A/N: Sorry this didn't get posted earlier in the day, but DDR consumed my
life for a good four hours this afternoon. I'm easily distracted, ok! Hehe.
But I'll stick to what I said I'd do and get a chapter up every day this
weekend. I can't make any promises about next week or the coming weekend.
Boyfriend is visiting from another state and you know how it goes. I can't
wait! *bounce* Anyway! On with the chapter! Once again the reviews that I
received in my email before I posted this chapter will be addressed at the
end of the story. You guys are great for giving me enough reviews to
justify putting my replies at the end *grin*
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
............
Kakashi-sensei's arrival, more than four hours late, sparked an immediate explosion from two of his students. True to his character, Naruto joined the now awake Sakura in loudly voicing complaints about their teacher's tardiness and in grumbling discontentedly about his poor excuse. Sasuke, of course, remained silent. Arms crossed, he watched his two teammates with a slight scowl.
As Kakashi-sensei got down to business and explained the rules of their test, however, Naruto had to wonder. The test was obviously designed to require teamwork at the same time as it promoted fighting among the teammates. With only two bells, one of them would be forced to sacrifice his or her interests for the good of the group. Which one of them would be willing to go back to the academy so the other two could surpass them? Naruto knew that he could not offer to make that sacrifice; his façade was that of a loud idiot who typically had his best interests at heart. Sasuke, of course, had a different problem. He would be forced to avoid his teammates at all costs; he, the loner, must work on his own to retrieve a bell. Naruto could have worked with Sakura without jeopardizing himself, but she would not work with him. She would readily work with Sasuke, but in order to maintain his guise, Sasuke would have nothing to do with her. Sasuke and Naruto certainly could not work together either. Worst of all, none of the three was strong enough to obtain a bell on his or her own. Although he seemed flaky, their new sensei certainly possessed a keen intellect and a shrewd mind.
The boy could not even consult his teammates about their predicament without raising the suspicions of not only Kakashi-sensei, but also Sakura- chan. If anything, by giving Sasuke a full glimpse of his potential Naruto had only made his disguise more difficult to maintain. The boys understood each other and were even happy to work together as teammates, but they could not do so. In order to protect one another, they must be willing and even PLEASED to watch the other fail without lifting a finger to help.
But... Naruto did not want Sasuke to fail. Nor did he want Sakura-chan to fail. Perhaps there was a reason beyond marks that they had been teamed together. Out of the twenty seven graduating members of their class, Naruto and Sasuke, the two with the most devastating pasts, the two who were the most likely to bond and understand one another, had been placed on the same team. Sakura-chan was probably the person who had been the nicest to Naruto although she had not meant to.
For the second time that day, Naruto was forced to wonder whether he was really fooling anyone with his façade. Of course, Kakashi-sensei was old enough to know about the demon fox sealed inside Naruto's belly, but how much else did he know?
As Kakashi-sensei calmly explained that they were allowed to use their weapons to come at him with killer intent, Naruto threw his hands behind his head and offhandedly reminded his teacher of the prank he had walked into only the day before. It was a very characteristic, very Naruto-ish remark designed to elicit a response, and he was not disappointed.
Kakashi-sensei barely spared him a glance, returning Naruto's insult in such a bored tone that the boy stiffened immediately. Dobe... That name again! He had steeled himself to the hatred and disregard of everyone in the village, but first Sasuke and now Kakashi-sensei... Why did he care what they thought? Why was such anger overcoming him at their blatant disapproval? Grinding his teeth, the boy reached into his thigh pocket, grabbed his kunai and shot after his sensei without a moment's thought. The corner of Naruto's mind that remained detached from the boy's actions reminded him what his angry reactions had already cost him today, but the rest of him... The rest of him wanted blood.
There was not even enough time to register his sensei's movements before Naruto found himself with his back to Kakashi-sensei and the tip of his own kunai being forcibly held at the nape of his neck. Even as he tried to look behind himself without moving his head, Naruto caught the stunned expressions on Sakura's and even Sasuke's faces. This man... Flaky as he seemed, he was definitely eons ahead of his students. If they could find a way to pass this initial test without breaking their carefully maintained characters, they stood to learn a lot from their new sensei.
............
A/N: Yeah... I know that this was a really short chapter, but it was more fitting to put the rest of what I wanted to say in the next chapter. Sorry to those of you who don't like how closely I'm following the manga/anime in some places, but it is necessary every so often in order to keep the story parallel to the manga/anime. In other words, in order for it to follow approximately the same story line, the two have got to overlap in some places. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that's my logic anyway. Regardless, chapter five should be up tonight or earlyish tomorrow. Reviews are welcome and encouraged as usual *innocent smile* And now, on to the replies!
Miya Wada: Yeah, I know that the first chapter is really, really based on the anime/manga, but I was trying to establish the idea of Naruto's intelligence in a setting which the fans of Naruto could accept and relate to easily. I will follow the timeline of the anime, but more and more I think this is going to focus around what you don't see in the series.
Silver Dragonfly: Still very glad that you're reading!
SirenM: I'm glad you're intrigued! It's supposed to be that way mwahaha!
Ayako: Yeah, but you won't hear it too terribly much unless he's alone with Sasuke or in his thoughts...
Foxgrl: I know! That was actually when I started thinking it...
Adyen: I know not everyone likes SasuNaru... I don't know why it interests me so much, honestly. There will be SOME stuff going on between them, but I don't know that the story will be particularly focused on the sexual aspect of them. I'm too into wondering where the whole thing with Naruto being smart is going to go, honestly.
Kkoganei: I'm glad you like it! I'll keep writing as fast as I can!
:D: I'll get to that, I promise! And I promise to continue too. I love the reviews too much to stop! Hehe. I'm such an attention whore *grin*
Escuro de la Lus: I really like the way this portrayal of Naruto is coming. He's smart*ER*, but not so smart it's unrealistic. I can't wait to keep writing!
Bishiehuggler: I didn't exactly change the situation with the fox. The way that Sasuke found out will come up in the story, but just keep in mind that the hokage mentions in the first episode that he has punished anyone who talked about it... Which means that people HAVE spoken of it. Never know who might be listening...
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
............
Kakashi-sensei's arrival, more than four hours late, sparked an immediate explosion from two of his students. True to his character, Naruto joined the now awake Sakura in loudly voicing complaints about their teacher's tardiness and in grumbling discontentedly about his poor excuse. Sasuke, of course, remained silent. Arms crossed, he watched his two teammates with a slight scowl.
As Kakashi-sensei got down to business and explained the rules of their test, however, Naruto had to wonder. The test was obviously designed to require teamwork at the same time as it promoted fighting among the teammates. With only two bells, one of them would be forced to sacrifice his or her interests for the good of the group. Which one of them would be willing to go back to the academy so the other two could surpass them? Naruto knew that he could not offer to make that sacrifice; his façade was that of a loud idiot who typically had his best interests at heart. Sasuke, of course, had a different problem. He would be forced to avoid his teammates at all costs; he, the loner, must work on his own to retrieve a bell. Naruto could have worked with Sakura without jeopardizing himself, but she would not work with him. She would readily work with Sasuke, but in order to maintain his guise, Sasuke would have nothing to do with her. Sasuke and Naruto certainly could not work together either. Worst of all, none of the three was strong enough to obtain a bell on his or her own. Although he seemed flaky, their new sensei certainly possessed a keen intellect and a shrewd mind.
The boy could not even consult his teammates about their predicament without raising the suspicions of not only Kakashi-sensei, but also Sakura- chan. If anything, by giving Sasuke a full glimpse of his potential Naruto had only made his disguise more difficult to maintain. The boys understood each other and were even happy to work together as teammates, but they could not do so. In order to protect one another, they must be willing and even PLEASED to watch the other fail without lifting a finger to help.
But... Naruto did not want Sasuke to fail. Nor did he want Sakura-chan to fail. Perhaps there was a reason beyond marks that they had been teamed together. Out of the twenty seven graduating members of their class, Naruto and Sasuke, the two with the most devastating pasts, the two who were the most likely to bond and understand one another, had been placed on the same team. Sakura-chan was probably the person who had been the nicest to Naruto although she had not meant to.
For the second time that day, Naruto was forced to wonder whether he was really fooling anyone with his façade. Of course, Kakashi-sensei was old enough to know about the demon fox sealed inside Naruto's belly, but how much else did he know?
As Kakashi-sensei calmly explained that they were allowed to use their weapons to come at him with killer intent, Naruto threw his hands behind his head and offhandedly reminded his teacher of the prank he had walked into only the day before. It was a very characteristic, very Naruto-ish remark designed to elicit a response, and he was not disappointed.
Kakashi-sensei barely spared him a glance, returning Naruto's insult in such a bored tone that the boy stiffened immediately. Dobe... That name again! He had steeled himself to the hatred and disregard of everyone in the village, but first Sasuke and now Kakashi-sensei... Why did he care what they thought? Why was such anger overcoming him at their blatant disapproval? Grinding his teeth, the boy reached into his thigh pocket, grabbed his kunai and shot after his sensei without a moment's thought. The corner of Naruto's mind that remained detached from the boy's actions reminded him what his angry reactions had already cost him today, but the rest of him... The rest of him wanted blood.
There was not even enough time to register his sensei's movements before Naruto found himself with his back to Kakashi-sensei and the tip of his own kunai being forcibly held at the nape of his neck. Even as he tried to look behind himself without moving his head, Naruto caught the stunned expressions on Sakura's and even Sasuke's faces. This man... Flaky as he seemed, he was definitely eons ahead of his students. If they could find a way to pass this initial test without breaking their carefully maintained characters, they stood to learn a lot from their new sensei.
............
A/N: Yeah... I know that this was a really short chapter, but it was more fitting to put the rest of what I wanted to say in the next chapter. Sorry to those of you who don't like how closely I'm following the manga/anime in some places, but it is necessary every so often in order to keep the story parallel to the manga/anime. In other words, in order for it to follow approximately the same story line, the two have got to overlap in some places. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that's my logic anyway. Regardless, chapter five should be up tonight or earlyish tomorrow. Reviews are welcome and encouraged as usual *innocent smile* And now, on to the replies!
Miya Wada: Yeah, I know that the first chapter is really, really based on the anime/manga, but I was trying to establish the idea of Naruto's intelligence in a setting which the fans of Naruto could accept and relate to easily. I will follow the timeline of the anime, but more and more I think this is going to focus around what you don't see in the series.
Silver Dragonfly: Still very glad that you're reading!
SirenM: I'm glad you're intrigued! It's supposed to be that way mwahaha!
Ayako: Yeah, but you won't hear it too terribly much unless he's alone with Sasuke or in his thoughts...
Foxgrl: I know! That was actually when I started thinking it...
Adyen: I know not everyone likes SasuNaru... I don't know why it interests me so much, honestly. There will be SOME stuff going on between them, but I don't know that the story will be particularly focused on the sexual aspect of them. I'm too into wondering where the whole thing with Naruto being smart is going to go, honestly.
Kkoganei: I'm glad you like it! I'll keep writing as fast as I can!
:D: I'll get to that, I promise! And I promise to continue too. I love the reviews too much to stop! Hehe. I'm such an attention whore *grin*
Escuro de la Lus: I really like the way this portrayal of Naruto is coming. He's smart*ER*, but not so smart it's unrealistic. I can't wait to keep writing!
Bishiehuggler: I didn't exactly change the situation with the fox. The way that Sasuke found out will come up in the story, but just keep in mind that the hokage mentions in the first episode that he has punished anyone who talked about it... Which means that people HAVE spoken of it. Never know who might be listening...