Naruto went to the Academy, expecting the greatest lecture of her life from Iruka-sensei. She felt like Academy curriculum was baseless because she knew this stuff already.

When she entered the classroom, Iruka-sensei was just calling out her name.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Here," Naruto said quietly.

Eyes turned to her. She moved to the only empty seat and sat down next to Yamanaka Ino. Ino cautiously moved away from the social leper, but Naruto didn't do much other than listen to Iruka-sensei and make notes.

Halfway through the lesson, Naruto had, out of utter boredom, taken out a thick book on sealing her newfound aunt had given her (Kiana had stated that all Uzumakis were related to each other, and it made her feel old to possibly be a grandma, so 'aunt' it was until she got white hair. Also, she learned that Mito had died at the relatively young age of 123. Two-hundred and fifty was 'senior citizen' and 450 was 'holy crap you're old', and 510 was 'you should be dead by now, so die already'. Naruto, Tayuya, and Karin had all laughed at that). She was less than a page down it when Iruka called her out on it.

"NARUTO! Stop read...ing..." Everyone in the class turned to her as she slammed the book shut with an annoyed sigh.

"Gomen, Iruka-sensei, but this is really boring," she truthfully said. "I already know what chakra natures are."

"Care to enlighten us?" Mizuki-sensei asked, eyebrow raised (Naruto read a nasty feeling off of his chakra).

Naruto stood up and slouched a little.

"There are five," she said to the class. "Fire, lightning, wind, water, and obviously Earth. Using these affinities, ninja can control any aspect of their affinity. This is how new jutsus are created by finding new ways to kick ninja ass. Of course, you don't actually need a chakra affinity or chakra itself to be a great leader. One person who is a great ninja is Hatake Kakashi, who has the lightning affinity. Another ninja who does not have a definable affinity is Maito Gai."

"I heard that he was nothing but a joker," Inuzuka Kiba scoffed.

~:~

Rock Lee heard his mentor's name from another class and sneakily slipped the door open.

"I heard he was nothing but a joker," a clan heir, Inuzuka Kiba, said with a scoff.

Just as Lee was going to storm in and defend him, another definitely feminine voice said something that shocked him. "Did you know his father was the same way as he is and killed two of the last Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Inuzuka-san? He gave his life to defend his son's. And I have no doubt that Hatake-san would not be seen in the same company as him if he was not respected by the man. So would you call someone trained by the Yondaime Hokage is a joke?"

There was a lengthy pause.

"Naruto, I -"

"Hatake Kakashi killed one of his own teammates and took the eye of another," Uchiha Sasuke said, shutting everyone up instantly. "He has called nothing his own. He uses the moniker 'Sharingan no Kakashi'."

"Sasuke, you have no room to talk," the one identified as Uzumaki Naruto said in a cold tone. "After all, your entire clan is a clan of jutsu-theives, no? Oh, watch out, Yamanaka-san, Nara-san! He might steal your family techniques."

"They're Kekkei Genkai," snapped Sasuke. "They can't be stolen."

"Oh, yeah," a new voice scoffed. "Just like the Jyuuken of my clan is a 'Kekkei Genkai' - yet some of your clan members stole it from a branch member."

"Like you can talk," Sasuke snapped back. "Like the Elders of the clan didn't steal a seal from the Uzumaki clan."

"ENOUGH!" The sensei finally roared. Lee straightened, knowing he probably wouldn't find anything else interesting, and left.

~:~

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke looked down at the ground, all three tied up together and locked in a smelly bathroom.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Hinata finally asked. "Did my clan steal our seal from an Uzumaki?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. I thought Father was talking about it once."

"Ask my aunt Kiana," suggested Naruto. "And I'll ask Kiana for advice on how not to accidentally copy other peoples' jutsu for you and your clan."

"Not like we'll see each other after the Academy," Sasuke told her.

"We could get in the same team," Hinata revealed.

"Not probable," Naruto answered, beating Sasuke. "There'll be the InoShikaCho trio, then probably Kiba-san, Shino-san, and you, Hinata-san, me with two other boys, and Sasuke-san, Sakura, and another boy. I'm no longer the dobe I was, Sasuke-san," Naruto told the other eight-year-olds.

"I know," Sasuke sighed. "Tou-san told me that you planned on helping our clan."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah. I am."

Sasuke was quiet. "How?" he asked in a pitiful voice.

"By doing the only thing I can," Naruto answered tiredly. With a quick wiggle, the small Uzumaki got out and sliced the rope. "I'm going to get an adult to help me with this. The only adult Uzumaki I know. But first, you need to go home and get me Itachi."

Sasuke blinked. "Okay."

"You can ask anyone on the street where my house is," she told Sasuke with a smile.

When Iruka entered, the three were chatting genially and being nice to each other.