A/N: I recently checked my stats to find that A Fox among the Hounds had reached its 1 K hit mark. I want to thank all those who have read, reviewed, and commented. So again, thanks, to all those who have helped making my fic a relative success!
If this chapter is vaguely similar of the one where Naruto meets Kakashi in A Different Path by Guardianangelzelos, sorry, because technically, any AU fic with a scene where Naruto meets Kakashi is pretty much based on the works of other AU fic authors.
A Fox among the Hounds
Welcome to the Team!
It was finally Team Assignment day, and the Inuzuka brothers were more than excited. Because it was also the day their Ninja ID's were going to be taken, Tsume had bought each of them a new shinobi outfit the day before.
Kiba had gotten a navy blue short-sleeved hoodie, a pair of dark olive green ninja trousers, and a pair of navy blue fingerless gloves. Naruto had gotten a blood-red short-sleeved jacket with a faux-fur trim, a sleeveless mesh shirt, black gloves, and a pair of khaki shinobi trousers.
After dressing in their new clothes, the boys came down to the room to find Hana busy at the stove, and Tsume reading an issue of Shinobi Daily. Akamaru and Aomaru were play-fighting under the kitchen table.
"Morning, twerps!" beamed Hana. "I hope you like soba!" She grinned as she set a steaming bowl before each of her brothers.
"I wanted ramen," Naruto pouted.
Hana's eye earned a murderous glint. "Well, you're having soba whether you like it or not!" she replied, cracking her knuckles.
Naruto gulped. "Yes ma'am."
As the brothers heartily slurped through their meal, Tsume had left the table, but not before telling the boys to met her at the Inuzuka Shrine after they ate. When they had finished, the brothers proceded with their mother's orders and went to the family shrine. They found her standing in middle of the shrine, cradling a pair of kodachi.
"Is that…?" Kiba pointed, recognizing one of the blades.
Tsume smiled. "Yes it is, runt. This is the Inuzuka family blade- the Shiroga (trans: White Fang). It was your father's and now it's yours."
"All right!" cheered Kiba. "I get a blade! Ha! Beat that Naruto!"
Ignoring Kiba's gloating, Tsume presented Naruto with the second kodachi. The blond unsheathed the blade and looked at it with a questioning gaze before sheathing it back. "I'm not worthy…" he whispered. "I don't think I deserve a blade as fine as this." Kiba stopped his teasing upon hearing his brothers's words.
"Well, I feel that you deserve it," Tsume reasoned firmly.
Naruto looked up to his mother. "What do you mean? I'm not even a blood Inuzuka!"
"Not a blood Inuzuka!?" the Inuzuka matriarch roared, fire flashing in her eyes. "Runt, you may not have been born an Inuzuka, but I'll be damned if you didn't act like one. Your actions yesterday not only proved your utmost loyalty to the village, but also saved your teacher from a terrible injustice! It's not blood that makes an Inuzuka an Inuzuka- it's the doctrines they follow. Loyalty. Trust. Courage. Honor. These are the four pillars of the House of Dogs. These are the merits of a true Inuzuka, and you runt, carry them all. Not to mention that you have found your warrior's soul- the will to fight to protect. So take it. Take the kodachi."
"Mom's right, Naruto," said Kiba, walking towards them. "We may not be linked by blood, but we're still family, and we'll always stick by you no matter what."
Emotions flooded through the blond. Before he knew it, he had run up to his mother and brother and enveloped them in a hug, tears flowing down his whiskered cheeks. Tsume and Kiba returned the hug, both equally touched by the display.
After Naruto's little episode, the brothers straightened themselves up and kissed their mother good-bye before speeding off to school with their respective ninja dogs.
"Wow Naruto, Kiba- looking good," smirked Ino, giving both boys the stare down.
"Ehh, cut it out, Ino-pig!" called Sakura, dragging her friend away. "By the way, Kiba… …um… …you look nice!"
"What! You hypocrite!" yelled the outraged blonde.
As the two girls began to bicker back and forth, Kiba looked at Sakura. She did look rather pretty in her red ninja dress and white shorts. He felt himself blush. 'What's happening? Why am I feeling like this?'
"Hey Kiba, look! There's Hinata! Hi Hinata-chan!" Naruto's voice broke Kiba out of his train of thought to wave at the approaching Hyuuga.
Hinata wore a light blue kimono top with lavender sash over a pair of white ninja trousers. As soon as she saw Naruto, a blush began to quickly form around her cheeks. Kiba noticed it, and turned to Naruto who seemed oblivious.
'Great,' he thought. 'The one girl that has a crush on him, and he's too dumb to even notice.'
Just then, Aomaru jumped out of Naruto's arms and bounded towards Hinata, yipping and jumping around her. The Hyuuga's surprised squeak caught Naruto's attention, and he went over and picked the puppy away from Hinata.
"Sorry Hinata-chan," he grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "That Aomaru gets really hyper sometimes."
Now if Aomaru could talk, he would have said something along the lines of "I was trying to hook you up, you ungrateful moron!" But of course, Aomaru, despite being the son of Kuromaru, still could not talk, so therefore, Naruto had no idea what the puppy's motives were.
"Okay class, quiet down," called Iruka as he entered the room. "Before I start with the team assignments, I would like to announce this year's Rookie of the Year." He pulled out a scroll and opened it. "And the Rookie of the Year is- Unbelievable!" he exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "For the first time in the history of the Konoha Ninja Academy, we have two Rookies of the Year. Congratulations Naruto Inuzuka and Sasuke Uchiha!"
The two boys were immediately swamped with congratulations from their fellow peers. Naruto was genuinely pleased, and though the Uchiha appeared indifferent, inwardly, he was seething.
When the general chaos from the well-wishers had simmered down, Iruka continued with his announcements. "Also, don't forget to pass by Room 201 to have your Ninja ID picture taken, and then proceed to Room 205 to meet your Jonin-senseis. Now for the team lineups. Team One…"
As Iruka called out the names on the teams, various thoughts began to race through the Rookie 9's minds.
'Man, I hope don't get stuck with the Uchiha-teme,' thought Kiba. 'He's such a prick!'
'I hope I can be with Naruto-kun,' mused Hinata, looking at the boy, and twiddling her fingers. 'Naruto-kun…'
'Chya! I'd better be in a good team!' screeched Inner Sakura.
'I hope the Hokage was logical with his arrangements," thought Shino.
'I'd better be in the strongest lineup. I will not be dragged down by weaklings,' thought Sasuke.
'Hinata-chan looks kinda red, maybe she'll feel better after I take her to Ichiraku Ramen. Yay ramen!' cheered Naruto, while sneaking an occasional glance at the Hyuuga girl.
'Tch… How troublesome…'grumbled Shikamaru, looking as peeved as ever.
'I wanna be on a team with Sasuke-kun,' Ino sighed as she gave the Uchiha a wistful look.
'I hope our new sensei likes barbeque,' thought Chouji in between bites.
"Team Seven!" rang out Iruka's voice. "Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga! Your Jonin-sensei is Kakashi Hatake."
Hinata blushed as she looked at her blond Adonis. 'Thank you.'
"All right, settle down now," Iruka's voice called out again. "Team Eight- Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka…"
Kiba hung his head miserably. 'Someone up there must really hate me.'
"…and Sakura Haruno! Your…"
"WHOOHOO!" Kiba howled doing a happy dance. "I'm on a team with Sakura!"
"Kiba," ground out Iruka. "Sit down." Kiba obeyed immediately. "Now, as I was saying," the scarred Chuunin continued. "Your Jonin-sensei will be Kurenai Yuuhi."
"Hey Naruto," whispered Kiba.
"What?" came the irritated reply.
"I'm on a team with Sakura."
"Yeah, yeah, cry me a river why don'tcha?" Naruto grumbled, embarrassed by Kiba's shenanigans.
"Team Ten," Iruka read out the last team on his list. "Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, and Shino Aburame." Ino's shoulders slumped at the announcement. " Your Jonin-sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. You are now all dismissed and I wish you the best of luck in your career."
After the graduates all had their pictures taken and met their Jonin-senseis, Naruto, Aomaru, Shikamaru, and Hinata were now the only ones left waiting in Room 205.
"Where is he?" screeched Naruto, pacing the room back and forth.
"U-um… …N-naruto-kun, I think you should be a bit more patient," stammered Hinata.
"Sorry Hinata-chan," Naruto replied sheepishly. "It's just that what kind of Jonin-sensei is three hours late in meeting his own team?" Just then, a devilish smirk came across his face as the proverbial light bulb lit over his head. "Heheheh… …so he likes being late eh? Let's see how he likes this," he snickered evilly as he propped a chalkboard eraser over the door.
"Naruto-kun," called Hinata. "I-I d-don't think you s-should do that."
Naruto looked at Hinata strangely. "He deserves it. Besides, I haven't had a good prank in a while." Aomaru yipped in agreement. "See, even Aomaru thinks so too."
"Just let him do his prank before he gets too troublesome…" Shikamaru yawned lazily.
"Yo." The door opened a crack and a shaggy grey head popped in, only to be beaned by a chalkboard eraser.
'That's our Jonin leader?' thought Shikamaru and Hinata in unison.
Naruto, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor laughing. "He fell for it! I can't believe he fell for it!"
The Jonin raised his visible eyebrow. "My first impression on this team… …hmm… I don't like you."
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru fell down anime-style. Couldn't their Jonin leader at least be a bit more tactful?
"Okay, let's move," said the Jonin, motioning for his charges to follow him.
"W-where are we going, Sensei?" asked Hinata, gathering up all the courage she could to ask the question.
The Jonin turned to the Hyuuga and gave her his infamous eye smile. "You'll see. Now follow me."
At the Academy rooftop, Team 7 was gathered around a semi-circle as they began their orientation.
"Okay…" hummed the Jonin thoughtfully. "I'd like each of you to share a little bit of something about yourselves."
"Ugh… What a drag…" groaned Shikamaru. "And what may that something be?"
"Y'know," said the ninja, waving his hand dismissively. "Your likes, dislikes, future plans, hobbies, and crap like that."
"So why don't you start?" dared Naruto.
"Okay," said the Jonin. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. What I like and dislike are none of your business…" Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata sweatdropped. "My future plan is… …I don't know… …and I have too many hobbies to mention."
By the time Kakashi was finished, the rest of Team 7 was staring at him like some sort of freak show.
"Well," said the cyclopean Jonin. "Who's next? How about you?" he asked pointing to Naruto.
Naruto jumped up and faced his team. "Hey-o, I'm Naruto Inuzuka. I like ramen, my nin-dog Aomaru, and hanging out with my friends. I don't like bullies, mean people, and traitors! My hobbies are gardening, training with Aomaru, testing different kinds of ramen, and messing with my brother Kiba. My dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever! Believe it!"
"O-kay…?" said Kakashi. 'That's the Number One Rookie? Well, he's got guts, I can see that. He still has a long way to go.' "You're next!" he chirped, pointing at the bored Shikamaru.
"Troublesome…" yawned the lazy Nara. "The name's Shikamaru Nara. I like clouds and stars. I dislike work and troublesome situations. My hobbies include cloud watching, star gazing, and playing Shogi or Go. My dream is to live the life of an average ninja, marry someone that's neither too pretty nor too ugly, have two kids- a girl, then a boy, and peacefully die in my sleep before they do."
"Well… That was rather… …detailed," Kakashi said. 'Hmph, as lazy as every other Nara male. Let's see if he inherited their legendary genius.'
Hinata was last to go. "M-my name is H-hinata H-hyuuga. I l-like…" She looked at Naruto and blushed. The blond may have been oblivious, but Kakashi caught it. "I-I… I dislike people who call others weak!" she spoke with such ferocity, startling Kakashi.
'A meek and humble Hyuuga, now that's new,' mused Kakashi. 'And she seems to like that blond Inuzuka kid,' he chuckled inwardly.
"My h-hobbies are making m-medicinal ointments and flower-pressing," Hinata continued. "And my d-dream is to become c-confident enough to change the H-hyuuga clan for the better."
"Well then," said Kakashi, clapping his hands together. "Now that we know each other, I'd like to brief you on the duties of a Genin. The life of a Genin is not exactly glamorous. In fact, you'll be performing many demeaning chores before you do anything remotely 'adventurous'."
"Oh great," snorted Shikamaru. "Chores. If I wanted to do that, I could have done that at home. Are we going to start today? Because if we are, I have a feeling that this is really going to be a drag."
Kakashi gave his infamous eye smile. "Actually today, you won't be doing anything." Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. "However, tomorrow morning we'll be doing some training instead."
Naruto could barely contain his excitement. "What kind of training, Sensei? Sparring? Water-walking? New jutsus?"
Kakashi just smiled on. "Nope, nope, and definitely no. You'll just have to see tomorrow. Meet me by the Konoha foot bridge at six-o'-clock sharp. Dismissed."
As the new Genin turned to leave, Kakashi called their attention once more. "And one more thing, don't eat breakfast tomorrow."
"W-why?" Hinata asked.
Kakashi continued smiling before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Because you'll throw up."
"Well that was weird," remarked Shikamaru.
"Even weirder than Shino?" asked Naruto.
At the barbeque grill, Shino suddenly sneezed hard, sending a bug-filled snot rocket, grossing out his sensei and teammates.
'Someone better not be talking about me.'
A/N: There you are folks! A new chapter! It was a $%# to write, but here it is! Anyway, sorry again if the meeting Kakashi part is somewhat similar to that of A Different Path, but I try my best not to copy stuff at all. But anywho, please, please, PLEASE review and comment. I'd also like some long ones, if you please.