CHAPTER FOUR

Naruto didn't get as much sleep as he had hoped. Around three a.m. the entire camp was waken up and shipped back to the academy while teachers went in search of the teams still left in the woods. There had been some sort of emergency in the village while they were out but no one would say anything.

Naruto promptly went back to sleep as soon as his head hit the desktop. Save the short two hours of sleep at the main camp, the blond had been awake for nearly 24 hours. Add to all the activity they had to do and he was exhausted. He woke up to Hitori shaking his shoulder. The sun was approaching noon so Naruto stretched while asking his partner what had happened.

"The Uchiha clan has been massacred. No one knows how, or if they do they aren't telling. They claim that there is only one survivor, and he won't be waking up anytime soon." Mistune was sitting near by and gave her theory of missing-nins from Stone and it started a small debate. Naruto listened half-heartedly while trying to grasp the concept of an entire clan being gone.

The Uchiha were the police force of Konoha, but Naruto had never really interacted with them. As he listened to his teammates he wondered who the survivor was before shrugging it off and trying to catch more sleep.

The class had been kept until that night before family members were allowed to pick them up. No one was allowed to go anywhere alone. Naruto had been escorted home by Yamato-sensei, but his teacher had been rather quiet.

They had two days off from school, but Naruto's plans for practicing were dashed when Yamato-sensei told him he wasn't allowed outside of town until Konoha was out of its state of emergency. His teacher even forbade him from playing pranks! Still, it made sense to the blonde. People were in mourning and pranks would cause more grief than fun right now.

Needless to say Naruto had a very boring break.

-Scene Break-

Iruka listened to the Academy teachers rant about the lost Uchiha clan. They all had something to add when discussing punishments for whoever had done such a thing. The young Chuunin didn't know what to think. When it was first announced the ninjas of Konoha had been in shock.

The next step had been pointing fingers. It was surprising how many had first accused it to be the work of the Kyuubi. But Iruka knew that couldn't have been. He'd already seen Ruito and learned that Naruto had been with his teammates all night. They had come back to camp just before one o'clock.

Some ninjas had still argued that the demon fox could have fooled the Genin and transported the distance in an instant. But no one believed that they wouldn't have heard the sounds of battle had the Nine-tails truly attacked the Uchiha. Their clan had been one of the best fighters against the fox. They wouldn't have gone quietly.

There was nothing to it but to wait and see. ANBU hunters were on the look out for any tracks of those who had left Konoha as well as Uchiha Itachi who was missing. They didn't know if they would find a person or a corpse. Uchiha Sasuke, the only survivor, was still in a coma at the hospital. Who knew when he would wake up and if he had seen the attacker.

But even though there wasn't anything they could do, the Academy teachers still felt it necessary to met and discuss the situation. Goju Taimono was one of the few that continued the Kyuubi theory. The others were leaning towards Orochimaru, the legendary Sennin who had become an S-class missing-nin. Iruka was one of the few that hadn't formed an opinion at all.

"We can't let the fox get away with this! If we wait for the ANBU it may have a chance to escape!" Iruka sighed as he heard Goju's latest proclamation. The man seemed to love to yell. The young Chuunin had no love for the demon, but he couldn't help but think that Goju was taking this a bit far. The idea just wasn't feasible. Before the others could continue the argument that had been going for two days, a new voice interrupted.

"I think not Taimono. Naruto Uzumaki is not at fault." The entire room fell silent as they watched the Hokage enter. Iruka felt obscenely glad he hadn't participated in the discussion as he caught sight of the Third's face. The old man was not happy. Most of the others seemed to have similar thoughts, some of those who had participated looked rather sorry for doing so.

"With all due respect sir, how can we know that? We've allowed the demon to be taught the ninja arts. How can we know that he hasn't taken the teachings and used them for his own nefarious purposes?" Iruka stared at Goju in shook. Did the man have a death wish?

"Uchiha Sasuke woke this morning. The man who murdered the Uchiha was one of their own. Uchiha Itachi." There was a moment of shocked silence before the room exploded in outrage, dismay and disbelief. Iruka watched it all and noticed Ruito making his way towards him. The older Chuunin must have come in with the Hokage. He hadn't been in the meeting before hand. 'A good think considering what Goju had been yelling about Naruto. Ruito wouldn't have taken that well.'

The Hokage silenced the room and explained what the ANBU had been able to piece together. It seemed that Itachi had learned a forbidden technique called the Mangenkyo Sharingan. Whether the technique drove him insane or he had always been biding his time until he had learned all the clan secrets, Itachi used this opportunity to kill his own clan. According to Sasuke the only reason Itachi had given was he wanted to test his abilities.

It made sense to Iruka. Everyone had been wondering what could take out the Uchiha as quietly as it had happened. No one had sensed anything until after the fact. But if a Uchiha been the murderer… well, most ninjas would be hard pressed to kill a family member. And betrayal from one that had such a high reputation as Itachi would be harder to accept. Shock would have given Itachi the time he needed to kill without resistance.

With the mystery of the massacre solved, the village was taken off high alert. There was still a state of emergency, but now the ANBU knew what to look for. The Academy would start up the next day as had been planned with no extra security needed. Uchiha Itachi most likely fled as no sign had been seen of him in the last two days.

When they were dismissed, Iruka exchanged a nod of greeting with Ruito and watched as the Chuunin teachers filed out of the room. Most seemed upset or still shocked at the turn of events, but Goju had an expression that bordered on murderous. Iruka watched as he fumed in a corner until the room was mostly empty before storming out the door. He wondered what his co-worker was thinking that would cause such a reaction.

-Scene Break-

"Dammit!" Naruto shook his hand, trying to get the feeling back into it while juggling his wooden short katana to his left. Ruito-sensei had struck it hard, almost breaking his fingers with a deft chop meant to unarm him. For three months his teacher had been giving him private lessons in weapon handling but each time Naruto thought he had it down, Ruito-sensei threw another trick into the pile.

They had started with taijutsu, but after a few lessons to refine Naruto's technique, Ruito-sensei had claimed that Naruto should practice on his own. The unorthodox style would serve him better than the basic style they taught at the Academy. Most ninjas would expect basic and the more complicated taijutsu Naruto would learn once he was a Genin. The blonde was rather proud of himself until Ruito-sensei had said the private lessons were gone.

Despite his resolve to behave in order to stay on his teacher's good side, Naruto had thrown a huge fit. He accused Ruito-sensei of trying to back out of his deal and demanded that the man teach him how to fight like he promised. The Chuunin had seemed rather shocked at his outburst and Naruto was just on the verge of apologizing when his teacher had started laughing. Since then Ruito-sensei had promised to teach him the way of the sword in place of the taijutsu practice and allowed him to call him by his first name outside of class.

They had practiced kenjutsu through December and January while learning about information gathering in class. Naruto now participated in the regular lessons while taking his regular math packets and history texts home. They didn't practice kunai and shuriken throwing anymore, but concentrated on sparring. The blonde even got to join in. He continually got his butt whipped for the first few weeks, especially since the older kids enjoyed beating on him. But each week he had less falls and he thought he might win soon.

In February they had more survival trips that interrupted Naruto's private sword training, but he was still rather happy since the class was doing history reviews between them. Having just learned the material rather than trying to recall it from a year or two ago, Naruto was doing better than most of the class. If only he was doing half so well in sword training.

"Remember Naruto, you need to keep a hold of your sword no matter what. It was good thinking to switch hands, but you can't wield the katana left-handed. Learn to work through the pain and never let go of the hilt unless necessary." Naruto nodded in understanding and stopped shaking his bruised fingers. He got back into a beginning stance and the two went at it again.

As usual, by the time he left Ruito-sensei for home, Naruto felt exhausted. His teacher was soaked in sweat, but didn't seem to have the bone-aching weariness the blonde felt. The boy went home, showered and ate before going back out to the training fields. Some time in January, his ninja watchers had suddenly disappeared, and Naruto had taken advantage of it.

Ignoring his weariness, he practiced the drills Ruito-sensei taught him for another two hours before throwing kunai and shuriken for half an hour and finishing it off with henge practice. Going home he took another quick shower and collapsed in bed for a few hours of sleep before getting up for Academy.

It was his usual routine. Naruto was determined to keep up with his class and wanted to learn swordsmanship as fast as he could. It was difficult, but it seemed like everyday became a little easier and each morning he would have a little more energy.

The next week his hard work paid off as Ruito-sensei allowed Naruto to use a real blade rather than the wood weapons. Another month went by before his teacher taught him henge and kawamari. That was when he discovered he had been doing the henge wrong all this time.

According to Ruito-sensei henge was suppose to be an illusion of another person. Touching something or being hit would break the jutsu. Not wanting to get in trouble, Naruto failed to mention his own practice where the female-Naruto seemed just as real as his real body. Kawamari was easier, as he didn't have to relearn it, but it still took a few days to master.

It was a few days into April when they started in on bushiin. They had taken to doing ninjutsu practice in the woods rather than the training halls. Naruto understood how to take a small portion of his chakra and place it outside of his body to create an illusion, but he didn't understand out to make it into a real body.

"Well, well, well. Are you playing favorites Ruito?" A deep mocking voice cut off Ruito-sensei's explanation. Naruto looked up to see a large man he recognized as another teacher at the Academy.

"What do you want Goju?" The blonde didn't like the way Ruito-sensei's voice went cold. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Nothing to concern yourself about Ruito. Imagine my surprise as I was going to find a practice area only to find my fellow colleague giving private lessons. You know we're not allowed to play favorites Ruito. I wonder what has gotten into you." Goju light and friendly tone sounded false even to Naruto, and the hard glint in his eyes didn't fit well with the words Goju was saying.

"I have the Hokage's permission Goju, you know this. If you don't need anything I'd ask you kindly to leave and let me return to my student." Ruito-sensei sounded like he had said this many times before. The two teachers glared at each other. Naruto's dislike of the situation increased when his teacher took two steps to the right and placed himself between Goju and Naruto.

"Worried about the little brat Ruito? Where has your common sense gone? That thing should not be allowed into the Academy let alone taught in private lessons! It should have been taken care of long ago. You have been blinded by something, just as the Hokage has."

"Whether you agree or not, you shall respect our leader's decisions. Leave Goju." Ruito-sensei had never looked cooler. The words Goju had been nothing new to Naruto. The blonde had heard worse in the streets. But no one had stood up for him.

"Mark my words Ruito. It was a mistake to teach that monster anything. You'll see." The large man threw a nasty glare at Naruto before turning away. Ruito-sensei didn't move for several minutes after Goju left the clearing. Naruto wondered what he had ever done to the Chuunin, or anyone for that matter, to gain such hatred. He seemed worse than most of the villagers.

"I'm sorry about that Naruto. I think we'll call it a night. Let me walk you home." Knowing he would receive no answers, the blonde didn't even try to question what had happened. Naruto skipped his night practice, and read his latest history book. Running into Goju-teme was something he wanted to avoid. Besides, he had a test in two days and wanted to make sure he'd pass.

He had forgotten about the incident by the time he went to the Academy the next day. Lunch consisted of his usual thermos of ramen, and the blonde was happily eating when he felt the urge to duck. A kunai speed past the place his head used to be and thunked into the tree he was leaning against. He blinked at it in surprise as his mind registered that it was a real kunai, and not a blunted practice one. If that had hit he might have been killed!

"Hey brat! Watch where you're sitting, you're in the way!" 'Kouga. That explains it.' Naruto thought as he turned to his classmate. The older boy was already marching towards him - probably to get his kunai. The blonde shrugged in apology, scooted over and started eating again.

Kouga had been picking on him ever since the ambush training. Most of the class followed his example and were back to their original dislike times two. Naruto spent a lot of time avoiding surprise attacks. Kouga was just the worse attacker. If it hadn't been for Hitori and a few others, Ninja Academy would have been worse than Elementary. At least at his old school the students hadn't learned the most effective ways to hurt an opponent.

His lunch was interrupted once more when he had to duck again. This time it was a punch that sailed over his head. Not wanting to waste his ramen he did a quick spring to his feet and a fast back flip. After getting splashed numerous times, Naruto found that the faster he flipped the less broth he spilled. He could now do it without spilling a single drop.

Not expecting a second attack, Naruto started to leave but fell backwards when Kouga gave him a quick leg swipe. He took the impact with his back and used the force to bounce back to his feet while trying to keep his ramen intact.

"What was that for idiot!" Hitori had advised him to ignore the bullies, as they would stop sooner if he didn't react. Usually it worked. But this kid had gone to far. Kouga almost spilled his ramen!

"I don't need a reason to knock you around. Your worthless ass slows everyone down! How are we suppose to pass the Genin exams this month if we're stuck babysitting you? I'd be doing the class a favor if I got rid of you!" Kouga was on a roll today it seemed.

"You couldn't pass the exam with or without me. All you know how to do is fight. You need to have a brain to be a Genin too." The anger on Kouga's face was priceless, but Naruto had the feeling he was going to get his butt whipped for it. Sure enough, the older boy didn't waste any time. He charged Naruto, and the younger boy dodged Kouga's attacks frantically. Being the lowest ranking taijutsu user was a terrible thing to be when faced with the top taijutsu rookie.

An open-palm was about to slam into his face when another hand grabbed it. Naruto looked up to see Hitori had saved him again. "I think that's enough Kouga. If a little kid can rile you up this bad, maybe you shouldn't be a Genin yet. Maturity is a requirement as well."

Naruto held in a sigh of relief as Kouga glared and stalked off. He could hear the old boy's teeth grinding! Maybe Naruto should wait until he was a better fighter before starting something like that again. Apparently Hitori agreed with him.

"Why'd you do that Naruto? You know he could kill you if he tried."

"He was asking for it."

"That might be, but at your level you're not going to be the one to give it."

"I could take him!"

"Sure you could. You can't even beat me, and I have a hard time sparring against Kouga. And you haven't even learned basic taijutsu yet. What's Yamato-sensei doing in those lessons of yours?"

"Hey! He says I don't need to learn basic! My style is 'unpredictable and surprising'. It's better than the basic until I'm a Genin and my Jounin instructor can teach me the higher forms."

"So what do you learn now?"

"He's teaching me the three basic ninjutsu and started me in kenjutsu."

Hitori was quiet as the two started back to the Academy. Naruto finished the rest of his ramen before the older boy spoke up. "As I understand it, you need basic to learn the higher forms. Hhaving an unknown style is an advantage, but the concept applies to you as well. If you don't know basic, and your opponent is using it, than it's 'unknown' to you. Taijutsu is more important to know than kenjutsu. There's a higher chance of being caught without your weapons than being without your limbs."

Naruto thought about it for a while. "But sensei isn't going to teach me taijutsu. And if I did have a sword I'd have better reach and could deal more permanent damage with less effort." With a shrug, the blonde dismissed the topic.

Hitori didn't speak after they reached the classroom. The older boy was the only one to voluntarily talk to Naruto without a specific reason so the blond kept quiet as well. The other kids had been intimidated by Kouga or said their parents didn't want them to 'associate with that troublemaker'. Some like Mitsune were still nice when they could be, but Naruto wasn't worth getting in trouble over.

When class was over Naruto was ready to do his usual sprint home, do some reading, and meet up with Ruito-sensei in a few hours. A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him up short. "Hitori? What?" That was unusual.

Hitori didn't mind being teammates with Naruto and getting him out of trouble, but once school ended, they pretended they didn't know each other. Hitori's parents didn't want him hanging out with Naruto either, but they weren't the kind to look deeper than what they saw with their own two eyes. If Hitori said he didn't spend extra time with Naruto, and they never saw him talking to the kid after school, they didn't seem to mind.

"You're taking the Genin Exam, right?" Naruto nodded. "And Yamato-sensei's taught you ninjutsu already?" And a nod, but Naruto added a scowl as he thought of how bad his bushin and henge were. "And you're caught up in your studies?"

"For the most part. What's this about Hitori?"

Hitori seemed to hesitate before continuing. "I don't think you're going to pass." When Naruto opened his mouth to protest, Hitori waved his hands to calm him down.

"If you're even going to have a chance to graduate, you're going to have to do better in the spars. Maybe Yamato-sensei is hoping you'll graduate next year with a slightly closer age group, but I can't help but remember how good a teammate you are. You might be lacking in a few areas, but compared to some of these guys, I would rather have you on a team. Yamato-sensei might be right about your style being better, but if I taught you basic so you'd know what the other person is doing, you'd have a better shot."

He wasn't sure how long it took for the offer to get through to his brain, but once it registered, Naruto was doing a happy dance. Hitori looked rather amused once Naruto calmed down enough to arrange the details with his new teacher. When he used the term Hitori-sensei the brunette had laughed and told him not to call him that. After a short debate, Hitori was renamed Hitori-sempai. Naruto couldn't wait for his first lesson.