A/N: THE NEW ARC BEGINS! I'm so excited to write these since I finally have the entire cast to work with. Thank you all so much for the continued support and thank you all so much for the reviews! I love reading all the theories and I really appreciate the feedback since I'm still learning how to write stories and all that jazz. Enjoy and have a nice day!

Chapter 7: I'm Not A Ramen Topping!

Naruto Uzumaki was what people would call a… carefree child. Even with the expectations of surpassing the three giants that was his family on his shoulders, he never crumbled, not once. It was not because he was a "genius" or "prodigy". No, it was because he genuinely couldn't care any less. When asked about the pressure, all he would say is, "Cool story bro?"

"Where's your big sister?"

Sure, his dad was the Hokage, whatever that's amazing, sure. But! What's even more awesome was the fact that his dad was the reigning tag champion of the Hidden Leaf! Officialized by his dad, of course, since he's the Hokage. One day, Naruto would take that crown from him and become the ultimate tag master!

"Um, dunno. Dad said she might be late. Where's your big brother?"

"My mom said that too about Itachi."

Naruto was convinced his mom was some sort of monster disguised as a human. She keeps making him eat vegetables and her hair stands up in the air when she get really angry. Believe it! Her face goes all dark and her eyes turn yellow! He didn't understand why the villagers kept asking him if he wanted to be like his mom. Obviously not, why would he want his hair to go all crazy? He liked his hair not floating!

The villagers also called his mom a Red something Nero. Kind of a dumb nickname since his mom doesn't go "nero nero" like frog's tongues… unless?

"Weird. Rara was jumping and crying last night. She said I'm growing up too fast."

"Huh… Itachi said the same thing but not jumping or crying. My big brother's too cool to act like that."

"How is that not cool? Rara's duper cool and she does that all the time."

"Well… your sister's, uh, weird. Yeah! Your sister's weird."

The two heard a like scoff and chuckle from behind them.

"Yeah kiddo, I wouldn't say that near Sera, ever."

Naruto and Sasuke turned around to see two much taller teenage boys standing there looking half bored and half amused. One Uchiha who defied all Uchiha stereotypes at this point and Sasuke was sure he was doing it on purpose, and one Hyuga who also broke from the usual Hyuga mold though not as severely as his Uchiha friend.

"Sui-sui! Hiroro!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping over to give them a hug, "Do you know where Rara is?"

The two Jounin looked at each other than back at the two six-year-olds and shrugged. Shisui then pat Naruto on the head, "Not a clue, kiddo. I'm sure she'll turn up at some point. Not like her to miss her favorite brother's first day at the Academy."

Then there was Sera Uzumaki, the literal and figurative black sheep of the Namikaze-Uzumaki household. Her sudden change in physical appearance and severe lack of public appearances in the past six years had most of the villagers speculating and gossiping. Naruto sometimes overheard people say stuff like "she's must of gotten her heart broken, the poor girl" or "I heard she had a huge fight with the parents, and this is her rebellious phase".

People were weird. Sera spent way too much time at some studying and training to have a boyfriend and Naruto knew for a fact that there wasn't anything weird going on with his sister and his parents.

"I guess," Naruto nodded and glanced up at Hiro, "Where's Nata?"

"The princess should be here… NOW!" Hiro exclaimed before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, only for him to reappear a split second later with a certain blue haired girl with a bob cut and wide pale white eyes looking surprisingly relaxed despite the sudden kidnapping.

"Nata!" Naruto yelled as he held out his arms.

"Ruto!" the kidnappee exclaimed before jumping out of Hiro's arms and into her blonde best friend's, "How have you been?"

"Great! Now the three of us can conquer the world!"

"Ok!" Hinata nodded.

"Um, sure?" Sasuke agreed with some confusion as he didn't know why Naruto wanted them to conquer the world.

A light sniffle came from Shisui's direction, "Ah, young love. Isn't it great, Hiro?"

"As if," the Hyuga scoffed, "Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming about six-year-olds falling in love instead of going out and actually getting a girl for yourself."

"Oh please, I'm too good for any girl of this world," Shisui wiggled his body as he ran his hands down his sides without a care in the world that he was in front of young, impressionable minds, "Plus, I got a girl in mind already. I just need to work my Uchiha charm on her if you know what I mean."

"Uh huh, how about you keep that to yourself, you're in front of children," Hiro glared at his friend, "Also, I pray for the this supposed girl you're trying to woo."

"You're so mean Hiroro."

"Stop. Just… no."

Luckily, the two's banter was cut short due to Sasuke tugging at Shisui's pants, "Hey, do you know where Itachi is?"

"Not a clue on that either, duckling," Shisui pat his younger-er cousin's hair, "I'm sure he'll come around at some point. I doubt he would put actual holes in the village's walls to get here like Sera but Itachi wouldn't miss your first day without a good reason."

"Ok," Sasuke said with a light frown.

"Turn that frown upside… down!" Shisui said as he lifted the younger Uchiha upside down in the air, "It's your first day, kiddo, smiles and sunshine blasting out your as…. sss… sss. Yeah I got nothing."

"Seriously?" Hiro asked, "Not a single word that starts with the letters a and s." The Hyuga let out a deep sigh and shook his head, "This is the reason why I always wonder how you managed to pass the Jounin written exams. Sure, practical exams I have no issues with, but educational knowledge? That is my issue."

"Oh buzz off will you? I passed that exam no sweat!"

"You barely scraped by with the skin of your teeth with a sixty-one percent."

"A pass is a pass!"

Naruto decided jumped in at that point like his big sister always told him to do and swung his arms between the two Jounin, "We're going now! Bye!"

With that, the energetic blonde grabbed his two friends' wrists and sprinted towards the courtyard where all the other children were gathering for the opening ceremony.

"They grow up so fast," Shisui said wistfully, wiping an imaginary tear from his eyes.

"They aren't even your kids, but yeah, they really do. I remember when the little princess was barely bigger than my forearms," Hiro nodded, "Though I'm surprised that Sera isn't here. You know anything?"

Shisui gave a shocked and confused look at his friend, resting a hand on his chest and making the 'would I lie to you' expression. It was met with a deadpan glare fueled by an active Byakugan for added effect.

"Fine, buzzkill. She and Itachi were sent on a high-profile recovery mission last night. It was urgent and the two were the most qualified for the job," Shisui answered quietly.

"Higher clearance than Anbu, huh?" Hiro said, looking up at the sky, "Must be serious."

Shisui scoffed, "If it wasn't then Sera would be here right now smothering the living lights out of Naruto and his friends."

Hiro nodded in agreement and watched as more children entered the courtyard. These were the future of the Hidden Leaf Village, the heart and soul of their future. He just hoped that they would never have to experience war at an early age like he did… or even worse, at the ages Sera and Shisui did.

To this day Hiro wondered how in the world a team comprised of two six-year-olds and one eight-year-old managed to survive a Great War. Sure, Shikaku Nara was a phenomenal shinobi, but teams are established as a cell of four members for a reason. Genius children or not, Hiro and his friends had gotten lucky, and there was no denying that.

The Hyuga shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying his best to get rid of the negative thoughts. The war was over, and his precious people were all alive. That was all that mattered. Besides, he had more important things to think about.

"So… do you actually have a girl you're thinking about?"

"And that… is your husband."

The group of kunoichi housewives towards the back of the Academy courtyard watched as the Fourth Hokage awkwardly waved at the fresh Academy students as he walked down from the podium.

"I know, isn't he just the cutest?"

The contents of the speech was phenomenal, inciting a sense of pride and patriotism in everyone present for their home, the Hidden Leaf Village. The execution was… well, as the man wife put it, 'cute'.

"Uh huh, let's go with that Kushina, let's go with that," the first woman scoffed as she shook her head.

"Thanks!" Kushina exclaimed with a smile.

The third housewife glanced between her two friends with a deadpan look, "The dynamic between an Uchiha and an Uzumaki will never cease to amaze and amuse me. So different, yet so similar. It truly is a mystery."

The said Uchiha squinted at ther pale-eyed friend, "Like the Hyuga aren't any better. Seriously, what kind of bodyguard just up and picks up the heiress by the scuff of her shirt and disappears in a body flicker?"

"The antics of Hiro does not reflect the noble behavior of the Hyuga clan as a whole," the Hyuga matriarch said, turning her nose up in the air for a second before breaking her façade, giggling lightly, "Plus, we all know where Hiro got that kind of behavior from. Him AND Shisui don't exactly fit our respective clan's mold nowadays, do they?"

The two matriarchs from the Hidden Leaf's two largest clans turned to look at their redheaded friend who was looking away and whistling lightly into the air.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kushina said.

"Sure, and Uzumaki don't love ramen," Mikoto scoffed.

"BLASTPHEMY!" Kushina yelled suddenly, stomping her feet at the ground. Thankfully, it was charged with chakra, "Ramen is the greatest food ever! You can have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner, AND as a midnight snack!"

The Uchiha and Hyuga just stood there silently until their Uzumaki friend calmed down from her temper tantrum. They were used to this after years of knowing the fiery redhead. They were just thankful that someone hadn't said ramen was gross or disgusting. Now THAT, would have been a disaster.

"Really Kushina? Linner? What constitutes as a proper word to you anymore?" Hisana asked after Kushina had calmed down.

"Shut up, like you have a word for it," Kushina pouted and looked away towards the children, who were moving around the courtyard and mingling with their peers.

"Just call it an after-lunch snack or a late afternoon meal, there doesn't need to be a specific word for everything," Hisana explained.

"Too much work," Kushina waved off her friend's notion, "And too boring. Why not make up a word? Get your creative juices flowing."

This caused the Hyuga matriarch to sigh deeply, "The Hidden Leaf's premiere seal master everyone… oh joy."

"You know it," Kushina said with a wink.

The three then fell into a comfortable silence as they watched their respective kids play around with their friends as they waited for the next portion of the opening ceremony. Minato had told Kushina the night before that it was a talent show of sorts, allowing children to show off whatever "cool" and "neat" tricks they knew.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Itachi is, would you?" Mikoto asked as she watched her little Sasuke perform a kunai throwing trick he learned from his older brother, "He left the compound late last night in a hurry and Fugaku won't tell me where he's gone."

"Now that you mention it, Sera isn't here either," Hisana chimed in, noticing the severe lack of loud and rambunctious screams of one certain Uzumaki.

The two noticed a flicker of a wince pass by Kushina face but didn't mention it as the redhead spoke, "All Minato told me was that they were going to be a little late. I think an urgent mission came up last night that needed their specific skill sets."

"A skill set that requires the Sharingan and seal mastery?" Hisana pondered, "Not to mention a combination of high stealth and reconnaissance abilities. Interesting duo they make."

"Sera better not have corrupted my Itachi like she did Shisui," Mikoto growled quietly, "Shisui being Itachi's closest friend is already bad enough. Seriously, Itachi came home last week and instead of the polite 'Hello, mother I am home', he said 'Hey mom'. HEY MOM?! I never thought that I would ever see Itachi speaking so… so, civilian!"

Hisana laid a hand on her Uchiha friend's shoulder, reaching around Kushina who was standing between the two, "There, there. It'll be ok Mikoto. Itachi still loves you all the same, he's just… uh, growing up a little bit. Trying out different slang and such."

"Plus," Hisana said, it was her turn to squint at the Uzumaki, "Your children aren't trying to impress Sera by imitating her. I don't know what got into little Hinata but the shy and quiet girl she used to be is no longer there. Granted, she needed to gain some confidence but I'm not sure she needed this much confidence."

Kushina sat there feeling a little confused and lost, stuck between her two friends who were lamenting over the sudden changes in their children that her… daughter had caused.

"I don't see what the problem is, your clans are too uptight. Isn't it a good thing to loosen up a little?" she asked, earning a solid glare from her two black haired friends… well, one of them had a dark blue tint but it fell underneath the black hair category in her opinion.

"We'll show you uptight," the two said at the same time and before Kushina could react, two pairs of index fingers were poking at her sides.

"Stop! Stop! HA! STOP! PLE- HA! STAHP!"

"Feel our wrath, Red Death!"

"This is justice!"

"So, when is Sera going to come?" Hinata asked Naruto.

The Academy teachers walked down from the podium, the teachers' introduction portion of the opening ceremony coming to a close, "Also, where's your brother, Sasuke? Didn't Hiro and Shisui say that they would be coming a little late? The opening ceremony is about to end soon."

"Dunno," Naruto shrugged, looking a little down, a very rare expression for the blond, "She promised she would be here."

"Itachi too," Sasuke said glumly.

As if the gods were listening on their conversation, they felt a rush of wind hit them as a loud bang came from towards the front gates of the village. For a split second, everyone gathered at the Academy courtyard stiffened, all of the shinobi tensing up as they reached for their hidden weapons.

However, what came next caught them off guard so much that some even tripped on their own feet out of surprise.

In a swirl of wind and leaves, a disheveled yet stoic looking Uchiha with a ponytail appeared in front of Sasuke, "Foolish little brother. Do you have so little faith in me?"

"Itachi!" Sasuke yelled, jumping up and hugging the older Uchiha, who reciprocated with a smile, "Why were you so late?!"

"The mission ran longer than expected," Itachi responded, "However, I am here now so that is all that matters."

"Mhm!" Sasuke nodded.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled, swinging his arms around the Uchiha brothers, "Where's Rara?!"

Itachi didn't respond, but rather he stared at the blonde Uzumaki with a blank look.

"Uh, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, poking at his brother's unmoving face.

This seemed to break the boy out of his thoughts as Itachi jerked back to reality and shook his head, "My apologies. Give me a second, Naruto."

Itachi put his brother down and took a few steps back from the boys and towards an empty area of the courtyard. By now the opening ceremony had practically ended and everyone present were all looking at the Uchiha heir, some with excitement and many in confusion.

"Earth Style: Magical Surprise Technique!" Itachi said, slamming his hands on the soft earth at his feet.

In an instant, a large box rose up from the ground in a shape resembling that of a wrapped gift box with a bow made out of dirt and everything.

"What is tha-?" someone in the audience asked but was shortly cut off when the dirt box's lid blew open.

Silence fell throughout the courtyard as everyone watched in bated breath, waiting for something… or someone to come out of the box. The seconds quietly turned into a minute, then two, then… three. However, before anyone could say anything about nothing happening.

"TADA!"

A teenage girl with black hair in pigtails wearing a pink frilly skirt and pink crop top with frills jumped into the air, waving around a pink wand with a yellow start at the end of the wand.

"Magical Girl Levi-tan is here for her little, and delicious, ramen topping!"

"I'M NOT A RAMEN TOPPING!"