Not a lot to say here. This was an idea requested by a friend of mine that I quickly put together based on what he told me. I don't see this going on for more than maybe two or three chapters as a fun little writing experiment, but you are all more than welcome to leave your thoughts. Credit to him for his part, and if you hate it well that'll be his problem lol. You can probably tell that this feels a little different compared to how I normally write.

Hope you enjoy it, or at least find it entertaining enough to kill some time.

~!

(...)

Hiruzen Sarutobi always dreamed of a peaceful retirement

Having lived through and fought in three world wars, attained the mantle of Kage following in the footsteps of his late sensei, starting a family of his own strained as it was, and finding a successor capable of guiding the village into what seemed like its most prosperous age…

He felt as though he'd more than earned the right to live the rest of his days in quiet solace. It's only a shame that fate seemed to have other plans in mind.

Forced to take the mantle again following Minato's death, the village was nearly in shambles economically and militarily. The Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago had done major damage to the village's infrastructure, business sectors, and shinobi forces that even a decade later had still not fully recovered. Then came the infamous "Kumo Incident" that only soured relationships between Konoha and Kumo further, as if they weren't tense enough following the end of the Third war.

And as if just to rub a bit of extra dirt in his eye, the Uchiha clan had to go and plan a coup due to the unjust mistrust leveled their way after the Biju attack. Legends claiming that the sharingan was capable of influencing or outright controlling the beast had created a false narrative that the once respected clan may have been responsible for the incident. The accusations were baseless, but the population at large was desperate for sny reason to explain away their misfortune. Despite his best efforts to broker peace and snuff out the embers of rebellion, his worst fears had come to pass and against his wishes… the entire clan had been slaughtered to preserve a tenuous peace, leaving only one survivor.

The village had lost one of its most respected and powerful bloodlines, its police force, and one of its most promising shinobi in a single night due to nothing more than rampant skepticism.

With all of this happening, one might assume that a man in his position could afford no distractions. The fate of the village rested in his ability to avoid crippling disasters and to do so would require supreme, unshakable focus and dedication...

The door to his office slammed open, nearly blown off its hinge from the force of its swing.

"I'm back, sensei!" Bright blue eyes filled with mischief greeted him warmly, as they had since the first day he'd taken their owner into his care. "Did you miss me?"

Taking on a fourth student didn't exactly fit that image, but life had a funny way of subverting expectations.

It was incredible what seven years of proper care and specialized training could do for a child. Gone was the scared and scrawny boy that used to cling onto his leg like it was a buoy in a storm, and in his place stood a growing young man eager to make his mark on the world. Standing at an even five foot tall, his student favored a minimalist sense of fashion reminiscent of a standard jonin uniform.

Fitting black combat pants and a pair of black sandals to match, he'd ditched the flak jacket in favor of a short black and yellow vest that he kept open, exposing the sleeveless mesh shirt he wore beneath. On his right arm just below the shoulder, the kanji for 'Saru' had been tattooed onto his skin. A symbol of his gratitude, and a point of pride for them both.

"Always, Naruto-kun." A grandfatherly smile settled upon his aged face and he welcomed his young charge in with a beckoning gesture. "I admit, I didn't expect you to return until tomorrow morning. I take it the mission was a success?"

A toothy grin told him all he needed to know. His mother wore the same smile whenever she returned from a successful mission as well.

"Of course, I'm the best after all!" The young man scoffed playfully, blowing a stray lock of golden blond hair out from his eyes before pulling out a scroll marked with the official stamp of the Fire Daimyo. "I don't get how anything gets done with that old man in charge, how long does it take to make a simple decision?"

Hiruzen chuckled good-naturedly and took the rolled-up parchment, carefully undoing the wax seal. "The Fire Daimyo is not a man to act hastily, he will consider every possible outcome if possible." A polite way of saying that their benefactor was in reality extremely indecisive, there was a reason he had as many advisors as he did. "I do hope you didn't say such a thing to his face?"

"Oi, I'm not that bad!"

Hiruzen said nothing, merely shooting the blond youth a knowing look. To his credit, his charge managed to keep a straight face for about five seconds before hanging his head and looking away.

"Okay maybe I am that bad, but I was perfectly behaved this time!"

"Were you?" The Third raised a brow as he skimmed the contents of the letter. "Then why has he requested a rematch between you and the head of his guard in the near future?"

Urk!

"Maa..." He scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile, a habit he'd unknowingly inherited from his father. "Well, I might have pulled a few pranks here and there to liven up the place..."

"Naruto…"

"Okay but before you say anything the old man actually laughed so hard that the silly hat he was wearing actually fell off!" Naruto interjected quickly. "So if he found it funny, then I think I should be excused!"

Hiruzen laced his fingers together. "On what grounds?"

"Uhh… improved diplomatic relations?"

The aged Kage merely snorted in response. "Only you, Naruto. Be thankful that the Daimyo spoke very highly of your performance and your attempts to liven the dreariness of his court, but I kindly ask that you refrain from committing any more pranks on key figures. Especially ones that are critical to keeping the village's finances stable."

"I only promise to try." The blond crossed his fingers with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, is that all? I haven't had any ramen in three days and I'm starving."

Hiruzen chuckled at the boy's obsession with the salty treat and nodded. "You are free to go, though I hope you haven't forgotten we have another training session at the end of the week. Konohamaru-kun is looking forward to seeing you again, he's been badgering me about your return since you left."

"Sounds just like him." He rolled his eyes as he turned to leave and made his way to the door. "I wouldn't miss one of our sessions though, tell him I'll be seeing him soon."

"He will be happy to hear that. Enjoy the rest of your day, and welcome back my boy."

Naruto paused and smiled softly to himself.

"It's good to be back."

(…)

"Ah Ichiraku ramen, how I've missed you!~"

"Mou, and what about the people that make the ramen? What are we, chopped liver?"

Naruto let out a boisterous laugh and tore his gaze away from the steaming broth in front of him in favor of the brown-haired beauty pouting in his direction. "Of course not, Nee-chan! I missed you and Teuchi-Jiji too, but your cooking is just so good that I got caught up is all."

"Oh really?" Ayame puffed her cheeks out even further, her face swelling like that of a cross chipmunk. "I'm not sure I believe you!"

"It's true!" He leaned down and inhaled the heavenly aroma before looking back up. "You're going to make an amazing wife one day, Nee-chan. Your food is so good, and you're so pretty that I can't help but keep coming back for more!"

A gentle heat rose towards her cheeks and her anger swiftly drained away, replaced by a girlish bashfulness that left her twirling a strand of brown hair around her finger. "W-Well I guess I can let you off the hook this time when you put it like that…"

"Oi! Naruto Uzumaki are you putting the moves on my little girl!?" Teuchi's gruff voice echoed dangerously from the back, the gleam of a kitchen knife appearing just beyond the doorframe leading to the back of the stand. "You no good-

"Daddy!" The young waitress cried out in embarrassment. "Stop threatening Naruto-kun!"

"B-But, pumpkin!"

"Daddy!"

A resigned sigh echoed from the back, followed swiftly by the sound of a knife being put away.

"You win this round, Uzumaki."

Ayame resisted the urge to groan, settling instead for an annoyed scowl at her father's overprotectiveness. She loved her papa, but honestly, he was too much sometimes.

"Sorry about that Naruto-kun, you know how dad gets." She apologized.

"Ah don't be so hard on him." Naruto waved her off, slurping happily at his bowl before pausing to continue. "Teuchi-Jiji just wants to keep you safe, he's a good dad."

"Complimenting me won't save you!"

The pair couldn't help but share a laugh at that, a comfortable routine built over almost a decade of friendship. There were few places in the village he could genuinely say he felt this welcome and at ease. He owed the Ichiraku family a greater debt than he could ever repay; the least he could do is give them his continued business.

"How was your mission?" Ayame asked, drawing him from his thoughts as she moved to rest against the wooden countertop. "You were gone for a few days and you only disappear like that when you leave the village on a job."

"It went well, it's always nice to get out of the village for a bit. Granted it wasn't anything crazy either." He hummed with content as he popped a bit of egg into his mouth and savored the rich flavor. "Jiji sent me to pick something up from the Fire Daimyo's palace, which is stupidly big might I add."

She giggled at that. "He's the Daimyo, Naruto-kun. It is expected that his home is going to be lavish."

"I get that, but did you know that he has a door in his personal chambers made entirely out of solid gold, with jewels encrusted into the frame." He revealed earning a wide-eyed stare from the waitress. "How would you feel then knowing that door is made specifically for his bathroom, not even guests know about it."

"Wow…" That was excessive, even to her. "But wait, how do you know about it then?"

"Well… I may have pulled a few pranks while I was there, and possibly gotten into a small scuffle with the guy's head of security-"

"You did what!?" She practically screeched.

"He was really cool about it though! The Daimyo I mean, not the guard."

"That's not an excuse!" She thumped him on the head with a wooden spoon, which he hadn't even seen her grab before it became well acquainted with his skull. "You can't go around causing mischief in the freaking Daimyo's palace! Are you insane!?"

"Ita! I know that now!" He pouted and rubbed the top of his head, crocodile tears pooling in his eyes. "Jiji already scolded me about that, and it won't happen again so please put the spoon away!"

Ayame held her glare for a bit longer before eventually she huffed and put the wooden instrument away. He never did figure out how she managed to hit so hard despite being a civilian... maybe that spoon was made out of some special wood? Or maybe it was that feminine fury Jiji had always warned him about. Either way, he wanted no part of it!

"Please tell me you didn't cause any more trouble?" She pleaded.

"I promise that was it. Everything else was by the book." He crossed his heart and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Good, I don't ever want to find out that you've become some kind of fugitive and have to live the rest of your life on the run or something." The thought alone was nearly enough to give her a heart attack, and she would absolutely ring his little neck if he did something that dumb.

"Aww, are you worried about me?" He seemed positively chuffed at the idea, much to her ire as she realized he wasn't taking her seriously.

"Nope! I'm just afraid we won't be able to pay off all our bills without someone with the same bottomless stomach that you have." She bit back dryly. "Papa and I plan to expand the shop one day, and we're going to need a lot of money saved up so you'd better not get yourself thrown in jail before then."

"There is no prison on this green earth that could keep me away from here. I'd make the world my enemy for just one extra bowl, and the pretty waitress who made it of course!" He swore stubbornly, prompting Ayame to roll her eyes at his flair for dramatics.

"You are unbelievable…" She groaned, cheeks once again flushing in embarrassment. When she discovered who corrupted her sweet little brother she was going to introduce them to the business end of her spoon.

Repeatedly!

"More flirting!? Do I just not exist in your world or something!?"

"For Kami's sake… Daddy!" Ayame marched furiously towards the back of the kitchen, disappearing out of sight as she rolled up her sleeves and withdrew the dreaded spoon. Even from here, he could hear her scolding her old man which drew a low chuckle out of him. They were such a close family.

"I had a feeling I would find you here, couldn't even last the day could you?" A cool, lazy voice drawled behind him. There was only one person who knew who spoke with such a cadence, and the only one that would also know where to seek him out after a mission.

"Inu-chan!" He turned in his seat and came face-to-face, or rather face-to-mask with one of his most trusted guardians. "I didn't even sense you."

Inu-chan, otherwise known throughout the village by her given name Kakashi Hatake. She'd watched over him during her time in Anbu before she retired and returned to her position as a regular jonin. After being taken as an apprentice under his Jiji, she had occasionally been enlisted to assist in his training and the two had grown close. At least he considered them close given the woman was something of a recluse and didn't really hang out with anyone.

A lone black eye met his exuberance with tepid amusement, messy silver hair swaying to the side in the breeze. "I'd hope not, I like to think I'm not that over the hill just yet."

"Over the hill?" He wrinkled his nose at the notion. "Not even close, I bet you'd look even younger if you took off that mask though. Maybe let your hair down too?" Ever since he'd known her she'd always kept her hair done up in a loose ponytail, he'd yet to see her with her hair down even when she was supposed to be relaxing.

A laugh reminiscent of bell chimes flitted through her mask as she shook her head. "I don't think so, but thank you for the suggestion."

"Damn, worth a shot." He shrugged then eagerly pat the empty barstool at his side as an invitation. "Come, sit and have lunch with me. I'll pay." He offered cheerfully.

"Turning into a gentleman now, are we?" She raised a brow in mock surprise but accepted nonetheless, parking herself gracefully down by his side and lazily picking up a menu to skim its contents. Not that she actually needed to, she'd been here more than enough times to have memorized it. "Are you practicing for some girl I should know about?"

"If someone like that existed, you'd already know about her." He snorted. He knew full well that she kept tabs on him even if she liked to pretend that she didn't. "But we haven't had lunch in forever, I was starting to think you were avoiding me." He muttered, puffing his cheeks out like a petulant child who'd just had their favorite toy taken away.

Kakashi merely smiled beneath her mask and placed a hand gently atop his head in reassurance. "Not at all, I've just been busy as of late. I'm sure Hokage-sama told you that I've taken on a genin team. Looking after them has taken up most of my time."

"He mentioned it, but I didn't really believe it at first." He eyed her with thinly veiled suspicion. "Jiji said that you've failed every team given to you before now... what makes these three so special?"

"Hmm, I don't know? Maybe I just had a good feeling about them" She shrugged vaguely, uttering a quiet thank you when her meal was brought out. Funny seeing as he didn't recall her placing an order to begin with. "Why the curiosity? Are you jealous that I'm spending more time with them instead of you?" She teased playfully.

"Pfft, as if!" He practically hissed. "You can do whatever you want."

"Don't worry, you'll always be my favorite little brat." She ruffled his hair affectionately, laughing quietly to herself that despite his indignant expression, he made no move to remove her hand. "But in all seriousness, I was looking for you for a reason. I need a favor actually."

"Eh? What is it?" Kakashi needed a favor from him? He could count only two occasions where she'd asked for his assistance and even then she hadn't truly needed his help. Still, If she needed something he would do his best to assist where he could. "Anything you need."

She let out a gentle hum of surprise, turning towards her meal and shielding her expression from view. "So quick to agree but you don't even know what I'm asking for yet."

"You've always come through for me, why wouldn't I do the same for you?" He reasoned simply. Kakashi had never been obligated to stick around after their sessions, yet she still made time for him all the same. He would never take that for granted. "You're one of my precious people, that's all I really need to know."

For a moment the silver-haired jonin was taken aback by the headstrong response, forced into stunned silence as she was given a small glimpse into how he saw the world. A subtle yet comforting warmth bubbled softly in the pit of her stomach, a fleeting remembrance of better days long gone. He was so much like his parents that it hurt to be around him at times. Honest to a fault just like Kushina, yet somehow he always knew the right words to say like Minato. They would be proud of the man their son was becoming.

"So I'm precious to you? Is that what you tell all the girls now?" She quipped, quickly lightening the mood with a bit of humor.

"Only the pretty ones." He grinned back, easily recognizing her teasing for what it was.

"You've never seen my face." She pointed out.

"That's just how pretty you are, I don't even need to see it to know."

"You're going to be a menace when you get older." She shook her head in faux exasperation. "Actually, you're pretty terrible already so I shudder to think of how much worse you can get."

He just stuck his tongue out at her and continued to poke at his meal. "Yeah yeah, whatever! You still haven't told me what this favor you want is?" He then blinked and noticed that her bowl was completely empty. "How the hell!?"

"Trade secret." She stifled a chuckle at his annoyed expression, he still had a long way to go before he was on her level. "Now, how would you like to knock around a few brats for me?"

Annoyance quickly melted into barely restrained glee.

"Tell me more!"

(...)

Suki Uchiha was not a patient girl.

Every moment wasted was time that she could be spending training, time that could be used to hone her skills for the monumental task she'd been burdened with. Graduating past the restrictions of a mere academy student and becoming a proper kunoichi had expanded her both her future prospects and her resources, the world should have been hers for the taking!

Yet instead, she was stuck waiting two and half fucking hours for her lazy excuse of a sensei to arrive!

Their sensei was almost unreasonably strong despite her lazy disposition. How someone who kept their nose shoved in a book all day managed to fight all of them quite literally single-handedly was beyond her, but she was forced to respect her strength all the same. What she hated, however, was the woman's insistence on being at minimum an hour late to everything! Not just wasting her time but also leaving her alone with Sakura, and what might as well have been a rock for company for as much emotion as Sai showed on a daily basis.

She swore if Kakashi didn't arrive in the next ten seconds-

"Hello, my cute little genin."

Speak of the bitch!

"You're late!" Sakura shouted, equally annoyed at the perpetual tardiness of the silver-haired woman.

"Maa…" Kakashi held her hands up in surrender, her eye curling into a shape reminiscent of a smile. "I realized that I left the stove on when I left the house so I had to go back and shut it off. Along the way, I ran into a black cat, so naturally I had to walk around the entire village to avoid any bad luck." She explained plainly as if her actions were beyond scrutiny.

Though judging by the looks on their cute little faces, they weren't buying what she was selling. Well, she wasn't actually sure about Sai. He just stared at her with that fake smile of his, but the pale boy didn't appear particularly bothered by her tardiness or her lies. Danzo's handiwork wasn't so easily undone.

"Tsk, whatever." Suki just grunted, stifling the urge to strangle the woman. Not that she could, but the idea alone brought her some measure of catharsis. "Just tell us what we're doing today."

"Always so serious." Kakashi shook her head. The girl really oughta learn to lighten up a touch. "If you must know, today we'll be doing a bit of sparring to gauge your growth over the last few weeks…" She saw Sakura flinch at the mention of combat drills, not that it surprised her. Compared to both of her teammates, the pinkette was lagging far behind when it came to combat ability and it showed in their sessions. Suki seemed content, the Uchiha was always eager to test herself and if she was reading the survivor correctly, stroke her growing superiority complex.

Sai merely nodded, not caring either way.

"However, you won't be sparring against me or each other today. Seeing as you each have a fundamental understanding of your teammates' fighting styles I think you need a bit of diversity to keep you on your toes. You're going to face new and unfamiliar challenges beyond the safety of these walls, and to that end, you need to know how to adapt to the unexpected." As she finished, a second swirl of leaves and smoke appeared at her side, and Team Seven was met with an unfamiliar figure with golden blond hair sporting an eager grin. "It is for that reason I've enlisted a bit of extra help for today's practice."

He couldn't have been more than a year older than them at best, yet he was supposed to help them?

"Meet Naruto, he's…" She paused for a second to consider how best to phrase it. "Something of a freelance genin, and he's been kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to help me with this. You three will all be fighting him one-on-one, and depending on how well you do I may have a reward for you.

Eyeing the smiling blond suspiciously, Suki was the first to break the silence. "What exactly do you mean by a 'freelance genin'?" She'd never heard of such a title before now.

"What she means is... I'm not part of an official team, but I am cleared to take missions solo or accompany other genin teams as needed. Think of it like being a chunin, only without the rank, the perks, or the respect." He surmised dryly, earning surprised looks from the three. Were genin allowed to do that? No one had mentioned it.

"I'm sort of a special case." He added quickly, sensing their confusion.

Sai eyed him with something almost resembling suspicion. "I don't recall ever seeing you in the academy before. When did you graduate?"

"I didn't attend for more than like… a week, I think?" Naruto scratched the back of his head contemplatively. He had been pulled out when the Hokage had officially taken him on as an apprentice so he wasn't surprised that none of them recognized him. "I was removed and given personal instruction due to certain circumstances, and before you ask no, I will not elaborate on that. But don't worry, I earned my headband just the same as you."

"You are more than welcome to interrogate Naruto later,." Kakashi interjected with a cough, bringing their attention back towards her. "If you are that curious feel free to seek him out on your own time. Kami knows he could use the company-"

"Oi! I'm not a damn hermit!"

"But we have training to do, so which one of you wants to go first?" She asked, ignoring the grumbling youth at her side.

"I will." Suki volunteered without hesitation, quickly climbing to her feet. She'd already been feeling antsy after waiting around for so long with nothing to do, and now the opportunity to stretch her legs had been delivered to her on a silver platter. Kakashi was right in that sparring with her team was beginning to bore her, she needed something fresh if she wanted to see just what her limits were. Not to mention, she couldn't help but be curious about the strange blond their sensei had enlisted to spar with them. He didn't look all that strong, but if Kakashi thought he was worth her time then there had to be something unique about him.

"I'm not really sure why I asked?" The avenger was too predictable. "Alright, take your places over there and you'll start on my word. Remember, this is a friendly spar, so try not to overdo it." As she said this she shot a warning glance towards her mischievous charge. If he put any of her brats in the hospital she was going to give him hell the next time they trained together.

A cold shiver ran down his spine and he quickly nodded in understanding, before bounding over to the side of the clearing opposite his opponent. Seeing no harm in it, he quietly took a second to inspect her properly, having not had the chance to do so before. Silky, jet black hair tied into a high ponytail that stopped just past her neck framed a surprisingly delicate face. She was unquestionably pretty, but her sharp features combined with a perpetual frown made her seem generally unapproachable. Her outfit was fairly plain, a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha clan crest, a pair of white shorts, and blue sandals. Definitely favored function over style.

Supposedly, she'd graduated at the top of her class… he figured that meant he should at least try and take her seriously, but then again the instructors back at the academy weren't exactly free from bais either.

Kakashi allowed them a few more moments to study one another before starting the match. "Begin!"

Immediately, Suki's hands flew towards her pouch and she drew a handful of shuriken between her fingers, swiftly launching the deadly stars towards her opponent as a way to test his reaction time. She watched his movements carefully, predicting that he would either jump to safety or roll out the way, but to her surprise he mirrored her actions, launching his own volley of throwing stars that knocked hers wildly off course.

The display of skill only served to inflame her already growing curiosity. It was hard enough to block one star in such a way, let alone five.

Sensing that throwing weapons would only be a waste of time and resources, she quickly abandoned that plan of attack and instead settled for closing the gap between them. He might have been handy with weaponry, but how would he handle a bit of hand-to-hand combat?

As it turned out, very well was the answer.

Almost immediately she discovered that getting in close was a terrible blunder on her part as he effortlessly ducked and weaved out of the way of her attacks before retaliating with a swift quick to her midriff that she only barely managed to block in time. However, she was unprepared for the bone-rattling force hidden behind the attack, and that left her open to a follow-up palm strike to the chest that sent her flying back towards her end of the field. Like a sack full of bricks, she hit the ground hard and the impact stunned her enough that for a moment she thought she was about to blackout.

Meanwhile, her opponent merely waited for her to recover, making no moves to capitalize on the opening he'd created. He could have ended the fight right there, but what was the fun in that? He wanted to see everything she had to offer first.

On the sidelines, Sakura and Sai watched the ensuing beating with shock and interest respectively. They'd spent the last few years witnessing the unchallenged dominance of their squadmate, only to see her violently repelled in only a few moves by one of their peers. To Sakura, it felt as though her whole world had been violently upended. The world in which Suki Uchiha was the pinnacle of what a shinobi their age could be shattering like so much broken glass. To Sai, it appeared as though he would have to make a report to his master about this new player.

Kakashi meanwhile had to resist the urge to laugh at the look of bewilderment on her student's face as she gingerly picked herself up from the dirt. Suki was unquestionably arrogant in her ability. The instructors at the academy had done nothing to curb her sense of superiority, and her classmates had been unable to fully contend with her skill which did nothing to prevent that mentality from festering. It wasn't necessarily Suki's fault that she'd become so overconfident, but it was a weakness that would only get her killed if not addressed now. That was partly why she'd asked for his assistance.

It was also just a bit funny to see her generally cocky and aloof student taken down a peg, but she would never say that out loud.

Having finally regained her footing, Suki winced at the lingering pain in both her arm and her chest where the blond had stuck her. It felt like she'd been hit with horseshoes… What kind of training had he undergone to possess such raw physical strength? And how could she reach that same level?

She wasn't sure how long she would last fighting up close, not when she was nearly put out by two hits. That only left her with one final option…

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The space before her swelled with heat as she expelled a torrent of flames that swiftly condensed into a sphere of all-consuming fire that raced towards her target. The ground beneath it turned an ugly ashen black as the grass rapidly wilted and died at the hands of the overbearing fall of fire barreling over it. This jutsu was the culmination of her clan's affinity for the fire element, the last thing her father had taught her, and proof that she was an adult in the eyes of her clan! Her strongest technique!

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

Disbelief sprouted like a weed with her as a towering wall of shifting rock and soil suddenly sprung up from the ground before solidifying just as her technique made contact. Fire collided violently with rock in an explosion strong enough to nearly knock her off balance, all while bits of burning debris began to rain from the sky as her flames attempted in vain to eat their way through the barrier. Even having pumped nearly half of her total reserves into it, she felt sick to see that her efforts only managed to crater the stone wall's surface.

"Whew… that was a bit close wasn't it?" Naruto dusted himself off as the barrier abruptly crumbled back into clumps of soft earth, revealing that he was completely unharmed. "That fireball was pretty strong! I thought you might have actually caught me off guard there for a moment." He let out a hearty laugh and crossed his arms. "I'm starting to get excited, I hope you aren't ready to tap out just yet?"

...

There is no way in hell he was just a damn genin. She refused to believe that, there was something going on that she just wasn't seeing. Still, her pride wouldn't allow her to give in so easily even despite the gnawing feeling in her gut telling her that this wasn't a fight she could win. She would knock that stupid smirk off his face if it was the last thing she did. Drawing two kunai in hand and channeling her remaining chakra into her legs, she charged in for what she knew would be her last chance to pull out a victory. Undaunted by her aggression, Naruto's face split into a battle-hungry grin and he gleefully met her halfway.

What followed next was less of a spar and more of a one-sided ass whopping.

Suki groaned as her whole body screamed at her to stay down. He'd picked her apart, disarming her handily before going to town with a flurry of punches she'd barely been able to track let alone defend against. She could taste the blood beginning to pool in her mouth, and she was fairly confident that she was going to wake up sporting a black eye in a few hours. Her head throbbed painfully, and it took her a moment to register the hazy image of an open hand extended in invitation, her gaze slowly drifting up to the smiling face that said hand belonged to.

"That was a pretty fun spar, we should do it again sometime!"

His exuberance was sickening, but his strength was undeniable. She couldn't remember a time she'd felt so physically defeated, at least not by someone her own age. Itachi and Kakashi didn't count, this was something else… this boy was something else.

And she really wanted to fight him again.

As outlandish as it might seem given the beating she'd just suffered, she wanted to go another round. To fight with everything she had with the knowledge that even her best may not see her to victory. She had earned her place at the top back in the academy, and that meant anyone capable of beating her had to have earned it by putting in the same amount of time, sweat, tears, and blood that she had. After a moment of deliberation, she reached out and took the offered hand with a low grunt. She could feel the calluses on his skin that told her everything she needed to know about his drive.

Kakashi was right. He was definitely worth her time.

"-ain with me."

Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion as the raven-haired girl muttered something under her breath as he helped her to her feet. "Sorry, say again?" He asked.

"I said, train with me." She repeated, turning her head away as if embarrassed for having to say it aloud. "You're strong… stronger than me, which kinda pisses me off. I don't plan on losing again, so you'd better not take this victory and run, or I'll hunt you down myself." She leveled him with a hard stare. "Understand?"

He didn't say anything, and for a moment she wondered if perhaps she'd said something wrong. She wasn't exactly the best speaker.

"You're a bit weird, aren't you?" He said, easily dodging out of the way as she swung angrily at his face for the impromptu insult to her demand. "I kinda like weird though! I take it you live in the old Uchiha district?" He asked.

She nodded wordlessly, unsure of how to respond to the fact that he'd just called her weird or that he apparently found that somehow endearing…

"Cool, I'll swing by sometime in the future and we can do this again." He promised. There wasn't really any harm to training with her again, maybe the next time they fought she'd be a little stronger, or even have awakened her sharingan!

"Tsk, you'd better." She growled, but there was an almost imperceivable hint of redness to her face that thankfully went unnoticed. "And don't call me weird, not when you're the weirdest person I've ever met." She snapped.

"But you've met Kakashi?" He muttered with a small tilt of his head. For a second she was reminded of a young fox because of his whiskers.

"Maa, I'm standing right here you know?" Said jonin shot the pair a blank stare.

"We know."

"Disrespectful little…" The Copy-ninja grumbled under her breath before turning towards her remaining students. "Which one of you wants to go next? You'll get extra points if you manage to sock him in the mouth."

Neither Sakura nor Sai felt the same degree of confidence about their chances after that. All they could do was step forward, take their lumps, and pray to whatever gods were listening that this would be the first and last time their sensei invited the blond youth to train with them.

It's a shame the gods would ignore their pleas.

AN. Prompt Complete!

As stated in the summary, this story wasn't my idea but the request of a close friend who is unreasonably adamant about getting me back into writing. The concepts are his and it was really just my job to bring it all together, with a few tweaks (background details and the like). I doubt I'll do more than maybe three chapters of this at most but for a writing exercise that isn't too bad.

Before people ask, no this isn't at all related to DBZ lol. He just wanted Naruto to enjoy battles a lot but ultimately that wasn't the intended vibe. I only mention this because reading it through, I could see the similarity, and given the story name and premise I thought I should just address it. Maybe I'll put this up for adoption when I'm done, or maybe it'll inspire someone else? Who really knows?

I know he'll be ego surfing when he sees this go up so please leave your thoughts in the reviews. As always, you all are more than welcome to PM if you have questions you'd like to have answered directly!