Naruto was jerked out of his recovery nap by one of his Shadow Clones. "Boss! You need to get ready for your date with Hinata-chan, dattebayo!" the chakra construct said while shaking the original's shoulder.
"Thanks," Naruto said, getting up and making for the bathroom. He scrubbed quickly and took a short soak before getting dressed in the same black yukata he'd worn to the dinner with Hinata's family. Then he walked at a brisk pace towards the Hyuuga Clan Estate.
When he arrived, he saw what he'd half expected to be there: Hinata looking pretty as a china doll, with Ko looming behind her. He bowed and held out his hand. "My lady, would you care to accompany me to the Festival?"
"Of course, my lord," Hinata said with a heartfelt grin. She took the offered hand and let Naruto guide her towards the main thoroughfare of the village. Ko hid a smile at how cute a couple his charge and her boyfriend were. Then he focused on his job of protecting the Hyuuga Clan Heiress.
The Festival had been going since morning, but most of the villagers didn't come out until the late afternoon into the evening. Naruto and Hinata wove through the crowds, stopping at the stands that picked their fancy. They played carnival games in pursuit of prizes. Naruto somehow managed to catch the golden fish in a fishing game, getting him the grand prize of a stuffed panda almost as big as he was. He of course immediately gifted it to Hinata, who blushed but accepted the toy with grace. Figuring he might as well be good for something, she delegated carrying the massive plush to Ko.
They were just debating what to get for dinner when they ran into someone familiar. "Sakura-san!" Naruto greeted, waving his free hand.
Sakura looked away from a mask stand, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "Oh, Naruto-san, Hinata-san. Fancy seeing you here."
A blond woman and a man with a star-shaped haircut looked up from their own perusal to stand behind Sakura. "Sakura, who are these people?" asked the woman Naruto assumed to be Sakura's mother.
"Some of my classmates. These are Hyuuga Hinata, I'm guessing the man is Hinata's bodyguard, and Uzumaki Naruto, the new kid," Sakura answered.
Sakura's father scratched his temple. "Uzumaki Naruto… where have I heard that name before? Oh, right, that was the kid who…" The man turned white as a sheet.
Naruto sighed. "For the record, Haruno-san, the Third's law of silence is still in effect. Keep your mouth shut in public."
Sakura's mother frowned. "The Third's law? But that was about the demon bra-" She turned as pale as her husband.
Sakura looked over her shoulder at her parents. "Mom, Dad? What's with you guys?"
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, confused by the adults' reactions. Ko kept his mouth shut, figuring this was really Naruto's decision what to do.
"We can't talk about it on the street. Could I interest you all in a cup of tea back at my apartment? I'll explain everything there," Naruto said in a resigned tone.
"We're not going anywhere with you, you monster!" Sakura's mom fired.
"Mom! How could you call him that?" Sakura gasped.
"Don't question your mother, Sakura," her father barked. "We're leaving!"
Sakura's father went to grab his daughter's shoulder, but she shrugged it off and turned to face them. "No! You two are acting weird. I want to hear Naruto-san's explanation."
"Young lady, don't you defy us!" her mother shouted loud enough to make passerby turn to look.
"Is there a problem here?" drawled Kakashi, appearing with a dolled-up Anko on his arm. The woman looked stunningly sexy even in traditional dress.
"No problem, Kakashi. I was just inviting everyone here to tea at my house so I could explain the details of that little S-rank secret involving me," Naruto said neutrally.
"Well that sounds like oodles of fun! Let's all get going," Anko said with a sweet smile laced with venom.
Feeling both pressured and protected by a famous Jonin's presence, Sakura's parents didn't make another peep as Naruto led everyone to his apartment. He quickly made the tea following his mother's recipe, handing out cups to all his impromptu guests.
"Don't drink it, Sakura," the pinkette's mother commanded.
Full of youthful rebellion, Sakura took a sip. "Wow! This is delicious! Naruto-san, what's in it?"
"Just green tea, mixed with ginseng, honey, and some mango juice. Enjoy," Naruto wished her before sitting with his own cup next to Hinata. "I guess the best place to start is from the beginning. This Festival is supposed to celebrate the Fourth Hokage killing the Kyuubi, right?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied.
"Well, that's a lie. It's impossible to kill a Bijuu. Closest you can get is destroying their body, but they'll just reform in a few years anyway," Naruto told the room.
Sakura looked scared for a minute. "You mean the Kyuubi's coming back?"
"No, because there's a second option besides destroying them: sealing them away. But no seal on paper could contain the Kyuubi. The Fourth had to use a human being to seal the Kyuubi away. A human being born less than an hour before the attack," Naruto said dully.
Sakura was the brightest girl in the class, she got it first. "Wait… you mean…"
"The proper term for the human container of a Bijuu is Jinchuuriki. I am the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki," Naruto spoke plainly.
Hinata and Sakura were blown away. Sakura's parents looked equal parts uncomfortable and scared. Kakashi and Anko had sympathy for Naruto, and Ko stayed stoic and uninvolved.
"For whatever reason, the Third made my status public. Few of the villagers took it well. The civilians reacted with fear, most of it from a misunderstanding of how the Fourth's Sealing Jutsu worked. Some believed I was a ticking time bomb, that the Kyuubi would break free at any moment. Others thought I was the Kyuubi in human form. Fear turned to rage and hate, as they blamed all the deaths from the Kyuubi attack on me." Naruto could have been carved from stone, he was so stiff and unemotional. He shook his head out of memories of his painful past. He'd made his peace with all that. "So, that's why your parents are so scared of me, Sakura-san. They think the 'demon brat' will attack you like a rabid animal."
Sakura frowned. "But Fourth-sama was renowned for his skill with Sealing Jutsu. He gave his life to seal the Kyuubi inside you, he wouldn't have half-assed it. I bet the Kyuubi is locked up tight inside you. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Sakura, it's just some ink written on his stomach. How could that possibly hold back a Bijuu?!" her father protested.
"Well, it seems to be doing a pretty good job so far, since the Kyuubi's yet to burst out of Naruto-san!" Sakura countered.
"It was sealed in him as a baby. It must have consumed his mind long ago! It's just wearing the boy like a mask, biding its time before it strikes!" her mother shuddered in fear.
"You two are being ridiculous! I barely know him but I know Naruto-san is one of the kindest, most polite boys I've ever met. If he's really the Kyuubi in disguise, then the Kyuubi must not be as bad as people make it out to be!" Sakura argued.
Naruto got a small smile. "Thanks for your support, Sakura-san. But you don't have to try and change your parents. They're free to believe whatever they want about me."
"Naruto-kun, what's the Third's law you mentioned?" Hinata asked quietly.
"For all that over half the village knows, my Jinchuuriki status is an S-rank secret. Anyone who talks about it in public will be imprisoned for life or killed, depending on the Third's mood that day. It was his attempt at giving me a normal childhood, trying to prevent the hate of the older generation spreading to the younger." Naruto looked down into his tea. "It didn't work out so well as he hoped."
"Oh, Naruto-kun," Hinata breathed, reaching out to take his hand. The familiar, comforting feeling of their energies mixing calmed and centered them both.
"Anyway, that's the big secret revealed. Sakura-san, you and your parents may leave. And you're free to sit at our table tomorrow," Naruto said with a shadow of his usual sunny smile.
Sakura's mother and father put down their cups and rushed for the door. Sakura looked after them, disappointed in them for the first time in her life. "I think we're past formalities at this point, Naruto. And I'll be there. Enjoy the rest of your evening." With that, Sakura followed her parents out.
"Well, that was a real buzzkill. What do we do now?" Anko asked from her position on Kakashi's lap.
"We go get dinner at the best restaurant in the village. Hinata-chan, Ko-san, prepare to taste paradise!" Naruto said, regaining his usual cheer slowly.
They all had a delightful meal at Ramen Ichiraku. Afterwards, Naruto escorted Hinata to a good spot to see the fireworks show. Once they finished marveling at the pretty lights, Naruto led Hinata back to the Hyuuga Clan Estate. They did the exchange of cheek kisses they were getting used to, Hinata surprising Naruto by kissing him on both cheeks. "Two for your birthday. Night, Naruto-kun." With that, Hinata went into the Main House Mansion, Ko still carrying the giant stuffed animal behind her.
The next day started as was becoming usual. Naruto made his horde of Shadow Clones to Transform into birds and rats to explore and spy on the village, along with a Clone to read his way through the Konoha Library. Then he walked sedately to the courtyard of the Academy to wait for Iruka-sensei to open the building. He waited in his preferred seat once Iruka let him in and they got to the proper classroom. And around 8:20, Hinata came in and went to sit next to him. Just holding hands with her was enough to make Naruto ecstatically happy.
They went through the first two periods, Naruto deliberately getting wrong answers or results. Hinata noticed and asked him on the way to the cafeteria "Why are you failing on purpose, Naruto-kun?"
"You know how we're grouped into teams at the end of the year after we graduate, right?" Naruto checked.
"Yes, Father told me," Hinata confirmed.
"Kakashi is always assigned to Team 7. And Team 7 is always made of the Shinobi of the Year, the Kunoichi of the Year, and the Dead Last," Naruto said with a sneaky grin.
Hinata caught on after a moment. "And if you become the Dead Last, you and Kakashi get the two best Academy graduates on your team, theoretically the ones who will slow you two down the least."
"Got it in one, Hinata-chan," Naruto complimented as they sat at their table. The other clan kids assembled in their own time, and they'd all sat down when Sakura walked up and sat down next to Hinata.
"Who invited Forehead?" Ino said with a sneer.
"No need for rude nicknames, Ino-san. Sakura and I… I suppose you could say we had a bonding moment at the Festival yesterday. I told her she could sit with us. Does anyone have a problem with that?" Naruto asked politely.
Shikamaru muttered "Troublesome," but otherwise the other boys just shook their heads 'no'. Ino huffed and returned to her lunch.
Sakura began to eat, trying to hide how insecure she actually felt, sitting with the clan Heirs and Heiresses when she was just an ordinary kid from a civilian family. She desperately tried to think of an appropriate topic of conversation. "Who do you think's going to be the Fifth Hokage?" she put to the table.
Kiba shrugged. "No idea. We'll find out when the Third croaks or finally retires."
Shino hummed in thought. "It's not enough for the candidate to be powerful, they must also carry a certain amount of prestige. Why? Because the office is as political as it is military."
Naruto kept the fact that the Fourth Hokage was back to himself, and actually considered the question. "A few Jonin probably have the chops, but like Shino-san said the person in question has to be notorious as well. My bet would be either Jiraiya or Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin. And given Tsunade is also the granddaughter of the First, she'd be who I'd bet my money on. Unfortunately, she's on indefinite sabbatical away from the village, which is a kind way of saying she ran away and the Third didn't have the heart to declare her a Missing-Nin. Getting her back to the village would be a challenge."
"That makes a lot of sense, Naruto-kun," Hinata complimented.
Conversation began to flow, Sakura holding her own and slowly relaxing. The lunch period ended and the rest of the school day passed normally. Naruto waved Hinata away as she joined Ko waiting for her in the courtyard and began the trek to Training Ground 7. When he was halfway there he stopped and turned to regard a tree behind him. "May I help you, Sasuke-san?"
The Last Uchiha jumped out of the cover of the tree to stand in front of Naruto. "How did you get so powerful?" the pale boy asked with affected lack of concern, but Naruto could sense the desperation in him.
"Good teachers, a training multiplier that could kill me if I do it wrong, and a lot of hard work." Naruto nudged his head to indicate the path to the Training Grounds. "Come, let me show you. You can walk next to me instead of sneaking behind me if you want."
Sasuke huffed but walked up to match Naruto's pace. They eventually reached Training Ground 7, which was curiously empty.
"Hmm, he must have taken today off. Maybe he got drunk last night and had a hangover," Naruto mused.
"Who?" Sasuke asked, a bit rudely.
"Hatake Kakashi, my neighbor and one of my best friends. He's a Jonin who retired from ANBU, and we've trained together a couple times. Looks like it's just you and me today, though," Naruto shrugged.
"You're strong as a Jonin?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"I'm actually stronger than Kakashi, though he has much more battle experience. When we spar, my chakra is usually at a relatively low level for me that puts us on even ground," Naruto answered. "Let me demonstrate." With a thought and a few puffs of smoke, six copies of Naruto appeared around him. "These are Shadow Clones. They're corporeal, but they dispel with one good hit. But when they die, they send their remaining chakra and memories to the caster. This makes them perfect for training."
Sasuke looked at the Shadow Clones incredulously as they began to walk to their given portion of the Training Ground. "You mean to say that you can train in multiple things at once, and get the experience of all your Shadow Clones on top of what you do for training?"
"That's right," Naruto nodded simply. At that moment, four of the Clones made their given legion to practice their assigned activity. Sasuke's jaw dropped. "I naturally have a large amount of chakra. I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu when I was eight. I've been training with as many as I could safely produce every day since. In a very real way, I've trained for subjective centuries in the last four years. And I have no intention to stop."
Sasuke grit his teeth. "Teach me," he bit out, never one to ask for help but admitting that this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Naruto looked Sasuke into his eyes. "I'll only teach you if you solemnly swear to never use what I teach you against an ally or an innocent. Massacre a bandit camp for all I care, just never attack a fellow Konoha-nin or a civilian with the Jutsu or techniques I teach you. Agreed?"
Sasuke almost rolled his eyes, but something in Naruto's piercing cerulean gaze stopped him. Taking a deep breath, and feeling the weight of this vow, he said "Agreed."
Naruto nodded. One of his Shadow Clones that had stayed behind walked up to Sasuke. "Consider this Shadow Clone your sensei. No offence, but I need to focus on my own training, and I can't do that and tutor you with the same body. Have fun, you two!" Then Naruto took off his top and, setting it aside, began to stretch in preparation of his physical training regime.
Sasuke followed the Shadow Clone, his eyes drawn to the hundreds of other Clones in the Training Ground. "What all are you doing?" he asked.
"Elemental Chakra training, simulated warfare, Sage Mode training, and kunai and shuriken training," the Clone answered readily. "But let's focus on you. You're very impressive for an Academy student, already mid to high-Genin level already by my observation. But you want to reach a level where you can squash your brother like a bug, so we're aiming for Kage level at the very least."
Sasuke felt the familiar flare of betrayal and hatred when Itachi crossed his mind. "How did you know about that?"
"The Uchiha Massacre is a matter of public record. I read what happened in the library. And then I used what I knew about human nature to assume you wanted vengeance against your brother for slaughtering your clan. Am I wrong?" 'Naruto' asked without a drop of sarcasm.
Sasuke sighed. "No, you're right. I want to make him pay. Slowly."
'Naruto' shrugged. "It's your life, Sasuke-san. You do what you want with it. But there's a reason why he who seeks revenge should dig two graves. The world would be poorer for your loss if you throw your life away just to make Itachi suffer for something that can't be undone."
"Who are you to talk to me about this? What do you know about what I've gone through?!" Sasuke demanded, temper flaring.
Naruto's Shadow Clone looked at Sasuke. And his expression wasn't happy or calm or peaceful. It was haunted by suffering at least as great as Sasuke's. "You lost everyone you ever loved, Sasuke. I never had anyone who loved me in the first place. Until the age of 6, I was utterly and entirely alone. But let's not compare our pain, it'd be as pointless as a bear complaining to a shark about his fur. It's two completely different types of hell, what you and I have gone through. Let's focus on the lesson for today."
Sasuke nodded distractedly, internally reeling at the realization that the happy-go-lucky stranger he'd been obsessing over knew a pain just as deep and horrible as his own. In a way it felt… nice, to have someone who just might understand what he'd gone through, what he felt. But Sasuke didn't want to dwell on emotional shit. He refocused on the Shadow Clone as they reached a tall tree.
"You want to learn Shadow Clones so you can start learning several times faster like I do," 'Naruto' stated. "Unfortunately, you don't have enough chakra at the moment to safely produce even one Shadow Clone. How do we fix this? Increasing your chakra control and your reserves. Luckily, there's a couple exercises that accomplish this AND are very useful." So saying, 'Naruto' turned and walked right up the tree as if gravity had shifted. About halfway up, he turned to look down at Sasuke, who was watching incredulously. "May I present the Tree Walking exercise, also known as the Wall Walking exercise. In a nutshell, you channel chakra to your feet to stick to the tree. Too little and you don't stick. Too much and you'll be violently repelled from what you step on. Now come join me up here."
While Sasuke began to attempt to stand next to his assigned Clone, Naruto went through physical drills with his Gravity Seal set to 10.0 and his 2000 training Clones did the four things he wanted to work on. Around two and a half hours in, one of the meditating Clones gathering Natural Energy stood up and crowed in victory. "EUREKA!" he shouted to the sky, looking around at his fellow Clones, red pigmentation around his eyes that now had golden irises.
"WHOO-HOO!" shouted the whole contingent of Shadow Clones at their fellow's success.
Naruto stopped his handstand push-ups to clap in appreciation. "Very good! Now pop so we all get the trick, then I want you to practice going in and out of it, okay?"
"Gotcha, Boss!" the Shadow Clone who'd achieved Sage Mode nodded before dispeling. His knowledge flowed into each of their heads and soon all 499 of the Clones had golden eyes.
"What was that about?" Sasuke asked, who'd taken to using a kunai to mark his progress in running up the tree to where his 'Naruto' had been patiently waiting.
"You know how chakra is made up of Yin and Yang energies? Well, there's something called Natural Energy that permeates the entire world. You could think of it as the lifeforce of the planet. If you know what you're doing, a ninja can mix Natural Energy with their Yin and Yang energies to create Sage Chakra, which is many times more potent than ordinary chakra."
"So you just figured out a massive power-up?!"
"Yes, I did. Took me 6 months with 500 Shadow Clones a day to pull it off, though. It would take your average shinobi years if not decades to get it down," 'Naruto' explained to the Uchiha. "Don't worry, when you're ready I'll teach you how to do it. And might I suggest that instead of charging recklessly with anger, you stop and try to calmly walk up one step at a time?"
Sasuke huffed. "You couldn't have told me that a couple hours ago?"
"I wanted to see if you'd think of it yourself."
When the sun had set behind the horizon, Naruto called "TIME!" As his Shadow Clones began to pop in sequence, he went over to a panting Sasuke who nonetheless stood proud next to his 'Naruto' on the tree. "In one day, not bad. Hinata-chan did it on the first try but she has less chakra than you, easier to control it. Now get down here."
Sasuke wearily walked down the tree to the ground. Naruto patted him on the shoulder, filling him to the brim with chakra as he did.
"What the… what did you do?" Sasuke asked, shocked to feel so full of life and energy after a grueling few hours of training.
"What's the point of having possibly the most chakra of any man on Earth if I can't share it? I have it to spare, why not learn how to dole it out to friends and allies?" Naruto said with a grin. "I trust you can find your own way home?"
Sasuke nodded, a contemplative look on his face. He turned and walked back towards the village. "See you tomorrow, Naruto."
"See ya," Naruto called back at the retreating figure. Then, when his Shadow Clones had finished popping, he used the Flying Thunder God Seal he'd written in his apartment to teleport home. He had dinner, a bath, checked in on the research team for Anko's Curse Seal, then got on his bed in the lotus position. A couple hours of meditation later, he went to bed settled.
The next day, Naruto woke at the usual time, with the dawn. He got dressed and went to have breakfast, noting that his research team was just lying around. "I take it we found the right counter-seal?" Naruto asked.
One of the Clones wordlessly held up a square of paper with a complex seal written on it before laying it on the coffee table. Then they one and all dispeled, letting Naruto get the memories of how they'd settled on the final formula.
"Hmm, if I catch Anko-san before she leaves Kakashi's apartment, we could meet up with Hokage-jiji and get this done before the Academy starts," Naruto mused to himself. He rushed to finish his breakfast and then went down to Kakashi's door. He knocked strongly three times and waited.
Kakashi answered in just his mask and a pair of boxer-briefs put on backwards. "Naruto? Do you know what time it is?"
"Time to remove Anko-san's seal. Both she and Hokage-jiji made it clear they wanted this thing done as soon as possible. The two of you get decent and then we can go to the Hokage Tower," Naruto replied in serious mode.
The Hatake's eye widened and he nodded before closing the door. Five minutes later, he and Anko in their shinobi uniforms came out the apartment. "I got a lot riding on this, brat. My life, even. I hope you did a good job," Anko said sharply.
"The very best of Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu, I promise," Naruto assured her. Then they began to leap across the rooftops towards the Hokage Tower.
When they reached the building, Kakashi used his S-rank security clearance to greenlight their way all the way to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen, alerted to their arrival, was waiting patiently behind his desk. "I'll go out on a limb and guess that you've found a way to remove the Curse Seal," the Hokage said with a hint of levity.
"With the enzyme and Orochimaru left unharmed. And with a 75% chance of Anko-san surviving with a functioning chakra network. Only a 5% she'll flat out die too," Naruto explained, pulling out the prepared seal.
"I'll take it," Anko said readily. "Permission to carry through with the procedure, Hokage-sama?" she asked with barely hidden desperation.
Hiruzen slowly nodded. "Very well. Proceed."
"Anko-san, please take off your trenchcoat and sit on the floor," Naruto instructed. The Tokubetsu Jonin followed his order to the letter. "Here goes nothing," Naruto muttered before slapping the counter-seal onto the Cursed Seal of Heaven. There was a bright flash of light, Anko screamed in pain, and the seal on her neck vanished. In its place, an albino-pale man in Jonin uniform was laying on the ground, and Nawruto held a glass vial filled with a murky green liquid. Before doing anything else, Naruto slammed a sealing tag from his pocket onto Orochimaru's forehead. "There. He's in a coma until we take that seal off."
Hiruzen blinked. "That was it? From what I know about undoing seals, the process can take hours if not days."
"Yes, but I have a stupid amount of chakra. I can speed things up considerably," Naruto said wearily. That had taken a good third of his chakra at once.
Kakashi was comforting his girlfriend. "Anko-chan? You feel alright?"
"Like I have the flu on top of a mild case of chakra exhaustion," Anko moaned. "But I also feel… lighter. I don't mean less weight, I mean… brighter. Like a great darkness was removed from me."
"You're welcome, Anko-san," Naruto grinned.
Anko returned the blond's shining smile with one of her own. "I'll never forget this, brat. You ever need help with anything, I'm there."
"I'll keep that in mind. Now, I believe you should be on bedrest. And Kakashi still has a couple days of vacation left, so he can spend the day taking care of you. I have the Academy. And I'll leave this with you to deal with, Hokage-jiji," Naruto said, nudging his foot against Orochimaru's comatose body.
"I'm crediting you with the completion of an S-class mission for this, Naruto-kun. Should supplement your income nicely," Hiruzen grinned as he lit his pipe.
Naruto's jaw dropped. S-rank missions could reach into the millions for payment. "Hokage-jiji, that's too much!"
"I'm the Hokage, what I say goes. Just be grateful and say thanks, Naruto-kun," the Third smirked.
Naruto bowed at the waist. "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama," he said, using Hiruzen's official title for once.
"Bah, just take the money and go back to calling me 'old man'," Hiruzen chuckled. "Oh, and you have a couple new neighbors, right next door to your apartment. I'd pop in to visit them, welcome them to the building, you know the drill."
Naruto shared a secretive smile with Hiruzen. "I might just do that, Hokage-jiji. Now, if you'll excuse me," he bowed and exited the door. He made his way out of the Hokage Tower and walked to the Academy. He meditated, focusing on recovering the chakra he'd lost removing Anko's Curse Seal, until Iruka showed up.
The day was pleasantly predictable, Naruto holding hands with Hinata, lunch with his friends, and intentionally aiming for low scores, trying to pass with just the bare minimum of points. When the final bell rang, Naruto waved Hinata away with Ko, tracked down a brooding Sasuke, and led him towards Training Ground Seven.
"Have you noticed our tail?" Naruto asked Sasuke when they were leaving the urban center of Konoha and reaching the more forested Training Grounds.
Sasuke's surprised expression was soon covered up by a blank mask of indifference. "Who is it?"
Naruto turned around to regard a particular bush. "Sakura, please come out."
There was an 'eep' and then Sakura emerged from her cover. "Hey, Naruto. Um, I can explain this?"
"You saw the two strongest guys in class, one of whom is your desired boyfriend, walking off together and wondered what they were up to?" Naruto guessed.
She blushed and looked to the side. "Something like that."
"If you wanted to watch us train, all you had to do was ask, Sakura," Naruto chuckled. He turned to Sasuke. "Assuming you don't mind if we have a spectator, Sasuke?"
Sasuke considered it. Well, the worst she could do was play annoying cheerleader, which if anything would be an exercise in maintaining focus. "Hnn," he grunted in a vaguely affirmative tone.
"I think that's Sasuke-speak for 'yes'," Naruto said to Sakura while scratching the back of his head. "Come on, Sakura, no need to sneak behind us anymore."
The three Academy students walked to Training Ground 7. He turned to his companions. "Before we start, there's something I want to discuss. You are aware that we're assigned to three-man teams with a Jonin sensei after graduation, yes?"
Sasuke and Sakura both nodded.
"Well, I have a Jonin friend who's always assigned to Team 7. And Team 7 is always made up of the Shinobi of the Year, the Kunoichi of the Year, and the Dead Last. Now, having been at the Academy less than a week, I'm still fairly confident that you two are the best male and female in our class in terms of test scores if nothing else. And I'm fine faking my scores to come across as the absolute worst," Naruto laid out.
Sakura's eyes widened. "You want to game the system. If we start training together now, we'll have a huge advantage over the other Genin teams!"
"Well, we'll know how to work together a lot better than they would," Naruto allowed. Naruto held out his hand. "How about it? To Team 7 ahead of schedule?"
Sakura eagerly put her hand over Naruto's. They turned to Sasuke, who scoffed and rolled his eyes, but put his hand down as well.
"We'll carry each other to victory!" Naruto grinned. "Let me hear you say 'Yeah!'"
"Yeah!" Sakura crowed.
Sasuke sighed and breathed out "Yeah," almost below his breath. But at least he said it.
"Then let's get started," Naruto grinned.