A/N: Hi! I felt bad about leaving you for so long, so I wrote another chapter. This is more of a filler than anything, but I hope it will give more insight into the Academy I've created. In the story, they're rather vague on how they go about graduating, ranking, that sort of stuff, so I'll be taking creative liberty here. Pairings haven't changed much as I'm writing this just a few hours after the last update but:

ShikaxOC: 8
SasuxOC: 1
ObixOC: 4
MinaxOC: 8
NejixOC: 1
NaruxOC: 3
GaaxOC: 1
InoxOC: 1
KarinxOC: 1
NobodyxOC: 1

Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Minato was feeling the effects of burnout harder than he'd ever felt before, even when he was inventing his own jutsus.

For some reason, this seal was giving him anxiety. It wasn't that hefound it very difficult to come up with the basic construction, no. There wasn't much difference between the Eight Trigram Seal holding the Kyuubi, and the seal he would need to hold himself. Accounting for their difference in chakra, Minato and the Hokage had jointly agreed that they needed something like a Six Trigram Seal. That, too, wasn't difficult to make- small amenities to the basic structure when drawing it, but that was all. Hell, they had figured out that much in the first two weeks.

But now, they were on week six. And Minato was growing frustrated. There were things he needed to add, insurance policies in case something went wrong. The six nodes of the seal would work as a sort of lock, much like that of a bank vault. In order to make sure nothing untoward would happen to it (such as a certain snake), he had made sure the seal would only respond to certain peoples' chakra. His own, the Hokage's, Inoichi's. Others could be added later, perhaps, but it would jeopardize the security of the seal, and so he kept it to just the three of them.

There was the issue of allowing her to use his chakra. He had already decided that by simply being alive, her body allowed his chakra to continue to manifest. It might as well have been hers, if she could only access it. And this, this was the sticking point. Because he didn't want to come out every time she needed to use his chakra, and have to deal with the whole process of getting put back in again. No, he had decided long ago that he would never put her through something like this again.

So how did you make a seal strong enough to lock him into her brain, but weak enough to allow his chakra for her use?

It kept him up at night. It kept the Hokage up at night.

Charlie had grown quieter and quieter as time passed. Minato knew what she was thinking, and he wished he didn't, because her thinking it would be better off to just let him have free reign was not something he would even entertain. She had all but given up, and it concerned him greatly. What could he say to her? Sorry I took your body, don't think like that, we'll find a way? No. He knew better than to throw platitudes at her- in fact, she would probably block him out even more.

So that left him sitting up alone at night, with nothing but the light of his bedside lamp. He had long drawn the blinds, tired of the various ANBU 'checking in' on him, and it made the room feel small and desolate. Or maybe that was how he himself felt. He couldn't tell anymore.

Rubbing an exhausted hand over his- her- face, Minato stood, stretching and wincing as his joints popped. He had been sitting before that seal for hours, and damn it, he couldn't do it anymore. He needed something else. Just one thing, just one more piece of information, and he'd have it cracked.

He padded in the new fuzzy slippers he'd bought the day before (much to Charlie's dismay, as she thought they looked stupid) to the living room. It was pitch black, as he had covered the windows here too, and not even the moonlight filtered into the room. He could've been surrounded by assassins, and if he wasn't a sensor, he'd have no clue.

The man pushed the coffee table to the far corner of the room, along with the small, uncomfortable sofa. With a steadying breath, he sat cross-legged on the floor. It would be difficult to get into a calmer headspace when his brain was whirring so much, but it was necessary. In his experience, he'd never gotten anything done worrying about it. He needed to think as objectively as he could.

So, closing his eyes, he set his hands in his lap and thought about nothing at all.

Hours later, he awoke as if from a dream.

The time was six thirty, and he needed to make breakfast for himself and Naruto. They had school today, afterall.

Minato stood, groaning as his knees cracked, and hobbled on sleeping legs to the bedroom. He had added a few clothing items to Charlie's wardrobe since receiving his monthly stipend the week prior, as he managed to tear and stain almost all of her clothing while training. Now, he chose one of the new outfits- a muted green tunic that reached the knees, and black stretch pants. It was a strange feeling, picking out girl clothes, and so he'd let Charlie pick everything (as novice as she was with fashion).

This had been one of her favorite ones, and it would be the first time he wore it, though she said nothing as he slipped it on.

He brushed his teeth, did his business, and picked out some cereal and milk for himself and Naruto. It was not the greatest breakfast of all time, but it would do.

As always, his neighbor was asleep when he knocked on his door. After waiting an appropriate amount of time, Minato jammed his own key into the lock, successfully gaining entry. Hey, what could he say? They couldn't afford to live anywhere nice.

He set down their breakfast on the coffee table and followed the sounds of snores to the boy'd bedroom. He was pleased that Naruto had managed to keep his apartment relatively clean as opposed to when they'd first met. He was no longer tripping over shoes or pants, at any rate.

Minato creaked the door open silently. His son was nothing more than a tiny bundle under the comforter, nothing visible aside from the tail of the black sleeping cap he always wore. A small smile curled his lips, heart softening. 'What a cute kid we made, Kushina,' he thought. His hair, her nose, his eyes, her smile. How could he describe the awe he felt? How could he describe the grateful feeling that washed over him, to be here, to interact with him? What god had he appeased?

He swallowed thickly before stepping into the room further. Naruto moved under his blanket, but his snoring continued.

"Naruto," he said, a little quieter than usual. The kid shifted again. "Narutoooo," Minato sang, a little louder this time.

The kid jolted, and his night cap fell from his head as he popped up instantly. "Hah?" he grunted, eyes still closed.

Minato snorted. "It's seven. I brought breakfast?"

"Oh, sorry Charlie," Naruto mumbled, clearing the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. Minato raised his eyebrows; that was the first time he'd refered to her without an honorific. "I'll get dressed."

"Better hurry before I eat it all, squirt," Minato replied, and laughed his way out of the room as the boy voiced his loud complaints.

They ate with haste- the cereal had been a good idea- before running out the door. Naruto had his shirt on backwards and his hair flared out at odd angles, but he still looked more put together than Minato, whose hair was untamable and looked like he hadn't gotten sleep in years.

Their classmates fell into step with them the closer they got to the Academy. Somewhere along the way, they had forgotten their fear of Charlie, and had begun to treat her normally again- even the trio of girls whom she had no interest in befriending.

"Maybe they're just drawn to your personality rather than mine," Charlie piped up. It was the first thing she'd said the entire day. Minato smiled slightly in response to whatever Akiko said, nodding though he hadn't truthfully been paying attention.

'What do you mean?'

Her laugh echoed between his ears. "Well, you're nicer than I am. And you actually know how to socialize." Her voice trailed off. "I never had to."

'You'll have more than enough opportunities here, Charlie-chan. Plus, you're plenty nice,' he added.

"Nah, just to you. Wouldn't be good if I fought with you all the time, would it?"

Minato rolled his eyes a little. 'If you say so.' If she didn't want to recognize that she was actually a good person, he couldn't force her to. She was smart enough to realize that on her own, anyway. It was appalling, however, that she didn't seem to understand just how good a person she really was. With all that brainpower, he would've thought she'd figure it out by now.

"-Ne, Charlie-chan?" Kaoru said, nudging him. Kaoru was a nice enough boy, with straight black hair and a permanent smile on his face. He had only started talking to Charlie after she'd stood up to the kids bullying Taro, but he thankfully had never been a part of it. Hell, though he didn't talk to Naruto, Minato caught him smiling at the kid every once in a while, which was more than he could say about ninety percent of the rest of their classmates.

Minato blinked in surprise before smiling sheepishly. "Ah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What'd you say?"

"Are you excited for the placement exams today?" Kaoru asked, nudging him goodnaturedly.

Ah, the placement exams.* He had almost forgotten about those. "The placement exams to show what rank you are?" he asked. In all the ruckus, it didn't surprise him that he'd all but forgotten about it. He hoped Naruto hadn't.

"Yeah. They look at it at the end of the year, too, to see which class they put you in. It's a month away, are you excited? I sure am." Kaoru leveled a thumb at his own chest with a satisfied grin. "I know I'm gonna reach top of the class!"

Akiko, from over his shoulder, thumped the kid. "Yeah, right. You can't even do a henge yet, dweeb."

A small squeak eminated from Naruto on his left. Minato glanced over to see the kid sweating bullets. "Shi- I mean, crap! I didn't study at all!" the blond shrieked.

Akiko sighed roughly. "As expected, Naruto! Sensei told us this weeks ago!"

Minato turned to give her a close-eyed smile. "Ah, actually, I forgot about it too. I hope it's nothing too hard."

The girl floundered. "Oh, um, it's okay, we know you'll do great anyway, right guys?"

Meanwhile, Naruto's shoulders slumped. "What am I gonna do, I have no idea what they're gonna put on the test!" Naruto hissed to him. The Academy grew closer and closer, and with it, Minato's feeling of dread. Not for himself, of course- not to toot his own horn, but his scores were the highest of all the students, even prodigies Kakashi and Itachi- but for his kid.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I should've remembered," Minato apologized. "We could've studied together."

The blond sighed. "S'ok. We'll just have to do our best, right?" He managed a wide grin.

Minato smiled back. "That's all we can do."

In class, Kuboyashi seemed more excitable than usual. He actually smiled as he told them to do their best and work hard, probably hoping to show off to the other chuunin teachers. Still, Minato joined in the 'hoo-rah' the class gave after his short speech. Naruto was a bit more deflated than usual, but with one nudge, he perked up. Ever the optimist, that one.

Their placement exams would take the entire day, and so Kuboyashi led them through the portions of the test while other instructors administered them. First was the written exam, and to Minato's pleasure, it had gotten more difficult than his time in the Academy. That was something to be grateful for- after all, these little kids would be genin one day. They had to be ready.

To his displeasure, however, Naruto was letting out quiet groans that told him all he needed to know. He would bomb that portion.

The next exam was taijutsu. This, Minato and Naruto excelled in. They were paired off with their classmates, and both of them were the first kids done with their matches. The proctor for that test gave Naruto a hesitant look as he wrote down his time and victory and told them to wait on the sides.

"I think I did good, Charlie," Naruto stage whispered as they leaned against the wall of the Academy watching the other kids spar. Akiko was doing... admittedly terrible, her form weak and her force weaker. Kaoru seemed to be doing a bit better, though he, too, was unsteady on his feet. In fact, the next kid to finish was Taro, who had a bruise quickly rising on his cheek but a grand smile on his lips.

"Did well," Minato corrected absentmindedly. "And I agree. That training's been paying off, hasn't it?" He gave him a conspiring grin. They had continued their training sessions faithfully every night, mostly only taijutsu though he had shown the kid his chakra nature- wind, like his own. Naruto was quickly excelling in taijutsu, and Minato could already see the unpredictable fighter he would someday become- he was off the walls with energy, and nobody- not even the Yellow Flash- would be able to keep up with him one day.

He felt the change in his own- her own- body, too. The muscles of his arms and legs were tough as stone now, though still small (considering, well, Charlie's body was small). His arms were corded with muscle, and he had begun to see a bit of abdominal muscles showing through the previously fleshy tummy he had to work with.

With his proper diet and exercise, Naruto had grown, too. It had only been a little over a month, but the kid was already pretty hardy now, just as physically tough as Minato was if not stronger. To say he was a proud sensei would be an understatement.

The next test was kunai and shuriken throws, and Minato did the best in the class, again. Though they hadn't worked together on this yet, Naruto still did pretty decent, getting a bit above average score. Minato was surprised as he was pleased.

Finally came the ninjutsu tests. Kids in this grade were only familiar with the henge, and so that was the only test they had to do. Minato henged into Kuboyashi, giving a megawatt grin that the man would never have allowed onto his own face just for kicks, which made his classmates laugh. Naruto also transformed into Kuboyashi, and again, he got an above-average score.

'In your memories, he got held back from graduating. How did that happen?' Because the way he was looking, Naruto could graduate the first time he tried the test.

"It didn't exactly say why. He could always do the henge and he was fine with taijutsu even before we started working with him. I think the main thing was his chakra reserves are too high to perform the bunshin, so he needed to learn the kage bunshin to pass. Plus, I think he's trying more than he did before."

'Trying more?'

"Of course. Can't you see him looking at us? He wants to live up to our expectations. I think just by having friends, he's lifted up a bit."

Minato glanced to his side, where Naruto was rocking back and forth on his heels. Their exams were done, and now they waited in the classroom for the results. He seemed nervous, pursing his lips and squirming in his seat. 'Maybe you're right,' he thought.

"Of course I am. I'm me."

He chuckled to himself.

Kuboyashi entered the room a short time later with the exam results in his hands. He looked fairly pleased. "Alright everyone, according to your proctors most of you did very well. I'll be reading off your ranks here, and I'll post it next to the board so that next time we have an exam, you can see how you've changed. Now..." He flipped open the packet of papers. "First place goes to Shimizu Charlie," he said. He gave her a small, curt smile of congratulation.

The class cheered, and Minato smiled politely.

As Kuboyashi continued reading off names though, his smile began to drop. More and more names were called, and Naruto's was not one of them. His brow crinkled in confusion. 'Naruto should've gotten at least fifth place with his taijutsu victory.' Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the blond's scowl. Naruto kicked his feet sullenly, staring down at the clenched fists in his lap.

"...And finally, Uzumaki Naruto. Thanks everyone, class is dismissed," Kuboyashi finished, closing the paper with finality. Everyone stood to leave, congratulating each other.

Minato sat, straight-backed, as the entirety of them left. Naruto remained at his seat quietly at his side.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Minato got to his feet, and walked carefully down the steps to the podium. Kuboyashi was searching through his bag for a stapler, no doubt to put their new ranks up on the wall.

"Kuboyashi-sensei," Minato stated, watching mildly as the teacher startled a bit. He had been too wrapped up in his activities to notice that not all of the students had left- a rookie mistake.

"Yes, Charlie-chan," he grunted absentmindedly, reaching back into his bag without meeting his eyes.

"I've done the calculations in my head. Naruto should've been at least fifth place. Why is he last?"

Kuboyashi frowned, straightening. He opened the packet of their scores again. "It says here. Taijutsu: 10 minutes, Loss. Ninjutsu: Henge: failure. Written exam: zero." He stared at Minato with a blank expression. "How can I put him in fifth place with a score like that?"

"That's bull!" Naruto suddenly yelled from the back of the class. Minato's gaze flashed to the boy. He was now on his feet, fists clenched. He shot one down on the desk, and the bang reverberated through the silent room. "Anyone in class can tell you I finished my spar right after Charlie, and I won! I did the henge, and I knew at least some of the questions on that test!" He stormed down the stairs, glaring furiously at Kuboyashi. "Every time they do this! I keep telling you, I don-"

"Enough," Kuboyashi said. His dark eyes looked like sparking flint as he glared down at the both of them. "I will not be scolded by my own students. If you have a problem with your scores, bring them up to your proctors. The rest is not my problem. And for the record, I would believe them over any student, any time."

Naruto's chest puffed. "I did, they just ignored me!" he shouted.

Minato took a calming breath, before grabbing Naruto's wrist. The kid looked like he was about to sock Kuboyashi, and that would be a mistake they both would regret. The boy tried in vain to dislodge his grip, but his hands were like iron now. "Naruto. We will get nowhere arguing with him. Let's talk to the Hokage. He's just upstairs, after all. He probably saw our fights himself." He turned to Kuboyashi, giving him a stone cold expression as he said, "Could I borrow our test scores to show the Hokage, please?"

The man grit his teeth. "I am posting them in the classroom right now." His hand came up out of his bag- evidently, he had found his stapler.

It was risky. He knew it was risky. But again... though he was even tempered, he still had righteous anger inside his soul. So nobody could blame him, really, for allowing a portion of his killing intent to permeate the air. Beside him, Naruto started to shake. "You will post them later. When they are corrected."

Kuboyashi took a step back, fear flaring in his expression before he composed himself. Minato snatched the papers off the podium before the man could get any smart ideas. "Come on, Naruto. We'll sort this out by ourselves. Oh, and don't worry, Kuboyashi-sensei," he added, giving the man a frigid smile. "I'll be sure to mention your confidence in your coworkers' integrity. That's why you didn't help us, right?"

They were out of the room in mere seconds, and Minato was dragging the angry boy behind him the whole way. "I can't believe him!" Naruto was growling, not seeming to care much about Minato's ironclad grip on his wrist now. "He thinks he can just treat me however he wants, and never listen to me? Why do they hate me so much?"

"Because they're ignorant, Naruto." Minato came to a stop in the middle of the stairwell and turned to face the boy. He gripped him by the shoulders. "Listen, I told you this before. Don't let anybody treat you like that. Don't let it get to you, either. The Hokage is on your side, I am on your side, and many, many others. If you have a problem, you come and find us. We are your friends." He sighed, giving the now quiet kid a quick hug. "Now, walk tall. I'm proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself. You did awesome today. So let's go prove it to Hokage-sama, okay?" he mumbled into his hair.

Naruto slumped a little into the hug, nodding against his collarbone. "Okay," he whispered. With a resolute 'humph!', the kid straightened, slapping his cheeks for effect. "I'm ready, dattebayo."

Minato grinned. Tenacious.

At the Hokage's office door, Minato gave three knocks in quick succession. "Just a moment!" Sarutobi called from behind the door.

It was obvious he suspected something was wrong as, against orders, Naruto burst in past Minato. His words flew from his mouth at a mile a minute. The genin team who were already in the office, likely giving their mission report, stared bug-eyed at the young boy.

Minato sighed steadyingly before he bonked the kid with his fist. "Calm down, Naruto. Let the genin finish their mission report."

Holding the goose egg on his head, Naruto turned his tearful glare on him, pouting.

"Ah, we- we were just finished," the unidentifiable jounin said, laughing sheepishly.

"Thank you, Nashi-kun. You kids did great, enjoy your weekend off, okay?" Sarutobi gave the young genin a grandfatherly smile, and the kids cheered, obviously happy about a break from the D-rank missions.

One by one, the squad left the room, and Naruto opened his mouth though he quickly shut it. Minato removed his pinching fingers from his ear with a smile. "Ah, Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to barge in without proper notice," he apologized wearily.

Sarutobi grinned. "No worries at all. I take it something happened today?"

"YOU BET YOUR- Ow, Charlie, stop it!"

"What he means to say is, Naruto was given the wrong test results for our placement exams today." He stepped forward, pointing to Naruto's results. "I can attest that Naruto should've gotten at least fifth place given his speed in the physical exam and his skill in the ninjutsu exam. Even if he bombed the written portion, which he says he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten a zero."

The Hokage sighed heavily. "You know what you are accusing these proctors of, don't you?"

Naruto glared. "YEAH, what of it?!"

"Naruto, calm down," Minato chided gently. "And yes, I'm very well aware. But even the rest of our class can attest the same- that he was the second one done in the spars- with a victory- and that he successfully completed the henge. So yes, we're accusing them of bias."

The old man leaned heavily on on arm of his seat. He reached into one of his desk drawers, pulling out a pipe and a tin of tobacco. He filled the basin relatively calmly as Naruto stewed, and it was only after he lit it that he spoke. "Ebisu-kun," he called.

A man wearing dark shades with his hair covered in a cap suddenly bolted into the room. "Yes, Hokage-sama!" he shouted, a bit too enthusiastically. Minato raised an eyebrow. "Round up the proctors for the placement exams. I would like to talk to them."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" He ran off like a speeding bullet.

Minato watched the dust settle that the man had kicked up in his haste. "You have... quite a capable assistant, don't you?"

"I'm assigning him to my grandson come next year," Sarutobi said cheerily, with a close-eyed smile. "He's the only one who could possibly keep up with that boy."

"I... see."

Naruto kicked the floor with his shoe. "I can't wait to see what those jerks have to say," he muttered, hiding his fists in his pocket.

"It would probably be better if you went home, Naruto-kun," the Hokage said, and grimaced as the kid mean mugged him. "Your presence will only agitate things further. Charlie-chan will serve as your witness. So please go home, I will send her back there immediately once the meeting is finished."

"But I want to-"

The old man gave a stern look. "Do you truly believe you'll be able to keep your temper when they stand in front of you?"

The boy pouted. "No..."

"Then it's settled." The Hokage leaned forward with a wink. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'll take care of it."

With a minute nod, Naruto turned and marched out the door. He was still mumbling under his breath.

Minato sighed, slumping. "I'm beginning to believe he has his mother's temper."

The Hokage chuckled, and they waited in amicable silence as Ebisu rounded up the culprits.

It took the man a mere ten minutes to have all three of them standing before him, along with Kuboyashi. The man was already bristling with rage at having been called to the office, and he shot Minato dirty looks whenever the Hokage didn't see. Minato merely smiled.

"Hello, everyone," Sarutobi greeted with a cheerful smile. The chuunin shuffled on their feet, obviously at a loss for why they had been called upon. "I hope you're well. Do you have an idea of why I've called you here?"

"I do," Kuboyashi growled, his annoyance making his face shine an interesting shade of red. "It's the Uzumaki kid. He says he got the wrong score."

The chuunin glanced warily amongst each other.

"He knows he got the wrong score," Minato replied smoothly. He turned to face the chuunin proctors, and bowed to them. "Thank you for administering our exams. I appreciate it. Especially you, Kuboyashi-sensei. You have been a great teacher, and I have learned a lot from you. We all have. However..." He turned to face the Hokage, face smoothing. "I do not approve of the bias they have allowed to cloud their judgement." He glanced at the chuunin, watching them grit their teeth and clench their fists. He smiled. "I'm not going to worry about whether or not you'll apologize for what you've done. To be honest, I don't really care. The main reason I wanted to call you all here was to have Naruto's rank changed to its correct level. Isn't that appropriate, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi gave him a knowing smile. "That is quite appropriate, I think. What do you all think?" He turned a stern glare on the four of them. "I'll have to say, though, if you continue to insist that you reported the correct scores, and I look at his test and I question his peers and I find out you've lied to me, you will be stripped from your positions as teachers."

The four of them gasped, faces turning pale. "Hokage-sama, y-you can't just-"

Sarutobi held up a hand. His expression hardly gave away anything, but his eyes held barely concealed anger. "I can. And I will. You took an oath when you past your selection test to become teachers that you would treat all children the same, no matter their circumstances."

They were silent.

"So," he said, perking up as he took a glance at the list. "Taijutsu proctor Abe Bassui. What say you?"

The man had the same hesitant look he'd given when he'd first written down Naruto's score. "One minute, two seconds. Win."

"Ninjutsu proctor Watanabe Amai. What say you?"

The woman shifted unsteadily on her feet. "His henge was perfect. Just behind hers." She nodded to Minato, sparing him a baleful glare.

"Written exam proctor Yagiri Mayuu. What say you?"

"... He got a 78%," she grumbled, not meeting the Hokage's eyes.

"And finally, Kuboyashi Jin."

Kuboyashi blinked rapidly at his leader. "I... don't understand, Hokage-sama. I didn't administer any test."

The Hokage smiled. "Well, you refused to help Naruto-kun and Charlie-chan adjust the score yourself. Surely you had some reasoning behind that decision."

"W-well, I, erm, I... I don't really have an answer for that," he hedged, looking away unsteadily.

"You don't have an answer for that. Hm. Okay. Well, you have singlehandedly wasted my time by forcing these students to bother me which such a thing, and you have forced me to call all of your peers here to embarrass themselves in front of their Hokage. Do you have an answer for that?"

Kuboyashi's jaw flexed, yet he said nothing.

The Hokage got a steely look in his eye. "I am not the school principal. It is up to you four to make sure these students get the best preparation possible for their futures as shinobi of this great village. It is not my responsibility to hound you to give Uzumaki Naruto the correct test results. If I hear anything else about unfair treatment from any of you regarding Uzumaki Naruto, you will be demoted to the Genin Corps. Do not waste my time again with such nonsense. You are dismissed."

The quad couldn't leave the room fast enough.

Minato, for his part, just stood there staring in awe at the Hokage. "Hokage-sama. You're a force to be reckoned with."

Sarutobi just smiled, and took a puff from his pipe.

* The way I'll be setting this up is placement exams multiple times throughout the year, as well as multiple graduation exams. That's the only way I can think of that allows Naruto to be unable to pass the graduation exam three times in a row while still being the same age as Sasuke and Sakura.

Nerdcat21: All I want is for Kakashi to be happy again he's such a sad boi :( I can't say when the main cast of characters come in, I'm thinking of having a time skip in the next few chapters so probably after that. Thank you for your sweet words and review!