Uzumaki Naruto; 5 Years Later

Age 17

-My Fish-

Since I had failed in the Chuunin exam, I had been sort of fearing the whole idea of Consolidation. But now that the day had come when I would meet my new teacher and teammates, I couldn't help but feel sort of…

Excited.

I knew Chouji and Kiba were both still genins, so the question was if they were going to go through with Consolidation or if they were going to chicken out. Hinata had quit being a ninja only a week before the Chuunin exam took place so she definitely wasn't going to come…

Yeah, it'd probably be just me, Chouji and Kiba.

I started to wonder who my new teacher would be.

Hopefully someone who's punctual….

…Unlike a certain teacher I know…

I wondered who was going to watch after my fish while I was away for a year.

If you hadn't already gathered that I had bought a fish, then I'll tell you. I had gotten a fish.

I peeked in his tank as he swam around. I named him Ikeuo and fed and took care of him every day. My whole life had begun to revolve around my fish when I wasn't training.

I grabbed some of his fish food and sprinkled it in the tank, watching as he went to the surface to take some bites of it.

I had to find someone to take care of my fish while I was away on the Consolidation mission…

I guess it wasn't really one of my top priorities right now. I still had a week or so to find someone to take care of my fish so I shouldn't worry about.

What I SHOULD worry about was that if I didn't hurry, I would definitely be late.

I was putting on my jacket as I left my house in a rush.

I didn't very far when I suddenly saw Chouji walking by himself.

"HEY CHOUJI!" I yelled, running up to him.

He turned around and waved.

"Hi Naruto!" he said. "Are you going to the Hokage's office for Consolidation?"

"Yeah!" I said, trying to be optimistic because I knew Chouji wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing. I could see why, too, because both his teammates were so much better than he was. "Are you too?"

Chouji nodded. "I thought it over long and hard last night." Chouji explained. "And I decided that I'm going to do it! And if it doesn't work out, I can at least say I tried!"

"Good!" I said, not really knowing how else to respond. I wasn't much of a motivational speaker so I only nodded and agreed most of the time. "Let's get to the Hokage's office since we're going to be late if we don't go now." Chouji nodded again and the two of us quickened our pace.

"Hi guys!" I heard a voice in front of us. I looked off in the distance to see Kiba standing there with Akamaru. How he possibly knew it was us from so far away is beyond me, but Kiba's kind of weird that way.

We exchanged pleasantries and quickly established that Kiba was also on his way to the Hokage's office for Consolidation and if we didn't ALL hurry then we'd ALL be late.

Kiba argued with his dog on the way there, but that wasn't anything different.

He's a little crazy. I doubt he can ACTUALLY speak to his dog.

I smelled the heavenly scent of Sakura's best perfume as we got closer and closer to the Hokage's office.

She had come to say hi to me and wish me luck with meeting my new Consolidation teacher!

I KNEW she'd come around!

"Hi Sakura!" I called out, seeing that she looked even more beautiful than she ever had today!

"Naruto, don't you have someplace to be?" Sakura said.

I was so excited.

She knew I was there for Consolidation!

But I wasn't going to let on how excited I was and that I had cleverly deducted why she was there. After all, Sakura's a pretty shy girl and if I said outright that I knew she had come to wish me luck then I knew that she'd get embarrassed.

"Yeah!" I said to her. "I'm getting my consolidation teacher today! Do you know anything about Consolidation? All we ninjas that are still genin get assigned a new teacher and go off into the mountains for a whole year! A WHOLE YEAR, Sakura! Can you believe it? I bet you're going to miss me after I've been gone a whole year. You'll be pretty sad that you only have that stupid Sasuke to look at until I get back for the next Chuunin exam. Speaking of the Chuunin exam, I know it's pretty far away but I'm automatically entered in it because I'm on the Consolidation team and I'm WONDERING if you want to come and watch me fight in the tournament since I know I'll get that far after all that training I'm going to do in the mountains for a whole year—"

"Whatever Naruto." Sakura interrupted.

I was going to take that as a yes whether it was or not!

I waved to her as me, Chouji and Kiba went inside the office to meet with our new teacher.

That certainly went well.

I could tell Sakura was upset that I wasn't going to be here for a whole year.

Maybe SHE'D want to watch my fish…

"You can say that again Akamaru!" Kiba laughed loudly and out of nowhere in response to nothing. He is completely crazy.

None of us said anything about Kiba's random outburst. And I think we were ALL uncomfortable with the silence so it was just a matter of who would think of something to say first.

"Why so glum, Chouji?" Kiba got to it.

"I guess I'm just nervous." Chouji replied.

"Nervous?" Kiba said as he opened the door. "Seriously though… training in the mountains is going to be great."

"Imagine the three of us getting on the same team!" I added.

"I wonder who our teacher will be." Chouji wondered.

"What are you three doing here?" I heard a voice.

I looked up to see Ino and Sasuke there.

In Jounin vests.

"We were put on a team and told to come here to meet our teacher." Chouji explained.

"Ohh…" Ino said. "So it's you three on a team now?"

I wasn't going to start an argument with Sasuke but he totally came up to me and provoked me.

"Naruto, I knew you'd end up on the Consolidation team."

"What's that supposed to mean, Sasuke?!" I demanded. I had done NOTHING to spark that at all. Literally! And I'm not even being biased to myself because I'm awesome and Sasuke's stupid! He literally did that for no reason!

"That always seems to be your retort when you have nothing better to say." Sasuke said, tugging at his vest. I wanted that vest.

"Just you wait, Sasuke!" I declared. "Once I get back from training in the mountains, I'll show you what I'm made out of!"

"Naruto, you just have a few token moves but if you don't know how to use them correctly then you can't hope to succeed in a battle." Sasuke said. He had probably been rehearsing these lines just in case he saw me because Sasuke is SO that way.

"Welcome students of mine!" came a voice from the office. "I am your new consolidation teacher. MAITO GAI!"

IT'S GAI!!! I WAS IN SHOCK!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!?!

"Five students?" he asked. "I was told that I was to be assigned THREE but if that is the number then so be it!"

Sasuke decided to leave at that point because he knew I knew his terrible secret that he couldn't think up comebacks on the spot.

"This mission in the mountains will be a test of your youth on a new Consolidation team!" Gai announced. "It will be hard and awkward at first, but you will slowly become accustomed to it! Mind you, it will ALWAYS be a difficult journey but as long as you have an overqualified, enthusiastic and youthful teacher like myself then no harm shall ever come to you!! Now, follow me off into the sunset!!"

I looked at the other two. Chouji had a raised eyebrow and Kiba couldn't have a more blank look on his face. So I shrugged and followed Gai out of the building. He instructed us to sit down as he stood high and mighty up on a rock.

"Now!" he said. "Introduce yourselves to me and tell me one thing about yourself!"

Well, he was doing the same thing as Kakashi!

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" I announced but then I looked over at Kiba who had also begun to introduce himself. Whatever, I'd wait until he was done. Everyone knows that the leader goes last anyway.

Gai pointed to Kiba.

"You go first because you're on the end." He said.

Kiba smirked at me. Why? I have no idea.

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba." He said, standing up. "This is Akamaru."

"I remember you." Gai interrupted.

"As I was saying…" Kiba said with a cough. "And someday, I plan to be a great ninja."

Gai nodded and pointed to me.

I stood up and grabbed my forehead protector. "I am Uzumaki Naruto!" I announced. "Someday, I'll be the Hokage! I'm going to work hard on this Consolidation team and show everyone that even if you're on the Consolidation team, you can still be a great ninja and Hokage!!"

Gai laughed.

"I like your spirit!" he said, and then he turned to Chouji. "And you?"

"I'm Akimichi Chouji." Chouji said. "And I'm going to work hard to become a good ninja just like my former teammates, Shikamaru and Ino!"

Gai then began to talk. I was invigorated by his announcements for a little while, but then he started to repeat himself over and over and over. I sort of lost track of what he was saying as his words went in one ear and out the other. I got so lost that I thought I was going to fall asleep.

"With that being said," he announced finally, which perked me up. "As the sun sets, travel back to your homes! I will see you youths on the day we depart from the village!! What a glorious day that will be!! You are dismissed!!"

Gai left.

Kiba shrugged and was the next to leave.

Chouji looked at me and then left.

I was alone.

With only a few thoughts.

Was this Consolidation thing going to work?

What was I going to miss for the year I was gone?

But most importantly…did I feed my fish this morning?