Naruto: Titan of Defense
A/N: I'm back! Sorry it took so long everyone, my week has been HECTIC! Now, people have been asking me about the harem... CHECK THE FIRST PAGE! those girls are in and THAT IS ALL. Please do not ask for more or ask that people be taken out. Those reviews will be summarily ignored and burned to make delicious smores! Now, Let's see whats happening in our little hero's life then neh?
"Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit." by Elbert Hubbard
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own OC's and ideas.
Genin Exams and Team!
Naruto was walking to the academy smiling in his mask like normal. Still, he was actually happy for once. Today were the genin exams and the first time he would drop his mask around his classmates. He was still wearing his orange jumpsuit, but he would soon change out of that when he passed the exam. He was going to really show his abilities when the time came. He could fight off a decent Chunin now. His resistance seal was at level 4 and, when removed, would let him be about as fast as a high level Jounin, granted he couldn't fight at that level just yet but he was making steady progress. His seals were ingenious and he smiled as he remembered all the work he had done in making sure he could make the seals in midair with his finger. It had taken him a good month of pure chakra control to let it happen but it was combat ready.
His ninjutsu consisted of Kage Bunshin and Shunshin, those being the only ninjutsu that Hikari could teach him and Anko wasn't allowed to teach him legally so he never asked to ensure that their relationship remained a secret. That didn't mean that, when they were alone, she didn't tease him mercilously with Hikari happily aiding her in making the blonde haired boy blush like mad. They loved to creep up behind him while he was working on a seal and snuggle his head into their breasts trying to make him guess which girl was holding him. Surprisingly, he got it right 90% of the time.
He sighed as he walked into the academy. Hikari had asked to leave the seal for about a month 3 weeks ago for some reason she refused to tell him claiming that it was a secret. He had acquesced when she had kissed him silly. Still, He was worried about her. They had been together since his birth and he felt empty without her around. He had grown used to her advice and suggestions and was missing it terribly. Anko was good for ninjutsu and Taijutsu but seals were beyond her. She had kept her promise not to show her destroyed curse seal to her friends but that would be null and void come tomorrow.
He walked into the classroom and sat down at his desk. He noticed the blush on Hinata's face, thanks to his girls' constant teasing he now knew that she liked him. Too bad her image of him would shatter soon enough. He sighed and leaned back in his chair waiting for 'his' Sakura-chan to come in. He would need to keep up his act around the students except when he acutally TOOK the tests. He was pretty sure that Shikamaru and, maybe, Shino would pick up on the change, but he doubted anyone else would.
He noticed that the room filled up and Sasuke sitting in the chair next to him making him mentally curse up a storm. 'Damn Uchiha! He knows that Sakura and Ino are gonna kick me out of this seat!' Naruto thought as he heard rumbling coming from outside the academy and, then, down the halls.
Akamaru whimpered and ducked into the hoody that Kiba was wearing, while covering his ears. Kiba's eyes widened and he yelled, "HIT THE DECK!" before he dove under his desk and covered his ears much like his cannine friend.
Suddenly the door burst open and two girls were standing in the doorway. (A/N: Unless I say otherwise all characters have their pre-Shippuuden outfits.) Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were both stuck in the doorframe glaring at one another heatedly while screaming at the top of their lungs about fighting for 'their' Sasuke-kun. Naruto mentally rolled his eyes and prepared for his grandiose performance of liking the pink haired banshee. Honoestly, he couldn't stand her and had only picked her because he KNEW she would refuse him constantly and wuld not create trouble with the villagers thinking the 'demon brat' had a girlfriend. Anko and Hikari don't count, their too strong to fall to such ignorant bigots.
Naruto smiled as they tumbled into the room and quickly got up to help 'his' Sakura-chan to her feet. "Lemme help you Sakura-chan!" Naruto said loudly as he rushed down the stairs and purposefully tripped and collided into the swirling mass of limbs that was Ino and Sakura. That earned him a double punch, one from Ino and one from Sakura.
"I don't need your help dobe!" Sakura said rudely and quickly stalked off to continue arguing with Ino about seating arangements around the Uchiha. Naruto just kept his mask up and stood up before making his way to a nearby seat.
Iruka and Mizuki walked in not even a minute later and Iruka used his patented "Big Head No Jutsu" to shut everyone up. "Good now, we will begin the Genin Examinations. The first part is a written test on aspects of a shinobi's life and history of Konoha. The second part is a taijutsu spar between either myself or Mizuki-sensei in which you must last at least three minutes or land a decisive blow. The third part is a weapons accuracy test in which you must throw ten shuriken and ten kunai at varying targets with more points for distance and accuracy. The final part will be a showing of the three academy Jutsu's in order to show you are proficient in its use. If everyone will remain quiet, we can begin." Iruka said as he passed Naruto a paper. He never noticed the scowl on Mizuki's face as he did so.
Hokage's Office: Same Time
Many aspiring Jounin sensei were gathered in the Hokage's office to view their potential students. Anko Mitarashi, Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi, just to name a few, were watching with some interest, although Kakashi was still reading his book. Anko was watching because Naruto was there and she could notice that he was blazing through the test like it was a bowl of ramen. Kakashi was watching the 'Last Uchiha' as ordered by the stuck up civilian council, not that he minded watching over someone he believed was his responsibility. Kurenai was paying special attention to the Hyuuga heiress and Asuma was mostly eyeing Kurenai with a few peeks at Shikamaru.
Sarutobi cleared his throat gaining the people's attention. "You are all here today to observe the graduating class at the academy. I hope you can all make wise choices in your teams this year." he said before returning to spying on the students.
Academy: Taijutsu tests
Naruto was sure he had aced the test, although he kept up his act and took the full time alloted for the test. Now they were moving on to something Naruto was sure wouldn't be a problem... if he didn't get Mizuki. He was not blind to the subterfuge and tricks to make his stance or skills worse throughout the year. He could also tell that Mizuki had something sinister planned because he kept eyeing Naruto like he was the Forbidden Scroll or something.
They went down the list of applicants and Naruto sighed at the horrendous display that the civilian kids, not to mention (shudders) the fangirls, put on during their turns. The shinobi kids were a different story, for the most part. Chouji thoroughly won his match with a hit on Iruka at 2 minutes and 48 seconds. Kiba did slightly better at 2 minutes and 39 seconds. Shikamaru, surprisingly, lasted the three minutes as did Ino and Sakura. Hinata was too timid to outright attack Mizuki so she lasted the full three minutes without a single hit on her. Shino lasted the three minutes, but that was more due to his family style which revolved around dodging and blocking instead of attacking.
Naruto counted the remaining students and mentally cursed. Sasuke was next and it was Iruka's turn, that meant Mizuki would be Naruto's sparring partner. He sighed as he watched Sasuke get a hit on Iruka after 1 minute and 37 seconds. 'Great, my turn with Mizuki-teme.' Naruto thought bitterly. He ran out to the field and turned around to smile at Sakura. "Hey Sakura-chan watch me!" He yelled, only getting a glare in response.
Mizuki smirked at Naruto thinking of the ways to make him fail. Naruto nodded to him before slipping into his own personal style the Uruken (Backfist style). Mizuki's eyes widened a bit before his grin grew. 'If the demon is trying a new taijutsu style out, he'll be even EASIER pickings than before!' Mizuki thought as he started the spar and ran full bore at Naruto. Naruto smirked and began to move around Mizuki's hits like they were nothing.
The class was stunned! It had been nearly a minute and even Iruka was staring in shock. Mizuki was obviously going full out and he STILL couldn't touch Naruto. Naruto, from his perspective, was disappointed. 'THIS is the calibur of a Chunin of Konoha?' he thought. Mizuki's taijutsu was high-genin at best, and this was supposed to be his best area! He was sorely missing his training with Anko right now.
Two minutes later and Iruka finally called the match saying that the time limit was up. Mizuki stopped but he was panting hard while Naruto looked only slightly winded. Most of the students figured that Mizuki went easy on him while only three believed differently. 'I a-alwa-ays knew y-you were st-strong Nar-ruto-kun.' Hinata thought while blushing. 'Hmmmmm his grades do not reflect accurately on this performance. Mizuki-san was not holding back and Naruto-san looks barely troubled. I should have suspected this outcome considering my new hive.' Shino thought as he reflected on the new colony he had recieved via Naruto Uzumaki. (Hold your horses folks this will be explained later!) 'This is too troublesome to think about but Naruto is stronger than he seems.' Shikamaru thought before going back to watching the clouds.
Naruto walked off and yelled something obnoxious, causing many to reaffirm that the 'dobe' got lucky. Naruto simply cackled in his mind and looked into the air before shooting a thumbs up and a smile. The intended recipient, Anko,chuckled in the Hokage office. 'So he know's we are watching eh?' The Kunoichi thought and check the surroundings. It seems no one else noticed.
Back with Naruto, He lined up for the accuracy test and stayed mostly silent while keeping up his 'happy and innocent dobe' mask. He, again, mentally sighed at the poor scores from the civilian kids, most who joined for either glory or the Uchiha (mostly girls). Naruto payed attention when the clan heirs and Sakura, whom he cheered for, took their tests however. Shikamaru scored a 6 on both, the minimum to pass. Same case with Chouji and Kiba. Hinata was 7/10 for Kunai and 6/10 for shuriken. Ino and Sakura both BARELY passed with a 6 on both. Shino, however, got a 9 on the Kunai and a 7 on the Shuriken.
When Sasuke stepped up and recieved his Kunai and Shuriken, Naruto noticed that it was one of the best sets around. He scowled mentally and scoffed as he watched the Uchiha smirk and show off. He threw five of the shuriken wide and then threw the last five with such force that he altered all of their paths right into the bullseye. That got a squel from the fangirls and a grumble from Chouji and Kiba. Sasuke picked up the Kunai and threw them one by one but he only got a 9/10 on that. He turned around and smirked confidently before heading off to brood on his own.
It was Naruto's turn and he wasn't in the mood to show off anymore of his abilities, his taijutsu being showcased already. He grabbed the Shuriken and, one by one, hit the bullseye on the farthest ones, scoring a perfect 10/10. As the class went silent and Iruka congratulated Naruto, He picked up the Kunais and proceeded to repeat this act. Another 10/10 for the Kunais!
Everyone's jaw dropped. The 'dobe' had scored a perfect on the Taijutsu and the Accuracy tests now. That just DID NOT happen. Shino was curious until his logical mind thought of the solution, 'So you took the Shinobi's code of Deception to its finest. Well played Naruto-san, I hope to see more from you.' he thought. Hinata was mentally drooling over a strong Naruto and Shikamaru still thought this was too troublesome.
Hokage Office: Same Time
The Jounins, hell even the Hokage, were shocked. Naruto Uzumaki, the dead last of his class, had just won the Taijutsu and the weapons accuracy tests. Anko suddenly busted out laughing. Everyone focused on her even as she started crying and then weezing from their stares. She knew the real reason for Naruto's strength and it was just too funny to see all these hypocrytical bastards getting a taste of sweet revenge.
Kakashi was actually paying attention and spoke up. "Hokage-sama, are we SURE that nothing is influencing him?" He asked.
The Hokage furrowed his brows but it was Anko who answered. "Man, for the guy who coined 'see underneath the underneath' you sure don't take it to heart huh?" she asked.
All eyes turned to her, "Please explain yourself Anko." Sarutobi said, fishing for information.
Anko mentally chuckled but kept a poker face on. 'Looking for info? I guess I can indulge you a bit.' she thought. "Whats the first sentence in the shinobi handbook?" she asked.
The Hokage arched an eyebrow and replied, "A shinobi's best and most reliable tool... is... deception!" He replied figuring it out.
Anko chuckled aloud this time. "That's right. Now, whats the best way to ensure that no one thinks your a threat?" she asked.
Kakashi spoke up this time and replied, "Underestimation." He said figuring out where she was going with this.
She clapped. "Good one-eye. Naruto Uzumaki is KNOWN as a prankster who can outrun and HIDE from ANBU. Really did no one see through this before?" She asked curiously. The crowd was silent. Suddenly, she busted out laughing just like before. She wiped a tear from her eye. "You really think the DEAD LAST can outrun ANBU? Kami People, you really are dense." She said offering no more information.
Sarutobi rubbed his temples. 'Great, just great. If he's hiding more, Could he be in contact with Kyuubi! This is a serious breach and I need to make sure that he's still loyal to Konoha.' He thought.
Suddenly Naruto's voice rang out through the Jutsu used to display the exams and everyone looked to see him standing outside alone and looking to the sky. "I know your watching Oji-san and I know that Anko-san has probably spilled that I hid my abilities. Keep watch on Mizuki, I think he's up to something. Have a good day Oji-san." he said with a chuckle at the end as he walked inside.
The room grew silent until Sarutobi spoke again. "Anko-san, you are to watch Mizuki for any signs of deciet or traitorous acts starting now. Leave the room once the exams are over and tail him." He ordered. Anko nodded and everyone turned their attention back to the exams.
Academy classroom: Ninjutsu tests.
Naruto walked in just as the first person was called into the back room to begin the final examination. He took his seat and cheered when Sakura came back out of her test. 'Kami I can't wait to pass this test so I can drop this STUPID mask!' Naruto thought to himself. 'Although, I know Oji-san is going to speak to me about this, probably even make sure I'm still loyal to Konoha. Even if he believes I am, he's still going to put someone on my team who can "control" me if I let Kyuubi-chan out. Good thing I gave Shino that bug, he may prove useful.' Naruto thought. What most people didn't know was that Naruto was on good terms with Shino, and most of the Aburames, so he doubted that Shino would hurt him if something happened.
"Naruto Uzumaki." Iruka said. Naruto smiled brightly and jumped up to take the test. He ran down the steps, tripping at the bottom to ensure that his mask was still ironclad, and scratched the back of his head nervously as he entered the exam room. Iruka smiled at him, along with a fake smile from Mizuki, and said, "Alright Naruto, you need to perform a Kawarimi, Henge, and a Bunshin technique to pass this portion. You can also show an additional Jutsu for extra credit."Iruka said, gaining a nod from his favorite student. "Ready?" He asked.
Naruto nodded again and promptly switched with a chair when Mizuki hummed an eraser at his head. He switched back and Iruka said, "Henge into the Third Hokage please." Naruto nodded and performed the Jutsu. Iruka and Mizuki checked it out, Mizuki taking a full minute longer than Iruka, before declaring it "passable" from Mizuki and "Great" from Iruka.
"Now please perform a Bunshin." Iruka said. Naruto raised his hand like he had a question causing Iruka to raise an eye. "Yes Naruto?" he asked.
"Can it be any Bunshin or does it have to be the illusionary ones?" He asked.
Iruka thought for a second before grabbing the rulebook and skimming through the pages. "It states here that any Bunshin may be used if the user has too much chakra to support the illusionary one." Iruka replied. Mizuki scowled mentally and simply stared closely at Naruto.
Naruto smiled and said, "Thanks Iruka-sensei. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) and 5 Naruto's stood smiling brightly at a stunned Iruka and a scowling Mizuki.
Iruka stammered out a "Y-You Pass Naruto! But, How did you learn a Kinjutsu!" he asked.
Naruto chuckled. "I watched some Dog masked ANBU do it in a training field one time and memorized the handseals thinking that I might be able to do it instead of the regular Bunshin, since Kage Bunshin costs far more than the regular one." He answered.
In the Hokage tower, Sarutobi was glaring at Kakashi because he had been so careless. Anko was mentally chuckling and everyone else was stunned. Naruto had learned to do a Kinjutsu just by seeing it done once! Impressive.
Back with Naruto, Iruka handed him a headband with a giant smile and Naruto yelled an "ALRIGHT!" He smiled brightly and ran out the door to show off his new Hitai-ate. Most of the students were stunned but Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino all had their own thoughts, mostly positive ones. Naruto smirked as the teachers came out and dismissed them telling them to be back tomorrow for team assignments.
Naruto promptly ran to Ichiraku's and began to pig out on Ramen, courteous of Teuchi and Ayame. He was able to eat 10 bowls before an ANBU showed up and said that the Hokage had summoned him to his office. Naruto sighed and nodded his head before paying for his dinner and leaving with the ANBU.
Hokage's Office: Naruto's Ninjutsu exam time
Sarutobi had finished glaring at Kakashi and nodded to Anko, who had taken her leave to spy on the academy teacher. He turned back to the aspiring Jounin sensei and said, "I will now take suggestions and requests for students." He said. He nodded to Kakashi, who had the most senior rank among them and he stood up.
"I request Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki for my team." He said before sitting back down.
Sarutobi frowned. Because of Naruto's performance, he knew he couldn't accept that team because it would be far too overpowered. Besides, that he knew that Naruto needed someone who could control the Kyuubi, now more than ever, if his skills were better than before. Sarutobi couldn't have a Kyuubi-fied Genin running around now could he? He nodded and said, "Noted."
Asuma stood up next and said, "I'll take the next Ino-Shika-Cho team." He quickly sat back down, being the lazy man that he is.
Sarutobi nodded and a few of the other Jounins stood up and requested Sasuke, but were summerily denied. Finally, Kurenai stood up and said, "I request Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka for a tracking team." She said before sitting back down. Only one person had not gone and that was because he didn't want to be here, but was ordered to due to certain... talents of his.
Sarutobi sighed and then took another hit of his cancer pot (you know! his pipe!). He thought for a few seconds more before he nodded his head in agreement with himself. "I see all of your teams as acceptable according to the current scores of the Genin but we must wait for Iruka before we finalize this." He replied to them and so they waited.
Not five minutes later, Iruka walked through the door with the test results. He held them up and, with a nod from Sarutobi, began to raddle off the scores. All of the civilians, minus Sakura, passed barely but would be weeded out with the real Genin exams. "Shikamaru Nara: 60.1% overall, pass, Chouji Akimichi 62.8% overall, pass, Kiba Inuzuka 68.5% overall, pass, Ino Yamanaka 73% overall, pass, Sakura Haruno, 73.2% overall, pass, Hinata Hyuuga 89.3% overall, pass, Sasuke Uchiha 98.4% overall, pass, and Naruto Uzumaki, 100% overall, pass."
The Jounins were quiet until Kurenai spoke quietly, "What was Uzumaki's score again?" She said.
Iruka smirked, "A 100% perfect score Kurenai-san. Naruto seems to have progressed immensely." He replied.
The Sandaime furrowed his brows and sighed, "Thank You Iruka. Would you like to stay for team placements and , perhaps, offer some insight into who would work well together?" He said.
Iruka nodded and replied, "Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka would not work well together, same with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Chouji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara would work well with any of the other students, as would Hinata Hyuuga. Kiba Inuzuka is a bit brash but he is loyal to a fault. Shino Aburame would work well with any logical teams, other than that, I have no suggestions Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi nodded. "Good. In that case," He looked to the Jounins, "Your requests are being mostly altered, you will be given teams that could work well together." He said. The Jounins did not look happy but held their tongues out of respect for the old Hokage. "Ah before I forget," He snapped his fingers and an ANBU stood next to him, "Please bring me Naruto Uzumaki, he will likely be at Ichiraku Ramen." The ANBU bowed and disappeared.
He looked back to the Jounins. "Now, Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake, will be Sasuke Uchiha, Chouji Akimichi, and Kiba Inuzuka. Team 8, led by Kurenai Yuhi, will be Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shikamaru Nara." He said getting surprised looks from many. Kakashi was a bit surprised but noticed the hard hitters/ hunter team he was given and shrugged as it suited his style.
Kurenai, on the other hand, was a bit perturbed and spoke up. "Hokage-sama, what am I supposed to do with that team?" She asked.
Sarutobi sighed again. "Kurenai, Hinata has the Byukugan, Shikamaru is actually a genius, as are all Nara, with a shadow bind, and Sakura is supposedly ripe for a Genjutsu mistress. tell me, what could they excel in?" he asked.
Kurenai thought for a moment before bowing her head. "I apologize Hokage-sama. They could be a perfect Ambush team, They could do well with infiltration as well, if their planning and stealth abilities work out." She replied.
The Sandaime waved off the apology and said, "Now, since that's cleared up, Team 10, led by Yamato, will be Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Aburame, and Ino Yamanaka."
Yamato, a man who was very stoic sighed as he guessed this was going to happen. He knew why he and Shino were being placed on Naruto's team and he was pretty sure that Ino was being placed because she was an expert in the human phsyche, as was all of her clan, so she would notice... quirks about Naruto that may escape even shinobi. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He said.
Once the teams were announced, The ANBU showed back up with naruto who smiled brightly at Sarutobi. "Hey Oji-san, did you like the show?" he asked.
Sarutobi chuckled and replied, "It was most entertaining Naruto. I hope you will tell me how you did it."
Naruto grew serious and stared the Hokage straight in the eye, "When you come clean, I'll come clean." He countered. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees and several of the Jounins began to grow nervous and tensed, getting ready for a battle. Naruto sighed and the tense atmosphere lessened, "So, you gonna start grilling me or gonna ask Ibiki-san to do that for you?" he asked almost jokingly.
Sarutobi laughed, "No No. Still, I am curious as to how you kept hidden all this time and how you knew Mizuki was up to something." He replied.
Naruto sighed before he sat down in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk and kicked up his feet. "People hate me Oji-san. If I showed what I could really do, even with sabotage in the academy, then people would get more violent or even get the council involved. I'm not stupid Oji-san, I can tell that people fear me, although I don't know why. As for Mizuki, well, he's been eyeing me like Orochimaru would when he gets a new little but buddy." He said.
THAT threw even the Kami no Shinobi for a loop. Still the Sandaime chuckled before he grew serious, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. People are ignorant and can't see what their missing. Mizuki is being tailed by Anko as we speak so thank you for the tip." he replied.
Naruto nodded, "Ya whatever, don't apologize for them Oji-san. So, whose my Jounin-sensei when I pass the real Genin test?" He asked.
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, "So you knew about that too." He sighed and looked into the crowd, secretly looking to Yamato who nodded his head and stepped forward. "This is Yamato, he recently quit ANBU and wanted to become a Jounin sensei." He said.
Yamato nodded to Naruto who nodded back and said, "You seem level headed. It'll be a pleasure working with you. If that's all Oji-san, I'm gonna go celebrate some more."
Sarutobi nodded and Naruto shocked them once again as he Shunshinned away in a flash of dark black powder that was swept out of the window. The Sandaime looked sadly at where the boy once sat. No child should have to hide their abilities in fear of being persecuted even more. He sighed and dismissed the Jounin who all left their old leader to his paperwork.
Timeskip: That Night
Mizuki chuckled as he lept through the rooftops with the Forbidden Scroll in his hands. He chuckled mentally, even though he couldn't pin it on the Kyuubi brat, he would be able to hide out with Orochimaru-sama supporting him. He burst through the treeline and landed on a branch, which he immediatly abandoned as it blew up the second his foot left the branch. He landed in a clearing and immediatly started to scan his surroundings.
Suddenly, a Kunai came out of the brush and scratched his cheek. Mizuki's eyes widened as he realized just WHO was chasing him. "Anko-san, I'm taking this scroll back to your master, why would you stop me?" Mizuki asked, never let it be said that Mizuki was a good judge of character.
Anko burst out of the bushes with a fire in her eyes. "That BASTARD was NEVER my master!" She roared as she advanced on an unsuspecting Chunin.
Warning! The scene of torture and removal of manly parts was so gruesome that the author has censored it for the viewers sanity. Thank You.
Anko skipped happily into the Hokage's office as the ANBU dragged away a mutilated, yet still alive, Mizuki. She smirked at the Hokage and said, "Mission acomplished."
Sarutboi smiled, "Good work Anko-san. I'll have Ibiki take care of him." He replied.
Anko smiled again and said, "Well, if thats all, I'll be going then." She turned around to leave when Sarutobi spoke again.
"Just a moment, Anko-san." He said. She turned around and he motioned to the chair in front of his desk. She took it quietly a little curious as to what he needed to speak with her about so late in the night. "I would like for you to tell me everything you believe Naruto-kun is capable of." He said seriously.
Anko frowned, "Just ask him yourself. I don't keep THAT close a watch on him. I simply knew that the boy couldn't be the dead last they say he is if he could outrun and hide from ANBU like that." She replied.
Sarutobi matched Anko's frown, "Please don't lie to me. I can tell that you know more than your letting on." He countered.
Anko sighed and glared at the Hokage, "I won't betray his trust willingly Hokage-sama. I CAN tell you, he's probably about Chunin level right now. Other than that, I won't elaborate without his permission." She replied, hoping to satisfy the Hokage and Naruto.
Sarutobi stared at the Kunoichi for a moment before sighing and nodding in acceptance. "Fine, I have kept a secret from him long enough, I guess he can keep his for a little while." He told her.
Anko glared again, "And when do you plan to tell him about his burden? Its obvious he doesn't trust you now so why not tell him the reason WHY he's hated. All you do by keeping it from him is hurt him more." she said.
Sarutobi glared back and caused Anko to back off, "He will be told when it becomes necessary and not a moment before. He needs to have as normal a life as possible before he is saddled with that responsibility." he replied.
Anko sighed and looked at the Hokage, "He's never had a 'normal' life and you know it! Still, I won't press the issue as it isn't my place. I won't tell him anything either but I still stand by what I said earlier." she said before walking out of the office.
Sarutobi took a long draft from his pipe and sighed, 'She has a point but the boy must be loyal to the village before he learns of his burden.' He thought as he headed home for the night.
Next Day: Naruto's apartment
Naruto smirked as he woke up and did his morning routine. Today was the day he showed just how strong he was. He did one last check over he body when he noticed something in the mirror. He took a closer look before his eyes narrowed intensly. There was a complex seal on his back! As quickly as he noticed it, it started to fade away. "O No you don't!" Naruto said loudly as he summoned a few stasis seals from the seal on his arm and slapped them on each of his shoulders and right above his waist. (box formation on his back)
He glared at his reflection as he tried to get a clear view of it but was severly hampered because he had only one mirror. He sighed and thought for a second before snapping his fingers as he figured it out. He quickly unsealed a few more stasis seals and some ice seals he had made. He activated the ice seals and formed a sheet of ice that reached from the ceiling to the floor and quickly slapped the stasis seals on. He took a Kunai and carved a smooth surface on the ice and smiled at his handiwork. He grabbed a small stool nearby, that was usually used when he washed his back, and proceeded to examine the seal.
It took him a good half hour to decipher it but was pissed beyond belief at what he found. It was complex alright! It held a loyalty seal, ensuring that any traitorous thoughts would be correctly steered into nothingness, a seal not unlike the caged bird seal that would allow the user to kill him should he ever decide to betray the village or if someone felt he got out of control, and last, but not least, a summoning seal, like the ones usually used in the Chunin Exams, with the Kanji for Root on it.
Naruto was LIVID. How could Oji-san do this to him! How could the kind old man put a seal that could potentially be used to kill him if the haters in the village found it! How could... (Mental Tire screech!)... 'That's not Oji-san's style at all.' Naruto thought destroying his previous train of thought. He took a closer look at the seal once again and noticed the "Root" symbol connected with the summoning seal. 'Root? There's no organization like that in Konoha.' Naruto thought.
He was about to continue when he noticed the time and a knock on his door. He had about an hour to get ready for the academy and he had a sneaking suspicion as to who was at the door. He sighed and pulled on some baggy black cargo pants before he answered the door.
Anko stood in the doorway with a Dango stick in her hand and smirked at her "master's" attire. "Trying to show off to me Ruto-kun? How sweet!" she said sweetly.
Naruto rolled his eyes and let her come in. She noticed the giant seal on his back but ignored it considering who he was. "Whatever you say Hebi-hime." Naruto replied with a smirk as he went towards his bedroom.
Anko's smile just got wider, "So I'm a princess now huh? You sure know how to compliment a girl Ruto-kun!" She countered.
Naruto stepped into his doorway and turned his head to look at her. "Sure you are, only princess's could get away with child molestation and not getting punished." He replied before he disappeared into his room. Anko went red faced. She knew he wasn't old enough for adult matters but his maturity often blinded her to the fact that he was supposed to be a 12 year old boy. She took a seat on the busted up couch and picked off another Dango from her stick.
Naruto emerged about five minutes later with black shinobi sandals, his black cargo pants, a tight black muscle shirt and a black trenchcoat with golden flames licking the bottom and the edges of his sleeves. On the back of the coat, the Kanji for "Defense" was emblazoned in gold. All in all, he struck an imposing figure considering he had sculpted muscles all over his body.
Anko whistled in appreciation. "Nice Naruto-kun. You look good." she commented.
Naruto smirked, "Thanks Anko-chan." He thought for a second before adding, "Say is there an organization called Root in this village?" He asked.
Anko's face turned grave. "Naruto, how do you know about them?" she asked seriously. Naruto sighed and proceeded to explain the seal he found. When he reached the part about the summoning seal, Anko started swearing profusely. She eventually calmed down enough to respond, "Root is a secret organization founded by Danzo Shimura during the third shinobi war. It was supposedly disbanded but everyone knows he is still running it off the books, with secret political backings. He almost always opposes the Hokage in his choices concerning you and he believes every shinobi is a weapon, the best being an emotionless one." She answered him
Naruto frowned deeply, "It seems me and the old man have something to discuss. I don't want to trust him but, if what you said is true, I don't want to be associated with Danzo at all." He said.
Anko nodded, "Good choice Naruto-kun." She looked at the clock and chuckled, "You may wanna hurry your supposed to be getting your team in three minutes." She told him.
Naruto glanced at the clock, "SHIT! GOTTAGOBYE!" he said loudly before he Shunshinned to the academy. Anko chuckled and shut his door before heading out to the interogation department.
Academy: Classroom
The newly minted genin were sitting happily chatting about their soon to be exciting lives... oooo someone forgot to tell them the horror of D ranks. Naruto arrived exactly one minute before the bell would ring. He walked through the door and many people stopped and stared at the so called "dobe" of the class. Many were surprised and Sasuke, being the emo brooder that he is, said, "Even if you change your clothes, your still a dobe, dobe."
Naruto looked at him blankyl before he simply headed up the stairs and sat next to Shino. He was saved from any further comments because Iruka walked in. Naruto kicked back and relaxed as Iruka started on a speech about the duties and privileges of being a Gennin of Konohagakure. He noticed a bug crawling across his desk and smiled softly. He put his finger next to the bug and allowed it to climb on. He looked to Shino who nodded and the bug flew back to the boy.
Naruto smirked and perked up as Iruka started to call out the teams. "Team 1... Team 7 Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, and Chouji Akimichi led by Jounin Kakashi Hatake." This earned several loud wails from the girls in the room. Sakura was ready to stand up and yell and scream till she got her way, until Naruto blasted her with enough KI to make her go rigid for awhile. Iruka noticed but simply shrugged it off having been informed by the Sandaime about Naruto's change.
"Team 8 Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga and Shikamaru Nara led by Jounin Kurenai Yuhi." Sakura was quiet, Hinata was silently happy and sad, happy to get her sister figure as a teacher and sad to not have her love interest. Shikamaru simply muttered a troublesome under his breath and went to sleep. Naruto looked to Shino, they both seem to come to the same conclusion.
"Team 9 is still active so we go to Team 10 Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Aburame, and Ino Yamanaka led by Jounin Yamato." Iruka said finally. Ino's jaw was on the ground. She was stuck with the dead last and the bug boy! Shino and Naruto simply nodded to one another again and went back to being silent. "Your Jounin sensei should be here soon please wait patiently for them." Iruka said before he picked up the papers and headed out.
Naruto simply turned to Shino and said, "It will be a pleasure working with you Shino-san."
Shino nodded and replied, "Likewise Naruto-san. I have yet to thank you for that new queen of mine."
Naruto frowned slightly, "If you wish to thank me, meet me after our team meeting for a private talk." He said. Shino nodded and they silently waited for their third member or their sensei to introduce themselves. Five minutes later, two people walked in. (Yamato is the Mokuton user for those who have trouble placing him)
"Team 8 with me." Said the raven haired beauty. The members of team 8 silently rose and went after her.
"Team 10 please follow me to the roof." The emotionally challenged man said. The members of team 10 quietly shuffled out to the roof. They spread out and Yamato spoke up, "Alright I am Yamato. My likes include plants, my friends, my village, and Sushi. My dislikes are traitors, snakes, experiments, and genjutsu. My hobby is gardening and I don't have a dream for the future I'm willing to share. My abilties include Mokuton techniques and a mixture of water and earth style ninjutsu. Please introduce yourselves in the same manner." He said before pointing at Ino.
Ino sighed and said, "Ino Yamanaka. My likes are plants, my family, purple and ribs. My dislikes are bigots, rapists and perverts. My hobby is gardening as well and my dream for the future is to be a strong clan head for the Yamanaka clan. My abilties are my clan Jutsu which allows me to take over a persons mind." They all nodded, although they were surprised about the lack of "Sasuke-kun" in that introduction. Yamato pointed to Shino next.
Shino nodded and continued, "I am Shino Aburame. My likes are my family, friends and bugs. My dislikes are hypocrites, bug haters, pesticides, and traitors. My hobbies include communing with my hive minds and discovering new types of bugs. My dream for the future is to have more hives than my father and to be a strong clan head. My abilities are my bugs which eat chakra or flesh to live" His teammates nodded and everyone looked to Naruto.
Naruto nodded as well and said, "I am Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are my friends, seals, and ninjutsu. My dislikes are genjutsu, traitors, rapists, most of the civilian populace and perverts. My hobbies are training, reading and gardening , somewhat. My dream for the future... I honestly don't trust you enough to share that. My abilties include a personalized Taijutsu style and the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. I won't reveal more sorry." That earned a frown from Ino and stoic faces from Shino and Yamato.
'How can he not trust his teammates?' Ino thought, slightly offended.
'His abuse must have been more than I thought, and I wonder if I have to worry about his interest in seals.' Yamato thought.
'It would be logical to assume that he has trust issues given his situation in the village.' Shino thought as he remembered the few times he had seen Naruto outside of the academy, and the glares and hate he recieved for an unknown, and therefore illogical, reason.
Yamato nodded, "Very well. I wish to ask you all a question. There is no right or wrong answer, simply answer in your honest opinion." he said gaining the attention of the genin. "If you were given a test where you had to get a bell from your teacher by noon in order to become a genin, and there were only two bells, what would you do?" he asked.
Naruto thought for a moment before he looked to his teammates and motioned them to come closer. Shino immediatly closed the distance and Ino, although reluctantly,quietly followed suit. They began to whisper quietly, and Yamato decided to let them give him a plan so he could test their planning skills, seeing as they already passed the teamwork test he had planned to give.
They all nodded and Naruto stepped forward, "We would work together to get the bells and then tell the sensei that he had to pass all of us or none of us because there has never been a two genin team in Konoha, barring off-duty rosters when a teammate dies." Naruto answered.
Yamato chuckled, "Very well, you pass. Tomorrow we will meet at Training Ground 10 for our first training as a team. Please be there at 8 AM and be prepared to work." He said before he disappeared in a Shunshin.
Ino quickly made her way to the stairs and out of the building. She had nothing to speak to her teammates about. Shino turned to Naruto who smirked at him and said, "Now Shino-kun, we have much to discuss you and I."
A/N: I'm done! AND CLIFFHANGER MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You will have to wait till next chapter to find out what Shino's little helpers are capable of. Now, Please read and Review and... ah man I'm too tired to make something funny so I hope you will forgive me. Have a good day all!