Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Dante's Inferno, or anything else I use in this story.
Hello everyone!
Sorry this update took so long (this is something you will likely be hearing a lot from me in the future).
Before we begin, I'd like to answer a review from biofan09.
Thank you, once again, for your well detailed review. I'll keep this short so it doesn't take up to much space. Firstly, I'd like to thank you for pointing out the fact that I said only greedy people would sell their souls. I can't believe I forgot that a good person may sell their soul to help a loved one. I feel like an idiot, considering it will play an important part in the story later. I knew I was forgetting something!
Secondly, yes, I know all black clothing was probably a mistake, but this can be changed during the timeskip for the second part of this series.
Finally, thank you for being the only person to give me any ideas for Naruto's Reaper Form, or any ideas for that matter and for being the only person to admit to have wept tears of manliness during the ending of The Last.
I'd address more of your commentary, but I'd rather not take up to much space and allow the readers to get to the story. Thank you, however, for your input, and know that while I agree some sections could have been done better, I stand by my choices.
Thank you once again, for your support and I hope you (and many others) continue to review.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"Regular speech"
'Thoughts'
"Death/Demon/Angel/Summon/Other speech"
Special Weapon/Armor/Artifact
Jutsu/Spell/Other
Chapter 3: Tests & A Poorly Thought Out Plan
Konohagakure Ninja Academy:
Today was an important day. The day of the Academy Graduation Exam. The day that would decide the future of the teenagers eagerly awaiting their sensei's arrival.
Among the classroom of students, eight stood out in particular: Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, Kiba Inuzuka, heir to the Inuzuka Clan (along with his large canine companion Akamaru), Shino Aburame, heir to the Aburame Clan, Shikamaru Nara, the lazy heir to the Nara Clan, Choji Akimichi, heir to the Akimichi Clan, Ino Yamanaka, heiress to the Yamanaka Clan, Sakura Haruno, the only student not from a clan who was worth noting, and Sasuke Uchiha, the last loyal member of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha.
(Seeing as how it would take too long to explain their appearances, I'll just make this brief, they are all wearing their Shippuden outfits except for Sakura and Sasuke, who have their part 1 outfits and Sakura's hair is as long as it was in part 1.)
Each of the students were passing the time in the ways they usually did, Hinata and Kiba were talking to each other (with Akamaru chiming in every once in a while with Kiba translating), Shikamaru was asleep at his desk, Choji was eating a bag of chips, Sakura and Ino (along with all the other female class members excluding Hinata) were staring dreamily at a certain Uchiha, said Uchiha was, as ever, brooding, and Shino was…well, who can tell with him?
Almost everyone was anxious for the exam, but Hinata was unusually giddy today.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Kiba asked his closest friend.
"Oh, nothing" Hinata told him, "Just eager for the exam."
"I don't think so. Something else is going on" Kiba said, knowing his friend well enough to know something else was affecting the mood of the Hyuuga heiress.
Hinata's smile grew wider, she should have known Kiba would see through her excuse.
"You'll see" she told him cryptically.
After a few more minutes the students became silent when both of their sensei's walked into the room, Iruka Umino and Mizuki, the former of which was in a visibly good mood and the latter was wondering why the former was in such a good mood.
"Good morning class" Iruka greeted his students.
"Good morning Iruka-sensei" the class greeted. Some of them didn't quite put their hearts into it, but no matter.
"Before we get started, I'd like to make a special announcement" the scarred chunin began, "Despite being the day of the final exam and graduation, we have a new student joining us today."
The whole class (aside from Hinata) was shocked at this news, even Mizuki looked surprised by this.
'What the hell is he talking about?' the silver-haired chunin wondered.
The rest of the class were thinking along the same lines.
It was Sakura that decided to voice their collective concerns.
"But sensei, it's the final exam! Why does this guy get to join the class on the last day while we had to study for years?!" she demanded.
Iruka smiled, "Well, Sakura, this particular person was granted special permission by the Hokage to take part in the graduation exam today."
The class was stunned by this.
'If the Hokage gave this guy permission to take part in the exam without attending the academy for the same amount of time we did, this guy must be strong…or, at least, well connected. Troublesome' Shikamaru thought to himself with Shino thinking along the same lines as this, except without the whole "troublesome" bit.
Sasuke, meanwhile was irritated, 'What?! Some loser is being given special treatment, while I had to study with this stupid class and all of these annoying fangirls for years?! Why wasn't I given this option?! I'm an Uchiha!' he thought angrily to himself.
Meanwhile Iruka continued speaking, "So when he gets here we can begin."
At that moment there was a knock on the door.
Iruka smirked, "Speaking of which" he said before saying "come in" to whoever was outside.
The door opened and a stranger wearing a black trench coat with a hood hiding his features and a scepter in hand.
Everyone could feel the power radiating off of this man.
"Sorry I'm late" the newcomer said.
Iruka grinned, "Actually, you're just in time" he told the mystery man, "How about you introduce yourself to the class?"
The hooded man nodded before turning to face everyone.
"Hello everyone" he began, "Some of you already know me or, at least, have encountered me in the past. But for those of you who don't remember…"
The stranger then removed his hood, revealing and blonde man with a handsome face and three whisker marks on either side of his face.
"…My name is Naruto Uzumaki" he told them.
The whole class entered a state of absolute silence, the only two unaffected were Iruka and Hinata.
'Naruto? The guy Hinata always talked about? But she said he was dead!' Kiba thought.
Choji stopped eating, dropping his bag of chips in shock while his jaw was gaping.
Shikamaru was now wide awake, 'The guy dad said was the Yondaime's son? He's alive? How did…ugh trying to figure it out is too troublesome.'
Shino was shocked into mental silence…or maybe he was just thinking. Who could tell?
'Naruto Uzumaki? The loser that used to pick fights with me? How is he alive and why is he getting special treatment?' Sasuke wondered.
Sakura and Ino, along with the rest of the female students, were blushing at his appearance in addition to being shocked.
'That's Naruto?! What happened to the little shrimp that used to ask me out all the time?' Sakura wondered.
"Who cares?" her inner persona said, "Look at him! He's sooo hot! Much hotter than Sasuke!"
'What?! No he's not! Sasuke-kun is much better looking!'
"No he isn't and you know it! Now this is a Naruto I wouldn't mind chasing after us! Maybe after class we can talk to him, maybe get him alone and-"
'Whoa, whoa, whoa! No way! Sasuke-kun is my only love!' Sakura argued with her other half.
"As a wise man once said, 'there are plenty of fish in the sea…'"
'Not like Sasuke-kun!'
"Maybe not…but there might be one better" Inner Sakura said in a sing-song tone.
'Ugh! Just shut up!' Sakura growled inwardly.
There was no way Naruto, no matter how different he was from before, could be better than her Sasuke-kun!
…Right?
Ino, meanwhile, was having very different thoughts.
'He's alive! Naruto's alive! I can't believe it!' the blonde girl thought.
Like most of the other students Ino had known Naruto when they were younger. The difference between her and the others (besides Hinata) was the way she perceived his personality. Where others saw his goofy, stubborn, carefree, and determined attitude as annoying and off putting, she, like Hinata, found it endearing and couldn't help but smile when he yelled about becoming Hokage one day. She also thought he was cute.
She had thought about hanging out with him and Hinata so she could get to know him better but was worried about what the other children would say. She was shallow and enjoyed her popularity too much, so she joined in on making fun of him, though it hurt her to do so.
When she heard that he had been killed, it had devastated her. She had spent the time since wishing she hadn't been so afraid and that she had approached him.
'I won't let that happen again' Ino thought to herself, 'This time I'll make sure to be his friend' she looked him up and down, 'and maybe something else…' she thought, blushing brightly.
The students weren't the only ones shocked by Naruto's return.
'The Kyuubi brat? But…he's supposed to be dead, the Hokage said he was!' Mizuki thought to himself, while he kept himself from glaring at the blonde.
Iruka and Hinata, meanwhile, where enjoying the shocked expressions that adorned the faces of everyone in the room, though the latter was not happy with the female students staring at her Naruto.
The blonde himself, meanwhile, was also enjoying the surprise he had induced in the others. He was also observing the changes in the others since he had last seen them.
'Hm…Everyone looks so different, except Sasuke, he's still brooding as usual. And Ino and Sakura…wow! they're almost as beautiful as Hinata-chan!'
He was rather reluctant to admit that about Sakura. He had had a crush on her years ago but one too many hits on the head and a serious talk with Hinata had allowed him to move on. He soon came to dislike fangirls, and Sakura was a fangirl to highest degree.
For some reason, he couldn't think this way about Ino. She was a Sasuke fangirl too, but he had a much better opinion of her. Maybe because she never hit him? Or maybe because her personality mirrored his own?
Iruka cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"So, now that introductions are done, why don't you take a seat Naruto?" the scarred chunin said, gesturing to the vacant seat, conveniently located next to one Hinata Hyuuga.
"Of course" he said as he went to his seat and sat down next Hinata. The two smiled at each other before turning their attention to their instructors, ignoring the stares from everyone else.
Iruka then continued, "Now then, today's exam has two parts. First, a written exam involving basic history and problem solving for simple situations you might find yourselves in in the future of your ninja careers. The second part involves Mizuki and I taking each of you into another room individually. There, you will perform the three simple ninjutsu taught at the academy; the Transformation, Substitution, and Clone Jutsu's. If you succeed in performing all three adequately, you will pass. Now then, Mizuki, would you hand out the written tests please?"
When Mizuki didn't move or respond, Iruka turned and saw that he was still staring at Naruto, not realizing a plan was forming in his head.
"Mizuki?"
"Hm?" the silver haired chunin asked.
"The tests?"
"What? Oh right, of course" Mizuki said sheepishly as he took the papers off of the desk and began handing them out to each student.
When he gave Naruto his paper, Naruto saw an evil look in his eye as he moved on to the next student.
The blonde looked down at his test and sensed that a simple genjutsu had been placed on the paper.
'Son of a bitch is trying to get me to fail' Naruto thought to himself before he smirked, 'Shame it won't work.'
He then placed his hand on the paper and sent a wave of chakra through it, dispelling the genjutsu.
'Dumbass' Naruto thought scornfully.
After Mizuki passed out the tests, Iruka spoke again.
"Alright then, you have 30 minutes to complete the test. Begin."
With that said, the sound of pencils scratching was the only sound heard throughout the room.
Naruto glanced at his test and mentally scoffed.
'Too easy' he thought as he began to write.
A few minutes later, he finished, flipped his test over, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, meditating.
Or so it seemed.
Subtly, under his desk, he sent out the Oculus.
The, now invisible, floating eye flew towards Mizuki.
'Time to find out what's inside that tiny little mind of yours Mizuki' Naruto thought as the Oculus entered Mizuki's mind.
'With that genjutsu in place, his already slim chances of passing have decreased even more' Mizuki thought, 'Once he fails this and the second part, he'll be so desperate, he'll do anything to become a ninja. Then he'll do anything I say!'
Naruto frowned.
"He plans on using you" Kurama pointed out, angry at the audacity of the silver-haired rat standing at the front of the class.
'Clearly. But his eagerness is causing him to not think about what he's planning directly, so I can't tell what he wants, but something tells me it isn't good' Naruto thought to his partner.
"Agreed."
Naruto then had a mischievous idea.
'Look up' he mentally commanded Mizuki.
The chunin suddenly felt to compulsion to look up and did so. He saw Naruto looking at him. Naruto opened his eyes, smirked, and then winked at him before closing his eyes again.
Mizuki's eyes widened before he looked away.
'Does he know about the genjutsu? It almost looked like he knows what I'm planning…' Mizuki thought before mentally shaking his head, 'No. There's no way he knows. How could he?' Despite these thoughts, Mizuki couldn't help but worry that his plan was being undermined.
Naruto felt his worry and smirked, 'Still don't know what he's planning, but at least he's beginning to worry, that'll make him more likely to mess up' Naruto thought, with Kurama agreeing.
He decided to keep the Oculus deployed in case he learned anything else.
After several minutes Iruka called out that time was up and that the students should hand in their tests. They did so and Naruto saw the shocked look on Mizuki's face when he got a glance at Naruto's test.
One didn't need to read Mizuki's mind to know that he was swearing up a storm.
After all of the tests were turned in, Iruka then spoke again.
"Alright then, It'll take a few minutes to grade all of these, so relax, talk to each other, eat lunch if you brought any, and stay here until we return, understood?"
"Yes sensei" the class said in unison.
Iruka and Mizuki left the room and the students then began doing their own thing.
"Hinata-chan, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Naruto asked, noticing that Kiba was staring at him.
"Oh, right" Hinata said, "Naruto-kun this is Kiba, Kiba this is Naruto-kun."
Naruto extended his hand towards the Inuzuka who responded in kind and the two shook hands.
"A pleasure to meet you. Hinata-chan's told me a lot about you" Naruto told him.
Kiba nodded, "Good to meet you too, Hinata's told me a lot about you too."
"Really?" Naruto asked, looking at the Hyuuga heiress and smiling, "All good things, I hope" he said slyly.
Hinata blushed and looked away, "Th-there are o-only good th-things to s-say about you N-naruto-kun" she stuttered out adorably, poking her index fingers together.
Naruto's smile grew larger, "Thanks Hinata-chan."
Hinata nodded, blushing even more.
Kiba decided to interrupt, "One of the things she told me is that you're supposed to be dead. So how are you here?" he asked.
"Kiba!" Hinata scolded, not wanting him to upset the object of her affections.
Naruto smiled, "It's alright Hinata-chan" he assured her before looking back at Kiba, "Long story. One I will possibly share with you one day."
Kiba nodded, deciding not to pry, even though he really wanted to.
A bark suddenly caught their attention, coming from the large dog at Kiba's side.
"Right, sorry buddy" Kiba apologized, the canine being irritated that he was not given an introduction, "This is my partner, Akamaru" he told Naruto.
Naruto smiled and began to pet Akamaru, scratching behind his ears and rubbing his chest, making him extremely happy.
"Hey there bud, you the brains of the team?" Naruto asked.
"Hey!"
"Relax Kiba I'm only joking" he told the Inuzuka before continuing to pet Akamaru, "I have a pet too, so I know what it's like to have a bond like this."
Kiba perked up at these words.
"You have a dog too?" he asked, always happy to meet another dog lover.
Naruto shook his head, "Not exactly, she's…a bit bigger than a dog. She does like to play fetch though, and she loves being scratched behind the ears and having her chest and belly rubbed" he told the dog lover.
"What is she?" Kiba asked, curious.
Naruto smirked, "You've never heard of her species, I promise you" he told Kiba, "Come by my place sometime and I'll show you. Just…try not to scream and run away when you see her."
Kiba looked confused.
"Once you see her, you'll understand."
Kiba was still confused but dropped it, "What's her name?" he asked.
"Beatrice."
"That's a weird name" Kiba pointed out.
"Got it from a book I read a few years ago."
Hinata watched the exchange, happy her two closest friends were getting along so well. She knew that Kiba knew that she was in love with Naruto and was worried that that was cause a problem with him, since he had once had a crush on her too. She was happy to see that wasn't the case.
The trio began conversing amongst themselves, unaware that many others were staring at them or, more specifically, at Naruto.
They were interrupted by another voice.
"Um, excuse me, Naruto?"
Naruto looked up and saw Ino standing there, looking incredibly nervous, something that was unusual for the blonde young woman.
Now that she wasn't behind a desk, Naruto was able to see her in her stunning entirety.
And stunning was an accurate term for her. She wore a short, purple, sleeveless blouse, an open-front purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt, with short, fishnet shorts underneath. These revealed a great deal of her flawless skin, but not enough to be considered skimpy. Her stomach and legs were now visible as she no longer wore the bandages she used to. Her formerly protruding bang has now flattened against her face, covering one of her eyes and giving her a mysterious and exotic look, though it did, he noted, hide much of her beautiful face. She also replaced the warmers she used to wear on her elbows with fishnet ones and wore a pair of the same over her knees. She was no longer unnaturally skinny and had a figure and…"assets" that would make any supermodel envious.
'Damn' Naruto thought, 'She's gorgeous!'
Hinata couldn't help but glare at Ino, she and Sakura were among the two that most insulted Naruto when they were younger.
She also wasn't a fan of the way Naruto was staring at her.
"Yes, Ino?" Naruto asked wondering what she wanted.
Ino took a deep breath. She was never this nervous around Sasuke or any other guy, so why was she so nervous now?
"I…I just wanted to say that…that I'm glad you're not dead and that you're back" she confessed, blushing.
Naruto was surprised by this, he always thought that Ino disliked him.
This was good though, he was always happy to have a new friend.
"Thank you, Ino-chan, I'm happy to see you too" he told his fellow blonde with a smile.
The smile and the "chan" suffix made her blush even more.
'Chan?!' Hinata yelled in outrage in her mind, suddenly wanting to murder the blonde girl in front of her.
Ino smiled back and nodded, "Th-thanks, Naruto-kun" she told him, unaware that she had added the suffix, before heading back to her seat, happy that he didn't hate her.
She wanted to stay and talk more but she was too nervous. She would have to calm her nerves and find a way to be her usual self around her fellow blonde; the energetic, outspoken young woman she was.
When she sat back down, Sakura leaned over to her, "What was that about pig?" she asked, wondering why she was focusing her attention on Naruto rather than Sasuke.
Ino smiled at her former friend, "That…was none of your business forehead!" she said happily, confusing the pinkette even more.
Some of the other non-important male students were also confused, angry, and jealous. This guy had just shown up and he already had two out of the three of the hottest girls in class eating out of his hand (or rather, that was their opinion)!
Sasuke, meanwhile, felt something strange. He normally ignored his fangirls but when Ino started paying more attention to Naruto than she did to him, he felt a twinge of jealousy.
After a few more minutes, Iruka and Mizuki walked back into the classroom and began handing out the test papers.
Naruto already had a fairly good idea of how well he had done when he saw the hint of anger and disappointment on Mizuki's face.
Sure enough, when he received his test, he saw that he had scored 100 percent.
Judging from the expressions Hinata and Kiba had on their faces, they were satisfied with their scores as well.
"Well done everyone" Iruka told the class, "I think I speak for both of us when I say that I'm pleased with the average of this class."
Mizuki nodded in agreement.
Iruka continued, "Now, it's time for the final part of the exam, the basic ninjutsu test. When I call your name, you will follow us into another room where we will begin the test. I should point out that passing this test is a requirement of the academy. If you fail this test, you will fail the exam entirely no matter how high your written score is."
The part about failing the exam completely made some of the students nervous. Sakura, once again, voiced her concerns.
"But sensei, if this test decides everything, why bother with a written test?"
"The written test was to gauge how you would handle problems out in the field and help the Hokage determine where to place you on a team if you do pass" Iruka answered before continuing, "Now then, if you pass, you will receive your headbands and return to your seats. If you fail, you can stay if you wish, but you can also leave and go home if you wish. No one will judge you. Also, if you fail, you can sign up for another semester and take the test again next year."
"Now then, let us begin."
Iruka then began calling out student's names in alphabetical order by their last names.
The non-important students returned with either a smile on their faces and a headband, with their heads hanged in shame, or not at all, the latter two of which indicating that they had failed.
Of the notable students, Shino went first, returning with his headband silently.
Choji was next, also returning with his headband and a satisfied smile on his face. He returned to his desk and began munching on another bag of chips.
Sakura came back from her test with her headband and was positively giddy, trying, and failing, to get Sasuke's attention.
Hinata returned with her headband, smiling at her friends, who smiled back. Naruto gave her a thumbs up, causing her to blush.
Kiba returned from his test with his headband and a cocky smirk on his face.
Shikamaru came back with his headband, went back to his desk, and then proceeded to fall asleep, causing everyone to sweat drop.
Sasuke went next, returning with a headband and a arrogant smirk, with his fangirls cheering for him.
And then it was Naruto's turn. The blonde entered the empty classroom and stood before the two instructors, who were sitting behind the teachers desk.
He could feel Mizuki's hope and certainty that he would fail even without the Oculus, which was still in place.
"Alright Naruto, do you understand what's expected of you?" Iruka asked.
Naruto nodded, "Yes Iruka-sensei."
"Good. Now to begin, please demonstrate the Transformation Jutsu."
Naruto nodded and forged the hand sign needed, before a burst of smoke obscured him from view. When the smoke vanished, Naruto stood in the form of the Sandaime Hokage.
"Good" Iruka said as he began writing down the blonde's score, with said blonde returning to normal.
'Shit' Mizuki thought.
"Next, please perform the Substitution Jutsu."
Naruto made another hand sign and disappeared in another puff of smoke. When it vanished, a shocked Mizuki stood in Naruto's place.
Iruka's eyes widened and he turned to see Naruto sitting next to him.
"'Sup" he said, before swapping his and Mizuki's places again.
Both chunin were stunned. While it was possible to swap places with another person, it required considerable skill, something that only the most skilled jonin and ANBU were capable of doing, well beyond the abilities of an academy student.
Neither Iruka nor Mizuki were capable of this.
"I-impressive" Iruka said, stunned.
'Shit!' Mizuki swore again in his mind, louder than last time.
"Finally, please perform the Clone Jutsu. You need at least three healthy clones to pass" Iruka told him.
"If I know a different form of clone jutsu, can I use that instead?" Naruto asked, seeing as how his chakra levels were too high to created a regular clone.
Mizuki scoffed, "Of course you can't-"
"Yes, Naruto, of course. If you are capable of creating another type of clone, you are free to do so" Iruka said, interrupting his fellow chunin.
Naruto nodded and formed a familiar cross shaped hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted. After these words were spoken, a grand total of ten Narutos appeared in the room.
Iruka and Mizuki were now completely floored. Creating one shadow clone required a great deal of chakra and often left most of its users winded. But to create ten of them?! Inconceivable! And on top of that, Naruto didn't look the least bit tired!
"W-well done Naruto, you've successfully passed the exam!" he said still shocked but also happy his favorite student had passed the exam.
'Shit!' Mizuki practically screamed in his mind. Naruto had to hold in his smirk.
Naruto stepped forward and claimed the headband Iruka had laid out on the desk, tying it around his forehead.
"Thank you sensei" he told his older brother figure.
Iruka nodded in return.
As Naruto turned to leave, he was interrupted by Iruka.
"One last thing Naruto" he told his student, who proceeded to turn to face him again.
"You scored the highest on this part of the exam so far. However, because you entered the class on the last day, you currently have the lowest score in class with Sasuke being the highest" he informed the blonde.
"So I'm the dead last and Sasuke is the Rookie of the Year" Naruto said. It wasn't a question
Iruka nodded.
Mizuki was smirking inwardly, if he could convince Naruto that he could raise Naruto's ranking in class, he would be able to use him after all.
To his shock and disappointment, Naruto scoffed.
"Titles are for the vain, I leave narcissism to people like Sasuke" Naruto told the scarred chunin.
Iruka nodded, proud of his student's attitude. The old Naruto would have pitched a fit at this, but the blonde man before him now was calm and didn't care.
'Fuck!' Mizuki thought.
Naruto then returned to the rest of the class with a smile on his face. It wasn't an arrogant smirk, it was a smile of contentedness.
Naruto got a hug from Hinata, a high five from Kiba, and a bark of happiness from Akamaru.
Ino, meanwhile was happy that her fellow blonde had passed.
Speaking of Ino, she was the last notable student to take the test. When she returned to the classroom with her headband, Naruto smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. Ino blushed and smiled back.
Soon after this, Iruka and Mizuki stood before the class.
"I'd like to congratulate those of you who passed and say better luck next time to those who didn't" Iruka told the class, "Those of you who passed, however, I expect to see you all here tomorrow at exactly nine a.m. for your team placements, understood?" he asked the class.
"Yes Iruka-sensei" the class answered.
Iruka nodded, "Good. Now go, enjoy the rest of the day, celebrate or relax however you wish."
The students then all rose from their seats and made their way outside.
Once Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru were outside they were approached by Iruka.
"Naruto, Hinata!" he called out to them.
The trio stopped and faced their sensei.
"I'm glad I caught up to you guys" he told his students, "I wanted to take the two of you to Ichiraku's to celebrate, my treat" he then looked at Kiba, "You and Akamaru are more than welcome to come, Kiba" he offered.
Naruto and glanced at each other and smiled.
"I'm always up for ramen, how about you guys?" Naruto asked.
Hinata nodded, "That sounds good."
Kiba shrugged, "Why not?"
And with that, the four humans and one dog headed off to Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto, however, had his mind on other matters. Before he left the academy, Mizuki's mind finally revealed something concrete on what the rat was planning. Naruto heard the words "Forbidden Scroll" and "steal", and felt greed and a desire for power within Mizuki's mind.
The blonde had a pretty good idea of what the silver haired chunin was planning. There was no need to hurry, however. The only time where Mizuki could get close to his target was at night and it was still early in the afternoon. So Naruto would spend the afternoon with his friends before he set out to warn the Hokage.
He had a feeling that dealing with Mizuki wouldn't be too difficult.
Forest just outside of Konoha, later that night:
The forest that surrounded Konoha was as quiet as it normally was, aside from the sounds of crickets. This silence was broken when a certain silver haired cretin began leaping from tree branch to tree branch, carrying a large scroll on his back.
'I can't believe how easy that was! I didn't need the Kyuubi brat after all!' he thought as he moved as fast as he was able.
'Once I cross the border of Fire Country, I'll be home free. Then I'll use the scroll to become the most powerful shinobi in the world! Orochimaru will regret abandoning me!' he vowed.
Orochimaru, the rouge sanin, was indeed once Mizuki's master but he was cast aside when the snake abandoned Konoha, claiming that he was a poor informant and a waste of resources. Mizuki would have ratted out the Snake Sanin, but two things prevented him from doing so. First, he had no valuable information to share about his former master, as he was at the bottom of the chain-of-command and secondly, he was afraid of being sent to jail for aiding a monster like Orochimaru. Anko Mitarashi was given a pardon, but only because she been his unwitting pawn and had no idea of what he was planning, while Mizuki did, making him a willing accomplice.
Any further thoughts were interrupted when an invisible force sliced through the branch he had landed on, causing him to fall to the forest floor. He managed to roll on impact, stopping his fall from being painful. He looked around wildly, trying to figure out who or what had interrupted his escape.
"Someone's in a hurry."
Mizuki spun around and saw one Naruto Uzumaki step out of the shadows.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" the silver-haired man asked, wondering how the brat had managed to find him.
"Just out for a midnight stroll. What are you doing here?" Naruto answered/asked.
Mizuki then became nervous, "Oh, uh, I was uh, just heading out for a mission" he lied.
"Really?" Naruto asked skeptically, "It must be quite the mission, considering you're bringing the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing with you" he said, pointing to the large scroll on the man's back.
"What, this? No this isn't-I mean it-" he then decided to drop the act and narrowed his eyes. "Listen, Naruto, you need to get out of the way before something bad happens" he warned.
Naruto also decided to drop the act, "Like what? You killing me?" he then scoffed, "You're nowhere near strong enough."
Mizuki laughed, "And here I thought you had grown a brain while you were gone. Do the math brat, I'm a chunin, you're an academy student! You don't stand a chance against me!"
Naruto shook his head, "You're even dumber than I thought. Do you really think I could've tracked you and snuck up on you if I was as weak as you say I am?" he asked.
"You got lucky" Mizuki snarled.
Naruto smirked, "Perhaps, it doesn't take a lot of skill to outwit a dumbass like you."
Mizuki growled, "'Dumbass'?!" he yelled angrily, "Could a dumbass have snuck into the Hokage Tower and stolen the village's most valuable possession?!"
"He could, if someone convinced the Hokage to order the ANBU in the tower let him" Naruto answered.
At these words, a squad of ANBU leapt out of the shadows and surrounded the traitor.
Mizuki spun around, shocked by this turn of events.
"Did you really think that the Forbidden Scroll would be so lightly guarded? That stealing it would be so easy?" he asked before he let out a laugh, "A silent alarm went off the second you broke into the room that contained it!"
Mizuki then turned to face Naruto, "B-but why did you let me get this far?"
Naruto's smirk widened, "I figured that, with a career as pathetic as yours, you should achieve at least some level of success" he told the silver-haired fool mockingly.
Mizuki growled, but was inwardly panicking. There was no way he could fight off a squad of ANBU!
Unless…
Mizuki suddenly unholstered the scroll and held it in his hands, preparing a low level fire jutsu.
"Back off!" he ordered, "All of you! You either let me walk out of here with the scroll or I burn it!" he threatened, knowing the shinobi around him wouldn't risk damaging such a valuable piece of the village's history.
Only for Naruto to start laughing, with some of the ANBU snickering slightly as well.
"You really are an idiot" Naruto told him, "The scroll and it's container have protective seals on them to prevent them from being damaged" he informed the fool before smirking again, "You have nothing to bargain with."
Mizuki was now sweating up a storm. The only thing that exceeded his worry was his rage. This brat had made him look like a fool!
Mizuki suddenly dropped the scroll and whipped out a kunai and threw it at the blonde. The knife would have struck Naruto right in the forehead…were it not for Naruto using his scepter to swat the projectile out of the air, shocking the traitor greatly.
"I'm so glad you're resisting" Naruto told him, "Because the old man said I could take you down personally if you did."
Mizuki stared at the blonde before starting to laugh.
"You? You're going to take me down? What're you gonna do? Whack me with your cane?" he mocked.
Naruto could feel Harvest's rage at being called a cane and smirked.
"Something like that."
Suddenly, the "cane" became enveloped in dark energy and transformed into a wicked looking scythe.
Mizuki gaped at the weapon, as did the ANBU, though their masks hid their expressions.
"Mizuki, I'd like you to meet Harvest" he said, his smirk becoming a wicked grin, "The two of you are about to become very well acquainted!"
Mizuki brought out a fuma shuriken and prepared himself, "You think you scare me you little shit?!"
Naruto's grin widened.
The blonde suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Mizuki. Before the man could even turn around, Naruto swung his scythe and severed the man's legs out from under him. The traitor cried out in agony as he fell to the ground. Naruto then held the blade up to the man's throat.
The crippled rouge ninja and the ANBU were shocked at the speed Naruto had achieved.
"I do now" he answered Mizuki.
The pain the man was feeling was beyond agonizing, but he still managed to glare up at his foe.
"You…mother…fucker" he grunted out.
Naruto smirked and holstered his weapon and began to walk away.
Knowing there was no way out of this, Mizuki decided to hurt Naruto in a mental and emotional way. He grinned evilly.
"Hey" he began, "Do you know…why everyone…hates you?" he asked.
Naruto stopped and the ANBU tensed.
Before they could try to silence the traitor, Naruto turned to face him, a neutral expression on his face.
"It's because I contain the Kyuubi no Kitsune within me" he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
Both Mizuki and the ANBU were shocked by this.
He knew?
Naruto scoffed, "Your last attempt to exact vengeance upon me has ended in the same way all of your plans have today: failure" he then began to walk away again, "Enjoy your remaining days in prison before your execution."
The squad then reclaimed the scroll and restrained Mizuki (while also cauterizing his wounds so that he wouldn't bleed out) before taking both back to the village, with the silver-haired traitor cursing Naruto's existence all the way.
The Academy, the next morning:
Today was the day of the team placements, the day the students left the academy and began their careers as shinobi.
Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba (along with Akamaru) were sitting in the same seats they were in yesterday.
"Man, I can't wait until Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei get here" Kiba told his friends. He had gotten to know Naruto better yesterday while they were eating ramen together and already considered each other friends, much to Hinata's joy.
Naruto smirked inwardly.
"I doubt Mizuki will be here today" he told the dog lover.
Kiba was confused, "What makes you say that?" he asked, with Hinata also looking confused.
Naruto grinned.
"Just a hunch" he told them.
Before they could question him further, Iruka walked into the room, silencing the class.
Sure enough, Mizuki was nowhere to be seen.
Hinata and Kiba all stared questioningly at Naruto.
The blonde just shrugged.
"Good morning class" Iruka greeted his students.
"Good morning Iruka-sensei" the class said all together. Again, some of them didn't quite put their hearts into it.
"Well" the scarred chunin began, "Today's the day I look forward to and dread every year; the day my students are placed with a sensei and begin their careers as ninja. I look forward to this because of the pride I feel for each and every one of you. I dread this because this is the day you stop being my students and become fully grown adults."
The class was now listening intently.
"But before I tell you your team assignments, I have one last piece of advice for you" he took a deep breath, "The road ahead of you is going to be a long and hard one. The life of a ninja is not an easy one. There will be pain, loss, and even death. But don't let that rule over your life. When the world seems to weigh down on you, focus on the good times you will have. So make friends, find love, and have fun whenever you can. My point is, live life to the fullest, because, as a shinobi, even a genin, everyday could be your last and, even though I'm no longer your sensei, I want each and every one of my students to live a full, meaningful life, even if it may not be possible."
Most of the class was touched by their sensei's concern for them (except for Sasuke, who didn't care).
Iruka sighed.
"Alright then, now for your team assignments" he said before clearing his throat, "Team One-"
Naruto decided to tune out his older brother figure until he heard one of his friends names, or his own, being called.
A few minutes later, he heard his name.
"Team Seven will consist of Naruto Uzumaki…"
The blonde smiled.
"Sakura Haruno…"
Naruto frowned.
"And Sasuke Uchiha."
Naruto slammed his head into his desk and groaned.
Sakura cried out in joy about true love conquering all.
Sasuke was outwardly nonchalant while inwardly cringing at the thought of being on a team with one of his biggest fangirls.
Ino was upset. To her shock, it had more to do with not being on Naruto's team rather than Sasuke's.
Hinata, Kiba, and even Akamaru looked at Naruto with pity in their eyes. The beautiful Hyuuga was also disappointed with not being placed with Naruto.
"Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."
Iruka continued on to the next team.
"Team Eight will consist of Hinata Hyuuga…"
Hinata perked up.
"Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi."
Hinata and Kiba looked at each other and smiled, happy that they were on the same team. Hinata glanced over at Shino and saw him look back at her before nodding. She didn't know much about him, but Hinata was sure he was a nice enough person that she and Kiba would get along with. She was also thrilled about having Kurenai as her sensei.
"Team Nine is still in circulation" Iruka continued, "And, finally, Team Ten will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."
Ino wasn't too upset by this. While she wasn't friends with the two, her father had introduced her to them years earlier, her father and theirs having been friends for years (as well as teammates when they were younger). Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
"And that's all" Iruka said, "Now, it's time for me to go. Your sensei's will be here for you all shortly, so stay here and wait for their arrival and remember to take my advice" he smiled, "Goodbye and good luck class."
"Goodbye Iruka-sensei" the class all said at once, their hearts being into it this time.
Iruka's smile widened and, with that, he left.
A few minutes later, the sensei's arrived, one-by-one and called out for their teams to follow them, which they did.
The first of the notable students began leaving when a beautiful, raven-haired, crimson-eyed woman walked in and offered a quick smile to Hinata, which was returned.
Naruto noticed Kiba (along with most of the male students) staring at her and had to hold in his laughter.
"Team Eight, you're with me."
The Aburame and Inuzuka heirs, along with the Hyuuga heiress, stood up and followed their new sensei.
"Good luck" Naruto whispered as his saw his friends leave.
"Thanks/Thank you" Kiba and Hinata answered as they left.
A few minutes after that, a bearded man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth walked in.
"Team Ten?" he called out.
Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru (the latter rather reluctantly) stood up.
Asuma Sarutobi nodded, "Alright, follow me" he told them.
As they were leaving, Ino looked back at Naruto, who smiled and mouthed "good luck" to her.
Ino blushed, smiled back and mouthed back "thanks" as she left.
Soon after, the only people left in the classroom were Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.
Almost half-an-hour passed and the Team Seven sensei had still yet to show.
'Seriously?' Naruto thought, 'Where is this Kakashi guy?'
"Kakashi…" Kurama said in a tone suggesting that "he" knew the name, "Oh, I remember! Kakashi Hatake! He was one of your fathers genin students" the fox explained.
Naruto perked up after hearing this, 'Really? So, my father's student is now my teacher. That can't be a coincidence. Anything I should know about him?' he asked.
"Only that, whenever he has an appointment, he goes out of his way to show up at least two hours late."
Naruto mentally groaned, 'Great. Just perfect, what do I do until then?'
"You could chat with your teammates." his partner suggested.
Naruto scoffed, 'Right, the squealing fangirl queen and the conceited king of brooding. Yeah, that'll be a truly riveting conversation' he thought sarcastically.
Kurama laughed, "You're going to have to speak with them one of these days" "he" told "his" friend, "They are going to be your teammates after all."
'One of these days, Kurama…but not today.'
Kurama laughed again, "So what do you want to do in the mean time?"
Naruto thought about it for a moment before getting an idea.
'Pawn to E4.'
Kurama paused.
"What?"
'Pawn to E4' Naruto repeated.
Kurama raised an eyebrow, "Really? You want to play mental chess? Here? Now?" "he" asked incredulously.
'Why not, we've got nothing better to do' Naruto answered.
"Hmm…I don't know…"
'What, is the big bad Kyuubi afraid of losing?' he asked mockingly.
Kurama growled in annoyance.
"Afraid? Of losing? Please! In case you've forgotten, we're tied at this game at the moment!" The fox argued.
Naruto laughed, 'Let's make a bet' he told his partner, 'If you win I'll conjure up some of that Red Velvet Cake you love so much…'
Kurama perked up.
As they had gotten to know each other over the years, Naruto learned that Kurama had a bizarre weakness for sweets, with Red Velvet Cake being the fox's favorite, and had received profound thanks whenever he conjured some up in his mindscape for the fox.
"Really?!"
Naruto smirked, 'Really' he answered, 'But if I win...you have to answer any question I ask you honestly, no matter the consequences. Deal?'
"Deal!"
Naruto chuckled at his partner's cheeriness, before closing his eyes, 'Alright then. Now, as I said before, Pawn to E4.'
"Pawn to E5."
And so the game began.
It was a game that Death had suggested Naruto and Kurama play when they were bored or just wanting to pass the time, as it also helped increase Naruto's intelligence. For Naruto, it had taken awhile to learn how to play the game entirely in his head, but it was a good way to fight boredom. They could have, of course, entered his mindscape and played the game where they could see the pieces, but it was more fun (and challenging) to play the game this way.
A few minutes passed and Naruto and Kurama each took one pawn from the other.
'Bishop to C4' Naruto decided.
"How aggressive of you" Kurama complimented, "Queen to H4. Check."
'Now who's being aggressive?' Naruto smirked.
"You haven't seen anything yet. The cake will be mine!" "he" declared.
Naruto grinned at the challenge, 'King to F1.'
After another twenty minutes, Naruto heard footsteps approaching him.
Naruto mentally sighed, 'Great, now broody wants to talk.'
"Just in time to save your sorry ass" Kurama replied cheekily.
'We'll see. This isn't over yet.'
The footsteps stopped only a few feet away.
"Is there something I can help you with Sasuke?" Naruto asked, not bothering to look at the Uchiha or even open his eyes.
"Where were you?" Sasuke demanded.
"What do mean?" Naruto asked innocently.
"You were declared dead four years ago, but you're still alive. So where were you the last four years?" he asked again.
Naruto held in a smirk at his answer, "That's classified."
Sasuke frowned at being denied an answer, "The hell it is!"
"Sorry, I'm afraid so. Need to know only."
Sasuke decided to try another question, "Why were you allowed to graduate without taking the class?"
Naruto shrugged, "Don't know. It was the Hokage's decision. Ask him."
Sasuke's frown deepened at being denied yet another answer.
"You're lying. There is a reason and you know it!" the Uchiha accused.
"Do I?" Naruto asked.
"Now you're avoiding the question!"
"I am?"
"You're answering every question with another question!"
"Am I really?"
Sasuke snarled, "Answer me!" he demanded.
"No."
Sasuke stepped forward in an attempt to force the blonde to answer him…
Only to be hit by an intense wave of Killing Intent, directed only at him, so Sakura wasn't affected. Sasuke immediately fell to his knees, struggling to breath.
"Listen to me very carefully Sasuke" Naruto began, finally opening his eyes and facing the Uchiha. "I don't care who you are or what clan you were born into, you will not demand anything of me and you will not order me around. When you ask me a question, I will give you an honest answer when I choose to. Am I being clear enough?"
Before Sasuke could even answer, the Killing Intent vanished and Sasuke gasped for air.
"Now, if you want to try to be more pleasant, I may decide to answer your questions. Otherwise, go back to your desk, sit down, and be quiet" Naruto told him.
Sasuke shakily got to his feet. He glared at the blonde for a few moments before heading back to his seat.
Sakura, meanwhile, saw and heard this confrontation and saw her crush attempt to get answers before suddenly falling to his knees before being allowed to rise again.
"What did you do to Sasuke-kun?!" she demanded.
"Just a bit of harmless Killing Intent, Sakura. Nothing to worry about" he assured her.
Sakura felt like arguing more, but was afraid what happened to Sasuke would happen to her, so she dropped it.
Naruto sighed, 'Well, let's hope that settled things for the moment. Now, where were we? Oh, yes, Pawn to B5.'
Kurama smirked, "Ah, trying to lure my bishop out are you? Alright, I'll take the bait, Bishop takes Pawn."
'Knight to F6' Naruto thought.
"Knight to F3."
An hour and a half later, the game was coming to a close.
'Knight to C3.'
"Bishop to C5."
'Knight to D5.'
"Queen takes Pawn."
'Bishop to D6.'
Kurama smirked, "Oh, bad move my friend, Queen takes Rook. Incidentally, check."
'We'll see' Naruto answered, 'King to E2.'
"Bishop takes your second Rook" Kurama informed him.
Naruto ignored his friend, 'Pawn to E5.'
Kurama was confused, "Really? You've lost both of your Rooks and you're moving a Pawn?" the fox asked incredulously, before laughing, "Alright, Knight to A6."
'Knight takes Pawn.'
"King to D8."
'Queen to F6.'
"What? Seriously? That's your move? Your funeral, Knight takes Queen." Kurama smirked, "I mean, if you wanted to lose you could have just surrendered. I can't believe you wasted a move with that Pawn!" the fox laughed.
Suddenly Naruto started laughing in his mind as well.
Kurama was confused, "Huh? What are you laughing about?"
Naruto grinned wickedly, 'Look at the board again' he thought simply.
"What are you-?" suddenly "his" eyes widened, "Oh…oh you son of a bitch!"
Naruto smirked, 'Bishop to E7. Checkmate.'
"Fuck!" Kurama swore, "You moved that Pawn to stop my Queen from protecting my King!"
Naruto's smirk widened, 'Good game my friend, but you were simply outmatched.'
Kurama growled, "So you're one win ahead of me, it means nothing!"
'Your tone says otherwise' the blonde pointed out.
Kurama growled again, "Rematch!" "he" demanded, wanting that cake.
At that moment, the door to the classroom opened and a man with gravity-defying silver hair walked in, a combination of his headband and a mask covering three-quarters of his face. The arrival of this strange looking man gained the attention of the three students.
'Oh look, Kakashi's here' Naruto pointed out.
Kurama fumed, "This isn't over! I will have my revenge…and my cake!" "he" vowed.
Naruto mentally laughed at his friends one track mind.
Kakashi, meanwhile, was silent as he scanned the room, eyeing each of his genin hopefuls. His gaze lingered on Naruto longer than the others, something the blonde noticed.
Finally, he spoke.
"My first impression of you three is…" he lifted his hand up before rocking it from side to side in a motion that meant neither good nor bad, "…meh."
Sasuke and Sakura looked slightly offended.
Naruto, meanwhile, was having a different reaction.
'That voice…' he thought, 'I remember that voice from-'
His eyes widened when he realized where and when he'd heard that voice before.
Kakashi continued, "Right, meet me on the roof in ten minutes" he told the trio before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Seconds later Naruto stood up and vanished in a swirl of darkness.
Sasuke and Sakura stood there, stunned by what they just saw. After a moment the two left the room and headed towards the roof.
Academy Roof:
Kakashi Hatake described himself as a man of simple tastes. He enjoyed good food, the occasional drink…and fine literature.
Like the orange "novel" he was currently reading.
Oh yes, the cyclopean jonin was a fan of Icha Icha. In fact he was the series number one fan. This wasn't an exaggeration either, he truly was the greatest fan of the series and he would fight anyone who argued that claim on the side of the street.
For the next few minutes, however, he would be unable to finish his current page.
"You were there."
Kakashi spun around and saw Naruto Uzumaki standing a few feet away from him.
"Pardon?" Kakashi asked, trying to contain his surprise at the blonde reaching the roof so quickly and being able to sneak up behind him.
"You were there" Naruto repeated, "The night I died."
Kakashi continued to stare.
'How does he know that?'
The two just stared at each other until the two remaining members of the new team arrived.
The three students sat down and waited for their new sensei to speak.
"Well" Kakashi began, "Now that we're all here, let's start with some introductions. Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, things like that."
"Why don't you go first, sensei, to give us an example" Sakura suggested.
Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow at the strange request. Why would she need an example? Were his words not clear?
He shrugged and continued, "Alright then, my name is Kakashi Hatake, I like some things and dislike others. I have a lot of hobbies, and I don't feel like telling you my dreams" he told them in a matter-of-fact tone.
The three teens sweat-dropped.
'All we learned was his name' they all thought to themselves.
"Alright then" Kakashi said, turning to Sakura, "Pretty-in-Pink, you first."
Sakura looked offended but shook it off, "My name is Sakura Haruno, I like…" she glanced and Sasuke and giggled before becoming angry, "I dislike Ino-pig and other girls like her!" she nearly shouted.
'Meaning competition for Sasuke's affections' Naruto thought to himself.
"And my dreams for the future…" Sakura glanced at Sasuke, giggled madly, and fidgeted in place.
Both Kakashi and Naruto rolled their eyes, though to former did it internally.
'Great, a fangirl' Kakashi thought, 'If this team manages to pass, I'll have to find a way to beat that out of her or she won't last very long on any serious mission.'
"I notice you didn't say you disliked Naruto" Inner Sakura told her counterpart.
'He's sitting right there' Sakura pointed out, annoyed.
"So is Sasuke, but that didn't stop you from gushing about your fantasies about him. Besides you never had trouble insulting him to his face before he left" Inner Sakura pointed out.
Sakura frowned, 'Well…maybe I'm trying to be a better person' she suggested.
Inner Sakura rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, sure you are" she said sarcastically.
Before Sakura could respond, Kakashi gestured to Sasuke, "Okay, Prince of Darkness, you next."
Sasuke ignored the comment and spoke, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There aren't many things I like and plenty of things I dislike. I don't have any hobbies. My ambition, and that is what it is because I will make it happen, is to restore the Uchiha Clan" he face then darkened, "and to kill a certain man."
'Gee, I wonder who that could be' Naruto thought to himself sarcastically.
'An avenger, just as I thought' Kakashi thought, 'He's got it bad. If he doesn't find a way to control his hatred, it'll end up consuming him.'
The cyclopian jonin then turned to Naruto.
"And last but not least, Whiskers. Go."
Like Sasuke, Naruto ignored the comment and spoke, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like my friends, ramen, training, my weapon, my pet, my job, and a certain furball" Naruto held in a smirk when he heard "Fuck you!" from inside his mind and a feeling of satisfaction from Harvest.
The others were confused by the last three likes.
Naruto continued, "I dislike arrogance, bigotry, stupidity, treachery, the time it takes instant ramen to microwave, and fangirls."
Sakura felt a bit hurt by that last comment but shrugged it off.
"My hobbies include training, meditating, reading, and learning new jutsu. As for dreams" he shrugged, "I haven't thought that far ahead" Naruto finished, satisfied he didn't reveal anything he shouldn't.
'He's changed a lot in the time he was gone' Kakashi thought, 'but he's hiding something. What did he mean by his "pet" and "job"? And "furball"? Is he referring to the fox? Is he communicating with it somehow?' he wondered and thought. He also noticed that Naruto didn't say he wanted to be Hokage someday as his dream. What caused him to change?
Kakashi then noticed his students were waiting on him to continue, "Okay, now that the introductions are out of the way, meet me at the Third Training Ground at seven a.m. for your team test."
Sasuke and Sakura were confused, while Naruto just thought, 'I knew it wasn't that easy' to himself.
Sakura voiced her concerns, "But sensei, didn't we already pass our test?" she asked.
The silver haired cyclops shook his head, "Nope, the academy test was made to weed out the weak. The real test takes place after you're placed on a team. That's when I test you three personally to determine whether or not you have what it takes to make it in the shinobi world. If you pass, you become official genin and if you fail, you get sent back to the academy" he said, giving them a strange smile expressed only through his visible eye.
Sakura looked worried at these words.
Kakashi continued, "So, to recap, introductions done, meet up at the Third Training Ground at seven a.m., and your future depends on your success" he told the teens, making Sakura even more nervous.
The jonin then prepared to depart, "Oh, and one last thing" he told his prospective students, getting their attention, "Don't eat breakfast tomorrow or you'll throw up" he told them giving them another strange "eye-smile" before vanishing again.
Naruto stood up and turned to the others, "Bit of advice" he told his teammates, "Show up a nine and make sure you eat something before you get there, you'll need the energy" he advised them before leaping off the roof and landing on the ground below before beginning to walk home.
The two remaining teens stared after him before Sasuke started to leave with Sakura following him.
Streets of Konoha:
Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha thinking about the test the next day.
'I wonder what he has planned' the blonde thought to himself, 'It can't be something to complex if it's designed for genin hopefuls. Will we have to fight him? He's years ahead of us so that wouldn't make it fair…of course hardly anything is fair in the shinobi world. Still, I wonder…'
"Kakashi likes to make himself seem mysterious and complicated, but he's really a simple guy" Kurama told him.
'How do you know that?' Naruto asked.
"That's what your mother thought of him after she got to know him and your father agreed" the biju informed him.
'Right, I forgot she was your container before me' the teen remembered, 'But how does this help me?'
"Kakashi's test might seem complicated but the goal will be clear for someone who is observant."
Naruto smirked, 'Someone like me?' he asked.
"Exactly."
Naruto then noticed the passing villagers giving him shocked looks and whispering to themselves.
'The hell are they looking at?'
"Did you remember to put your hood back on?" Kurama asked.
Naruto felt the top of his head and realized that his hood was not up.
'Fuck me' he thought, 'With all the excitement I completely forgot' he panicked before shrugging, 'Ah the hell with it, they would've found out sooner or later. I just hope none of them try anything stupid, I have neither the time nor the patience for it.'
Suddenly, Naruto sensed something and instinctively reached up and caught the stone that had been thrown at his head, not even looking in the direction the stone was thrown from.
Everyone on the street froze.
'God dammit' Naruto thought.
He knew this was going to happen eventually, that the villagers would try something once they found out he was alive. Now he was going to have to scare these people into leaving him alone or, at least he would scare those present and hope they spread the message.
He was probably going to get in trouble for this, but he no longer had the patience for this kind of bullshit.
Naruto held the rock up to his eyes and stared at it.
"Who threw this?" he asked quietly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.
There was no response.
Naruto then looked up and towards the crowd of villagers, glaring at them.
"Who threw this?!" he asked again, shouting this time.
No one said anything.
Naruto sighed, "That's how you want to play it? Fine" he then spoke louder, "I'm going to count to ten. If the person who threw this rock at me doesn't step forward, I'm going to be very irritated."
Silence.
"One. Two. Nine…"
At that moment, someone stepped forward. A civilian man, with no outstanding features.
"I did it" he said, trying to hide his fear.
Naruto had to applaud the man's bravery. He stepped towards the civilian.
"And why" he began, "did you do that?"
The man took a step back.
"B-because y-you're…you're…" he was unable to finish.
"Because I'm the Kyuubi made flesh?" Naruto asked.
The crowd was startled by this. He knew?
The man gulped, "Yes" he answered.
Naruto was silent for a moment before chuckling, which soon evolved into full blown laughter, scaring the crowd even more.
"Let me see if I understand this" Naruto said after his laughter stopped, "You believe me to be the Kyuubi no Kitsune, a being that can shatter mountains and cause natural disasters with a flick of its tails and your plan…was to throw a fucking stone at my head? Is that right?" he asked.
The man visibly gulped and nodded.
"Doesn't sound like a very smart plan when I say it out, does it?"
The man shook his head.
Naruto suddenly grabbed the man's shoulders. The crowd froze, waiting for the inevitable death of their fellow citizen.
The man clenched his eyes shut and trembled, awaiting his death…but it never came. Instead, he felt the hands that had grabbed him brush his shoulders off before straightening his shirt.
"There we go" Naruto said, "Now you look much better."
The civilian was now as confused as he was terrified.
Naruto gave him a confused look.
"What's wrong?" he asked, "You look tense. You're not scared of me are you?"
"N-n-no" the civilian stuttered out.
Naruto shook his head, "Of course not, why would you be? We're both honest, decent, Konohagakure citizens, right?"
"S-sure."
Naruto grinned, "Good, that's good."
The man flinched when Naruto stood to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"I don't know about you, but I think we're getting along splendidly, don't you?" Naruto asked.
The man nodded.
Naruto's smile widened, "Good. Now that we're friends, why don't we introduce ourselves? My name's Naruto, what's yours?"
The Civilian said nothing, to scared to speak.
"Now, now, it's not polite to withhold your name when someone has given you theirs" Naruto told him, "Rudeness like that makes me very upset. You wouldn't want your new friend to be upset would you? Because it would be a real shame if I were to become upset. So I'll try again: my name's Naruto, what's yours?"
"M-masao" said "friend" stuttered out, "M-my n-names Masao."
Naruto smiled, "Do you have any family, Masao?" he asked, "A wife?"
He nodded.
"What about children?"
Masao nodded shakily, "A s-son" he answered.
"How old?"
"H-he just turned four."
"So young" Naruto said, "You must be very happy."
Masao nodded, "Y-yes I am" he told the menacing blonde.
"That's good" Naruto said before continuing, "You should enjoy the good things you have. You never know when something…unexpected may happen to the people you care about. Or when unfortunate accidents may occur" he said, "Like when you attack someone you shouldn't have and they decide to pay a visit to your family" he said darkly, "Understand?"
Masao nodded frantically, understanding the threat.
"Excellent!" Naruto said before letting the frightened man go, "Now run along home now", he said patting the side of the man's face.
Masao then stumbled away before running as fast as he could.
Naruto nodded, "Good man."
He then noticed the other villagers still staring at him, afraid and confused.
Naruto smiled and began tossing the stone he held up into the air and catching it over and over again.
"You know" he began, catching the stone and gripping it firmly, "I'm normally a very patient person, but when someone throws things at me, or spits at me, or assaults me in any way, well, it just makes me so MAD!" he said shouting the last word and shattering the stone in his hand, startling the crowd.
The blonde opened his hand allowing the dust to slip from it, to be carried off by the breeze.
"I'm sorry" he told the crowd, "I not usually one to lose my temper, but even I have limits" he then became serious, "Let me explain something to you. These last four years, you all believed me to be dead…and you were partially correct in that."
The crowd was confused by this. Naruto continued.
"The child you once used as a punching bag did die on that night" he explained, "The young man you see before you is quite different. No longer will I allow myself to be attacked or simply run away from you. If I am attacked, I will defend myself, using lethal force if I have to."
The crowd became even more nervous from this.
"So the next time you consider assaulting me or stealing from me or defacing my home, remember this…" he held out his scepter and the crowd gasp as it transformed into the most insidious-looking weapon they had ever laid eyes on.
"I have a very long memory" Naruto promised them, "I remember everyone who has ever raised a hand against me and it wouldn't be to challenging to find out where each of you live" his glare increased, "Where your families live. Do we understand each other?"
The terrified crowd understood the threat clearly: Leave him be or they and their families would suffer.
"Judging from your expressions, I'd say we understand each other perfectly" he said, his scythe transforming back into a scepter, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have training to do."
And, with that, he left, leaving a terrified crowd behind.
'Hopefully, that takes care of that' Naruto thought.
"That was so hot" Kurama whispered.
'You say something?'
"I said, 'well done'!" the fox answered quickly, blushing.
'Thank you' Naruto said, oblivious to his partner being flustered.
Any further thoughts were interrupted by a loud roar that tore through the village. Given the history of the village, it was unsurprising when several nearby villagers ran away, screaming in fear about the Kyuubi returning, though, if they paused to think, they would have realized that this roar was different from the great fox's.
Naruto sighed, "Damn it Beatrice" he whispered.
"She's getting upset again" Kurama informed him.
'I thought the wide open space and local wildlife around the manor would distract her' he sighed again, 'Guess not.'
"You know the villagers are going to complain about this, right?"
'Of course they will' Naruto answered, 'In the meantime, I'm going to have to go home and have a long talk with her.'
"You complain, but you know you love her" Kurama reminded him.
Naruto smiled, 'Yeah, I do. She's my little princess.'
And so, he headed home, readying himself for a long talk with his little girl.
Uzumaki Clan Manor, later that evening:
After returning home, Naruto had a long talk with Beatrice about keeping quiet and not drawing attention to herself. After he was certain he had gotten his message across, he gave her a belly rub and played fetch with her for a while. He then spent the rest of the afternoon training. He had just entered his home, shirtless and sweaty (with Kurama secretly ogling him), ready to take a shower a relax for the rest of the evening before turning in early for the test tomorrow.
He was about to follow through with this plan when there was a knock on the door.
"I wonder who that is" Naruto asked aloud.
He answered the door and was surprised to see a familiar cat-masked, purple-haired ANBU waiting for him.
The blonde smiled, "Neko-chan, it's been awhile" he greeted cordially, "How are you?"
He didn't know her real name, or even what she looked like behind her mask, but Neko was one of his ANBU guards as a child, and the one he was closest to. Where most of the others had been silent and stand-offish, she had been kind and caring, in her own, professional way.
Neko bowed in greeting, "Greetings Uzumaki-san, I am glad to see you are alive and well" she greeted, looking him over.
The adorable child she had protected was all grown up now and had grown into a handsome young man. He muscular, sweat covered chest drew her gaze and she secretly blushed.
If he were a little older, and she younger…
But, no. She was already in love with someone else, someone who loved her as much as she loved him.
"Earth calling Neko" Naruto said, noticing her staring at him, "Are you receiving, over?"
Neko blushed more, "Apologies Uzumaki-san, you've just changed so much since last we met" she answered, semi-truthfully. She also noticed that he had a few more scars since last time.
Naruto grinned, "Should I tell your boyfriend you're leaving him for a younger man?" he asked, knowing him since he was an ANBU guard for him too, one with a wolf mask, who was also kind to him.
Neko rolled her eyes, "In your dreams blondie" she told him, taking a break from being formal.
They both laughed briefly before Naruto spoke again, "As happy as I am to see you again, I take it you aren't here just to visit."
"I afraid not" she informed him, "The Hokage requests your presence in his office."
Naruto sighed, "I don't suppose he told you why, did he?"
The purple haired ANBU shook her head, "He did not."
Naruto sighed again, "Okay then, let me shower and change and I'll head out with you."
Neko nodded, "Very well" she agreed.
Naruto headed inside, showered, changed, and gathered Harvest in its scepter form and returned.
"I'm ready, let's go."
The masked woman nodded and the two left, with Naruto having an idea as to why he was being summoned.
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And done!
Sorry everyone, no Codex for this chapter.
Not much excitement in this chapter, but the next will involve a meeting with the Konoha Village Council and the Team Test, where Naruto will give his new team a taste of what he can do.
Still, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and will leave a review.
Until next time, this is Intimidator1323 signing off!