AN: The chapters are slowing and I apologize for that but it has been a very long time since I saw the show and this is so far different antagonist I have to rethink it. I'd go re-watch but frankly..who has the time?This is NOT a long chapter. If you want silliness go read my new spoofing not really serious Who up there Hates me?

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Naruto found the classroom when he entered was..even worse. Iruka was happy to see him at least but the number of scowls and glares from his fellow students was sobering. He'd had every intention of bouncing in there being an annoying idiot.

Ibiki had cut him off sharply when he'd walked in from the garden laughing about how they still had no idea. "Your research is done. Teams are assigned. Continuing the charade will only cause strife and damage from this point on. You are not to explain what you have done and you are to deflect questions when and where possible." Ibiki's eyes had narrowed and his semi apprentice had straightened, eyes sharp and serious in return. "Naruto, this is not going to be pleasant. You did your job well, perfectly. In casting off your facade you will actually let us find further issues faster as the gossip spreads. The simple truth is many will no like you as you are. Your 'dead last' persona let a lot of your fellow students feel better about themselves. You haven't a name and fortune to dazzle them into keeping their mouths shut and being your followers. Keep guarded. Trust no one for now."

Unsaid was he could trust Ino.

Inoichi had stopped by to ruffle his hair and give him a braided leather bracelet in black. It was subtle, and only he and Ino would understand there was five bands. Two smaller than the other three. A reminder. Ino had the same one and had held her head up proudly showing it was already on her wrist. It had been known she was a bully with Naruto as her occasional hanger on, no one had been told the truth though some (Nara's mostly) would have wondered. They left earlier. Naruto was going to plan to arrive late, but before he would actually be tardy. One to make an entrance and two because if his family had taught him anything, it was easier to avoid needing to answer questions than to lie.

Anrui paused as she had been setting out the real breakfast instead of the buns Ibiki had brought, her hair loose for once and wild. Arms loosely crossed she had waited until he ate before adding her own words.

"You are a shinobi now. You will find the civilian's are going to be confused, they will not support this. Your good friends, Yin and the others, will be there. Many however will treat you as though you are suddenly ill. They will worry for you, they will try to convince you to quit. Some may even avoid you." Her voice paused, letting Naruto's face pale as he realized, truly, that achieving his dream in one way was removing the security he had always known in another. "This is reality, Gaki. It's not pleasant but to get something you always lose something else. In time they will adjust, especially if you always remember who was there for you before you became a genin of Konoha." Anrui had crouched down, eye to eye. "You asked for honesty from me. I am giving it to you."

"I meant about you.." Naruto had heard his voice crack.

"This is part of it. I am trusting you Naruto to keep what you know now and will of me a secret. The civilian's have no one. Once the Military police looked out for them. They are gone. Not all shinobi are good or else we would not have wars, Ibiki and Inoichi would be out of work." She would have gone on but there was a sober realization in Naruto's eyes.

"No one else..what about the shinobi who come from civilian families?"

"The work will demand much of you. Many cannot balance the two, and when your civilian friends do not see you if you do not make the effort to visit them, you will drift apart."

Naruto licked his lips and then nodded slowly. "They can't relate to their families. Can they?"

"The civilian shinobi? No."

Something else clicked then and he tilted his head, eyeing Anrui for a long time. "You're neither." She nodded and so he continued as finally a few things made sense. "You can't date a civilian because of secrets that they'd resent, and you can't be with a ninja because to them.." he trailed off and she smiled wanly.

"You may as well get used to it Naruto, because you can say nothing. I'm trusting you with a secret so large that outside of your uncles and the Hokage, and less than three others I have worked with..no one knows. I am outside of this conversation a failure. You have surpassed me. You will be harassed and teased and talked about having a worthless guardian who can't do a henge or any of the techniques you have done. I am considered of no use. You will hear very sordid rumors of your uncles and I because no one understands why two very powerful and feared heads of their fields associate with a little wild civilian nobody."

Naruto flinched as he heard the words but taking a deep breath didn't look away.

"I understand."

Anrui smiled at him then and leaned her forehead against his. "Never doubt, that I was achingly proud of you last night. For all of it."

"It's going to be hard. Isn't it?" He didn't specify because he wasn't sure exactly of what part he was talking about.

She just sighed as her answer. Hard wouldn't even begin to cover it.

Naruto had asked her to walk him to the academy anyways. "We started this together, I want to close my life as a student the same way." He paused then with his hands in his pockets, frowning at the weight of his forehead protector in place of the goggles he had worn. "...can I continue my studies at the civilian school?"

A strange sound was tugged out of Anrui's throat and Naruto smirked in pride. It was a sound of stunned pleasure.

"I'll talk to them after I drop you off. You'll probably have to do it all from home and I can bring it in but." She mumbled before repeating it louder. "I wish I had thought of that at your age."

The rest of the walk was silent. Naruto had packed and brought his own bento this time because Ibiki had been in the house and he didn't want to see if anything would have been slipped inside as a lesson otherwise. He had all his gear, and in his hand the written permission to place in the school records from the Hokage recognizing Naruto as a genin for services rendered to Konoha. Ibiki had brought it by that morning along with the first breakfast.

He stopped at the gate for a long time. It meant a lot that Anrui said nothing, just waited. This was it.

No going back.

"I'll see you tonight, Anrui-chan."

"I'll be there."

Walking into that classroom in his more civilian style wear, with nods to the shinobi lifestyle was..different. He wasn't hiding behind the ugly orange jumpsuit though he had a orange headband, and shirt. His jacket was the brown leather Ibiki clone that made him feel more like he had a suit of armor on, his ninja sandals were black, his pants were basic black cargo pants and his gloves were regulation standard. His Uzumaki swirl was on the back of his shirt, currently hidden from view and his hair had been frosted with orange a few days before the mess. He'd just touched it up with chakra dye that was laying around from his last prank.

"What's with the get up Naruto?" Iruka asked as he walked in, even as a few students, Shikamaru among them, stated he wasn't supposed to be there. Ignoring all but his superior officer as he had been taught Naruto handed over the Hokage's decree.

"It's just clothing, Iruka-sensei." His voice was casual, hiding how nervous he was even as he smiled back at the teacher. He did like Iruka but none of the previous night's disaster would have been needed if he hadn't held him back trying to be nice. Then again, he wouldn't know about his belly demon, about Anrui.

You had to give something up to get something else, indeed.

He felt eyes all over him even as he went to sit down. The only available seat if he didn't wish to go all the way to the back was by Sasuke. Shrugging, he took it. When Ino and Sakura came in loudly, Naruto lifted a brow at their bickering.

"Naruto! Get out of my seat!" Sakura screamed.

Now, he liked Sakura a great deal. He really did, and he knew she and Ino were obsessed over Sasuke. So rather than argue he decided to take a different route. Ino could hit him later, it was for their own good.

"Sure. I see a few seats in the back..come on Sasuke-san, let's leave the girls to their seats." He pointed to the back with his thumb. Sasuke blinked at him a few times as the females in the class shrieked. It had been plotted though, as Iruka finally noticed the commotion and hollered to sit down. Neither boy got up to move.

The team assignments had Naruto groaning inwardly. Sakura was going to be a problem, because of the two one way interests but it could be worked around. Sighing he ran a hand through his hair, getting used to the obstruction of his forehead protector. He didn't even bother to ask if Sasuke wanted to have lunch, Sakura did and chased after him. There was no point in forcing the issue when they didn't even know what he was really like.

"Ino-chan?" Naruto asked softly as she walked by, on her way to eat with her team. Ino paused, looking over her shoulder and smiled. It was time the rest of her next gen Ino-shika-cho learned about her real best friend.

"Yeah. Come on."