A/N: Hey, just a little bit more about Naruto's academy days and then we'll have his graduation. I imagine most of you already know what to expect since the graduation was the first thing in the Naruto series. But keep reading and maybe I'll surprise you.

Disclaimer (Do I really need to keep saying this): I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 3 Gradutation and Secrets Revealed

Two years passed. During that time Naruto became very close with his friends. He and Choji would often talk about ramen, from the different types to the seasonings used to enhance the flavor. One thing they both agreed on was that Ichiraku's was the best. He would join Shikamaru in cloudwatching. At first Shikamaru would talk about how troublesome his mom could be, but then saw how the subject bothered Naruto, since he wished he had a mother, and would drop the subject and simpily talk about Shogi or the clouds. Kiba and Akamaru woud invite him over to play with some of the other pups. Naruto was a bit nervous of how Kiba's family would treat him, but they happily welcomed him. In fact, none of his friends' families had any problem with him, except the Hyūga Clan, which is why Hinata never invited him over. Kiba's mom, Tsume, watched as Naruto play with the other dogs. 'For a fox boy, he certainly gets along well with dogs,' she thought. "Hey Naruto, have you ever considered training a ninja hound of your own?" Tsume once asked.

"Um, I, uh, d-don't think that's a g-good idea," he answered, remembering what the villagers did to his goldfish when he was seven.

Hanging out with Shino was often awkward. The two of them didn't speak much, as none of them were very talkative. In the few solo conversations they had, Shino would talk about insects, which didn't really interest Naruto much, but listened anyway. Still, the two of them were good friends and would easily trust each other.

Ino would try to keep Sasuke and the pink-haired girl (aka Sakura but of course all of you knew that) away from Naruto and the others. She still had a crush on the Uchiha boy, but she didn't let it interfere with her friendship with Naruto, Hinata, Choji, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Shino. She also talked about flowers with Naruto, specifically mentioning the favorites of a certain girl.

And then there was Hinata. Ever since Ino brought it up that day at Ichiraku, Naruto could not get her out of his mind. True, she was his first friend, so naturally he felt stronger bond to her then the others. However, his feelings for her evolved from friendship to a crush. As a result, despite all the progress made on his self-esteem, the blond Jinchūriki was still very shy around her. Still, he worked harder than before make her happy, from making her lunch to complementing her from time to time. He even left a few gifts for her. It was nothing expensive and the only thing he ever directly gave her was lunch, except on her birthday and Christmas.

Though Hinata noticed Naruto's behavor she remainded oblivious to his true feelings, mostly cause she was busy wrestling with her own feelings. 'We're only friends, and yet I don't feel content with that. Could it be I want to be more than friends? No, that can't be, could it?' These were the thoughts that often went around her head, and being around Naruto didn't help. But at the same time, she didn't want to avoid him either. She never shared her thoughts with anyone, especially Ino, who would have teased her nonstop. She also never shared one particulary embarrassing event that one day.
-

It was their third year of school. It was lunchtime and Hinata went off alone to practice using her Byakugan. As skilled as she was, she still had some problems controlling it. Anyway, a few moments later, Naruto showed up with a ramen cup and a bento box. "H-here Hinata. Um, I, uh, m-made you l-lunch," he stuttered, holding the bento in front of him.

"Thanks, Naruto. Wait one sec. Keep the box closed. I want to use my Byakugan to look inside." Naruto nodded and Hinata activated her kekkei genkai. Upon activation, her face turned red. Yes, see show the contents of the bento, but that's not all see saw. She lost control and ended up looking though his orange outfit. There she stood, mesmorized. Despite being so young, Naruto had quite the body. It was slim yet muscular. On his left arm was a scar from the beating he got that day about a year ago. Luckely, the contents of the bento box covered his lower body but still, she couldn't help but stare. 'Whoa! I wasn't wasn't expecting... No! Must...turn...off...'

"Um, a-are you o-okay Hinata," he asked as he approached her, moving the box to his side.

'EEEP!' Her face turned crimson as she deactivated her Byakugan and turned away, unable to face Naruto. "I, uh, I, I'm f-f-fine." She took the box without looking and quickly proceeded to dig in. 'I shouldn't have seen that. I should have turned it off earlier. Why didn't I turn it off earlier? Still, it was a nice view. NO! How could I think that?'

Naruto was shocked. He never ever heard Hinata stutter before. But Hinata clearly didn't want to talk about it so he let it be. 'I wonder what got her so freaked out? Was it the lunch I packed?'
-

For the past two years, Sasuke watched as Naruto and Hinata grew closer together. What's worse, everytime he tried to interfer, his fan club would get in the way, especially Ino. It was as those she was intentionally trying to keep him away. Surely she didn't know about his plans. None the less, he was annoyed by his lack of progress with the Hyūga heiress. 'Why would she hang out with that loser? No matter, there's no way he'll pass the graduation tests. That's when I'll make my move. She WILL help me restore my clan! And with the combined power of the Byakugan and the Sharingan, the Uchiha will be the most powerful clan in the ninja world once more. In the meantime, I should also keep these other girls around. As annoying as they are, they may be useful to me as pawns.' he thought to himself as he ignored Sakura's pleas for a date.
-

And so, the day of the graduation test has finally arrived. Naruto waited patiently in the hall for his turn. All his friends had already passed the test and were waiting for him outside wearing their headbands with pride. Before going out, Hinata had given him a reasuring smile, which told him she had faith in him. That calmed his nerves a bit, but he was still worried he wouldn't pass.

The door opened and Sasuke walked out, wearing his headband over his forehead. Before leaving, he walked by Naruto and whispered, "Don't get your hopes up. A loser like you will never pass." With that, he left.

Suddenly, Naruto was even more nervous. Hinata had told him not to listen to Sasuke, but his words still rang in his head. "Naruto Uzumaki," Iruka called.

Naruto gluped and walked into the classroom, repeating in his head, 'I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.'
-

"Hey guys, once Naruto comes out, we should all celebrate becoming genin." Kiba suggested.

"We should go to that BBQ place! They're having an all-you-can-eat special!" Choji said excitedly.

"Lets see what Naruto thinks once he passes." Hinata said.

"I think we all know what Naruto would suggest." Shikamaru stated.

"Yes, Naruto always suggests we go to Ichiraku." Shino agreed.

"We almost always go there." Kiba complained.

"Yeah. I like ramen, but I also like variety." Choji said.

"Well, it's not like he can go to a lot of places." Hinata argued.

"True, and not just for food." Ino started. "Last week I decided to take Naruto out to shop for a new outfit to replace that orange abomination he wears. I entered the store I usually get my clothes from and the clerk smiled and welcomed me like always. Then Naruto walks in and suddenly the clerk chases him out of the store yelling 'And don't come back!' Guess I'm not shopping there anymore." Ino sighed, "And too bad. They really had a great selection."

"Yes, I've noticed an unusual amout of hostilities from the villagers around Naruto as well." Shino commented.

"I wonder why." Choji said.

They all pondered that. Just then, Naruto came out of the building. "Hey Naruto, we were thinking of going to this BBQ place to celebrate. What do you think?" Hinata asked. Then she noticed his head was down. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Hinata lifted his face and saw tear coming from his eyes. "I, I, I didn't pass."

"What!" Everyone said in shock. Even Shino couldn't hide his surprise.

"No way, there must be some mistake! You've worked too hard to fail," Kiba argued.

"I, I'm sorry I l-let you guys down. I, I guess he w-was r-right a-about me." Naruto said in between sobs.

"What? You mean what Sasuke said? I told you not to take that bastard seriously." Hinata said, but Naruto just turned and ran away. "Wait, Naruto!" She was about to go after him when she felt a hand on her sholders. She looked up and saw Iruka.

"Give him time. He need to get it out of his system," he said.

"Iruka-sensei, what happened?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, sensei. He worked so hard for this." Choji added.

"Sigh I know. He was doing so well. But toward the end of the exam, he failed to produce a proper clone. As a result, he failed."

"What, but that's not fair." Kiba argued.

"Fair or not, he failed. He'll have to wait another year to take the exam again."

"Can't you do something, sensei?" Choji asked.

"I can't make exceptions, no matter how badly I want to." Iruka answered, a tone of sadness in his voice.

Iruka left them there and returned into the building. All the excitment and joy from earlier was gone. Their friend Naruto, with whom they shared many great moments, had to spend another years at the academy. They knew their training and missions would keep them busy and unable to spend much time with their blond friend. And so, each of them slowly embarked on their way to their homes.
-

Naruto ran as far away from his friends as he could. He couldn't bear to face them. He let them down. They put their faith in him and yet he failed to graduate. He thought about all the things Sasuke said about him and started truly believing him. 'He was right. I am a loser. I let all my friends down, especially Hinata.'

"Hey Naruto, there you are." said a voice as one of Naruto's instructors popped up.

"Mizuki-sensei? W-what are y-you doing h-here?

"Looking for you. I heard about what happen. You worked hard for this so I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There is another way for you to graduate."

That brought Naruto's hopes up. "R-really? W-what is it ?" He was determined to do anything to graduate.
-

Hinata was halfway to the Hyūga Estate when she ran into the last person she wanted to see. Sasuke approached her and said, "I heard that baka failed. I told you he was a loser."

"Watch your tongue, Uchiha, before I rip it out of your mouth."

"Testy. What is your interest in him anyway? He's weak, pathetic, and not very popular. Do you pity him because he doesn't have a family? I don't have one either, thanks to my brother. And yet I'm a much better match for you then he'll ever be."

Hinata was furious at him. "DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE YOUSELF TO NARUTO! I'm fully aware of what happened to your clan. I do feel bad for you in that regard but still, Naruto is a much better person than you. He's a kind person who puts other people's concerns ahead of his own. He's not some arragent asshole like you! And unlike you, he's had to put with the bullshit from the same villages who kiss your ass! I'd much rather be with him than be with a prick like YOU!" After that, she pushed him against the wall of a nearby building.

Sasuke's normally calm composure erupted into rage. "Listen here you bitch! I...ooh!" He didn't finish his sentense. Hinata struck him in the chest with her Gentle Fist technique. Byakugan activated, she charged at Sasuke, delivering another blow, this time in the gut. She struck again but time Sasuke dodged and backed away while form in handsigns. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke launched a medium sized fireball her way.

She barely managed to dodge it when Sasuke closed in and hit her in the face with a left hook followed by a kick with his right. Hinata stumbled back but before she could react she was punched in the gut. Sasuke drew his right hand back and threw a punch at her face. Hinata managed to block it and gave him and uppercut. Sasuke recovered and started the handsigns again when Hinata struck his left sholder an his left arm went limp. "Wh-what?"

"I closed the chakra point in your sholder. You won't be able to perform anymore jutsu for a while." She then jabbed him in the face, breaking his nose, and dealt a final blow to his chest, knocking him on the ground. "I told you. If you insulted Naruto you would see what a Hyūga was capable of." As she turned away from him, a smile crept on her face. "You know, I don't have full control of my Byakugan, so sometimes I see things I don't mean to see, and I can certainly tell you Naruto trumps you in one other area." She chuckled at that and left to return home.

Sasuke laid on the ground, pissed off. 'That bitch! And she dares claim that loser is better than ME, an UCHIHA! If I didn't need her genes I'd kill her! This is far from over, Hinata! MARK MY WORDS!'

"Sasuke! Are you alright?" Sakura shouted as she appeared She helped him to his feet. "Oh no! Your nose is bleeding!"

"I'm fine Sakura." 'She's completely infatuated with me. Good. That makes her easy to control. I may need her help in the future. But first, let me give her false hope.' "Thank you for your concern but I'm alright. But if it will make you feel better, you can walk with me to my house."

Sakura nearly squealed in delight. She was going to spend some one-on-one time with her love. Even if it was just walking with him home, it was a step up. Little did she knew of his true intentions.
-

Hinata arrived home and marched off straight to bed. She didn't want to deal with her father or anyone else. Once in bed, she calmed down and thought about her friend, 'Poor Naruto. He deserved to pass more than anyone.' Then she remembered her encounter with Sasuke. 'At least I finally knocked that boy down a few pegs. And I meant every word of what I said.' Suddenly, her thoughts turned to the young blond boy with blue eyes. 'Yeah, every word.'
-

Iruka spotted Naruto in the forest near the training grounds. He saw the scroll in his hands. 'Naruto, what were you thinking?'

Naruto heard a noise and saw Iruka heading his way. "H-hey, Iruka-sensei. I, I did it. I l-learn one of the t-techniques from the scroll."

"What?" Iruka was confused. Naruto was acting completely normal, for him anyway, like he hadn't done anything wrong. 'Does he not realise what he did? Or what's going to happen to him?'

"Y-yeah, see. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, 10 Narutos appeared. "S-so, do I pass?"

Iruka was dumbstruck. 'That jutsu is Jonin level, and he learned it in one night!' Then his brain processed what Naruto said. "Pass?"

"Mizuki-sensei s-said that if I t-took this scroll a-and learned at least o-one jutsu from it, I could p-pass."

'Mizuki? Why would he say that?' "Naruto, stealing the Sacred Scroll is a serious offence, punishable by death or lifetime imprisonment."

"B-but Mizuki-sensei said..." Suddenly, shurikens appeared out of nowhere. Iruka managed to push the real Naruto out of the way while he and Naruto's clones got hit. The clones dispersed and an injured Iruka looked for the assailant. It was Mizuki!

"Looks like you got to him before me, Iruka. I guess I'll have to kill you too." Mizuki said with a sinister smile.

"What, what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, Mizuki tricked you into stealing the Sacred Scroll. He planned to kill you and keep it for himself."

"And you did your job wonderfully. As a reward, I'll answer the question you've been dying know. It's something all the adults know and was kept hidden from you and the younger generation. Don't you want to know why the villagers treat you like you like a monster?"

"W-what? You mean you k-know why?" Naruto asked

"Mizuki stop! That's forbidden! Naruto, just run!" Iruka shouted. But Naruto stayed put. This was his chance to finally understand why he suffered all those years.

"Ha, I knew you'd be interested! It's simply, when the Fourth Hokage battled the 9-Tails, he sealed inside of you!" Naruto's eyes widened in horror. Mizuki just laughed. "That's right. The demon killed all those people, including Iruka's parents, and nearly destroyed the village is inside you! YOU ARE THE 9-TAILED FOX!" And to add salt to the wound, he added, "I wonder how those so-called friends of yours will react when they find out. Especially that Hyūga girl."

Naruto dropped to his knees. He refused to believe it at first, thinking Mizuki was lying. But then, it started to make sense. Why he was treated like he was the bane of everyone's existense. Why he always felt something in the corner of his mind, thoughts that weren't his own, urging him to kill. 'What they all said was true. I am a monster.' Suddenly, an image of all his friends finding out and turning on him entered his head. The look on Hinata's face especially haunted him. It was filled with disgust.

"Now I'll send you to Hell where you belong, demon!" Mizuki threw a fuma shuriken (which is basically a really big shuriken) at Naruto. Naruto made no attempts to dodge. He merely closed his eyes waited the end. He heard the sound of metal piercing flesh, but didn't feel a thing. He opened his eyes and saw Iruka in front of him. He had taken the blow.

As Iruka reach for his back to pull the weapon out, Naruto asked, "Why, Iruka-sensei?"

"Because we're the same. Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't help you more. I grew up with out a family too, so I know how painful it is to be alone. grunts in pain And before you apologise, don't! You are NOT the 9-Tails. You are not the demon who killed my parents. You are Naruto Uzumaki of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And I am proud to be your sensei!"

"Enough of this emotional crap!" Mizuki said as he stabs Iruka in the back with a kunai and whacks him away.

"IRUKA-SENSEI" Naruto shouted.

"Pathetic. Now we was I. Huh? What the hell?! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" was all that was heard from awhile as the scream sent nearby birds flying away.
-

Iruka just laid there and stared. Mizuki was faced down in a pool of his own blood. But that wasn't what Iruka was staring at. Naruto sat in fetal position, covered in blood, hyperventilating, his eyes wide open.

His eyes, they weren't the same. In place of the blue eyes Iruka remembered, was a strange ripple pattern.
-

Naruto: Um, Alpha?

Alpha: Yes?

Naruto: When I go into 9-Tails state, my eyes are red with slanted pupils, they don't form a ripple pattern?

Alpha: I know.

Naruto: So why...

Alpha: Just wait for the next chapter.

Kakashi: She does this mean Naruto...

Alpha: Relax, my plan isn't so simple as giving him something like that to use often. Lord Third will make sure of that.

Hiruzen: I will?

Alpha: Yes, in the next chapter. Now can we please talk about something else.

Hinata: How about my scene?

Naruto: Yeah, you got your butt kicked good Sasuke.

Sasuke: Yeah, and it pissed me off. I think I'll take my anger out on you!

Naruto: Bring it on! (The two leave to fight each other)

Kakashi: We'll go make sure they don't kill each other. (He and Hiruzen leave)

Alpha: By the way, sorry about what I made Sasuke call you.

Hinata: It's alright. I got to properly stand up for Naruto, and I beat Sasuke. I should thank you. One question though.

Alpha: Yes?

Hinata: That comment I made to Sasuke at the end as well as that "incident" with Naruto...

Alpha: Ah, that. Well, I got the idea from the story "Naruto's Kit" by Brown Phantom. It was something the you in the story said at Tsunade's party. I found it funny, so I decided to add something like that. You know, add insult to injury.

Hinata: I guess that makes sense.

Alpha: But I wanted to make you looking an accident so as not to make you out as perverted.

Hinata: I appreciate that. Well, I better go cheer Naruto on for while he beats Sasuke. (Sakura appears)

Sakura: Please, Sasuke is much stronger than Naruto. (Both leave arguing)

Alpha: Alright, better get started on the next chapter.

A/N: I'm thinking of changing Naruto's look and I want your opinions. So please, send reviews about what Naruto should wear or if I should keep the orange outfit.