A Path to a Shinobi's Ambition

Chapter 01: A New Change

Written by: Koizumi Tsukiyo

Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me, and I'll say this for the first and last time since I don't feel like putting them in each chapter. Please enjoy!

Notes: This is my rewritten version once I finally had my new characters altogether, hope it's better than the last one. I want to thank my best editor ever, Tae, and Jenny for the greatest characters. Arigatou to you both!

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                View of the Leaf Hidden Village inside the meeting room where every single adult Chuunins and Jounins had attended, all muttering among themselves of the new changes that had just occur, waiting patiently for their Hokage to come back to end their meeting.

                "Ne! What kind of changes are these?!" an eighteen-years-old Naruto complained to anyone who would listen, his azure eyes closed to a fox-like look, "Just when I had finally become a Jounin! I will have to partner up with someone to just teach three Genins! What happened to our old tradition of doing it ourselves?!"

                "To make the matter worse, you also have to pair up with another team," His old companion and friend, Sakura, said beside him with a heavy sigh, "So that will mean you have two others for help with three more Genins to supervised."

                Naruto gave a loud roar, "What is our Hokage thinking?!"

                "Let me remind you that Tsunade was the first woman to have the name of Hokage from the Leaf," Shikamaru stated, crossing his arms over his chest, "Women tends to have many different opinions than us men. Very annoying, they are."

                Ino, who stood beside him, gave him a hard glare, "I resent that!"

                "What about you, Hinata?" Naruto asked, facing to the quiet girl beside him, "What's your opinion for this?"

                Hinata blushed lightly as she answered with a small smile, "I agree to whatever our Hokage-sama had planned, Naruto-kun."

                "Expected from Hinata here," Kiba said with a smirk as the large dog, Akamaru, barked beside him, "Though I like it even less than all of you."

                "Who said?!" Naruto snapped shortly after.

                "Truthfully, I find this kind of change quite interesting," the older Jounin, Ikazuchi, said with a kind smile as he join in their group, looking down at them from his tall height with crimson narrowed eyes from underneath his silver hair, that has two black streaks onto each sides.

                 "Everything that's new always interested you, Ikazuchi." Naruto grumbles, "Beside, you had taught Genins alone before, so considered yourself lucky."

                "Kama agrees with me also," Ikazuchi added with a brighter smile, pointing to the silent man behind him. Kama could only shrug without a care, his large head-chopping cleaver glittering dangerously behind him.

                "That's because he's new in this Leaf Village!"

                "Be glad this doesn't involve anything like blood," Sakura said, looking straight at the Special Jounin, Mitarashi Anko, through the crowd, "Or else you'll be hearing your step-sister's excitement for the whole month, Ikazuchi-kun."

                Ikazuchi could only smile, giving a small wave at Anko when she spotted him.

                "From the position Hokage-sama is giving us," Kiba interjected, a smirk still on his lips, "It seems like more students would be failing the exams to become Genins or else how is it going to be enough to teach all of them."

                "I guess they're making it harder than before," Shikamaru said in agreement, giving a look at Naruto, "If I remember correctly Naruto, you were the only one that failed three times in a row when we were only kids six years ago."

                "SHUT UP, Shikamaru!" Was Naruto hot reply before looking at Sakura worriedly when her face was shadowed.

                And Ino immediately caught that expression, "Enough Shikamaru, I believe Hokage-sama will arrived any minute now."

                "Actually, she already had," Ikazuchi announced to the group, pointing up towards where Tsunade stood high over the crowd, a long list in her hands. "And it seems like she got the results."

                "Isn't it obvious?" Kama said coldly behind him as Ikazuchi turned around and smiled.

                "Now that I finally got everything together, I will announce the teams I had chosen in order," Tsunade spoke clearly with a grin over the crowds, still looking young and beautiful as ever, while holding up the list and beginning. Naruto gave a long sigh in boredom, hands over his head as he waits for his name to be called.

                "Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura…."

                Naruto mentally gave a cheer while looking over at Sakura with a small peace sign, who was blinking in shock as they both looked at each other. Hinata gave a sad look towards Naruto, It seems like we're not in the same team again…just like the past…

                "Team Seven would be partnered with Team Eight, which is lead by Sabakino Ikazuchi and Ankokuno Kama."

                WHAT?! Naruto shouted to himself in disbelief, looking over at the scowling Kama and smiling Ikazuchi, Them two?!

                "It seems like we really are going to be partners," Ikazuchi said, patting against Naruto's back, "Welcome to the team, Naruto…you too, Sakura!"

                Sakura smiled when regaining from her shock, "Same for you, Ikazuchi-kun."

                "Team Nine: Hyuga Neji and Hyuga Hinata…"

                "THAT'S MURDER!" Naruto hollered suddenly to Tsunade as she stopped, raising an eyebrow down at him. Once catching everyone's attention did Naruto began to sweat before giving a nervous laugh, scratching behind his head sheepishly. Hinata gave him a warm smile as Neji looked fully irritated.

                Sakura frowned, "Putting both Hyuga from different Houses isn't a very…good idea."

                "There's nothing we could really do anyway," Kiba said, scratching Akamaru behind the ears.

                "Can I continue, Naruto?" Tsunade asked him, seeing him nodded quickly, "Team Nine would be partnered with Team Ten, that will be Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino."

                Ino appeared ready to scream as Shikamaru looked at her, a small sweat-drop seen at the side of his head before he groans in annoyances.

                "I am beginning to feel that this is definitely going to be a busy and long year," Naruto muttered to himself, both hands behind his head with his eyes closed as the names continue on and on. "I wonder what those Genins will do when they learn they have the coolest, Sensei-soon-to-be-Hokage – me?"

                "They'll get nightmares, that's what gonna happen," Kiba replied naturally from beside him.

                "SHUT UP, KIBA!"

                Once again, Tsunade stopped from the rude interruption while she glared down at the nervous Naruto as all eyes goes back to him. Kiba gave a low chuckle when seeing Sakura punching Naruto upside in the head, Akamaru wagging his tail beside him.

                Sakura held her fist in front of Naruto's face, "Can't you ever keep silent?"

                "Sorry!" Naruto apologized loudly to her and towards everyone else, rubbing his large bump on his head.

                Ikazuchi gave a large sweat-drop, And those two would be teamed up with us?

                "Surprising to know that Naruto could be a Jounin, rumored to be a great one at that, when he acted even lower than a Genin," Kama murmured, shaking his head. "A really big surprise indeed."

                Hinata, overhearing his words, only giggled while looking at Naruto with a warm expression on her youthful face, Naruto-kun…

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Thank you to those that had decided to be in the story! ^-^…I'll do the best I can by not disappointing any of you! Please R/R your opinions! Arigatou!