Butterfly Child

by KlonoaDreams

I was never a fan of irony, even more so after died. I should be pretty happy that I was given a second chance at life, except guess who's still irony's b*tch? Yo. My name is Akimichi Chōko and I just wanna live... SI OC [Cover Art: skyfloe]

21. Graduation

It's honestly amazing how fast four years can go by. One day, you're eight years old, the next, you've just turned twelve—or at least, that's how it felt. During these past four years, a lot of things have happened.

First off, Akamaru joined our circle of friends on Kiba's ninth birthday. Tanabata that year was certainly interesting and Akamaru fit quite nicely into our group, despite being a rambunctious puppy who liked to urinate at random—Kiba mentioned that it was a phase.

It was…

Then, come next year, at four years old, Hanabi finally managed to sneak out of the Hyuuga compound on her own. She ended up following Neji and Hinata when they left the compound for our usual meet-ups, to which Neji had a bit of a freak-out because now Hanabi had the potential to sneak out whenever she wanted.

"We are such bad influences!" I don't know whether to be proud or sad.

"Hiashi-sama is not going to be pleased…" Neji said as he clutched his head in his hands.

Kiba was baffled. "She's not even an Academy student and she's managed to do what only Itachi and Shisui can do…we suck."

Meanwhile with Hinata, she was praising Hanabi for her stealth. That was the highlight of that year.

The year right after that, mandatory kunoichi lessons came to an end. Kunoichi lessons were only mandatory for female students up until the age of ten. By the by, it should be noted that any Academy student can take a kunoichi class—it's just mandatory for female students and no one really wants to put in the extra effort to take a class that's entirely optional to them. So come the next school year, us female students were free! It was shortly right afterwards, that Ami, Fuki, and Kasumi left the Academy, having managed to graduate early. I don't know what happened to them, if they ended up on the Genin Reserves, waiting to be assigned to a team, or if they were already assigned onto a team, but I hope they were at least happy. I mean, they were one step closer to fulfilling their goals.

I wish them luck...

We taught Hanabi how to swim that summer, with Natsu joining us, having caught on to Hanabi's stealthy escapade habits. It was during those swimming lessons that we all found out who tanned and who burned. Sasuke sure as hell didn't tan (he learned that the hard way), and Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, and Natsu all avoided getting sunburned with the power of sunblock. Everyone else tanned, except for Shino, who wore a wetsuit…Shino didn't like showing skin. But yeah, the rest of us tanned and sweet merciful heavens, Kiba and I tanned a lot…like, we were pretty dark by the end of the week. Shikamaru and Chōji were moderately tanned (like a lighter shade of brown in comparison to Kiba and I), and Sakura and Ino were just sun-kissed. Naruto was an interesting case because he didn't tan at all…nor did he burn. His skin-tone remained the same, despite the amount of exposure he had under the sun. It was strange…but then I recalled the Kyuubi in his stomach and called it a day in finding the reason as to why Naruto didn't tan (or burn).

As for why I tanned more than Chōji—that reason alone was because of genetics. I took more after Mama in that department. I was at least happy that I didn't burn, because getting sunburned is not fun.

The flaking itches and is disgusting!

Kakashi liked to make a habit out of trying to avoid us, considering how amusing we found it to pester him for lessons, what with him being a Jounin and his incapability to pass a Genin team (not even two years, and already, Kakashi made a reputation for himself as a Jounin).

"If you actually had a team, then this wouldn't be happening," Neji told Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at Neji with one eye before focusing it back on the book he was reading, Icha Icha Paradise. "But then I wouldn't be able to spend time with my favorite Academy students."

"Heeey, whatcha readin'?" I found my curiosity getting the better of myself when I decided to look over Kakashi's shoulder. I quickly found myself getting pushed away by Kakashi, who decided to be the authoritative figure in preventing a ten-year-old girl from reading hardcore smut.

"Now, now, Chōko-chan, it's not your time." Kakashi then closed his book and stopped reading for the rest of the day.

Naruto and Sasuke, from that point on, decided they wanted to know what was inside of that book. And so began the game of "guess what Kakashi is reading", which was soon followed by, "What's under that mask?"

Kakashi found these games amusing and made it his goal to make our lives difficult in regards to those games. He is such a troll…

When Neji turned twelve years old, the rest of us were either eleven or turning eleven (with the exception of Hanabi, who was six years old and still losing baby teeth, like the rest of us). By now, everyone was wearing their canon outfits, with Naruto having worn his iconic orange outfit since turning ten years old. It had been a gift and replaced the orange hoodie that Naruto used to wear.

I still wore the same clothes as Chōji and it was during one morning, as I was adjusting my scarf in front of a mirror, that I came to a realization of how much I resembled my twin brother. I looked like a thin-version of him. It was quite jarring…because it reminded me about the first time I had ever seen Chōji with a slim build—that being when he was fighting against Jirōbō. Chōji nearly died in that fight, because he used the Three Colored Pills. It was a sobering thought and image that made me worry about the future. I really care for my brother. Maybe that's why I like wearing the same clothes as he does... It gives us a connection of some sort with each other.

I snuck up on Chōji and tackled him onto the ground, in a hug, afterwards in an attempt to cheer myself up. Chōji didn't appreciate it, but the two of us were soon laughing.

I live for these moments. These are what I treasure.

Neji graduated sometime later into the year. We all expected it and celebrated when Neji approached us, wearing his hitai-ate in place of the usual cloth he had covering his forehead. Unlike the cloth he had covering his forehead, Neji didn't allow me to smack stickers onto his hitai-ate. He kept the sticker, though…because he earned it for graduating.

"I'll be sure to keep that reason in mind," is what he told me before going on his way to prepare for his team placement next week.

Around two weeks later, Neji introduced his teammates and Jounin-sensei to all of us. Maito Gai was absolutely ecstatic to see just how "youthful" Neji was for having so many friends. Tenten was amazed, having thought that Neji was too uptight to even make any friends, and Rock Lee was holding my hand, confessing his love for me—what?!

What the actual fuck?!

Okay, I must've missed the memo or something, because for some reason…I caught the attention of Rock Lee, owner of strong eyebrow game and main character of a spin-off (that I may or may not have enjoyed watching much more than I should have). Like, how in the hell—we just met!

…

Oh, don't tell me I was staring again—dammit, I need to stop doing that! Of course, the only reason I was even staring at Rock Lee in the first place was because I had forgotten that he didn't always look like a Mini-Gai. Though, that wasn't really a good excuse because Lee mistook my staring for interest and now he's over here, complimenting my looks and saying how much he's heard of me and—oh god dammit, why am I common knowledge?! Curse you, gossip!

Now how to diffuse the situation without hurting Lee, because I liked the kid and thought he was cute—no romo.

Crushes are weird and I doubt I'll be developing any until after I hit late adolescence...

"Lee!" Tenten exclaimed. "You shouldn't go bothering girls like that!"

It's not that I'm bothered. I'm more shocked, because let's face it—I'm no Sakura. Like, really—Lee could do better than plain, ol' me. "Look, I'm really flattered, but—huh?"

It was at that moment that Neji pulled me away from Lee and told him not to get himself romantically involved with any of his friends. The two of them got into a bit of a heated argument after that, in which Lee challenged Neji to a fight. Gai then made a comment about the youthfulness of young love that no one really cared to hear about and Tenten just had enough and told us to leave, with Neji agreeing with her.

Since that day, Neji made it a habit to keep us away from his team—for our sake, considering Gai's eccentricity and Lee's similar behavior. Tenten was quite fine, but she would rather none of us get involved. We rarely saw Neji after that, and on the days we did see him, he was usually exhausted, somewhat bruised, and usually training on his own—sometimes with little Hanabi at his side.

I still haven't gotten used to seeing him less…it just feels so empty without him, but what can you do? Soon, we'll be seeing less of each other when we become Genin ourselves. I don't really like that thought, so I usually try to ignore the fact that we'll eventually go our separate ways. We'll still see each other—just not as often. Ugh, it's high school graduation all over again…

Hanabi was already a student at the Academy by now, with a habit of sneaking out of her own classes to join the rest of us. Sometimes, she snuck into Neji's class (prior to his graduation), but she preferred to crash Iruka-sensei's classes because of the way he reacted to unexpected guests. Of course, after a certain point, Iruka-sensei grew used to Hanabi's visits and just made it a point to treat her as if he was any of his other students. Because no matter how many times Iruka-sensei told her, Hanabi would not go back to her class.

Hiashi was not pleased, but quickly adjusted to the idea that his youngest daughter was a rebel—if only because of her prodigious progress. I worry about Hanabi…because if she keeps it up at this rate, Danzō might take an interest in her. Then again, Hiashi was the overprotective father when he wanted to be, so there was that. Besides, Hanabi was a bit of a prankster, no thanks to Naruto having had a bit of an influence on her. Now Mizuki has to deal with the outcome that came out of that, what with him being Hanabi's instructor.

Mizuki was not pleased and Iruka-sensei was just plain amused.

Naruto began taking the graduation exams (he's already taken them twice and failed both times), even though it wasn't recommended for any of us (at least, in our class) to take it just yet. Students are able to graduate early, but the usual norm is for everyone to take the graduation exam with the rest of their class at an appointed date. Of course, one could graduate early and stay behind in the Academy on the Genin Reserves, willingly, until the rest of their class graduates—which isn't an uncommon occurrence. It made it easier for assigning teams.

Throughout these four years, Naruto and Gaara have been sending letters to each other. This has helped Naruto improve his reading and writing immensely. I could only assume that Gaara had a better sense of stability with each letter he received. Sometimes, Temari liked to send letters herself that contained pictures of her, Kankurō, and Gaara. It had been a slow and steady process, but Gaara's relationships with his siblings had improved. To what extent, I have no idea, but Gaara seemed happier in the photographs that were sent to us.

During these same four years, Mama became a literal Cooking Mama when she had all of us (including the boys) learn how to cook (or improve our cooking, depending on the person), because she didn't want any of us to end up on a team that couldn't cook its own food. The result ended with most of the guys having decent cooking skills—not too good, not too bad. The exceptions to such were Shino, Neji, and Chōji, whose cooking was far better.

I'm honestly surprised that Sakura was even able to spend more time with us, but I'm guessing she's reaching a point where she can take days off when she wants to, considering how well her progress has been. Go her.

Jiraiya made it a habit to drop by Konoha for at least a week, usually around or near Naruto's birthday. We made it a habit to ruin every perverted action Jiraiya tried to pull, much to his annoyance. Still, Jiraiya seemed to enjoy spending time with us.

Kiba managed to cope with his hemophobia in the end, so that it no longer hindered his ability as a shinobi. Not to say that blood still didn't weird him out, it was more that Kiba could endure being around it—the sight and scent of it, that is.

I never got over my fear of snakes and Inoichi put off any attempts at getting over said fear, out of concern for my health. He said he wants to try again later, when I'm a bit older, to see how I handle it then. To be honest, I doubt I'll ever get over my fear…which really sucks, but what can you do?

I'm hoping to at least break free from my tendency to have an irrational freak-out...

And what of the Oiroke no Jutsu? Well, if it wasn't obvious to me before, during visits to the bathhouse, then it was today, when Naruto used that technique instead of transforming into Iruka-sensei for today's in-class test. I just looked at the scene before me (might've also ogled Naruko's breasts a bit longer than what was necessary—niiice), and then sighed because I know what was coming tomorrow. Graduation was coming and that meant the moment of truth was finally going to reveal itself to me.

What exactly is going to happen to me? I already have a sneaking suspicion, but for the most part, I just hope I don't end up on whatever team Hibachi ends up on, because I will make life a living hell for EVERYONE if that happens.

As I watched Iruka-sensei chew Naruto out for his "stupid" technique, I was rather amused. I found myself smiling, as, despite the changes that have happened, there are still things that have stayed the same. Naruto's prank that consisted of him defacing the Hokage Monument (Mountain—whatever) being one of them.

Sasuke went home alone after classes, since Iruka-sensei had to take Naruto over to clean up the mess he made during class. The rest of us scattered, going back to our respective homes. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and it was best to prepare for it. I was nervous and was currently taking it out on the practice dummy that Chōza had gotten me so I could practice my taijutsu, of which has improved immensely over the years. It was on par with my shurikenjutsu. Everything else about me was average or slightly above average (not really much of a difference).

I knew I was going to pass my exam tomorrow—I just know it. I could pull off the Bunshin no Jutsu, so that's one way to know that I'm definitely passing. If things are going the way it did in canon, then that meant everyone, save for Naruto, was going to pass tomorrow.

Of course, that was only the first part. Depending on how well you did after team placement and whether or not you passed the exam your Jounin-sensei gave you and your teammates, it could determine your future career as a shinobi. There are currently three outcomes, the first being you pass and make it to the next level as an official Genin. The second outcome is failing, but still showing enough potential to earn another shot at trying again. It usually ends with Genin being sent back to the Academy for another year (or at least until the next graduation exam). And then there's the last outcome, which basically puts you on D-rank missions for the rest of your life, because you are considered unfit for the shinobi life.

Technically, you are still a Genin, but an unofficial Genin. It's not exactly the best title to have, but official Genin are expected to eventually become Chuunin, so there's a lacking pressure of that sort as an unofficial Genin. It's like high school students and college—holy shit, it's exactly like high school students and college (or university, if you want to go that route). I'm gonna need a moment because I don't need this comparison screwing with my mind.

Holy fuck, it's been right in front of my face this entire time!

Still, official or not, you're still expected to put your life on the line, should the situation call for it.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all...

Once I was done nearly obliterating my practice dummy (I might have lost control of my strength a few times while I was in the moment), I settled down onto the patio with Chōji, who was eating daifuku with green tea. Mama had made us daifuku for the occasion, considering tomorrow's graduation exam.

I appreciated the gesture, especially since I have a penchant for daifuku—green tea flavored, especially. Though, I'm good with the typical red bean paste filling…I just like daifuku in general.

"So how do you think we'll do tomorrow?" Chōji looked at me before biting into his daifuku.

"I can see us passing—is that good enough?" I asked before swiping one of Chōji's daifuku off the plate. "Mine!"

Chōji seemed a little annoyed, if only because I could've gone to Mama for my own plate, but I was lazy.

Chōji chewed a few times before swallowing. "You seem nervous…what's up?"

Well, there's no hiding anything from Chōji. "I'm worried about Naruto—like is he going to pass or not?"

Chōji frowned. "Ah, I see…well, all we can hope is that the Bunshin no Jutsu isn't on the exam."

"Heh, yeah, that's true…" I stuffed my mouth with daifuku after saying that. I'd rather not talk anymore for the rest of the night. All I can really wonder is if things will play out the same, even though things have changed.

I sure hope they do—if only for the sake of consistency. By the end of the night, the two of us could be found sleeping together on the patio.

…

…

As expected, everyone but Naruto passed the exam the next day. Naruto was really depressed to see all of us wearing our hitai-ate that we were given upon passing the test. It was probably best to leave Naruto alone after all of this, but we really couldn't leave our friend alone.

Hinata was the first to take her hitai-ate off—for Naruto's sake. Slowly, one by one, the rest of us did the same. Afterwards, Shikamaru was the first to suggest that we could all stay on the Genin Reserves so we could wait for Naruto. Naruto starting crying after hearing that and said that it wouldn't be fair for any of us.

"It just wouldn't be fair, dattebayo…" Naruto sniffed. "You all deserve to be Genin…"

"You do too!" Sasuke insisted. "You worked the hardest out of all of us, only for that stupid Bunshin no Jutsu to ruin it!"

"It still won't be fair!" Naruto snapped. "Everyone is waiting to see you outside-ttebayo. Chōko-chan, Chōji…your parents are probably going to make a lot of good food because you passed. Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino—you're all probably going to get praised—you too, Akamaru. Same goes for Ino-chan and Sakura-chan…and Hinata-chan?"

Hinata frowned. "Y-Yes…?"

"Your father is waiting for you with Hanabi-chan." Naruto wiped his eye on the back of his sleeve. "Your father never does that—it's always Neji-san or Natsu, who is out there. It wouldn't be fair if you went on the Genin Reserves if your father is willing to come pick you up himself."

Naruto made a lot of good points. All of our families were waiting for us outside to congratulate us…and here we were, trying to cheer Naruto up. If anything, Naruto probably didn't want to see any of us.

"Then I'll wait for you!" Sasuke exclaimed. "There's no one left for me, anyways, so it wouldn't matter if I stayed behind!"

Naruto tried to convince Sasuke by saying otherwise—that Kakashi was waiting for him at home. Then Sasuke tried to use the same thing by saying that Kakashi was waiting for both of them. One thing led to another, which soon escalated into a heated argument between the two of them, until…

"Just leave me alone!" Naruto yelled as he ran off, leaving the rest of us behind.

We all tried to follow Naruto, but Sasuke stopped us, saying he would handle it.

"It's an older brother's duty to take care of their little brother…isn't that how it works?" Sasuke looked at us with a smile on his face. "We might not be blood-related, but we're still brothers…right?"

"Right…" By now, Sasuke and Naruto were essentially brothers—reincarnation bullshit or not.

Sasuke ran off after Naruto shortly afterwards, with the rest of us leaving the Academy building to go join our parents. Ino made a comment about how cool Sasuke was, with Sakura just sighing and shaking her head.

"Only you, Ino…" Sakura said with a smile.

Ino grinned widely at Sakura in response. "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow?"

And already, the two friends were planning tomorrow's activities. We all had about a week until team placements, so until then, we had a lot of free time to ourselves. We still had to take our ID pictures and register, but we had all week to do that. At the same time, this was technically our last week to hang out together before our training with a Jounin-sensei would get in the way. Here's to hoping we all pass the Jounin-test.

…

That evening, it was as Naruto had told Chōji and I. There was good food all around in the banquet our parents threw us for the occasion that was our graduation. Relatives joined us at the table, each one of them congratulating us on our accomplishment. As for Chōji and I, we were too busy stuffing our faces with food. It was not often that we had all of our favorite foods available to us on the same day. And there was something about the intention behind the food made for us that made it taste even more delicious than usual.

We talked a lot with the rest of our relatives, with the past being brought up in ways that made Chōji and I remember some embarrassing moments. A few times, I was told that I should probably cut my hair.

"Should I cut my hair?" I ended up asking Chōji.

Chōji swallowed his mouthful of food and gave me a few pats on the back. "It's up to you! It's your hair, after all."

I guess that is true...I've managed this long with its ridiculously long length. I guess I'll just wait and see how much longer I'll be able to put up with it.

Maybe one day...

It was a good day overall—though I was soon brought out of my good mood during the middle of the night. I had dozed off shortly after Chōji and I had hit the futon. Speaking of Chōji, he was laying in the futon right next to me, snoring away as he dreamed peacefully of better days. I sighed as I stared at the ceiling, wondering what exactly I was doing—just being here.

What am I doing with my life?

I don't even know if Naruto managed to get tricked by Mizuki, which would have kick-started the events that would allow Iruka-sensei to pass Naruto. Wait—if Sasuke is with Naruto, then would that still happen?

Fuck!

I don't know…I'm starting to feel sick from the anxiety eating away at me—just gnawing at me, little by little. There is so much that could be prevented by one little thing and I have no idea what exactly that could be because I am not omniscient. I kinda wish I was, if only to ease some of my nerves…

An hour passed and I was starting to feel restless.

I can't take it any more...

I needed to go—so I got up and left. It was a good thing I was too tired to change out of my clothes, or it could have made my job of sneaking out of the Akimichi compound a little more difficult than it already is. Still—it was nerve-wracking, just sneaking out of the compound by itself. Every little sound I made sounded a lot louder than it probably was.

It's like trying to sneak into the kitchen when your parents are asleep.

Once I was completely out of the compound, I let myself sigh loudly in relief. Afterwards, I started running. I needed to find Naruto. It was the only thing that could probably take this burdonsome load off my shoulders.

…

…

He wasn't home—and neither was Sasuke. I nearly had a heart attack when Kakashi caught me sneaking around Naruto's house—especially since he grabbed me by the back of my haori and lifted me off the ground without any freaking warning. Kakashi wasn't in the best of moods at all to deal with any of my potential shenanigans and demanded to know where Naruto and Sasuke were, because if there was anyone who might've had an idea of where the two could be, it was me.

"I don't know—I thought they were with you!" I found myself nervously answering Kakashi's question. My heart was racing and the palms of my hands were especially sweaty—which honestly does not pair well when your hands are wrapped in cloth bandages.

Kakashi stared at me for one loooong moment, his only uncovered eye completely focused on me. I was sweating bullets by the time Kakashi decided I was telling the truth and put me down.

"Sorry for scaring you like that—it's just they haven't come home." Kakashi sighed. "What could have happened?"

"Naruto didn't graduate!" I suddenly blurted out.

Kakashi blinked. "…Ah, that explains it. Well, so long as Naruto doesn't do anything stupid, I don't mind that he's out this late. So long as he comes back safely, then I'm fine."

Damn, Kakashi can be scary…my heart is still pounding. "I-I'll be sure to tell him that when I find him…what about Sasuke?"

"I just want the both of them back in one piece." Kakashi then ruffled my hair and escorted me out of the house. "Try not to get caught. You earned that hitai-ate for a reason—now go prove it."

Kakashi closed the door behind me after that. I took a moment to calm my pounding heart before running off to search for Naruto and Sasuke. It was going to be a long morning today, at this rate. It was past two in the morning—maybe almost three. The morning air was chilly—enough for me to see my own breath when I exhaled, but it didn't really bother me that much.

If anything, it distracted me for a couple of minutes before I realized I had something else to do, so I stopped pretending that I was smoking (like the immature brat I am) and went on my way, looking for Sasuke and Naruto. I stopped at the top of a tree to look at my surroundings, taking the time to adjust my scarf and glasses while I was at it. Still no sign of the Uchiha and blond-haired knucklehead (I mean that with love). I froze for a second before diving back into the tree, to hide myself within the leaves.

I barely managed to hide in time as a couple of shinobi passed me. They were frantically searching for something (or rather, someone) and I'm only amazed that they haven't spotted me. I probably got lucky that neither of them were sensors and that I somehow managed to bullshit stealth. Be still, my beating heart—this is only the beginning.

Once I was sure they were gone, I got the hell out of dodge and continued my search. I managed to keep myself out of sight, but thanks to my near encounter with those shinobi, I was able to confirm that something was up.

Naruto still managed to steal the scroll…but Sasuke might be with him. That served as a divergence of sort, depending if that was the case. Of course, it was the only thing that could have explained Sasuke's absence at Naruto's house. I mean, why else would Kakashi ask where both of them were?

Ugh, I still have goosebumps from that. Kakashi was a bit of a Papa Wolf, despite his typical lax nature around any of us. Then again, he has been watching over us since we were at least five years old. I mean, he had to have been watching Naruto for quite a long time now. It's safe to assume that Kakashi grew attached to us during his time as Hound.

Aww, he does care about us!

A couple of hours passed and the sky was started to lighten up as dawn approached. I still haven't found Naruto and Sasuke yet, but I had a near encounter with a couple of Jounin, of whom Nara Shikaku was with and just when I thought the coast was clear, I found myself immobilized by the Kagemane. It was easy to tell what it was, based on the usual familiar feel of the technique being used on me. I will never get used to it.

It's like being wrapped in string made out of a spider's silk—it is not pleasant. And neither is the sensation of having your body involuntarily moved.

"What are you doing out so late?" Shikaku asked me upon bringing me out of my hiding spot.

"I'm looking for Naruto and Sasuke!" I had nothing to hide at this point and like hell I'm gonna get anything past Shikaku! "Kakashi-san said they haven't come home yet, so I went out looking for them."

Shikaku stared at me for a couple of moments before releasing me from the Kagemane. "Very well—but don't get caught. Your father won't be happy to see you out and about at these hours, and Inoichi might decide to question you much more than he should, so be more careful."

"Y-Yeah!" I nodded my head and dashed off as fast as I could. I got really lucky that Shikaku was the way he is. Though, the fact that my father was out and about this late at night just brought to my attention that my father's stealth skills were definitely a whole lot better than mine were. Bluh, I have a lot to learn…

The sun was starting to rise by the time I came across whom I have been looking for this entire time—Sasuke and Naruto. Iruka-sensei was with them, injured, but otherwise, fine. And Mizuki was looking quite worse for wear when I nearly tripped over his unconscious heap of a body on the ground. Damn, Naruto beat Mizuki up good.

Mmm whatcha say…

"Ch-Chōko-chan!" And I've been spotted!

"Naruto! Sasuke! Iruka-sensei!" I ran over to join my friends and former sensei (soon to be former, anyways). "What the hell happened here?!"

Naruto laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, my eyes soon focusing on the hitai-ate that had replaced his goggles. I blinked a few times and looked at Sasuke, gesturing at my own hitai-ate (which I wore around my neck), to which he smiled and nodded his head. I looked at Iruka-sensei for a confirmation and all he did was ruffle Naruto's hair.

"He graduated—that's what happened." Iruka-sensei smiled, grimacing a bit afterwards. "H-Hey, what brings you here this early in the morning?"

"I've been looking for these two this entire morning!" I looked sternly at Sasuke and Naruto. "You two really worried Kakashi-san—he nearly gave me a heart attack when he caught me sneaking around your house, Naruto! What the heck?!"

"Why were you looking for us anyways-ttebayo?" Naruto looked questioningly at me.

That…was a good question. I sighed heavily and adjusted my glasses. "I woke up in the middle of the night and…I was worried about you, okay? You didn't graduate and I didn't know what was going on—you just left us so suddenly."

"So you snuck out of the Akimichi compound to look for us?" Sasuke arched his brow at me.

I laughed awkwardly. "Pretty much, ahaha…whoa!"

I froze for a second, Naruto having caught be off-guard when he had wrapped his arms around my body in an embrace. I felt my left eye beginning to twitch when I realized how short I was in comparison to Naruto (it really wasn't that much, but the difference was there). He wasn't short as he had been in canon… Nope, he was taller. He was probably as tall as Sasuke was—maybe even a bit more. He was at least shorter than Shino, who towered over all of us in our circle of friends (sans Neji, who is still the tallest). Meanwhile with me, I only towered over Hanabi.

Ahahha, well fuck you too, genetics!

The only reason it's become a bit of an annoyance for me was because somehow…Naruto ended up not being the shortest out of the Rookie 9. Irony, please, stahp—I can't handle this. Well, at least it made stealth easier when you had less to hide. Ahaha, yeah, I guess that's good…

"Thank you, Chōko-chan…" Naruto sounded touched.

I sighed and returned Naruto's embrace. "Yeah, what kind of leader would I be if I didn't worry about you guys?"

"Ahaha, wait until we tell everyone what happened!" Sasuke grinned widely.

"So…what did happen?" I want all the details. All of them. "Care to fill me in, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka-sensei chuckled. "How about we talk it over some ramen?"

"Before that, maybe we should take you to the hospital…?" Sasuke suggested.

And that's exactly what happened. Mizuki got apprehended by some Jounin, the scroll got taken back, and Iruka-sensei took us all out to Ichiraku Ramen after we took him to the hospital, to celebrate Naruto's graduation. I found out what happened there, and I was aware that bits and pieces were left out deliberately.

First off, Sasuke had been with Naruto the entire time. He had been there when Mizuki approached Naruto and tricked the blond into stealing the Scroll of Seals, saying that if Naruto can learn one technique within it, he would be allowed to graduate. Sasuke had actually helped Naruto steal the scroll, having been so eager to help him graduate.

Naruto and Sasuke later found out that it was all a trick, as Mizuki had intended to steal the scroll for himself during the occasion that it was out of the Hokage Residence. Then things happened (of the canon sort, with a slight divergence that was Sasuke being there in the first place), and Naruto ended up graduating, because he had learned how to use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu—wait a second.

"Didn't Itachi-san promise to teach you that move?" Oh wow, my memory can be good when it wants to be.

Naruto was in the middle of slurping up his ramen when I had asked that question. He nearly choked on it before managing to swallow hard. "Y-You're right, dattebayo!"

"Hey, Nii-san promised to teach me after you!" Sasuke frowned. "You better teach me how to use it, then!"

"I'll try…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It was pretty hard to learn…"

"It certainly looked like it," Sasuke remarked. "I mean, it took you so many times that you nearly exhausted yourself."

"Okay, new rule—no putting your health at risk for the sake of training!" Screw that! "I don't want you guys putting yourselves in the hospital before you can even start your shinobi career!"

"Hahahaha, you sure are protective of your friends!" Iruka-sensei chuckled.

I crossed my arms and nodded. "Damn straight!"

"Hell yeah, that's why she's leader-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Our one and only," Sasuke added.

"We should probably meet up with the others after this." It's only fair we celebrate Naruto's graduation with style. "Oh crap, I'm gonna get in trouble because I snuck out of the house at the dead of night!"

Fuck—I totally did that!

"I already sent a letter to your parents." Iruka-sensei patted my shoulder reassuringly. "So don't worry!"

"What about Kakashi-san?" I'm pretty sure he wants to know where his housemates are—oh… "Right, never mind—he told me so long as you two come back in one piece, it's all good."

"Typical Kakashi," Sasuke sighed. "I bet he didn't even notice that we were gone."

Oh, I beg to differ. "Funny you say that…"

I then proceeded to tell Naruto and Sasuke what had happened waaay earlier into the morning. They were quite surprised to hear that Kakashi could even be that scary when it concerned them. It was certainly an eye-opener for all of us…except Iruka-sensei, who just laughed it off, saying that it sounded like typical Kakashi to him.

Typical Kakashi was basically Kakashi being laid-back as ever around us, reading his hardcore smut, being the authoritative figure every once in a while, and making Naruto eat vegetables (even though he was aware what was inside Akimichi clan food—he just liked making Naruto squirm around vegetables). Overall, Kakashi was pretty cool. He was certainly going to be an interesting Jounin-sensei for Naruto and Sasuke.

…

Near noon, Sasuke, Naruto, and I joined up with the rest of our friends and broke the news to them of Naruto's last-minute graduation. Kiba was ecstatic, Hinata just smiled, Shino nodded in approval, Chōji patted Naruto on the back, Ino gave Naruto a potted plant to add to his collection of plants at home, Shikamaru told Naruto that he was one step closer to becoming Hokage (and that he was closer to becoming his advisor), and Sakura congratulated Naruto. It was all around, a good time to be Naruto.

"I guess this means we won't have to go into the Genin Reserves!" Kiba brought up.

Bark!

Akamaru agreed…I could only assume.

"Y-Yes, that's correct." Hinata nodded.

"We still will have to go our separate ways," Shino remarked. "Though at least this way, we will have a higher chance at ending up on the same team with each other."

"Except for me," Sakura sighed. "I'm stuck in a different class than you guys."

"Still doesn't mean they won't add you to our class roster!" I hoped that my comment would make Sakura feel better. "I mean, you know how it is with disproportionate graduates."

"I wouldn't mind being placed on the Genin Reserves, though." Sakura smiled. "It'll just give me more time to continue my medic-nin training! Since I'm a Genin now, I get to advance in my training!"

"That's great, Sakura-chan!" Ino grinned widely. "You are gonna be the best medic-nin Konoha could ever ask for! That's what I see you becoming!"

"M-Maybe you might even surpass Tsunade-sama," Hinata said.

"Oh stop, you're making me blush!" Sakura laughed as a rosy blush tinged her cheeks.

"So which team do you think we'll end up on?" Chōji asked.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "The Ino–Shika–Chō is a given."

"That's true…but which Chō will it be, though!" Sasuke made a good point.

Ino was quick to latch onto my arm. "I hope it's this one—it'll be good to have another girl on the team! Plus Chōko-chan is really funny when she wants to be!"

Aww, thank you…wait! "Hey!"

"C'mon, your outbursts can be funny at times and you know how to be a good distraction!" Well, Ino does have a point. "You can distract them first, and then I'll strike them while they're distracted!"

"You two girls on a team, though…how troublesome will that be?" Shikamaru sighed.

"Oi." I take offense to that comment. "I would rather not have my gender be considered troublesome."

"I was referring to you and Ino specifically," Shikamaru explained. "I would rather have Chōji on our team, since the most I'll ever have to worry about him is him using the Three Colored Pills—which you, fortunately, will never be able to consume."

"You better make sure Chōji never reaches that decision!" I looked sternly at Shikamaru, taking a moment to jab my finger a few times against his chest. "They may be a last resort, but I would rather the situation never escalate for him to have to use them!"

At least wait until Tsunade is in the village! Until then, don't let Chōji consume ANY of those pills…especially not the last one!

"Likewise," Shikamaru agreed.

"Thank you." I breathed out slowly, trying to calm my pounding heart. Just even thinking about that made me so anxious.

"So are we gonna go out for dango or what are we planning on doing?" Naruto decided to change the subject.

"Dango sounds good!" And so my short attention span makes me instantly focus on food.

"It sure does!" The same happens to Chōji, whose attention span will always focus on food when mentioned.

I mean, can you blame him? Food is delicious!

And so all of us paid an Akimichi clan dango shop a visit. Aunt Ryōko made all of our orders on the house, just for the occasion (and for the fact that Chōji and I just graduated), so again, it was a really good day. I was honestly surprised that Anko wasn't around to try and mooch off of us. Where was she anyways? She's usually at this dango shop (specifically, since there are at least five other Akimichi dango shops in Konohagakure) around this time of the day. This dango shop specialized in its mitarashi dango—the dango that shared its name with Anko's surname.

I decided not to think too much about it and enjoyed my chadango.

…

…

"So when are you guys gonna register?" I found myself asking right after we got very comfortable in Naruto's living room, making a pillow fort in the process. It was a very awesome pillow fort, made with a lot of pillows (you wouldn't believe how many pillows we bought over the years, just for the sake of pillow fights, playing the "floor is lava" game—it's used to battle with the lava monster, building forts, or just having a very comfortable floor)… Then Kakashi decided to be a troll and took a pillow that was used as support for the fort, thus causing the fort to collapse as he settled down on the sofa, using the pillow he took as a backrest. He had just about opened up Icha Icha Paradise when we started glaring at him for ruining our fort.

"Maa maa, aren't you guys supposed to be registering?" Kakashi tried to change the subject…and very damn well succeeded.

"I'm gonna register tomorrow-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. "Is anyone else gonna come along?"

"I am," Sasuke was quick to answer.

"Same," I said. "I'll be sure to drag Chōji."

"You say it like I won't come." Chōji laughed.

"And I'll drag Shikamaru—so don't slack off!" Ino looked sternly at Shikamaru, who just said, "Meh…"

"I guess we're coming along, too…right, Akamaru?" Kiba smiled as he earned a bark from Akamaru in response.

"I-I'll come too." Hinata smiled. "Are you coming, too, Shino-kun?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Shino adjusted his glasses. "I will come."

"I'll make sure to be there with you guys before I have to leave for the hospital," Sakura said before picking a pillow off the floor and using it to whack Ino over the head. "Until then—fight on!"

Ah, English…it may be one of our shinobi languages, another of them being sign language, (fuck yeah, sign language!), but for a shinobi language, we sure love to use it just to fuck around. Ahaha, it's just fun and amusing, depending on how good our pronunciation is. It probably also helps with keeping civilians from learning it, as one minute we're serious, the next, we're just fooling around. The lack of consistency with the language can do a lot.

"Oh you bitch!" Ino said before picking up a pillow and throwing it at Sakura's face. "Take that!"

And so a pillow fight commenced, with Kakashi being included, unwillingly though. It at least made him think twice before he decided to ruin our pillow fort. I doubt that'll stop him.

…

…

Come the next day, all of us rushed to register and take our ID pictures. It was a rather tedious process, considering all the paperwork we had to do. Bluh, paperwork…birthdate here, signature there, whatever the crap this is supposed to be—I don't like paperwork.

I suspect our photographer is a retired shinobi, considering the very English-sounding "Cheese!" he said before taking our pictures…heh, looking good, Chōko. You actually look innocent—which shall serve nicely in deceiving people… Of course, I look absolutely corrupted in comparison to Hinata, who is like an innocent kitten in her photograph.

And—OH WHAT THE HELL NARUTO— "Pffft—ahahahhaha, oh god!"

"I couldn't come up with a good face!" Naruto explained. "I woke up early and practiced making faces in the bathroom, but nothing wanted to work. So while you guys were taking your pictures, I decided on this. Pretty artistic, huh?"

"Pfft…how do you think the Sandaime is going to react?" Oh god, I need air…

"Why don't we go see for ourselves?" Kiba suggested.

…

"Kiba, you're a genius." Why didn't I think of that?

"Awesome!" Kiba pumped his fists into the air. "You hear that, Akamaru? Leader complimented me on my intelligence!"

Bark!

…

…

About an hour later, the majority of us were crowded around the door to the room Naruto was being interviewed (we all had to go through it and it was as painful as an interview can be—except without the pressure of not getting the job) by the Sandaime. The door was opened just a crack, which Naruto had left opened for us on purpose. Everything was going smoothly so far, with the Sandaime asking Naruto to retake it and Naruto arguing to keep it.

It was at that moment that I felt someone push me forward and I soon found myself crashing through the doorframe, someone having just slid the door wide open, and landing flat on my face. Luckily, not on my glasses, as they were currently who the fuck knows, because my eyesight is shit and my face is getting well acquainted with the floor.

"Fuck…my…life…" My voice sounded muffled as I said this.

"Ch-Chōko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he and the rest of my friends all circled around me.

At the same time, a young, boyish voice suddenly yelled out, "Old man! Fight me!"

"Oh, not again!" an older, masculine voice shouted.

I heard a few steps taken forward before hearing the familiar sound of someone falling flat on their face.

BAM!

"Owww!" Ladies and gentlemen, meet Konohamaru.

I lifted my face off the floor to look at the eight-year-old boy (who appeared to me as a somewhat blurred figure). I've heard a lot about him from Hanabi, who picks up on a lot of gossip around the younger Academy students. She says that everyone treats him different because he's the Sandaime's grandson. Welp, that's about to change today, if things go according to canon.

"Damn it!" Konohamaru swore. "Who set a trap?"

"Are you alright?" And there's Ebisu, Konohamaru's tutor (he's wearing all black, making him easy to spot). "And there isn't a trap anywhere!"

"Well…then she did something!" Oh you have better not be pointing at me, you rude little boy!

"Stupid!" Naruto exclaimed. "You tripped on your own feet! Don't go blaming Chōko-chan for something she didn't do!"

"Besides, you made her fall on her face!" Kiba pointed out.

Bark!

Akamaru was yapping away at Konohamaru in a rather angry tone.

"Umm…does anyone know where my glasses are?" I appreciate your concern, but I need my glasses to see closely.

"H-Here you go, Chōko-chan…" Hinata said as she put my glasses on my face.

"Thanks, Hinata!" I smiled at Hinata before adjusting my glasses. I got off the floor shortly right after, with a little help from Sakura. "Is my face fine?"

"Just a little red, but…nothing too serious," Sakura replied.

"Naruto! Let him go!" Ebisu suddenly yelled. "That's the Sandaime Hokage-sama's grandson!"

Okay, time to start the countdown! Three…two…one—

"As if I'd give a damn!" Naruto yelled before bringing his fist down on Konohamaru's head.

Ebisu did not take kindly to what Naruto has just done to the Honorable Grandson (I believe that's what Konohamaru is usually referred to as), and Sarutobi Hiruzen just looks done.

"Chōko, I need to leave, can we speed things up a bit?" Sakura whispered into my ear.

I blinked a bit and nodded. I reached into my pocket and pulled out small sphere wrapped in paper. I needed to time this carefully and be very discreet about it—oh to hell with it. "Scatter!"

I detonated the smoke bomb and soon, all of us were scrambling out of the smoke-filled room. We were laughing as we left the building, quite happy to have finally gotten out of there.

"It's a good thing I always have a smoke bomb on me!" I make it a habit out of paranoia to keep at least one of them on me. It might be a harmless smoke bomb (a cheap one at it, as well), just used for obstruction of vision and momentary distractions, but it still gave anyone an opening needed for fleeing. It was sure useful in getting all of us out of that room—god, that was starting to get awkward.

I may or may not misuse smoke bombs from time to time…

Sakura left us after that, making her way to the hospital. The rest of us stayed together before everyone looked at me for an answer after Sasuke asked, "What now?"

"Uh…" Don't say anything about food, don't say anything about food, don't say anything about— "Food?"

Dammit.

"Hey, how about we buy a lot of fruit?" Ino suggested. "Mandarins are still in season!"

…

"So…fruit salad?" I'm down for that…wait…I got an idea! "Hey! Let's make something together!"

"Does it involve the stove?" Shikamaru was quick to ask.

"Nope!" If it did, then that meant permission from Kakashi was needed before we could even start. Because Kakashi doesn't trust all of us in the kitchen when the stove is involved…I tack that down as paranoia involving us accidentally setting the house on fire. Kakashi really loves that house… "So anyways, we're all gonna have to split up and get the ingredients."

"What are the ingredients?" Naruto was perplexed.

I thought for a moment, trying to make sure I had everything right before telling everyone what we were going to need. After I had finish telling them, Naruto sped off and yelled, "I got marshmallows!"

"And I'll get the whipped cream!" Sasuke exclaimed as he followed after Naruto. "Wait up, Naruto!"

"Well, I'm getting the pudding!" Ino said, a light blush tinging her cheeks. She really adores pudding. "I'll try not to take too long!"

"I guess Chōji and I are gonna get the canned fruit, then…" Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "How troublesome…"

"Shino, Akamaru, and I'll get the mandarins!" Kiba piped up. "C'mon, Shino, we got fruit to buy!"

"I believe they are much cheaper if we go to the fruit stand near Yamanaka Flowers…" Shino was already telling Kiba where they should get the mandarins.

So that just left Hinata and I, since everyone else had already left…We stared at each other for a couple of minutes before Hinata spoke up.

"I-I'll get the milk…Ino-chan is getting pudding mix, right?" Hinata looked questioningly at me.

"That's what I told her." Ino never makes mistakes…well, not a lot of them—I can trust her, okay? "You go on ahead—I'll get the coconut flakes."

Hinata nodded and ran off, leaving me on my own. I sighed heavily and rubbed the back of my head. I really hope that whatever comes out of this is delicious…okay, time to get some coconut!

As soon as I can recall where I can get some…heh, migrating coconuts. Well, I better get going before I start going on about killer bunnies.

…

…

Okay, something feels really off. Like, really off. I'm the only one walking down this street (kinda unnerving, if only because of the desolate feeling), but it feels as though I am not alone.

…

Oh hell! Don't freaking tell me—time to break one of the rules! I looked back and felt a headache starting to come when I saw a poorly hidden Konohamaru hiding in plain sight via dirt-colored blanket. He did as poor of a job as I had seen in the anime, though that isn't what is bugging me…

What is bugging me, is that Konohamaru is following me, and not Naruto! Just what the hell did I do now?! Okay, calm, Chōko, calm…just ignore him and maybe he'll lose interest and go bother Naruto.

Fast-forward to like an hour later, after I bought the coconut flakes and was currently making my way to Naruto's house, where we were all going to meet up, Konohamaru was still following me and I was still confused as to what brought on this divergence from canon.

"Hey, what are you doing, following Chōko-chan, dattebayo?!" And hello, Naruto, what are you doing here? I thought you were already home…I guess not.

I stopped walking and turned around to see Naruto pulling Konohamaru out of a bush. I stared at the sight before me and sighed.

"Just bring him along—everyone else is probably waiting for us." I will not be deprived of fruit salad.

Naruto muttered under his breath and threw Konohamaru over his shoulder. "You're lucky Chōko-chan is in a good mood!"

"Heey, put me down!" Konohamaru started beating on Naruto's back.

Naruto made a face and looked at me before tossing a big bag of miniature marshmallows at me. "You carry that."

I barely managed to catch the bag with one hand. "Wh-Whoa…"

"Put me down, put me down, put me down!" Konohamaru shrieked.

"Stop struggling-ttebayo!" Naruto growled. "That's it!"

Within a matter of seconds, Naruto managed to immobilize Konohamaru, using only the blue scarf the kid wore. I couldn't help but applaud Naruto for his actions.

"Nice." Naruto certainly looks pleased, especially since it seemed he learned something after all those years of getting caught by Iruka-sensei. "Okay, let's get going, then…"

"Hey, hey, Chōko-chan…how long have you noticed he's been following you?" Naruto asked me as he hefted Konohamaru over his shoulder once more. Konohamaru was a bit more docile this time around, considering his current position.

"Over an hour, already…I was just humoring him." And trying to ignore the fact that Konohamaru was following me and not you—why isn't he following you, dammit?!

…

Kakashi arched his brow when he saw Naruto walk into the house, carrying a tied-up eight-year-old over his shoulder. "Is this something I should worry about?"

"So long as it doesn't become a habit, then you have nothing to worry about," I said as I followed after Naruto. "Whoever else is here, come on out so we can get some introductions out of the way."

And so that's how Konohamaru got introduced to everyone else. Konohamaru didn't have to say anything to us, as we already knew his name. This annoyed him to a point, but he stayed quiet about it. I had Naruto untie him, while I took everyone else (sans Kakashi, who was lounging about on the sofa) to the kitchen, where magic was going to take place (aka, fruit salad making).

Fifteen minutes later, I went to check on Naruto and Konohamaru, only to find Kakashi alone in the living room.

"What the?" I looked at Kakashi, who directed me to the backyard.

"You might want to prepare yourself." What do you mean by that, Kakashi? "Just take my word for it, Chōko-chan."

Whenever Kakashi adds "-chan" to my name, I always have to remind myself that he's being serious, if a bit comically. So I guess I should just take his word…okay, time to woman up!

I'm gonna try to make you proud, Gogo!

Less than five minutes later, everyone rushed to the backyard after hearing me yell, "Oh what the hell?!"

I had just walked in on Naruto teaching Konohamaru the Oiroke no Jutsu. It had only just come to my attention that Naruto was corrupting the innocence of a child (if they're not yet a Genin, then I can give a damn about it).

"And here's one more child that has had their innocence corrupted by Naruto." Because Konohamaru sure as hell isn't the first, that's for damn sure.

"…Why?" Sasuke looked at Naruto with such a concerned expression. I mean, this was the Sandaime's grandson we're talking about, here. "Why would you do this?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke, blinking a few times as he adjusted his goggles before grinning widely. "Because it's the one thing you can't replace."

That being Konohamaru's innocence…whatever is left of it now, that is.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Kakashi remarked. "It's bound to happen, sooner or later."

"But he isn't even a Genin yet!" I argued. "That excuse is completely irrelevant on him!"

Kakashi looked at me and nodded. "Good point…well, carry on…"

Kakashi walked back into the house after saying that. I snorted, wondering what was even going on his head.

"He still has a point, considering what happened to us," Kiba brought up.

"Not helping!" I snapped. "Look, Naruto, explain because I have no idea what I'm looking at."

"Well, for one thing, Konohamaru is doing a crappy job at passing as a girl," Naruto said before bonking Konohamaru over the head, dispelling the transformation as a result. "Second—"

"He teaches me the Oiroke no Jutsu, and I get to call him, 'Boss,' in return!" Konohamaru grinned at all of us. He almost seemed proud… "C'mon, Boss—let's keep at it!"

"Say, Chōko-chan!" Naruto turned to me. "Do you think he can join us?"

"Join us…?" …Oh, right! Circle of friends…yeah, I guess so. Considering how busy we'll be as Genin, Hanabi deserves to have a playmate her age. "Yeah, he's in."

Konohamaru stared at me for a moment, most likely trying to process what had just happened. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he loudly exclaimed, "Big Boss!"

I blanked out for a moment. "What the?"

Did I…hear that correctly?

"Hey, how come I'm 'Boss' and she's 'Big Boss'?" Naruto scowled at Konohamaru.

Konohamaru grinned. "Because she's YOUR leader!"

"Big Boss…" I repeated. "Why does this make me sound like gang leader or something?"

"Couldn't we technically be considered a gang?" Kiba asked.

Hinata frowned. "O-Oh no, Otou-sama will not be pleased…"

"I doubt he's been pleased for a while after what we did to Hanabi," Sasuke remarked.

At least Hanabi still has her innocence…for the sake of our lives.

"She's not that bad!" Naruto protested.

Shino adjusted his glasses. "It is difficult for you to say anything when Hanabi-san takes after you the most."

Ino nodded her head. "Besides, for a Hyuuga, she is that bad."

"And if you're confused, try comparing Hanabi to Hinata," Chōji suggested.

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Naruto's face. "I guess you're right-ttebayo."

"Though, it could be worse!" Sasuke tried to be positive. "Instead of Konohamaru, you could be teaching the Oiroke no Jutsu to Hanabi!"

…

"Sasuke?"

"What, Chōko?"

"Never bring up that mental image!"

For our sake, let us hope Hanabi never learns that, or lest we face the wrath of Hiashi.

…

…

Sometime later, while the fruit salad chilled in the refrigerator, all of us (including Naruto and Konohamaru) moved into the living room and laid down on the floor. As the floor was still covered in pillows from yesterday's failed pillow fort, which escalated into a full-fledged pillow fight, we all got pretty comfortable.

"So…Konohamaru…why are you going after Jiji?" Naruto suddenly asked Konohamaru.

Konohamaru stayed quiet for a moment, before saying, "Jii-chan gave me the name, Konohamaru. I'm named after this village. But no one ever calls me that. Whenever they see or call me, all they see is the Hokage's grandson. Nobody sees me as me—and I'm sick of that."

I rolled onto my stomach and looked at Konohamaru. "So I'm guessing you're also after the title of Hokage, then?"

"A-Also?" Konohamaru repeated.

"If you want to become Hokage, then you're gonna have to defeat me first!" Naruto sat up. "I'm not gonna sit back and let some kid become Hokage before me, dattebayo!"

"Ah…" Konohamaru looked at Naruto in awe.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door. Almost instantly, all of our attention was on Kakashi, who looked at us lazily with his one eye as he sat on the sofa.

"I'll get it then." Kakashi sighed as he stood up and then made his way to the door. A couple of minutes later, Kakashi called out, asking, "Is there any reason why a man named Ebisu is at the door?"

"Oh crap, he found me!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Ebisu?" Naruto made a face.

"He's my tutor—he's gonna take me away from you guys!" Konohamaru explained.

"Tell that guy he's got the wrong house, Kakashi!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"It defeats the purpose when he can hear all of you!" Kakashi responded back. "Oh, he's inside the house now!"

"You suck, Scarecrow!" Naruto yelled as he started piling pillows on top of Konohamaru. "C'mon, help me hide him!"

By the time Ebisu came into the living room, Konohamaru was hidden under a pile of pillows. All of us were trying to look innocent as Naruto started reading Shisui's book to us. Ebisu stared at us for a good five minutes before adjusting his glasses and sighing.

"I know he's here," he said.

Balls…welp, time for plan B! "But do you know where, exactly?"

"He probably doesn't!" Kiba laughed as Akamaru barked a couple of times.

"You're gonna have to search everywhere for him!" Ino grinned deviously.

"This is a pretty big house," Chōji remarked.

"He's under the pillows," Kakashi said as he entered the living room.

Konohamaru popped out of the pile of pillows moments after that, gasping for air. "Air!"

"Young master, I believe it is time for us to take our leave." Ebisu looked sternly at Konohamaru. "Come on, let us go."

Konohamaru scowled at Ebisu. "I'm not going anywhere! Take this! Henge!"

And lo and behold, there stood Konohamaru, finally having succeeded using the Oiroke no Jutsu. He used the pillows he was laying on to add some seductive charm to his current appearance. Niiiice legs—oh my god, Chōko, stop being a pervert!

I need to rethink my life choices…and it seems as if Ebisu has passed out from the major nosebleed he just had. Who'd thought that pillows would've done the job? Guess the Harem no Jutsu will have to wait another day to see the light of day…

"Ebisu, not on the floor…" Kakashi sighed. "I want all of you upstairs…now. I'm gonna go get the mop."

We spent the next hour in Naruto's room, coming down only to go into the kitchen to try out the fruit salad in the refrigerator. By the by, it was a success!

"Where has this been all my life?" Ino was blushing as she continued to eat.

"How did you even think up this recipe?" Chōji looked at me. "Kaa-chan never taught us anything like this."

"Eh, I was just in an experimental mood," I replied before shoveling a spoonful of fruit salad into my mouth… I'm really glad this recipe turned out well, since I was going off by memory involving a random recipe I came across in my past life. Of course, I've had enough time to get good at experimenting these past four years (going on five when you include this year). I've managed to recreate a number of dishes, using Naruto's house as a base for these edible concoctions (or inedible, depending whether I screwed up or not—Chōji hates me when that happens). Everyone usually pitches in to help me when I get in the mood to make something. It's a hobby of sorts and it can be really fun sometimes, just doing stuff together. Depending on how well it goes, it might just end up in the recipe book I have at home.

As we continued eating, Naruto talked it over with Konohamaru, informing him on how becoming the Hokage wouldn't be an easy thing.

"I have a lot of people who recognize me." Naruto looked at all of us fondly. "But it still took a lot of work for their families to recognize me."

Yeah, it's hard to believe that our families were once distant to Naruto. Now, we're as close as can be and Naruto honestly has enough connections to support him when he becomes Hokage (not if—when…because we all believe in him).

"So you better prepare yourself," Naruto told Konohamaru.

Konohamaru tilted his head to the side. "Prepare…?"

"To become someone that everyone will look up to as Hokage," Naruto continued. "There ain't going to be any shortcuts! You got that, dattebayo?"

Konohamaru was definitely blushing by now, but he looked away in an attempt to hide it. "Bah…Stop lecturing me as if you're important."

Naruto made a face, but smiled when Sasuke whispered, "Tsun-tsun!" to him.

"I'm not letting you be my Boss any longer!" Konohamaru looked at Naruto and grinned. "From now on, we're rivals!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to start taking my first step as a shinobi come next week." Naruto was referring to team placement day. "But I'll fight with you, one day, for the title of Hokage-ttebayo. Until then, I look forward to it, Konohamaru."

Flash!

Hinata soon found all attention on her, moments after she had used Shisui's camera to take a picture of Konohamaru and Naruto. She stuttered rather badly as she explained that she wanted to add another memory into the photo album. Naruto smiled at Hinata and reassured her that it was fine. When Konohamaru asked about the photo album, Naruto's eyes practically gleamed.

Within the next hour, Ebisu finally regained consciousness. He found us as we were looking through Shisui's photo album, explaining what the context of each and every photograph to Konohamaru.

"And in this one, Itachi-san was annoyed because Shisui-nii was getting right in his face-ttebayo!" Naruto explained.

We all laughed at that. Eventually, it came to our attention when Konohamaru asked about Shisui and Itachi that he had no idea about them. We broke the news to him and Konohamaru frowned.

"Oh…I see…" Konohamaru bit his lip. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine!" Sasuke insisted. "Nii-san was a hero! He did it because Naruto was important!"

"And Shisui-nii isn't dead, dattebayo!" Naruto closed the photo album. "Hey, do you wanna see him?"

Konohamaru blinked. "Huh?"

Five minutes later, Konohamaru found himself getting acquainted with Shisui's tree. Naruto explained the logic of it, which Konohamaru quickly latched onto. It was around that time that Konohamaru was aware that Ebisu had been watching him, but Konohamaru didn't care. He ran up to Ebisu and explained that he wanted to become a tree when he died.

Ebisu seemed a bit strained, Ino not really helping much when she mentioned her family specialized in that type of business. Sighing, Ebisu decided to call it a day and told Konohamaru that it was time for them to leave. Konohamaru frowned, but understood.

"I guess I'll see you guys around?" Konohamaru looked expectantly at us.

I found myself answering for everyone when I said, "Sure! See you around!"

Konohamaru grinned and waved at us. "Okay, Big Boss!"

And it seems as if some things won't change. Everyone laughed as Naruto demanded an explanation as to why I was still, "Big Boss." It was a pretty interesting day, overall.

…

…

Following the rest of the week, Konohamaru liked to drop by and pay us a visit before getting dragged off by Ebisu. During that same week, the rest of us spent as much time as we could together until team placement day (AKA, explanatory meeting day). Sakura managed to spend the last few days with us and even spent the night with the rest of us at Naruto's house the day before team placement day.

Come the next morning, all of us walked to the Academy together. Sakura went her separate to her respective class, while the rest of us made our way to Iruka-sensei's classroom. It was sure noisy as hell as Sasuke's fan girls decided to swarm us after we had entered the classroom. It's honestly hilarious how these fan girls once kept their distance away from Sasuke after Itachi left the village, only to come back once the gossip died down.

Everyone backed off after Ino made her presence known, much to Sasuke's relief. Ino may still be a fan girl herself, but she was quite tame, in comparison to everyone else. As we made our way to our usual seats, Hibachi felt the need to pick on Naruto.

"What the hell are you doing here? Only those who pass are supposed to be here!" Hibachi sneered.

Naruto grinned widely as he tapped his knuckles on his hitai-ate. "Hey, hey, is your eyesight as bad as Chōko-chan's? Can't you see this hitai-ate?"

Hibachi blinked and sputtered upon seeing Naruto's hitai-ate. "Wha—how?!"

"He passed, that's all that matters." I walked up to Hibachi and looked at him right in the eye. "Now how about you scram before I make you?"

Hibachi fled to his friends after hearing my threat. I could be quite scary when I wanted to be…that, or it's the knowledge of my strength that makes everyone wary. I mean, it's hard to forget all those doors I broke, ahaha…

"Man, I really hope you're the Chō that ends up with Shikamaru and me!" Ino said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "We could do so much together!"

"That'd be fun!" I smiled.

Shikamaru let out a puff of air. "Not for me."

"Yeah, yeah, we're both troublesome—get used to it!" Ino stuck her tongue out at Shikamaru.

"Whatever happens, happens, then!" Chōji grinned. "I wouldn't mind being with you and Shikamaru."

"Likewise, but I still prefer Chōko-chan!" Ino remarked.

"I-I wouldn't mind being on the same team as Naruto-kun…" Hinata said.

Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled. "Same here, Hinata-chan! I hope we end up on the same team together-ttebayo!"

"I'm good so long as at least one of you is on my team…right Akamaru?" Kiba looked up at Akamaru, who was resting on top of his head. Akamaru barked a few times.

"I suspect they might divide us based on our skills." Shino adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah, you, Hinata, and Kiba would make a good tracker team." Based off of that, there's no doubt that they'll end up being together on a team. "And we already got the obvious Ino-Shika-Chō team."

"Knowing the typical pattern, we'll probably get a Sarutobi as a Jounin," Shikamaru sighed. "I wonder who that could be…"

Oh, I have a good idea of who, but I won't say anything…

"What about Sasuke and me?" Naruto asked. "Sasuke is the top of the class, meanwhile with me…"

"You got good enough g-grades!" Hinata was quick to tell Naruto. "J-Just because everyone calls you dead-last, doesn't make you one."

"Yeah, what Hinata said!" I couldn't say it any better myself. "Everyone knows how well we get along, so chances are, you two will probably end up on the same team, based on your relationship."

"Really?" Naruto was ecstatic.

"It'd be a bad move if they didn't." Of course, knowing the actual reason, what with Naruto being a jinchuuriki and the Sharingan (which Sasuke possesses) being able to keep that Kyuubi under control, it's only logical that Sasuke and Naruto will end up on the same team, with Kakashi as their Jounin. The third member of the team, however, is up to chance…or so I say, as a form of denial.

Today is the moment of truth whether or not my suspicions are correct, in regard to the third member of Team 7. When Iruka-sensei walked into the classroom, everyone quieted down. He congratulated all of us, telling us that we were all shinobi of Konoha now. Insert the clichéd saying about the journey ahead of us has only begun, here. Attach a small explanation about being assigned into a group of three with a Jounin-sensei, there. Add a warning about listening to your team's Jounin just to make a point…

"We tried to balance each team's strength," Iruka-sensei continued. "And without further ado, here are the teams."

I didn't really pay much attention to the first six teams, except maybe taking in relief that I was not on the same team as Hibachi (THANK GOD).

"Team 7 is Akimichi Chōko, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

I smiled wryly. I knew it…I had started to suspect that I was going to end up on Team 7 about a year ago. I looked at my new teammates, Sasuke and Naruto, the two of them smiling at me, as they were quite content with the team they were assigned. Ino was pouting over the fact that the Chō on her team was going to be Chōji.

"Team 8 is Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba."

As predicted. Shino, Hinata, and Kiba seemed content with their team, with Kiba placing his arms around Shino and Hinata as he brought the both of them in for a group hug.

After announcing the ninth team, Iruka-sensei announced the tenth team. "Team 10 is Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji."

And there you have the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Ino was pretty bummed that I wasn't on her team, but she sighed and said, "Well, I guess Chōji is just as fine."

"I may not be my sister, but I'll be sure to protect you," Chōji said before eating a potato chip. "And no, you may not have any, Chōko."

I narrowed my eyes at Chōji. "I wasn't even gonna ask…"

Growl…

Shut up, stomach! "I guess that means you won't have to deal with two troublesome girls, huh, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru smirked. "It's better this way."

Yeah, yeah, Shikamaru…I know how you feel about girls. Your views might be a little old-fashion, but you mean well. "Just make sure to not let your ass get kicked by a kunoichi just because you don't want to handle such a 'troublesome' opponent."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen!" Ino said as she patted Shikamaru on the head. "You hear that, Shikamaru? Leader wants you to pull your weight, so I'm gonna make sure that happens."

Shikamaru made a face. "Tch, troublesome."

"You know it!" Ino grinned.

"Okay, your Jounin-sensei will meet with you, here, after lunch!" Iruka-sensei smiled at all of us. "Enjoy your lunch and good luck!"

…

It was during lunchtime that I found out that Sakura got placed on the Genin Reserves. Sakura didn't mind, as she was going use this opportunity to continue her medic-nin train.

"I want to get as much done before I get placed on a team," Sakura explained. "How about you guys?"

"Well, I didn't get Chōko-chan as the Chō," Ino huffed. "But lucky her got Sasuke-kun on her team."

"I-I'm happy for them…Naruto-kun, too," Hinata remarked. "Th-This won't be the first time they've been together like this…remember?"

It took me a few seconds to realize what Hinata had meant. "Right, when everyone was busy, the three of us were training with Shisui and Itachi-san!"

"Heeey, I guess that means it'll be like old times, dattebayo!" Naruto was grinning widely.

"I'll still surpass both of you," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"In your dreams!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Man, it's still gonna feel weird being away from the rest of you guys." Kiba sighed.

"But we will see each other again, eventually…correct?" Shino looked expectantly at all of us.

"Right!" we all said.

This was going to be our last time together as a group. Soon, we'll be like Neji, lacking any free time to spend. Despite that, we are very much aware that it won't mean the end of us. So we spent the rest of lunchtime talking about pointless things—anything, to pass the time before we were called back in to meet with our Jounin-sensei.

…

…

"He's late…" Naruto said as he peered through into the hallway while Sasuke and I sat in our seats in completely empty classroom.

"You don't say…" Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Oi, I don't need your sarcasm…" Naruto glared at Sasuke, who just smirked at him.

I yawned loudly, somewhat drowsy after eating a big lunch. "I feel like taking a nap…"

"Take one—I'll wake you up when our Jounin-sensei gets here," Sasuke told me.

"Still—where the hell is he, dattebayo?" Naruto was annoyed. "Everyone already left with their Jounin-sensei, except for us—and Iruka-sensei went home!"

"Maybe something came up…" I said sluggishly as I began to doze off.

I blacked out for a couple of minutes before waking up to Sasuke asking, "What are you doing, Naruto?"

I yawned and rubbed my eyes before looking at Naruto, who was in the midst of setting up a prank. The classic eraser in the doorway prank—the very first one he pulled off when Shisui introduced him to pranks. I smiled, feeling a sense of nostalgia from the sight.

"Hey, hey—you think our Jounin-sensei will fall for it?" I diverted my eyes on Sasuke.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "As if a Jounin would fall for something like that…"

I adjusted my glasses, a huge smile crossing my face. "Wanna bet on it?"

"Loser buys the winner their favorite food?" Sasuke suggested.

"Sounds good." Oh, get ready to buy me green tea daifuku…

At that moment, a hand appeared in the slightly open doorway. Sasuke and I leaned over our seats, watching in anticipation as the door slip open and the eraser Naruto had placed land on top of a mop of silver hair belonging to the one, and only, Hatake Kakashi.

There was a small moment of silence, which was quickly broken by Naruto's loud laughter as he exclaimed, "He fell for it! He fell for it!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me as I also started laughing. A couple of seconds passed before Sasuke soon joined in our laughter. Meanwhile with Kakashi, he lifted the eraser off the floor and looked at us, sighing in what could only be described as slight exasperation.

"What's up with you?" I found myself asking Kakashi.

"Oh nothing," Kakashi sighed. "Just rethinking my life choices…"

There were no first impressions—just a sense of familiarity between the four of us. Despite what Kakashi had said, he seemed content to have us along with him. Because chances are, we will be the first team he ever passes…we'll make sure of that.

…

…

…

---

A/N Holy crap, another long chapter—I AM SPOILING YOU GUYS. Nah, I just like to write, ahahah…yeah… So the time skip happened (I told you guys!), Chōko is on Team 7, Hanabi is a rebel (as much of a rebel she could be as a Hyuuga), and there be Team Asuma interactions all around—I really had a fun time with that.

And then there's Sakura, who finally had more screen time. Then Konohamaru happened and now I must explain a thing…when Konohamaru calls Naruto, "Boss", he is using the term, oyabun, which roughly translates into boss… It is a bit of a yakuza term, and the reason I'm even bring this up is because of Chōko getting called, "Big Boss." Really, Chōko is actually getting called kumichō, which is another way of saying boss, in the same context (that is, yakuza terminology—the actual translation may differ, but the meaning is the same). But the reason I went with the "Big Boss" as a placement for differentiating both terms…and to convey Naruto's surprise about Chōko's title, given to her by Konohamaru. Still confused, try looking up the yakuza…it's a really interesting subject to read about—then again, I'm a nerd, so…ahah.

And the reason that even came about to be in the first place, was thanks to a reviewer, by the name of Rae_Kid on AO3 (Archive of Our Own, where a couple of my fics are posted on under the same name, KlonoaDreams). They suggested it in a comment, and I decided to go along with it, since it was an interesting suggestion. I mean, I certainly liked the income—I got a bit of a Hiimdaisy Persona 4 feel when Naruto confronted Konohamaru about the "Big Boss" thing.

Moving onto the whole official Genin and unofficial Genin, I wanted to add my own flair of how things go on in the world of Naruto and the outcome of that was official Genin being like high school students and college—you're expected to move onto the next level. It certainly explains the reason why Eternal Genin are looked down upon. Unofficial Genin are stuck on D-ranks, which are by far, the safest missions, considering how risky C-ranks can be (how they can escalate, I mean). Of course, they have the comfort of not knowing the pressure of being expected to become Chuunin.

And since Chōko is a bit of a Sakura replacement, guess where Rock Lee's crush shifted? Yeah, Chōko doesn't actually mind, she's more baffled that it even happened because she's no Sakura. And "No romo" literally means "No romance", used indicate platonic intents in relationships. Expect Chōko to use this phrase from time to time.

Chōko is very much concerned about her twin brother's wellbeing and is established to be a bit of a pervert. She is also now the Naruto-equivalent of height in comparison to her friends. Hell, she SHARES his canon part one height (it's in that range), with Naruto being the same height as Sasuke, if a bit taller by a few centimeters. Of course, most of the Rookie 9, the males at least, are the same height, with the exception of Shino, who is the tallest.

And, as always, I have my friend, ChibiFoxAI, to thank, for some of the moments done in this chapter. The part involving Chōko mentioning that Konohamaru is another kid corrupted by Naruto up until Naruto says, "Because it's the one thing you can't replace" and then there is the lovely little comment Kakashi says about rethinking his life choices. Really, I'd be lost without ChibiFoxAI.

Anyways, shout out to llat-2, for being reviewer #190, and a big shout out to Lightsbane1905, for being lucky reviewer #200! And just…over 200 reviews? Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review! I really appreciate it! ^^

I want to do something special, but before that, I want to ask you readers a question on a subject that I have been considering. Would you guys like some POV shifts to focus on certain characters, on how they see certain events? Like, for example, a focus on Kakashi as he rethinks his life choices upon meeting his Genin team…or Konohamaru reacting to seeing Naruto and Chōko—get an outside view of what it appears to others before they become part of the circle of friends. Something like that—basically, getting insight from a character.

That aside, guess which story broke over 20 chapters? This story did! I consider it a huge milestone that only Façade held, until now! Speaking of Façade, I'm gonna try to update on the day it reaches its second year! I apologize for taking so long, but life got in the way and just…yeah.

Anyways, just suggest away for POV shifts for certain characters. While I'm at it, would anyone mind a shift in POV entirely, depending on the situation, for this story? It has come to my attention that I might have to switch to third-person, in order to portray a different perspective. Again, it depends on the situation, but I'd rather ask beforehand, so as I could make the shift as painless as possible.

I guess that's if for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! I certainly did, so until next time everyone! KD out! XD