Chapter 6 Graduation
Sorry about the delay for this chapter life has been rather crazy lately so it was delayed more than it should've been. As always I do not own Naruto but I do own the OC that I create. If you have any ideas for OC content either PM me or just put them in a review and if I like them I'll add them give credit.
-1 month before graduation-
-Uzumaki Compound-
As Naruto finishes putting away his fuinjutsu supplies Kaito asks him how he's feeling about the upcoming graduation. "Well I know I have the sealing parts down, the three requirement jutsu down, and the weapon thanks to my tanto and the rest I'm sure I'll get. Afterall I can't be the only one out of my group to not graduate this year." As Kaito nods he starts to laugh as he realizes who Naruto might be teamed with given how test scores and other abilities. "Hey what's so funny!?" As Naruto continues to pester Kaito to see what made him laugh he simply replies Naruto will understand one day. As the two enter the main hall they head their separate ways to their own rooms.
As Naruto enters his room he continues to mumble about what Kaito said and before putting his fuin supplies away and disappearing in a puff of smoke showing he was a Shadow Clone. Meanwhile at the Academy the real Naruto shakes his head for a moment as he takes in the memories of his clone. As he mumbles about how annoying Kaito can be sometimes his friends stare at him and roll their eyes at how often this occurs. "So Naruto are you ready to become a shinobi?" As Naruto turns to Choji he's got a large grin on his face as he says he can't wait to finally graduate. As he says this he without realizing it reaches behind himself to feel his tanto's grip.
"Naruto if you're gonna keep touching that thing you might as well show it to us. Otherwise the others will ask you too incessantly and it'll be troublesome." As Naruto realizes what he's doing he laughs a bit while running his hand through the back of his hair. "Alright fine I'll show you the blade they finally made me." As Naruto removes his single edged tanto from it's sheathe the others can tell it's not made of normal metal right away as the short blade has distinct but very thin red and blue swirls along it's length. As Shikamaru picks up the blade he pulls out a standard kunai and channels chakra into both. To his surprise Naruto's blade rejects his chakra causing it to fall out of his hand.
As the others laugh thinking he'd done something wrong Naruto picks up his blade while holding in his laugh. "Hehehe sorry about that Shikamaru I forgot to tell you the blade has seals on it to keep others from using it like I can." As the others look carefully at the blade they don't see any seals on it and ask where exactly they are. "Sorry I can't tell you cause then if we ever fought in a spar you'd know where to aim to damage them. But it has a summoning seal, blood protection seal, a chakra absorbing and releasing seal, and the part that rejected Shika's chakra was a blood linked chakra restraint seal." As the others stare at the small blade they realize just how serious Naruto's clan is about sealing and how strong it is. As the others keep talking about the blade they pass it around so each can see it up close and practice a few swings with it. "Na-Naruto-kun why do-does it have this pattern on t-the blade?" As Hinata points out the swirling red and blue lines that seem to come from the hilt the others realize they've never seen that on any other blade either.
"Well as you know my blade isn't normal metal it's chakra metal my clan brought with them from Uzushio. During the final stage of the forging process have the user provide a drop of blood for the necessary seals and channels their chakra into the metal as it's finished via a set of seals. It makes the blade stronger and allows it to channel the user's chakra far easier later on. As for the pattern I honestly don't know cause I've never seen it on another blade my clan has even the blade of our founder doesn't have it." Looking down at the blade with her Byakugan active Hinata watches in amazement as Naruto's chakra naturally flows through the blade. "Wh-Why do you th-think it happened Na-Naruto-kun?" As Naruto try's to come up with a plausible reason he can't think of any so he simply shrugs his shoulders. "I honestly have no idea Hinata-chan I've never heard of it happening before." As the kids continue to talk their teachers finally enter the room and call for their attention.
"Alright students as you know graduation is only a month away as such starting on Wednesday of this week we will begin a 3 day survival exercise. One team of three of you will play the part of a team caught behind enemy lines and will be hunted by the rest of your class within Training Ground 23. The hunted team's job will be simple either avoid capture for the 3 days or reach a rendezvous point within that period of time. If the team manages to remain hidden till 5pm Friday or reach the rendezvous point they win. The rest of you will also be split into teams of 3 and tasked to hunt and capture the other team using any nonlethal means available. You can either do it alone or in groups but your mission will not be considered a success unless the whole other team is captured.", as the students watch Iruka puts a small box on his desk before continuing, "Each of you will come forward one at a time to channel a small amount of chakra," at this he looks at Naruto and Karin who grin sheepishly for a moment, "into it. The day the test is to begin we will tell the hunted team first and allow them a 1 hr headstart before the rest will go after them. This is to ensure that the teams are random and that no plans can be made until the exercise begins." As the students walked forward one by one Iruka and Mizuki slowly made more of what numbers appeared for each student before marking it down to keep track of the teams. Once the last student had walked back to their seat Iruka quickly sealed away the results to keep them hidden before continuing with the normal lesson.
As the survival exercise drew closer the class became more and more excited at the prospect of either being the hunter or hunted team. When the day finally came Iruka called for silence before calling Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru forward and naming them as the hunted team. After dismissing them they were led to the training ground and told they had 1 hour to prepare for their classes arrival. Once that occurred the exercise would begin and they'd be stuck within the training ground either till they were caught, reached the rendezvous point, or managed to escape capture till late Friday afternoon. As the teacher left Naruto and Hinata both looked to Shikamaru to be the team leader. After sighing for a moment he told them both to give him a detailed account for their skills, supplies, and bloodlines before sitting down and forming his hands into a open circle. As the minutes slowly pass he opened his eyes before looking at Naruto.
"I want you to make as many clones as you can without exhausting yourself. Have most of them rig the forrest and clearings with whatever seals and traps you can. I want at least 6 groups of 4 of them though to work on making hidden shelters in not only the most obvious places but less obvious ones as well. If you have any seals that can help hide them use them but they're to make sure each hide has at least 2 hidden exits. Hinata while his clones do that I want you to use your Byakugan to find a less obvious position for a hide. Once you find one we will move there and Naruto you or any clones you can make will dig it out. Understood?" As the two nod Naruto quickly forms a cross sign before calling out Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu! As over a hundred twenty clones fill the area he quickly unseals 2 of scrolls labeled traps and hiding before directing his clones to group us as Shikamaru intended before sending them out. As he does this Hinata quickly activates her eyes and begins searching within the area she can see before spotting what seems like a good location. "Shikamaru-san I fo-found a spot that co-could work. It's near the edge of the trees 80 me-meters southwest of us and is a natural hole under a fallen tree. It's ap-approximately 15 meters from a small stream as well."
As Shikamaru nods the group quickly moves towards the spot as Naruto occasionally creates a few more clones and hands them more scrolls to create more traps and fake hides within the area. As his friends watch their friend seem to endlessly create high level clones they realize he doesn't even seem to be tired yet or running low on seals. "Hehehe Emiko-baa-chan says even for a Uzumaki I have large reserves and once I told Kaito-nii of this exercise he had me use a lot of our training time to make seals that could help no matter what side I ended up on. I kinda feel bad for everyone, except Karin-nee's team, cause I haven't used most of these seals outside of the clan so only she will know how to counter them." Once they reach the tree Naruto quickly puts a small seal on the tree before creating two Shadow Clones to dig out their hide. "Shikamaru where should I have the exits go? I can hide them with seals and such but I doubt we want to have them come out in the open."
As Shikamaru looks he points to a small group of trees 6 meters to their right and a group of rocks 9 meters south. "Put the exits amongst those two locations but do not breach the surface. Use whatever seals you need to keep them hidden and sealed off." As Naruto and his clones begin their work Hinata says that it seems like his other clones have finished and are now seemingly grouping up and hiding themselves. As Hinata tells Naruto what his clones are doing he and the two nearest him begin to smirk and laugh lowly. "Troublesome. Naruto what are they going to do?" As Naruto continues to work on a seal he taps one of his clones on the leg and points to Shikamaru. "They're preparing to ambush the other teams especially the ones Karin and Kiba are in. Also we should be done with the main part soon and Boss here will finish the seals while we work on the exits." As the remaining time ticks by Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru enter the hide once the clones call out to them from within. As Naruto finally puts down his brush he begins channeling chakra into the various tags with his chains before using them to apply them across the hide. "Now we just have to wait and see if your plan will succeed Shikamaru." As the hours slowly pass they'd occasionally hear shouts both of the clones and of their classmates throughout the surrounding woods.
As night falls Shikamaru quickly and quietly draws the attention of his team and points at the hide's entrance while motioning for them to be quiet. "There is another team resting in the clearing barely 15 meters from us. Naruto can you create clones outside of here to draw their attention away from us. I want to capture them to see if anyone has grouped up yet and who is teamed up." After nodding Naruto quietly moves down the tunnel to the exit hidden amongst the rocks and uses the Shadow Clone Jutsu in conjunction with his chains that have dug through the soil to have them appear on the surface without smoke. As the clones draw the teams attention Shikamaru quickly runs through the signs for Shadow Possession Jutsu before using it to capture the three students. "Naruto if you have any paralysis seals use them now. Hinata watch his back with your Byakugan." As the three students are quickly sealed and dragged into the hide before Naruto uses more seals to restrict their movements and keep their voices down. "So we caught Enmei, Kenji, and Misaki. Troublesome you three never go anywhere unless your other friends are nearby. Hinata expand the area you see and tell me if there are any other teams in the immediate area." As Hinata spends a few minutes searching around she calls out that she sees 3 teams 80 meters to their south and another 2 more teams 35 meters to their north-west. "Troublesome. Which group seems the most dangerous to us?"
As Hinata watches the two groups she notices that the smaller one seems to have far more chakra which she tells to her team. "That's probably clan born and I assume the other one is civilian born though I'm sure sooner rather than later the class will be fully unified in their hunt." As Shikamaru begins to think things through he remains quiet for a moment before opening his eyes sharply. "We will need to move before dawn. I'm sure the clan born will have sensed your clones Naruto and the disappearance of these three if Karin, Kiba, or Shino are with them. Get some rest we'll leave these three here and escape to another location .5km away. Naruto before dawn I want you to create at least 60 Shadow Clones and have a third henge into me and another third henge into Hinata. After that they'll group up and flee the area to distract the other teams. But if we're discovered we'll need to take down the opposing team fast. Both of you get some sleep we'll need to get moving early to get away from the groups near us." As the team went to sleep they left the other three bound and sealed to ensure they couldn't make noise or draw the other teams to them.
As the sun slowly rose over the horizon Shikamaru's team quickly exited their initial hide with the still bound team after a quick meal. "Alright let's get this plan started! "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" As Naruto's clones came into existence they quickly began grouping up before two thirds hanged into his teammates. "Go-Good job Na-Naruto-kun." As Shikamaru nods the clones quickly leave the area in a mad rush while he and his team follow a few moments later after ensuring the seals on their bound classmates will fade after a few more hours. As they move through the trees they can hear the sounds of various teams reacting to the sudden swarm as Naruto's clones do their best to grab all the attention. Unfortunately Hinata quickly looks to her right and says that Karin, Choji, and Yama are heading their way and ignoring nearby clones.
"Karin-nee is a Uzumaki sensor she can probably tell they're clones just as easily as you can Hinata-chan. Shikamaru what should we do?" As Shikamaru thinks Hinata gives repeated updates on how close they are compared to other teams. As Shikamaru suddenly stops the others quickly join him. "Naruto if you can put some seals in a large enough arc they will have to come through them to reach us. Make sure you use ones Karin either has difficulty defeating or can't detect easily so it delays them further. Hinata use your Byakugan to keep tabs on them and check how well his seals are hidden." As Shikamaru says this he pulls out a few tags of his own and begins slowly adding them to the seal net Naruto is making.
-with Karin's team-
As Karin leads her impromptu squad she signals for them to stop as she see's something with her Mind Eye's. "They're making a seal net and Naruto is using his obscene chakra amounts to spam Shadow Clones to aid him. We're gonna have to go through it to reach them in time. Yama get your kusarigama ready and Choji get ready to use your bō ready I feel like Shika is preparing something behind my cousin's wall of clones." As her squadmates nod Karin quickly pulls out her own tanto as she smiles at how fun the upcoming fight will be. Just before her team reaches the seal she holds up her free hand signaling them to stop. "Naruto I know you and your team are back there! Even with your *chakra haze seals you are visible to me! Just surrender already cousin." As Karin finishes speaking she and her team see Naruto stick his head out from behind a tree a few meters from them before blowing a raspberry her way. "COME AND GET ME NEE-SAN!"
As Naruto laughs Karin quickly throws a kunai near him causing him to duck behind the tree as he keeps laughing. "You asked for it cousin!" As Karin begins moving into the area her chains manifest and seemingly without her conscious control begin destroying or deactivating Naruto's seals. But as her team watches in awe it seems she obviously misses a few as multiple kunai and shuriken suddenly begin flying towards them. "CHOJI NOW!" As Karin switches to using her chains to defend them Choji calls out "Partial Multi-Size Jutsu!" As his arms and staff suddenly grow he begins to spin the staff deflecting the incoming projectiles. Keeping his weapon moving Chōji continues deflecting the incoming projectiles while Karin quickly turns to Yama and tells her to get ready to fight. Almost as soon as the rain of weapons ends a veritable wall of Narutos comes charging at the team but Hinata and Shikamaru are nowhere to be seen. As the clones reach the three the fight devolves into a mess as the clones attempt to defeat their creator's cousin and classmates. Covered by her team Karin continues working to break down the seals ahead of them she suddenly feels a presence behind her causing her to duck and roll to her left. Rising back up she sees Shikamaru's team has finally joined the fight. "Naruto handle your cousin. Hinata you take Choji. I'll handle Yama." As the three split up they are each drawn apart as the fight grows more intense.
-Naruto and Karin-
As the two Uzumaki circle around each other both keep their guard up for surprises and traps. "So cousin I'm guessing Shikamaru has some elaborate plan for you to trap me in one of his clan's seals?" Before Karin can say anymore Naruto's chains come out of his back and arms as he rushes forward and attempts to wrap her up to seal off her abilities. In response her's also come out as she charges forward to meet her cousin blade for blade and chain for chain. As the chains of both Uzumaki strike at each other they become locked together as neither can destroy the other's both due to their heritage and relative inexperience with them. Seeing this the two quickly begin fighting with their fists and blades in a attempt to either wound the other or break their concentration keeping their chains up. While keeping his tanto sheathed Naruto aims to strike Karin's legs only for his blade to be blocked by hers.
"Come on cousin. You always go for the legs. What happened to you being truly unpredictable?" As she says this she suddenly feels a chakra spike behind her forcing her to roll to the right but upon looking back there is nothing there with no jutsu or shadow striking at where she was before. As she turns back to her cousin she realizes she was tricked as his now drawn tanto is pressed lightly against her neck causing her to raise her hands in surrender and withdraws her chains. "You got me cousin. That was a dirty trick though using a simple chakra release seal to make me think there was a Nara seal behind me." As Naruto laughs he places a stronger paralytic seal and one of Shikamaru's shadow binding seal on Karin to keep her restrained before dashing off to rejoin his teammates.
-Hinata and Choji-
As Hinata and Choji circle one another Choji gets a small smile before asking if Hinata got to sleep next to Naruto the night before. Blushing at the implied thought she quickly nods before activating her Byakugan and charging forward. "Sorry Choji-san but I mu-must defeat you." Attempting to use her Gentle Fist attacks to disrupt Choji's chakra Hinata is dismayed when her strikes are either deflected or blocked by his staff. After pushing Hinata back Choji quickly expands his right arm before attempting to grab Hinata with it causing her to dodge by first jumping back and then up into the trees. Falling into a defensive stance Choji nervously stares around as he considers Hinata's chosen weapon. Just as he's about to rush to join Yama's fight he suddenly feels a sharp pain in his left thigh and looks down to see multiple senbon sticking out of his left leg right below his knee. As he reaches to pull them out he hears movement behind him and quickly swings his staff around to cover himself. "Good job Choji-san but I-I can't let you win. I ha-have to help Na-Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-san." As Hinata charged forward again he throws multiple senbon in order to keep Choji off balance and to keep the momentum.
Forced back Choji continues to block her senbon untill he felt a tree against his back. Before he could move though Hinata rushed forward and closed the distance forcing him into a taijutsu fight. While she attempts to strike at his arms and legs he noticed she was also using other moves like sweeping kicks and more traditional punches to throw him off. Finally spotting a opening he quickly swung his staff up knocking away her arms and landed a hit on her lower left ribs throwing her away from him. As both children caught their breathe they smiled before charging forward again to finish the fight. Before Choji could reach her though his body suddenly froze and he realized he'd activated a paralytic seal. As Hinata closed the distance she quickly struck a few of his tenketsu within his arms and legs to disable him before bowing. "So-Sorry Choji-san but our fight is over." As the initial paralysis fails Choji fell onto his back chuckling before he felt another seal activate after she placed it on his chest. After wishing her luck he quickly dozes off after being told the seal would fade in a hour or so.
-Yama and Shikamaru-
As the two watch each other Yama pulls some of her clan's signature shuriken out of her pouches before throwing them at Shikamaru in a layered arc to minimize his directions for escape. "How troublesome." As Shikamaru watches he quickly runs through a few hand signs before calling out *"Shadow Wall Jutsu!" Just before Yama's shuriken strike Shikamaru a wall made of shadows suddenly rises up from the ground in front of him. As the wall shrinks Yama quickly jumps back as multiple kunai are flung at her by tendrils of shadow but she fails to see where he is as the shadows continue to throw kunai and shuriken at her. Dodging the various weapons she noticed the shadows seemed to be pushing her towards the right side of the clearing. Realizing there was likely another of Naruto's or Shikamaru's seals there she quickly begins throwing her own shuriken at the shadows causing them and whatever they were holding to fall to the ground as their connections were momentarily severed. "Shika you can't keep this barrage up forever you're not a Uzumaki! Come out and fight already." As Yama slowly turns she hears a few twigs snapping to her left causing her to quickly spin towards the sound and throw multiple shuriken it's way.
After throwing her weapons she quickly moves to the center of the clearing to give herself the best possible chance against his shadow jutsu. "Shika come out come out wherever you are." As the Fūma kunoichi stares around she unseals more of her clan's shuriken from sealing tags inside her pouches before readying five in each hand. From the darkness of the trees she hears Shikamaru's voice say. "What a drag. Why don't you give up my teammates have already beaten yours. You can't beat us all." While he says this Naruto comes out of the shadows to her right with his tanto partially drawn and his chains out while Hinata is to her right holding multiple senbon in her hands. Seeing that she's outnumbered and surrounded Yama puts her shuriken away before raising her hands. "Alright you caught me." As she waits for one of them to walk forward she feels a seal be placed against her leg and looks down to see one of Naruto's chains wrapped around her right leg before retracting as the seal activates. Before she's totally paralyzed she decides to blow a quick kiss to Naruto much to his and the other's shock. After getting over their shock the three quickly resume moving away from the area as Hinata see's multiple groups coming closer with her Byakugan.
-Midday-
Taking a moment to rest within a temporary hide Naruto made with a few clones Naruto quickly prepares a lunch of Oyakodon with some green tea all made without fire using heating seals to cook and prepare the food. Taking turns eating and watching for their classmates Naruto quickly makes a clone that instead of joining the others around moves deeper in the hide and begins working on seals. "Na-Naruto-kun what is that clone doing? Don't you have enough seals already?," as she says they both she and Shikamaru look pointedly at his multitude of scrolls both strapped to his clothes and within his bag, "D-Do you ne-need more?" As Naruto's clone smirks at the attention he's getting he holds up a completed seal that they haven't seen before. "Yama was right earlier. You don't have my reserves so let's fix that.," as Naruto's clone hands him the seal he pours a large amount of chakra into it, "This is a Uzumaki chakra storage seal. With it I can give you two the ability to use your own jutsu for far longer and slightly grow your reserves. Once these seals detect that your reserves are below half they'll release the stored chakra into your coils. As Kaito-nii puts it since Uzumaki's have such high vitality our chakra is richer in a way than others. Pouring it into your coils will cause them to grow according to him and Emiko-baa." As Shikamaru and Hinata look at each other before turning back to Naruto they both realize just how much Naruto knows of fuinjutsu and it's capabilities.
While the day slowly passes the three quietly prepare for combat as they sense others closing around them. Looking at each other they slowly prepare for the storm that's about to be unleashed as Naruto slowly forms a ram seal with his right hand. Suddenly flaring his chakra Naruto begins to laugh as his multitude of traps activate as the pulse of chakra expands. While his classmates yells of shock and anger flood the forest around them Naruto and his team quickly retreat into their hide before moving to a covered tunnel leading away from it. The last thing his classmates hear is him yelling they only have one day left to catch them. After the various teams untangle themselves from his traps they all decide that they will work together to catch him and his team. Once they are sure they have left they quickly choose to have Sasuke serve be their leader before moving to establish camp for the night.
-dawn final day of exercise-
When Naruto wakes his team for the final day he experiences a rush of memories as clones all across the area are attacked and dispelled as his classmates begin their search. "Guys we need to go. They're already heading this way even with the dummy hides and clones attempting to slow them." Very quickly the team packs up their remaining gear before Shikamaru leads them towards the southern edge of the training grounds. When questions him about it he simply says that's where the safe zone should be. "Think Naruto you've combed this forest with your clones yet they never found it. I believe they put in the exposed areas in the south solely to make reaching it harder." As the opposing team moves closer Naruto quickly creates more clones and gives them barrier tags to place behind them. "Slow them down as much as you can!" Splitting up the clones group up before looking back at the original Naruto. "YES BOSS!"
While Naruto's clones begin setting up the simple barriers to divert the rest of the class they see Karin leading it with her chains out. Without missing a single step she quickly pulls out multiple seals and wraps them around her kunai. As the clones realize what's about to happen one bursts to warn Naruto while the others prepare to fight. Once the memories of his clones begin flowing back to Naruto he holds his head while moving before telling his teammates what happened. "What a drag." Holding nothing back the teams draw ever closer Naruto while finally sees the edge of the training grounds and isn't surprised that Shikamaru was right as he see's a tent with Iruka and Mizuki outside of it.
The moment they exit the woods Hinata shouts out a warning as volleys of kunai, shuriken, and senbon begin raining down around them. As the steel rain continues Naruto activates his chains and uses them to form a semicircular barrier to keep them safe until it stops. As they look through the barrier they see the rest of their class staring down at them from the trees before Kiba, Sasuke, Shino, Choji, and Karin begin rushing towards them. "Shika please tell me you have more of those shadow seals." When Shikamaru shakes his head Naruto curses under his breath before drawing his tanto as Hinata and Shikamaru draw their own weapons.
When Naruto releases the barrier he quickly runs through some seals and draws in a deep breathe. As Karin see's this she shouts for the others to brace before Naruto shouts "Fūton: Great Breakthrough!" As the wind jutsu flies towards the approaching future genin a few brace themselves with chakra but the majority of the class are blown back by the overcharged jutsu. "RUN!" When the three turn and rush towards the tent their instructors watch as they slowly lose ground before seeing Karin's chains shot forward and trip Naruto. Just as Shikamaru and Hinata are about to stop to help Naruto he yells at them to continue running before quickly jumping up and using his own chains to push away Karin's. Naruto is quickly surrounded by some of his class even as he runs through a series of signs before shouting out "*Fūton: Tempest Breath! As Naruto releases the jutsu in a semicircular fashion the ones in front of him are quickly forced to brace themselves before Naruto forms a cross handsign before shouting out "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" While his clones rush at his other classmates Naruto rushes away from his team towards Karin and Sasuke because they are the larger threat.
As his chains shot forward they are met by Karin's before his tanto meets Sasuke's as the two attempt to overpower each other. Seeing her cousin locked in combat Karin attempts to blindside him from the right but she's caught by a dozen of his clones. While Naruto and Sasuke continue to lock blades with each other both boys quickly pull out kunai and attempt to wound or drive away the other. "Give it up Naruto you're surrounded and Kiba's group will catch the other two." Attempting to force Naruto back Sasuke is surprised to hear him laugh before he senses a large surge of chakra below them. Realizing that Naruto has decided to sacrifice himself to quickly notices that some of the clones and ends of Naruto's chains have placed a series of connected seals in a large circle within the fight. Before he can pull back he's caught by one of Naruto's chains and sees the others being either held up by clones or chains. "Mass Paralytic Seal!" When the entire group is frozen by multiple seals created by his chains and clones Naruto begins laughing he hears Iruka shouting that the exercise is over and that his team has won.
-2 hrs later-
-Konoha Academy-
As the class sits down they are asked by Iruka what went wrong with their mission to capture Shikamaru's team. While the students talk amongst themselves Shino raises his hand and is called on by Iruka. "It's because we did not unite quickly enough sensei." As Iruka nods he calls on Sasuke who has raised his hand. "We failed to realize just how quickly he could cover the area in traps. We should've paid more attention to our sealing classes so we could've disabled more of them without activating them." As Naruto struggles to hold in his laughter he's smacked over the head by Karin who glares at her cousin. "We should've remembered that the Nara Clan has it's own paralysis seals based on Uzumaki ones. Those seals caught a lot of us by surprise I believe."
Nodding Iruka smiles and says they were all correct before turning to Shikamaru's team and asking what they did wrong. "We sh-shouldn't ha-have relied on Na-Naruto-kun's jutsu and se-seals to hide." After nodding he points to Shikamaru who sighs before standing. "Troublesome. We should've tried to find the rendezvous point sooner." Pointing to Naruto who stays silent Iruka pinches the bridge of his nose for a moment. "That's correct and Naruto what do you think your team could've done better?" Thinking back shrugs and says he doesn't know with a embarrassed smile while rubbing the back of his head. After sighing for a moment Iruka states he they could've used more of Shikamaru's paralysis seals in the traps set by Naruto to help delay or catch their classmates. "Now class you are all dismissed we will hold two more of these exercises a week over the next three weeks to give most of you the chance to be on either side of it. Dismissed!"
Soon after as the students exit the Academy they are met by their parents or guardians at the gate. When Naruto exits with Karin he see's Neji standing beside Hinata before he quickly waves them over. "Naruto and Karin, Hiashi-sama has told me that you two alongside the others are invited over tonight for dinner. Do you think you can tell Kaida-san and Emiko-sama about it?" Before Naruto can say yes Karin quickly apologizes before stating they already are supposed to have dinner with Tsunade so they regretfully can not make it. After saying goodbye to their friends and heading home Naruto and Karin are met by Kaida at the gate to the Uzumaki Compound. "Welcome back you two. Why don't you go wash up and get ready we're meeting Tsunade-sama at the Senju Compound for dinner tonight."
-later that night-
As they near the Senju Head House they are met by Shizune and Tonton who usher them into the dining room where Tsunade is sitting beside a man with long white hair. Upon hearing them enter Tsunade looks up from her conversation and smiles at the Uzumaki. "I'm so glad you all could come tonight. It's been too long since our two clans lived side by side in Konoha. Karin and Naruto I'd like to introduce you to my teammate Jiraya of the Sannin." As Naruto and Karin quickly say hello to the man they notice that Kaito and Harue seem to watching him with just the slightest bit of hostility. "Kaito-nii what's the problem?" Not taking his eyes off Jiraiya who rolls his eyes at Kaito and Harue's attitudes. "Let's just say Jiraiya-sama did something really dumb one time around our clan. Though if I remember right your mother made sure he never did it again." As Jiriaya visibly winces Naruto and Karin quickly try to pry the story out from him as the others laugh while he refuses to speak.
Before the two can go took far with their guesses though Tsunade quickly asks them to be quiet before calling in Shizune. "Naruto-kun and Karin-chan trust me you don't want to know what happened. I remember quiet well what he did and how angry it made Kushina-chan but trust me she got him back tenfold." Momentarily happy with the statement the two smile at Tsunade before she asks them how their class is going. "We got to do a three day exercise Baa-chan and my team won!" As Tsunade laughs at how carefree the two are she's reminded again both of her lost loved ones and her favorite student. "So Karin-chan how are your medical seals going? Have you mastered the ones I gave you a few months ago?" As Karin nods she quickly begins asking Tsunade when they'll get to train more together.
Upon hearing this Tsunade smiles as she see's both herself and Shizune in Karin. "After you graduate Karin-chan the teams will be given additional instruction in various shinobi arts by myself and others. My cousins here," as she says this Tsunade points at Emiko and Kaida, "have convinced the old monkey to give the new teams a new style of training. They've convinced him it'll make them stronger and better prepared for future battles and missions. Though I do have my eye on a few of your class for true apprenticeship if they prove worth it." As the two families spend their night relaxing and catching up Naruto comes into the room with a ceremonial tanto etched with the Uzumaki and Senju symbols upon it. "Baa-chan what's this?" As Tsunade sees the old blade her smile seems to be born both of sadness and happiness.
After taking the blade from Naruto she handles it lovingly like one might a child. "This was my grandmother's gift to my grandfather upon their engagement. This sword is the testament to our two clan's shared history and unique bond. We share a common ancestor if what Mito-baa said was true yet unlike other related clans we never drifted apart or turned on one another. When one called the other answered no matter the odds they faced our two clans stood beside another. Hopefully one day my Clan can once again stand beside yours as equals and celebrate Uzushio's rebirth." As Tsunade breaks down both Naruto and Karin quickly rush forward to hug the woman they see as their grandmother.
As this occurs Jiriaya and Kaito watch from the other side of the room and smile at how much the two have helped the Slug Princess since her return. "So Jiriaya-sama when do you plan on telling him your relationship to him?" As Jiriaya sighs he says he can't until he's allowed to take him away for apprenticeship like he planned. "Hopefully you don't try to make him like yourself Jiriaya-sama because I know Harue-chan will not forgive you if you try. And she has become quite the fighter since we became one but you already know that." As Jiriaya chuckles a bit he asks if the two have begun to expand their little family yet or if it remains at two. Kaito smiles while he says they may soon be three but aren't sure yet given how early it is. Jiraiya nods at this and laughs before his gaze turns to the one who still holds his heart before she looks at him and smiles a bit like she used too. "Maybe things are finally looking up eh Minato-musuko." As the group finally moves to the dining room for a late dinner of tonkatsu with rice and salad for sides.
When the Uzumaki and Senju are finally seated a few clones of both Shizune and Tsunade enter the room carrying the food for the night before serving everyone as they are seated. While the various adults talk to one another Naruto and Karin are left under the watchful eye of Shizune. While the kids talk to the one they see as family in all but blood about their dreams and school they are watched by their guardians and godparents. "So Karin-chan wants to be a med-nin and restart Uzushiogakure.", as Karin nods Shizune looks at Naruto, "And you want to be Hokage? You two certainly don't dream small do you?" As the two kids nod they also laugh at how grand their dreams are compared to their friends.
"Hey at least I'm not Shikamaru his dream is to live a average life, with average kids, a average wife, and die at a average age. That sounds so BORING to me!" Laughing alongside the others Shizune shakes her head in amusement before looking at the blonde boy. "Now now Naruto-kun not everyone has your Uzumaki hyperactive ways. Maybe Shikamaru views life like that because of how he was raised and how his clan is." Though Naruto does nod and quiet down the others can still hear him mumble every now and then as he eats. "Shizune-san can you help me later with the medical seals? We're going to have another exercise soon and I want to at least finish learning the first scroll's worth before we graduate." Looking over at the girl Shizune shakes her head for a few seconds.
"I don't know Karin-chan those seals will take awhile and you still need to attend your normal classes." As Naruto watches he asks Karin why doesn't she use shadow clones to make sure she can both attend normal classes and work on her seals. For a moment Karin is silent and motionless before she begins to smack herself in the forehead while mumbling to herself. To Shizune's amusement the two kids begin arguing back and forth about who's gonna graduate higher in the class once they both start using the jutsu this way. Chuckling at the two Uzumaki's behavior both Tsunade and Jiraiya think back to their own prior students with sad smiles.
-Graduation Day-
When Iruka comes into the class he's met with the sight of his students all sitting and talking excitedly about the coming tests. Once the students have all quieted down he pulls a pile of tests out of his desk after calling out the roll for the last time. "As you all know to graduate not only do you have to pass this test but you must also pass the physical and jutsu portion with at least 60 points in each test. Once every student has an exam the first portion will begin and you will have 60 minutes to finish the test. If you finish early I advise you either go over your questions or sit quietly until the time is up. Once the time is up I will grade your work while Mizuki takes you to the physical exam where you will be tasked to complete a variety of exercises before the spars both armed and empty handed. The final portion will be as always the jutsu portion where you must be able to use the Academy Three alongside at least 3 more D rank or higher jutsu alongside at least two of the three seals shown on the board. Now begin." As the students begin the first stage of their graduation exam Iruka and Mizuki walked around to ensure no one was cheating.
-2hrs later-
*I'm gonna do like 2-3 fights before moving on to the jutsu part*
Once the last student has finished the physical portion of the exam Mizuki and Iruka lead them to the sparring ring after ensuring each student's chosen weapon has some kind of cover on it to ensure the students can not inflict serious injuries. "Congratulations on making it to this portion of the exam students. We will now begin the spars to ensure each student is adequately trained both in armed and unarmed styles of fighting. To do this each spar will consist of two parts one with your weapon and one without. When your name is called hand me or Mizuki-san your weapon and then enter the ring. Once I say begin I expect the two called to fight hard but if I call the fight then it is over. Is that clear?", before continuing he looks at each student who either nods their head or verbally responds they understand, "Good now will Shino and Kiba enter the ring you two will be first."After handing over their weapons the two boys form seals of confrontation before falling into their respective stances. "Kiba-san you can not win. Why you ask? Because your style relies too much on your ninken to be truly effective without him." Angered at the claim of his friend Kiba quickly rushes forward in a attempt to knock Shino out of the ring or down to prove him wrong.
Unfortunately for him Shino counted on his mad response and manages to deflect or block the majority of strikes before catching his right hand and throwing Kiba back. Realizing he can't win without planning Kiba visibly calms a bit before he begins circling Shino like a wolf would causing the his quiet friend a bit of worry. Desiring to win before Kiba can strike Shino attempts to knock Kiba down but this time Kiba's greater strength and training proved decisive as he was able to dodge his friend's fists and elbow strikes without much difficulty before grabbing his friend's right wrist and throwing him to the ground before almost striking his face with his left fist. "You give Shino?" After Shino calls the fight for Kiba the two boys quickly get up and retrieve their weapons before once again falling into their stances. Kiba is the first to rush forward as his mother teaches him to always keep the momentum to win and not allow his opponent anytime to recover or think.
Attempting to cut his friend's left side his blades are blocked by the handle of Shino's weapon before the weighted end strikes his right ankle and wraps around it. Unable to remove the chain without exposing his back Kiba quickly attempts to use it to pull Shino towards him but fails as he pulls the chain the other way. Due to his leg being kept off the ground he quickly loses how balance and falls onto his back and is stunned for a brief moment by the impact. Unable to get up before Shino closes he's forced to use his claws to block Shino's blade but neither boy is able to overwhelm the other. After a moment of watching Iruka calls the fight a draw and congratulates both boys on their fights. "Alright boys please form the seal and exit the ring.", as the two friends make the proper seal they exit the ring and stand beside their other friends, "Alright now will Ino and Sakura enter the ring." As the two girls enter the ring they smirk at each other before falling into the Academy stance.
"Begin!" As Ino rushes forward she attempts to hit Sakura with her right fist but her friend and rival dodges before lashing out with a quick kick to Ino's left side. Surprised at how hard her friend hit her Ino is forced on the defensive as Sakura attempts to overwhelm her with strikes from her fists. But it's clear neither girl is a taijutsu force as their strikes and blocks are rather sloppy. When the two separate for a moment Sakura decides to rile up her friend. "Come on Ino-pig is that all you've got!" "Not even close Forehead!" Angered at Salura's words Ino quickly rushes forward but much like Kiba before her the anger leads to her attempt to strike without thinking which leads to her quickly being defeated by Sakura who manages to trip her up and knock her out of the ring. After retrieving their respective weapons, armored gauntlets for Sakura and *kakute for Ino, the two resume their fight but this time it's more even as their styles are extremely similar leading to a drawn out fight that Ino barely wins over Sakura. Once the two have exited the ring Iruka calls out more students 2 at a time before coming to the last one with Naruto and Sasuke. When the two boys enter the ring they both quickly form the Seal of Confrontation before rushing forward before Iruka can even say a word.
While Naruto is in his typical Uzuken stance Sasuke is in a hybrid stance that seems to combine the Interceptor style and Uzuken as the two begin fighting but the fight seems to be a draw as neither is able to strike decisively. Realizing his typical Wairudoshī stances won't work he switches to Hakunaishō hoping to overwhelm his friend and rival. At first it doesn't seem to work until he's able to land a double hammer fist hit to Sasuke's right side knocking him back and down. "Come on Duckbutt! I know that wasn't enough to stop you!" While Sasuke gets up those around the circle either laugh at Naruto's words or defend Sasuke. "For once the Dobe isn't wrong. Who are you and what did you do with Naruto?" As both boys laugh at each other they resume sparring with Naruto's style constantly switching between overpowering and random while Sasuke's remains precise throughout. Eventually Iruka seeing neither boy is winning gives them a 1 minute warning causing both boys to nod and smirk. "Oh crap they're gonna try it again."
As those near Karin hear her they all question what she means but she simply points at the two who have adopted similar stances. "Same time Dobe?" Smirking Naruot nods before crouching down a bit. "You know it Duckbutt!" Much to their friend's shock both boys rush forward and swing at each other with their right fists without using the other to block. It's no surprise then when both boys are knocked down and to their left when they connect much to the shock of their teachers and class. "Those idiots! Why do I have to be related to one of them!" Face palming and muttering about stupid boys Karin wonders to herself if it's too late to move to Kusa. "Ka-Karin-chan why did they do th-that?" Sighing Karin looks up at Hinata before pointing at Naruto and Sasuke still on the ground.
"These idiots saw Itachi-san and Kaito-san sparring and want to copy them. Apparently the point of that last strike is to see who can strike faster and knock the other down before their opponent's blow connects. Unlike those two though these morons aren't fast enough to do it without mutual strikes. NOW GET UP BAKAS!" While Karin continues to berate the two they simply laugh at their little ritual. "Alright alright quiet down! Naruto and Sasuke retrieve your weapons and begin again." The two continue to laugh until they get their blades from Mizuki and Iruka and calm back down.
Once the two have returned to their initial stances they draw their blades before placing two seals on them. As Iruka sees this he's about to respond before Karin speaks up that the seals are designed to keep their blades from harming the other while also leaving red or blue marks to show if the strike was true or glancing. After checking the seals to confirm she was telling the truth Iruka allowed them to continue before telling them to begin. After a moment of circling both charge forward and attempt to slash each other but their strikes fail to even slightly connect. Realizing they've fought too much with their regular styles both boys quickly adopt slightly different stances before trying again. Sasuke is slightly faster and feints a slash to Naruto's right before changing it's direction to strike at his leg instead. Seeing the blade incoming Naruto reacts quickly by using his tanto's sheathe to block the strike before slashing at Sasuke's chest with the blade held in a reverse grip. But Sasuke just barely manages to lean back enough that it only grazes his shirt instead of placing a mark on his chest. When Naruto attempts to jump back Sasuke presses forward to deny him space and shortly there after Mizuki calls the match for Sasuke as his blade rests against Naruto's neck on his left shoulder. As Naruto sighs in disappointment Sasuke offers him a fist bump that is quickly accepted. Once the boys have sheathed their blades Iruka quickly leads the class back into the classroom for the final portion of the exam. None notice Mizuki quietly fuming and muttering to himself at the back of the group though.
Once the students are all seated Iruka quickly runs through the jutsu requirements to graduate and begins calling students out one at a time to see if they meet them. As time drags on Hinata begins to grow a little nervous as her time gets closer and closer. Seeing how nervous his friend his Naruto quickly turns to Hinata and begins talking to her to calm her down. "A-Are you su-sure I'll pass Na-Naruto-kun?" Nodding repeatedly Naruto smiles at his friend who blushes a bit before shyly smiling back. "Of course I am Hinata-chan! You're WAY smarter than me and way better at controlling your chakra there is no way you won't pass!" Just as she is about to respond Mizuki enters the room and calls her name causing her to start at the unexpected interruption before she stands and walks towards the door. "GOOD LUCK HINATA-CHAN!" Hearing Naruto's words she shyly waves back before exiting the room while Naruto keeps shouting encouragement till the door shuts. Seeing this their friends who are still in the class shake their heads and laugh at how oblivious Naruto is before talking to each other to pass the time.
While Naruto keeps talking to Sasuke his cousin and her friends stare at Naruto for a second before laughing quietly. "I can't believe he still hasn't realized it." Rolling her eyes at Yakumo's comment Karin continues working on a seal before looking back up. "My cousin may be good with fuinjutsu and jutsu but he's clueless with women." When Karin's name is called Naruto and her few friends left quickly wish her luck before waiting for their name to be called. After a few moments Iruka steps back into the classroom and tells Naruto to follow him. Once the two enter the hallway Iruka stops for a second and looks at Naruto before smiling. "So are you ready to graduate Naruto?" Nodding fast enough that his head becomes a blonde blur much to Iruka's amusement Naruto shouts back. "Of course Iruka-sensei! Afterall if I can't pass here how could I ever be Hokage!" Laughing at the boy's lofty goal Iruka points to a door before him. "Alright then enter the room Naruto."
As Naruto enters the room he see's Mizuki and another Academy teacher sitting down at a table before Iruka joins them. "Alright Naruto please show us the 3 jutsu you have chosen to learn first." For a moment Naruto simply stands there before running through a series of hand signs and turns towards a open window. "Fūton: Gale Palm!" Before releasing the winds between Naruto puts his hands through the open windows of the classroom. Impressed at the use of elemental jutsu at such a young age the teachers are momentarily stunned before calling on him to preform the next one. Once they see him pull out a few shuriken the more experienced amongst them realize what is about to happen before Naruto says Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu right after he throws the 10 shuriken that quickly turn into just over a hundred that pepper the trees and fence outside the classroom. Once again stunned they almost miss it when Naruto calls out Wind Style: Tempest Shield as a circular wall of wind forms between them and Naruto. "Well Iruka-sensei is that good?" Shaking his head Iruka quickly says it is before telling Naruto to show his expertise of the Academy three.
While Naruto doesn't seem exactly happy to do the three jutsu he nonetheless forms the ram seal before transforming into a copy of Kaito. Once Iruka and the others have checked to ensure Naruto's transformation is passable he's allowed to release it. "Alright Naruto show us your skill with the substitution jutsu." As Mizuki says this he throws a book at Naruto who quickly forms the snake seal before substituting with a chair against the other wall. "Good now the clone jutsu Naruto." Much to the third teachers shock Naruto forms a cross seal before shouting "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Before the stunned teacher Naruto forms not just 3 but 30 shadow clones without even appearing to be even winded from it. While Mizuki and the ither teacher simply stare Iruka quickly grabs a hitai before tossing it to Naruto as he congratulates him on passing the graduation exam. Just before Naruto exits the room though he's asked to dispel his clones which he does after briefly laughing at himself.
Once the final student has been tested Iruka and Mizuki enter the room where their 36 passing students have been waiting since the exam began. As Iruka enters the room he sports a very big smile before congratulating his students and wishing them luck. Before he dismisses them though he reminds them that they must come back on Monday to receive their team placements and must fill out their official shinobi registration and have their picture taken for it as well. While he says this he quickly looks at Naruto before stressing they should not goof around for that as it will follow them until they are either promoted or turn 18. "Once again congratulations my students and I wish you all luck in your new lives as Leaf Shinobi!" Once the students have left they are met outside by their family's though Mizuki momentarily pulls Naruto aside before he joins his Clan members and friends in celebrating.
*-exactly what it sounds like the user forms a solid wall of shadows typically a C-rank but can be stronger if the user has enough chakra/experience with the jutsu
*-stronger more chakra intensive version of Great Breakthrough developed by the Uzumaki to utilize their larger reserves
*-a seal designed to release a thin haze of chakra over a object or individual to make viewing it by dōjutsu or similar abilities harder by either obscuring the target or overwhelming it with chakra
*-basically rings with spikes on the front edge that were favored by female ninja IRL
Again thanks for reading guys and I'm sorry this chapter was delayed so much. If you liked the chapter or have any advice feel free to send me a message or post it in a review.
Rewrite-2/26-2/27/21