A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me longer to get this chapter done, but since this chapter covers the talk between Naruto and Ddraig, I had to make sure it was as clear as possible, now, before we continue, I'll answer some stuff.

To those mad about Mikoto, the only thing I can say is that you should listen to Kakashi...

To those insulting and getting mad about the story, I can only say stop bitching, you're not paying to read this story, so if you don't like it, don't read, simple as that. I won't take any comments that insults me or the story into consideration, we're only in the fourth chapter and this story will be LONG, I mean it, I won't just give you every detail of what's to come just to ease your frustration, if you're used to short things, it's not my problem, so either be patient or stop reading.

To those wondering about DXD, I made it clear in the first chapter, this story is COMPLETELY set in Naruto's world, so most of its elements come from Naruto. DXD and its elements WILL show up eventually so as I said, be patient.

Now, this chapter is a little tedious since as stated before, it covers the talk between Naruto and Ddraig, but after this chapter, the overall arc begins, so to those continuing to show interest in my story, thank you and enjoy!

"Naruto"- normal talk.

'Naruto' - thought.

"Naruto" - mental talk.

"Naruto" - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity mental talk.

'Naruto' - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity thought.

"Naruto" - Tailed Beast/Creature/Divinity speaking.

-LEARN-

The Paths We Choose

It has been 3 years since the Uchiha massacre took place and a lot of things have changed. For one, the village seems to have been on edge out of the fear from a possible attack from one of the other mayor villages that might want to seize the confused state of the Leaf but surprisingly, no one attacked, not even Rock. To many, this was a testament that even without the Leaf's most powerful clan, they were still the strongest village, but to others, it might mean that the other villages were just waiting for when the Third would be at his weakest since even in his old age, he still was the strongest.

In terms of military strength, the Leaf did suffered a grave loss, even if the eradication of the Uchiha was for the good of the village, the fact that it was still a huge blow to its military prowess was undeniable, so to compensate that, the Academy's teachings received an update, a big one. There was no more flower arrangement or any other class that did not covered a necessity for a shinobi, now, whoever wanted to specialize in those or any other areas, would have to assist to a 'Specialization Class' that would be given to anyone with the rank of chūnin and above. The Academy was now stricter and because of that, many fangirls and fanboys dropped out since it became too hard to continue unless you truly had the resolve to become a ninja. The training for the village's current shinobi was upped as well and the results of these reforms have bear its fruits, since the Leaf was getting more missions than before due to the effectiveness of its shinobi.

But, what surprised almost everyone the most, were Naruto and Sasuke, the two became best friends, brothers even.

Since Itachi's betrayal and their talk at the lake, their rivalry grew to the point that it became friendship. Naruto was the only one that understood Sasuke's grunts and Sasuke was the only one that understood Naruto's awful rap remarks, so they became sort of the translators of each other, much to the relief of those that interacted with them, since it was almost impossible to get what they were saying. Naruto now no longer held back at the Academy, yes, he didn't show everything, but now he was tied with Sasuke as the number one of the class, but Sasuke was catching up to him quickly, in and out the class. After the conversation at the lake, Sasuke actually asked for Naruto's help and to shock the jinchūriki even more, he actually admitted that Naruto was stronger, so after thinking it over for a few days he agreed and since then, they always train together. Thanks to that, their teamwork was flawless and that allowed them to develop that brotherhood that shocked everyone so much.

What surprised more about the Uchiha though, was that he was no longer outright arrogant, he was still a prick but he kept it to himself now. The raven-haired boy was still as cold as ever though, and the only one that got more than grunts out of the Uchiha was Naruto, heck, people even saw him laugh a little once and it was kind of disturbing. But, what surprised the Third more about Sasuke was that when it came to Naruto, the last Uchiha never used his sharingan to copy the jinchūriki's moves and to the old man, that spoke greatly about the respect they have towards each other.

And to the relief of those that cared deeply for the Uzumaki, he did got out of his funk after he became friends with Sasuke and after a few months, he even started pulling pranks again, much to the delight of Anko and Hana, and to the dismay of the old Hokage due to all the paperwork his pranks caused, but he did became colder and more reserved though. When it came to power, he has gotten stronger, thanks to now being a 13-year-old, his body could now withstand harsher training from the dragon god and they were supposed to begin his training using the Twelve-Wings' power after he got placed in a team. His genjutsu though, still sucked, but now thanks to the dragon and his training with Sasuke using his two-tomoe sharingan, he was immune to all genjutsu below an S-Rank and the sharingan, although, he still did not know if it was enough to stop the Mangekyō. The Third even agreed to spar against Sasuke and Naruto once, they lost, but they managed to last 10 minutes against an offensive Kage. But, the greater change was physically, the glow he had on his hair and eyes dissipated, his eyes also became sharper, they were dark blue and the golden slit looked more threatening. He was also a bit taller and his figure was more athletic, making his female fandom to only kept growing, but since now he was a full teenager he didn't mind it that much. But the most noticeable change was his hair, his trademark golden-blond hair was gone, somehow, it turned dark-silver, but it was a beautiful haunting silver unlike anything else. The ex-blond was freaked out about this, not even the dragon knew why it happened, so he decided to live with it and embrace his new looks.

Now, our favourite silver haired jinchūriki was looking at his brand-new headband that signalled that he was finally an official Leaf shinobi, he finished his exam with flying colours, although, he had to change the normal clones for shadow clones since the normal clones were impossible for him to do. Thanks to that, he managed to beat Sasuke for the 'Rookie of The Year' title and to the surprise of everyone, and the dismay of Sasuke's fangirls, the Uchiha smirked at his rival when it was announced, now the only thing left, was to wait one week for the team placements. After eating a bowl of ramen with his best friend, the silverette jinchūriki headed home to rest but was stopped by one of his academy senseis.

"Hey Naruto!" Mizuki said with a friendly voice.

Which Naruto knew was completely false, 'Sigh, what does this fool wants?...' Mizuki was one of the many teachers that tried to halt Naruto's progress in the Academy but since Naruto was already a better shinobi than him since the moment he entered it, he saw through all the attempts the chūnin made, which made the instructor so mad that in the physical exam that required the students to spar one of their senseis, he fought with true intent to kill, but to his embarrassment, Naruto knocked him out of the fight in 2 minutes, "Ah, Mizuki-sensei? What can I do for ya?" Naruto asked while hiding his annoyance.

"Oh well, I came here to tell you about the special exam that is made to the 'ROTY'…" Mizuki said while mentally smirking seeing that it peaked the silver-haired teenager's interest. He then continued, "You see, if you manage to pass, you'll get an automatic nomination for the next Chūnin Exams."

'Does this guy thinks I'm stupid!? Seriously, this is getting so pathetic… but, let's just see what he says…' Naruto thought, annoyed that after everything the white-haired instructor had tried to damage the boy, he still tries to do it even knowing that the silverette had seen through everything, it was insulting to Naruto's intelligence. Sighing mentally, he asked with fake excitement, "Oh really!? Then amma ace that bitch!... but, what am I supposed to do, thou?..."

'Haha, this idiot fell for it, can't believe he beat the Uchiha…' Mizuki thought, believing that he had fooled the jinchūriki. He then replied, "Well, you have to extract the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage residence, you need to do that to prove that you have the ability required to infiltrate and steal information, so what do you say? Do you take it?" Mizuki finished with a smug smirk.

'Hm, what would this fool do with the scroll?... thou, I might get something out of this, there are supposed to be really cool and dangerous jutsus there… might as well learn some…' Giving him his best imitation of an innocent smile, the Twelve-Wings jinchūriki replied, "Of course I do! But, what am I supposed to do once I get it!?"

"Take it here, it's a cabin on the outskirts of the village, I will meet you there in a few hours." He responded and after receiving a nod in confirmation, Mizuki left with a smug smirk on his face thinking, 'Idiot…'

'Pathetic fool…' Naruto thought with a watered mouth while thinking on all the cool jutsus he was going to see.

"Well, that was easier than I thought…" Naruto said to himself after successfully retrieving the scroll. Surprisingly, all it took was his Sexy Jutsu on the two perverted ANBU guarding the tower, knocking them out cold, and due to his exceptional skills in sneaking, he had no trouble extracting it from the vault, "This village is full of perverts…" He muttered almost disappointingly.

"Tell me about it, to think that the people guarding the Hokage can get knocked out with a simple illusion like that, it is indeed shameful…" The dragon said inside his mind, with utter disbelief after seeing them fall like flies at the sight of a half-naked hot chick, "So much for prideful shinobi."

Mentally nodding to the Twelve-Wings in agreement, Naruto continued to make his way towards the cabin that Mizuki instructed him to go and after a few minutes of running, he arrived at the place. Using his new abilities as a sensor, he could see that nobody was near, 'Good, Mizuki must have thought it would take me longer to do it, I have time to see some moves…' Naruto then opened the scroll and began to see the forbidden techniques kept in it, he grabbed a scroll from his pouch and began to copy the techniques he found more useful for him.

After a few minutes, Iruka arrived at the place, "It's over Naruto." He said with a smile, amused at the boy's antics.

"Oh well… it was a cool exam! I really had fun, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with an innocent voice.

Feeling confused, the academy instructor asked the ex-blonde, "What do you mean with 'exam' Naruto?"

"Well, Mizuki-sensei said that there was a special exam made to those chosen as 'ROTY' and that those that pass it will receive an automatic nomination for the upcoming Chūnin Exams!" The boy responded with fake excitement.

"What!?... Mizuki?..." Iruka asked confused until a smug laugh could be heard from behind him.

"Hahaha, what an idiot! I don't know how you became the ROTY… though I gotta give it to you, it took you far less time to do it than I expected!" Mizuki said with a smirk.

"Mizuki, what the hell is this!?" Iruka angrily asked him.

"What do you think, you idiot!? I'm taking the scroll to Lord Orochimaru! With the power he'll give me, I'll be invincible! And I'll finally be able to take revenge on this village and this damn demon!" Mizuki said.

"Mizuki stop! You know you can't speak about that!" Iruka desperately screamed at the white-haired man.

Looking at the jinchūriki who just stood there with a fake face of confusion, Mizuki smirked smugly and said, "That's what you are! You're nothing but a demon!... remember the Twelve-Wings? The Fourth never killed it! Instead, he sealed it inside an abandon new-born… you!... haha… everyone, including Iruka here, hates you! You killed his parents and many more!"

"No, this can't be…" Naruto whispered while dropping to his knees and staring blankly at the nothing with a sorrowful face. Mizuki was laughing madly while Iruka was trying to tell the boy that he was not the dragon, but after a few seconds, the ex-blond just screamed frustrated, "I'm such a fool! I left the fucking stove on! Maaaaan the gas bill gon be high as fuck!" He pulled his hair in frustration.

The other two were left completely stupefied by his words, "What!? Did you heard what I said!? You're a fucking demon!" Mizuki said angrily after seeing that the boy, just didn't seemed to care.

"I already know that ya fool! I've known since I was five!…" Naruto replied, shocking the other two. Naruto then stood up and with a smirk, said with a tone that sent shivers down their spines, "I'm just the container thou, but seeing as you are as stupid as 98% of the village, perhaps, you wanna meet the real one!?" After speaking those words, his eyes turned neon red and his chakra became visible, surrounding him like small red flames.

"Why you fu…" Mizuki never got to end that as in a matter of a second, the air got knocked out of him and immediately felt Naruto grabbing him by the neck, burning Mizuki in the process due to the jinchūriki's corrosive chakra.

After a few seconds of choking the proctor, Naruto let his unconscious body drop unceremoniously to the ground. Looking back at the other present, he let his chakra dissipate back to his body and said nonchalantly, "Well, that was fun!"

Getting out of his shock, Iruka said, "Na-Naruto, ho-how?…"

"I knew that Mizuki was trying something, I just didn't know what so I played his game until he declared his intentions, and well about me knowing about the dragon, that's an S-class secret Iruka-sensei, so I can't really talk about it…" Naruto replied while heading towards the downed body of the traitor. The silver-haired boy then picked up the body and added, "Well, if you excuse me Sensei, gotta take this fool back to the Old Man, see ya!" He gave the older man a thumbs up and disappeared in a flicker, leaving the already stupefied instructor even more shocked.

"The fuck just happened?…" Iruka muttered weakly while staring blankly at the spot where Naruto was standing a second ago.

Naruto suddenly appeared in the middle of the Hokage's office where he dropped the unconscious Mizuki on the ground and two ANBU quickly appeared and grabbed the body before disappearing. Naruto then handed the scroll back to the Cat ANBU, who bonked him on the head while saying that that was too reckless of him, to which he tearfully apologized.

After chuckling at the scene, the old Hokage said, "Well Naruto, can't say I approve the way you did it, but you did a fine job son…" Hiruzen gave the jinchūriki a pay check for a B-rank mission and then added, "I see that you've got some control over the dragon's power."

After massaging his head, Naruto cleared his tears from the bonk and replied, "I just recently began, I can only draw it out for now though, Ryū said that after I get placed in a team, it will teach me how to enter into the initial form."

"Initial form?" Hiruzen said confused.

"Yup, apparently depending on the tails that the respective Tailed Beast possess, the jinchūriki needs to access one tail at a time in order to avoid losing control, in my case is different though…" Taking a seat on the couch, he continued, "I have seven forms in total, the first stage, which is me just receiving a cloak surrounding my body made from Ryū's power. Then comes the winged forms, two-winged, four-winged, six-winged, eight-winged, ten-winged and finally twelve-winged, though I don't know how those forms look like, Ryū did told me that each form grants me something special and that as soon as I unlock the two-winged form, which is the one I'll be training next, I will be able to fly!" He finished, really excited about the prospect of flying.

"That is impressive my boy…" Hiruzen said with a smile but then tensed after remembering something the ex-blond told him years ago, "But, what about the ill will that the dragon's power carries?" He asked with worry.

"Well, it obviously increases with each form, that's why I need to strengthen my will to overpower it, is a good thing my ambition is huge…" Naruto answered with a chuckle.

With a proud smile while thinking about the jinchūriki's ambition, the Sarutobi replied, "Ah yes, it's good to see that your dream to achieve true peace in this world hasn't wavered."

"Never! I promised Miko, Shisui-sensei, myself and…" He sighed and continued, "Itachi… and whatever happened or happens, I will fulfil that promise, no matter what." He finished with immense determination, showing how serious he was with this.

The old man gave the boy a sad smile at the mention of the Uchiha teenager. Itachi managed to attain the hatred of both Sasuke and Naruto, although, the Third has noticed that Naruto suspects something, so his hatred towards his elder brother has receded somewhat, but finding Itachi was still a self-appointed mission that Naruto and Sasuke took, and the old man knew that one day, they'll find him, 'Whether they find him before or after knowing the truth about the massacre, they will be pissed off, big time…' Hiruzen thought, dreading the day his adoptive grandson discovers that he was lied to again, "That is good Naruto, that resolve will make you able to wield the Twelve-Wings' power without being controlled, just don't ever forget that dream." He said with a grandfatherly smile.

"You bet Old Man! I never go back on my word!" Naruto said with a thumbs up and a feral grin on his face. He then added, "Well, gotta go Old Man, I kinda left the stove on and if I'm lucky, the only thing I'll get will be a huge ass gas bill, if not, well, I just hope my posters survived the explosion… hehehe…" He said before jumping through the window, running through the roofs at blinding speed.

"I can't believe that boy can be both a genius and yet stupid as well…" The Third said, sweatdropping at the boy's usual antics.

The next day, Naruto woke up and after his morning routine, he headed towards the Uchiha compound in search of his rival and best friend. Arriving after a few minutes, he searched for the raven-haired boy's chakra signature and found it on the back field that is situated behind the main household, he went to the place and saw the last loyal Uchiha laying down in the grass while looking at the clouds.

"So, you went through with it?" Sasuke asked.

"Yup, you should've seen the bastard's face! It was hilarious when I knocked him out in 2 seconds!… hahaha…" Naruto said while sitting on the ground next to the Uchiha.

"Well, he did always saw you as an idiot, not that I blame him for that though…" Sasuke said with a teasing smirk at the end.

"Shut it!…" Naruto screamed, "Or I won't tell ya what I copied from the Scroll of Seals…" He finished with a smirk.

Raising an eyebrow, the Uchiha sat up and said, "Well and here I thought you wouldn't had the time to do it."

Taking a scroll from his pants, Naruto poured some chakra in it, causing it to pop open. Getting 4 smaller scrolls out of it, he said, "I looked through most of the scroll but the ones that caught my attention were these…" He then grabbed the first scroll and said, "This one's called 'Wind Style: Hurricane Blades', it creates a tornado of blades from the user's hands, is forbidden because it's a B-Rank that can go up to an S-Rank depending on the user and because if it's not perfected, the wind blades will slaughter your own hands…" He grabbed the next one and explained, "This one's called 'Imploding Shadow Clone' and as the name states, the clone is a variation of the exploding one, but this one implodes, creating a sort of a vacuum that drags whatever is near in it, it's forbidden because you need to master the shadow clone to perfection so the imploding clone doesn't go off the moment you summon it, pulling you in it…" Naruto grabbed the next scroll and added, "This one's for ya…" Seeing the raised eyebrow on the Uchiha's face, he said, "This is the 'Bringer-of-Darkness' genjutsu used by the Second, since I suck at the genjutsu I thought it was good for ya…" He gave the scroll to Sasuke who accepted and nodded his thanks, and then took the last one and finished, "This is the one that impressed me the most, is called 'Blood Clone', it's a clone that requires the user's own blood but the benefits are huge, they can last years even if enough power is put into them since they can only be dispelled either by the caster or by killing them, they can withstand even stabs and A-Rank jutsus."

"Well, you certainly were busy." Sasuke said and after a few minutes reading the scrolls, the two began a spar to start the day and after more minutes of spar, the two then laid down on the grass and stared at the clouds.

Following some seconds of comfortable silence, Naruto said, "Hey, do you… have you thought about the massacre?"

The Uchiha looked at the silver haired boy and asked, "Well… yeah but… I don't know what you mean…"

Letting a few seconds pass to recollect his thoughts, Naruto continued staring at the clouds and explained, "Well, the thing is, lately I've been thinking on what I saw that day."

"And?" Sasuke asked. Naruto had told him about Itachi's note that led the Uzumaki to the Uchiha compound and also told him how he arrived the moment that Mikoto was pierced by Itachi's sword. He told him after a year of friendship, Naruto thought that Sasuke deserved to know so he told him nervously but to his relief, the Uchiha didn't get mad and instead, thanked him for the confidence.

"Think about it, the bodies, they were assassinated, not slaughtered, Itachi told us both that he did it for power, but even in the middle of my shock I didn't saw a man driven by power, I saw the same Itachi I've always known." Naruto said while sitting up and looking at the Uchiha with stern eyes.

Looking at the silver-haired jinchūriki for some moments, Sasuke looked back at the sky and said, "You… you're right… but… what are you getting at?"

"I think there's more to it…" Naruto said with a conspirative tone, "I think that something happened behind the scenes, you told me that you also felt the tension inside the clan months before the massacre, I think that's related to the attack."

"Well yeah, the tension was big back then…" Focusing on his rival, Sasuke said, "But what do you think really happened?" He asked with interest in the ex-blond's theory.

Sighing heavily, Naruto looked at the sky and responded, "I… I don't know, I just got this feeling that the massacre was more than that… but the truth is… the only way we'll ever find out, is when we find Itachi." He said while laying back on the grass and closing his eyes.

Sasuke did the same and after closing his eyes as well, he murmured, "We will soon…" The two then dozed off on the ground after some minutes, trying to figure out what both now thought, was a ruse.

The rest of their week off went by quickly, Naruto spent his mornings training his protégé and his newly formed 'Konohamaru Corps', and the rest of the day either training with the Uchiha or fooling around with the boys.

Now the day that they were to be placed in teams finally arrived, Naruto was confident that Sasuke would be his teammate but he was intrigued at who would be the last third of the team, 'Man, I just hope is not a fangirl…' He thought, praying for the poor souls that would be placed with those.

Opening the door of the classroom, he was suddenly hugged by his number one fan, Ino Yamanaka. At the beginning of the academy, she used to be the queen of fangirls, she was obsessed with Naruto and was always trying to get his attention, Naruto hated the fact that she clearly didn't took her carrier seriously and knew that that could get her killed eventually, so when they advanced to the third year and the spars were now mixed between all the students and not just boys vs boys and girls vs girls, he got a spar against her and he kicked her ass without mercy, this shocked everyone since Naruto was not violent or rude against anyone but before Ino could ask why, Naruto told her 'You're training to be a kunoichi, Ino, not a super model, get your act together before your own naiveté gets you killed. I hate fangirls, they don't strive to protect those they care for, they strive to be protected by their knight in shining armour, so start taking yourself seriously'. After those words, Naruto and Ino's parents were pleased to see that she took them to heart, since she became the second best kunoichi in the class. Yeah, she still flirts with Naruto, but now that she was a serious kunoichi, he didn't mind at all.

"Good to see you're excited." Naruto said with a sexy smirk to the blonde.

"Well of course! We might get put into the same team and then we could work… thoroughly on our teamwork… so how could I not be excited about that!?" She whispered to his ear with a seductive voice.

He was feeling hot, he was a 13-year-old boy and here was a gorgeous girl telling him inappropriate things, so of course he was going to be affected by his own hormones, which showed on his crimson cheeks, "Oh! Umm… yeah t-that… umm… s-sounds really cool… hehe…" He responded while getting a kiss on the cheek and a 'see you later' from the blonde.

Walking towards his usual seat, he looked to his left and saw his other loyal fan, Hinata Hyūga. She was the shyest girl Naruto has ever known and that made her too gentle for the shinobi life. But she is a Hyūga, so Naruto knew that she had potential, but her own shyness and massive crush on him where holding her back, so he took the matter into his own hands and one day, he asked her to spar with him, she was delighted to spend time with her crush but she then felt crushed when Naruto held nothing back, she was there when Naruto kicked some sense into Ino but being on the receiving end of the kicking was crushing, she thought that he hated her and because of that she didn't even defended herself, which made Naruto furious. He remembered walking towards the downed girl and after he placed his hands on her shoulders, he said to her, 'Hinata, you have every tool to become a strong kunoichi, your byakugan lets you see everything but your own flaws, stop letting yourself get kicked into the ground and fight, stop trying to impress your family or me, impress yourself, fight for those you care, be the heiress you're meant to be, so fight me!'. After those words, she stood up and fought harder than ever, actually managing to put Naruto on the defence for a while. Thanks to that, she beat Ino in the race for the title of 'Kunoichi of The Year', something that surprised everyone, mostly her father.

"Hello Naruto, how are you?" She said with a beautiful smile on her face.

'So good to see her stutter gone, she has come far… though… that blush on her cheeks is always cute to see…' Giving her a feral smirk, he replied, "Well, I'm great Hina, thanks! How about ya!?"

"I'm great as well thanks…" She said before fidgeting her fingers and looking nervous again like she used to. She then asked, "Umm… l-listen Naruto… I… I-I wanted to…" She was cut off however, when the sound of the door opening was heard, 'Dammit…' She thought with a pout after the interruption. Naruto just said that they'll talk later and went to his seat next to Sasuke and his most loyal fangirl.

Naruto had to suppress a laugh at seeing his best friend's desperate look, Sakura was his most hard-core fan and unfortunately for everyone, she never really got out of that state. After Naruto declaring that he hated fangirls and Sasuke agreeing with him, most of the girls started to take their training seriously, even if it was just to impress them, they still took it seriously, but Sakura saw this as an opportunity to be the only one striving for Sasuke's love, which annoyed the Uchiha to no end, 'Poor of those who end up with her…' He thought while taking the seat that Sasuke saved for him, between the raven-haired male and his pink-haired fangirl. She wanted to protest loudly but before she could, the voice of their sensei was heard.

"Alright now, let me say something, I want you to know that I am very proud of you all, now is your moment to write your names in the history of our great village, go, protect, save and fight for the Leaf, make us all proud…" Iruka said while bowing to the new recruits. He then walked towards his desk and took a board before saying, "Alright, let's see your teams, Team 1…"

Naruto looked at the window, not caring at all until he could hear his name. After a few seconds, he felt Sasuke nudging his side to bring his attention back, "Team seven will be comprised of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha…" The two bumped their fists while sharing a smirk before their deepest fears came to be with the next sentence, "And Sakura Haruno." Earning a yell of victory from the pink-haired girl and a look of despair from her two new teammates.

"And your Sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." Umino said before continuing with the rest of the teams.

"Well, at least Pa will be our sensei…" Naruto commented, earning a nod in agreement from the Uchiha. Kakashi has become to the silver-haired jinchūriki in all intents and purposes, his father. The ex-ANBU captain has been the one that has taken care of the boy since he was 3 so while Itachi became his big brother, Naruto saw Kakashi as his father figure, a place that the lazy jōnin happily took on.

"Alright, that's all, you must stay here and wait for your senseis to arrive, I'll see you guys around, and the best of luck in your careers!" Iruka said with a wide smile before leaving the classroom.

After a few minutes, all the senseis minus Kakashi arrived and Sakura was getting annoyed, she turned to see her teammates standing up and asked, "Where are you two going!? Our sensei hasn't arrived yet."

"Kakashi-sensei is always two hours late at the least in everything, he won't be here in a while, so we're gonna get something to eat, wanna come?" Naruto said, already used to Kakashi's lateness.

"You're nuts! I'll stay here!" She said while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Suit yourself." Naruto responded before walking off with Sasuke.

"Sasuke wait!" Sakura then said before running off after them.

After a quick stop at Ichiraku's, the new generation of Team 7 got back to the classroom, only to see that their sensei hadn't shown up yet, but before Sakura could complain, the door slid open and a silver-haired man popped his head out looking at the teens.

"Mm, you might survive, meet me at the roof." The jōnin said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Shrugging, Naruto and Sasuke both shared a look and disappeared in the same fashion, leaving a stunned Sakura behind who quickly ran towards the stairs to the roof. She arrived a few moments later and sat next to Sasuke, who was just deep in his own thoughts next to Naruto who was telling Kakashi that the old man Teuchi was amid creating a new flavour of ramen.

"That's very good my boy…" Kakashi said to him with an eye smile. Seeing that the whole team was gathered now, he began, "Well, now that we're all here, why don't you introduce yourselves? Just tell your name, likes, dislikes and dreams."

Sakura had a confused look and made it known when she asked, "Can you do it first so we can see what you mean, sensei?"

'Sigh, man, this girl is gonna take a lot of my time…' Kakashi thought tiredly at the prospect of trying to train a fangirl. He then put a finger on his chin and began, "Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake, my likes and dislikes are none of your business and my dreams…" He trailed off with a lazy tone, not even bothering to finish. He then looked back at his genin and said, "Why don't you start, pinky?"

'So lazy…' Sakura thought, sweatdropping at her sensei's introduction. She then smiled and introduced herself, "My name is Sakura Haruno, I like…" She looked timidly at Sasuke and giggled before continuing, "I dislike Naruto because he's always trying to show Sasuke off! And my dream is to be happy with the man of my dreams…" She finished while looking at Sasuke with dreamy eyes, making everyone there let out a tired sigh.

'So much work…' Kakashi thought, already feeling tired just thinking all it will take to knock the fangirl out of her. He then turned to Sasuke and said, "Alright emo, you're up."

Grunting at the nickname, the raven-haired teenager crossed his hands in front of his face and responded, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I don't particularly like anything and I dislike many things, as for my dream, no, my goal, it's one I share with Naruto, to get some answers from someone." He declared with a stern voice.

'Good to see his friendship with Naruto lessened his hate towards Itachi, vengeance could have drove him mad…' Kakashi thought, glad that Sasuke showed at least a bit of clarity and willingness to work as a team, which was something that worried the jōnin. Breathing in relief, he turned to his surrogate son and said, "Alright, you're last, spiky."

Naruto gave his sensei and surrogate father a grunt in annoyance for the nickname before saying, "Well my name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like ramen, mah friends and family, and pulling pranks, I dislike the time it takes to prepare ramen, fangirls, perverts and those damn crabs that live in the Forest of Death! As for my dreams, I wish to get answers from someone who betrayed me and Sasuke, to carry on the dream of a dear friend and to become the top ramen connoisseur in the world!" he said with fire in his eyes.

'It's good to see your determination never wavered, my boy…' Kakashi thought with pride. He then grabbed his copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' and said without looking at them, "Well, now that that's over, take the rest of the day off and I'll see you tomorrow at Seven-A.M. sharp for your test at training ground seven." He then disappeared in a flicker before anyone could ask what he was talking about.

"What?" Sakura froze there, confused about what her new sensei said. Looking at her new teammates, she saw that they just shrugged it off and stood up.

"Well then, I guess I see ya guys tomorrow." Naruto said, bumping fists with Sasuke and nodding Sakura goodbye before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said before disappearing in same fashion without a single word.

"Sasuke!..." Sakura screamed at the Uchiha, trying to start a conversation with the boy, "Damn! Doesn't matter, I won't give!" She said to herself with determination, day dreaming about a life with the Uchiha heir.

The next day came quickly and we could see a fuming pink haired girl pacing around the bridge they were told to wait for their sensei, but he was nowhere in sight, worse yet, neither Sasuke nor Naruto were around.

"Grr, Where the hell is everyone!? Sensei said Seven-A.M. sharp and it's almost nine!..." She yelled in frustration before seeing two figures walking leisurely towards her, "Where have you been!? Kakashi-sensei said Seven-A.M.!" She retorted angrily.

"Well, I don't see him anywhere…" Naruto said with a shrug, "Plus, we told ya that he's always late, to everything."

"And how would you know that!?" She retorted back angrily.

"Because he trains me and Sasuke, so we already know him very well." Naruto responded with a bored look on his face.

"You two train together?…" She weakly responded, refusing to believe that those two were best friends even though it was already common knowledge that they were. She didn't liked that Sasuke spends almost all his free time with the silver-haired boy because she believed that the Uzumaki was purposely getting in her way towards the Uchiha heir, but before she could continue, a poof of smoke revealed their sensei and she screamed at him, "You're late!"

Scratching the back of his head, the jōnin replied sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about that… I was on my way here when I saw this old lady with a lot bags and well, I couldn't just walk away… and then I just got lost on the road of life…" Naruto and Sasuke just shook their heads, already used to the silver-haired jōnin's lies, but Sakura was fuming. He then added, "Now, let's begin the test. Before you ask why you're going through another test, let me explain, the test you did to graduate from the Academy was exactly that, just to see if you were ready to leave, this test, is to see if you are ready for the shinobi life. Now, I have two bells here…" He then showed them two small bells and while tying them to his belt, he continued, "Your objective is to take them away from me, you must all get a bell to pass but as you can see, there are only two bells, so whoever doesn't get a bell, will be send back to the Academy, you have until noon, begin!" He finished, not leaving time for any questions.

The three quickly spread out and hid on the foliage surrounding the field, Sakura going to the right into the bushes while Naruto and Sasuke hid in the trees together. Whispering, Naruto said to Sasuke, "He wants to divide us, right?"

"Yeah, I think he wants to see if we will turn against each other, but this must be more a test for Sakura since he already knows that you and I work well together." Sasuke stated, both already figuring out the meaning of the test.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get Sakura then, so we can come up with a plan…" Naruto responded but before any of them could do any moves, they heard their female teammate's scream on the other side of the field. Sighing heavily, Naruto said, "Well, so much for that, huh?… let's just come up with something for now…" The pair began to discuss plans to take the bells from their sensei, ignoring for the moment their pink-haired teammate.

'Well, Sakura is lucky that thanks to Naruto and Sasuke's flawless teamwork they've already passed, I'll just have to work harder with Sakura, but now, what are my two boys planning?…' Hatake thought while reading his book, knowing that the other two would make their move soon. Moments later, he had to move when he felt danger coming from behind him so quickly turning around, he saw 5 kunai coming his way before hearing Naruto scream 'Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!', forcing the jōnin to jump out of the way and making him lose his balance for a second, but that second was enough for Sasuke to finish his hand signs and to spit a massive fireball at him. Quickly making hand signs of his own, Kakashi smashed his hands on the ground and said "Water Style: Wave Wall!" The water from the lake behind Kakashi rushed towards the jōnin, creating a wall of water in front of him, successfully stopping the attack. Without losing a bit, Kakashi made more signs and screamed, "Fire Style: Fire Dragon!" A big fire dragon shot out of the jōnin's mouth aimed directly at the Uchiha.

Unable to move, Sasuke stood frozen at the oncoming dragon before feeling a push. Looking down to see what the push was, he saw Sakura who was screaming that nobody will harm her Sasuke but as soon as they touched the ground, 'Sasuke' disappeared in a poof of smoke, revealing it to be a mere clone.

This was enough for Kakashi to realize that the real Sasuke was below, so performing a quick substitution, he got out of the Uchiha's grasp just before he jumped out of the ground. Before anything more could be done, the jōnin then shook his hands to the sides, signalling the end of the test as he said, "Well done Naruto and Sasuke, that was a brilliant plan, had it not been for an unfortunate interference…" He said before looking accusingly at Sakura who was still on the ground confused at what just happened, "You would have grabbed me. Although Sakura, you're gonna have to work as a team, if this were to be a real situation, your actions could have cost the mission and your teammates' life, remember that those who leave, even one comrade behind, are worse than scum…" He said with a serious voice rarely heard from the jōnin, "But, that's fixable. For now, I'm proud to say team seven is official, take the rest of the day off and I'll meet you here tomorrow at the same hour so we can go on our first mission." He said with an eye smile before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Sharing a look, Sasuke and Naruto nodded at each other and began to walk away before being stopped by the voice of their female teammate, "Sasuke wait!... w-why don't you and I go to celebrate tha…" She was saying timidly before being abruptly stopped by a pissed off Sasuke.

"Dammit Sakura, shut up! You just ruined a perfect plan! You're a kunoichi for fucks sakes! Get your shit together because if you don't, you'll just die in the middle of a mission or worse, you'll get someone killed! I'm not gonna save you! Neither will Naruto! So grow the fuck up!" Sasuke said angrily, leaving a teary-eyed Sakura and a stunned Naruto at seeing his friend's outburst, normally he kept it to himself but the foolish actions of the girl pissed him off beyond belief.

Naruto just shrugged and went to catch up with his rival and best friend without saying a word to a devastated Sakura, who just slumped to the ground, thinking over her crush's words.

"Well that was uncharacteristic of you." Naruto said with his hands crossed behind his head.

"Yeah well, she needs to get her shit together before she gets killed for her own stupidity…" Sasuke replied before looking at his best friend and adding, "I'm surprised you didn't stopped my rant."

"Hey! I'm as mad as you, ya know!? That was a fine plan if I do say so mahself! And plus, I thought that maybe if you were the one to tell her that she's not a fucking princess that will be rescued all the time by you or anyone else, she might listen to you and start training seriously…" Naruto said, getting a grunt as response from the Uchiha. Changing topics, he turned to him and asked, "So, did you managed to do it already?"

"No, the 'Bringer-of-Darkness' is harder than I thought, there's something that I can't figure out how to do, no wonder only the Second could do it…" the Uchiha responded with frustration clear in his voice, "You think Kakashi-sensei will get mad if I ask for his help?" He then asked his brother.

"Nah, Pa already knows that I copied some stuff from the scroll, he only said that we should be very careful and that he should be with us whenever we tried those moves, so go for it." Naruto answered.

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said to the silver-haired boy before arriving at Ichiraku's to eat something. The pair just stayed there for a while, talking about random things and Naruto occasionally flirting with Ayame, who had her face deep crimson and speaking with a heavy stutter due to the silver-haired genin being more 'explicit' with his flirts, much to the amusement of the raven-haired boy.

Sakura was devastated, she could not stop crying over what her crush said to her, she was hurt but she was also angry because she could not find anything to deny what Sasuke said because she knew it was true, she was expecting that the Uchiha would be there to save her every time, but even knowing he was right, she was still sad that her crush thinks so little of her, nothing more than a nuisance.

"How could he say those things?… everything was supposed to be perfect…" She said while running through the village towards her home. Arriving after a few minutes, she opened the door and hastily made her way towards her room, locking herself up and crying her heart out.

"Sakura sweetie, is that you?…" Said a blonde woman from the kitchen that after hearing no response, went to her daughter's room and heard the sobs that were coming from inside. Opening the door forcibly, she sat by the rosette's side on the bed and gently put an arm around the young girl's shoulder, "Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked, thinking that maybe she failed the genin test.

Calming herself a little, Sakura told her mother everything that happened on the test and what Sasuke had said to her, "I don't know why he said those things! I was just trying to save him! Maybe Naruto told him bad things about me! That idiot always get…" She said angrily before being stopped by a hard slap from her mother. Sakura just looked at her with wide eyes in shock, since she has never hit her before.

"I'm sorry sweetie but I needed to get those stupid thoughts out of your mind…" The blonde Haruno said with concern over her daughter's lack of realization as to what it is to be a kunoichi. Mebuki Haruno was a former kunoichi of the village and never in her life went on diets or focused on boys, she knew that one had to understand that you are putting your and others life on the line, and one needed to be completely committed to put the village's wellbeing before anything else. And she was also angry about her daughter's words towards the jinchūriki, she was teammates with Kushina Uzumaki and while they weren't close friends, they were still friends, she knew that the boy was her son and tried to push Mikoto Uchiha's adoption of the boy forward with her voice in the Council, but it was denied. Even so, she procured to take food to his apartment so he could eat well, knowing that the stores in the village always overpriced him with the food. She heard about the beating he gave to Ino Yamanaka and what his words inspired in her and most of the girls in his class, she was hoping that his words would inspire Sakura as well but Sakura never took her career seriously and all she wanted, was Sasuke Uchiha's attention, "Sakura stop! Open your eyes sweetie! While I do admit that what the Uchiha boy said was harsh, it was the truth! You've never taken your kunoichi training seriously! All I hear from you is how you will 'win' Sasuke's love' over and over again, but tell me something, how many times have you trained outside the Academy?" Mebuki asked angrily.

Getting out of her shock from her mother's anger, Sakura weakly replied, "W-Well… I-I trained occasionally on the weekends with the A-Academy's katas… a-and learned all the books given to us."

"What!? Sakura, do you even know what being a shinobi means!? You'll have to fight, you'll have to protect the village and your comrades, you'll have to kill! This is no game, no prince is going to come running to save you! If you keep this going, you'll either end up dead or you'll get your teammates or clients dead…" The elder Haruno said with frustration at her daughter's words. Mebuki then looked at Sakura dead on the eyes and said with a no jokes tone, "Do you really want to be a shinobi, Sakura? And answer me truthfully because I don't want to lose my baby due to your own stupidity… but if you do, you better not do it to impress a boy Sakura, your life is literally on the line."

Thinking over everything her mother, Sasuke and even Naruto had said, Sakura realized that she was indeed a joke of a kunoichi and that while neither Sasuke nor Naruto will just leave her there to die, they wouldn't always be there to help her, and knowing the things that befall kunoichi because they're usually captured to be raped or sold instead of killed, she knew that she had to make a choice. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and made her choice known, "Y-Yes mom, I… I u-understand now… I've been thinking of this as a game instead of what it truly is and normally, I would have said that I don't want to continue but…" She looked at her mother with fire in her eyes and declared, "I know I can be a great kunoichi, I might not be as strong as the others, but I'm interested in medical training so I know I can do good things there, and I'll do it for me and my team."

Feeling relieved at seeing her daughter's determination, Mebuki kissed her daughter's forehead and went to leave the room before saying, "And stop blaming Naruto for everything, he's a good man and it makes me feel safe knowing that he's your teammate, he's someone that would never let anyone behind and that helps even those who hurt him, so stop treating him like an enemy and start being his teammate." She left the room with those words, leaving a pensive Sakura behind.

A silver-haired woman with a dragon mask was making her way through a series of underground tunnels. She had been observing the test performed to Team 7 since she has been permanently assigned to Naruto Uzumaki to observe how strong he is becoming and if he is of any threat to the village.

After a few minutes of walk, she arrived to a large room that only had a stone throne on the middle of it. Kneeling in front of the figure seated there, she said, "I've completed the reconnaissance on team seven, Lord Danzō. The members of the team are Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, the team is led by Kakashi Hatake and they have passed their genin test."

"This is good, our priority is the jinchūriki but with the Uchiha in the same team, it does makes it easier to observe them both and if our information is correct, the 'leverage' we have against the Uchiha boy, could also be used against Uzumaki…" Danzō replied. Massaging his chin, he then added, "What can you tell me about their abilities?"

"The test didn't last long and they showed little of their skills, but from what I saw, Naruto Uzumaki is the powerhouse and mind of the team, Sasuke Uchiha was the rogue with his speed and sharingan, both showed perfect teamwork, Uzumaki being the middle range fighter with assisting the Uchiha while he was fighting in close range…" She said and then continued, "While Sakura Haruno was a joke, she fell for a D-Rank genjutsu, then, Uzumaki and Uchiha came up with a plan that almost worked had it not being for the girl jumping to save the Uchiha who was a shadow clone, ruining the plan and allowing Hatake to avoid being captured by the real Uchiha who was underground, I thought that he was going to fail them but I believe that due to Uzumaki and Uchiha's excellent teamwork, Hatake passed them." She concluded with mental distaste at the girl's poor performance.

"Understood, we'll see how far the new generation of my old team goes, we will continue our observation on the team but you will remain your focus on Naruto, keep an eye on Sasuke Uchiha as well but Uzumaki is your priority. As for the girl, she's of no interest, she will either die or drop out of the program." Danzō said before dismissing his subordinate.

"Yes sir." She said robotically before turning on her heel and leaving the room to continue her watch on the silver-haired jinchūriki.

The next day, Sakura arrived at training ground 7 at 7 am again, but this time not because she wanted to be on time since she knew that her sensei would be late again, she was there since early because she was steeling herself to apologize to her team and to try and make amends so that they can be a real team.

After almost two hours of pacing and nervous butterflies in her stomach, she saw the approaching forms of her two teammates. Taking a deep breath, she waited until the two boys and their sensei arrived so she could apologize, thankfully, the silver-haired jōnin arrived earlier and seeing that his pink-haired student wanted to say something, nodded at her to speak up, "Well I… I wa-wanted to say… I-I'm sorry!..." She said while bowing to the two boys, "After what Sasuke told me and remembering what Naruto said about fangirls, I-I understood that… this is not a joke, an-and th-that I can't be a burden to this team, the first moment we leave the village we'll be in danger and you need to know that I can watch your backs as much as you can watch mine, so I promise you all, I will step up my training and I won't be left behind." She finished and timidly looked at her team, not knowing what they would say.

Said team was stunned by her words, they were expecting same old Sakura but listening to her and seeing the fire in her eyes that showed her determination, made them feel relieved knowing that she truly meant it. Kakashi gave her an eye smile, Naruto gave her a small smile and a nod in recognition while Sasuke just grunted in response.

"He means that he appreciates the change in your attitude." Naruto translated his best friend's grunt.

She thanked them with a happy expression and turned to see their sensei who said, "Alright then, now, since I've been training Naruto and Sasuke for some years now, I'll be spending most of our training time with Sakura to work on her needs, then, we will all work on teamwork so Sakura can adjust to Naruto and Sasuke's teamwork…" Hatake then picked a scroll from his pocket and continued, "Here Sakura, take this, I want you to do the physical training written in this scroll, I'll be watching you while I help Sasuke with something he requested, but before I get to you two, let me have some words with Naruto." Sakura nodded, grabbing the scroll and heading towards the training ground to begin her new training. Sasuke looked at Naruto and shrugged before heading to a corner of the field to train on the 'Bringer-of-Darkness' genjutsu.

"What is it, Pa?" Naruto said while squinting his eyes.

"Now Naruto, when we're working call me 'Sensei', we don't want people to know such information, alright?…" He said, getting a nod in affirmative from the silver-haired boy. He then continued, "Well, the thing is, Naruto, there's not much else I can teach you, we'll continue to work on your rasengan but my specialty is ninjutsu and speed, and you're almost at my level already. You already know how to manipulate elemental chakra, although, we do have to see your affinity since he haven't check that out yet, but you don't seem to have any problem with different elements, which is strange…" He said, thinking about how the boy had no problem with elements at all. Believing it to be the dragon's doing for now, he continued, "Mm, let's see, you said that you won't use Kushina's katana, but you do want to learn Kenjutsu right?..." He asked with a bit of sadness at the boy's refusal on using his mother's last gift. After receiving a nod in confirmation, the jōnin explained, "Alright then, while I work with Sakura and continue to work on Sasuke's sharingan, I'll send you to work with two other jōnin. One is Hayate Gekko, he's the best swordsman in the village, I already talked to him and he's waiting for you on training ground fourteen. Here, a gift, my boy." He then gave Naruto a long black box.

Naruto eagerly opened the box and went shocked after seeing the beauty that was inside the box. It was a beautiful katana with a silver blade that had dark-golden symbols of the 5 elements across the blade, the hilt was pitch black and the guard were two black dragon wings, "Whoa Pa! This is so cool!" He said before jumping at the jōnin for a bear-hug.

"Glad you like it, my boy…" Kakashi said while patting his back. Releasing the hug, he then explained, "Now, that sword has a special blade. As you can see, it has the symbols for the five elements, those symbols indicate that any chakra type can be channelled through the sword, just focus your chakra in it and it'll lit up."

Naruto then channelled fire chakra into the sword and saw how the symbol for fire lit up, the blade then suddenly turned dark crimson and flames began to appear from the sword, "Whoa… cool son…" he said, transfixed by the sword. He then turned towards his sensei and father figure and asked, "You said there was another jōnin that will train me?"

"Ah yes, your taijutsu is high-chūnin level and your physical strength is outstanding, so I want you to take full advantage of that since I believe that taijutsu could be your strongest area, I will ask my friend Might Guy to train you since he is the best taijutsu user I've ever met, with what he can teach you, whatever style the Twelve-Wings teaches you will be easier to grasp."

"Wait! Ya don't mean Bushier Brows-sensei do you!?…" Getting a nod from the silver-haired jōnin, Naruto said with a whine, "Man! Can't deny he's the best but, listening to his talk about 'youth' all the time will suck!"

"Now, now, I know is hard Naruto but you'll learn a lot from him, no pain no gain and all… now go with Hayate and come back here in two hours so we can train on teamwork." He said while ruffling the teenager's hair.

With that, Naruto took off towards training ground 14, excited about learning kenjutsu, 'Man, dis gon be so cool son!...'

Naruto arrived excited at training ground 14, where he immediately looked around and saw his new sensei sitting on the grass relaxing. Approaching him, the silverette bowed and greeted, "Hello Hayate-sensei, thank you for accepting to teach me."

Opening his eyes, Hayate looked at his new student and smiling, greeted back, "The pleasure is mine Naruto, lately there aren't many people interested in swordsmanship, so it is good to see that you want to learn the art."

"Are ya kidding me!? Swordsmanship is so cool! And you can do more damage with a sword than a fist!" Naruto replied excitedly.

Chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm, Hayate stood up and agreed, "Indeed, but it is also the most honourable of arts Naruto, so you must learn to respect any swordsman you come across with and fight them with all you've got…" Walking a few feet away from the jinchūriki, he asked, "Now, are you familiar with any particular style?"

"Yes, but it's still raw since Ryū and I just recently came up with it." Naruto said nonchalantly.

'Ryū? Wait! He means…' With wide eyes, Hayate carefully asked, "Umm… Naruto… what do you mean by 'Ryū'?"

Squinting his eyes, Naruto replied without care, "Well the Twelve-Wings of course! Who else!?"

"So you know about it huh?" Hayate said surprised.

"Well yeah, I've known since I was five, it is an asshole, but it's cool too…" Looking at Hayate's expression, Naruto thought that maybe he had a problem with the dragon, so he said, "It's not controlling me or anything, it's just been training me for a while now, thanks to it I've survived but, if you have a problem with it, I'll understand if you won't continue my training, sensei." He did felt sad but he was already used to it.

Getting out of his shock, Hayate remembered what his girlfriend told him about the abuse the boy suffered throughout most his life and personally, Hayate really liked the boy. His pranks were amazing and funny, and he was a genius, 'Yūgao loves this kid so much, now I see why, he's definitely something else…' He would be jealous if not for the fact that as far as he knew, they had a sister/brother relationship. Shaking his head to the sides, he realized he went some time without saying anything and saw that that made the boy uncomfortable, probably thinking he hated him, "No! No Naruto, I was just surprised to hear you knew, I would be proud to be your teacher." He said with a smile.

Sighing in relief, the silver-haired boy bowed and gratefully said, "Thank you sensei, I would be honoured to be your student."

"Now, explain me your style." Hayate requested.

Releasing his sword from its sheath, Naruto grabbed the hilt but instead of directing the blade onwards like everyone else, he positioned the blade backwards, looking as if he was holding a trench knife. Seeing the confused look on his teacher, Naruto explained, "I know it looks… unorthodox… hehe… but Ryū knows me better than anyone, so he and I spent some time coming up with a style of my own and after the day I got my first sword, I found it more comfortable holding it backwards… and with its help, I came up with this style."

"Well, it is indeed… unique…" Hayate commented, intrigued about this new style, 'I think he does have potential to become one of the top swordsman in the Elemental Nations if this style of his works…' He thought. Holding his katana, Hayate then said to the boy, "Now, let's have a spar so I can see that style in action, no jutsus, just our speed, strength and swords…" Getting a nod in response, Hayate then said, "Alright, begin!"

Hayate was surprised to see the boy's speed since he suddenly had to block Naruto's slash who was within seconds in front of him, clashing his sword with Hayate's katana, 'Damn! The kid's not just fast, he's strong as well…' He thought after feeling the push from the attack.

Jumping back from the silver-haired Uzumaki, Hayate went on to the offense and with a series of slashes, managed to put Naruto at the defence this time, but could not land a single cut on the boy thanks to his speed, 'His style's speed is amazing, I never thought he would be able to defend with his backwards grip…' He thought, impressed by the boy's ability with the sword and his unique style.

Yes, Hayate was holding back, but it was still amazing to see this boy making the best swordsman in the village sweat. He was surprised again when he saw Naruto taking advantage of his backward grip to use the sword as a hook. Stabbing the ground, Naruto used the sword as a slingshot and in seconds was in front of Hayate trying to deliver a blow, Hayate was impressed by his versatility but he was not the best swordsman in the Leaf for naught, so ducking the slash fast, he used the grip of his katana to land a blow on the jinchūriki's stomach while he was flying above him, knocking the air out of the boy in the process.

Sheathing his katana back, Hayate said with a smile, "I am very impressed Naruto, I wasn't convinced about your style at first but seeing it in action, I can see it has potential to be the deadliest for your speed."

Massaging his sore stomach, Naruto got on his feet and replied, "Thanks sensei, although, I can see it's still not good enough…" He finished with a slight depressed tone.

"Don't get down Naruto, with enough training we'll get there, you need to learn how to fight with your sword alone first, that is how a true swordsman begins, once I see you've master your style without any chakra, we'll advance with some kenjutsu techniques, ok?" Hayate said to his new student, eager to teach the boy and see how far he would go.

Brighting up at Hayate's words, Naruto replied with a wide smile, "Yes Haya-sensei!"

The pair continued on their training for the next two hours, unaware of the presence of Naruto's silver-haired Root member shadow, 'So the boy knows about the Twelve-Wings and it has even been training him, this is troubling…'

And the rest of the week for the newly formed Team 7 was hell, they were stuck doing meaningless missions like painting fences, cutting grass and catching a demonic cat that even put the mighty Twelve-Wings on edge. But the team was starting to become a solid one, Sakura was keeping her word and was taking her training seriously and was now willing to work with her two teammates, the team was assembled to be an assault team and it was starting to shape that way nicely.

Our favourite ex-blond could be seen walking through the village with his hands resting behind his head, completely ignoring the glares that were sent to him by the villagers, who now knew better than to attack the boy openly, a poor fool did just that three days ago and he was found completely naked tied up to the statue of Tobirama Senju placed in the center of the village and since most of the ANBU liked the boy even if they were his favourite prank victims, they left him there for a whole day before tossing him into a cell for attacking a Leaf shinobi, so now the villagers were afraid because the boy would not just take the beatings anymore and for how it looked, he could take care of almost anything that was thrown at him.

After walking for a while, Naruto found the place he was looking for, the Promised Land, Ichiraku's Ramen. Moving the strands of cloth aside, he sat on his usual stool and saw a beautiful brunette cutting vegetables in front of him, oblivious to the presence of her crush. Looking at her bottom for a bit, Naruto could feel those damn teenage hormones having their way with him and with all of his strength, pushed his lecherous thoughts aside and said, "Hey gorgeous, not that I mind seeing you from behind but, could you look at me?" He had a playful smirk plastered on his face after seeing her go all stiff at the sound of his voice.

Frantically turning around, Ayame saw her crush looking at her and after registering his words, a mad blush appeared on her face before saying with some stutter, "Na-Naruto! Hi! I-I'm so-sorry… I… w-was… umm… distracted with the… umm…" She continued to sputter meaningless words that only made the silver-haired teenager chuckle at her flustered state.

"Haha… it's ok Aya, I'm just messing with ya…" He said with a warm smile. Patting his stomach, he then asked, "Do you mind making me some of your art? I'm seriously starving!"

Shaking her head, she regained her composure and replied, "Of course Naru, anything for you…" She said with a hidden seductive tone that made the jinchūriki smirk, "So, how's been your life as a shinobi?" She asked while making his food.

"So far it has sucked! All we do is paint stupid fences, cut grass, heck, we were even hired to clean a barn that was messed up by a sick cow! It… it was horrible…" He responded, shuddering at the memory of the rather, brownish place.

"I… I-I don't w-wanna know that… thanks…" She said, a little disgusted at the 'mission'. She then put the bowl of ramen in front of Naruto who happily began to dig in without restraint and the pair just spent almost all afternoon enjoying the company of each other. Just before the dusk, Naruto kissed her cheek goodbye and headed home.

Arriving at his apartment, he took his jacket off and melted on the couch but just before he dozed off in blissful sleep, he heard a voice in his head.

"Naruto, is there anything you need to do for the rest of the day?" The Twelve Winged Dragon suddenly asked.

"Hm? Umm no, I'm free for the rest of the day, why?" Naruto asked back.

"Good, because is time for us to have our long-awaited talk." The Red Dragon Emperor replied.

Immediately opening his eyes and forgetting everything else, he closed his eyes again and focused on his seal and after feeling the pull from it, he found himself on the shore surrounded by the rock hills he created per the request of the dragon. Turning to his side, he saw the mighty beast peacefully resting on the sand, just watching the water move. Approaching it, he sat on the sand next to him and said, "So, you're finally going to respond mah questions, huh?" His voice was etched with excitement for finally knowing just what the hell has he gotten himself into.

Chuckling at his excitement, which the dragon couldn't blame the boy for since he's been waiting for 7 years, the dragon replied, "Yes hatchling, it's time for you to know everything, so why don't you ask what you want to know first and if necessary, I'll cover what you didn't asked."

Nodding at the beast, Naruto put his finger on his chin, thinking on what to ask since there were so many things. Taking a deep breath, he then started, "What is your name? I really doubt is 'Twelve-Wings'."

Giving the boy a small smirk, the dragon replied, "Clever, that is not my name indeed… my real name, is Ddraig."

With a small smile, Naruto continued, "Ok Ddraig, what are you really?" He asked.

'Hm, could he have sensed the difference in my power? This sensory skills of his are impressive indeed…' The beast thought, "What do you mean with that, Naruto?" He asked, wanting to know his reason.

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while, since I unlocked my sensory skill…" The son of the Red Hot Habanero looked at the sea and continued, "I can feel everyone's chakra, I can feel their emotions, their movements and such, yet, when I use your power or I come here to see you, I can't feel a thing from you. What I'm saying is that Tailed Beasts are supposed to be alive concentrations of chakra, yet, I can't feel a single drop of chakra in you, but I feel something even stronger, so what really are you?"

'Excellent deduction boy…' Ddraig thought impressed. Looking at the boy, he then responded, "It's good to see that you don't only have great moments of stupidity, but of ingenuity as well…" He said with tease, earning a huff in response from the silver-haired boy. With a low chuckle, he continued, "As you explained, I am not a 'Tailed Beast' as your foolish kind believes, I am an Absolute God, Naruto, and the reason you can't feel my power, is because only another Absolute God can feel it since our power does not come from chakra, but from its 'mother', the 'essence'."

Naruto was left completely stupefied, of all the things he expected the dragon to be, never in his right mind had the thought of a GOD crossed him. Regaining his shit after some moments, Naruto shook his head and frantically asked, "WHAT!? A-A GOD! Hooo shit! I-I thought yo-you were the King of dragons or something like that b-b-but… a GOD!?… w-what do you mean with 'Absolute God'? And what is 'The Essence'?"

"Relax boy…" Ddraig said, a bit annoyed by the outburst. Getting a sorry from the boy, the dragon sighed and replied, "Now, sit down because this will require your full attention…" The boy sat down and nodded at the dragon to continue, "Ok first, you must know the hierarchy of life. Below all, there are the 'Mortals', humanity, animals and summons, in summary, all those who will die eventually, no matter what. Above them, there are the 'Reincarnated', devils, demons, angels and fallen angels, they are the workers of the gods, although humanity mistakes them as enemies and fear demons and devils, they actually work together as guardians of the laws of life, angels reward and protect the souls of those that are resting peacefully, fallen angels hunt rogue reincarnates and gods, devils hunt those that have broken the divine laws and demons punish them, while they are not mortals since they are not alive, they are near immortals thanks to their life span of 10,000 years, but they can be killed by mortals…" Ddraig brought his scary gaze at the boy to see that he had his full attention. He then looked back at the sea and continued, "Above, we have the 'Demi-Gods', these are beings that achieved immortality and strength that equals that of a true god with their own prowess, the difference being that while truly immortal, they can still be killed by gods or mortals, there has only been a few of them in history, the most known are the Sage Of Six Paths, his mother, brother and three sons, and of course the Tailed Beasts. Above them, there are the 'Gods', truly immortal beings that rule over all the things that construct life, the elements, species, beliefs and such, there are many and most have been alive since the beginning of life, and they can only be killed by gods. And above them, there is us, the 'Absolute Gods', we rule over all that is life and there are only three, 'The Absolute God of Beginning' or also known as 'The White Dragon Emperor', my brother Arkam…" Seeing that the boy recognized the name, he answered his question before he could ask, "Yes, the one that I had my little 'brawl' with, he is the one that oversees everything that falls into the light of life, happiness, joy, hope, love, light and life itself, all those things are drawn from him and he makes sure they exist to balance the positive side of life. Next, is 'The Absolute God of Traverse', mostly known as 'The Golden Dragon Emperor', my youngest brother Zekrom, he oversees time, space and gravity, he controls dimensions and life spans and he makes sure that time and dimensions don't get disrupted since it would prove catastrophic for all life in the universe. And lastly, there is me, 'The Absolute God of End' or 'The Red Dragon Emperor', as you might have guessed, I am the opposite of Arkam, I oversee death, darkness, hate, anger, fear, despair and such. Because of this, people created the tale of 'Satan' and believe me to be a creature of evil, but they don't understand that without hate there is no love, without anger there is no peace, without darkness there is no light and without death there is no life."

"Amazing…" Naruto said, completely awed at what he was hearing, never in his life had to put his brain to work so hard as now to register all that was said, and he was fascinated and amazed by the complexity of life itself. Getting out of his stupor, Naruto then asked, "Is there anyone above you and your brothers?"

Glad to see that the boy managed to digest all the information, the dragon god said, "Yes, my father, God himself, the creator of everything there is, he is the only being both omnipotent and omnipresent and the only one that cannot be killed by anything, even us Absolute Gods can be killed, of course, only by another Absolute God, but father cannot. My mother is above us aswell, you could say she is another Absolute God but she prefers to just stay by my father's side and watch, your people call her 'Kami'."

"I thought a being like that existed, but it's still amazing to hear…" Naruto said weakly, shocked by every word spoken to him by the god in front of him, "And what is this 'essence' you said your power draws from?"

"Ah that, boy, is the essence of life itself. You see, each three of us have different abilities due to our duties as gods, Arkam has the ability of 'Creation', he can create entire worlds and use the powers of those who follow the light at his wish. Zekrom has the ability of 'Distortion', he can bend time and space at his wish and merge, divide and travel through all dimensions and time. And I, have the ability of 'Destruction', as you may guess, I basically have the power to destroy life itself. Once every civilization, the three of us merge some of our powers to create the thing you call 'Yin-Yang Release' and we gift it to someone worthy. In the past civilization, that person was the Sage of Six Paths." Ddraig explained to the boy.

"Whoa, that sounds cool…" Naruto said, amazed again but confused as well, so he asked, "Umm… I've heard about ying and yang techniques but, what is this 'Ying-Yang Release' thingy?"

"The power of creation and destruction, it allows the user to create whatever it is on his/her mind, whether it be organic or inorganic. It also allows them to break the laws of life, such as bring people back from the Underworld, the realm where souls go after death. However, if we see that the gifted abuses this power, we remove it from them, as there must be a good reason to break the divine laws." The Red Dragon Emperor responded.

"Wow, that's cool…" Naruto said. Closing his eyes, he went through his mind for the next question and after a few moments, he opened them again to say, "Alright, what happened to me? Why does my body feels so different and why does people react so much at my presence?"

'Hehe, the moment of the truth, he will either hate me or love me after this…' Ddraig thought with a chuckle. Opening his eyes, he looked at the boy and replied, "You better prepare for what's next boy, because what I'm about to say, will change everything for you…" Seeing that the boy took some deep breaths to mentally prepare for whatever is to come, Ddraig continued after seeing his head nod, "You remember that I told you that you actually died right?" Naruto nodded and then, the dragon continued, "Well, I never brought you back to life, I granted you divinity."

Naruto was again, stupefied, 'Di-Divinity? Wh-what the!?…' Looking at the dragon, he stuttered, "E-explain please…"

"You're no longer a human, hatchling. You see, in order to grant you my power, you needed to be a god, if you were to be a regular human, every time you'd use my power you would be using your life span as well due to the fact that the essence can only be used by gods, say a rasengan made with my essence, would have been incredibly powerful yes, but it would've cost five to ten years of your life..." Ddraig said with a small sense of sadness at seeing that the boy realized what that implied, "They didn't knew, boy, your parents thought of me as a Tailed Beast, so they thought my power wasn't going to harm you." He said softly, trying to ease the boy's pain.

"It doesn't make it any easier though…" Naruto responded. Pushing his pain aside, he asked, "Is that all you did?"

"No, to grant you divinity, I needed to reconstruct your body from scratch, so contemplating our needs, I reconstructed your body as that of a dragon using my own flesh, you are now a humanoid dragon." Ddraig said, waiting on the boy for his reaction.

All Naruto could do was close and open his mouth like a fish out of the water. Regaining his composure after some minutes, he managed to say, "Dr-dragon? Bu-but my-my bo-body is the s-same…"

"That's because I reconstruct it like that, your body might resemble that of a human, but everything in you, your skin, your organs, your aura, everything is that of a dragon. Because of that, divinity was granted to you. That is also the reason people react the way they do around you." The dragon said.

After a few minutes of taking deep breaths, Naruto managed to calm himself and asked, "I don't understand how me being a dragon now affects people?"

Closing his giant eyes, the god rested his head on his frontal legs and explained, "Your mere presence screams power and authority, all dragons are divinities, so whenever mortals or most gods are around one, they get overwhelmed by our presence, you need to remember that deep inside everyone, including us immortals, we are animals that live by instinct, so when a female feels your presence, her instincts are screaming at her that you are the best mate there is, and when a male feels your presence, his instincts tell him to prove the others around his strength by fighting you. It is a gift because your mere presence could grant you anything, but it is also a curse because power attracts power, and the stronger you get in your life, the stronger the beings will be that want to test their power against you."

"So that's why they act like that, even the strongest females like Tsume…" He said, finally everything clicked.

"Yes, your pheromones are too strong, and since your appearance and age is now irrelevant to you since you can change it however it pleases you, you can become whatever you need to move on with your plans, making you more irresistible to those around you." Ddraig said to his container.

"Wait what!? What do you mean that I can do that!? Then why am I growing up normally like everyone else!?" Naruto asked confused.

Opening his eyes, the dragon god replied, "You're not, I've been controlling your growth to keep up with appearances on the outside world, you can change your looks at your wish, however, you only have two true forms, how you look now, which you could say is your human form, and your dragon form, which we'll test after you manage to unlock my winged forms."

Looking at the sand of the shore, Naruto stood there just thinking on how this changes things for him. Suddenly thinking of something, he asked, "Wait, wh-what would happen if… umm… ya know… I s-sleep with someone? W-Would it be harmful for them?"

Smirking at the boy, the dragon answered, "No, but you must know, from now on, there is no such thing as a 'one night stand' with you…" Seeing the confusion on the silver-haired teenager's face, he explained, "You see, we dragons do not care about age, species or power when it comes to mates, we care about what both will get out of the union, be it power, political standing, yes we dragons and gods also have forms of government and clans, or simply because we wish it to be. Dragons and most gods do not believe in monogamy, most divine beings possess multiple partners to gather more power, but the difference between all other species and dragons, is that when a dragon chooses a mate, the moment that they copulate, the weaker of the two suffers a change in his/her body that adjusts it to the necessities of the strongest, that way, the weaker of the two can become a good partner for the strongest, no matter the background of the weakest…" Seeing that the boy was still confused, the dragon decided to use a more comprehensible example, "Mm, think of the Inuzuka matriarch woman that you like, she is at least three times your age, right? Well, if you were to seduce her and have sex with her, since you are a divinity and a dragon, by default you are the strongest of the two, so your essence will spread the moment you penetrate her, it will make her young again to when she was in her prime, she will also gain immortality but not divinity, since that can only be given by Absolute Gods or Father, but she would also gain a boost in all of her abilities. This is so she can keep up with you and not become a weakness to you, this was developed throughout the ages due to we dragons always fighting, so our bodies adjust to the one, or the strongest of the many if you take on multiple partners, we are bound to, so our enemies won't have it easy if they decide to attack our mates."

"Oh I get it now, so I guess that the opposite will apply if I were to take on a younger lover, nah? Her body would grow to her prime and all…" Seeing the dragon nod in affirmative, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to worry so much about whoever he took as mate since she would be able to protect herself. Remembering something, he asked, "You said that I couldn't have occasional sex, why?"

"Ah, that's the catch, the moment you copulate with someone, it will bound them to you for eternity, and the strongest of the two will gain the ability to control the other, they'd be obliged to follow your every command no matter what it is, even if you command them to end their own lives, they will be obliged by your presence to do it, because the moment you bound someone to you, a part of you remains in them…" Ddraig said while looking at the boy's reaction before continuing, "Of course you could have sex with a girl and just abandon her, but while she might be able to move on and have a new life, she will remain bound to you no matter what, and knowing you, I know that even if you took on someone by accident, you will take care of them for eternity, that's why I said you can't sleep with anyone unless you're sure to also commit to them for life, because even if you can force them to do your will, mortals can do amazing things when their freedom is taking away from them, maybe even finding a way to destroy your control, so I know you would rather have their true loyalty and love instead."

"Yeah that's true, even if my ambition to unite us all is strong, I would give it up if even one of my loved ones needs to suffer for it." Naruto said, knowing that he would take care of whoever he bounds to him.

Stretching a bit, the dragon god got up and added, "You must also know that there is a big drawback in being a dragon."

"Hm? What is it?" Naruto asked while squinting his eyes.

"You are cursed now, as every dragon in existence, including me and my brothers." Ddraig said calmly.

Jumping on his feet, Naruto said while pointing at the god, "Oi! What'cha mean 'cursed', ya fool!?"

Sighing, the dragon looked at the boy and explained, "At the beginning of time, my father and mother created me, soon after me, 4 more dragons followed. Father made the three eldest of us 'Absolute Gods' to help him govern over life, while the two youngest where charged with creating the dragon species, the youngest where Arkam and Zekrom. As you might have figured it out, they are now 'Absolute Gods' as well, but that was not always the case, the original 'Absolute God of Beginning' was my second brother, Albion, my arch rival, the only one truly capable to go toe to toe against me, and the original 'Absolute God of Traverse' was my third brother, Crom Cruach. After some millennia, Cruach became unstable, he grew hungry for power and secretly granted power boosts to his six followers to stage an attack against our father, Cruach along with his followers managed to bring the first civilization of life into chaos and forced me and Albion to act, our fight was brutal and it cost the existence of the first civilization, but eventually, Cruach was defeated, but as his final act he managed to kill Albion, leaving the universe in chaos…" Ddraig then looked at the clouded sky as if remembering his battle with his brother and then continued, "Needless to say, our Father was angered as never before, and seeing that the immense power that dragons possessed was starting to become a problem, a fail-safe had to be established in us, so he created the 'Corruption Curse'…" He looked back at Naruto to give him some seconds to catch up. After receiving a nod from his container, the dragon god continued, "You see, darkness and light are living beings, they are both the will of God, they have no real intelligence, they only follow the will implanted in them, but they are as strong as God himself, so he implanted in every dragon a piece of darkness to ensure that if a dragon is to lose him/herself into his/her own ambitions, hatred, arrogance or vices, the piece of darkness sealed in us will begin the corruption process, once is done, we become nothing but mindless husks at the service of darkness. No dragon is immune to this, not even I." He finished with a serious tone.

Laying on the sand, Naruto stared at the sky and said, "So that's what you meant with your power's 'ill will', right?"

"Yes, but know this boy, you must be careful with your feelings, while right now you're not strong, you do have the potential to achieve immense power and if you lose yourself in hate, you could become as destructive as Cruach, you know why I'm telling you this." Ddraig said with seriousness to boy.

"Yeah, yeah, you mean my feelings towards my parents, Itachi and the village, I know…" The last Namikaze whined a little. Closing his eyes, he thought over everything the dragon has told him so far and asked, "So, why doing this? Why me? What is your goal?" That was the biggest question that has been pestering him for seven years.

Focusing his eyes on the boy's, the dragon god said with a stern voice, "Because, I've chosen you as my successor."

Naruto widened his eyes for a second before closing them and whined, "I shouldn't even be surprised after everything you said but, could you elaborate?" He asked.

Resting his giant head on the sand again, Ddraig closed his eyes and explained, "I'm old, hatchling, more than you can imagine, and I am tired of this job, I want to retire to Drakunia and spend the rest of my days watching the new universe from afar…" Taking a deep breath, the dragon then continued, "You see, I had already chosen a successor some centuries ago, the only human I ever considered a friend before you, he was the only one to ever be granted permission to fight alongside dragons and to call on them whenever needed, but his destiny was another one and so, it could not be. However, he did said that when the time comes I would find the one to inherit his will and dreams. I spent all these centuries looking at humans trying to find his transmigrant, until I finally found him thirteen years ago, you Naruto."

"Transmigrant!? Isn't that like, sort of reincarnation or something?..." He asked confused. Getting a nod in affirmative from the mighty beast, he then asked, "Who was this guy then? Who am I the reincarnation of?"

Opening his eyes, he locked them to Naruto's and said, "Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths."

Now that was definitely another big shock for the silver-haired jinchūriki and it showed in his wide opened eyes and his jaw practically hitting the ground. Taking some deep breaths, Naruto said, "Wo wo wo! You're telling me that I'M the reincarnation of the SAGE OF SIX PATHS!? The father of Ninshū!?..." Ddraig just nodded with a shrug like if it was nothing. Dropping on his butt, Naruto just stared at the ground, lost completely in thought. The dragon gave him time to adjust to all of this, his life was now completely different and he now knew that his actions will have a greater impact over life than ever. Knowing that this meant that he needed to get stronger, he looked at Ddraig and said with a smirk, "Sigh, So, where do we go from now then?"

'You have matured Naruto, I now see I made the right choice…' Ddraig thought with pride at seeing that the boy seemed now more motivated than ever, "Well like I said, there is still a lot to do. You may be a god, but you are not even the strongest in your village, you will have to grow first in your world, it will be easier for you to grow stronger if you focus on this ambition of yours, so from now on, you must perfect all my winged forms. First, we will work on the initial state, which you are close to perfect, then, we'll go with the two-winged form, this form grants you a by-two boost on all your abilities, mental and physically as well. Then comes the four-winged state, this one gives you a by-four boost and unlocks my true healing ability, which is faster than the speed in which you heal now. Next, is the six-winged one, it gives a by-six boost and unlocks your true dragon form, you will be able to switch between my form and yours, although, it will not be complete, you will be a small version of my true form, five metres tall more or less. Then comes the eight-winged form, gives you a by-eight boost and unlocks the 'Ying-Yang Release' gifted to you as well as half of my true size in both dragon forms. Next is the ten-winged, a by-ten boost and my complete dragon form will be unlocked along with yours, however, in order to unlock this one, you'll have to become a Dragon Sage, when the time comes, you'll go to Drakunia and train in the Sage Arts there, once you've master it, you'll be able to unlock the ten-winged form…" Opening his eyes to see Naruto, the god continued, "And finally, the twelve-winged form, this is the form that will signal your ascension and mark the beginning of your time as the next 'Absolute God of End', in order to unlock it, you will have to come to terms with who you really are and which path will you choose, whether you become the guide to true peace or the ultimate destruction of all there is, it's up to you, but before you can make my full power yours, you must answer those questions since you will have to prove that you can defeat your 'Corruption Curse'." Ddraig finished his explanation.

'Now I kinda understand Shikamaru's 'troublesome' remarks, this is too damn troublesome…' Naruto said, already feeling tired at all there is to come. Looking at the dragon, he replied, "Alright Ddraig, I will not let you down, I'll become your successor and I'll work harder than ever to achieve it!" Naruto exclaimed with fire in his eyes.

With a smirk, Ddraig thought 'Hehe, I have a feeling this kid may surpass me, we'll see…' He then looked at Naruto and said, "You better kid, only my father and mother are stronger than I, it would be embarrassing if you don't prove your strength!"

"You don't have to worry about it, scaly ball! I'll show'em all what I can do!..." Naruto said with a good guy pose before continuing, "What do I do in the meantime though!?"

"Focus on your dream to unite the world boy, it is a big ambition, but it is one worthy of my successor…" Ddraig responded. Narrowing his eyes at the boy, he then asked, "Do you even know how to achieve it?"

Looking at the dragon for good 5 minutes, Naruto squinted his eyes and replied sheepishly, "Nope."

The dragon actually face planted at the boy's stupidity. With an annoyed roar, the dragon said, "Stupid brat! Lucky you that I've been thinking on a way to do it then." Ddraig then gave him a devious smirk.

"Oi! I just graduated a week ago! I was going to plan how to!..." Naruto heatedly replied before saying, "Alright, you damn oversized lizard, what's yo plan?"

With a small huff at the nickname, Ddraig gave the boy a feral smirk and said, "Women."

Scratching below his nose in confusion, Naruto deadpanned, "I beg your pardon?"

With a low chuckle, Ddraig explained his idea to his host, "Think about it boy, females are starting to become powerful in your world, more and more there are females rising to power, make them fall for you, increase your influence around the world, make them believe in your cause. Your powerful pheromones will give you the ability to make them easier to seduce, but if you truly want them to believe in you and your ambition, you'll have to make them fall for you, but if you do it right, you'll be able to shape the events of the world at your wish."

Naruto was completely dumbfounded after the dragon's suggestion, "YO-YOU PE-PERVERTED GOD! YOU'RE LITERALLY SUGGESTING ME TO FUCK MY WAY TO PEACE, ARE YOU NOT!?" Seeing the smirk on the dragon, Naruto grabbed his hear in exasperation but thinking it over, he actually saw some truth in his words. Falling on his back, he took his hands to cover his face and said with frustration, "I can't believe such a being like you would suggest something like that! And worse, I can't believe I actually think it could work!" Taking a deep breath, Naruto sat back and said, "But how can you even expect they will be willing to share!? Women are too possessive, ya know!?"

"Yes, it will be hard, but if you seduce them and prove your loyalty to them, I'm sure they will follow you to the end, don't forget the moment you bed them, they will fall in your control, but like I said, I know you won't force them so just prove your loyalty and I believe most, if not all of those you target, will willingly follow you. Remember, they will receive immortality and a huge boost to their powers, so besides peace, they have a lot more to gain as well." Ddraig replied calmly.

"Sigh, I can't believe you actually make sense, the only way to truly unite us all would be if we are willing to work together and like you said, women are gaining a lot of power… just in the Leaf you have Tsume, the head of a powerful clan as well as Ino and Hinata who are heiresses to other powerful clans… if I manage to convince them to my ambition, we might be able to shape the world from the shadows…" Naruto said in realization at the dragon's plan, it did made sense. Naruto knew that if he were to use someone as a puppet, eventually, they'll retaliate, so the best way was to give them in return what he always wanted, unconditional love, 'My ambition will be to achieve a global understanding, but my duty, my only true duty, will be to the women I choose, my family, I will not put them in second place, I will prove them that they come first…' Naruto thought with conviction. Looking back at the dragon, he claimed, "You're right Ddraig, I will begin here in the Leaf and then, when I have a way to do it, I'll spread my influence, no, my family, to the other villages, I will not fail Ddraig, I will bring peace, but I will do it with them by my side."

'I actually believe you're the only that could pull it off boy…' Ddraig thought with pride over the boy. He then said, "Then it's settled, we'll begin looking for candidates that'll help you with your ambition while you carry out your shinobi duties. Now go, I'm tired, I've never spoke so much in my life."

"Hehe, I'm with ya there! Aight, we'll talk in the morning, see ya Ddraig!" Naruto said before focusing on the outside world. Seeing his apartment again, he stretched his legs and went to his balcony and looked at the sleeping village while thinking, 'This is my path and I will not fail, believe it…'

A/N: Well, there ya lads have it, I hope you guys enjoyed it and that Ddraig's explanation was clear enough, see ya later! Cheers!