The Tale of Nagato Uzumaki

by YAXON

AU. After training the three Orphans from Rain to defend themselves adequately, Jiraiya returns home, confident that they will change the future of the world. Poor Jiraiya has no idea how true that will be, because the Ame Trio doesn't want to part ways. What changes will be brought about when Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan become Shinobi of the Leaf...? Generally canon pairings.

11. Chapter 10: To Become a Genin

"And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Somebody important!" – Naruto Uzumaki

Chapter Ten: To Become a Genin

Nagato opened his eyes to the start of a new day. The sun was just starting to rise, so he was waking up slightly later than normal, yet he didn't mind all that much. Today was the day of Naruto's Graduation from the Ninja Academy, after all.

… Or at least it would be, once a certain issue was dealt with.

Donning his robe, Nagato departed from his bedroom and went to look for Naruto, half-expecting the bubbling ball of energy to be up and ready to start the day. When he didn't see his nephew in the kitchen or the halls, he went to look for him in his bedroom. Yet again, he turned up nothing, which was most peculiar.

'Could he be out training?' Nagato thought to himself as he continued searching for the blond Uzumaki. He opened the sliding door to the front porch and gazed out at the village. From where the Uzumaki Compound was situated, he could clearly see the Hokage Monument, where all the faces of the five Hokage looked out over the village. Nagato loved to gaze upon it as the sun rose; the scene was truly picturesque, and it gave Konan inspiration for a lot of her art-related talents.

The scene this morning, however, chilled his blood, and he could only gaze in stony silence.

Back inside, Konan was awoken by a massive wave of killing intent. No doubt the neighbors, let alone Mia and Koichi, felt it and were probably too scared to move an inch. Konan threw on a cloak and immediately went to investigate what was upsetting Nagato; he hadn't been like this in a looong time.

When she got out to the front porch, she could see the source of his anger. Not that she approved him radiating off so much killing intent that one could slice the air with a butter knife, but at least she understood. Naruto did promise to give up pranking when he became a shinobi, so of course his 'final' masterpiece would be one of such magnitude that it outdid any prank before it.

Sitting there as motionless and timeless as ever, the Hokage Monument was painted with massive doodles on the faces of the five Hokage – in addition to comments proclaiming the 'awesomeness' of Naruto and Obito.

Konan turned tentatively to Nagato and tried to calm him down.

"Nagato…"

"I'm going to kill them…" Nagato seethed. At Konan's reproachful look, he composed himself and made a single Shadow Clone. The Killing Intent dissipated from the area. Then he turned back to Konan once it ran off. "… Sorry, I overreacted. Hopefully this will be the last time they pull a stunt like this…"

"You have to admit it's kind of cute…" Konan accidentally let loose a giggle as she looked up at the Hokage Monument. Nagato twitched slightly and shook his head.

"… No. No, I don't. Hearing out the complaints is going to be a chore… And the paperwork…" Nagato groaned just thinking about it.

Konan smiled, and the two of them headed back in the house. For now, Nagato would let the Police Force handle it. Right now, he just wanted to eat breakfast and spend time with his family before starting the long day that he knew it would be. For more reasons than one…

Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki and Obito Uchiha sat atop the head of the Fourth Hokage. Naruto was wearing an orange hoodie and blue pants; Obito was decked out in dark blue clothing with some orange hints to it, and his trademark orange goggles. They high-fived as they saw people coming out of their homes below, pointing at the Hokage Monument as they did so. This prank would go down in the history books, believe it!

"I'm gonna miss this…" Naruto said fondly, reminiscing about some of his greater masterpieces. He wouldn't be able to top this.

"Yeah, great while it lasted… This took months to plan out! I'll continue on in your honor!" Obito smirked knowingly as he witnessed several Uchiha Officers already making their way toward the Monument below.

"Eh?" Naruto stared at his pseudo-brother suspiciously. When he started saying weird crap like that, Naruto learned to be wary.

Obito's eyes twinkled with amusement, but he did not elaborate.

"So, you ready to pass the final test of the Academy?" Obito asked casually. "You still can't pull off a regular Clone Jutsu."

"Nah, Koko says it'll be a while before I can do that…" Naruto rolled his eyes. Then he grinned at the thought of finally finishing up with the Academy. "But yeah! I'm totally gonna ace that thing and put Sasuke in his place! Thinks he's so great!"

Obito studied him curiously.

"How goes Sealing, by the way? Still having a rough time with it?"

Naruto chewed his bottom lip as he thought about it.

"Yes and no. I can now make Sealing scrolls, but because I pour so much Chakra into it, they end up being way bigger on the inside than they have to be. Uncle Nagato speculates that a person could be Sealed in there, alive, and last on the air in there for an hour at the very least – but he suspects they could last longer. Wouldn't that be neat if I just invented a new way to travel?"

Naruto seemed awfully pleased with himself as he placed his arms behind his head and giggled. Obito smirked and shook his head.

"Seems kinda dangerous, squirt. If something happens to the person holding the scroll, or if the air supply ran out, that person would die. Not to mention nobody really knows what the inside of a Sealing scroll looks like; for all we know, that person would be rendered unconscious the moment they popped in the scroll! Still, I can see your scrolls holding something akin to an armory, if you played your cards right. You'd never run low on supplies; kinda like how you almost never run out of Chakra!"

Obito chuckled at Naruto's dumbfounded expression. Naruto pumped his fist into the air victoriously.

"I. Am. Awesome!" He cheered.

Obito pointed down at some shinobi that were now scaling the rock wall below them and snickered.

"Well, don't look now, but it looks like you got a following already!" He waved cheerfully as Naruto's eyes bugged out at seeing ten Uchiha Police Officers racing up to them. "See ya!"

Obito disappeared in a swirling vortex, and Naruto threw a tantrum at being abandoned.

"'Bito! Sometimes you suck!"

Naruto growled and hurriedly shimmied up a rope to reach the very top of the Monument. He didn't bother to pick up his supplies, because he'd likely be back for them when he got caught. And he would get caught. Let it never be said that Naruto Uzumaki was a quitter, however. He would give these Uchiha one last chase to remember!

Making his way down the winding road that led down from the Hokage Monument, Naruto ran down as if he were doing a marathon. Some Uchiha had set up a blockade at the bottom, but when he was close enough, Naruto leaped down into a tree, and made three successive jumps to nearby tree branches. Then he was within distance of a rooftop, so he lunged to that and continued his mad dash across the roofs of the Leaf Village. Minutes later, Police Officers were on the rooftops as well and chasing him down. There were more than Uchiha amongst their numbers this time; true to Fugaku's word, he opened up the Police Department's enrollment to any shinobi that was interested, and a variety of shinobi joined up while some Uchiha left to pursue other crafts.

The Uchiha were still in charge of the Police Department, but that was never going to change. Fugaku regretted this a little – that meant he had to manage all cases, even… Naruto's… And the boy had quite a file because of his streak of pranks over the years. He didn't approve of Obito tempting the Hokage's nephew to his playful side like that, but he supposed it was a positive way of responding to hatred from the villagers…

Not the ideal way, but still a more positive one than unleashing the Nine-Tails or actually attacking those very villagers. That would be even more of a headache…

Ensui Nara scowled as they chased the blond brat across the rooftops. He knew he should've trusted his gut instincts about joining up with the Police Force, yet like the Aburame Clan, the Nara Clan prided itself on logic. And trusting in one's gut wasn't very logical; well, Ensui knew better, now.

"Troublesome brat…" He muttered as he watched the kid leap into an alleyway. But when he and five others followed him down there, it was as if he disappeared into thin air. They checked the dumpster and looked out at the already-crowding streets, but there was no sign of that shock of bright yellow hair. They reluctantly abandoned the alleyway since they didn't sense his presence there, nor did they have an Uchiha with them to look for his Chakra Signature; but they'd be sending an Uchiha to inspect that place as soon as possible…

Naruto grinned as he walked around with the visage of Iruka Umino, his main Academy Instructor for the past year. At first the brunet ignored him and hesitantly answered any questions that Naruto raised, but one day, after a talk with Uncle Nagato, the man changed his tune and started looking after him like a mother hen. Like Naruto's family, Iruka couldn't afford to show Naruto favoritism, but he did give pointers on basic Academy Techniques when he could. He was a major reason Naruto was proficient at the Transformation Technique, what he was using right now to evade the Police. Naruto highly respected the brunet.

Naruto's belly rumbled, and he was reminded that he hadn't had breakfast yet. Checking his pockets for cash, Naruto was pleased he indeed had some. It wouldn't get him a lot, but it'd net him two bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's. With his mind made up, Naruto made his way to his favorite restaurant for breakfast.

"Good morning!" Naruto greeted in Iruka's voice. It looked as if Ichiraku's was just opening, and Old Man Ichiraku beamed at him.

"Hey, Naruto! You can drop the Transformation. There's already been some people lookin' around for ya, so your freedom won't last that long."

Naruto scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly.

"Was I really that obvious?"

"Very few come as early as you do, my boy." Teuchi chuckled warmly, and Naruto dropped the Transformation. Then he handed Teuchi his pocket money with a wide grin on his face.

"Two bowls of miso ramen, please!"

"Coming right up, Naruto!"

Teuchi began preparing the ramen, and Ayame leaned over the counter with an amused look in her eyes.

"So what'd you do today? You rarely resort to that Transformation Jutsu nowadays."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Go look out back, and you'll see what I did. Hehe."

Ayame did just that, and broke out into peals of laughter at the sight. She came back in, smothering her laughter.

"You're gonna be in trouble for weeks!" She shook her head. "Not that I approve, but you got guts. The Police Force must be after your head!"

Naruto waved her concerns off.

"Eh! Nothing they can do to me that they haven't already. I'll probably be on cleanup duty later today. But for now… Ramen!"

And so, Naruto got to eat his two bowls of ramen. But no sooner had he done so, a goose bump ran up Naruto's spine, and Naruto whipped around to face the one that had managed to find him. Slightly glowing red eyes with three tomoe stared back at him.

"Foolish little Naruto... You've done it again…"

"I-I-I-Itachi!" Naruto would've fallen off his stool if it hadn't been for the counter's support. A nervous grin was plastered on the prankster's face. "Wh-What are ya doin' here? I thought ya didn't care for ramen for breakfast?"

Itachi released a chuckle and shook his head.

"Come along. I waited for you to finish your meal so you wouldn't waste money, but now you are done. If you don't hurry, you'll be late for your Graduation Exam."

"Um… I'll just take the Exam in six months! No rush! Ehe!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. But Itachi took him by the hand.

"Lord Hokage would not allow that. And besides, you'll have to face Iruka sooner or later. He sent me to get you, because he had some last-minute preparations to take care of."

"You're taking me off to my death! I'm a dead man! Please honor this dead man's last wish and gimme ten minutes to make myself scarce!" Naruto dramatically cried. Itachi didn't even consider it for a second.

"The longer you hold it off, the harder it will be to surrender yourself," Itachi pointed out. "Just get it over with now; your punishment will come after your Exam, not right away."

Naruto was dragged all the way to the Academy, and through the halls until they reached Naruto's classroom. Itachi opened the door, and Naruto wailed one more time before Iruka set his sights on him from his desk. The brunet twitched when he laid eyes on Naruto, but he didn't do much else beyond shooting Itachi a grateful look.

"Thanks, Itachi. I knew I could count on you!"

Naruto tentatively edged into the room, avoiding Iruka's leer as much as he could. Naruto's sneaky attempt to get in without being noticed by his peers went unsuccessfully, to say the least.

"Way to go, Uzumaki! I couldn't have done better myself!" Kiba smirked at his rival and friend. The two of them had been in a quasi-competition to see who would end the school year with the ultimate prank; Kiba conceded defeat the moment he caught wind what Naruto was going to do to the Hokage Monument, so he was perfectly content to watch the fireworks – and if anything they were spectacular. His mom was still laughing about it, contrary to his sister's disapproval, and from what Kiba witnessed, he managed to offend a great many pea brained civvies.

Best of all, he could have his cake and eat it, too. He could enjoy Naruto's genius and the people's reactions, and watch him get punished for it without getting any of that himself.

"How'd a loser like you pull off something like that anyway?" Sasuke scoffed. "I bet that was mostly Obito. You rely on others so much; that had to be the case."

"Shut up, prick!" Naruto shook his fist at him, a tick mark on his forehead. "'Bito 'n I planned it out, sure, but I did most of the work! He only joined in when I was part way done with it, y'know!"

"Sure… Whatever makes you sleep at night, idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Actually, Naruto is telling the truth, Sasuke; Obito confessed as such when he approached me earlier." Itachi smirked at Sasuke's dumbfounded expression.

"When'd he approach you…?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Where do you think he went after leaving you up there?" Itachi raised an eyebrow skeptically at him. His expression remained amused when Naruto appeared more irate at that revelation. Then he left with a wave to Sasuke, who waved back. Sasuke scowled as he dispelled a Genjutsu of his brother, who poked him on the forehead; he hated when Itachi did that…

Naruto wasn't accosted by his classmates after that. Itachi's word was enough to satisfy anyone and everyone. Naruto sat down next to Shino since there were so few seats left; and to be honest, he didn't mind the Aburame boy, even if he was a bit quiet. The chattering died down once Iruka cleared his throat, and Mizuki came in with the written portion of the Exam.

"Alright, settle down, now! You're going to start this Final Examination with the written portion." Iruka said this as Mizuki distributed the test sheets throughout the rows. "There will be fifty multiple choice questions, and one essay. Follow the instructions carefully, and… Begin."

---

The Exams went relatively quickly for Naruto. The hardest portions for him, naturally, were the written and Genjutsu portions – one tested his book knowledge, while the other had the students form a very basic Genjutsu while dispelling another; Naruto barely succeeded in dispelling the Genjutsu, but he utterly failed in making the most basic one. He still sucked at Chakra Control, despite the amount of time and effort he put into that – Koko was unable to start him on the Tree Walking and Water Walking exercises because of that 'fear of favoritism' bull. Taijutsu he managed to get average, and the same went for weapon accuracy. He excelled at a basic trap-making scenario, far outdoing his peers; and he did relatively well with the Transformation Technique. Although, compared to the written or Taijutsu portions, those areas he did excel in didn't really amount to much, point-wise.

It all came down to the Clone Technique. As his point total stood, all Naruto had to do was create one out of three simple Clones, and he'd barely have enough to pass. Very few students found themselves in the same position as Naruto; Sasuke was in no danger of failing whatsoever, nor were Sakura, Ino, Shino, or Hinata. Choji and Kiba weren't so much in danger of failing as they were possibly ending up with low passing scores; Shikamaru was the one student closest to Naruto's situation, and that was merely because the lazy Nara put in minimal effort, and not because of enormous Chakra Reserves or poor book smarts.

'Well, here goes…' Naruto thought to himself. "Clone Jutsu!"

A cloud of dust was kicked up, and Iruka and Mizuki watched in anticipation as the Clones were revealed one at a time. The first... was a dud; it was a twitchy, crumpled mess on the ground. The second… was standing, but it, too, wobbled, and its skin was far too pale, and its eyes looked weird. It all came down to Clone Number Three.

Needless to say, the third Clone, while it did look slightly healthier than the two that came before it, that lasted for all of three seconds before it paled and collapsed on the floor, frothing at the mouth. Iruka frowned as he looked over Naruto's overall scores; he really should have done much better than this. He wasn't a model student by any stretch of the imagination, but he should have been in the same range as Hinata, Ino, and Shino were – that had been his anticipated placement, based off of five years of drastic improvement. But as he was now, he was a few points shy of passing.

Something was going on.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But you fail." Iruka declared, stone-faced. Now, having spent some one-on-one student-Sensei time with Naruto, Iruka could tell when Naruto was trying to pull the wool over their eyes; he would tense, and sweat the tiniest amount, and then cover that nervousness up. And he was doing that the moment Iruka's scrutinizing eyes were on him.

"O-Oh… Sorry, Iruka-sensei…" Naruto pressed his pointer fingers together.

Mizuki clapped Iruka on the shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon, Iruka! He was… what?" Mizuki peeked at Naruto's overall score. "Three points off the mark? If a Clone is worth fifty points, can't ya give him those three for the one that lasted, like, three seconds?"

Iruka seemed to consider that for just a moment, but then he shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid I can't do that, Mizuki. Think about what that could do to him out in the field; Clones are for distractions, and Naruto's barely bought him three seconds! Hardly enough time for him to do anything worthwhile! I'm sorry, but Naruto missed the mark by a hair!"

Iruka sighed morosely, and went off to test the few remaining children. Mizuki hung back as Naruto looked down and looked the very picture of 'miserable'. He placed a hand on Naruto's head, and gave a regretful smile.

"Hey, don't look so down, kid! Iruka really does love you like a little brother, and he's only doing this to look out for you!"

"I really wanted to pass on my first time, though…" Naruto sighed defeatedly.

Mizuki looked around to make sure he and Naruto were the only ones in the room, that Iruka was still getting the next kid for their Test.

"Between you and me… I dunno if I should be telling you this…" Mizuki paused as Naruto looked up at him; he wasn't sure what unnerved him about that stare, but it was almost as if Naruto was waiting to evaluate him or something. He pressed onward, however, "Put simply, there's a Secret Test put in place for kids like you; kids that are so close to passing, but barely don't make the cut. I can understand Iruka wanting to go easy on you, really. But I think you're made of the right stuff to be able to ace it!"

Naruto blinked once. Twice. Mizuki didn't elaborate on the test yet.

"S-So what do I have to do?" Naruto indicated he was 'interested'.

Mizuki leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear, "Well, there's this Scroll, you see…"

By the time Mizuki had finished telling him all about the Secret Test, a disappointed look was in Naruto's eyes, aimed at Mizuki for all of ten seconds, and then it was gone, replaced by Naruto's usual infectious grin.

"You got it, Mizuki-sensei! I'll ace the Secret Test for sure!"

Mizuki ruffled his hair and returned Naruto's smile with a grin of his own.

"I knew you'd be up for it! Remember all those details; they'll be crucial to the mission's completion!"

"Yeah, yeah! I got it!"

When Naruto left the room, a frown was on his face.

---

- A week earlier… -

"I wouldn't normally involve you in this, Naruto. But because you're on the verge of graduating, and because I believe you can handle it, I want to enlist your help in a small domestic matter." He turned to face Naruto in his Office. He said with a serious look on his face, "First of all, would you be willing to take on this mission? Because of the potential threat involved, I would have to make this a C-rank at least. But if this threat is actually nonexistent, and you still keep an eye out for me, I'll still give you pay for a D-rank. We're actually unsure about this matter."

Naruto shrugged and started bouncing on the heels of his feet in excitement.

"Do ya even hafta ask?! Of course I'll take this mission, Uncle Nagato!" He paused in his bouncing and focused his eyes on Nagato again. "Er… What's the mission about?"

"We have reason to believe that there's a spy in our midst. He's one of your instructors, we suspect, and I want to verify his allegiance. This mission would entail you failing the Final Exam and making this individual sympathetic enough toward you to enlist your help in something. The second part should be quite easy, as our sources say he's kept an eye on you, and it's possible that he's insincere in his support toward you; he would want to use you. Thirdly, you would do as he says. I would be having others handle the rest."

"Aww! Why can't I fight him?!" Naruto pouted, and then he adopted a sour look. "And I wanted to pass the Test, too…"

Nagato raised an eyebrow.

"You honestly think I wouldn't let you, after all the progress you made? You're Genin-material, Naruto; these Final Tests are just a formality to make sure our observations are accurate. You and your class has been thoroughly observed throughout your time in the Academy; hence our intel picking up a potential traitor in your Sensei, Mizuki."

Naruto appeared to mull this information over.

"What if you're wrong about him, though? He seems nice!" Naruto thought about that for a moment. "And even if he is a traitor, why don't you guys just take him in and interrogate him? Ibiki would be glad to do that for ya!"

Nagato closed his eye and shook his head slowly.

"The problem is that he hasn't given us enough reason to suspect him. We're shinobi, Naruto, so naturally we'll all seem 'suspicious' at one time or another. What I need is confirmation that he has malicious intentions behind his suspicious actions; then he'll be interrogated and imprisoned."

Naruto scrunched up his face and nodded at that answer.

"I guess you have a point there… And anyway, if I'm a Genin, what do I do about the Clone Jutsu?! It's my worst Technique!"

Nagato gave him a wry smile.

"Still hung up on that Jutsu, eh?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "If you accept D-rank pay for this mission, I'll teach you a Technique to make up for the basic Clone Jutsu. The reason your Clones appear so sickly is because of the fact you pour too much Chakra into them, as I'm sure you've been told a few times now. The Jutsu I have in mind would account for your huge Reserves, and you would be far from deficient in that Ninja Skill after learning it."

At Nagato's explanation, Naruto became lively again, bouncing up and down, and a wide grin going from ear to ear.

"Can I learn it now?! Pretty please?!"

Nagato returned his smile.

"Of course! I wasn't about to let you potentially face off against a superior opponent without something to defend yourself! Now, this Jutsu is a Forbidden one because of the amount of Chakra you need to pull it off. Rin and I are two people you know that can use it; Obito and Kakashi can create a few Clones at most, and that will severely deplete their Chakra Reserves, especially Kakashi. From this description alone, you should know that it's a type of Clone Jutsu."

"Well, what's it called?!" Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."

---

- Present Day, Night –

Naruto sat under a tree with the Scroll as he waited around for Mizuki to show. He'd honestly hoped that they'd been wrong about Mizuki, that it was just a misunderstanding. Mizuki paled in comparison to Iruka in Naruto's book, but he was still a nice guy, and he wasn't like the worst teachers that wanted nothing to do with him. He'd been nothing but nice, and Naruto had wanted to consider him a friend.

Hopefully Mizuki wasn't serious about this. Honestly, the man should've known better than to try and lie to him about Uncle Nagato; he'd said to not believe his Uncle, and that his Uncle didn't want him to become a shinobi. Naruto had naturally reported Mizuki soon after the silver-haired man had approached him. Naruto had wanted to go off and train with his Shadow Clones for the past week, but Nagato forbid him from doing so, as they needed to keep up appearances that nothing was wrong; if he began popping out Shadow Clones by the dozens, eyebrows would raise, and Nagato would have to explain how Naruto knew the Technique to begin with.

Naruto did not like the Council. Despite Koko's earnest pleas to not hate them, Naruto could only do that – not hate them. He still didn't like them. Homura and Koharu were overly cautious with everything that involved him. They questioned his entering the Academy early, they wouldn't allow him to learn Tree Walking or Water Walking because that would be 'unfair' to his peers, they severely limited what he could learn from his precious people, and they would definitely disapprove his learning a Forbidden Jutsu. He and Nagato knew that they would.

But at the same time, Naruto had to grudgingly admit that the old bats were concerned for him, for whatever reason. Despite his pranks, they were among the first to forbid anyone from harming him or executing him, and they sided with Uncle Nagato when the Academy threw out the old Instructors and hired new ones.

Naruto still didn't like them all that much. They meant well, but Naruto felt that he could be as great as the prick if they would just let him learn!

A rustling sound made Naruto's ear twitch, and he looked around for whoever was approaching. If it was Mizuki, Naruto didn't care what Uncle Nagato said; he'd take that traitor down! But surprisingly, it was not Mizuki that found him first…

"There you are!" Iruka leaped down from a tree branch and angrily stalked over to Naruto. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Completing the Secret Test, waddya think?!" Naruto gesticulated. "Geez, I know that Kakashi likes to keep people waiting, but I thought you'd be better than him, Iruka-sensei! I already learned a Technique like the Secret Test instructed, and I'm ready to prove it!"

Iruka was becoming more confused with every sentence Naruto spoke. Secret Test?

"What Secret Test? This better not be your idea of a joke, Naruto!"

Naruto held up his hands placatingly.

"It's not! Mizuki-sensei said to steal the Scroll and meet him out here! He didn't warn me that you'd be out lookin' for me, too!"

"Mizuki…?" Iruka blinked owlishly. "But he was the one that told me you stole the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing…"

Then his eyes widened as realization seemed to dawn on him.

"Naruto! You have to get out of here right now! Return the Scroll and…" Both Naruto and Iruka picked up a 'whooshing' sound that was deathly close to them, and Iruka abruptly shouted, "Duck!"

Naruto and Iruka hit the dirt, and a giant shuriken whizzed past where they used to be. Naruto looked up at another tree branch and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Mizuki-sensei!"

Mizuki held out his hand as he continued to stand there.

"Hurry and toss me the Scroll, Naruto! Iruka's here to deceive you! We can both make a break for it now, and you'll pass the Test!"

'Naruto' rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, ya see, Mizuki-sensei… Thing is, you forgot to bring up Iruka-sensei being here, but I forgot to bring up some things, too…"

And then 'Naruto' dispelled, leaving a flabbergasted Mizuki to be knocked off his perch from behind. Being the Chunin that he was, Mizuki managed to turn what would've been a nasty tumble into landing in a crouch. He glared up at his attacker, only to find out that it was Naruto. When Mizuki turned back to the 'unguarded' Scroll of Sealing, he saw Iruka standing by it with a smirk on his face. He'd been played…

"You're still just a pathetic Academy Student, and a pathetic Academy Instructor!" Mizuki spat at the both of them. "I'm way stronger than the two of you combined!"

Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't ya mean all of us, Mizuki-sensei? Take a look again!" Naruto crossed his pointer fingers together and declared, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

And suddenly there were at least a hundred doppelgangers of the blond Uzumaki. All encircling Mizuki and Iruka. Mizuki twitched at the sight; he couldn't believe the class clown was capable of pulling this off. Then he began grasping at straws.

"You wouldn't be able to do this if it wasn't for a certain key fact!" Mizuki was smug as all the Shadow Clones of Naruto appeared puzzled at his declaration, and Iruka's face appeared ashen. "That's right! Everyone knows but you, and I think it's about time you knew about it!"

"Mizuki, don't…!"

Mizuki scoffed at Iruka's plea and disregarded it.

"Have ya heard about the Nine-Tails' Attack twelve years ago…? Well…"

And suddenly, one of the Naruto's interrupted.

"Oh! I know this one! You're gonna tell me about the Nine-Tails sealed in my gut, right?!"

Mizuki and Iruka both looked at Naruto in disbelief this time. Iruka hadn't been aware that Naruto knew that about himself…

"Wh-What are you talking about?! You are the Nine-Tails!" Mizuki replied.

All of the Naruto's shook their heads in disagreement.

"Uncle Nagato told me a little while ago. He said people like you are ignorant about Sealing, and that it's sad, 'cause it's really not that hard to understand. Think of it as… y'know… water in a bottle. Just 'cause I got it in me, doesn't make me the Nine-Tails. I'm it's container!"

Mizuki was sweating profusely now. That had been one of his last aces-in-the-hole. So Mizuki played the last card he had – he ran straight for Iruka, but a dozen Naruto's barred his path, and Mizuki knew that it was over.

"YOU DEMON!" Mizuki screamed as he attempted to fend off the horde of blond Uzumaki that descended upon him. He didn't just stand there, but even he couldn't handle a hundred Genin-level shinobi. Many punches and kicks smashed into his body on all sides, even as he went about dispelling some of the Shadow Clones, but he was soon overwhelmed and rendered unconscious.

Iruka watched in wonder as some of Naruto's remaining Shadow Clones bound Mizuki with rope, and one handed him an end of it to pull Mizuki along.

"Naruto… I know Lord Hokage informed me about tonight's… activity… But when did he tell you about the… you know…?"

The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing was enveloped in a cloud of dust, and Konan emerged from it. Meaning that the real Scroll of Sealing was never in any danger.

"Naruto has only known for a week now. When Nagato taught him that Technique, he also informed Naruto of his Jinchuriki status, to finally give an answer for Naruto's enormous Chakra Reserves."

"Yeah… I thought it was just an Uzumaki kinda thing, y'know?" Naruto scratched his head. "But Uncle Nagato said that was only part of it. I didn't get what a 'Jinchuriki' was, and I was kinda afraid that meant I was that damn fox. But don't worry! He 'n Sis explained real well; I didn't know that Rin was a Jinchuriki, too, y'know!"

---

"So… the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-Tails in me?" Naruto's brow furrowed. "Does that make me the Nine-Tails? 'Cause it'd explain why some of the villagers despise me so much…"

"No! No." Nagato firmly denied. He placed a consoling hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Never, ever think you're the Nine-Tails, Naruto. It is a Chakra construct, while you are actual flesh and blood, a human. It is inside of you, but the two of you have separate Chakra Signatures, and I should know, since I'm a Sensor."

"But why don't I feel it?" Naruto asked. "If it's got separate Chakra from me 'n all that, can't it just break through the Seal and overwhelm me? I heard it's really powerful, ya know."

Nagato looked like he was about to answer his query, when Rin spoke up for the first time in that meeting.

"It all depends on your will, Naruto. If you feel desperate enough, the Nine-Tails can manipulate you to release the Seal. That's what your family is for, to support you so that you never feel that way. There are some people that think being a Jinchuriki somehow makes us less human, but if anything, it makes us more human! We become more sensitive to the feelings of those around us, so bonds with others become more important than ever before."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what Rin was saying.

"You're… a Jinchuriki, too, Sis…?" Naruto asked meekly.

Rin kneeled down to his level.

"Yes. So if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"Why don't people treat you like they do me, though?" Naruto shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. "Not that I mind! I don't want you receiving the same crap I do! But… I wanna know if there's anything I can do to be treated like you…"

"Naruto…" Rin rested a hand on his cheek. "Unfortunately, the circumstances in which we became Jinchuriki are different. The Hidden Mist attempted to weaponize me and use me against our home, but my teammates rescued me and Master Jiraiya fixed my Seal, and my Jinchuriki status was kept a secret save for the few that needed to know. Minato-sensei sealed the Nine-Tails inside you because he wanted you to be seen as a hero, because it would have destroyed the village, otherwise."

"Lord Third announced your Jinchuriki status to ease the minds of the people," Nagato added. "By the time I realized that he had made the announcement, the damage had been done. I couldn't take his words back, but I could ensure the people never harmed you physically, and never lie to you about what you were. Many of them do not understand the concept of Sealing, so they would see you as the Fox, and not the boy you actually were and are. I trust Minato's Sealing abilities, so you need never fear endangering me, Konan, Mia, Koichi, Yahiko or any of your friends. Nothing has changed that you now know about the Nine-Tails!"

Naruto didn't appear thoroughly convinced, but he'd accept the new information for now. He hid his uncertainty behind a grin.

"Of course not! I'm still gonna succeed you as Hokage, y'know! I'll just hafta work harder to make the people respect me!"

---

Iruka gazed at Naruto sorrowfully, but Konan placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Nagato feared that Mizuki might break the Law and inform Naruto he was the Nine-Tails, so he prepared Naruto for this 'mission' thoroughly. Though I disagreed with risking Naruto like this at first, I realized Nagato had to be right about Naruto being able to do… this." She made a gesture at the Shadow Clones that still stuck around. Naruto dispelled them, finally. "It is the only Clone Technique that Naruto can use at this present time, but it is one of our most effective ones. Naruto was never any danger; we might have hesitated if the opponent was a Jonin, but Mizuki was only Chunin, so we felt… confident… in Naruto's abilities. Nagato was eager to showcase his potential to you. He may have ended up in the middle in terms of class rank, yet he has just as much potential as Sasuke, or any of our other prodigies."

Iruka could only smile at that. Naruto spoke up next, however.

"But Uncle Nagato said not to engage Mizuki!" Naruto pointed out.

"And when has that ever stopped you…?" Konan giggled as Naruto mumbled, "Oh yeah…"

Iruka strode over to Naruto and crossed his arms.

"Naruto, close your eyes.

Naruto blinked confusingly, but complied all the same. When he reopened them it was to see Iruka smiling proudly at him. Iruka seemed to have tied something around his head, so when Naruto felt it, he was stunned to feel the metal of the Leaf headband.

"Congratulations! You graduate."

---

- A few days later… -

Iruka's eyebrows had risen once Lord Hokage revealed to him what the Team placements would be; in his opinion as a Sensei, while he would have placed the clan kids together, he would've done it differently from what the Hokage had in mind. Ino-Shika-Cho seemed like a good idea as ever, and the prospect of a Tracking Team made up of an Inuzuka, an Aburame, and a Hyuga had interested Iruka. And of course, that left Naruto and Sasuke to be on the same Team with a civilian; they didn't get along very well as partners in class, but that wouldn't have stopped Iruka from putting them on the same Squad. Naruto had been doing poorly those first couple years, so Iruka considered the possibility that Naruto would be the Dead Last of his class.

That had been Iruka's initial reaction when he was informed of Nagato's idea, in the first year of teaching those kids. Now, a few years later, he could maybe see the potential of this experiment. Naruto was not the Dead Last of his class, and he wasn't fully aware, but he inspired his teammates, Hinata and Shikamaru, already. Hinata moreso than Shikamaru, but not even the Lazy Nara could remain idle if Naruto kept cheering him on and making him participate more in class.

Also, the point of Team Seven was that it could be a possible Strategist Team; Shikamaru could come up with some effective plans when put on the spot, but he wasn't good in thinking up strategies when put under pressure. That is, he needed time to work out those plans of his – something he would sorely lack on the battlefield. But Naruto showed great promise for thinking in those types of situations, and if the blond's strategies ever became too convoluted, Hinata would pull him back down to Earth.

Then there was Sakura, Shino, and Choji. While Sakura didn't seem to like Taijutsu all that much, she showed promise in that area; plus, she was one of the greatest in Chakra Control, so she had the aptitude for Genjutsu. Shino and Choji seemed as if they would turn out like many members of their respective clans, but naturally as the Clan Heirs, they showed exceptional skill for their age. With their combined skills, they could be a great offensive Squad, could become another Strategist Team, or even, and this is what Lord Hokage was hoping for, be an Interrogation Unit someday – Sakura and Shino mostly, but even Choji's clan abilities could be used in an Interrogation room, if the timid boy could overcome those fears and be okay with harming people; particularly enemies and traitors. Sakura and Shino might be able to get him to come out of his shell somewhat; the three of them were teased individually at some point in their childhood – Sakura for her looks, Shino his bugs, and Choji his weight.

And finally there was Sasuke, Ino, and Kiba. The obnoxious, prideful trio; that's not to say Naruto couldn't be lumped with them in that regard, but they were three of the most arrogant kids he had in this class. They would put the 'destroy' in that formula 'seek, restrain, and destroy' that all three teams had going on. They also showed potential for Interrogation, even Kiba, and in regards to Sasuke and Kiba, they could be another type of Tracking Squad. Well, once Sasuke's Sharingan awakened; the Sharingan would become a necessary tool for that Squad in whatever specialty they took up. Still, they showed just as much promise as Squads Seven and Eight.

These were Iruka's musings as the class congregated in the room on their final day. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto's presence there, and approached the boy in inquiring about it.

"Oi, Naruto, this is for Graduates, y'know." Shikamaru drawled as he walked up to the boy.

Naruto tapped his forehead protector gleefully.

"Ya see this, Shikamaru?! Ya see this?! It means I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" The blond boy giggled as the raven-haired one shrugged nonchalantly and went to sit down in the back row. Naruto sat in the front next to his rival, Sasuke. Sasuke snorted as he sat down.

"So you passed after all. I knew you were holding back in those Exams, idiot. You're not cut out for deceiving others."

Naruto made a face at him.

"Yeah, well… Shut up, bastard! I'm gonna be a better ninja than you, y'know! Even with your special pinkeye."
Sasuke scoffed.

"Not in a million years, Uzumaki. I've won approximately seventy five percent of our spars so far, and at least half of our other 'contests', and I don't intend for that number to go anywhere but up."

"That was the past! This is now!" Naruto declared. "I'm gonna get tons better, and won't give up fighting you until you respect me!"

"Che. The guy who doesn't give his own Uncle, the Hokage, respect is gonna make me respect him? Good luck with that."

"Gah! Why are you so impossible all the time?!" Naruto groaned. Sasuke snorted at that.

"I should be asking you that. You're the one trying to pick a fight… most of the time." Sasuke grudgingly admitted.

Before Naruto could make another snappy reply, two girls stormed into the room together, elbow to elbow and glaring at one another. They barely fit through the doorway together.

"I was here first, Ino-pig!" Sakura nearly-screamed haughtily.

"Ohhh no you didn't!" Ino challenged. "My foot was inches in the doorway before yours were!"

"What?! Keep dreaming!" She turned to face Sasuke with starry eyes. "You saw, right, Sasuke?!"

Sasuke just did his best to ignore the nuisances. Ino wasn't nearly as bad as she used to be, but she was still a fangirl at heart. Sakura was by far the bigger fangirl now.

"Looked like a tie to me." Sasuke ground out as Naruto elbowed him. Stupid blond…

Then two things happened simultaneously. Sakura noticed Naruto. And Ino noticed Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto! Glad you passed after all!" Ino chirped happily. Sakura, meanwhile, cracked her knuckles.

"Naruto… get out of that seat…" She growled.

"Aw, calm down, Sakura! Why do you gotta be on his case all the time?"

"Uzumaki… is in… my seat…" Sakura ground out.

"Obsessive much?" Ino shook her head. "Sasuke doesn't care for that. You need to cool down, like I did."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as she said that. Ino may have gotten better, but she still liked him, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Those hungry stares did not go unnoticed by him when she thought he wasn't looking.

"I'll talk to you later, Naruto." Sasuke sighed, leaped over the long desk space, and stalked to the back of the room with his hands in his pockets. He paused to hold up his hand as Sakura made to follow him. "No. If you're still upset with me and Naruto associating with one another, you don't get to sit next to me. Ino's right about that much at least; you're obsessed, and it needs to stop. Now."

Sakura visibly faltered, and she appeared apologetic.

"Am I… really that bad…?" She asked weakly. Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"I like you, Sakura, and you're okay with me most of the time. But… You do kinda get mad whenever I talk trash about Sasuke, or even try and spar with him 'n stuff. Basically what Sasuke said 'bout the rivalry; though I don't mind bein' friends, even if you beat me up a little…"

Now Sakura felt horrible about the way she treated Naruto, even if it was just in regards to his attitude toward Sasuke. Ino clasped her hands together and smiled sweetly.

"Ohhh! My sweet Naru is such a gentleman! That settles it; I'm sitting next to you!" Ino cooed.

She took Sasuke's former seat, and Sakura quietly sat on Naruto's other side, as that was one of the few remaining seats open. Hinata observed this with slight concern, but at least Sakura seemed to have calmed down, so she wasn't going to confronter her about her treatment of Naruto. Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba watched the interaction with a solemn, reverent silence, though Kiba looked as if he wanted to back Naruto up.

Iruka cleared up the tense silence with a clearing of the throat to gain all of their attention.

"Well, this is it, you guys! You're finally done with the Academy, and I couldn't be any more proud. It's time for you guys to take the next step in your careers and step out into the world as shinobi. Work diligently, train hard, and never, ever waver in your loyalty to the village nor your bonds with your precious people. If there's one thing that I consider most important, it's your shared Will of Fire, to defend the village and your precious people. In terms of battling skills, I want you to remember that your sharpest tool should be your mind; weapons and Jutsu are important, but your mind can get you out of any situation, even if you have few tools or little Chakra.

Iruka shook his head as he fought the tears that desperately wanted to escape. He had become very, very attached to this class, and it would be hard for him to simply let them go and pursue their careers and dreams, but that was the role of a teacher.

"But enough about that. You've already heard enough sermons from me over the years. Let's… Let's get to your team assignments. Team One…"

Naruto zoned out after that. This was really happening. He was gonna on his way to taking the Hokage title from Uncle Nagato! And he was gonna protect his precious people, just like they had been protecting him all these years. He needed to return the favor; they were his family.

Next to him, Ino was just as excited. She had hopes to be on Sasuke's team, but she wouldn't mind being on Naruto's team, either. She held no romantic interest for the blond Uzumaki, but he was a friend, and he was a really, really nice guy. She hoped whatever teams they ended up on that they'd both be happy.

On the other side of Naruto, Sakura was having similar sentiments. She wanted with all her heart to be on Sasuke's team, but her thoughts kept returning to Naruto and the way she treated him when he got on her nerves in regards to Sasuke. Whatever came next, Sakura promised that she would make it up to Naruto, and perhaps fix that cold rivalry she had going on with Ino. She would…!

Shikamaru honestly wondered why he was there. He'd survived the last four years, despite wanting to constantly quit… Shikamaru supposed his mom had a little to do with it; that woman wouldn't stand for him taking it easy all day. But on the other hand, she wasn't the only cause, he knew that much. Oh, he still considered a lot of things too bothersome to deal with, but he didn't give up at every chance he got. In the end, Shikamaru contributed that to Naruto and his 'never-give-up' attitude. Shikamaru somewhat pitied who would end up as Naruto's teammates; they wouldn't stay the same forever.

Choji was a kindhearted soul. Ever since he was very young, all he ever wanted to do was help people. Choji has never wanted to hurt anyone, even those who bullied him; in truth, he only wanted to become a shinobi to help people. He knows the danger involved with shinobi life, and he hopes to avoid killing as much as possible.

Hinata gazed at Naruto in admiration. Ever since her father enrolled her in the Academy, she'd always Naruto's work ethic. And he was so nice… Hinata thought it would be wonderful if she could be on the same team as him… But even if they didn't end up on the same Squad, she hoped to become half the shinobi he would become…

Kiba was thrilled to finally be a shinobi. His sister had been mentored by Rin Nohara, student of the Fourth Hokage, thus he had hopes to be taught by greatness. He would be the greatest Inuzuka, and then he'd become the Hokage! Who wouldn't want that job?!

Shino stoically waited for the announcement of which Squad he'd be a part of. He wasn't the most popular student, and he had no desire to be. Famous shinobi were like an oxymoron to him; no one could deny their power, yet as ninja, they should take pride in remaining unknown, should they not? Either way, Shino would work with his teammates and become strong so he would not be a burden. Acceptance from them would be nice as well.

Sasuke sat pondering the 'altercation' he had with Sakura. He wondered if he hadn't been a bit harsh in dealing with her; but on the other hand, she did need a wakeup call. They were shinobi now, and she needed to find another reason other than choosing the same career path as him. He didn't hate Sakura, or Ino for that matter, but they were endangering themselves with that fangirl mindset. As for himself, Sasuke was more than ready to start his ninja training. He would go beyond his brother's shadow and be recognized as Sasuke, and not a second coming of Itachi. The only hope he had for his team was that their time together would be mutually beneficial; he didn't want to waste their time, nor for them to waste his.

Iruka read through Teams One through Six; some were actively working, and some weren't. He noted with some degree of amusement that the clan kids were lost in their own little worlds by this point; but it was about time to snap them out of it.

"Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto perked up as his name was called out. "Shikamaru Nara!" Shikamaru leaned his chin on his hand, muttering 'how bothersome'. "And Hinata Hyuga! Your Jonin Squad Leader will be Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto leaped into the air excitedly, landing on top of his desk.

"Whoo-hoo! Kakashi! Awesome!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes from where he was seated near the back.

"Idiot."

Shikamaru groaned as he watched Naruto's antics dully.

"Just my luck… Troublesome, hyperactive blond…"

Choji patted Shikamaru on the back consolingly. Hinata pressed her fingers together and couldn't help but smile from where she was seated.

'I get to be on N-N-Naruto's team?' Just thinking about it made Hinata blush.

A tick mark appeared on Iruka's forehead.

"Naruto… Get. Down.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and promptly got off. Iruka sighed at the Uzumaki's antics.

"Team Eight will be Sakura Haruno, Choji Akimichi, and Shino Aburame. Your Jonin Sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi."

Sakura visibly deflated and sprawled out over her desk, clearly depressed; Ino shot her a smug look. Choji shrugged nonchalantly and went back to eating his chips. Shino pushed up his glasses and pondered quietly.

After Iruka read aloud Team Nine's team members, he said, "And Team Ten will be Sasuke Uchiha, Ino Yamanaka, and Kiba Inuzuka! Your Squad Leader will be Asuma Sarutobi."

Ino shrieked with delight while Sakura started pounding her forehead into her desk. Sasuke let out a grunt, "Hn." And Kiba gave a feral smirk.

"I guess it could be worse." Looking over at Sasuke he called over, "You better not hold me back, Uchiha!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes yet again. Just his luck to be placed on a team with a fangirl and an airhead. Still, Kiba wasn't Naruto; but it really wasn't that much better, considering Kiba shot off his mouth just as much as the blond idiot.

Ino pumped her fist into the air ecstatically.

"HA! True love does conquer all! Take that, Billboard Brow!"

Sakura seethed, but did not rise to the bait.

'I'll show Ino! Cha! I'll become a splendid kunoichi, and then Sasuke will fall for me!' Inner Sakura raged at Ino, punching the air in her mindscape eccentrically.

"That's enough," Iruka calmed the class down. "After lunch, your Squad Leaders will pick you up. Don't stray too far. Once again, I congratulate you all, and wish you all the best. Take the lessons you learned here to heart, and go forth with the Will of Fire!"

With class dismissed, the students filed out.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Ino called on their way out. "Since we're a team, I thought we could get to know one another better over lunch!"

Sakura growled and rolled up her sleeves.

"Back off, Ino! This is my last chance to see Sasuke for a while! He's mine!"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he bolted out of the room faster than anyone could blink. Sakura and Ino fiercely glared at one another and ran after him while simultaneously elbowing one another.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata gathered outside of the school; Choji sauntered over to them once Sakura was out of sight.

"Do you guys mind if I join you? Sakura's probably going to be chasing after Sasuke all afternoon."

Naruto shrugged and grinned at the rotund teen.

"Sure thing, Choji! No need to be left out!" Naruto shuddered when he felt a familiar presence nearby. "Y-You, too, Shino."

Shino stepped out from behind a nearby tree and walked over to the four of them without saying a word. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at Naruto's attitude.

"So you're really over your crush with Sakura? I figured you were just hiding it really well, and were going to chase after her."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Ehe. I told ya, Koko talked me out of it! I realized she was too hung up on Sasuke, and decided to let her pursue the bastard. If I kept chasing after her, I'd still never end up with her; I'm fine just being quasi-friends with her. She's a lot less violent now. Hehe."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and plopped down on the grass, lying on his back to stare up at the clouds going by overhead. Choji sat next to him cross-legged, and Naruto, Shino, and Hinata sat a few feet away from them. Not long after they started eating lunch, Kiba stalked over to them.

"Both my teammates ran off… The bastards. Do you guys mind if I just hang out here with you guys?"

Again, no one spoke out against the extra company, so Kiba, Akamaru in his hoodie, sat down to chow down.

"So, you guys ready to kick ass?" Naruto grinned toothily.

Kiba smirked at the blond.

"I know I am; I dunno how you'll do. I'll be leaving you in the dust, pal, just you wait!"

"Yeah, well… I'm gonna be Hokage, so there!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"Keep dreaming, Uzumaki! You're not guaranteed the position just 'cause you're related to one of 'em!"

The bickering went on from there. Choji and Shino ignored them for the most part and ate in relative silence. Hinata tried striking up a conversation with Shikamaru.

"It looks like we'll be teammates…" Hinata started to say uncertainly. "I… I hope to not be a burden…"

Shikamaru snorted and cracked a small grin at Hinata.

"Knowing you from the few times we've actually met, I doubt you'll be the most troublesome one to deal with on the team, Hinata." Shikamaru assured her. Hinata slightly looked downcast at that.

"O-Oh… You think Naruto will be hard to work with…?"

Shikamaru blinked and shook his head.

"Nah, not so much that. Naruto's a decent guy, and he'll be easy enough to work with. What's troublesome is that he's so cheerful all the time, and he never gives in! That wouldn't be a problem if that mindset was reserved for only him, but he feels the need to drag us all along for the ride. Nothing against Naruto, it's just who he is; he should learn to relax and take things easy, though."

"Oh. I see." Hinata pressed her pointer fingers together. "I'm happy to be on your team, Shikamaru."

"Same." Shikamaru yawned and his focus was once again on the clouds…

---

Teams Seven, Eight, and Ten were the last ones in the room. Even Iruka had left by that point; so when the door opened to reveal a raven-haired man with a beard, they were all eager to see who he had come for. The man strode over to Iruka's desk and read off the names of his Squad.

"The name's Asuma Sarutobi. I'll be the Jonin Leader of Team Ten, so if I could ask Kiba Inuzuka, Sasuke Uchiha, and Ino Yamanaka to please follow me…?"

Asuma set the sheet down, and walked back out of the room. Sasuke was instantly up and following the bearded man, followed by Kiba and Ino.

"See ya guys later!" Kiba waved while Akamaru yapped atop his head.

"Remember what darling Sasuke said, Sakura!" Ino giggled, and waved at Naruto in particular. "Have fun, Naruto!"

Sakura defeatedly rested her head in her arms on her desk and looked positively devastated with that empty, soulless stare. Naruto looked disappointed, but he could be happy for Kiba, Sasuke, and Ino, at least.

---

Kiba covered his mouth and nose and let out a smothered scream as Asuma lit a cigarette and smoked it. They were in a small room, and he had done it right in their faces, which made the scent all the more strong.

"GAH! Can't you show some sympathy here?! We Inuzuka have sensitive noses!" Akamaru whined as he retreated into Kiba's hood.

"Look at you three, we've only just met and I've hardly even threatened you! I'm the Leader of Squad Ten, so you'll just have to get used to it." Asuma frowned slightly.

"It's the smoke!" Sasuke grunted. "Stinging our eyes…"

Asuma sighed breezily.

"Well, as I said, I'm Asuma Sarutobi. I like spending time with friends and family, training, and sausage, soba, and tororo. I don't care for asparagus, and hate traitors, especially those who show little regard for kids. I don't have any particular dreams for the future at the moment, and I guess my hobby's playing Shogi. So, why don't you three introduce yourselves?"

Sasuke grunted again and decided to take the initiative, since Ino and Kiba were still overwhelmed by the smoke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I, too, like training – but I also like to spend time with my brother and accepting Naruto's challenges, as well as onigiri, okaka, and tomatoes. I don't care for sweets, or fangirls. My dream is to become strong, to be recognized for me and not my brother. I don't really have any hobbies, but I suppose I help my mother out around the house and garden."

Mikoto Uchiha had stopped being a shinobi full-time to take care of Itachi and Sasuke, but now that Sasuke was becoming a shinobi, she was getting back into the force, and that required Sasuke and Itachi to help maintain the house when they could. They didn't mind; she had sacrificed her career for years to take care of them. It was the least they could do for her.

Ino coughed as she adjusted to the atmosphere.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka! I hate smokers!" She hacked as she inhaled more smoke. She shook her head and shot her Sensei an apologetic look for overreacting. "I like flowers, hanging out with Naruto, cherry tomatoes, and pudding; and I don't like sashimi. Or Billboard Brow being so obsessed over Sasuke. My hobbies include shopping, helping out around the shop, and training in my clan's Jutsu; and my dreams for the future include marrying Sasuke, having kids, and succeeding my daddy as heir of the clan!"

Asuma cringed slightly at the times she brought up Sasuke, but nodded in understanding at everything else she brought up. They all turned to Kiba.

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka. And the dog in my hood is Akamaru." Kiba growled out. "I guess I like training, too, and spending time with friends and Akamaru, and beef steak jerky and cartilage. I hate cats and dog-haters, and anything that's not chewy in terms of food. My hobbies revolve around taking care of Akamaru and spending time with 'im. Dreams for the future? I'm gonna be the best of the Inuzuka Clan and be the next Hokage!"

With all of them acquainted with each other, Asuma prepared to tell them about the Final Test…

---

Not long after Asuma had come to pick up Team Ten, a red-eyed woman with flowing black hair stood in the doorway. She waved amicably to the remaining two teams.

"I am Kurenai Yuhi, and I'm here for Team Eight? Shino Aburame, Choji Akimichi, and Sakura Haruno, please come with me."

Choji and Shino filed right behind Kurenai, while Sakura composed herself and followed their Sensei.

"See ya later, Shikamaru!" Choji bade his friend farewell.

"Um… I hope you get along with your team, Naruto!" Sakura said uncertainly as she departed with her team.

Naruto wasn't sure what to make of that, but he would be glad to patch things up with Sakura, if that's what she wanted. He sighed as he, Shikamaru, and Hinata were the only ones left in the room. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry, guys. Kakashi's gonna be late. Just get comfortable." He chuckled nervously. That would be one his faults… Obito affected him too much…

"I like this guy already." Shikamaru smirked at Naruto and proceeded to rest his head on the desk and snooze away.

---

Kurenai took her students out to a Training Ground, unlike Asuma. She had them sit down and smiled at them all.

"So, let's introduce ourselves. As I've stated, I'm Kurenai Yuhi. I like spending time with friends, getting to know new people, teaching, learning new things, and…" She paused uncertainly. "Well, strong alcohol, and octopus and wasabi. I don't like cake. I want to have children someday, and to retire peacefully. I like to take part in tea ceremonies, and to go out for dango and evening drinks with my friends. So, how about you, Sakura?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I like… Sasuke…" She smiled as he came to mind, and giggled somewhat. "And I like spending time with friends, too! And I like dango, umeboshi, and anmitsu! I don't like anything that's too spicy… or Ino Pig flirting and being on a team with Sasuke… or bullies… And dreams for the future! I want to be Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha! And… be nicer to Naruto… I'm not sure what specific ninja field I want to go into yet, but I'm told I would be good with Genjutsu. And I like trivia games and memorizing things from textbooks!"

Kurenai shook her head at Sakura fantasizing about Sasuke, but was happy to learn everything else about her. She turned to Choji next.

"I'm Choji Akimichi! I like food in general, but I really like Korean Barbecue and junk food. Hanging out with Shikamaru and Naruto is cool, too! I don't like bullies, either; especially people who pick on me because of my weight – I'm an Akimichi, we've always eaten a lot because of our clan's Jutsu. I wanna win food-eating contests in the future and make my dad proud! I don't really have a hobby, besides hangin' out with Shika and Naruto."

Kurenai made a mental note to make sure Choji was eating healthily; she could understand him being an Akimichi and being 'big-boned', but he shouldn't excuse his eating habits by saying it was for the clan Jutsu. She turned to Shino, finally.

"I am Shino Aburame. I like my family's parasitic insects, and solitude. I appreciate wild grass salad and winter melon. I detest creatures that rely on insects for their diet, and do not like food with strong smells. I wish to discover new species of insects. And my hobbies involve the care of all insects."

Kurenai nodded in understanding, and proceeded to explain the Final Test…

---

After three hours of waiting, Kakashi ambled into the classroom, hands in his pockets. He tripped on a wire, which triggered a mechanism that spat a thick cloud of chalk dust down on him from above. Kakashi coughed twice and looked over to Naruto, but was surprised to see Hinata Hyuga looking especially nervous and apologetic as well.

"See, he fell for it, Hinata! Thanks for helpin' with that!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

Kakashi shook his head and released a small sigh.

"If I didn't let you have the satisfaction of doing that, you would have come at me with something more complex, Naruto." Kakashi pointed out. "And I thought you gave up pranking…?"

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, well… It was one more for the road! Your tardiness is annoying, y'know!"

With one more look at his future Genin, particularly at the slumbering Shikamaru, Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wake up your friend and meet me on the roof." He disappeared in a shunshin.

Naruto looked to Hinata.

"Can ya wake up Shika? I wanna scare Kakashi-sensei one more time!" At her hesitant nod, Naruto placed his hands in the same hand seal that Kakashi performed; and then he, too, disappeared in a shunshin, leaving Hinata to wonder when he learned it.

After Kakashi had a heart attack, and Shikamaru and Hinata ambled up to the roof, Kakashi had them sit down and introduce themselves.

"But… But what do we say, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata nervously asked.

"Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future… hobbies… Those kinds of things." Kakashi elaborated. Naruto looked as if he was about to go first, but Kakashi dryly remarked, "We all know you, Naruto. So why don't I start us off, and then Shikamaru and Hinata can introduce themselves? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that... My dreams for the future... never really thought about it... As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."

Naruto gave Kakashi a deadpan stare.

"You're too lazy to even say two things about yourself?!"

Shikamaru shrugged at that.

"I'm cool with that. More time to watch clouds."

Kakashi eye-smiled at the lazy Nara.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Naruto groaned theatrically at and bemoaned the fact he had two lazy-ass teammates…

"Um… I'm Hinata Hyuga. I like red bean soup, and cinnamon rolls… And… And kind people, and people who work hard… I d-don't like bullies… or crabs and shrimp… I would like to start a family someday, and… and become strong…"

Her glances at Naruto did not go unnoticed by Kakashi and Shikamaru. Naruto seemed oblivious, as always.

"Right… Guess I'm up next…" Shikamaru drawled as he rolled his shoulders. "The name's Shikamaru Nara. I don't care for troublesome matters, situations, or people – though not all of them are bad. I don't like boiled eggs, but mackerel and kelp are alright. I guess I like strategy games – Shogi being chief among them. And I like cloud-watching. A dream for the future is too much of a bother to think up, and I stated my hobbies just now."

And Shikamaru left it at that. Despite Kakashi telling him he didn't need to, Naruto introduced himself anyway.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I love my family and friends, and ramen, especially Ichiraku Ramen! And my plants! I don't like stuck-up bastards, or the three minutes it takes to make instant ramen. I like training and hangin' out with friends and family! And as for my dream, of course it's to become the greatest Hokage! And then I'm gonna be respected by everybody in the entire village!"

Kakashi shrugged part way through Naruto's speech. Might as well let him introduce himself, even though he didn't really need to.

"Well, you three well to come this far… But… There is one more Test you must fulfill before becoming shinobi…"

---

Needless to say, Team Seven passed Kakashi's Bell Test. Asuma and Kurenai tested their teams differently, but those teams passed as well. But somebody passing the Bell Test was particularly impressive, due to the fact that Kakashi had failed five Squads before this one. Though everyone suspected this team would be different, and trusted Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata to pull through, it was an entirely different thing to see it happen.

Apparently, they had succeeded in getting a single bell; Kakashi refused to elaborate on the 'how', and the fact he seemed embarrassed only made people more curious. Still, life moved on, and Team Seven began D-rank missions… The wonderful, fantastic, spectacular D-ranks…

---

"Re… Re-shelving books… Re-shelving books?!" Naruto cried out as they reached their destination for their First Mission. Kakashi, Hinata, and Shikamaru all hushed him as they entered the library.

Kakashi sighed at Naruto's attitude, but knew he would be like this. Lord Hokage had given him the mission scroll discreetly and hoped to avoid such an outburst in his Office. Kakashi knew the Hokage wouldn't just give Naruto a different, higher-ranked mission just because Naruto would demand it, even if Naruto was his nephew, but he would have to place his foot down, and Nagato hated doing that to Naruto.

"Inside voice, Naruto," Kakashi pointedly said to the blond. "Yes, this will be our first mission. Genin handle these missions because it introduces them to the career, and builds up teamwork in a safe environment. Don't be so eager to spill your first blood; it can be a traumatic, life-altering experience, and no one wants to see children grow up so soon."

"We wouldn't hafta kill or hurt anyone…" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms in irritation. "We could still escort people, or steal stuff! I thought Akatsuki dealt with crap like this…"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Akatsuki deals with external affairs, Naruto, not internal ones. They typically go beyond mission requests and bring rations to other nations, offer service for no charge whatsoever. In addition, Akatsuki is voluntary; some use their time in Akatsuki as personal training experiences in dealing with foreign people, and some just want to help. All shinobi Chunin and above are welcome to join the ranks full time; your time as Genin is spent bonding with your team and gaining valuable lifelong skills."

"Plus, we're just greenhorns," Shikamaru piped up. "We're not in any shape or form ready to handle the 'good stuff' yet, Naruto."

Kakashi eye-smiled at Shikamaru in gratitude.

"But you will be eventually. Learn to trust your teammates watching your back, and you theirs, and you'll be on the road to taking on C-ranks soon enough."

A blonde woman with large glasses approached Team Seven when they reached the main space of the library – the area where people typically went to leisurely read.

"Ah, Kakashi Hatake!" The woman greeted amicably. "I'm glad Lord Hokage sent someone over here. I need to get back to the Cryptology Department on a case, but I hated to leave a job half-finished. Poor Shikake has been run ragged enough as it is, so I'm glad my request to transfer the mission to a Genin Squad was accepted; I'll gladly let you take all the payment for the mission."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled with mirth.

"No problem, Shiho! Just show us where we can help."

And Shiho did. Naruto twitched when he saw how many books there were left to put back – at least a hundred, if not more. And then Shiho began to explain how the books were to be organized; all members of Team Seven paid rapt attention to her instructions. When Shiho left to return to her own work, Naruto crossed his pointer fingers.

"Multi Shadow Clone…" Naruto was stopped from using the Jutsu by Kakashi, who waved his pointer finger at the blond.

"This is a team-building exercise, Naruto. Whether or not you are allowed to use Jutsu on D-ranks is usually up to the Jonin Instructor, and I say you can't use any Jutsu on this one. Hinata may use her Byakugan, but that is all. That means no Shadow Clones for you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto can use Shadow Clones? How's that work out? He was terrible with the Clone technique. Shadow Clones are much more advanced…"

Kakashi smiled innocently at the too-clever Nara.

"Nothing you need to worry about right now! I'm sure you'll find out later, though." If not before Naruto's first use of the Nine-Tails' Chakra, then definitely after. Though Kakashi suspected Shikamaru would become more suspicious when he discovered the abnormally high levels of Naruto's Chakra Reserves.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, but shrugged all the same.

"Fine." Shikamaru walked over to the piles of books and picked up a few to go put away. Naruto pouted at Kakashi, and then he was right behind the raven-haired teen.

Hinata, who had remained quiet up until now, activated her Byakugan out of curiosity. She flushed deeply as she gazed at Naruto's Chakra in particular; they were huge! Bigger than Kakashi-sensei's, even! Kakashi took notice of that reaction, but decided not to say anything, as long as she didn't.

"Going to lend a hand, Hinata?" Kakashi asked, which snapped Hinata out of her reverie.

"Y-Y-Yes!" Hinata yelped and scurried over to help Naruto and Shikamaru.

Kakashi sat down in a chair and observed his Genin as they worked; Naruto was by no means stupid, but he'd never been in a library before, so he didn't know how the organizational system worked, even after Shiho had given a basic overview of how it was organized.

"Wrong way, Naruto…" Shikamaru grunted as Naruto headed off to find the right places for the books in his hand. At Naruto's blank stare, Shikamaru motioned for him to follow with his head, as he, too, was carrying a stack of books. "Follow me, I'll help you out."

Hinata spoke up at that moment.

"Um… I wouldn't mind helping Naruto, Shikamaru. I haven't been here too often, but my Byakugan can find where we need to go."

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright. Just get Naruto up to speed; maybe even organize the piles if they aren't already."

Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Of course." She turned her attention to Naruto and directed him to set the books back on the table so they could sort through them. "Now, let's take a look at the bindings…"

Pretty soon, Hinata taught Naruto everything she knew about organizing library books, and Naruto became a quick study after she allowed him to help sort through the piles. He was still tempted to use his Shadow Clones to get through all of this, but he didn't want to make Hinata seem useless; not after she cheered up from just helping him understand something he'd never done before.

Plus, Shikamaru would just use it as another excuse to be lazy…

"Think you got the gist of where stuff goes, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked a little while later. He'd been the only one setting books back into place, so their mission was going slowly.

"Yeah! I got it!" Naruto claimed as he picked up a sorted pile of books and headed off in the right direction this time. And soon, their work productivity level practically tripled; Hinata still sorted the books, and Naruto and Shikamaru carried them off to put them away. But with Naruto's vigor and endurance levels, he managed to stay more lively than Shikamaru as they worked.

No fights broke out, which made it increasingly easier for Kakashi to read his Icha Icha. He didn't feel terrible in the least, even when Naruto stomped over to him after the mission was over and griped to him about lazing around while they did the mission.

"Jonin don't get paid to help on these D-rank missions, Naruto," was all Kakashi had to say to him. He didn't feel the need to bring up the fact that he was getting paid to supervise. Hey, everyone needs to make a living somehow, right?

---

"Well, well! If it isn't Naruto!" Kabuto greeted as Team Seven waltzed in for their D-rank on another day. "Enjoying the life of a shinobi so far?"

Naruto scowled at Kabuto's teasing tone.

"You knew this was how we all started out, didn't you? You coulda told me!"

"Now where would have been the fun in that? We all have to start somewhere, right?"

"You're just sayin' that 'cause you're a Chunin, aren't you…?" Naruto grumbled some more. Kabuto chuckled.

"It does make the situation slightly more amusing, I suppose. Though I'll be aiming to be a Jonin in a month or two." Kabuto grinned amicably. "So, you going to introduce me to your Genin Squad?"

Naruto blinked and smacked his forehead.

"Forgot to do it again! Right, you already know Shika. This is… Hinata!" Naruto gestured at Hinata, and then jabbed a thumb at Kakashi. "And the perv's Kakashi."

Kabuto smiled charmingly.

"Hinata Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake, I see, I see." Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "You must be the hired help Rin-senpai managed to wrangle at the last minute. I'm sorry if it's not to your liking, Naruto, but your help is greatly appreciated!"

Naruto's eyes widened briefly.

"Sis requested this mission? We'll help!" Naruto's attitude changed instantly upon the mention of Rin.

Kakashi laughed lightly and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Yes, Rin personally requested our services. We wanted to keep that a surprise until you got here, and, well… Here we are!"

"Um… Who is this Rin?" Hinata questioned. "I mean… She works at the hospital, but… she seems to know Naruto…"

"Rin Nohara helps manage the Medical Corps in place of Tsunade Senju. And she's in the village often enough to help my father run this facility," Kabuto clarified.

"And Rin's my teammate," Kakashi answered Hinata's question more directly. "She and my other teammate, Obito, are good friends with the Uzumaki, and have helped look after Naruto since he was little. She's been like a big sister to him."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

"Naruto seems to know an awful lot of… skilled people. The Hokage, his wife and one of his chief strategists, and the leader of Akatsuki I can understand, since they're basically family to him, and they all live in the same Compound. But the students of the Fourth Hokage, too? And what about you? You spend a lot of time around Naruto as well?"

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively.

"I may have spent some time with him. I've mostly taken missions outside the village, however; I've been sticking closer to home lately, though, hence taking you three under my wing. Is something wrong?"

"… No. Just curious."

Kakashi sighed internally. This was the problem with working with a Nara – present them with pieces of a puzzle, and they will work it out eventually. Even if those puzzle pieces related to S-rank secrets, and you subtly told them to stop asking questions. They would need to be careful in the future about letting information slip when Shikamaru was around; he was the son of Shikaku, after all.

'What were you thinking, Nagato…? Shikamaru will find out sooner than we prefer, you should realize this.'

Kakashi knew not to question his leader, but he couldn't help feeling concerned. They couldn't risk Naruto finding out about his heritage and proclaiming it to the whole village, eventually reaching the wrong ears in other nations. But then again, if Naruto ever hated his family for keeping his heritage a secret, perhaps he could rely on his generation for support if he felt he could never trust the older generation again. Maybe that was Nagato's attention?

'At least he took the news of being a Jinchuriki well…'

Kakashi cleared his head of these ruminations, pulled out his Icha Icha, and went to observe his Genin work.

---

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he walked with Naruto and Hinata to a park with Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Mia, and Koichi in tow. Technically, Kakashi had given him charge of the mission; the silver-haired scarecrow gave him the mission scroll, gave them instructions on where to go, and then took off like he'd rather be anywhere but with them. And Shikamaru supposed, after finding out what their mission was, he could see that being Kakashi's attitude just fine.

"So we're basically glorified babysitters now? Man, what a pain." Shikamaru complained as they reached their destination.

Naruto playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"Aw, shaddup! The Old Man's awesome, and he asked us to watch Konohamaru for him this afternoon! Plus, Koko needed a break, too!"

"Are… Are you talking about Lord Third when you say 'Old Man', Naruto?" Hinata tentatively asked.

"Yeah! The Old Man takes me out to ramen sometimes, and gives me some tips when I train occasionally! Konohamaru thinks he's gonna be the next Hokage, but he's come to accept that's gonna be me. He can be my successor!"

Shikamaru rubbed his chin.

"You know Lord Third, too, huh? Well, I'm alright with watching Mia and Koichi, at least. Dunno about Konohamaru and his two pals."

"It's Moegi! Udon!" The two 'pals' of Konohamaru chorused.

"Hey, Boss, can we train with you while we're here? Can we, huh?" Konohamaru piped up.

"W-Well…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "We're not supposed to, ya know? Old Man wants you taking a break from that today! Why do ya think Ebisu's not around to train ya?"

"'Cause he's a closet perv." Konohamaru shrugged uncaringly. "Can we at least do Sexy Jutsu training?"

"Sure!"

And with that, Naruto took off with an ecstatic Konohamaru, a concerned Udon, and an irate Moegi. Shikamaru stared after them and shook his head.

"… I don't wanna know. If he gets us in trouble with Lord Third, I'm gonna plead ignorance, because that's the truth, and I'm sticking to it."

Hinata nervously nodded in agreement, and motioned for Mia to follow her.

"Um… What do you like to do, Mia?"

And then the two of them started talking flowers, herbs, and origami as they went along. Shikamaru laid against a tree in its shade and got comfortable.

"Looks like it's just you and me, squirt." Shikamaru addressed Koichi. "You can do anything ya want; I'll watch over you."

Koichi pulled out a Shogi board, and Shikamaru knew that day was going to be a good day.

---

Of course, their first couple months as a Genin Squad wasn't comprised totally of D-ranks. Kakashi had them start on Chakra Control exercises and had them spar together as well. The day they started the Tree Walking exercise, Naruto was stoked!

"This exercise is rather simple. You concentrate Chakra into the soles of your feet, and then you can walk up like this!" Kakashi demonstrated for them by walking perpendicular to the ground, striding up to a fairly high point before looking down and waving.

Naruto nodded vigorously and took a running start at the tree after pouring loads of Chakra into his feet.

"I get it now!"

Three things happened after that. One, when Naruto's feet made contact with the tree, they left huge indents. Two, Naruto fell off spectacularly without getting two feet off the ground. And three… a camera flashed. Naruto glared up at his Sensei as he burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry! I should've warned you in advance, but you have to be careful about how much Chakra you use with this technique, or you'll fall off! I knew you wouldn't get it right away, and I wanted to see what you would do if I gave only that simple explanation. You did not disappoint!"

"Come down here and say that, 'kashi…" Naruto growled. Kakashi giggled as he pulled out his Icha Icha… again.

"No, no! I'll stop. I'm telling the truth when I say you need a precise amount of Chakra or you'll fall off. Too little, and you'll slip off; too much and, well… You'll do what Naruto did."

Hinata and Shikamaru eyed the feet marks that Naruto left, and both suspected that they'd be 'slipping off', as compared to Naruto. Hinata helped Naruto to his feet, and Shikamaru experimentally attempted the exercise. Kakashi watched him out of the corner of his eye. Three steps up the tree, he slid right off. He did not get up after that, choosing instead to flatly stare up at the tree.

"… Nope. Too troublesome. Wake me up when you guys got it…"

Naruto gave his lazy-ass teammate a deadpan stare, while Hinata shook her head.

"If you don't get up off your ass, I'm gonna tell your mom that you're not taking training seriously, Shika!" Naruto taunted.

"You wouldn't." Shikamaru yawned. Then he realized that it wasn't Kakashi or Hinata that made that threat, but Naruto… He sat straight up. "Ya know what, I think I will give it a few more tries!"

Naruto cackled as he knew that Shikamaru's laziness wouldn't be a problem as long as the raven-haired teen held some fear for his mother. Kakashi listened to the exchange with amusement, and took great satisfaction in observing his cute little Genin struggle up their trees… Well, Naruto and Shikamaru, anyway. Hinata's Chakra Control allowed her to scale her tree within her first few tries.

Truthfully, Shikamaru more or less had the exercise down after his fifteenth try or so. He might've been a genius, but even geniuses have to feel things out sometimes. He wasn't too terrible at Chakra Control, but getting the right amount of Chakra into the soles of his feet was interesting. He continued to fake failing for some time after that because he felt somewhat bad for Naruto; the blond had the most Chakra out of them, and he'd be at it for a while yet. Not fair to have him be the only one still working on it, even if it meant falling off again and again…

"Hey, Hinata! Um, you've done this right! Could you use your Byakugan-eye-thing to tell me when I'm using just enough Chakra? Once I get used to that feeling, I'll take it from there. Don't worry, I'll pay ya back later!"

Hinata nodded vigorously in reply.

"Of… Of course, Naruto! Byakugan!"

Kakashi watched on proudly as his team worked together to learn an exercise. Sure, Hinata and Shikamaru obviously got the concept down – no matter how well Shikamaru tried to hide it – but the point was, they weren't coming to him to train in other things while leaving their third teammate behind. Even Shikamaru was using his time productively! Hinata was giving Naruto advice, and Shikamaru was giving moral support when he didn't have to.

'Perhaps it was just meant to be…' Kakashi mused to himself as he thought about finally taking on a Genin team. They were definitely off to a better start than Team Minato…

And after Naruto finally got the exercise down, about a day later, Kakashi started them on Water Walking. Same slow progress at the beginning, yet Naruto got it down in a few days, thanks to Hinata again. About a month after they'd mastered that Chakra Control exercise, during their third month as a team, Kakashi allowed them to undertake a C-rank mission… Unknowing of the dangers that lied ahead…

Opening scene of this chapter was in honor of 'Twilight of the Thunder God' by Fenrir, which is sadly no longer available to read.

We'll be hearing more from Teams Eight and Ten throughout the 'C-rank Arc', as well as Team Guy. I won't spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that for now. If you think you know what's going to go down within the next several chapters, though, I'm afraid you'll be pretty much mistaken – unless you can somehow foretell the future. Very different C-rank. More Moon's Eye development as well next chapter! But not necessarily in conjunction with the C-rank.

Anyone's 'Kabuto Senses' tingling yet? He's not the next Eternal Genin here. Nope. Nice!Kabuto is fun to write for. ^^

When I said that I won't try to bash any of the characters, I meant it. That includes Sakura and Sasuke, who didn't get along with Naruto at first in canon. Sasuke's still arrogant, and he'll even be stronger than Naruto for a while, in terms of sheer battle strength, anyway. Thing about Naruto is that he's cunning; as I demonstrated in a previous chapter, a delayed trap got Sasuke just as hurt as he wounded Naruto. I can just see Naruto specializing in strategizing when everything's chaotic; I suppose that's one reason why I like that one fanfic, 'The Somewhat Cracked Mind of Itachi Uchiha'. Not as serious as some fanfics I've read, but it's still good for a smile… and a chuckle.

So anyway, I'll be toning down Sakura's obsessiveness over Sasuke; same with Ino. They'll still be interested in him, at least for a while – I mean, heck, in canon, they STILL have feelings for him, evidently. At least Sakura, anyway. And I still plan to treat Homura and Koharu fairly, too; they're cautious about Naruto's rate of growth, and don't want him going against the Leaf for power if it turns out to not be enough, especially with some of the civilians still treating him caustically – that will go away in time as well. Sasuke… is self-explanatory here, actually.

Just so you guys know, I won't be updating next week; I'll be visiting some friends this weekend, and that'll throw off my writing schedule for the week – I typically manage to get most of TToNU's writing done on weekends. I'll return on Monday and get right back on writing, but I like to update this and the other story as closely as I can; something I can't manage in just four days, no matter how easily it comes.

So no update next week, but we'll continue our weekly updates after that. But to reward you guys for making me so happy with all the hits, favs, alerts, and reviews, I'm going to be holding an open Q&A session for the remainder of this month, up through the first week of July. You can ask me things about the plot (or anything about this story, really) – past or future – whether through review or PM, and depending on the questions, I'll give an answer to the best of my ability. If the question spoils too much, I might not be able to give a thorough answer yet due to the fact that I like to keep you guys interested and on your toes. For example, I will NOT spoil who of the Ame Trio/Team Minato will die, if they die at all. I do have various points plotted out for Part Two, so you can feel free to ask about that – but be aware that you might not get a thorough answer if it spoils too much; obviously since this is a Q&A, I have to answer, so I will be loose-lipped about many items. You just have to find out what those things are.

So yes, starting now and for the next three weeks, I will be holding that Q&A session. Just hit me up with a review or message me; whatever makes you guys and gals more comfortable. This is a reward to those interested; I will not force you to take part. Eleven favs, eighteen alerts, and seven reviews… Not to mention practically fifteen hundred views in one day! You guy make me so happy! :D

Review Replies:

Dreams-Wishes- Hopes: Thanks for the review! Happy to shed some more light on them.

nono: I wasn't quite sure how to add those border lines for scene breaks, so I've been making due with 'Six years later…', etc. I know now, though, and will be trying to incorporate the scene breakers.

AnimeXLovers: No, Kotoamatsukami was not used there. Yes, the Chidori 'Kakashi' used was a Genjutsu, but everything else was real. I'll leave it at that, 'cause you only have a limited amount of information from Obito's point of view. Well, it was plain to see in that arc with Kazuma. It's been a while since that arc, so I understand. No, no Bell Test. I did it twice already, so I just got right to the D-ranks. Yes, 'It's for a Good Cause, I Swear!' by Sarah1281 was a nice story (one of my favs), even if it was more of a crackfic than a serious one. Thanks for the review!

BlueAbyssHax: Thanks for the review! I don't intend to neglect any of the Konoha Twelve, if I can help it. I'm going to be easing into it as much as possible; it would be rather abrupt to suddenly change the focus to them and abandon the older generations. A lot of this was about Teams Seven, Eight, and Ten, but the others I've focused on up until now haven't been forgotten.

As for the Naruto-Sasuke rivalry, I intend to make it as even as possible; after all, Sasuke has more 'natural talent' than Naruto, and has a Dojutsu going for him, or will, at least, while Naruto has Kurama and enormous Chakra Reserves. Just because Naruto's picking up Sealing now doesn't mean he's going to be a natural about it immediately and able to use that to beat Sasuke; if anything, Sasuke's going to come out on top for the first couple of spars and whatnot. Plus, Sasuke will be picking up Kenjutsu sometime in the near future; maybe not now, but in a few months' time, perhaps. A neat thing I managed to do was supply them BOTH with families to be there for them; I didn't let Sasuke keep his clan, and make Naruto an orphan, or vice versa. Naruto will grow in leaps and bounds eventually, but so will Sasuke. I'm rather interested in writing out this rivalry.

AnisoulJ93: That was kind of the point of showing that incident; you only know what happened through Obito's eyes. If you knew it from the manipulator's perspective, things would be very, very different. The Three-Tails incident will make sense eventually; savor the mystery for now. I might speak a little on it if anyone asks about it in the Q&A session that's going on now.

Guest: Aww! Your review was appreciated! I argue against homosexuality, personally, so I don't include any of it in my writing, even if that's 'unrealistic' to some. Maybe Kishimoto intended some relationships to be like that, but since it was never outright said, and COULD be interpreted as something else – even Zabuza and Haku – I'm just going to write what I'm comfortable with, and I just don't agree with yaoi/lesbianism. That's my personal opinion, anyway. As for gender-benders and self-inserts… Well, I might've been tempted to make Haku a girl in the early planning stages, but I've more or less decided to keep him male. Self-inserts… *shudder* Almost as bad as high school or vampire fics. Sorry if either of those are your cup of tea, but I find those just as bad as yaoi, gender-benders, and self-inserts. The only 'cliché' that I support is time travel fics, and that's only when I come across good ones that keep things interesting (or funny, in some cases). I might try my hand at a time travel fic, if I ever get done with this huge, huge project…

Oh! And Kakashi x Anko. Well, that is a bit of an experiment, like Yahiko x Pakura – except the latter is more daring considering that they never met in canon. Kakashi and Anko never interacted much at all in canon, so I've been scratching my head about that pairing for the longest time, wondering why people support it. A bit silly, since people will ship off whoever they think looks 'good together' as they please, but I figured I'd give it a chance and see how it comes out in writing. Maybe it won't even turn into a serious romantic relationship like Nagato x Konan; it could just be very, very strong friendship. I'll have to wait and see how that pans out; one of the many things I've yet to work out in detail.

Next Time! Journey to the Land of Frost!