

To Be Continued...