This is a little bit of filler but also to showcase the start of where this new arc is going... I liked writing it.

I hope you enjoy it.


Tsunade was happy to see Naruto walk into her office, looking clean and happy and not very orange. He was dressed in what looked like ANBU clothes, only he was wearing a vest like a Chunin would expect his was gray. He actually looked like Kakashi bar the face mask. "Why the change Naruto?"

"I red that you should dress more professional as a Ninja, so that's what I did. Is it nice? I bought the clothes under a henge so people wouldn't price gouge me, can't believe I never thought of that before."

The reminder of the village's cruelty towards Naruto was hard for Tsunade to stomach, but stomach it she did. "That is wise, though I wish you didn't have to do that... sigh... anyway, let's get started with your work... actually first, I want to see if you can do the Rasengan without clones. I know your control has massively increased, so I'd like to see you try. It would be a serious boon if you can manage it."

Naruto frowned but obeyed her, putting one hand over the other and gathering his chakra. Slowly, but surely, a rasengan formed... only it was small, about half the size as it was once before. "Wow... I mean it's small but I can do it."

"Naruto, I want you to try relearning it, practicing each stage of it like you did with Jiraiya. With your new control you might find new things about it that will help you remaster it on a higher level. Consider that a part time request. The Rasengan is a powerful technique, one that you need to remaster for it is a serious boon to your combat style."

Naruto, sweating, nodded and let the thing disperse. "Yes Ma'am."

"Good... now, since it is your first day as my page, you won't have that many duties. I want to start you off easy. I had a clone go through my papers last night, to find some things that I can discuss with you to see you perspective. I want you to take this seriously, for this is the path you will take to become Hokage, to achieve your dreams. Do you understand me?" Naruto nodded, looking deadly serious. "Good, now, let's begin. This first note is on a new tax reform, one that will take a small tithe from the Ninjas of Chunin rank and above to temporarily add new funds to help restore the village. It is only three percent but many are rejecting it due to the losses we all have experienced. What do you think about it?"

There was a long silence, in which Naruto said not a single word but looked skyward. Then, just before she sighed and moved on, Naruto spoke. "I think it is a good idea. The village lost a lot through the attack. Wouldn't it be better for the few to suffer for a little bit so the whole can do better?

Never before had Tsunade felt so proud of Naruto. "That was my thoughts. I also planned on expanding it, so the Genin can offer to add their resources into the pool as well. They were not included before due to their lower income. Many could not survive on the reduced income."

"I would add mine, if that's okay. I am used to having less money to live on."

She smiled at the boy. "And that is why I want you as my page, you understand the cost of being a Ninja. I will get you the paper work once this law is passed." For a moment she just stared at the boy, wondering how he had changed so much in a month. 'Who would have guessed that literal death, reeducation and therapy could have changed him so much... I have to say, this Naruto has a much brighter future then the one we had before.'

:::

"You did well Ino, I am proud of you."

Said girl blushed at her father's words, unable to mask her pleasure and pride. "You were right, I really was awful to him... I ... I guess I didn't realize how bad I was until you made me look at my memories."

Her father smiled softly. "That is why I had you look at them, no everyone can see their issues with just words. It takes time to change, it takes introspection and maturity to grow. Be proud of that, kiddo."

"I want to do more... I heard he has seriously grown from all of this, like he is much stronger and more skilled. I want to be better, so I can give back more then a few lessons you know?"

"I do... so does that mean your finally going to take your training seriously?"

"Yes, Daddy, that is exactly what I plan to do. I just don't know where to start."

He smirked at her. "Why don't you try to become apprenticed, that would be a serious boon to your skills. I mean more then just with Lady Tsunade, she is only teaching you healing so why not have another teacher teach you more combat specific techniques."

"Any advice on whom?"

"I have a few."

"""

Hinata felt... she wouldn't say good, determined might be a better word. Clear was another. She wanted to prove herself to Naruto, his cruel words to her earlier made it clear that she still wasn't worthy of his love. She had decided to prove herself, which was why she was walking to the library without a guard. Her intentions were pure and she motives were powerful. She knew what she had to do.

She would remake herself, from the ground up. She heard from the rumor mill, oddly not Ino this time, that Naruto had done so and had become Tsunade's page of all things. He remade himself into a stronger genin and that meant she could do it too, so she would do just that. The library was an easy place to start, she knew her father would deny her any apprenticeship, he was like that even if he had become better since Neji had calmed down after Naruto beat him. No, she had to do this herself, on her own terms.

Walking into the library, she ignored her nerves and the overwhelming desire to faint, moving past the few people in the massive building to make her way to the taijutsu section. She wanted to start with the basics, to remake her taijutsu into something better... then she would go to self help and find ways to bolster her self confidence. Last she would go and pick out random books until she found something better to act as a secondary specialty like healing was to Sakura and Ino. Something more then Taijutsu, something more then her clan jutsu.

She had a long way to go, but she would do it damn it...

She would prove herself to her love, by any means necessary, even if she had to rebuild herself from the ground up.

'''

Naruto, mentally exhausted by his work with Tsunade, all but dived into the books at home the moment he walked into the building. He started with the basics, the first book he had taken out. Well it was a scroll on basic ninja jutsu, the general skills all Ninjas tended to have. Body Flicker, Advanced replacement and Body warming/cooling jutsu. By themselves neither were supremely useful but together they would give him a serious edge in combat or while on missions and that mattered. The last jutsu was more for survival in hot or cold areas when you couldn't get the right clothes for the place, but still it was a new jutsu that would help him later master other techniques that modified temperature so they would be helpful outside of missions.

He would start practicing them soon, adding them to his general training regime, that had to change now that he no longer needed to study the academy jutsu. He wanted to remake himself further, so that he could fly through the chunin exams the next time it came by. He wanted to really win, not just get by by luck like he did when he farted on Kiba or used Kyuubi's power for Neji... no he wanted to actually shine and damn it he would be.

He had other books, one on chakra control, one on anatomy, one on botany ( he was curious about Woodstyle and the various posion wielding ninjas he read about) , and another on fire jutsu. He had no idea what his element was, but when he got back Sasuke he wanted to see the look on his face when he used fire jutsu better then him. Petty but worth it. Then there was the last book, one on weaponry. Having red on the Hokage, he learned that with the exception of Tsunade, they all had weapon skills so he wanted to get his own mastery. The book described various weapons for various types of people so he could figure out which would be good for him.

He was eying staves and rods at the moment, they seemed to fit his more brute force style of combat... and he liked the idea of bludgeoning Sasuke over the head for breaking his neck. It would be fun to beat him, literally... and cutting just didn't seem to fit Naruto's style at all. Blunt force trauma was the key of the Strong Fist and he wanted to master that more, which had to wait until he saw Lee again, so this was a good place to start.

He was pretty sure that if he started to practice these new things, he would easily make it to chunin. Of course he had more jutsu to practice with, more things to learn but that would take time and he had three months until the Chunin exams, so he wasn't that worried. He had time and he would make it...

He would shine for the first time and no one would doubt that he could be the Hokage...


Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was fun to write.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.