Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.

Chapter 7

The Sannin had come to the Hokage's office bright and early on this cool October morning. Hiruzen had summoned them immediately when he saw the document. The very same document that now lay face up on the center of his desk. Hiruzen had told his secretary to hold off any paperwork or appointments until his meeting with his students was over.

"What is this?" He asked, holding up the document and showing it to his students.

"An adoption form," Jiraiya answered easily. A smirk was present on his face but his eyes were calculating. He knew this was no casual meeting.

"Do you honestly believe this is wise?"

"Of course, it's wise. And there is no problem with us doing so. He lives in an orphanage, does he not? And children get adopted from orphanages." It was Tsunade that replied this time; her temper and impatience were starting to surface.

"Yes, but—"

"But nothing! You can't keep changing circumstances for Naruto at your will. Minato wanted him to have a normal childhood and you're denying him if you refuse this," Jiraiya snapped.

The toad sage was standing up now and his arms were crossed over his chest. He walked up to the window behind Hiruzen's desk and stared out at the Hokage monument. His eyes immediately trained on his late student's face.

"Jiraiya, please understand. I want the best for him but—wait. Tsunade, did you say 'us'?"

Jiraiya turned around now with his eyebrows raised and looked at his teammate while their sensei did the same. He wasn't surprised in the least. The buxom blonde in question had a faint scarlet hue adorning her cheeks but her response was nothing short of fiery.

"Of course! Do you think I can rely on this pervert to raise Naruto by himself? Besides, we've been taking care of him together for two years already. This is no different." She huffed indignantly, her cheeks puffed.

Jiraiya laughed heartily and sat back down beside her, his mood considerably improving. Hiruzen let out a defeated sigh realizing he would not dissuade his students. Every one of them was far too stubborn for their own good.

"You two won't change your mind about this?" Hiruzen asked rhetorically. He received two incredulous stares from his students, their eyebrows raised as if to ask 'what do you think?'

Rubbing tiredly at his eyes, Hiruzen placed the document down and gave his signature of approval, dreading the reprimand he'd surely be receiving.

Jonetsu had been here first thing in the morning, startling his secretary to death with her furious demand to see him. She disregarded all procedures and burst into his office with an angered expression. Thankfully, Hiruzen heard the commotion outside and was able to hide his copy of Jiraiya's latest novel, Icha Icha Violence, before she was able to see it.

Jonetsu crossed the room in three long strides and slammed the document down on Hiruzen's desk. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He tried desperately to calm her down but it was for naught. She ranted about how Jiraiya and Tsunade had been showing up nearly every day for the past two years and took Naruto away to who knows where.

"Imagine my surprise when I woke up to the smiling face of your student at my window waving around this!" She had exclaimed, furiously jabbing a finger down at the adoption form. "'I'll be back for it later.' He said. And then poof! A Kage Bunshin. The nerve of that man! He couldn't even come and see me in person."

Hiruzen had somehow managed to calm her down and send her home. The mention of the other children at the orphanage did the trick. It was undeniable that the woman cared deeply for Naruto. She had after all raised the boy from the day he was born. The little blonde was hard not to love so it was understandable she didn't want to be separated from him even if Jiraiya was well within his right to adopt him.

"Jonetsu-san tells me you two have been taking Naruto out for the past two years?" He questioned after placing his stamp back where it belonged.

"Yeah, the little brat is a bundle of energy," Tsunade smiled fondly. Jiraiya shared her smile before shooting her a meaningful look causing Tsunade to snort joyfully. It was some kind of inside joke, Hiruzen reasoned.

"We've been taking him to the park and the monument. And to the Senju compound but we spend most of our time in Hashirama-ojiisan's training ground. Naru-chan is pretty strong, ya know?"

Her voice was filled with pride and it was mirrored by Jiraiya as they both beamed thinking of the boy who captured their hearts.

The wee hours of the morning came and went as Jiraiya and Tsunade went back and forth regaling their sensei, going off on some tangent more often than not, of what they had been getting up to with Naruto.

-xotwod-

"So care to get some sake?"

"As long as you're paying," She agreed. Neither of them questioned how it was only a few minutes past noon. It was never too early for a drink.

Then a thought suddenly crossed Jiraiya's mind.

"You know Tsu-hime, this makes us Naruto's new parents," he said, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. Tsunade scoffed and looked away, her cheeks heating up at the prospect, but gave a subtle nod making Jiraiya's grin widen. "So how about we get right to it and do what parents do?"

Her next action left Jiraiya completely speechless.

Stepping dangerously close to the white-haired sage, she grabbed the front of his kimono in her fist and pulled him in close. Their faces were separated by only a hair's length causing Jiraiya to inhale sharply at her unexpected maneuver.

Any sudden movements and their lips would be touching. He could smell the hint of jasmine tea coming from her breath. Jiraiya stood, transfixed as he stared directly into her eyes and noticed the faint specks of gold swimming in the pools of amber for the first time.

Jiraiya's eyes flickered down to her enticing pink lips and he unconsciously bit his own before going back to her eyes. The glance was not lost upon Tsunade causing her to smirk at his agonized expression. Her prior blush was now much more prominent but she willed herself to not waver.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Her words were slow and tantalizing and her voice just above a whisper.

She could hear him audibly swallow before releasing a shallow breath. Jiraiya felt like his tongue had gone completely dry. But before he could stammer out any sort of response, Tsunade let him go with a gentle shove and walked off.

The normally boisterous man was at a loss for words. All he could do was stare at the back of her green haori and the sway of her pigtails. He heard the melodious sound of her laughter as she continued to walk away from him. Although thoroughly befuddled at what just happened, the toad sage felt the corners of his lips begin to twitch upwards. He took a few more moments to situate himself before running after her, never one to be outdone.

-xotwod-

Anko had just come home from an exhausting day at the academy. She had to take a Ninjutsu final exam followed by two hours of Taijutsu sparring, suffice to say she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go home and take a nice, long hot shower and then eat Dango with Naruto. He would probably crack open another one of his instant ramen cups while she ate the Dango.

Kami, he's delusional, she thought. Nothing is better than Dango.

She greeted Jonetsu with a quick wave before heading to her room. Imagine her surprise when she found half of it barren. Naruto's half.

Said boy had his back to her as he sat on the floor and messily shoved his clothes into a bag. The stacks of manga that used to sit at the foot of his bed were now piled into a large, red die-cut handle bag. And a garbage bag sat at the corner of the room filled to the brim and smelled distinctly of ramen. Of course.

"Naru… what are you doing?"

At the sound of her voice, Naruto's head snapped up and he turned around. He had a huge smile on his face. This was the happiest she had ever seen him.

"Anko! Anko! Guess what?" He didn't wait for her to respond, though. He was far too excited. "I got adopted!"

"Ad...adopted?"

Her voice came out in something of a broken whisper but Naruto didn't seem to hear it. The word left a horrible taste in her mouth.

"Isn't it great? I thought it would never happen to me!"

"Y-yeah…great."

She was staring at Naruto and watched him talk animatedly about how excited he was but she couldn't hear a word. The compound was alive with the sound of his voice, the birds chirping outside, the whistle of the kettle as Jonetsu made tea, and the laughter of the other kids playing outside. But it all seemed to be drowned out from the roaring in her ears. Her surroundings seemed to blur and slow down when the weight of the situation became fully apparent.

Anko's thoughts were running a mile a minute as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Naruto—her best friend, Naruto—was getting adopted. Just thinking of the word made her chest constrict further.

Her heart rate went up and her hands had become clammy when she tried to imagine what it would be like now. Her breathing was starting to get heavy and erratic.

Anko had always yearned for something permanent in her life. Naruto was supposed to be that something. No matter what happened she could go to him. And vice versa. Naruto would be leaving the orphanage. He would be leaving Jonetsu-baachan. He would be leaving… her.

She couldn't bear the thought. But for Naruto's sake, she put up a front. Quickly putting a smile on her face, Anko walked up to him and threw an arm around his jittering shoulders. She has to swallow multiple times before being able to talk.

"That's…that's great, Naru. I'm so happy for you. I'm gonna go take a shower, okay? I stink."

She forced out a laugh and hoped her words didn't sound insincere. Her roommate was always rather adept at picking up those kinds of signs. Although I'm not sure if he'd notice right now, she mused demurely.

After receiving an exuberant 'okay' from the five-year-old, Anko exited the room. She was glad for his quick reply; Anko prided herself on being tough and refused to let anyone see her cry.

Before she could turn the corner of the hallway and slip into the bathroom, a firm hand was placed on her shoulder stopping her in her tracks. Anko furiously turned around, ready to tell off the perpetrator, but faltered when she saw who it was. The string of curses ready to be launched at the offender faded and she slumped against the wall.

Jonetsu's grip was firm and an expression of compassion was present on her wrinkled face. She looked very much her age at this moment, which came as a shock to the downtrodden academy student. Anko had never really thought of her as old before. Her caretaker was able to keep up with all of the kids in the orphanage with unparalleled speed. Even Naruto, and that was saying something.

But in this instance, Jonetsu's wrinkles seemed to be more profound. The worry lines on her forehead seemed more defined as she looked down at Anko. The little girl blinked rapidly, hoping to quell her forming tears but it was for naught.

"Baachan," Anko croaked. "He's leaving! You can't let him go! Please..."

The strength left her and she collapsed against the elder woman. Jonetsu wrapped her arms tightly around her and soothingly ran a hand through Anko's messy hair as she shook.

"I know, dear."

-xotwod-

The grin on Naruto's face was blinding as he stood, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, in front of Jonetsu and Anko. Jiraiya and Tsunade stood a few meters away allowing them privacy to say their goodbyes.

"You can visit me anytime, 'kay?" Naruto said brightly to Anko.

The purple-haired girl smiled cheerfully and returned his enthusiasm with equal vigor. Her brown eyes were uncommonly bright as she gazed at the hyperactive blonde in front of her. She knew very well how much he craved a family yet it pained her that he didn't see her and Jonetsu in the same light he viewed Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Her already fake smile became even more strained as her gaze flitted to the two smiling Sannin standing a few meters away. They stood without a care in the world, unaware of how much they were hurting Anko and Jonetsu.

Anko's gaze then traveled to their caretaker. The older woman stood with her hands clasped in front of her, and her lips tightly pressed together as she watched them talk. Allowing them a few more moments together, Jonetsu made her way over to them and stood behind Anko. Naruto looked up at the woman and smiled, causing her to adorn one of her own.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Naruto?" She asked kindly, masking her true emotion.

Naruto's smile widened. "I am."

Jonetsu closed her eyes and sighed. "Just know that you can come back anytime you want."

"Thanks, Tamashi-baachan. Thank you for taking care of me for all these years." Naruto's smile had dimmed and his eyes had glossed over as he looked at the woman who he viewed as a grandmother his entire life.

Naruto's sentiment caused the woman to release the tears she was holding back. She fell to her knees and gathered Naruto in a tight embrace. No hug was too short for Naruto. In Jonetsu's familiar arms, he felt safe and sheltered; he bathed in her warmth and subtle scent of ginseng. It had become the most familiar fragrance to him and he relished in its normalcy.

With one more meaningful glance at Anko, Naruto turned and ran to Jiraiya and Tsunade whose smiles visibly grew as he approached them. With each step away from them, Anko felt her heart begin to tear. She was losing the important person in her life.

"Ready?" She heard Tsunade ask.

And of course, Naruto was as jubilant as ever. "Yup!"

She saw the large white-haired man called Jiraiya heave Naruto's bags up before they suddenly disappeared in a plume of white smoke. The excited grin on Naruto's face became wider as it did whenever he witnessed some kind of Shinobi art. Anko had to smile at that—at least some things would never change.

And then, without a word, they set off. The trio's retreating figures got smaller and smaller as they made their way out of the clearing. They were only a spot in the distance before they completely disappeared from view.

Naruto never looked back.

Anko was smiling the entire time throughout their entire exchange, but as soon as Naruto was out of the vicinity, her head drooped and her dark purple hair shadowed her eyes. The tears that she forced herself to contain finally slid down her cheeks and fell onto the grass below. Her shoulders visibly shook and she grits her teeth in frustration.

Jonetsu placed a hand on the crying girl's shoulders. "Anko-chan…"

Slapping away her hand, Anko turned and ran back into the compound. Some of the other children lingered in the halls but she shoved past them and rushed off into her room. The room that was now solely hers. The thought burned painfully.

All by her lonesome, Anko curled up on Naruto's old bed and sobbed.

-xotwod-

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Naruto stood in front of a large wooden compound that seemed more alive than the trees surrounding the area. They seemed to resonate in tandem as a soft breeze filtered through the area.

"Here we are, Naruto-kun," Tsunade said with a smile. "This is a Senju compound my grandfather built separately from the main one. Privacy and all that, ya know?"

Naruto nodded dumbly and continued to look at the gigantic building in wonder. Tsunade and Jiraiya looked on with anticipation, occasionally exchanging glances, as Naruto stepped closer to the entrance. He extended his hand out and touched the door with his fingertips and let out a small gasp.

"This place feels almost… alive," Naruto whispered, continuing to run his fingers against the wood of the door.

His statement caused the two Sannin to release a sigh of relief, afraid he wouldn't like the place. Tsunade then adorned a beautiful smile on her face when she digested Naruto's thoughts on the compound.

"You're feeling my grandfather's chakra, Naru-chan," Tsunade told the boy. "It's quite potent, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Naruto replied in amazement. "Your grandpa must've been super strong, Tsu-chan."

Jiraiya audibly stifled his laughter as Tsunade softly shook her head in amusement.

"You could say that. Look there he is!" she said, pointing at something behind Naruto.

He turned, expecting to see an elderly man, probably with a cane and haggard beard, smiling at him, but Naruto saw nothing but the vast trees and the Hokage monument peeking out from behind them.

Confusion marred his whiskered face. "Where? I see nothing but…"

He trailed off when her words started to become clear. Putting two and two together, Naruto's lips formed a small 'o' shape and he turned around to face the grinning Sannin.

"Your grandpa is the Shodaime Hokage?!"

Tsunade laughed and nodded, feeling immense satisfaction at the look on the little boy's face. Naruto felt completely mind blown. He kept glancing back and forth between Hashirama's stone face and Tsunade's in an attempt to discern their similarities and wrap his head around it all.

"Wow…" he said, amazement filled his tone. "Can you do the Mokuton too?"

A sheepish expression crossed her features. "No, unfortunately. Kami knows how much that would've come in handy. Jiji was the only Senju capable of using that power."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, his earlier nervousness now long forgotten.

"Alright, enough talk! Let's head inside."

Jiraiya walked up to the entrance and pushed the door open before ushering them inside.

-xotwod-

The ground shook. Fires spread. Smoke went up in plumes. Screams echoed.

And the blood. Oh, the blood was everywhere.

Even in the dark of night, the red substance was clear in the way it was splattered. And the cause of it all was the hulking monstrosity running rampant in the middle of the village. Shinobi and civilians alike could not escape its wrath.

The air was filled with the beast's killing intent, suffocating everything around it for miles. Carnage and destruction lay in its wake. Each swipe of the beast's claws and tails caused tremors and screams to arise from its path. Rivers of blood and bones sullied the dirt where they once stood.

Amidst the havoc, the Kyuubi's gaze locked onto a lone figure standing atop the Hokage Monument. But even from such a distance, the beast could make out the figure's startling set of icy blue eyes. They shone with a ferocity that was unlike anything it had seen in the eyes of the other humans.

And in the next second, he was gone. A flash of yellow sparked where he once stood. The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed slightly but then a sudden weight fell onto its body.

With a choked breath, Naruto bolted awake and doubled over. He breathed heavily, greedily gasping for air but the exertion brought on even more breathlessness. Naruto slumped against the wall and clutched at his sides trying to calm down while the sound of his heart pounding echoed in his ears.

His dream, if it could be called that, was so real. He saw everything from the Kyuubi's eyes. It was almost like he was the beast. He felt its power and its hatred. The bloodlust was impossible to describe. He felt it killing all those people—

Or was it he who killed all of them?

Sweat dripped down his face but he forced himself to get up and go to the bathroom. The suffering he had just witnessed made his knees buckle. But the entire time, he was forced to watch. Forced to commit.

Naruto splashed water on his face, hoping it would calm him down, and rubbed his eyes.

"Ah!" He flinched and let out a gasp of pain when something pricked his eyelid. There were drops of blood on his hands but that wasn't the most unusual thing. Razor-sharp nails protruded from his fingers.

Naruto was in shock, not understanding what was happening, as he stared at his hands helplessly but went to wash his face again, taking extra care this time. But as soon as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he lost his footing and staggered back against the wall.

Glowing red eyes stared back at him.

-xotwod-

The afternoon sun shone brightly onto the village. Atop the Hokage's Mansion stood two figures.

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Jiraiya asked with his arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant but proud smile on his face. "He more than qualifies! He could graduate right now and be completely fine!"

"Jiraiya, what have you been teaching the boy?" Hiruzen was examining multiple pages thoroughly, trying to find an error in them but to no avail.

"Nothing much," he laughed. "The kid was already using chakra before Tsunade and I met him, so we just guided him along."

"His stamina and chakra levels are incredible. Not to mention his Ninjutsu prowess. This is all impressive, but you want him to move ahead by three years? Jiraiya, Naruto is only six years old—"

"And what about it? We were six years old when we graduated."

"That's completely different! That was a time of war. Let him enjoy his childhood as much as he can," Hiruzen gazed directly into Jiraiya's eyes as if daring his student to challenge that point.

Jiraiya gazed back, unflinching and contemplative. Naruto had been through things that most Shinobi could never comprehend. And despite all of his renowned wisdom and glory, his sensei was among those Shinobi.

"Naruto is… different. He's no longer just a normal child. Sure he acts and talks like it, but I know him better than anyone. He wants this and he's ready."

Both of their faces were set in stone as they held each other's gaze. The air started to become heavy and a cold wind passed through the vicinity, but the two of them were unyielding.

Moments passed before Hiruzen finally let out a weary sigh. "Very well."

-xotwod-

"Mornin' everyone!"

Butsuma's greeting was returned in full by his class and then some.

He smirked at them, pleased. "Before we get started, a new student will be joinin' us. Come in here, son."

The class erupted into whispers about the new student. They were already a month into the new year so it was unheard of for a student to be joining now. But the whispers immediately fell silent when their new classmate walked into the room.

He was clad in a white long sleeve shirt, black shorts, and standard Shinobi sandals. His long, unruly blonde hair reached down to his shoulders, glowing slightly from the morning sun peering in through the windows. He was short, compared to the rest of the boys anyway. When he reached the middle of the room, he turned and faced the class.

A sharp gasp sounded from one of the students when his cerulean eyes came into view. Or rather, eye. His hair was parted to cover the right side of his face. He stared up at them with a neutral expression; his eyes flitted to one person in the room, and he smiled at her slightly.

"Right then, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He'll be joinin' us from now on," Butsuma announced, placing his large hands on Naruto's shoulders. It was a funny sight seeing the sheer difference between their stature. "Go on up and take any seat you want."

Naruto wordlessly made his way to the back of the room and sat down on a desk where he could sit alone.

"Naruto-kun," Butsuma called.

As soon as the blonde looked up, he was met with a wave of unrelenting pressure. Butsuma grinned maniacally, enjoying his students squirming. They wouldn't be whipped into shape if he wasn't hard on them.

But then his eyes widened. His intended target stared back at him with an unshrinking, icy blue gaze. There was no outward indication of him being affected by Butsuma's killing intent. His face was as relaxed as it had been when he entered the room.

Feeling challenged, Butsuma concentrated his focus only on Naruto and gradually increased the pressure, gauging the boy's reaction. His other students sighed in relief when the strain on them disappeared. But Butsuma's efforts were in vain; Naruto did not outwardly show any signs of being affected.

The giant of a man sighed and released his concentration. It would be too dangerous to use any more power on an academy student. Glancing back up at the boy, Butsuma's eyes widened when he saw the little twerp smirking down at him.

"The sheer audacity," Butsuma whispered under his breath.

He swiftly turned and faced the blackboard, gritting his teeth in annoyance. This kid is gonna be a pain in my ass, he thought to himself.

On the other side of the classroom, a girl with purple hair and brown eyes sat, shellshocked. Her eyes trained upon Naruto the entire time. A million questions flitted through her mind, but the most prevalent: What was he doing in her class? And why was her sensei okay with it?

She was determined to find out as soon as their class ended.

-xotwod-

"Alright, quiet down, you little sack of shi—"

"Butsuma-san!" Yuuto berated.

"Hai, hai," The large man acquiesced. "Y'all already know the deal. I'm gonna call two of you up in pairs to spar; if you step outta the circle, you lose; if you get immobilized, you lose; and obviously, if you surrender, you lose.

"All clear? Great! Might Guy and Nohara Rin, you're up."

The two students called excitedly stepped up to the middle of the stage and grinned at each other.

"Good luck, Guy-kun,"

"YOSH! To you as well, Rin-san!"

Rin gave a little laugh at her friend's wide smile and eccentric attitude. They extended their right hands and interlocked two fingers. After completing the seal of confrontation, they jumped back to opposite sides of the circular boundary and immediately rushed at each other when Butsuma gave the signal to begin.

The spars carried on through the majority of the day, only proving to be interesting to the spectators when two Shinobi children fought.

"Daichi, get your ass off my stage," Butsuma barked. The civilian child grumbled as stood up and made his way back to where his classmates stood. "Okay. So the last fight for the day is… Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto."

Anko inhaled sharply at the sound of Naruto's name. All of his previous fights had been against civilian children so she was never worried, but Kakashi was arguably the strongest in their class. The masked boy was ruthless and always fought to win; Naruto stood no chance, she thought.

Naruto stepped into the ring and saw that his silver-haired opponent waiting impatiently at the center. He had never seen eye to eye with Kakashi, stretching back to the time where he had quite literally bumped into him. Even still, the masked boy always seemed relatively neutral, but right now he had a much too serious look in his eyes.

"Good luck," Naruto spoke up, breaking the tense silence that spread throughout the field. He reached out his hand and smiled slightly.

Kakashi remained silent, his eyes flitted down to the offending hand briefly before shooting up and staring back into Naruto's eyes. A few moments passed but neither of them moved from their position. A slight pressure alerted him of his sensei's pointed gaze causing him to finally return Naruto's gesture. Both boys held the seal in front of their chest and sprung away from each other, dropping into their taijutsu stances.

Their classmates watched with bated breath wondering how this would turn out. Kakashi had never lost before but no one had seen Naruto truly fight before. A majority of the civilian girls immediately wrote the blonde off, but there were some who knew to never judge a book by its cover.

Naruto and Kakashi observed the other, searching for flaws in the other's stance and predicting how the other would strike. A wind passed through the field causing a few leaves from the nearby trees to float into the sparring circle. One particular leaf drifted down right between them, swaying with no care in the world.

Butsuma raised his hand in the air and glanced at both of his students. The grin on his face was wider and more manic than normal, clearly eager to how this fight would pan out.

As soon as the leaf touched the ground, Butsuma swung his arm down and yelled out, "Hajime!"

Kakashi took the initiative and charged at Naruto headfirst, wanting to control the pace of the spar by landing the first blow. He rapidly covered the distance between them to exploit the slight hole in the right side of Naruto's guard as quickly as he could.

Kakashi's slid his right leg along the ground to strike Naruto's left foot. If he lost his balance, the fight was all but lost. But to his surprise, Naruto was able to react and immediately jumped backward.

Undeterred, Kakashi sprung forward and brought his right first close to his waist and jabbed forward against Naruto's stomach. In the same instance, Naruto blocked with his right palm and grabbed onto his wrist, keeping Kakashi in place. The blonde cocked his left fist back and followed up with a devastating blow to Kakashi's jaw, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

The students watching gasped at what just happened. Butsuma's grin had widened almost scarily but in an almost knowing manner. And in the middle of the crowd, Anko stood flabbergasted. Naruto—her best friend, Naruto—had changed so much. Gone was the lovable little nerd and in his place stood a Shinobi in everything but title.

Kakashi panted from where he laid on the ground. He got up slowly but his vision began to hold traces of red. Kakashi grit his teeth and dashed forward, feigning a punch. Naruto raised his arm to block but his opponent moved faster, crouching down and swiping his legs underneath the blonde rendering him momentarily immobile while suspended in the air.

Still close to the ground, Kakashi swiveled around and kicked upwards, striking Naruto straight in the back. A choked gasp escaped his mouth as pain spread throughout his body. He crumpled to the ground, limp, staring up at the sky.

"Show me what makes you so special, Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes widened in horror when his vision cleared and he saw Kakashi in the air coming down at him with his leg outstretched.

Naruto quickly placed his feet flat on the ground and channeled chakra to them. With practiced ease, a burst of chakra escaped his soles, propelling him upwards catching Kakashi by surprise. Naruto shifted his body and slammed his fist into Kakashi's stomach, sending him down to the ground.

In a display of grace, Kakashi flipped over and was able to land on his feet but he had a hand over his stomach, grimacing at the strength behind the blow. Naruto landed shortly after but stayed still, opting to observe. All of those spars with Jiraiya and Tsunade had proved to be fruitful. He couldn't wait until the day they could go all out against him. But in the meantime, Kakashi would be the perfect opponent to hone his skills against.

How is he so strong?! Kakashi thought in disbelief. The mere concept of this boy, who was three years younger than him, giving him a challenge angered him. Then he gave a small gasp. A memory of something his father told him filled his mind.

"There are people in this world who are younger than you, but stronger than me. Never underestimate someone because of appearances. After all, deception is the most natural thing to Shinobi."

At the time, Kakashi didn't give the words much thought. There was no way anyone that young could be stronger than his father, a Kage level Shinobi. And while that was still most likely true, the latter portion of his words was wise advice. Kakashi's breathing stabilized and the anger that plagued him quelled.

Naruto leaned forward and rushed ahead, cocking his right fist back and pushing it forward to the silver-haired boy's face. With a burst of speed, Kakashi sidestepped, letting the arm fly past him harmlessly, and grabbed onto the blonde's arm with his right hand and his head with his left.

Before Naruto could react, Kakashi slammed him into the ground face first. He painfully dug his knee into Naruto's back eliciting a moan of pain from his opponent. He increased the pressure, hoping the blonde would surrender lest he suffers a grave injury.

Kakashi's eyes widened tremendously when he felt himself being pushed back. He heard Naruto growl and his eyes flicked to Naruto's head. Naruto's head was turned slightly and he was looking back straight into Kakashi's eyes. His grip loosened and an inaudible gasp sounded from Kakashi when he saw the look in the blonde's visible eye. His normally blue eyes were a dark navy color and the pupil was slit. The coldness in them was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Shousha, Hatake Kakashi!"

The bark of their sensei caused both boys to fall limp and separate from each other. They stood opposite the other and formed the seal of reconciliation. Kakashi noticed Naruto's eyes had reverted to normal but there was still an intensity to them that he couldn't quite place.

In the crowd, the students were all silent for a while before erupting into cheers. This was the best spar they had ever seen. Anko stood motionless, unable to comprehend that this was the same Naruto that she grew up with. And Kakashi. She had never seen him fight this hard before.

"Your friend is quite strong," a quiet voice snapped Anko out of her stupor.

She looked to her right and saw Uchiha Itachi standing there. The two had never spoken before so she was thoroughly surprised to see him initiating conversation.

"Yeah, Kakashi is pretty amazing," she agreed only to be met with a shake of his head.

"I was talking about Naruto," he said and walked off, leaving Anko alone to her thoughts.

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