A/N: Okay, yes, I do realize that this is out really late despite that I started writing it right after posting the last chapter! But please don't eat me! I really tried to get this out before exams and all the end-of-the-school-year hassle, but quite frankly I failed! It was only made worse when I got a small case of writers' block! No worries though, that's all behind me. School is over and my days have opened up a bit, even if I'm taking Latin and Japanese (awesome right?) classes this summer. Expect to learn at least a few Japanese phrases throughout my story. For those of you who bother to read these authors' notes, I'd like to know how you'd like me to translate said phrases? Before every chapter in the authors' note, after the chapter, or in the chapter itself wherever it's being said. I'd like to know because I know that it can get annoying to scroll up or down to find out what something means but it can also ruin the flow of the story or the mood itself when the sentence is interrupted like that.

In this chapter:

baka ka = a**hole

tamagoyaki = rolled omelets (yum!)

ON WITH THE STORY! ^^

Chapter Ten

The Hokage figured it would only go downhill from there.

Where exactly?

Well he was currently sitting in his office, intently watching the events that were occurring in the forests of Konoha through a crystal ball only he could use. At the moment, the image in the crystal portrayed a betrayed and hurt looking Naruto leaping through the trees beside his furious female friend – Hatake Mari. Even he, the Hokage, hadn't known that Mizuki had planned on betraying the village to gain power. It just wasn't a thought that had ever crossed his mind.

"This is not good," He said to himself, his hands clasped before him and his gaze remaining unwaveringly on what the crystal showed him. "Mizuki has a big mouth. He made Naruto feel so bad… worse than he's ever felt. It could unleash the power inside of him! If Naruto keeps tampering with the scroll the seal that locks the Fox spirit inside of him could be broken and the beast could come out. If that happens…I fear for us all."

"Naruto, everything Mizuki said was a lie!" Iruka shouted to his student as he caught sight of Naruto speeding ahead of him, jumping ninja style through the tree branches at top speed. Mari was now nowhere to be seen. "Give me the scroll! Hurry! He's coming after you to take it away!"

Naruto landed on yet another branch and braced to launch himself at Iruka, pretending to prepare to jump to the next branch. Jumping up he caught the sensei off guard, causing him to slam to the ground painfully. Naruto landed not far behind, skidding across the ground with the force of his momentum and only barely managing to stay upright. He was uncharacteristically quiet.

"It's can't be," Iruka voiced. Naruto, completely exhausted backed up against a tree and slid to the ground, holding the scroll securely in his arms. "How did you know Naruto? How did you know-?" The sensei canceled the Jutsu, revealing his true identity - Mizuki. "That it was me and not Iruka?" Naruto smirked, still panting from the exertion, canceling his own Jutsu to reveal his true identity.

"Because I'm Iruka."

Mizuki stood at this, not allowing himself to be impressed.

"You're a fool," The traitor ninja stated. "Why are you protecting that freak? He's the one who wiped out your family." Neither of them knew that the real Naruto was hidden behind a tree close by, hearing everything that they said. Mari was seated behind him, arms wrapped around his shoulders in a supportive hug, clutching the trembling boy to her in hopes to relieve some of his pain. Her face was buried between his neck and shoulder and Naruto clutched one of her hands, which was draped across his shoulder, like it was his lifeline as silent tears slid down his face.

"I don't care what you say," Iruka countered. "You're not getting your hands on that scroll."

"As if you could stop me," Mizuki taunted, unknowingly irking Naruto in the process. "Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me."

"How's that?" Iruka inquired, daring the white-haired traitor to compare his character to that of his student.

"He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and then destroy everything!"

"You're right," Iruka-sensei said, taking Naruto off guard and causing him to gasp. 'So it's true,' The young ninja-in-training thought. 'Iruka-sensei never believed in me. He thinks I'm some beast, some kind of freak!' Mari tightened her hold on her friend. How could he say that about Naruto? He was like an older brother in Naruto's eyes! A father even!

"That is how beasts are," Iruka continued. "But that's not how Naruto is. He's nothing like that." Naruto's eyes widened in shock and Mari looked up at him in surprise. "Naruto's one of a kind. Works hard, puts his whole heart into it. Sure he messes up sometimes and everyone jumps on him but his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong. He's nothing like the Nine-tailed Fox. He's Naruto Uzumaki of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."Iruka's words were so strong and so much kinder than any Naruto had ever heard before. He had no idea that Iruka-sensei thought that much of him and it caused his silent tears to stream down his face with new purpose: happiness. He was finally being recognized.

Mari smiled a small smile as she witnessed Naruto change before her eyes. She let him go as the two of them stood and peaked around the tree at the two sensei's – one a friend and the other a traitor.

"Huh, you really believe that for real? Iruka I was going to save you for later but I changed my mind. You're finished!" Mizuki shouted, taking out his second shuriken and spinning it, charging at Iruka. Suddenly a blinding neon orange flash came out of nowhere and crashed into him, sending Mizuki flying through the air and the shuriken off into the trees. Naruto landed neatly and stood with the scroll securely in his hands.

"Not bad for a little punk," Mizuki spat as he got up and turned to look at his attacker.

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei" Naruto began in a murderous voice, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Such big words; I can completely destroy you with a single move!" Mizuki claimed, raising a fist before him. He seemed confident but Mari knew he wouldn't be for very long.

She hated that she couldn't do anything to help. With Naruto's new jutsu, he'd become even stronger still, she would just get in the way. God damn it! Why couldn't she just be good enough? Why couldn't she be as good as Naruto no matter how hard she worked? Was the band really taking away that much time from training? She never got a chance to continue the thought as the events in the clearing caught her attention once more.

"Take your best shot baka ka! I'll give it back to you a thousand fold!" Naruto raged with shaking fists clenched at his sides.

"Let's see you try! Show me what you can do brat!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. With an enormous cloud of smoke hundreds of clones surrounded Mizuki, on the ground and in the trees, all wearing identical confident smirks. Iruka looked around, shocked at what Naruto had done.

"Wha-what is this?" Mizuki cried as he tried backing up. It was no use, he was completely surrounded.

"If you're not coming" One of the clones started.

"Then we're gonna come after you!" Another finished.

Mizuki, distracted by the powerful jutsu Naruto had performed, didn't see Mari's attack coming until it was too late.

"Ember Spitfire Jutsu!" She was taking a risk at blowing her cover so she knew she would have to make this count. She'd be damned if she wouldn't at least try to help. Letting the chakra build up inside her chest and throat to an almost painful degree, she made the last seal and began spitting fireballs at the terrified chuunin, one after another. It took all of her control to not let all the chakra she had built up out at once, but seeing the traitor dance on his toes to avoid the attacks was worth it. Once her jutsu was finished Naruto jumped in, a wild grin on his face. Mizuki's shouts echoed throughout the woods for the next half hour.

"Heh, heh…heh," Naruto smoothly chuckled, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, guess I kinda got carried away. You okay Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, noticing that the whole time he had been sitting against the tree silently.

"Yeah," Their teacher replied. He's amazing. He wants to surpass all of the Hokage and I'm starting believe he might do it. That jutsu that Mari performed was pretty impressive too, even if it could use some work. There's no telling what the two of them can do if they put their minds to it. Iruka smiled. "Naruto, come here a minute. I've got something I want to give you."

Mari glanced back at the unconscious Miyuki. It wasn't like she enjoyed hurting people; actually it was quite the opposite. She didn't like unnecessary fighting but Mizuki had messed with one of the people she cared about. She couldn't let him get away with it.

Ocean-blue eyes narrowed at the pathetic sight, Mizuki lying on his back with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth courtesy of a spectacular right hook thrown by one of Naruto's clones. Truth be told, she was a little shaken. How could Mizuki have done that anyway? He was an Academy teacher! Why would he do that?

Mari turned away from the defeated traitor, head hanging in worry. She had a feeling there was something about Mizuki that she didn't know, something important. It didn't add up…

For now though, she'd put that aside. The most important thing about tonight… or this morning really… was that Naruto… had finally graduated!

Mari, of course, was dead on her feet. Normally she was a morning person, and proud of it, but that was only after she had received a good few hours of sleep.

Once Naruto had been proudly awarded Iruka's old leaf headband and proclaimed a ninja of Konoha, sensei and friends had parted, each returning to their respective homes in expectation of the next day. By the time Mari had gotten back to her house all the way on the other side of the village, she had hell to pay with her dad.

"Where the hell did you go last night?" Her dad stood in the doorway, visible eye narrowed and arms crossed as he leaned coolly against the door frame.

Mari's eyes popped wide open despite her wariness. Her dad just dropped the "h" bomb on her… she was screwed.

"Ah… well you see… Naru-kun came by last night-" Kakashi didn't give her a chance and stalked right up to her, his aura authoritative and intimidating.

"And you two broke into the Hokage's house and stole the Sacred Scroll of SEALING? What were you thinking? That's no prank Mari! That's theft! That's a law you broke!"

"But-"

"No 'buts'! You're grounded!" Her jaw hung slack and her eyes were wide in shock. This was totally unfair! Why wouldn't he even listen to her side of the story?

"No band practice, no parties, no anything."

"WHAT? But-!"

"Don't. Argue. With. Me." His eye narrowed to a single dark-grey slit and she nodded numbly.

She and her dad had never fallen out with one another. He was always willing to at least listen to her side, always.

She looked away before she turned to walk up the stairs, not saying a word. His stare burned shamefully into her back the entire way and she couldn't help but feel that his actions were justified. She had just up and left in the middle of the night only to get wrapped up in a trap set by a traitor sensei and ninja of the village with her trouble-making best friend, Naruto. No doubt Kakashi had been one of the many ninja summoned to track them down that night.

It wasn't right that she was so weak, that she had so little control over her chakra that she couldn't even create adequate fireballs to complete the jutsu sealed away in the secret scroll. It wasn't right that her father should have to worry and get upset over her. She should be stronger, better, Naruto's equal. No one recognized just how strong he really was but her and Hinata. She had to catch up to him… then she would train till she dropped to be like her dad… and make him proud of her again.

"Mari! It's time for lunch! I made grilled fish and tamagoyaki!" Kakashi called from downstairs. He felt bad about what had happened earlier that day. He'd over-reacted a bit, but what parent wouldn't? When he heard that she had fought with a Chuunin he'd feared for her. She was only barely and Academy graduate while Mizuki – the damn traitor – was a respected Chuunin entrusted with the education of ninja-in-training. Anything could have happened and the news sent him spinning from quiet, trusting speculation to unreasonable, parent-hood induced anxiety over the safety of his daughter.

Muffled taps sounded overhead and moved towards the stairs… but they were coming not from Mari's room, but the room on the other side of the house – the room both of them normally used for indoor training when the weather got bad.

The room itself was a bit small but it was filled with targets, dummies, weights, and other training equipment that could be useful during indoor training. What could she be doing? Training? Hadn't she been up all night already?

"Be right there, Otou!"

'That's weird… what's wrong with her? She loves grilled fish, she'd normally have been down here by now…'

He'd always thought it was rather peculiar that Mari chose to not eat any meats but seafood. She claimed that fish and other meat were different. Because she practiced pescetarianism, he'd taken to eating more fish himself than other meats when at home as well.

Just then, Mari trudged downstairs, looking like she'd just taken a swim in the river. She was obviously exhausted if the circles under her eyes were anything to guess by, but Kakashi decided not to ask until she was sitting down and eating. She hadn't come down for breakfast earlier either, which was unhealthy for an aspiring ninja.

"Hey dad," she sighed, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a bottled water. "Thanks for fixing lunch." He smiled at her, glad they were back to normal.

"Well someone had to what with you holing yourself upstairs for the entire morning." She at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry…I was a bit busy," she added at the end quietly as she grabbed a plate, chopsticks, and sat across from her dad at their small kitchen table for two. She immediately began piling her plate with fish and rolled omelet.

"What were you doing? Installing an indoor pool?" He chuckled, pointing out her sweaty state. This time she blushed. She probably should have gotten washed up before coming downstairs to eat.

"I was training, dad. Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh? I thought you'd gone up there to get some rest. You look like you'll pass out any moment."

"I'm fine, dad. Really, I am. You should get some sleep though. You were out all night."

"Looking for you," he reminded her gently.

She didn't say anything, opting to shovel more fish into her mouth instead, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on her plate. An awkward silence settled over the meal and Kakashi wondered if he'd thought too soon.

"Hey dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you… maybe help me train?"

"Hmm… I don't know...," he pretended to muse. Seeing his daughter look up at him desperately, however, convinced him to give a straightforward answer. "Sure, why not? First, though, you need to get some sleep. Tomorrow you'll be assigned to a team and you want to be your best, not falling asleep from exhaustion."

She nodded gratefully, a small smile gracing her lips. "Thanks, dad."

"Tell you what, the both of us can go rest up and at six I'll wake you up and we'll go to the training grounds for some one-on-one, how about it?"

"Actually… could you teach me chakra control?" Kakashi was a bit taken aback at his daughter's request. She'd never really been particularly interested in chakra control itself before, so what had changed? Was it something that happened last night? Academy students normally didn't even go into chakra control, they just learned the basics of how it was used.

He never said it was a bad idea though. If she wanted to get ahead, she'd have to work hard, but he had no doubt she could do it.