Chapter 7 Test
I do not own Naruto =( but I do own the OC that I create. If you got any ideas for OC send them my way & I may include them with credit given. And thanks again for taking time out of your day to read my story guys.
-1 hour after Graduation-
As the Uzumaki and Kazama celebrate together they invite the friends and family's of their children over to join them but Naruto is nowhere to be seen. "Naruto come on! What are you doing in your room our friends are almost here!" From behind his shut and locked door Naruto yells out in annoyance. "Relax Karin-nee! I was just cleaning some stuff up in my room!" When Naruto exits his room he quickly closes and seals the door behind him before Karin can see the inside before heading towards the entrance to the compound. After their friends arrive the two heirs spend much of their time talking and celebrating with their classmates while waiting for dinner to be ready. After most the food is set and the guests are seated Kaida stands and calls for everyone's attention before raising her glass to the new graduate's families.
"To my precious daughter, my dear nephew, and all their friends I would like to congratulate you all on becoming Leaf shinobi today! You have done your family's proud today never forget that we all will support you whatever may come.", as the other adults raise their own glasses Kaida looks back at the new genin, "I wish you all the best of luck in your dreams and careers. If you ever need help do you hesitate to come to me or any other adult here. It is our duty to help the next generation succeed and I for one will help you for as long as I am able. Cheers!" "Cheers!" As the dinner slowly comes to a end on Naruto and Karin's friends leave the Compound to head home with their family. Once the last guest has left and the mess has been cleaned up the various Uzumaki and Kazama also head to their own rooms and homes. But unlike his family Naruto does not fall asleep after he heads to his room. Instead he puts on clothes similar to the ones he wore in the survival exercises and quietly leaves through his window.
-1hr later-
-Hokage Residence-
As the night grows darker Naruto peers across the street towards his Jiji's office before quickly rushing across and flattening himself against the outer wall. Once he's sure no one has spotted him or is nearby he quickly begins scaling the building up to the third floor below where his target is. Upon unlocking a window and climbing inside he quickly shuts it and moves across the room before slowly opening the door to peer into the hallway. Once he's sure no one is present he quickly heads towards the Hokage's office in the building. When he finally reaches the office he sees that the Hokage has either just left or stepped out as the door is slightly ajar and the light is still on.
After searching the office he finds his target the Scroll of Seals but just as he's about to exit through the window he hears footsteps behind him. "NARUTO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Before the Hokage can do anything Naruto quickly forms a ram seal before shouting out."Sexy Jutsu!" Much to Hiruzen's shock Naruto turns himself into a nude woman with just the barest bit of smoke covering some parts of the body. As the old Kage stares at the one he views almost like his own grandchild he quickly falls unconscious as a torrent of blood flies out his nose. "Hehehe I knew you were a pervert Jiji but not that big of one!" While he laughs Naruto quickly opens the window as he hears shouting coming his way before using a chakra enhanced jump to escape the building. When the Hokage wakes up his Anbu guards are surrounding him and quickly relay his orders to put an alert out regarding Naruto.
-1 hour later-
While the various Chūnin, Jonin, and Anbu search for Naruto across the village the boy simply sits beside a old abandoned shack deep in the woods. Though he did open the scroll and appeared to be studying one of the jutsu within the majority of his attention was on waiting for another to arrive. The moment he saw Mizuki enter the clearing he quickly jumped up with a big smile on his face. "Mizuki-sensei! I managed to retrieve the scroll like you asked. But it's funny I already knew a jutsu from within it so I didn't even have to learn one." As Mizuki walls up he begins to smirk and asks Naruto to hand over the scroll to complete the exercise. Just as it appears he's going to hand over the scroll Iruka jumps into the clearing and shouts at him to not give the scroll over. "He's lying to you Naruto. He doesn't want you to pass the special exam because he actually hates you! Do you want to know why? Why he and the other villagers seem to scorn you and your clan despite you doing nothing to them? I.." Realizing what Mizuki is about to say Iruka draws and throws a set of shuriken at his former friend. "MIZUKI DON'T SAY IT!" As Iruka attempts to rush forward he's forced back as Mizuki throws multiple kunai his way in response. "The truth that everyone has hidden from you! The truth is you are the Kyūbi! You attacked the village all those years ago! That's why they all hate you! Now DIE DEMON!" Naruto quickly looks to Iruka hoping he'll say Mizuki is lying but seeing his face his heart shatters as he realizes Mizuki isn't lying.
As Mizuki throws one of his Fuma Shuriken at Naruto he's momentarily stunned at what his sensei said before he starts running as he hears Iruka yell for him to get down. Just before the shuriken hits him Naruto closes his eyes but the blow never lands but he still feels something dripping onto his face. As he opens his eyes he can see Iruka covering him with the shuriken sticking out of his back. "I'm so sorry Naruto. Maybe if I had paid more attention you wouldn't have had to suffer tonight. You know for a time we were alike no family to call our own and scorned by those around us. I'm truly sorry I couldn't protect you." Before either teacher can react Naruto quickly runs away carrying the Scroll with him as tears fall down his face. While the two quickly rush after the boy they lose sight of him as he manages to evade them until neither can see him.
A few moments later Naruto is hiding behind a tree as he see's Iruka leaning against another while Mizuki pulls his last fuma shuriken from behind his back. "You are so gullible, Iruka! I was gonna kill you later but I've changed my mind. Die!" As Mizuki rushes forward he uses his chakra to spin his shuriken but before he can strike Iruka with it he's suddenly launched away by golden chains. As Mizuki slowly gets up he's sees Naruto before him with his chains sprouting from his arms and back aimed at him. "If you ever lay another hand on Iruka-sensei. I'll kill you!" For a moment Mizuki is surprised that Naruto is defending Iruka and hasn't run away with the scroll. "Why defend him? He's lying! He and everyone else outside of your clan hate you for being the Kyūbi!" As Naruto thinks about Mizuki's words he sees within his mind his Clan, the Kazamas, the Hyūga Head and Branch families, and others who have befriended him despite his burden.
"Idiot! Just because you can't tell the difference between the Kyūbi and the one it's sealed in doesn't mean others can't." Shocked at Naruto's response Mizuki growls in anger at the boy. "Shut up demon! I'll kill you and him with a single blow!" Drawing his tanto Naruto falls into a defensive stance before Iruka. "Why don't you try then? I'll strike you back a thousand fold!" Spinning the Fuma shuriken with his chakra Mizuki hesitates before throwing it. "Let's see you try! Show me what you can do DEMON!" Before Mizuki can attack Naruto forms a very familiar sign before shouting out "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" as his Chakra surges to the point Mizuki and Iruka can see it circling around him.
Suddenly the forest is covered in smoke before they see thousands of copies of Naruto all around them either clinging to branches, standing upside down on them, or on the ground the forest is awash in a sea of orange and black. As Iruka watches he's shocked to see his student using such a costly jutsu on such a large scale. While he looks at his young student in his mind he see's his mother who had helped him many times. *"Kushina-san I am truly sorry I didn't see your son for who he truly is. A proud son of the Leaf. I pray you can forgive me for the things I've said and thought about him before I really knew him." As he thinks back to how kindly Naruto's mother treated him and everyone else his eyes begin to water as he realizes just how similar Naruto is to his mother.
Meanwhile Mizuki is openly shocked as he has never seen a shinobi, let alone a child, produce so many physical clones without dying. All around him he can hear the clones taunting him as they prepare to attack alongside the original. "What's the matter!" "Come on!" "Weren't you going to end it in one attack!" As the various clones keep taunting the original, visible only because his chains are still out, holds up a hand silencing them all before they all speak again as one. "In that case...We'll come to you." While Mizuki puts up a valiant effort in the end he's just one mediocre chunin against a literal army of genin. When the sun rises Mizuki is left barely twitching after the beat down he received as Naruto sheepishly laughs while looking at Iruka. "Hehehe I think I got carried away. You okay Iruka-sensei?"
After chuckling for a moment he replies that he is before asking for Naruto to help him up. Soon after the two begin moving towards the village when they are stopped by the Hokage and a few Anbu before a crowd of Leaf Chunin Jonin. "So Naruto-kun your first mission was a success. Congratulations on catching the traitor. Though you forgot to use the seal I gave you still good job." For a moment Iruka and a few of the surrounding shinobi are stunned before they begin questioning what the Hokage is talking about while Naruto smacks himself for forgetting about the seal. Taking out his pipe and lighting it the Hokage begins to explain that he knew Naruto would "steal" the Scroll and that he had come to him via Shadow Clone soon after being given the mission by Mizuki.
-flashback to just after the exam-
As Naruto left the Academy with his family and friends he thought back on what Mizuki had told him. "He must really think I'm an idiot to believe that. I mean come on he spent how long teaching us the village's ranks but expects me to believe we have one called Elite Genin that's earned in a secret test. I'm gonna tell Jiji about this and see what I should do about it." Soon after arriving home Naruto quickly excused himself from his family before entering his room. "Shadow Clone Jutsu! Alright go tell Jiji what happened but make sure no one from the Clan or anyone else, especially Mizuki-teme, see's you. Once Jiji tells you what to do dispel yourself." Once his clone has left through his window Naruto gets his mission gear ready just in case." While doing that he wonders why Mizuki decided to use him for this obviously bogus "mission".
-with Naruto's clone-
As the clone enters the Hokage's office Hiruzen looks up and welcomes him. "Naruto congratulations on passing the exam. I knew you could do it." Smiling the clone looks around before shutting the door behind him. "Thanks Jiji but I'm just a clone. But the Boss wanted me to tell you that Mizuki might be a traitor." As soon as the clone says the word traitor the aging Hokage looks up sharply. "Explain why Naruto thinks that now." After nodding the clone recounts to him the supposed "special exam" Mizuki gave him after claiming the other teachers and staff at the Academy gave it in recognition of his talents. Once he's done he asks if he's going to have Mizuki arrested for his treasonous plan. "You were right to tell me this Naruto-kun. But we can't arrest him just yet as we don't know if anyone else is working with him." For a moment the Hokage looks up as he thinks of an idea before smiling and looking at the clone.
Seeing the Hokage wearing the same look he usually has when he's planning a prank Naruto quickly gets excited for whatever the Hokage may have planned. "Naruto I want you to pretend to be following Mizuki's instructions for his supposed exam. Once Mizuki, and anyone he may be working with, gives themselves up once you refuse to hand over the scroll push your chakra into this seal.", as the Hokage talks he holds up a sealing tag, "It will alert myself and my Anbu to your location. If he or any other attempts to take the Scroll from you stall them as long as you can until we arrive. Consider this a high C-rank mission with your highest priority being that the Scroll of Seals never falls into his hands. Understood?" Once the clone has nodded and taken the seal he quickly heads back to the compound while avoiding crowds and other shinobi. Upon entering Naruto's room the clone quickly places the seal atop his mission gear before dispelling. When the real Naruto receives the memories from his clone he struggles to hold in his laughter as he sits at dinner with his family and friends.
-end flashback-
As Iruka and the others look at Naruto he simply smiles before looking at the Hokage as his smile falls from his face. Seeing how Naruto is staring at him Hiruzen quickly calls for 2 of his Anbu to take Mizuki to Ibiki while he speaks to Naruto and Iruka in his office. A few moments later after enter his office and activating a few privacy seals he motions for Naruto to speak. "Why did you never tell me I held the Kyūbi within me!? What right did you or anyone have to hide that from me!?" Before Naruto can say more Hiruzen looks down and asks for Naruto to listen for a moment. "Naruto we didn't believe you were ready to know. Those who hold Bijuu within themselves rarely have happy lives due to people's fear of the beast within them. You hold the Kyūbi and it was sealed in you by your mother and Lord Fourth the day it attacked our Village. Your mother was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi before her death on the day of your birth. Me and your clan believed that you should remain ignorant of it until you were ready to hear such news. We don't know how or who but someone interfered with the seal right after you were born. It should've never escaped but somehow it did and then attacked the village. We know this because one of your clan survived the attack that claimed the lives of her guards and my wife who served as her midwife."
While Naruto listens he slowly closes his eyes as tears come when he thinks back to all the times his friends and family supported him regardless of the thing sealed within him. "Alright Jiji I forgive you and the others. But someday can you tell me more about what happened that day?" Once Hiruzen has nodded he begins debriefing the two before giving both payment slips for their work and ordering Iruka to head to the hospital. When the two finally finish their meeting with the Hokage they see that the sun has fully risen over the horizon while they were inside.
-2 days later-
When the students enter their classroom for the last time they're surprised to see Iruka with a few bandages across his arms and legs and quickly notice the absence of Mizuki. As rumors quickly begin to circulate many try to get answers from Iruka but he simply replies that it's a secret. The few who know the truth of what happened remain quiet while the others talk before Iruka calls for their attention. "I am glad to see you all here today. It has been my pleasure teaching you over the last few years and I am happy that so many of you managed to graduate despite the raised standards. Now it's time to announce the Rookie of the Year and Top Kunoichi of this class as well as special mention for a few who showed exceptional skill in one or more of the shinobi arts. This class's Rookie of the Year is Sasuke Uchiha and the Top Kunoichi is Sakura Haruno due to their high academic, physical, and jutsu test scores. With regards to the exceptional students in the shinobi arts for Taijutsu our top student is actually two that being Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha seeing as they both have the highest number of wins over your time here. With regards to Genjutsu it is no surprise that Yakumo Kurama has scored the highest. In fact her ability in genjutsu has already matched the level of Kurenai Yuhi and Itachi Uchiha when they graduated and both of those are elite Jonin of our village today."
Taking a breath Iruka looks at Naruto and Karin who are staring each other down waiting for his next award. "For fuinjutsu our top student is Karin Uzumaki," at this Naruto sighs as his cousin smirks at him from across the aisle, "which is of course not a surprise to many of you. When it comes to Ninjutsu though our top student is by the slimmest margin Naruto Uzumaki who managed to slightly outdo the Rookie of the Year.", as Sasuke hears this he mumbles to himself something that sounds suspiciously like ridiculous Uzumaki chakra levels much to Naruto's amusement, "And last but certainly not least for Medical Jutsu we again have two top students being Hinata Hyūga and Sakura Haruno. Both of them have showed exceptional talent in the field despite their young age. And once again congratulations to you all." Once the various students called receive their awards Iruka calls once again for everyone's attention before beginning to call out teams though most students zone out until their name is called.
"Now Team 7 will consist of Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba and will be led by Kakashi Hatake. Team 8 will have Naruto, Hinata, and Shino and you will be led by Anko Mitarashi.", upon hearing the name of Team 8's captain Ino seems to shrink though most fail to notice it, "Team 9 is still in circulation so we're skipping it. Team 10 will be Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji with Asuma Sarutobi as captain. Team 11 will be Karin, Yakumo, and Yama with Kurenai Yuhi as your captain." While Naruto and his friends quickly begin thinking about their teams they once again zone out as Iruka gives a small speech on the importance of teamwork within Konoha. Before he can say anything else though a black blur crashes through the window much to the students shock. Once Iruka has recovered from his shock he laughs for a bit before looking at the person responsible. "Anko-san you're a little early." For a moment the woman looks around before she laughs as she realizes she's right. "Well Iruka-kun I guess I'll just take my little victims, I mean students, a little earlier than the others this time. Team 8 you're with me!" While Naruto appears to be a little excited over his new sensei Hinata and Shino's reactions are much more subdued. While this is occurring some notice Ino seemingly hiding down below his desk as Anko looks back one last time.
After leading her new team through the village they arrive at a small dango shop that she says she visits quite often. After all of them are seated she quickly asks them to tell her their names, dreams, likes, and dislikes when she points to them. "You first blondie." Smiling Naruto nods and stands up before speaking. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I want to be the best Clan Head the Uzumaki have ever had. I also want to be Hokage you know! I like ramen, my family, my friends, and Village. I hate traitors and those who judge people without knowing them." While his teammates already know his dream and goal they're surprised at his dislikes given that he doesn't seem to have had any before. "Hmm alright blondie. Now you shades." Recalling a few of his insects that were eating a piece of dango Shino pushes his glasses up. "My dream is to find and breed new species for my clan. My goal is to ensure my hive thrives. Why you ask? Because as the hive thrives so thrives the greater hives of my clan and the village itself. I have no other goals at this time Anko-sensei."
Barely keeping herself from laughing at how different the two boys are Anko nods. "So shades you're just like the rest of your clan. And last how about you princess." Blushing at the title Hinata stands and bows to Anko who waves it off. "M-My dream is to b-be a great mo-mother.", as she says this her eyes momentarily flick over to Naruto, "An-And a good clan head. I li-like pressing flowers and cinnamon rolls. I dis-dislike pe-people who judge others." Noticing the quick look over at Naruto Anko's smile os downright predatory as she looks at Hinata. "Alright your new name is Stutters. Until you get rid of it or become chunin. Now despite what your teacher said you three are not genin just yet. You have to pass my survival test to earn that. So let's head to Training Ground 8 for it."
-Training Ground 8-
As the three graduates enter the training ground with their captain they take in the field which seems to be equally divided between small groups of trees and open fields. "I'm going to give you three 15 minutes to get ready after that you have till this timer goes off.", at this she pulls a small clock out of her pocket, "To impress me or more likely survive without being caught to graduate. If you don't you'll be sent right back to the Academy for another year. Now BEGIN!" The moment the three leave her sight she sets the timer before pulling out a small bag of dango she brought to enjoy while she waits for the timer to go off. "Let's see how Iruka-kun's latest batch of brats will do. Who knows maybe they'll be fun to hunt for once."
After the three have moved into one of the larger groupings of trees they quickly circle up to make a plan. "Shino what's the plan?" For a moment Shino is silent before pointing to Naruto's scrolls. "Use the same strategy you did with Shikamaru-san. Use seals and shadow clones to rig the forests with traps but leave the open areas mostly free of them. Why you may ask. That is because we need clear and fast routes for escape if she proves too strong." Nodding Naruto quickly forms his favorite sign before creating dozens of clones who quickly rush off to do their jobs. "Hinata-san use your Byakugan to keep an eye out for Anko-sensei. Once she begins moving this way alert us and we'll either ambush her or avoid her if she proves too powerful initially." As the three silently prepare themselves Naruto reports that most of his clones have rigged the areas and are grouping together to ambush her.
"Sh-Shino-san she's moving now. She just su-summoned snakes and they're mo-moving ah-ahead of her." Very quickly they three realize the summons are allowing her to avoid the traps and seemingly leading her to them. Wishing to give the original more time to cover the area in seals a small group of clones quickly henge into the others before attempting to draw Anko and her summons away. But their sacrifice proves to be pointless as she is both too fast and strong for them. When Naruto receives the flood of memories from his clones he quickly begins to worry for his friend's chances. "Shino we have to fight! She'll catch us if we run and I don't have the time to place stronger barrier or trap seals." For a moment it appears like Shino will disagree before Hinata warns that the area they're in is surrounded by snake summons. "She'll be here soon. Hinata you and Naruto will take the lead in fighting her close up. You two are better trained for that. I will support with my bugs. Naruto if your clones can support as well we might just survive."
After a moment of tense silence their sensei jumps down in front of them though she seems unusually focused on Naruto. "Blondie next time you set traps try to be more creative. Me and my snakes avoided the majority of them. And I..." As she is about to continue Naruto forms a ram seal before smirking. Much to her surprise the ground beneath her lights up with a few seals that release golden chains at quickly try to wrap around her. "Hehehe I knew those seals would be useful one.." Much to Naruto's shock Anko seemingly falls apart as she turns into *snakes that soon disappear in puffs of smoke. From all around them Anko's laugh seems to echo as they ready themselves. "I'm surprised your seals managed to destroy my clone Blondie. But let's see how you three handle the real deal." Before any of the three can react Anko is amongst them and has kicked Shino away into the trees. She quickly knocks Hinata away as well before Naruto's chains can push her back. Though he momentarily regrets that as her focus once again shifts to him. "So the little Uzumaki wants to play. Let's see how long your little chains can match my snakes!" When Anko begins to attack Naruto Hinata frantically looks between him and where Shino landed.
"Hinata go help Shino! He needs your help right now. I'll keep her busy!" Naruto quickly rushes back into the fight while drawing his tanto and moving to engage Anko. "Oh the little blondie assumes he can match me in a fight how cute." The two quickly begin trading blows as Naruto attempts to push Anko away from his teammates. When he tries slashing his blade in a reverse grip at his sensei stomach he's shocked when a snake comes out of her sleeve and bites down on the blade before it can touch her. Realizing he can't overpower the snake he quickly let's go of his blade and jumps back while drawing two kunai and falling into a Rapizzu stance. "Thanks for the blade Blondie. I knew you Uzumaki were generous but this is just too much." Before she can even swing the blade though it suddenly disappears in a burst of smoke before reappearing in the sheath.
Seeing her momentary shock Naruto quickly rushes forward seeing this as his best chance to stop her. Before he can reach her though she draws her own kunai and uses them to block his. "Now now little genin it isn't wise to attack a Jonin head on by your lonesome." While it's clear Naruto has quite a bit of muscle for someone his age he's slowly pushed back by Anko. As his knees begin to buckle Anko smirks at how hard he's fighting despite being outmatched. "Who said I'm alone? Now guys!" Before Anko can react Hinata joins by attacking with more traditional Gentle Fist strikes while a seemingly endless wave of bugs works to encircle her. Seeing how well the three are working together Anko simply smiles before she quickly gets out of their impromptu trap with Shunshin.
When the smoke appears the three quickly jump back fearing that she is summoning a snake to fight beside her. Once the three realize their sensei has disappeared though they quickly regrouped while warily looking around for her. After a few minutes Hinata warns that she's coming back their way upon a massive snake. Realizing they can't escape or even defeat the massive summon they prepare for one last fight. Once the massive python has surrounded the entire clearing they nervously stared at Anko who begins to laugh. "So you three are rather strong for genin but that's not all I was testing. I was testing to see if you three could work together and obviously you have. But I have to test one last thing before I decide if I'll take on Team 8 as it's sensei. One of you is going to be sent back to the Academy but I won't decide who that will be up to you three." Stunned by her words the three quickly look between each other before looking back at Anko who's smiling evilly. "I'll give you three 15 minutes to decide. If you can't I'll fail you all and have you all removed from the Village's shinobi roster permanently." For a few moments the three are silent before they begin talking to each other trying to decide who will be sent back but secretly each of them plans to announce they will be sent back to spare their new friends that burden. When Anko finally returns she simply asks them who's going to be sent back or if she'll have to send all three back like she did with the last group.
When Anko returns she sees the three simply staring down at the ground before they look up at her. "So my little victims who are you guys sending back? Remember if you can't choose I'll just send you all back or have you removed from the shinobi roster." Just before she can ask again the three quickly all say they will go back before realizing what the others have said. "Hinata no you can't go back! You have to go on so you can lead your clan. And Shino you can't grow your hive at the Academy. What about growing stringer for your family? You guys.." Shaking his head in a rare display of emotion looks between Naruto and Hinata. "Naruto-san I could ask you the same. You can not move closer to being Kage at the Academy. And Hinata-san you must advance to carry out your goals. I can stay at the Academy for another year without harming my own goals."
When it's clear the three won't come to a decision Anko quickly silences them all. "So you all are willing to return to the Academy to allow your comrades to continue?", when the three nod her face turns even more stern, "In that case I only have one thing to say to you?" As the kids quickly prepare for the worst they all either look away or look down much to Anko's amusement. "Welcome to Team 8 you all passed my little test." For the briefest moment all three are silent before Naruto breaks it by yelling and eventually cheering as he hugs his teammates. "Calm down Blondie. Training starts tomorrow morning at 7AM sharp here. Be sure to bring your standard set of weapons and gear." While the three celebrate and quickly run off to tell their friends and family Anko laughs evilly while thinking of how hard she's going to train them. "If only I was a Sarutobi I could be training the other blondie. She's probably still terrified of me after that last time." After laughing for a moment the Snake summoner decides on a whim to go mess with their cute teacher again.
-Uzumaki Compound-
When Naruto enters the clan compound the rest of the Uzumaki can quickly tell that he passed the second exam and begin to congratulate their young heir on it. Before things can get too excited though Naruto see's Kaito, Harue now obviously with child, and Emiko walking his way. "Congrats otōto I knew you had it in you." Instead of speaking Harue quickly wraps Naruto up in a tight hug much to his embarrassment as she treats him like a baby again. "Congratulations Naruto-san, but before we can truly celebrate", as she says this Emiko looks at the surrounding Uzumaki who quickly get back to work, "the Elders must speak with you about somethings." As Naruto is led into the Elder's meeting room he's surprised when he see's Emiko activate seals he's never seen before once the last elder has sat down. "Naruto tell me what have we told you our clan has been doing since the Fall? Aside from looking for lost clan members, scrolls, and weapons?"
Thinking back the lessons and stories Kaito had given him between his missions for the clan. "Ummm other than that you said the clan has been carrying out actions against the ones who attacked us but that's it. You didn't give me any information at all since I was still a student." Nodding his head Kaito smiles at Naruto who's looking back and forth at him and the Elders. "That's correct Otōto. And now it's time you learned more of what we have been doing since the Fall and even before in some cases." As Kaito stands he releases a small scroll with a multitude of seals on it before he releases a single one before he passes it to his right where the next Elder does the same.
Once the scroll reaches Emiko she releases the final seal before she opens the scroll and shows it to Naruto. Upon it is a map of the Elemental Nations but instead of showing cities or even villages there are dozens, if not hundreds, of symbols some of which he recognizes as clan symbols. "The truth is Naruto since before we founded Uzushio our clan has done all it could to help those in need across the nations. Much like with the ancestors of the Kazama we have sent our best to save those that we can no matter what village they hail from. Sadly after the Fall we were forced to cut back our efforts for very obvious reasons and many of our friends died as a result. But as we recovered we began to once again to aid any we could so that what happened to us does not happen to another clan or family." For the next two hours Naruto is told of those his clan has rescued and what to do if he finds a lost member of them someday during a mission. When he finally leaves the room with Kaito behind him they quickly head towards their favorite spot in the compound a concealed bench within the central garden.
After simply sotting there for a few moments Naruto quietly asks Kaito why they risk their lives to save those who may have been involved in the attack on Uzushio. For a moment Kaito is silent as he thinks back to those he's saved and those he's had to kill for both the village and clan. "Naruto tell me if a group of Hyūga were to attack you would Hinata be at fault for their actions? Would Neji?" For a moment Naruto try's to argue that it's different before realizing the same justifications he's using for Hinata and Neji can easily apply to families and clans."That's why otōto because while I hate the ones who ordered and relished in the attempted genocide of our clan I do not hate those who were forced to join due to orders or threats from others. So while I will not defend their actions I will save their descendants if they need help. For that is how we can truly achieve peace by showing that the place you were born in or the family you belong to should not stop others from reaching out in your times of need." While the two spend much of the day speaking Emiko heads to a heavily sealed and hidden area underground to tell two other's about Naruto becoming a genin.
Upon entering the hidden hospital room she quickly releases two sets of flowers from a scroll she's carrying before placing each bouquet on the table beside them. "Kushina-chan and Minato-kun I wish you two were awake to see your son grow and develop as a child and man. He may have your overexcited nature Kushina but you'd be happy to see that he's inherited Minato's Nindo and looks almost like a clone of him. I pray to Kami-sama daily that you two awaken not only so you can see your son grow up but also because the world is rushing towards disaster." As she continues to talk to the comatose parents she notices, with a bittersweet smile, that once again their hands have found each other again despite neither being awake. After she finishes talking she double checks the various medical seals placed both on them and on their beds to keep them strong despite their coma's. For the briefest moment as she leaves and says goodbye she can almost hear them responding and thanking her. When she finally reaches the surface she can sense that Naruto has finally calmed down and is still with Kaito despite the meeting ending hours ago.
-1 week later-
After Naruto landed after being thrown away by his sensei he quickly jumps up to avoid the kunai she'd thrown as well. "Come on Blondie! Is that the best you got!?" While Anko continued to taunt Naruto across the field Hinata and Shino could be see working with copies of her on their own taijutsu. While Naruto is about to rush forward Anko notices that not only is he looking tired but so are his teammates. "ALRIGHT LUNCH TIME! GET OVER HERE YOU TWO!" She laughs when both Shino and Hinata visibly sigh in relief as the clones they were facing dispel themselves. After giving her team some time to rest and drink some water she says they're doing something different today. "Instead of our usual jutsu work I'm going to have you three attempt to evade a older team in this area. If you manage to avoid being caught for two hours I'll teach you all some higher level jutsu or look for harder missions. But if you fail trust me I'll make the last week look like it was just a warmup for what I can really do. They will be here in one hour so be ready by then my little victims." Upon saying that she quickly leaves to give them time to plan for their upcoming mission.
For a moment Team 8 is silent as they consider what to do before Naruto gets a rather devious looking smirk before creating three shadow clones. As the clones rush off Naruto quickly pulls out a large set of blank tags and begins filling them using his chains. While this is happening both Shino and Hinata stare at each other in confusion at what he's doing. "Naruto-san where are your clones going? And why are you creating so many seals? Surely we will not need to use them all." Finally looking up at his teammates Naruto realizes he hasn't told them his idea and begins sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he laughs. "Sorry sorry it's just I had a idea and didn't want to risk losing it. My clones are going to get the rest of our classmates and see if they could aid us. Afterall if this is training for evasion wouldn't the village send reinforcements if they found out we were being hunted?" Realizing Naruto is right the other two quickly smile before pulling out their standard weapons. "Na-Naruto-kun wh-what should we do while wa-wait for the other teams?" Once he finishes creating the last seal he looks up before pointing towards the multiple scrolls he's filled with a variety of seals. "We're gonna do all that we can to make searching for us as slow as possible.", as he speaks he picks up a small scroll and holds it towards them, "I need you guys to channel just a bit of your chakra into this. The seals can then mimic, for the most part, your chakra signatures once I put them on a clone. It'll make things a whole lot more difficult for whoever is coming after us to distinguish a henged clone from the real one." After a moment both place a hand on either side of the scroll and channel a small amount of chakra into it.
Once Naruto is sure the seals are working he unrolls the scroll to show two sets of seals each with their clan symbols in the middle. "Alright these should help my clones disguise who's who if they manage to get close to us. But what should we do with the remaining time we have left?" For a moment Shino looks at Naruto before looking at his small pile of scrolls and looking back at him but doesn't say a word. "Na-Naruto-kun maybe you sh-should use your seals to place traps like you ha-have before." Seeing they're right Naruto quickly forms well over a hundred clones and has them spread the seals across the area. "You know I'm becoming a one trick guy. I can't just rely on my seals and clones all the time." Shaking her head Hinata pokes her index fingers together before responding in a surprisingly clear voice. "Naruto-san relying on your strengths is not a bad thing. You are just a genin I am sure as you learn more you'll come up with more strategies." Before Naruto can say anything he receives memories from one of his clones that was attacked by the now known team. "They're coming we need to move."
While the team quickly leaves the area Naruto makes multiple clones and places the *Cover seals upon the ones henging into Hinata and Shino before having them split up. "I think I know who she's sent after us. I think it's Neji's team Hinata-chan. This might be harder than we thought." Hearing this Hinata quickly uses her dojutsu to see if she can spot them before nodding that it's his team. "Hinata-san tell us about his team. What can we expect from them?" Keeping her attention split between watching the incoming team and the local area Hinata thinks before responding. "Ne-Neji-niisan knows more about our clan's Gentle Fist than me. He's a pr-prodigy and ha-has been trained by my fa-father. He ha-has one male teammate na-named Rock Lee who can only u-use taijutsu and is skilled at it. The fi-final member is a girl named Te-Tenten that spe-specializes in fuinjutsu and bu-bukijutsu to provide ra-ranged support." For a moment Shino is quiet as he considers how to handle their pursuers as effectively as possible. "Naruto-san are the others on their way? We do not have the requisite skills to handle them without undue risk of defeat and capture." As they continue to run Naruto explains that only Teams 7 and 11 are able to come and that they are waiting in the north-east corner.
-30 minutes later-
As Team 8 gets closer to the edge of the training ground Naruto warns that his last henged and cloaked Shadow Clone has just been destroyed and that Neji's team is heading their way. "My hive has said our reinforcements are just ahead." Upon entering the clearing Naruto quickly activated a small seal on his right palm that showed the Leaf symbol. When Karin and the others walled into the clearing they did the same to prove they weren't genjutsu or henged members of Team 9. "So Dobe why did you need our help?" Before Naruto can say anything Team 9 arrives and immediately moves to attack Team 8. "THIS IS WHY DUCK BUTT!" While Naruto and his comrades struggle to hold off their more experienced opponents Sasuke and Kiba quickly rush in to join them. While Hinata attempts to hold back Tenten and Shino with Kiba fights Lee they're all shocked to see Naruto and Sasuke thrown back. "Naruto-san and Sasuke-san you two may be the best of your class but I am the best of mine and my clan!"
As the fight devolves into a mad scramble Naruto quickly throws a scroll to Karin who opens it and laughs. "EVERYONE BACK UP! I'M USING ONE OF HIS SEALS!" Before Team 9 can react Karin slams a set of seals across the forest floor with her chains. "Uzumaki Hexagonal Barrier!" As her chakra flares a series of barrier walls with Uzumaki swirls on each side form around entire group stopping the fight for a moment as it splits the teams apart. "Sasuke-san you and your team handle Lee. Karin-san have yours handle Tenten. We will handle Neji by ourselves." Hearing this Neji smirks as he falls into his beginning stance while motioning for them to come at him.
Seeing this Naruto returns the smirk for one of his one before forming his chains and having them encircle his arms. "So you think you can match me this time Naruto?" At this Naruto laughs before saying he can't alone but can with his team. As the barriers separating falls each new team rushes to meet their chosen opponents. The first to meet is Team 7 with Rock Lee who pulls out a set of weighted short staffs that he uses to block strikes from Kiba's hand claws and Sasuke's sword. While Lee is faster and more experienced than the new team their teamwork is just enough to prevent him from overwhelming. Suddenly to Sasuke the fight seems more clear and while dodging or deflecting Lee's strikes is still easier he can tell that the strangely dressed boy is so far superior to them. "KIBA USE THAT JUTSU! ME AND SAKURA WILL COVER YOU!" The moment Kiba jumps back he quickly gives Akamaru a soldier pill causing his fur to darken and spike up.
"Man Beast Clone!" Seeing the two feral looking Kiba's charging his way Lee quickly attempts to pull back but he's stopped up by Sakura who just barely manages to strike his right leg sending him crashing into the dirt. "These new genin are very youthful! I must convince Guy Sensei to let us spar with them more! And if I can not do that I will run around Konoha one hundred times on my hands." Before he can recover though both Kiba's are quickly on him with their claws near his throat. Seeing he's been defeated he quickly puts his hands up and compliments Team 7 on defeating him but promises to work harder so next time they do not. When Kiba moves to congratulate his team he notices Sasuke's eyes. "Sharingan..." Hearing this Sasuke quickly holds his sword in front of his face and see's his dōjutsu has finally activated. In each eye he see's a single tomoe before smirking and deactivating his sharingan to preserve his chakra. As this is occurring Team 11 quickly closes with Tenten.
While Karin's team is not typically a close range group they quickly realize fighting Tenten at a distance is near suicidal. *"Wind Style: Vortex Shield!" While they try to close with her they find that her proficiency with weapons borders on the insane for the time she's been a genin. But eventually they manage to close enough that she can no longer pepper them with senbon and other throwing weapons. But it's quickly apparent that she's no slouch in taijutsu either as she quickly knocks Yakumo unconscious with a blow to her head. "Come on girls you can do better than this. Show me what your class's kunoichi can do!" As Karin and Yama draw their own blades to face Tenten they both readily accept her challenge before charging forward. At first Yama takes the lead using two modified three bladed fuma shuriken that are only partially opened. "Tenten I hope you're happy to see that I'm using the weapons your father forged against you. Tell him these are perhaps the finest blades I've ever had!"
While Karin is surprised to hear what her comrade says she's even more surprised when Tenten laughs and tells her she will. Seeing a small opening Karin quickly dives into the fight using her tanto and chains in equal amount. But she is soon pushed on the defensive as Tenten drops one kunai she holds only to unseal a small kanabō that she quickly uses to smash away Karin's chains. Before she can take advantage of it though suddenly before her Karin turns into Neji and she hesitates before realizing it's a genjutsu. But before she can break it she's quickly wrapped up in chains as Yama holds her blade to her throat. "Good job and I am glad you three aren't fangirls. But let's see if your friends can beat Neji's ultimate defense." As she says this they suddenly hear Neji shout something and see Team 8 get thrown back.
As the various genin watch the final showdown they're stunned by how quickly Neji managed to repel the entirety of Team 8. As they all watch they hear Tenten say that is his absolute defense and that nothing Team 8 can do will defeat it. Hearing this Naruto quickly shouts that he'll destroy it before resealing his blade and telling Shino and Hinata to back him up.*"Wind Drill jutsu!" Once the drills have stabilized around Naruto's forearms he quickly rushes forward and attempts to strike Neji with a strike to his left shoulder. For just a moment Neji blocks the strike before he see's how the wind is cutting into his forearm causing him to jump back to avoid further damage. "That is an interesting jutsu Naruto-san. But tell me how will it stand up to my own?" Before Naruto can react Neji rushes forward aiming at the tenketsu within Naruto's left elbow but at the last second Naruto brings his arm down causing the chakra to be released within his jutsu.
The moment the chakra disrupts Naruto's own the jutsu unravels and sends both boys flying back due to the power held within it. "Note to self don't use that jutsu around Hyūga. That seriously hurt!" While the two struggle to get up their respective teams agree to just watch rather than intervene though they do shout encouragement to them both. "Naruto-san why don't we settle this with one last strike?" Once Naruto has agreed Neji falls into a more open stance with his arms spread wide. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" When Hinata hears this she quickly grows alarmed but before she can even move Neji quickly begins to strike at Naruto before she's even halfway there. When Neji is finished he's surprised to see Naruto still standing and trying to mold chakra. "Naruto-san it's over you won't be able to use your chakra for awhile." As he watches though golden flakes seem to fall off Naruto who subsequently falls on his butt panting before he begins to laugh.
"I KNEW IT WOULD WORK!" While most of the others are stunned Karin figures out part of what Naruto has done before laughing. When the others ask what she's laughing about she simply manifests one of her chains. "He used our bloodline to block the strikes. At least I assume he did cause I have no idea what exactly he did." When Neji and Hinata hear this they quickly look at Naruto and realize that she's right as Naruto's chakra is still flowing freely except for his left arm where it's blocked. "Impossible...He blocked the majority of my strikes." Hearing this Hinata quickly rushes forward to help Naruto when she realizes he has no idea how to safely release his tenketsu. As she gets closer she's surprised to see Anko jump down next to Naruto before she smacks him over the head.
"You moron! Why did you just stand there and take those hits!? What if your little ploy had failed hmm? Did you ever think of that! And look at you! Just doing it once left you exhausted!" Seeing that Anko isn't going to stop anytime soon Teams 7 and 11 quickly leave hoping to avoid being involved in whatever the Snake Mistress has planned. A few minutes after she began ranting Anko finishes by congratulating Naruto on completing his jutsu and congratulating her team for completing the exercise. "Alright before Blondie here does some other dumb thing", at this Naruto makes a face at Anko's back, "let's go get something to eat and debrief. Oh by the way Team 9 your sensei said you are free to join me and my team for this. Consider it payment for helping my little victims get a little better."
-Dango Shop-
When the two teams are seated Anko quickly goes over their objectives for the exercise and how each side did. "Neji, Lee, and Tenten since you three are not my students I can't really say how you can improve yourselves beyond this expand your jutsu. You three seemed unusually reliant on either taijutsu or weapons instead of other skills but that is up to you three individually and your sensei to work on." After the three older genin have thanked Anko for her words and the food they quickly leave knowing what's to come for Team 8. Once they have left Anko turns her full attention to her own team before focusing in on Naruto with just the barest hint of KI mixed in for good measure. "Blondie what in Kami made you use a unproved defense against the Hyūga's signature move? And don't even try to claim that technique is complete even I can tell it's halfway at BEST. So don't go bragging about it just yet." As Naruto attempts to respond she quiets him with a glare before laughing. "That being said you did good today Blondie. Your seals helped your team avoid capture for quite a long time and that jutsu did work partially. Starting next week we'll work on some more jutsu during practice." Once she has finished with Naruto she changes her focus to Hinata who seems to shrink under her gaze.
"Stutters what am I going to do with you? Unlike Blondie here you're not a moron so my only criticism is get more confident in your abilities. You can't afford to second guess yourself out there nor can you afford to freeze up. But don't you worry I'll get you out of that shell of yours soon!" While Naruto is still grumbling over what Anko said to him he's goad to hear what she said to Hinata-chan. "That's right Hinata-chan is already amazing!" "Th-Thank you Anko-sensei." Once she turns her attention to Shino though Anko sighs. "Shades you're another hard one. You know how to lead the team but you need a little work on being part of it if you get what I'm saying. But I think Blondie here will help you out with that part." While Naruto is confused at what Anko means regarding him and Shino he's glad to hear her complimenting his teammates. Right up to the point she slaps him over the head again and orders him not to use his technique again. "Until you finish that I don't want you to even use it in spars. Is that understood?" While he initially wants to say he'll use his technique whenever he can he's stopped by the KI she's directing at him. "Hai Anko-sensei!" After congratulating them again she quickly tells them to dig in as their dango and red bean soup arrives. To the other customers horror she and Naruto seem to enter a impromptu eating contest though Hinata and Shino find it a little funny. Once the last plate has been taken away Anko dismisses them with orders to see them Monday at 7AM sharp. While Shino decides to head home quickly Naruto convinces Hinata to hang out for a bit leading to the two ending up on top of the Hokage Mountain.
When Hinata realizes that the two are alone she gets a bit nervous especially when Naruto asks her to sit beside him. "Come on Hinata-chan, you're gonna miss it if you don't sit down." Quickly working up the courage Hinata sits beside her crush though she doesn't know what he's talking about she's glad to spend time with him. Not wanting to break the silence she whispers to ask him what they're waiting for before she see's it when he points forward. When she turns to face what he's pointing at she see's the sunset in all it's glory. The village seems to be backlit by the sky's reds, oranges, & the slightest bit of purple as it sets more and more. When Naruto turns to ask her how she likes his spot he is stunned by what he see's. "Wow Hinata-chan is really pretty."
Feeling his eyes on her Hinata turns to face him and ends up nose to nose with him quickly causing her to blush very deeply. Just as she's about to ask Naruto why he's staring she barely hears him whisper something. "..beautiful." Shocked that he considers her beautiful the young Hyūga does something she hasn't in awhile she faints. The next thing she knows when she wakes up is Naruto is carrying her bridal style in his arms while rushing to her house causing her to faint once again just as they enter it. The next time she came too it was morning and her father had the faintest smirk on his face as he said a certain boy tried to stay and watch her overnight. Unbeknownst to her in the Uzumaki household that same boy sported a blush not unlike hers when his own family heard about what happened.
*-from now on italics that aren't jutsu are people's thoughts or speaking in mindscape if it's bold it's the Bijuu, a big summon, or a very, very angry & loud person
*-Snake Clone basically the same as the Aburame's Bug clone jutsu C-rank
*-hides a user's chakra signature by making it appear to be another's will burn out if the user uses any jutsu above D rank
*-forms a spiraling wall of wind between the user and whatever they are trying to defend against high C-rank seal
*-user forms a vortex of wind natured chakra around their hands and forearms C-rank jutsu I'm sure you can realize what other jutsu it'll help with
Once again thanks for reading, following, favoriting, & reviewing it means the world to me. Next chapter will show more of their training and maybe the start of their first real mission. See y'all later
Rewrite-2/27