AN: Good news everybody! I took some time off while that poll was going to rest from the solid two months of insomnia I've been suffering. I found some medicine that helps so update speeds SHOULD start picking up now.

Trickshot

Chapter 1

-Naruto-

Gritting his teeth, Naruto pushed one last rock in front of his shelter, leaving a slit just large enough for him to peak out of. "Man I got lucky!" Naruto grinned widely as he looked about the hollowed-out cave like shelter he'd come across, having only had to block up the entrance to keep safe while he was inside.

"I wonder why I never heard of this test before though." Naruto frowned as he started poking about the stuff that was left in the shelter to distract from his thoughts of what had happened earlier in the day.

His second attempt to pass the academy test, his second failure. When they let Lee pass and he couldn't even do any Jutsu! And he was bad at Taijutsu! Naruto could at least do the henge and substitutions perfectly and was the best at stealth! But no, apparently some Jonin who looked like Lee had requested Naruto's classmate pass and be put on their team.

At least Mizuku sensei had been on his side though! The instructor had told him about a secret extra test that could be done for those who failed the regular one. Spend a week in Training Ground forty-four without needed to be collected, and he'd earn his headband.

Poking about the cave, he found supplies left behind by other people who'd been here before. He found kunai, scrolls, some rations that smelled like they went bad, and a bow of all things.

"Huh, never seen a ninja use one of these." Naruto frowned as he picked up the ranged weapon, working to draw it back and finding it shockingly hard to do so.

"What the?" Naruto blinked, working again as he found while he could draw the string all the way back it wasn't easy and his arm was shaking.

"Man, it must be hard to use one of these things." Naruto frowned before his face split into a wide grin, "I bet those others who passed can't do it!" determined to figure out this weapon if for no other reason than to show up the classmates who'd passed where he failed, Naruto settled in to train with that bow in his tiny shelter.

-Tsume-

"You called for me Hokage-Sama?" Tsume appeared before the village leader, her canine companion at her side.

"Naruto has gone missing." The Hokage puffed on his pipe, using the herbs within to ease any stress he was currently under "Nobody has seen him since he left the academy after failing his test. I spoke to his senseis and they're unsure of where he went. I thought he was out to sulk, but nobody has seen him at all in this time, not even those at the Ramen Stand he practically lives at."

"And you want me to track the kid down." Tsume nodded, easy enough even if it would be boring. Finding a wayward kid hiding in the village sounded like genin work but she knew how important a Jinchuriki was.

"Exactly." Sarutobi nodded, "You have your orders. Now go." In a blur, she and Kuromaru vanished from the Hokage tower, hurrying to the academy to pick up the kid's trail.

"I smell him." Kuromaru winced, "Kid smells like Ramen and Salt. Lots and lots of Ramen." She nodded, still exasperated by how some of her clan expected the kid to smell like a fox. He had a mass of chakra shaped like a nine tailed fox trapped in a seal on his body. That didn't make the brat the fox or even a fox.

"Follow it. Let's get this done quickly." She nodded to Kuromaru, the wolf like canine taking off as she followed behind. As the ninken moved further and further from the village proper, a pit of worry started to settle in her gut.

"The Forest of Death." Kuromaru growled out, "He went straight for the forest of Death…along with one of the senseis from the academy although they never entered the tree line."

"The same ones who said they had no idea where he went." She scowled, the Hokage wasn't going to like this. Readying her claws, she picked up the pace, Kuromaru following the still relatively fresh scent trail as they entered the forest which showed no real physical trail markers. Although she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. If the kid could regularly evade Anbu, he knew how to not leave a trail.

"Damnit!" hearing the cursing of her target, she shared a glance with Kuromaru as they landed on a tree branch. Of all the things she expected when finding out the kid was in the Forest of Death, training in a clearing with a bow of all things was not one of them. The kid had a handful of arrows that had been fired at a target with very few managing to hit.

"Why is this thing so hard to draw." Naruto grunted as he drew the string back, the arm holding the bow shaking from the strength requirement.

"Because that bow isn't designed for beginners kid." She spoke up as the blond brat fell on his ass, having not heard her approach.

"Gah!" Naruto panted, hand on his chest before looking at her wide eyed, "No! I didn't need to get pulled out yet! It's only been a day! I can't fail please!"

"What the hell are you jabbering about kid?" Tsume dropped to the ground lightly "And why the hell are you even in here? This place is off limits to people who aren't shinobi. And anyone bellow Chuunin needs permission from their Jonin sensei or the Hokage to come inside."

"But…but Mizuku Sensei." Naruto wilted under her words, seemingly quick to trust her. Although from what she'd seen and heard around the village the fact that she wasn't glaring at him might be a part of that.

"What did your sensei say kid?" She asked gently, treating the blond boy like an abused puppy. Something she supposed wasn't too far off the mark.

"He said that if I could stay in the forest for a week without needing to be collected then I'd still pass." Naruto was almost pleading with her for it to be true with his tone, "That it was a special extra test."

"Kid, there is no 'special test' to pass the Academy." Tsume felt bad having to crush his hope, "And this place is dangerous. We call it the Forest of Death for a reason. You're lucky the Hokage was quick to have me track you down before the bears or giant centipedes found you."

"I…Jiji sent you?" he sniffled. The kid was small for his age, probably malnourished if he was this tiny for a teenager. That compared with his pitiful expression made him look like a small child, one that needed to be protected.

"Yeah kid." She crouched down and gave him a comforting grin, "But it ain't all bad! I'm sure the Hokage will make sure that Mizuki asshole gets what's coming to him for trying this. And even if you have to go back to the academy for another year, you'll be in my son's class next year. Kiba's a bit of an idiot but he's a good kid, he might need someone who's been around the block there to help make sure he actually studies." She added the last part conspiratorially as Naruto gave a small laugh. Taking that as a good sign, she got up, pulling the kid back to his feet.

"Come on, let's get you back to the Kage tower." She urged him onward, Kuromaru following behind to be ready in case any of the residents of the forest tried getting uppity.

"What…what did you mean about this bow not being meant for beginners?" Naruto asked once they were out of the forest, the kid having picked up on how on edge she and Kuromaru were about being in there.

"Kid, bow's take a lot of upper arm strength to use." She poked the kid's still rather thin arm "Better the bow for how far and fast the arrow goes, the more strength needed, not to mention you have to keep it steady. Most bows for training would start weaker so you could build up your arm strength first."

"Hmph, I'll get it down." Naruto grumbled; the kid clearly stubborn as an Inuzaka.

"Good attitude brat." She grinned, enjoying his protesting squawks as she ruffled his hair, "Quitters never make it in this line of work. Maybe you could do that Uzumaki seal stuff to make a training tool."

"Seals?" Naruto frowned confused.

"The academy not mention your clan was good at those?" She looked surprised, figuring that would come up in any history lesson about Uzu.

"I HAVE A CLAN?!" Naruto gaped at her as even Kuromaru paused to process the fact that the kid hadn't known.

"…The Hokage is gonna kill someone."

-Sarutobi-

"Ah, Tsume, welcome back." Sarutobi let out a sigh of relief as the feral looking woman returned with Naruto and Kuromaru.

"Hokage-Sama, I found him, but I also found out somethings you aren't going to like." Tsume scowled "Apparently one of his senseis, Mizuku, said if he lasted a week in the Forest of Death without needed help then he'd pass the Genin exam. Added to that, the kid apparently knows nothing about the Uzumaki clan."

"Why are you surprised Naruto? Surely you remember them? Talking about the Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha should have been one of the first lessons the academy gave since those three families were the founders of this village." Sarutobi took a deep steadying breath, deciding to focus on the easier topic for now, even as his mind was a whirl of ideas on what to do with Mizuki.

"The academy said only the Senju and Uchiha founded the village Jiji." Naruto shook his head, expression still somewhat vacant as the boy worked to process this revelation that had been dropped.

"Naruto…why don't you tell me exactly what all your instructors are teaching you." Sarutobi demanded and had to forcibly reign in his anger so as not to accidentally blast the boy with his killing intent as he learned just how badly they were sabotaging someone they should have treated as a Hero. "Naruto, it seems your instructors are failing in their duty to properly teach you beyond just Mizuki's stunt." Walking over to his bookshelf, he began going through it before finding three items he was looking for "I can't tell you who your parents were, they had too many enemies and left instructions for you to only be told when you were ready. That being said, I will be helping you catch up to speed on what the academy failed to teach you and what your clan focused on."

"But what if they just kick me out of classes again when I go back?" Naruto kicked the floor with a scowl.

"Trust me Naruto." Sarutobi's smile was vicious as he brought out the various books he wanted, "They'll know better once I'm through with them."