"Now I have all of your team assignments with me," Iruka-sensei said to the Rookie Nine. Not really belonging in the classroom, I waited outside with the other jounin as Iruka gave his speech about being a ninja. Like last time, I didn't really listen to him, only paying attention when he started announcing teams seven through ten.
"Team Seven will be a special squad. Due to the odd number of genin in this year, Team Seven will be made of two genin and two jounin. The second jounin is new, just appointed this morning, so don't feel at a disadvantage or advantage. Team Seven will be made of Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba. Team Nine will be-"
Once again, I stopped paying attention, not caring who was on team nine. If the Sandaime trusted me, the teams would be the same.
"Team Ten will be Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino. Please wait here for your jounin sensei. Good luck," Iruka said before smiling and leaving the classroom.
"Hey, sensei," I said, catching Iruka's attention. He froze for just a moment before rushing me, tackling me in a hug. "Good morning to you, too?" I gasped, breathless. The chuunin chuckled and released me. I pretended to gag as my throat recovered.
"What's this about your promotion? I heard that you skipped chuunin!" Iruka exclaimed. I shushed him, knowing that the genin inside could hear him if he spoke loudly. I pulled him further down the hallway before nodding.
"Just took the jounin exam today. I came over here to tell you that it was me with Team Seven. I wasn't sure if they told you who's with which group," I explained, scratching the back of my head. Iruka chuckled and messed up my hair.
"But jounin? You couldn't just take the chuunin exams when they come around and be done with it?" Iruka said. I could see the sadness in his eyes, sadness that I'd be in danger, but I also saw his attempts to hide it so I did not comment.
"If I tell you who I beat, will you believe I'm ready for it?" I asked. Iruka chuckled but nodded, obviously not taking me seriously. "Okay. I was up against Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma all at once. I took Kakashi out in the first twenty minutes, Gai and Kurenai in the next ten or twenty minutes, and then Asuma in the last ten minutes."
Iruka's jaw hit the ground.
"But- but with-"
"Mizuki?" I asked. Iruka nodded, his mouth still forming incoherent sentences. "I knew that, if I showed Mizuki my real power than he'd either run away or I'd accidentally kill him. Even taijutsu was a risk; I've invented my own technique that can take down Kakashi, the warau akuma."
"The laughing demon?"
"In honor of Kyuubi's more violent tendencies," I answered. Iruka winced and I mentally slapped myself. "I'm really sorry about your parents, sensei." Iruka only shook his head.
"We aren't here to talk about the past, that was a long time ago. How about I treat you to some ramen after you and Kakashi get your team?"
"We might as well go now, Kakashi won't be here for another three or four hours," I replied. Iruka chuckled and nodded.
"Probably not… I wonder what he does before everything that takes so long; I've never seen him around the village," Iruka mused. I frowned, knowing what he did.
"He's- he's visiting an old friend," I said, closing the conversation. Iruka accepted the close and changed the subject to my new jounin status.
"It really is incredible, though. Who would've thought, twelve years old and you already outrank me!" Iruka laughed, poking my forehead. I smiled sadly, remembering all the times that Itachi had done that to Sasuke.
"Kakashi thought it. He was the first to volunteer to test me. Gai was going on and on about his youthful flames or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention," I said, laughing as Ichiraku came into sight.
"Are you going to tell Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan?" Iruka asked me, still smiling.
"I don't know," I said, scratching the back of my head nervously. "I don't want to sound conceited or anything…"
"Wow, a three syllable word from the class clown! It's a miracle!" Iruka said, laughing as we walked into the stand. Teuchi turned around, saw me, and immediately brightened.
"Hey, Iruka-san, Naruto. What can I get for you two?" Teuchi said, chuckling at the pride radiating off of Iruka.
"The usual," Iruka said, sitting down. I sat in my favorite stool, practically bouncing. Teuchi went about, making the ramen, before placing it down in front of us, looking at me expectantly.
"So what are you two celebrating?" Teuchi asked as I dug into my ramen. Iruka rolled his eyes and broke his chopsticks open.
"Naruto's promotion," he said smoothly.
"I thought I heard something about you graduating," Teuchi smiled. "Congrats." Iruka chuckled and looked at me with admiration in his eyes.
"It's a little more… impressive than genin. Why don't you tell him, Naruto?" Iruka asked, setting me up. I glared at him playfully and put down my now empty bowl of ramen.
"I, uh- I'm a jounin," I said, coughing in embarrassment at the words. Teuchi's eyes widened and he looked at me up and down, probably wondering if I started taking any new medication. Iruka chuckled and nodded at his expression and Teuchi snapped out of, pouring me another bowl of ramen.
"On the house!" He announced, sitting down and muttering 'jounin' every now and then.
Our food gone and paid for, I said goodbye to Iruka before jogging to the Memorial Stone, wondering if Kakashi was still there. Spotting him at the stone, I slowed to a walk and joined him.
"Are you ready for this? We're in different territory," I murmured. Kakashi scoffed and shrugged.
"You could have stayed a genin a little longer, no one was forcing you to go jounin already."
"I know that," I said quietly. "Ready?"
"To the Academy!" Kakashi exclaimed, hopefully sarcastically. I never was completely sure if this man was going to rip someone's head off or start singing as he skipped down the Yellow Brick Road searching for Emerald City. I laughed at the image in my head and pressed it to my seal with Hinata. I felt her mentally laugh and then turn attention back to Kurenai, talking about her likes and dislikes.
"I'll be waiting on the roof. Don't give me away, I want to see if Sasuke senses me," I shouted as he ran off. I rolled my eyes and took to the rooftops, running towards Hokage Tower.
I sat on the rooftop, bored out of my mind and hidden by a chameleon jutsu. After a while, Kakashi appeared, coming up from the classrooms below, and nodded at me. We both were silent, waiting for Sasuke and Sakura to march up the stairs. With my enhanced hearing, I could pick up Sasuke's muttered complaints and Sakura's high pitched squeals before I could see either of them.
"-said he was a new jounin… he better not be some weakling… who is this guy? Just tested this morning…" Bitter voice? Check. Aloof attitude? Check. Definitely Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun!" After the first exclamation, I pressed my hands to my ears, wincing as my ears rang with Sakura's high voice.
"Yo," I saw Kakashi greet the two with a short wave. Sakura took a look around, her eyes passing over me.
"I thought we were going to have two jounin on our team. Where's the other one?" She asked, curious. Sasuke was much more observant, his senses ranging out and finding me.
"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned before raising his voice to Kakashi. "That dobe is a jounin? He barely made genin!"
"That dobe beat me and three other elite jounin earlier this morning. He deserves your respect even if you don't like him," Kakashi reprimanded him. Sakura glanced between the two, confusion in her eyes.
"Wait- what? Sasuke-kun, who's our other sensei?" Sakura asked, her green eyes once more examining the roof. I took pity on the young kunoichi.
"Good job, Sasuke. You've been practicing," I said, canceling out my chameleon jutsu and stretching. Sakura jumped as I melted into the environment and I chuckled at her surprise. "Hello, Sakura, Sasuke. I knew Kakashi wouldn't be here for a few hours, so I was out with Iruka, getting ramen as a reward for my promotion."
Sakura jumped, startled that anyone our age could be higher in rank than her Sasuke-kun. She overlooked trying to understand my strength, immediately choosing to glare at me.
"Glaring is not going to make me any weaker, just as it will not make you and Sasuke stronger. Instead of complaining about my position, work on improving yours," I said. My eyebrows drew themselves together and I winced. "I sound like Hiruzen… Why did I want to be a jounin?" I asked, looking at Kakashi who shrugged.
"The vest? I don't know. Anyway… Introductions! Everyone say their full name, their likes, dislikes, hobbies, and their dream," Kakashi announced cheerfully. I winced, thinking he was on his to Oz.
"You first," Sakura said, glaring at me but pointing at Kakashi. The silver haired jounin sighed but complied.
"My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like a number of things and dislike more. I have a few hobbies that don't have anything to do with you and a few dreams. Next?" he said, going through his usual act, not giving anything away. I shrugged.
"Name's Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. I love Hinata-chan. I like ramen and sparring with my friends. I don't like people who think they're better than everyone else and people who take more than they deserve. My hobbies are beating up Kakashi,-" the ninja glared at me, "and learning new jutsu. My dream is to help rebuild my clan and I know I'm going to become the best Hokage ever, surpassing my father and living up to his legacy. Sakura?" I prompted.
"Um, my name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are…" she glanced at Sasuke and giggled before looking back at her lap. "My dislikes are loudmouth idiots who show off every chance they get,-" she glared at me, "My hobbies are…" Obviously glancing at Sasuke and giggling, I thought to myself, wondering again why I had ever had a crush on this girl. "And my dream is…" With a final glance and one last giggle, it was Sasuke's turn.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like sparring with Naruto in the Forest of Death, away from everyone else. I like my niece and nephew, even if I hate their father. I hate fan girls," he said, glaring at Sakura. "My hobbies are training and getting stronger and my dream is to rebuild my clan and protect everyone I care about," he said, his glare softening before regaining it's steel.
I glanced at Kakashi when he mentioned his family and I smiled subtly. Not only was Tori pregnant when I had saved her, she was carrying twins, a boy and a girl. She had named the boy Fugaku, after Itachi and Sasuke's father, and the girl Tera. Kakashi winked.
"Would you like to do the honors, Kakashi?" I said. Sakura fumed and I could see inner Sakura trying to escape. Sasuke scoffed and leaned against a wall.
"I think you should," he said, smiling under his mask.
"If you insist- meet us at- um, Kakashi? Training Ground Seven is a little trashed from my test. Where are we going to meet?"
"Training Ground Seven," he replied, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. "I think that it'll work for tomorrow's exercise, don't you?"
"I guess… Well, meet at training ground seven at seven o' clock and don't eat breakfast or-"
"You'll throw up," Kakashi finished. We left simultaneously, Kakashi by Shunshin, myself by Hiraishin.
I opened my eyes to the Namikaze Manor. I had been cleaning it up ever since I returned to Konoha so that it was ready for me to move in as soon as possible. I opened the gates, now sealed shut with a blood seal, and walked up the path. Thanks to my shadow clones, the garden was a little neater but I had always planned to keep it a little chaotic, regardless of what Hina-chan said.
I walked to the front door and let myself in, the air less stale from my constant comings and goings to and from the house. I walked through the halls, seeing what else I needed to do before we started any serious missions. For D-rank I could always send a clone- I doubt that even Kakashi could sense the difference and he's known me for some twenty three years, previous timeline included of course.
The kitchen was all set up and running, waiting for groceries to be stored in it's empty refrigerator and cupboards. The bedrooms were still dusty and unclean for the most part, the only exceptions being my parents' old room, which was going to be mine, and the room directly next to it. Stopping at the door, I glanced into the room that would have been my nursery. I had cleaned it up, putting everything back in its rightful place. I wasn't lying when I promised Hina-chan a family.
Closing the door, I walked into my father's personal study. The shelves were still dusty, the jutsu and storage scrolls still lay untouched. Never having enough time to fully explore this room, I had opted against searching it in parts. If I was going to go through this office, it would be all at once.
My eyes scanned the shelves, recognizing the basic jutsu that most genin learned: the most basic fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning jutsu were all stored here. I walked around the room, finding empty storage scrolls and scrolls filled with kunai, shuriken, senbon, and other various weapons. I chuckled knowing that Tenten would use these scrolls better than I ever could. I had almost put a hand on one of the scrolls when I saw something on the wall behind the shelf.
Curious, I pulled the shelf away from the wall, careful not to let anything fall in my search. Lying on the wall was a small seal, about the size of a playing card, that I recognized as another blood seal, this one much older than the seal I had placed on the gates. Without a second thought, I bit my thumb and smeared my blood, Namikaze blood, onto the seal.
The seal changed; it grew until it stretched a foot in diameter and then stopped. I hadn't even thought about what had happened when the area around the seal pressed inwards against the wall before shifting to the left, creating a narrow doorway that opened into a dark passageway. Following the tunnel without a thought, I soon found myself in a large room.
Noticing a chandelier, I lit the candles with a weak fire jutsu. The room now illuminated, I finally saw the shelves lining the walls, much like my father's study. This room looked even more abandoned than the rest of the house, the air still and dead. I walked to the center of the room, noticing glass cases. Wiping the grime off the glass, I saw that one of the cases held a dozen of my father's Hiraishin kunai. Another held a weapons scroll holding the Namikaze sword, Mizuchi, making me grateful that I had learned kenjutsu when I had the chance. The last was small, containing a jade ring with the kanji for Namikaze inscribed in purple ink with red waves etched around the edges. I took each item out of the case before blowing out the candles and going back upstairs to study the items in better light.
Standing in my bedroom, my parents' former bedroom, I was stuck by a delayed realization. I just found the Namikaze records! I thought to myself, smiling at my inadvertent discovery. I looked closer at the ring before sliding it onto my right middle finger, the ring somehow seeming to tighten around my finger. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I turned to the Namikaze sword.
Opening the scroll, I found another seal. Releasing the seal, a katana appeared in my hand. The katana was not unlike my own blade, the length and weight matching perfectly. The Namikaze katana possessed a cloth covered ebony, a short gold and red tassel attached to the end. The blade itself was slightly curved, the tip formed into a diagonal point. Etched onto the center, running up two thirds of the blade, was a detailed drawing of a dragon swimming through water, the waves etched in gold, the dragon in red.
Holding the katana, it seemed to radiate power somehow. Without hesitation, I switched out Kamisora for Mizuchi, my family's katana.
Having already learned the Hiraishin, the kunai weren't as much as a surprise as the katana was. I picked up the kunai and threw it to the other side of the room, feeling my chakra get drawn to it as soon as it was airborne.
Glancing out the window, I decided that I need a trip to Heiki no Senmon, the weaponry store that Tenten's father ran. I put one of the kunai in my pocket and went back into the village, resealing the gates on my way out.