Naruto stretched awake in his little house outside the Inuzuka Estate.
"Brand new day," Naruto said as he stretched and hopped out of his bed, "and the beginning of the rest of my life."
"Just don't get yourself killed out tfhere," Inuyasha chimed in. "I don't need my Host dying on me."
Don't worry Inuyasha, Naruto thought calming him, I may not be able to wield the Tetsusaiga yet, but I still have a good arsenal of techniques.
"I beg to differ," Inuyasha retorted. "You only have my first signature, your own signature, Academy basics, and a sense of hearing that would put an Inuzuka's to shame."
Naruto looked up at his ears again. I'm still not quite used to these.
"You'll get used to them eventually. Although I'd avoid wearing them so openly outside the village. Maybe you could use a genjutsu to hide them when you learn."
But let me tell you, it was a pain when I could hear EVERYTHING, Naruto said remembering when his ears first came in. I swear I could hear a fly break wind down the street that first morning.
"Yeah well it comes with the territory," Inuyasha said. "I suppose I could do a little work on the chakra network from here. Make it so you only have to put up with the close-range hearing, and I'll monitor you on the long-distance stuff."
Much appreciated my dog-eared friend, Naruto thought as he went to the bathroom.
"Oh my god!" Naruto screeched as he looked himself in the mirror.
"What happened!? What?!" Inuyasha demanded as he used Naruto's eyes to see what was happening for himself.
Naruto gripped two long lengths of hair growing off the sides of his head. "I have sideburns!"
"Not really sideburns," Inuyasha commented. "They're mostly just lengthened lochs of your hair. Although you really make the look work, I can tell you that."
Naruto examined himself in the mirror. Aside from his dog ears, fangs, claws, and sideburns, the only thing he didn't get from Inuyasha was his yellow eye coloration.
I'm not going to get yellow eyes and silver hair from you am I? Naruto asked Inuyasha.
"Nope. I could only affect the metabolism in your hair and nails," Inuyasha spoke. "Getting the dog ears on was a bit of a challenge, but it had to be done."
Why exactly? Naruto asked.
"You really think I'd let you run around with fangs and claws but no ears?" Inuyasha asked, already knowing his answer.
You have a point there, Naruto answered. I guess I can live with these changes. And it certainly beats the shit out of the Uchiha's duck-ass hairstyle.
"That's the spirit!" Inuyasha spoke. "Now get showered and dressed. You smell like you haven't taken a shower since you left for Stone."
Naruto suddenly remembered something from Inuyasha's old memories. Something he had seen many, many, many times.
Inuyasha, Naruto intoned.
From behind the seal he perked up his ears.
Sit, Naruto instructed bluntly.
From inside his cage, Inuyasha felt the pull of something he thought he had been rid of when he became the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
The gravity spike from the S-word.
"I so hate you right now," Inuyasha spoke from his position on the floor of his cage.
Remember, you're in my body, Naruto spoke as he pulled off his boxers and turned the water on. My brain, my rules. Keep your annoying comments to yourself and I won't have to say the S-word.
Oh well. At least I didn't get that ugly-ass necklace, Inuyasha thought to himself, not letting Naruto hear. He knew by now not to give the kid any more ideas for future blackmail.
Naruto left his house, locked the front door, and put the key in his pocket. The forest surrounding his home kept things cool in the warmer seasons, and kept the grounds around his home relatively snow-free in the colder.
"Hey kid. How's it goin?" Koten asked from his perch up in a tree.
Naruto quickly put his robe sleeve over his nose. "Don't come near me!"
"Relax," Koten said bluntly. "I got cleaned up yesterday, so now I'm as fresh as a daisy."
Naruto uncovered his mouth and nose, taking in a deep breath.
"Thank god you don't still smell like the wilderness," Naruto said as he enjoyed breathing around his new friend. "And at least you aren't running around half naked."
Since getting cleaned up, Koten had gone to a clothing store and had gotten himself some new threads.
Today he was wearing tan colored camouflage cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and a new Hitai-ate on a green cloth instead of the usual blue.
His hair was cleaned out of all the dirt and twigs that had gathered there, and now was black with a slight visage of sheen.
"How'd you get that headband?!" Naruto demanded.
Koten shrugged his shoulders. "I asked Sarutobi the same thing. He said I was overqualified to be a Genin though, so I guess I'm getting a Field Promotion or something."
"That's so not fair," Naruto whined. "I had to go to the Academy for years, and you get yours in a day."
Koten nodded. "I agree, although by the way he said it, I'd say I have no choice in the matter."
Naruto huffed. "Yeah well whatever. So who's your sensei?"
Koten tilted his head in thought. "Don't know yet. I heard him talking to a pair of Jonin about training me until a permanent tutor was found. Aside from that, I have no idea who those two are."
Naruto nodded. "I guess we're both in the dark on this. Well, see ya."
"By the way. I like your outfit," Koten added as Naruto left.
"What were you doing out here anyway?" Naruto asked before he left.
"I woke up early. Thought I'd say hi to my best buddy before he left," Koten said before Naruto got out of hearing distance.
Naruto had learned from Sarutobi that his team assignment would be to Team 8 earlier in the week, however he couldn't get any more information then that.
Naruto jumped through the village, wearing his new Robe of the Fire Rat. Sheathed at his hip was the Tetsusaiga, although it had not been unsheathed since he failed to summon its true power.
Inuyasha had told him that when the time came, the sword's true form would be drawn.
As he leapt, some of the people in the village looked up, taking notice of the blonde haired Genin in the red kimono with a sword on his hip.
Naruto didn't give them a second thought, since most of the village treated him like the plague anyway. At least when he was twelve he had learned why, and he could more successfully vent his anger.
Anyway...
When he came upon the familiar figures of his new team mates, Hinata and Shino, he dropped down next to them and took a seat on the bench next to them.
"Naruto. You have arrived," Shino said turning slightly to face them.
"I see you've had a change of attire," he added, taking notice of Naruto's new outfit.
"Yeah well, orange was never really a ninja's color," Naruto said. He wanted to keep the robe's properties hidden as long as he could.
"You look... Very nice Naruto," Hinata said slightly facing him.
"Thank you Hinata," Naruto said. "You look nice too."
Hinata blushed again and nearly fainted right there, except that their new sensei had shunshined in and managed to meet her focus.
The woman who had appeared was around twenty-seven with long black hair, with distinctive red eyes that looked like they were a Dojutsu. She was wearing a red battle dress with white and black bandages over it, red lipstick, and the standard ninja shoes that most ninja wore.
Author's Note:
Dojutsu is the word for a Kekkei Genkai that is manifested through the user's eyes (i.e. Sharingan, Byakugan, and Rinnengan).
"Hello. My name is Kurenai Yuhi, and from now on I will be your sensei," she spoke.
"Its nice to meet you," the three genin said at relatively the same time.
Things were silent for a moment, and Naruto noticed that Kurenai was staring intently at his ears.
Naruto sighed. "Go ahead," he said leaning forward.
Kurenai was taken aback by the fact that Naruto knew exactly what she was thinking.
"You really don't mind?" she asked.
"I don't mind," Naruto said. "Just get it out of your system now, rather then later."
Kurenai leaned down and felt Naruto's ears. "So the rumors are true. They are real."
"Dang, she's hot," Inuyasha spoke from the back of Naruto's mind.
Naruto intoned the S-word and sent Inuyasha to the bottom of his cage.
After a minute, Kurenai let go of Naruto's ears and took a seat on the bench opposite from them.
"Sorry for the delay," she said, obviously apologizing for having to stroke Naruto's ears. "Anyway, as I said my name's Kurenai Yuhi. I'd like to get to know you all better, so I'd like you to tell me a little bit about yourself."
Shino was silent as usual, he obviously wasn't much of a talker.
Hinata was still nervous that Naruto was so close to her, this being the closest they'd been since she felt his ears.
Naruto was the only one out of the three to speak up.
"Well, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, my favorite food is ramen, and my dream is to be the next Hokage."
Kurenai waited after Naruto was done to see if the others had anything to say.
I've already known Hinata for some time so I don't need to ask her, she thought to herself. As for Shino... I don't really think I'll get anything out of him.
"With introductions aside, I will now begin your Orientation Exam," Kurenai said.
"Alright!" Naruto cheered.
"Ahem," Kurenai said getting everyone's attention. "Normally, I'd administer the Bell test. However I've been asked by the Hokage to put a new test into practice."
Shino shifted in his seat.
"At this time it is eight fifty," Kurenai said pointing out the time. "In ten minutes, you will all converge on this location. Then you will proceed to find me. I will not leave the village walls or move beyond the Hokage Monument."
Kurenai pulled out a piece of paper with a kanji written on it. "Before noon, you will have to have tagged me with this seal. If you are unable to, then you will not pass the exam."
Naruto had thought of uttering a word of protest, but Kurenai's shunshin out of the area caused him to keep his mouth shut.
"She left before I was able to place one of my Kikkei insects on her," Shino said as he stood.
"I guess we'll have to look for her the old-fashioned way," Hinata said. Having turned away from Naruto, she was able to speak fluently.
"Lets grab a snack before we start," Naruto said as he got ready to jump down to the street. "We've got three hours to comb the entire village top to bottom. We'll need all the energy we can get."
"Yes. And I doubt she'd stay in one place for too long," Shino added.
The minutes passed, the tension building for that moment.
"Watches synchronized?" Naruto said as he, Shino, and Hinata held out their digital wrist watches.
"Synchronized," Hinata said as she and Shino pressed their start button along with Naruro.
"Hinata. I need you to go to the Third's slot in the Hokage Monument and keep an eye out for Kurenai," Naruto said, already forming a strategy in his head.
Hinata nodded.
"Shino. The two of us will work our way through the village looking for Kurenai," Naruto ordered.
Shino shrugged his shoulders. "Very well."
"Remember to remain in contact via radio," Naruto said handing the others headsets.
"Where did you get these?" Shino asked.
The watches went off, signaling that the mark had been hit.
Naruto Soundtrack - Go Go Naruto!
"No time to talk!" Naruto said as he bolted up. "Run!"
Naruto, Shino, and Hinata scattered.
Shino leapt to the east side of the village, taking hold of a flagpole that hung high over the village.
In a silent command, hundreds of Kikkei insects poured out of previously made holes and began to scour the village. Shino remained atop the flagpole to monitor his insect's work.
Hinata stood atop the Third's forehead. "Byakugan."
The veins around her eyes bulged, her own kekkei genkai activated.
"Nothing so far," Hinata spoke into her radio. "I'll continue checking the northern ridge of Konoha."
"You do that," Naruto spoke from his radio.
Naruto stood in the middle of the street in front of the Hokage tower.
From his office, Sarutobi looked out the window and looked at the kimono-wearing dog-eared blonde. What's he up to?
From his vantage point he could see that Naruto had formed a cross Tiger sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto intoned.
A blast of smoke covered the street, much to the surprise of the pedestrians there.
When the smoke cleared, hundreds of Naruto were littering the streets, walls, and roves of Konoha's main street.
Everyone, Sarutobi included, were shocked as to the number of blonde kimono-wearing dog-eared ninja there were that littered the streets.
"Scatter!" the original ordered.
At that command, the hundreds of Naruto that had appeared began leaping all across the village.
While Hinata stood atop the Hokage Monument, her Byakugan caught sight of Naruto's chakra signature multiplying at an incredible rate.
Hinata's byakugan scanned as much of the village as it could and counted an early total of 500 clones.
"Naruto! What was that jutsu?" Hinata called to Naruto from her radio.
"No time to explain!" the original Naruto spoke from his radio. "We've only got two hours left."
Hinata continued to scan the village for Kurenai. I've concluded that she isn't in the northern sector of the village.
"Hinata," Shino spoke through the radio. "Stay where you are. Kurenai could change position at any moment."
Hinata nodded.
From the villager's perspective, it had looked like the world was coming to the end, hundreds of Kyuubi containers were leaping all over the village. Almost like a swarm of fleas, the way they were bouncing all over the place.
"Leave me alone!" Konohamaru whined from a nearby street.
"Honorable Grandson, why won't you listen to me?" Ebisu begged.
"Naruto took you down in one move," Konohamaru pointed out. "Any sensei aside from you is a lot more preferable."
Just then, a dozen Naruto bolted down the street and trampled Ebisu into the ground.
"Thanks Naruto!" Konohamaru called out to one of the clones.
One of the Naruto clones nodded in recognition.
"Naruto. We have a situation," Shino called from his radio.
"What is it?" Naruto asked as he turned over a nearby bench as he looked for Kurenai.
"It seems a few of your clones have trampled a Jonin into the ground," Shino reported.
"Wearing black glasses? Probably chasing the Third's grandson?" Naruto asked.
"Yes," Shino responded.
"Don't worry about it," Naruto said, knowing exactly who had been trampled.
So far it had been two hours since the search began.
"Guys. I can't fine Kurenai," Hinata said exasperated from atop the Third's head. She was amazed at how long she had maintained the Byakugan.
"Me neither," Shino called in. "Hanging from this flagpole has become uncomfortable."
"At least you're above ground," Naruto said from his radio. "My clones have been tredging the sewers for hours and have turned up nothing."
"Should we give up?" Hinata asked.
"Like hell we're gonna quit!" Naruto shouted. Obviously some of Inuyasha's old habits had seeped through as well. "We don't give up til the fat lady sings."
"Lets take a break," Hinata said from her post. "I'm getting tired."
"A quick snack break," Naruto called. "We only have a half hour left."
Shortly after Naruto's transmission, a clone came to Shino and Hinata and directed them to Ichiraku Ramen.
"I'm exhausted," Hinata said. "I'm just amazed I held my Byakugan for so long."
"You did a great job," Naruto said, giving Hinata a thumbs up.
Hinata's spirits were lifted, and she could already feel her chakra returning.
The moment they got to Ichiraku Ramen, they were shocked to find that Kurenai was just exiting.
"Uh. Hi," Kurenai weakly said.
The three genin looked at her warily.
Naruto Soundtrack - It's the Training!
"Get her!" Naruto ordered as he, Shino, and Hinata all ran at Kurenai.
"I can't believe I left myself so open," Kurenai cursed to herself as she ran.
The chase now carried them down Konoha's main street.
Kurenai zipped between several fruit wagons, trying desperately to fend the genin off.
Naruto, determined to catch her, ran straight through the food carts, sending their contents flying in all directions.
"Naruto what're you doing!?" Hinata screamed as an apple nearly clonked her.
"Catching up!" Naruto said as he uprooted another food wagon and rushed forward.
Kurenai continued to run desperately. "Why didn't I go for the bell test?"
Behind her she could see that her blonde pupil had just uprooted another food cart.
Kurenai turned to her watch. "Only a few minutes left."
Her gaze lifted and came upon the gate.
The area around the gate is wide open. I just need to take either the left or right and I'm done, Kurenai thought to herself.
Suddenly, a thousand copies of Naruto swarmed out of all directions and surrounded Kurenai.
"Oh crap," she said to herself before the clones lunged at her.
The clone's lunge at Kurenai resulted in a large amount of dust being kicked up.
"Last chance!" Naruto said as he, Shino, and Hinata all leapt into the fray.
"Congratulations. You pass," Kurenai said as her three genin gathered around her.
The four of them were pretty ruffled up. Kurenai's hair and dress were a mess, Naruto covered in splinters fruit debris, Hinata tired from using the Byakugan, and Shino still trying to reclaim all of his insects.
"Yes!" Naruto cheered.
"And it looks like you had a few minutes to spare," Kurenai said pulling out a timer.
A rumbling sound was heard in the distance, picked up by Naruto's enhanced hearing.
"Something's happening?" Naruto said as he leapt up onto a building to get a better view.
Off in the distance, a storm cloud could be seen brewing just outside the village.
"What's over there?" Naruto asked Kurenai.
"Training Ground 7," she answered. "But why are there storm clouds there."
As quickly as the clouds appeared, they disappeared into vapor.
"Huh?" Naruto cocked his head.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Kakashi was behind it," Kurenai said.
"Anyway. You all did well," Kurenai said congratulating her team. "Rest up. Because tomorrow we begin missions."
Naruto cheered again, Hinata smiled, and Shino... Well he did nothing.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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