Hello again everyone! This chapter got done sooner than expected, so I thought I'd give it to you! As I said last chapter, this will more closely follow the beginning of Naruto than the previous chapter, but I'd like to think I've made enough changes to keep it interesting. We'll go over them once we're through, so here we go!

Also, if you want me to answer your questions, it's easier for me if you'll do a signed review. To answer the questions I did get:

1) You have to ENTER into the academy in order to become a genin, like Naruto did last chapter. When you're promoted to chunin, you can choose to continue your studies to become a jonin, but in this universe that is very difficult to do (think of it as a PhD in ninjutsu)

2) Trust me when I say I will be changing Sakura for the better; that's one of the things that went wrong with the original (all the females, really). She'll start off like she did in canon, but she will gradually be going through changes

3) Of course we'll have medical ninjas!


Naruto was once a simple ramen delivery boy. Everyone either ignored him, or picked on him. No one expected him to amount to anything. Now, it was different. He was going to begin his dream of becoming a ninja of Konohagakure. Soon, he would have the title of Hokage, the village's leader! At least, that's what he keeps telling everyone. But he has a long way to go. And he will discover his greatest challenge may not be whatever enemies he will eventually face…it may be what will become his closest allies…


"Come on! Take the photo!" Naruto insisted, sitting on the stool.

The cameraman only looked on in exasperation. "This isn't exactly appropriate for an academy photo…"

"It's cooler this way! Now come on!" Naruto insisted, waving for him to take the photo already.

The photographer sighed. "I hope this doesn't raise the Sandaime's blood pressure too much…" He ducked under the blanket, and finally took the photo.


An hour later, Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the new ID card. "You make it into the academy by mere luck, and THIS IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE FOR YOUR SCHOOL PHOTO!?"

"Yeah!" Naruto laughed, scratching his head. "Pretty cool, right?"

The photo showed Naruto smearing red and white make-up on his person, and grimacing like he was putting on a war-dance, or an actor in a Kabuki play. Hiruzen growled. "You're just like Jiraiya…"

"Who?"

"Not important." Hiruzen waved him off. "The point is, this is not just a photo to show off. It acknowledges you as a student of ninjutsu, one of the highest honors in our village, and you treat it like a game!" Naruto gulped. This was NOT the impression he wanted to leave…"What's done is done. In years time, hopefully you will show more respect for these sorts of things...and get a proper photo once you've grown a bit." He sighed as he put the card down.

"Now, onto more pressing manners. You are now officially a genin. Yes, you are a ninja. But you're a low ranking one." He walked towards Naruto, looking him dead in the eye. "Do you honestly think you're now qualified to just go out there in the world and throw shuriken at whatever you want?"

Naruto just stared at him, surprised he was actually intimidated by his prescence. "You mean I'm not going to do that?"

Hiruzen sighed as he walked away. "You will…in time. Depending on your progress." Hiruzen sat back down on his desk. "It's called an academy for a reason. You're here to learn."

"WHAT!?" Naruto and homework did not mix! He barely graduated the General Ed school in the village, and he got into this academy by a stroke of luck! "So…does this mean Iruka-sensei is going to teach me again?"

Hiruzen sighed. "He may oversee a few of your exams…but for the duration of your education, you will be getting a jonin instructor."

"What's a jonin?"

Hiruzen then fell out of his seat. "DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO!?" Hiruzen shouted.

"Uh…I thought I was just learning to fight…" Naruto mumbled.

Hiruzen practically slammed his head against his desk. It was common knowledge among the villagers the inner rankings of their ninja, so they assumed Naruto knew all of that going in. After a deep breath, he explained "Ninja are given ranks. Those who are in-training are called genin. They mostly do community service…"

"WHAT!?"

"…though with time they will be given more responsibilities." He continued. "Next are chunin. Standard ninja. That is what Iruka is now."

"Really?"

"Yes. He and others of his rank oversees teaching of prospective students. He has also completed assignments such as body-guard duties and general intelligence and combat missions."

"Okay…then what's a jonin?" Naruto answered.

Hiruzen smiled. "Elite ninja. Very hard to come by; they handle top-class, dangerous missions. Those who achieve that rank are often considered for the role of Hokage… However, they are also assigned to train genin to further advance the skills of the next generation."

"WOW!" Naruto beamed. "I'm getting my own special private teacher!?"

"Not just yours." Hiruzen answered. "You will be sharing him with your teammates."

Naruto blinked. "My what now?"

"Did you honestly believe you would be going into our world alone?" Hiruzen asked. "You will face many powerful enemies, stronger than you alone will ever be able to overcome. Even weak ninja can get lucky and overwhelm you. When faced with such obstacles, it's good to have friends who've got your back."

Naruto thought about it. "I guess…Did you have a team? And a jonin?"

Hiruzen chuckled. "I did. In fact, my teacher was Uzumaki Harashima." Naruto blinked. "The First Hokage." Hiruzen sighed.

"OHH."

This boy seriously needed to catch up on the village's history. "Anyway, that is the gist of what you're going to put yourself through. The rest…you'll have to figure out on your own." Hiruzen then got back to his paperwork. "You may go now. You should be meeting your teammates and instructor within a few days."

"Cool! Can you tell me who?"

Hiruzen smirked. "You'll see soon enough."


Naruto stared at the ceiling of his room. He was trying to sleep, but he couldn't help but think about his new "team." "Who am I going to be with?" he thought. He didn't know a lot of the kids in the village. "What if I'm with Toru?" The image gave him shivers. "Let's not go there…"

He thought of others. He felt neutral towards most of the ones he saw. He didn't know of any jonin, so no point in thinking about that. There were two others he could think of… "No." he thought. "There's no way they're putting me with the teme!" he growled. "He…he's too good." And the other…. "No way I'd get so lucky…" he sighed, rolling over.


In the Hokage's office, two men met. One was obviously the Hokage himself. The other, was known only to him, a jonin of the village that he had summoned. "You let him do it." A man in the shadows said.

"I didn't have much of a choice." Hiruzen sighed. "It was either this or life in prison."

"It is a conundrum." The jonin reluctantly agreed. "So, who will be his team leader?"

"Why else do you think I summoned you here?"

The man turned around, the light catching his single eye. "I refuse."

"It was in their will-"

"I'm not doing it." The man said. "The dead cannot force me to do what I don't want to."

Hiruzen sighed. "I understand. You lost a lot of people. And you do not want to let anyone else in." The jonin said nothing. "But it's time to stop looking for a good death." The Hokage said. "Time to look for a good life."

The jonin sighed. "Who else are you lumping with him?" he asked out of curiosity. Hiruzen simply tossed him a folder. The jonin took it, and observed. "Hmm…this seems like quite a mismatched team."

"I chose him for the similar reasons I want you to train Naruto." Hiruzen emphasized. "Your connection to them." The jonin placed a hand over where his left eye would be. "As for the girl…well, I feel those who are weak need strong individuals to follow after."

The jonin sighed, tossing him back the folder. "Fine. I'll test them…and then I'll flunk them. Like all the others."

"It's time to stop running." Hiruzen warned him. "You may have been right about the others…but if you pull that same crap again, I'll evaluate them myself! Either way, you're officially out of the ANBU Black Ops." The jonin said nothing as he walked away.


Today was the day! Naruto would be going to the academy to meet his new instructor, and teammates! While his mind was flooding with questions, he was trying to solve a different problem: What to wear! Naruto looked through his limited wardrobe. All he was told was to wear something fit for athletic activities and wear and tear. "There has to be something I can use…" Naruto then stumbled upon something in his closet: an orange tracksuit with a white fur collar. Naruto had almost forgotten he had it; Tenchu gave it to him as a gift. At first, Naruto thought it was pretty crummy looking. But, taking a good look at it, and feeling the material, he began to think this would be a good fit. It was bright…but maybe a little attention could go a long way…


Naruto skipped happily along as he made his way towards the academy. For some reason, no one who was not registered was allowed to even see it. When Naruto got to the destination on his map, he wondered what the big deal was upon seeing it. It was a rather plain building, orange and one story. To be honest…it was kind of disappointing. Naruto noted, however, one thing did amaze him: the other new genin packed into the courtyard. "Wow." He breathed. "There's so many." He could only imagine how many there were initially just to get into the place. He also noticed almost all of them wore dark clothes. Naruto, feeling nervous, then tugged at his own. Suddenly, standing out didn't feel so good.

"Attention!" a voice called from the loud speakers. "First, congratulations on making it this far! However, your entrance exams are not over yet!" Everyone was stunned silent at the statement, as all the idle chit-chat came to a halt. Was there something they missed-? "On your letters of admittance, you will notice a number. Two others share that same number; these other two people will be your teammates. Inside there are classrooms A, B, and C. Groups 1-3, report to A. 4-6, to B. 7-9, to C. Your jonin instructors will meet you inside." Naruto followed everyone inside inside…. "What did she mean not over?" he wondered.


Naruto entered the room as instructed, and found 8 others inside. "Hm…" He then noticed a familiar girl with pink hair. In addition, she wore a red blouse with a white circle on the back, and what seemed to be black bike shorts underneath. She also had a hiate, though unlike the others, who wrapped theirs around their foreheads, she wore hers across the top of her crown, like a headress. For some reason, Naruto was appreciative of the fact that someone else besides him chose to wear colorful clothing. His base instincts overruled common sense (if he had it) and said "Hey!"

Sakura turned around, seeing Naruto waving at her. "WHA-!?" she exclaimed as she recognized the boy. "WEREN'T YOU ARRESTED!?" Sakura yelled, pointing her finger at him in shock. Everyone else looked over at Naruto, remembering that incident. Sakura covered her mouth. She didn't mean to say that out loud!

"Oh, that blew over!" Naruto chuckled, waving her off and oblivious to the looks the others were giving him. "I'm Naruto, by the way!" he smiled, introducing himself.

"Uh…Sakura. Haruno Sakura." Sakura mumbled, bowing politely. To her, this kid looked like a complete dork! He just looked so tacky in that orange suit; she wondered why his parents allowed him to dress up like that. His blond hair was an absolute mess; a shame too, since the hair itself looked pretty good. And his demeanor..! So happy! For some reason, it just irritated her! "So…weren't you a delivery boy before?"

"Well, not anymore! You're looking at the next Hokage here!" he exclaimed, jabbing his thumb towards himself.

Sakura could only sweat-drop; sure, that technique he demonstrated was impressive, but she saw his performance otherwise! "Well…good luck with that…"

The door opened again, and both Naruto and Sakura's jaws dropped. Sasuke entered, dressed in a midnight blue shirt with a red and white fan on the back, and white cargo shorts. "Oh, him." Not looking at Sakura whose eyes practically turned into hearts at the sight of the dark-haired boy, Naruto went on. "You don't want to get too close to him. He's…"

"SASUKE-KUN!" It wasn't just Sakura, but the other few girls in the room made a beeline to him. Naruto could only stare in utter shock as the girls tried to push each other down and call out his name to get his attention. Sasuke only sighed, ignoring them all completely as he took a seat on the bleachers.

"Just what are you doing here, teme?" Naruto growled as he approached him.

"I'm supposed to be here, dobe. See?" he said, holding up his ticket, Naruto's eyes widening in shock.

"WHA..!?" He looked at his ticket, and back at Sasuke's, and back at his again.

"What now!?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"This can't be!" he shouted, showing it to Sasuke's face. "We're teammates!" he yelled. Indeed, they both had the number 7.

Hearing this, the girls then looked at her tickets, but only one's face lit with joy. "YES!" Sakura jumped up. She had the number 7 as well! Quickly, she got between the two boys, giving Sasuke her best puppy-dog eyes. "…uh…" she blushed, still smiling. "…we…We're on the same team too."

Naruto's own face turned red, before grinning like an idiot. "IT HAPPENED!" he thought as his heart began to beat quickly. "WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM!"

Then reality hit him. "My name's Sakura, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said, trying her best to grab his attention. Sasuke only looked away in irritation.

"…Oh yeah. I still got to deal with him." Naruto thought.

Sakura turned away to cup her cheeks as she sighed happily, mistaking his genuine annoyance as a "too-cool for you" gesture. "This is totally awesome! I'm on the same team with the hottest boy in town!" Looking at his features as he tried to ignore Naruto, her mind ran wild. "I'm going to win his heart! We'll be the GREATEST COUPLE EVER!" Her mouth began to water "And…" That rather inappropriate train of thought stopped when she looked back at Naruto, trying to provoke Sasuke. "…but I'll still have to deal with HIM…" she groaned.


Soon, the jonin instructors arrived one by one, calling out different groups of three. Finally, "Team 7" was the last in the room. And no one was there to greet them. "Uh…what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe our instructor is running late." Sakura suggested.

So they waited…and waited…and waited some more. Thirty minutes had passed, and Naruto was pacing rapidly. Sakura stood, trying to stay alert, and all the while Sasuke just lay on one of the desks, staring at the ceiling. "Well, this waiting is killing me!" Naruto shouted. "A call or something would have been nice!" Naruto sighed, then his eyes widened. Slowly, he began to giggle.

"What?" Sakura asked, thinking her teammate may have gone insane.

"Be right back." He exited the room. After a few minutes, he came back with a bucket of water.

"And just what are you up to now?" Sakura asked disapprovingly.

"Payback for making us wait!" Taking a chair as a stepping ladder, he carefully placed the bucket on top of the ajar door. "He opens the door, he'll be all wet!"

"Yeah…I gathered as much." Sakura groaned. "This is stupid! He's going to be mad at all of us!" Inside though, she was actually giddy at the thought. Truthfully, she felt as irritated as Naruto did at their supposed instructor's tardiness and wanted some form of revenge as well. "This prank is going to be awesome!" she thought.

"It will never work, dobe." Sasuke sighed. "Our instructor is a jonin. He'll sense it coming a kilometer away."

Finally, they heard footsteps down the hall. "Shh! He's coming!" Naruto whispered to them.

"Finally!" Sasuke sighed.

The door opened. "Hell-"The ninja suddenly stopped as ice-cold water poured down on him, drenching him.

"HAHAHA! GOT YA!" Naruto pointed. "That's what you get for being late!"

While Naruto was too busy gloating over his prank, Sakura and Sasuke observed their instructor. Unlike some of the other instructors, who wore the green ninja vest, this one was covered in head to toe in black Kevlar, complete with armor plating. There was also what seemed to be a black scarf tied around his neck. All ninja on active duty carried weapons like shuriken and kunai, but this one had a katana strapped to his back as well. But it was his face that caught their attention…mainly because they couldn't see most of it, as it was covered in a leather mask. Only his right eye and now wet silver hair were visible.

"I'm sorry, sensei!" Sakura cried to save face. "I told Naruto not to, but he wouldn't listen!" "Worth it!" her inner voice chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry." The man said, his voice sounding disturbingly neutral, as if nothing could affect him. "Believe me, what goes around comes around…"


The jonin took them to the park, ordering them to sit on a bench. "As you may have deduced, I am supposedly your jonin instructor." He said.

"Supposedly?" Sakura asked.

"We'll get to that in a few minutes." He said. "Truthfully, I don't care much to be here. But I do have my orders. So…I believe its protocol to introduce myself. I'm Hatake Kakashi." He paused. "Most of the other instructors would tell you all about their hobbies and dreams….break the ice, as the saying goes." The three looked at him. "But I'd rather not." Kakashi said. They each looked at him, annoyed at his lack of interest. "So let's talk about you three. Make it short."

Not getting the subtext, Naruto began. "My name's Naruto! I like ramen, and before entering the academy, I worked at a ramen booth! It wasn't easy getting in-"

"Can we get to the point?" Kakashi asked, circling his hand.

Naruto huffed, feeling he had a great story to tell. "Anyway, not much else to say about me…"

"Good."

"…but I'm going to be Hokage!" he finished.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I want everyone to acknowledge me as a strong and courageous person!" Naruto smiled, adjusting his headband.

Somehow, they were able to tell Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. "Just like his parents." "Hn. Well, it's certainly not a bad reason to START on the path to Hokage…" he said.

"Huh?"

"…for the rest of the journey, that's a different matter." Kakashi finished.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"If you make it, you'll see. Now you." He pointed to the girl.

Sakura began. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I…" She looked to the side at Sasuke, and began blushing. "…my goal is…" she began to giggle.

"Maybe another time." Kakashi interrupted. "Girls."

Sakura's face soured. "He's such an ass!"

"Why don't you finish?" Kakashi asked Sasuke.

Sasuke's expression didn't change, but he brought his knee and hands towards his face. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. And I don't feel any need to tell you about me; it's all irrelevant."

"That's something we can agree on."

"But there is one thing you should know; I will let nothing stand in the way of restoring my clan…and taking my revenge." All were silent at his declaration. Naruto shuddered; no wonder Sasuke rubbed him the wrong way. Sakura wanted to think this was the coolest thing, but even that crept her out for some reason.

Kakashi sighed in disappointment. "I should have expected this…" "Well." Kakashi clapped his hands together. "I suppose nothing more needs to be done in this regard. Now, for your exam…."

"EXAM!?" Naruto exclaimed. Despite what he heard in the courtyard, he just couldn't believe it. "We just had one! That's why we're here!"

"Ah." Kakashi waved his finger, slightly amused. "THAT was the exam to TAKE the exam." All three of the kids' faces fell. "This won't be as easy as the one before. I am going to test how practical your skills are out in the field. And if you fail, you'll have to take the pre-exam all over again next year."

"How come we never heard of this?" Sakura asked, thinking this couldn't be real. Surely, someone would have failed and mentioned this!

"Those who take the exam, pass or fail, are sworn into silence. Otherwise, they're expelled from the academy." Kakashi explained.

"What will we be doing exactly?" Sasuke asked.

"You'll see. Come to training grounds KB at 6 am."

"That's too early!" Naruto protested, waving his hand. "I don't think I can even make breakfast during that time!"

"Oh. None of you will be having breakfast." Kakashi explained. "You'll puke otherwise." After a moment of silence, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that's all for today. See you tomorrow." He waved as he walked away. "We'll see if we'll be seeing more of each other further into the future."


Later that night, Naruto stopped by the ramen stand. He had already resigned from the job; he just came in for a meal. "Here you go." Ayame chirped, placing the bowl in front of him.

"Thanks, Ayame-chan." He took a bit of noodles, and began slurping.

"What's wrong? This is your favorite dish!" Ayame said with concern.

"It's…" Naruto stopped himself. He didn't want to flunk an exam without taking it first!

"Yeah, it's pretty nerve-racking. Nearly failed mine." Naruto spun behind him to see Iruka approach. He was still covered in bandages from the fight that day, but he was moving about okay and was smiling, cheery as ever.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hey, wanna get that to go? Let's talk…in private." Naruto nodded in understanding. Little did they know, Tenchu in the back watched from the corner of his eye, smirking a little. "I felt the same way back then."

Once they were alone in the forest, they talked openly. "So, ready for the next big day?" Iruka asked him.

"Of course not!" Naruto shouted. "How can you be ready for something you're not warned about!?"

"That's rule number one of being a ninja." Iruka said plainly. "Expect the unexpected." Naruto sighed, looking away from him. "I know it seems cruel, to put you through this after you struggled with the first. But the first test was more to measure your eligibility. The next one was always meant to be the real test." Naruto still said nothing. Iruka sighed. "Tell you what? Finish your ramen, and I'll teach you a new technique."

"You have a secret technique!?" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Not exactly 'secret' as it is 'advanced'." Iruka clarified. "I didn't teach you this because I didn't think you were ready for this. But after seeing you pull off the Kage Bushin, I think you're ready for this."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed as he opened up his doggy bag to scarf down his dinner. "Let's get to it!"


"Okay!" Iruka said. "Tonight, I am going to teach you the art of transformation!"

"Transformation!?" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fists. "What can I transform into!? A wolf? A dragon?" he asked excitedly, imagining the possibilities. "Ooh! Maybe Gojira!" he shouted, thinking of his favorite movie monster.

Iruka groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I think those are a little bit too much for you right now." Iruka said. "The version I'm teaching you conforms to either the human body…or inanimate objects. Watch." He put his index and middle fingers up. "Normally, you would use the sign of the rat, but when you get good enough, you can just do it with this. You gather your chakra, imagine what you want to be, and imagine yourself changing into that…" Iruka closed his eyes, and with a poof of smoke, the Sandaime was in front of Naruto.

"Whoa! That's cool!" A thought then occurred to Naruto. "Hey…if you can transform into the old man…doesn't that make you as strong as him?" he asked.

"Iruka" smirked. "No." He transformed back to his natural form. "Transformation changes your shape, but it does not allow you to perform techniques you didn't learn or cannot do. It can change your strength proportionate to your new size, but your athletic abilities will not match your intended exactly, as you will both have different levels of experience. You can also transform into something sharp…" Iruka than transformed into a katana.

"No way!" Naruto ran over, and held up the sword. He ran his finger along the blade, and yelped when he felt it cut him. Putting his finger in his mouth, he dropped the sword.

"Careful!" Iruka said, transforming back. "When you transform into a sharp object, you will feel like the said object and can be used that way. Be careful not to turn into anything that endures blunt force trauma; it hurts." He groaned, remembering a particular painful memory. "Now, give it a try." He ordered.

"Uh, I don't know…" Naruto hesitated.

"Come on, Naruto. If you give up on this, I see no reason for you to go to that test." Naruto's face became more determined at his statement. Iruka nodded in satisfaction; when Naruto was pushed to give up, he only tried harder. "Transform into me." He ordered him.

Naruto made the sign of the rat, putting two fingers into his other hand, as he was told. Smoke erupted around him, and a midget, bloated up version of Iruka appeared before him. "For a first try, not bad." Iruka nodded. As Naruto released the form, Iruka asked "So, how did it feel?"

"I was changing." He said, having trouble describing it. "I felt my bones and insides shift and change, but it didn't hurt. I thought of you, but it didn't come out quite right…"

"Try again. Concentrate on every detail on me a bit harder." The next form showed Iruka tall and so lanky he was practically paper. On the third attempt, the body was correct, but his face looked as though it was melting. "You're doing great!" Iruka encouraged him, hiding his disturbance. "Try again, and this time, get the face right!" he pleaded.

"Naruto" closed his eyes, and then…and perfect replica of Iruka stood before the original. "Take a look." Iruka held out a hand mirror, and Naruto's eyes that weren't his stared in wonderment.

"Holy…I'm really you!" he exclaimed, giddily touching his new cheeks.

"This technique takes quite a bit of chakra." Iruka explained. "If you stay like that for too long, you'll wear out and change back against your will.

"Awesome!" Naruto turned back to his normal form. "How do I use this!?"

"Well, that's up to you." Iruka said. "You'll have to be creative." Looking at his watch, he said "It's after 9, Naruto. You're starting at 6 in the morning, right?"

"Hm-hmm." Naruto nodded.

"You better head to bed. Better to get in there as alert as possible." He ordered.

"Okay!"

"Good night, Naruto." Iruka said, waving.

"Iruka!" Iruka turned around, seeing Naruto having trouble saying the words. "Thanks…for everything…" he said softly, smiling slightly. Iruka smiled slightly, giving him a thumbs up.


Naruto snoozed away, ignoring the creeping dawn. His alarm went off, but Naruto shut it off. Later, his eyes opened, and he went back to sleep. However, the image burned into his brain, and he shot up. Looking at his alarm, it read 6:15! "Crap!" He rushed around, looking for the clothes he had chosen! "Perfect! The one day I choose to be tardy, is the day I depend on the most!"


Sasuke sighed as he waited in the training area. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke turned to see Sakura approach. Sasuke said nothing more, continuing his wait. Sakura was hoping he'd see how nice she tried to look; she got up extra early to apply a light amount of lipstick, eyeshade and blush. Sadly, it seemed he didn't care. Sakura moaned in disappointment.

Their trains of thought were interrupted when they heard someone screaming. Naruto sprinted over to the training area, and jumped over the gate. Once he was on the other side, he simply fell right on his face. Sakura and Sasuke could only look down on him in disbelief. "Sorry I'm late!" Naruto shouted, brushing off the dirt. "My alarm didn't go off, and-"

"Relax, dobe." Sasuke sighed. "Kakashi isn't here yet."

"He's not!?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, looking around. "Oh! Thank kami!" he breathed in relief. Relaxing, he took notice of Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" he smiled.

Sakura's brow twitched. "Is he using a pet name on me!?" she thought. "We barely even know each other!"

"You look really nice today!" he said sincerely.

Sakura hung her head low. "Great! The village idiot is the only one who notices me!" Her nose wrinkled when she smelled something. "Ew!" she cried in disgust. "Did you even brush your teeth!?"

"I was late! I didn't have time!" Naruto protested.

"Well, next time, get up on time so that you do!" Sakura turned away, frustrated. "Please let this be worth it!" she thought as she focused on Sasuke.

"So…is he coming?" Naruto asked, noticing he was running VERY late.

"He's probably got something important going on." Sasuke said. "Let's just wait; it shouldn't be much longer."


Kakashi walked up to the gate, and found the three in the field. "Ah, good morning!" he waved, much more cheery than he was yesterday.

All three looked at him like they wanted to murder him. "YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura yelled accusingly.

"Sorry." Kakashi said, scratching his head. "I got sidetracked helping an old lady across the street." Everyone just stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

"You told us to come at 6." Sasuke explained. "IT'S BEEN THREE HOURS."

"She was very, very slow, and very, very fragile." he continued to explain himself. The three said nothing, refusing to believe him. "Well…" Kakashi sighed, looking at his watch. "We only have until noon, so I will explain the exam." He then pulled out two bentos from his bag. Everyone's mouths watered at the sight, having following his orders to not have breakfast before. "IF you pass, this will be your reward."

"Hey." Naruto raised his hand. "There are only two lunches." He said.

"Glad you noticed." Kakashi replied. "If you want to eat…you need to take these bells from me." He held them up. Again, there were only two.

"Wait." Sakura said. "There are three of us, but only two bells…"

"Yes." Kakashi agreed. "One of you will not be getting lunch." The three then realized something in horror: THIS was why he told them not to eat breakfast! They could feel their stomachs practically roaring at the thought. "If both bells are taken, you pass. All three of you. If not, you're barred from the academy for another year! Now, you can use any method possible to take them from me. However, whatever you do, I recommend you do it with the intent to kill me."

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled in horror. "W-w-we can't do that!"

"Of course you can't." Kakashi rolled his eye. "But you're going to have to try if you want to stand a ghost's chance of getting these from me." He reiterated, holding up the silver bells.

"ENOUGH!" Sasuke suddenly shouted. He reached into his pouches, pulling out several kunai.

"HOLEE!-"Naruto and Sakura screamed at the sight of their teammate pulling out his weapons at their instructor. He cocked his hands back, ready to throw them…

…but before he had a chance to strike, Kakashi suddenly appeared behind him, tapping the back of the boy's neck with his hand. "Now now." The jonin said. "I didn't say go." He then addressed the other two. "But, Sasuke here has the right idea. If you're going to attack, try to kill me. You literally have no other way" He separated himself from the group, and the three tensed. Finally, they jumped into the surrounding bushes, out of sight.


For two minutes, Kakashi waited, not moving from his position. Neither did the three kids. To a normal person, they would be well hidden. Of course, he could easily tell where they were. "Okay." He thought. "So far, they're not moving. That's good…"

"Alright! Enough of this!" Kakashi turned to see Naruto face him, arms crossed. "Now it's just me and you!"

Kakashi's eye rolled back in disappointment. "Ugh. I'm definitely going to flunk this one."

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke observed from their hiding places. "Idiot!" Sakura thought. "Shinobi are supposed to be silent and tactful!" She then saw Kakashi reach into his pocket. Most likely for a blade! "Is he going for a weapon!? I've got to warn-"

That train of thought stopped when the item revealed was not a weapon, but a book! Kakashi brought his attention to it instead of Naruto. "Uh…I thought we were fighting?" Naruto asked, confused at what he was seeing.

"We are." Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

"Then why are you reading a book!?" Naruto shouted.

"I've been meaning to catch up on this; looks like a good time to do so."

"What!?" Naruto yelled, pulling at his hair. "NO! NOW'S NOT THE TIME!"

"Prove it." Kakashi said, still not taking his eyes off his book.

Naruto growled, and charged. He kicked high, Kakashi ducking under with ease. Naruto punched, but Kakashi easily caught it with his palm. Naruto yelled and fought wildly, now looking more like a child going through a temper tantrum than a trained martial artist. Kakashi blocked them all easily, all while not taking his eyes off his book. "You really need to calm down." He said. He briefly closed his book, putting his two index fingers together.

"A tiger seal!" Sasuke realized. "He's going to burn Naruto!?"

However, no fire was created. Instead, after Naruto finished the arc of another kick, his back turned to Kakashi, the jonin jammed his two fingers right through Naruto's pants. While the other two turned white in disgust at the sight, Naruto's face was surprisingly neutral. Then, it became horrified when he realized just where his fingers were. Then, came the pain. His entire body suddenly felt like an exposed nerve on fire! Naruto jumped up into the air, yelling in pain and clutching his rear end. When he landed, it was outright embarrassing, planting himself on the side of his head and his butt hanging in the air. "Special Taijutsu skill!" Kakashi announced. "One Thousand Years of Death!"

"No kidding…" Naruto moaned, rubbing his butt as he struggled up. "Isn't that an illegal move!?"

"There's no such thing as illegal in a real fight." Kakashi said nonchalantly.

"Well, if you're going to pull out special skills…" Naruto huffed. He brought his hands together in the signature seal he had mastered. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" About a dozen Narutos appeared, surrounding him.

"That's a lot of clones…" Sakura noted. "…but can twelve Narutos defeat him?" Sakura felt her stomach practically roar, as she clutched it. "Ohh…"

Meanwhile, Sasuke was ready. "I've a feeling they're not going to beat him…but I don't need them to!" Sasuke clutched his kunai. "One way or another, he'll be distracted. Then…I'll strike!"

"Ready or not, here we come!" the Naruto clones shouted simultaneously as they tried to dogpile him. It seemed they got him; no one even saw Kakashi move. "Got 'im!"

"Idiot!" one of the clones called.

"That's my foot!"

"I think I got him!"

"I've already been violated in the ass!" Another called. "I don't need a hand on my sack!"

While Sakura was wondering what was going on (and disgusted at the sight before her). Sasuke, however, understood what was happening. "Could he be burrowing underground?" Scanning the area, he saw some bushes 10 meters away from the Narutos rustle. "There!" Sasuke took off.


Sakura, seeing Sasuke run out of his hiding spot, followed after him. However, when her stomach roared again, she began to feel dizzy, and her stomach was roaring in pain. "Ohh…" She pressed her hand against a tree to support herself, as she remembered last night…


While her parents were chatting away, Sakura took one last bite of her Sashimi. "I've ruined my diet enough as it is…I can make it through 'till tomorrow afternoon…" "Psst!" she whispered to their Japanese Chin. "Shana! Here girl!" The little dog got up, and trotted over, devouring the rest of the food.


"I wanted to get back on track with my diet." Sakura moaned. "If I'd known this would be so strenuous…and that he would be late…I'd have had all of my dinner." With sheer force of will, she forced herself forward to where she saw Sasuke run off.


Kakashi popped out of the ground like a mole, some distance away from the Narutos. "Well, that was interesting." He lay back in the bushes, reading again. Suddenly, shuriken came straight at him. Still not taking his eyes off his book, he caught each of him, not a drop of blood staining his fingers. "Good try." He said, tossing them away. "But you have to be clever." Sakura moaned in disappointment from behind the tree.

Suddenly, a kunai came flying in from a different direction. Kakashi caught it, but upon smelling something burning, looked up to see an explosive tag wrapped at the end. When a person channeled their chakra into it, it would burn like a fuse. Quickly, Kakashi tossed it away as the blade exploded. "Good." He noted as he looked up into a tree, Sasuke up in its canopy. "You're thinking beyond the basics. There may be hope for you yet."

Sasuke jumped down to the floor, brandishing a kunai. "ENOUGH WITH THE GAMES! SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME FOR REAL!" Sasuke ran forward, jumping up and slashing down, only to have his weapon blocked by…Kakashi's book!?

Indeed, the jonin managed to catch the kunai in between the pages. Sasuke struggled, but Kakashi held firm. "Please don't ruin my book." Kakashi said. "It's a limited edition." Sasuke growled, drawing his kunai back, the pages miraculously still intact. Sasuke shot back with a punch, which Kakashi blocked. "Hn. Not bad." Kakashi blocked an arcing kick, almost failing to see Sasuke's knee come towards his stomach. Kakashi cross-blocked, and felt himself being pushed back. "I can't even read Icha-Icha Paradise while fighting you. Most impressive." Kakashi stood straight, his demeanor turning serious. "And yet you still have no chance of getting a bell from me."

Sasuke growled. "If I can't touch him, I have no chance-!"

Suddenly, Sakura leaped from the bushes, hurling her own kunai at Kakashi. Without even looking, Kakashi caught them in between his fingers. "Admirable attempt. But subpar." Sakura tried not to let Kakashi's words affect her; she tried punching him, but Kakashi easily caught her wrist and using her momentum, spun her around, Sakura helpless to all but go with the flow. "Perhaps if you focused on your training more than your make up, you may have been able to scratch me." Finally, he let her go, sending her sprawling across the dirt.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Naruto leaped from behind the bushes, trying to sock Kakashi in the face. Kakashi spun, and grabbed him, throwing him into the tree. Naruto said nothing, as his body stood still while sliding down to the ground. "Ow."

"One word: Tactics." Kakashi chided him. "It cuts down on the predictability."

"Predictable!?" Naruto growled, forcing himself to stand up. "I'm just getting warmed up!" He made his Kage Bushin seal, creating another half-dozen versions of himself.

"Seems to me you're out of tricks." Kakashi quipped.

"Oh really!?"

Kakashi suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his ankles. Looking down, another Naruto clone was below him, holding his legs as the others charged. One of them aimed to punch his face; the one who caught his legs reached for his bells. "A slight improvement…" Kakashi thought. "…but still not good enough!"

The two Narutos lunged for their targets. The attacking Naruto felt his fist hit a jaw, but the other one felt something else. "That's unusually soft for a bell…" Naruto then saw in Kakashi's place was Sakura, her mouth wide open in shock at Naruto punching her hard across the jaw. And the other Naruto's hand was right on her butt! "AHH!" Naruto panicked, dispelling his clones. "W-what are you doing there!?"

"Naruto, you BAKA!" Sakura shouted, suddenly drop-kicking him across the chin, sending up to the treetops and back on the ground.

"S-sorry!" Naruto stuttered, bowing in seiza position. He was truly horrified at the thought of hitting a girl; it was worse when it turned out to be a girl he liked. "I don't know what happened!"

"The art of substitution, obviously, you jackass!" Sakura yelled, holding her swelling cheek.

"Substitution?"

"You mean you don't know!?" Sakura shouted. "Substitution is the technique of grabbing an object in your environment and replacing it in your place, quicker than the normal eye can see!"

"Oh, cool!" Naruto then looked confused. "What does that have to do with what just happened?"

"HE OBVIOUSLY USED ME, YOU BAKA!" Sakura screamed. Looking around, she realized Kakashi and Sasuke were gone. "Where'd they go?" Sakura ran off, leaving a stupefied Naruto behind.

"Hey, wait!" Naruto called, following after her.


Kakashi rolled in the air away from several kunai in all directions, sprung from a trap. "It's impressive that you got these traps up so quickly." He said as he landed. "Have you hunted before?" Sasuke said nothing as he brought his own kunai down. Kakashi blocked it, and kicked him away. Sighing, he said "I believe I have made my decision. You can stop now."

"Think again!" Sasuke yelled. He then made the hand seals for the same technique he demonstrated at his initial exam.

"Ah." Kakashi noted, recognizing the jutsu but remaining calm. "So the rumors are true."

"Katon! Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke's cheeks expanded, and fire erupted from his mouth.

As the flame shot out, Sakura and Naruto caught up, and nearly ran right into it. "AHHH!" They ducked, feeling the heat above them. Once it simmered down, Naruto shot up and shaked his fist at Sasuke. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things!" Naruto shouted. Naruto then smelled something burning, realizing his pants were quite literally on fire. "AHH!"

Naruto got up and ran, while Sakura chased after him. "You idiot! Do you not know stop, drop and roll either!?"

Sasuke, however, paid them no heed. Instead, he looked at the path of charred remains. And he saw no body! "Impossible! The fire's not that strong! He had to have dodged it!" He looked around…and saw Kakashi on the other side. "Over here!" he waved. "Most impressive fireball! But as I said, I'm done!"

"Not while I breathe!" Sasuke created his fireball again, the fire shooting towards Kakashi.

"You're not very observant of your surroundings, are you!?" Indeed, a lake was right behind the jonin. He made the sign of the bird, quickly followed by the horse, and ending on the dragon. The water behind him began to rise, and take the shape of a dragon. "Suiton! Suiryudan!"

The water shot forward at the flame, extinguishing it and heading straight for Sasuke. "What the-!?" The water hit him with the force of an elephant, sending him flying into a tree and soaking wet. He groaned as he slid back down to earth.

"Enough!" Kakashi warned him, walking forward. "You'll only hurt yourself!"

"Never!" Sasuke shot back up, but a black egg was thrown in his face. These eggs were cracked open, the shells filled with substances or objects, and glued together again to be used as a surprise weapon. Sasuke felt pepper water his eyes, and he stumbled. With sheer willpower, he opened his eyes…and saw Kakashi's hand, crackling with electricity, shooting towards him. Sasuke panicked, and froze.

The electrified hand stopped inches from his face, feeling his hair singe. "Would like to argue further?" Sasuke only remained in place. "I didn't think so." Kakashi withdrew his hand, and deactivated the deadly ninjutsu he had cast. "Wait right there. I'll put a halt to your friends and we'll go over the results." As Kakashi walked away, Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.


"Ah, ah…" Naruto moaned, finally putting out the flame by dragging his butt across the dirt. Luckily for him, it seemed his suit was fireproof, but the heat on his bum was still unpleasant.

"I can't believe I'm stuck on the same team as you!" Sakura yelled in frustration. Naruto said nothing, but that comment did sting… "I'm going after him myself!" Sakura exclaimed as she turned around.

"As you wish." Sakura stopped in her tracks as she brought up her kunai, desperately trying to find the jonin. Then, her eyes rolled in the back of her head as a thud to the back of head caused her to lose consciousness, Kakashi standing over her.

Naruto rushed over to her, trying to shake her awake. "Sakura-chan!" Quickly, he turned her over and supported her. What did he do to her!? If she was hurt…

"Relax. She'll be fine in a couple minutes." Kakashi assured him.

Naruto growled, and charged at him. He attacked the jonin with a flurry of kicks and punches, but Kakashi blocked each and every one of them with ease. Suddenly, he jabbed two fingers to the side of Naruto's neck. "Ugh!" Naruto felt his body lock up with incredible pain, and he fell down face first. "Don't worry, it's just a nerve plexus strike." Kakashi said. "You will be able to move momentarily." Out of his peripherals, Naruto could see his feet walk the other way. "Once you recover, wake up the girl. I've made my decision."


The three sat on the ground as Kakashi relaxed on the stump, looking both depressed and humiliated as they faced the jonin. "Oh gods…I'm going to have to go through all that again!" Sakura worried.

Naruto's fists were trembling, furious at himself. "There's no way I could be that bad! There has got to be something to this!"

"Well, I don't think I need to explain the results." Kakashi said, sitting down on a stump and supporting his chin with a hand. "Normally, the procedure is to send you back and give you another chance next year." The three groaned, thinking of having to wait for a whole 'nother year. "But, I decided for you three that's not appropriate." At that, the three lit up. "I've made up my mind…to bar you from the academy altogether!" At that announcement, their hearts sunk…


I think this is as good a place as any to leave off.

I've altered Kakashi slightly as a homage to Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. Since Kakashi is supposed to be a "traditional" ninja, thought it would be best to dress him up as one. I'm also giving more insight into his connection with Naruto and Sasuke, and hinting at a reason why Sakura is on the same team.

I'm also still having Iruka involved, this time actually teaching Naruto the transformation technique. Pay close attention; this is going to call back to a very….GOOD LOOKING…technique, hehe…

I've also altered how the battle went down slightly. Same result, same intent, different path more or less. If you thought this was too similar, stay tuned; the resolution will be far different from before…