{March 11th, 078}
"...No…"
"C'mon, Anko, I have to go or I'm gonna be late."
"Snuggle!"
"Anko...you know I can't be late. They're little fresh graduates. What kind of example will I set if I follow Kakashi's tendencies?"
"Mmmm!" Anko whined.
"That's right, Anko, not a very good one. Now, you have to let me go, ok?"
"Fine…"
"I love you, Anko."
"..."
"Anko?"
"I love you too…"
"Mornings are such a joy…" Naruto sighed, getting out of bed to prepare for the day with his little Genin hopefuls. Would they pass his test? Probably not. If they didn't, they'd all be sent back to the academy until next near. Maybe then he could take the Uchiha on as an apprentice to keep Itachi's promise…
He shook those thoughts off quickly. 'You promised yourself you'd be impartial, Naruto. Focus!'
Being a Jonin sensei could really be...what was the word? Troublesome! Yes, it really could be troublesome.
Across the village, a different Genin hopeful-er-kinda hopeful woke himself with a sneeze and a thought of 'what a drag…'
Truly, a remarkable day in the Leaf!
{Timeskip}
"Good morning, my little academy graduates!" Naruto greeted cheerily. "How are you on this fine morning?"
"We're gonna kick this test's ass, no matter what it is! Right, Akamaru?"
"Arf!" the puppy agreed.
"Cha! I'll pass for Sasuke!"
"And you, broody? How are you feeling?"
"...introspective…"
"Very good," the redhead smiled. "It seems that you're all just about ready to take my special test. And trust me, it is very special. In fact, it's so special, that I'm the only one in the entire Elemental Nations who can do it…"
The Genin hopefuls all look very intrigued by that prospect...well...except for Sasuke. He was still scheduled for a brooding session. Intrigue wasn't on the schedule anytime soon.
"All you have to do," Naruto started, flashing through hand seals quickly and summoning a mid-sized two-tailed fox who was, somewhat remarkably, asleep. "Is get a clean hit with any weapon, Taijutsu, or Ninjutsu. Just one in the next...let's say, three hours."
"That's it?" Kiba's jaw dropped. "That's the easiest thing I've ever heard! And how are you the only one who can do it?"
'There's gotta be a catch…' Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like one of you figured it out. There's one teeny catch," he winked. "You're not allowed to wake up Suimin. If he wakes up, you fail."
"Get one hit on you...and don't wake up the fox?" Kiba clarified.
"Yep, that's it!" he nodded, gently placing the fox around his neck. It shifted slightly but didn't wake. "Your time starts now! Good luck!"
The three Genin looked at each other for a moment before leaping off into the trees.
'Funny,' Naruto chuckled to himself. 'I can barely wake up Suimin when I'm trying to. This should be interesting.'
{Kiba}
'Who does this guy think he is? All these crazy tests and taunts! I'll show him who's the top dog!" Kiba thought to himself, steadily stalking his prey through the forest. Noticing that Naruto seemed to have his eyes focused on something in the opposite direction of him, Kiba struck. 'Jackpot!'
"Oh, what's this?" Naruto mumbled to himself, crouching down to the ground...just as Kiba went flying over him. "Hm? Oh, it's dog-boy. Didn't see you there."
"Don't act so tough!" Kiba whispered aggressively. "I'll pass your stupid test solo!"
"Arf!" Akamaru barked softly.
"Is that so?" Naruto mused at a normal volume. "Well, you're more than welcome to try. But are you sure that's wise?"
"What the hell? You're trying to make us fail by waking up that stupid fox!" Kiba whisper-yelled.
"Me? I'm just replying to your banter."
"Grrr!" Kiba growled before charging forward to try and engage in a Taijutsu bout.
"Ah, the first true lesson from the academy," Naruto mused, blocking Kiba's swipe with one hand before ducking beneath the second. "Taijutsu."
Kiba continued swiping with his sharper-than-normal fingernails and launching various roundhouse kicks, but each one was simply dodged, cleanly blocked, or directed away from him.
"Fine!" Kiba whispered. "I'll show you! Ninja-Art, All Fours Jutsu!"
"Interesting…" Naruto mused, watching as Kiba got down on all fours. His nails for both his feet and hands grew longer and razor-sharp, providing lethal claws. The Jonin could see the chakra running through and strengthening them.
Kiba shot forward at a speed that actually slightly surprised the redhead, who was able to redirect the animalistic swipe at the last second, leading it into a leg sweep and a palm thrust to force Kiba to tumble away just as quickly as he'd come forward.
"Taijutsu lesson is complete," Naruto smiled. "Looks like I'll have to try to make a Genjutsu...I always did suck at that…"
{Sakura}
'He just dismantled Kiba without even trying!' Sakura thought as she watched the systematic beatdown of the Inuzuka from a purely defensive stance. 'I better get out of here before he finds me, cha!'
The pinkette turned around and ran out of the foliage she was hiding in...only to run straight into a tree.
'What the hell? I'm sure that wasn't here before!' she thought to herself, before turning and running the other direction...directly into another tree. 'OW!'
Naruto watched in amusement as Sakura ran around, constantly colliding into obstacles that weren't even there. "You outdid yourself, Sakkaku."
"Hehehehe," the fox chuckled. "I thought I went a bit too easy on her but looks like I did alright."
"I expected her to get out of this faster myself, but it looks like-"
"Release!" Sakura shouted, before running forward...into another nonexistent obstacle.
Naruto sighed. "And to think, I almost hoped she would break it. I'd accuse you of using an illusion that was too strong, but even I can see that a Genin of the caliber that her report showed should be able to break this easily…"
"Hehehehe. You really need to summon me more often, My Lord, this is way too fun," Sakkaku snickered. "Look at how confused she looks! Hehehehehe!"
"You're too much, Sakkaku," Naruto shook his head in amusement. "I suppose we should see how our last contestant is doing…"
{Sasuke}
'What are those idiots doing?' Sasuke raged inside his head. 'Random Taijutsu, getting caught in a Genjutsu...come on!'
"Well, it looks like you're the last one to challenge me, Sasuke?" Naruto declared. "Better come out soon. I'd hate to wake up Suimin by accident…"
'Damn! He's forcing me to come out early!' Sasuke seethed. 'Fine...he's asking for it.'
"I expected more from the last-" Naruto was cut off by a whistling of projectiles, quickly cutting through the air towards the redhead. "There it is."
Sasuke, while Naruto used his own kunai to deflect the projectiles that he didn't dodge, took the opportunity to position behind and slightly above the Jonin and fly through hand seals. "Fire-Style, Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water-Style, Water Wall!" Naruto said back, using the moist, dew-ridden grass to form a small wall of water, just big enough to turn his rather sizable fireball into nothing more than steam.
Sasuke used the cover of steam to charge forward, striking out with his kunai.
'Good! Intent to kill, full knowledge that if he holds back at all he stands no chance!' Naruto thought to himself as he parried the blow and engaged in relatively high-speed combat with the Uchiha.
"NOW!" came a voice from behind Naruto as he heard a variety of weapons whistling behind him.
'Really? I expected a better plan…' Naruto simply leaped into the air, easily dodging all the projectiles only to see Sakura from his left, Kiba from his right, and Sasuke from in front of him, all going for him at the same time. 'Well...now I feel stupid…'
"That's because you are stupid, kit."
"Didn't expect to hear from you, Kurama, forgive me if I ignore your dumb ass for the moment," Naruto thought back, rolling his eyes. "Close but no cigar! Almighty PUSH!"
The invisible barrier of force halted all three Genin in their path and rocketed them away towards the ground, each collapsing in a heap, while Naruto landed gracefully afterward.
"What the hell was that?" Kiba groaned. "Nothing even hit me!"
"I could give you another demonstration if you want," Naruto shrugged.
"I'll pass," the Inuzuka denied, before trying to run back into cover.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, not quite," the redhead said, holding up a palm. "Heavenly Attraction."
"Whoa! What the hell is happening~?!" Kiba yelled as he found himself flying through the air into the Jonin's waiting hand.
"Why don't we play a new game? This game is called don't let dog-boy die."
"S-sensei?" Sakura looked at him in fear.
"Here's your fourth lesson. The first was Taijutsu, then was Genjutsu, and next was Ninjutsu. Now," Naruto forced the Inzuka to kneel and held a kunai to his throat. "Is fear."
Kiba knelt there in shock, watching as his life flashed quickly before his eyes. Akamaru wriggled his way out of his jacket and bit onto Naruto's leg, but the redhead held strong.
"Sakura!" Naruto demanded. "What do you do?"
"I-I…" Sakura was trembling too. Sure she didn't like the guy, but she didn't want him to die.
"Sasuke! Answer!"
Sasuke hesitated. Sasuke never hesitated. "We surrender…"
"Sasuke…?" Sakura asked.
"Good answer," Naruto grinned, flipping the kunai up and shoving Kiba away from him. "This is a training simulation. You should act as you would in real life and, in most cases, if the enemy takes a hostage, and you can't come up with a plan within five seconds, you surrender. Giving your comrade any extra time is better than resigning him to death hoping they're bluffing. Let me give you a hint; I was bluffing. Your enemies? Won't be."
"R-right…" Kiba gasped, panting as Akamaru whimpered and licked his hands.
"It's been two hours," Naruto explained. "Let's go over your progress. Kiba! You rushed at me alone with your Genin-level Taijutsu. Your only advantage would be that I didn't know the Inuzuka style, however, I do know it. In fact, you should have known that I knew it, because I told you that I know Hana, your older sister."
"Right…"
"Sakura! I had Sakkuku cast a high D-ranked illusion on you and you couldn't dispel it. Not good. I expected more."
"I'm s-sorry, s-sensei…"
"Sasuke! Decent job, but you tried to do everything alone. You were used as a distraction by Kiba and Sakura and you in turn used them to try to land your own hit. Overall, it would have worked, however, that's not teamwork. That's using your allies for your own gain," he lectured. "In short, I'm relatively disappointed in all of you. So, while your time ticks down, I would suggest we all just sit here. It's not like you have a chance anyway."
One minute ticked by…
Then two…
Then five…
"No," Kiba said, standing back up.
"No?"
"No! I'm not giving up, you bastard! I'm a ninja! That shit you pulled doesn't scare me!"
"Kiba's right! We still have over twenty minutes left! Right, Sasuke?"
"Hn," Sasuke scoffed but stood up himself, looking rather confident.
"You ready to take all three of on at once?" Kiba challenged, getting into the stance for his All Fours Jutsu.
"I've been waiting for this," Naruto grinned wickedly. "SUMMONING JUTSU!"
A cloud of smoke the size of a small mansion exploded in front of Naruto, revealing the largest fox any of them had ever seen.
"W-what…" Sakura fell to her knees, the past confidence totally gone.
"No way…" Kiba followed suit. Even Sasuke looked defeated.
"So? Have you given up yet?" Naruto challenged from atop the giant fox's head. It had a shimmering silver coat of fur and a brilliant white underbelly, with eight silver tails swishing behind it.
"Naruto? Are you on my head? I can't see you up there, child, come down." If the fox itself wasn't surprising, its voice definitely was. Instead of the intimidating, deep voice that they expected, it was gentle, delicate, and feminine. Powerful, yes, but more along the lines of a priestess than a tyrant.
"Yo, Miyako, I don't suppose you could play along?" Naruto asked, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Play along? Play along with-CHILD! Are you using me to scare these young children?" Miyako scolded. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Get down from there this instant!"
"Wait, Miyako, you're-"
"Naruto…" she threatened.
"YES, MA'AM!" he quickly scampered down in front of her where she glared slightly at him.
"What have I told you about summoning me? You may consult my advice, summon me to interact casually, or summon me an emergency. Does this qualify any of those categories, hmm?"
"No, ma'am, but-"
"Then WHY am I here?"
"Well, you see-"
"Bad, child!" she scolded, slapping him over the head once with each tail. "You are not to summon me like this again, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled dejectedly from his position on the ground..
"Now, to you three," the fox turned its head and knelt down slowly, trying not to frighten them even more. "I'm terribly sorry for what Naruto has done. Please forgive him, for an old fox maiden's sake, would you?"
"Uh...s-sure…" Sakura stuttered.
"Thank you. You're very pretty, child, you know that?" the fox smiled gently. "But you need to eat more. Heaven's sake! Naruto, child!"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Ensure the pretty one eats more. Look at all that bone," she scolded, poking the dumbfounded pinkette gently in the ribcage. "She's wasting away all that beauty! Don't let her starve herself, understand?"
"Uh...right…"
"Mmm...you with the dog," Miyako hummed. "You're boring. Find something interesting to do with your life."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kiba demanded.
"It means," the fox explained. "That all you do is walk around with that dog of yours. You can love your partner and do something else. Make food, press flowers, go hunting, learn Fuinjutsu, read books. Do something or you'll wither away! Got that, child?"
"Um...yes, ma'am?" Kiba blinked.
"And the last one. Wipe that look off your face," Miyako scolded. "I don't like it."
"Hn," Sasuke scoffed and looked away.
"Don't you 'hn' me young man!" she chastised, smacking him once with a tail. "You've got a nasty look on that face of yours. I don't care what happened to you, but you look like an angry duck with that haircut of yours."
"Why you-!" Sasuke seethed.
"Why me nothing, child! You can't waste your life away brooding over the past. Get yourself a nice girl and live your life," Miyako instructed.
"Alright, Miyako, I think they've had enough," Naruto said. "Why don't you head on home."
"Well, alright. I expect to see these three again, you hear?"
"Well, that's not exactly-"
"That wasn't a request, Naruto."
"...yes, ma'am…"
"Good. Well, goodbye children. I'll see you soon." She gave one last smile and then left.
"Well...it appears as if my choice has been taken away from me…" Naruto muttered. "That was supposed to be a final test of courage, but Miyako is the biggest mother hen in the Elemental Nations. Apparently, Sakura, I'm in charge of your diet, Kiba, I need to find you a hobby, and Sasuke, we're getting you out of your brooding phase. I've been there, you'll look back and hate yourself."
"I have to be on this diet to look good for Sasuke!" Sakura protested.
"What the hell else do I need other than Akamaru?!"
"Arf!"
"Hn."
"Well, that's about what I expected…" Naruto sighed. "Well, you all could have done much worse. At least you have potential."
"Does that mean…?" Sakura asked hopefully.
"Yep, the three of you pass. I'll see you here every weekday at nine o'clock sharp!" Naruto waved and turned to leave. "Oh! And one more thing. You missed about twenty minutes of opportunities to hit me while my guard was down, between me telling you to sit there and give up and Miyako scolding you."
"How were we supposed to know that?" Kiba demanded.
"Figure it out," Naruto shrugged. "When I took my test I disarmed the Jonin by replacing myself with his sword using the Replacement Technique. Look for creative solutions to the task at hand. Especially because, if you haven't noticed, Suimin is still asleep!"
The three newly minted Genin just stood there as Naruto walked away. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THAT GUY?!"
{Timeskip}
"Team 5 fails!" Kakashi announced.
"Let's count the number of people surprise-oh wait…"
"Now, now, don't be like that, Naruto. They weren't good enough to pass my test. Not by a long shot."
"Very well, Kakashi. Team 6?"
"Also fails! No teamwork, pathetic chakra reserves, and abysmal weapon ability. Subpar all around."
"Team 7?"
"Team 7...passed," Naruto smiled. "Albeit unconventionally."
"More than when you took your test?" Hiruzen chuckled.
"Not quite that unorthodox, no. Miyoko all but ordered me to. My last scare tactic did not go according to plan, eheh…"
"Miyako's the eight-tailed mother hen, isn't she?"
"That'd be her…" Naruto sighed.
"Say no more, I understand. Alright, next is Team 8."
"Team 8 passed," Kurenai smiled proudly. "All three showed exceptional potential."
"Very well, Team 10?"
"Yeah, because the number 9 doesn't-ow! What'd you throw at me?!"
"It doesn't matter, now be silent! Team 10?"
"Passed," Asuma replied, in usual slow drawl. "Shikamaru put together a pretty damn good plan and Ino keeps them on their toes. Choji'll listen to just about anything that Nara says. If I can get 'em motivated, they'll be a damn good team."
"Very good. Well, that's three new Genin squads to add into rotation. Very good indeed," the elderly Hiruzen nodded. "Alright, dismissed!"
{Timeskip}
"Naruto, come to bed," Anko whined, yawning. "Don't you know what time it is?"
"Sorry, princess, I'll be there in a moment," he answered, feeling as she leaned her head on his shoulder as he worked.
"Whatcha workin' on anyway?"
"I think it's about time I learned my dad's technique," Naruto sighed. "But I don't really know how to start."
"The Flying Thunder God? Are you crazy?" Anko asked.
"Don't think I can do it?"
"Well, not that, but why? Do you really need it?"
"Not necessarily, but it's a good trump card. Besides, it's my dad's legacy."
"I thought you were your dad's legacy."
"Well, I guess…" Naruto blushed. "But this was his signature! How cool would it be to use my old man's move?"
"I guess so," she hummed, plopping herself in his lap.
"Well, now how am I supposed to work?"
"You aren't. You're supposed to make out with me for a bit and then come to bed."
"..."
"Well…?"
"You remember the last time we were like this?" he brought up out of the blue.
"You were working on my curse seal," Anko said softly, rubbing an imaginary mark on her neck. "I still can't believe you managed to get rid of that thing. What was that, two years ago?"
"Yep, just about. I couldn't stand you waking up sweating or writhing around with nightmares. No matter how much I held you they just wouldn't go away," Naruto whispered, hugging her to him. "So I decided it was high time that bastard gave you up. You're mine."
"If anyone belongs to anyone, you belong to me."
"I'll accept those terms."
"Damn right you will," she hummed. "Now carry me to bed."
"As you wish, princess," he sighed.
"And don't call me princess!"
[March 12th, 078}
"Rise and shine, my Genin!" Naruto announced, joining the three in the training grounds. He pulled out a small box and chucked it at the pinkette. "Here ya' go! Breakfast."
"Huh? What's this for, sensei?" Sakura eyed the box curiously.
"You forget already? I'm in charge of your diet and since I couldn't go see your parents yesterday, I brought you something to eat while we get our mission. I made lunches for you all for today so you can see what I expect you to be eating, but you're on your own from now on."
"But Naruto-sensei, I can't eat all this!" she protested. "I need to-"
"Do you want to tell Miyoko why you're not eating properly? Because I prefer not being devoured by a massive fox."
"..."
"That's what I thought. Now eat up!"
"Wait, she was serious about all that stuff?" Kiba asked.
"You bet your ass she was!" Naruto exclaimed. "Miyako's a big sweetheart, but she's the biggest mother hen you'll ever meet. What she says goes, no questions asked."
"So, that means…"
"You'll need a hobby there, dog-boy. We'll look into it. Who knows what you might find you're into?" Naruto shrugged. "That also means you'll stay after training every once in a while so we can work on your issues, Sasuke."
"Hn."
"Well, with that said, what's first? I'll let you choose today; training or a mission?"
"We have time to do both?" Kiba asked.
"Yep, it's bright and early. We've got a day to kill."
"I want training," Sasuke demanded. "I need to see if you're worth having as my sensei."
"Worth it, eh?" Naruto grinned wickedly, causing Sasuke to gulp wondering what he got himself into. "Sounds good to me. Let's see...Sakura! Punch my hand."
"Uh...sensei?"
"You heard me. Hard as you can."
"Right…" Sakura reared back and shot her fist forward. "HiYAH!"
Other than a small 'thwack!' nothing happened. "Wow...well, looks like I know what you're doing. Miyako was right, you're all bone. Go start running."
"Running?"
"You heard me! I'll summon a fox to nip at your heels if I have to!"
"Eep!" Sakura squeaked and started running around the training field.
"Alright, dog-boy, what does that dog of yours do?"
"Well...uh…" he scratched his head.
"Alright, what is he supposed to do?"
"We're learning how to do the Man Beast Transformation Jutsu," Kiba said. "But that comes after I learn the Fang Passing Fang."
"That's the spinny thing, right?" Naruto asked. "Well, I'll be honest, I won't be much help there, but from what I understand about Taijutsu, there are two options; brute force or speed. Tsunade is an example of brute force, Minato Namikaze is an example of speed. You seem pretty dense in both mind and body-"
"HEY!"
"-so I think speed is more your style. For you," Naruto said, using his prized summoning jutsu. "You'll be working with Hayano."
"Oh? Hello, My Lord, it's been a while," the fox bowed. She was a bright yellow fox with the normal white underbelly and two bushy foxtails. "How may I help you?"
"Heya, Hayano! I want you to help out dog-boy over there."
"Stop calling me dog-boy!" Kiba protested.
"He's too slow and you're the fastest fox I know."
"I understand," the fox replied and turned to Kiba. "Young man, I suggest you start running."
"What's that supposed to meAAAAN?! OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Kiba yelled in pain.
"The longer I'm able to keep up with you, the more you'll be shocked," Hayano replied, small electric pulses passing through her fur. "So I repeat myself; I suggest you start running."
With a yelp, Kiba took off at full speed.
"And then there was one, hm?" Naruto turned. "Well, you're a Ninjutsu type, but have yet to develop the Sharingan. I believe what you need is chakra control training."
"Hn."
"And training to use some god damn words, too," he grumbled, walking over to a tree. "Climb this."
"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Sasuke demanded.
"No. Climb this tree," the Jonin ordered, but he interrupted the Uchiha before he could start. "But you aren't allowed to use your hands."
"What?! That's impossible!"
"Is it?" Naruto mused, walking towards the tree before sticking to the side with chakra and marching straight up without so much as hesitating. "Doesn't seem impossible to me."
"How did you-"
"Listen to the words I say and use that brain of yours to figure things out," the redhead said, tapping the side of his head before throwing a kunai to the Uchiha's feet. "I said you needed chakra control training. How do you think you do it?"
"Focusing chakra to my feet," Sasuke mumbled, realizing what he was supposed to do, but eyeing the kunai curiously.
"Mark your progress with your kunai. To be honest with you? If you finish this by the end of the week I'll be satisfied. If you want to impress me? Finish by the end of tomorrow."
"Hn. This looks easy."
"Sure it does. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some fangirl tendencies to beat out of a bubblegum princess, so, I've got to go. Don't let me catch you slacking or I'll summon a fox to burn you every time you touch the ground. See you!" Sasuke shivered slightly as the redhead waved and headed off.
'That guy freaks me out…'
{Timeskip}
"Well, how was that, little ones?" Naruto asked, smiling. "Satisfied?"
"Why…" Sakura groaned out, panting in exhaustion.
"Anyone else smell something burning?" Kiba's eye twitched at the redhead's question, as smoke continuously sizzled out from his electrified hair. "How about you, Sasuke? Was it as easy as you'd thought?"
"...h...n…" Somehow, the Uchiha managed to pant in between a single indifferent grunt. His chakra was all but empty, his legs hurt from the strain, and his back was sore from the times he couldn't recover in time.
"Good. A wonderful start to the day. Now, why don't we all get some lunch and grab a mission?"
"A mission?" Sakura whined. "Sensei, you have to be joking! I need a shower!"
"No, what you need is a day's hard work. Here." Naruto tossed them each a boxed lunch. "This is generally the kind of thing you should be eating. You need plenty of grains for immediate energy, healthy fats for long-term energy, and a good hefty portion of protein to build muscle. Especially you, pinky. Veggies are more than important for personal health, but if you don't eat those three things, not only will you stay a skimpy flat chicken-"
"HEY!"
"-you won't be able to survive your Genin training let alone real missions. Consider yourself lucky that I chose to smack some sense into you myself. Anko works for T&I and let's just say she's never been a fan of girly fangirls." Sakura gulped. "Anyway, finish up and we'll head on over to the Hokage's office for your first official mission as Genin!"
All he received in response was a groan, to which he happily laughed and began eating his own lunch.
{Timeskip}
"Team 7 reporting for our first mission!" Naruto announced, entering the missions office. "Oh, hey, Old Man! Didn't think I'd see you here!"
'OLD MAN?!' Sakura thought in horror. 'How can he say that to Lord Hokage!?'
"Ah, Naruto! Good to see you," the Hokage smiled. "Your Genin look...ah…"
"Yep, we spent a good three hours training this morning," Naruto grinned proudly. "And none of them even passed out yet!"
"Very good, very good indeed," the Third nodded, causing the other Chunin that were working there to sweatdrop lightly. "So, you've come for a D-ranked mission, have you? Mmm, let's see here…"
"Make sure it's a good one. The pink one's scrawny, the dog-boy is too slow, and the brooder hates everyone and everything. Some good old-fashioned manual labor should whip 'em into shape."
"I see. How's this one? Some land was recently purchased on the outskirts of the village in an area that we only completed minimal reconstruction following the Kyuubi attack," Hiruzen told him. "He requested assistance clearing the remnants of rubble from the fields so he can start a farm. Mostly rocks, tree limbs, and things of that nature, but there could be large bits of rubble that we missed during damage control all those years ago."
"Sounds great. Sign us up!"
"Wait, clearing rubble? That's our mission?" Kiba asked, his jaw wide open.
"Yep! What'd you expect, I'd throw you in against an enemy ninja squad to save a princess that would fall in love with you?" Naruto ginned viciously as Kiba flushed slightly. That was pretty much exactly what he was thinking. "Well, I've got news for you, Inuzuka, that's not how this works. D-ranked missions are pretty much all chores and manual labor. Occasionally it'll be a delivery mission to carry a letter or package from, through, and into close friendly territory, but that's about as exciting as they get. C-ranked are mostly safe delivery missions into far-reaching friendly territory or protection detail against bandits, thugs, and general riffraff."
"Those all sound boring!" Kiba complained. "What about the good missions?"
"Like super high-profile assassinations?"
"Yeah! That sounds awesome!"
"Tell me, dog-boy, have you ever watched the life drain from someone's eyes in front of you?"
"Wha-"
"Have you ever stabbed someone in the heart with your kunai? Ripped a hole in their stomach with a water jutsu? Burned their face from their skull?"
"Naruto, I think you're going too-" Hiruzen tried to protest.
"Trust me, Old Man, let me finish. This is my Genin team and I won't have them believing in foolish stories," he quieted the Hokage. "You've never done any of those things, have you? What newly minted Genin don't understand is that being a ninja isn't what you read in your storybooks. You don't magically defeat an enemy much stronger than you and fall in love and live happily ever after. You fight to survive. You kill others. You may even need to torture people, all in the name of your village. And in the end? The most likely outcome for a ninja is death before reaching middle age. Old ninja like the Hokage? Those are either the lucky ones, or the strongest. That's why you start with labor. That's why I train you until you drop. That's why, in all likelihood, you won't face another enemy ninja on a true battlefield until you're ready to become Chunin. Because I'd rather not have to be the one who has to go to the Inuzuka matriarch and my wife's best friend and tell them their son and brother died on the battlefield. Ok?"
"R-right…"
"Now that that's out of the way, who wants to go move rubble?" Naruto smiled and led the procession out of the building. "Those fields won't clear themselves!"
"U-um, L-lord H-hokage?" Sakura stuttered out. "H-he wa-wasn't-"
"It's all very true, Sakura," the old man sighed. "Being a ninja is about staying alive and fighting for one's village. That is the world we live in. It's not a fantasy world where everything ends happily ever after. I hope that you learn that lesson soon, because for many, they either learn it too late, or never learn it at all."
{May 3rd, 078}
It's been three weeks since Team 7 began under the tutelage of Naruto Uzumaki and they were still feeling the strain.
"Sakura! Since we did muscle work yesterday, I want you to work on your chakra reserves. I had more chakra than you when I was born. I want it raised! Up, up, up! High control is no excuse."
"Yes, Naruto-sensei," Sakura agreed and ran off to do more tree-climbing. It was agree to the task and just do it, or have a fox nip at your heels until you did the task anyway. Listening the first time was just easier…
"Kiba, I'll be testing your speed today. Did you finally finish that Fang Passing Fang Jutsu?"
"Hell yeah, we did! Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
"Arf!"
"Good. Hopefully all the speed training you did with Hayano paid off or you won't stand a chance in hell at hitting me. Sasuke?"
"Hn."
"What was that?"
"...yes, sensei?"
"Better. Since I've finally kicked the bullshit out of your head that you'll magically become better when and if you get the Sharingan, your Ninjutsu has gotten better. However, your control still needs work. Mixed training for you. Do tree-climbing until Sakura needs a break and then meditate. Your spiritual energy is lacking."
"Hn."
"Summon-"
"YES, SENSEI!" Sasuke quickly ran off.
"Good. Now, Kiba, show me what you've got! Come on!"
{May 17th, 078}
"Teamwork today, eh? Well, catching Tora is the mission I'd usually recommend-" the Old Man started before he was cut off.
"Oh, no, not today!" Kiba demanded. "I want a real mission."
"Kiba, do I need to give you the speech again?" Naruto smiled almost too pleasantly.
"N-no," he shivered but held firmly to his resolve. "But it's been over a month! We train harder than any other team and we were already one of the best to begin with! If we don't get real experience, we'll just be good farmhands and lousy ninja."
"Well, looks like they finally grew a spine," the redhead murmured. "Well, fuck, I owe Anko two-hundred ryo... You heard the whiny brat, Old Man, give us a C-rank."
"Wait...really?" Sakura asked, hope shimmering in her exhausted eyes. "A real mission?"
"Hn," Sasuke smirked. It was about time. Between the labor and those foxes he was running low on brooding and complaining time. This should more than make up for it.
"Yeah. I was just waiting for one of you to buck up and ask me," he shrugged.
"Then what was the whole speech on our first day?" Kiba demanded. "I had nightmares about that for days, asshole!"
"Good. That was the point. What I said was true, but if that breaks your resolve to become a ninja, you'd never have made it anyway. If you went six months without asking for a C-rank, I'd consider sending you back to the academy. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. So, Old Man, what've you got for us?"
"I suppose if you believe they're ready, Naruto. Boar," Hiruzen requested as an ANBU agent quickly appeared in front of him. "Go fetch Tazuna the bridge builder and bring him in."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the agent, nodded before briefly turning to Naruto. "Captain."
"Boar," he nodded back as the ANBU Body Flickered away.
"Captain?" Sakura wondered aloud.
'Just like Itachi…' Sasuke thought angrily.
"Yep!" Naruto answered, not clarifying at all. Before they could ask more questions though, and older man that looked more than a little tipsy ambled into the missions office.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'! Don't get your ninja panties in a twist," he grumbled. The man looked to be in his late 50s or early 60s, with gray, short, spiky hair and a goatee. He had glasses low on his nose and wore a dark-brown, sleeveless, V-neck shirt and a white towel over his shoulders.
"Greetings, Tazuna. This is the group of ninja I'm assigning to your protection detail," the Hokage welcomed, smiling.
"Them?" Tazuna asked in a bewildered drunken haze. "A one-eyed teenager and a bunch of brats? I thought I hired ninja."
"Now, now, Mr. Tazuna, I'm sure you'll find our protection more than adequate," Naruto reassured him. "But, if it would make you feel comfortable, I could always summon a fox so you can-"
"NO!" Kiba and Sakura shouted at once.
"Oh, well, no fox for you."
"Team 7," Hiruzen interrupted, taking on his usual Hokage tone. "Your mission is to escort Tazuna to his home in the Land of Waves safely and then continue to guard him until he completes the construction of his bridge."
"That's right," the drunk drawled. "I'm Tazuna, the legendary bridge builder of wave. I build the best damn bridges around and I want you brats to keep me safe while I build the best damn bridge ever to be built, ya' hear?"
"I'm sure that you will receive ample protection, Mr. Tazuna," Naruto smiled at him. "These young ones are better than you'd think. Alright, team! We leave at eight sharp tomorrow morning. Meet at the gates and don't be late or I'll have to have Miyoko check on your progress. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"No, sensei!" Kiba and Sakura quickly shot back.
"Hn," Sasuke huffed, but nodded his agreement.
"Well then, dismissed! Sasuke, you stay. It's about time we work on your assignment, eh?" Sasuke gulped.
{Timeskip}
"Alright, kid, gimme your gripes. What's with the grunting and the huffing all day every day? Gets pretty boring, doesn't it?"
"Hn."
"Well, if you don't tell me, guess I'll start throwing darts until something lands," Naruto shrugged. "Well, let's see. You're pretty stuck up, you reject every offer of a date that comes to you...wait, that's it! You're embarrassed about your sexuality! Ah, I understand!"
"WHAT?" Sasuke shouted. "I'm NOT gay!"
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm pretty sure Gai is gay…"
"I'm NOT gay! What are you even talking about?!" Sasuke demanded.
"Sure you're not, but that wouldn't make you hate everyone, would it…" Naruto mused. "OH! You were gay for your brother! That's kinky, even for me…"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"Well, sounds like you should tell me what's wrong or I may have to keep guessing."
"Nothing's 'wrong' with me, dammit! Why should I have to be friendly with everyone?"
"I never said that, I just want you to speak up a little instead of walking around saying 'hn' to everything. Plus, I know exactly what's wrong with you. I'm not an idiot, I was just riling you up."
"Hn."
"See what I mean?"
"Whatever…"
"Let's start with what I believe. First and foremost, you hate your brother. He killed everyone you ever knew and loved, right? All that hatred is festering within you and you're just holding onto it."
"And so what? I'll kill my brother if it's the last thing I ever do!"
"Secondly," he continued. "You hate weakness. You think that since you've been at the top for most of your life, everyone else is beneath you. Not worth your time. You think that if someone is weaker than you, they're worthless. I can tell you that's a terrible mindset to have…"
"..."
"And lastly, this is a shot in the dark, what you hate the most...is to be compared to Itachi," Naruto shot him a glance as the boy's whole body tensed with rage. "Right on the money. The expectations everyone has of you. The way everyone looks at you. They're scared because you're his brother. The brother of one of the biggest prodigies in the Leaf's history...and also one of our biggest traitors."
"..."
"Well, let me tell you something, Sasuke. Somehow, it seems that most of the village has forgotten who I'm related to because of what I am, but, to a degree, I can understand that. My father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage." Sasuke seemed surprised by this. "See? Surprising. Because I don't share his last name and because of what's inside of me, they conveniently forget that I'm his son, so no one knows it. But you don't have that luxury."
"So you can't understand me," Sasuke growled.
"We understand one another through our shared pain. My pain is not your pain, it's different, but with the knowledge that we both experience pain, we can understand each other better. I have many pains in my life. My parents were killed by the Nine-Tailed fox. My sister was murdered on the day of her birth. The Kyuubi itself was sealed inside of me, so I became the scum of the earth to the villagers."
"You're the-"
"Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Yes, it's me. And we're quite good friends, the fox and I. I forgave him for what he did because I learned of his pain and he learned of mine. We understood each other and, over time, began to establish a friendship. I'd let you meet him...but uh…" Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "He hates Uchihas."
"Tch."
"Anyway, my point, Sasuke, is this; you can't live your life like this. You have your goals. Your ambitions. I think reforming the Uchiha clan is a noble goal. I think getting revenge for your family is a fine goal as well, though many will disagree with me. The problem isn't wanting revenge, it's that you're being consumed by it. Tell me this. If you live your life exclusively to kill Itachi, what happens if you do kill him? What will you have left?"
"You don't know anything about me," Sasuke ground out. "How could you possibly understand how I feel?!"
"Didn't I tell you? You lost your entire family in one night by your brother? I lost my entire family in one night by one I now consider my best friend. A difference, yes, but a similarity. I chose to forgive him, you don't have to do the same. I can understand some of your pain, so I do understand your need for revenge. The fox isn't the one who killed my sister. I don't know who it was, but I fully intend on taking his life. My wife was tricked by Orochimaru and given a curse mark to bind her to pain for eternity. I got rid of it, fortunately, and I plan fully on getting revenge on Orochimaru for what he did to her. Do you understand? There's nothing wrong with revenge. The problem is allowing it to consume your heart, mind, body, and soul. That is your weakness. Work on your second goal. Make new goals. Keep this need for revenge you have, but allow it to happen as it happens. When given the opportunity, don't fail, just make sure you have something to fall back on, no?"