I'm back with a vengeance after my time away from writing. I apologize for the lateness of this up date but now…oh wait, for the disclaimer see the earlier chapters.

NOW, on with the story.

Naruto made his way leisurely toward the training ground. Hinata and Shikamaru walked along beside him but with different views on the current situation. For them, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with Naruto.

"Hey! Naruto!" half yelled Shikamaru with an annoyed tone in his voice. "Slow up would you? The pace your setting is too troublesome, why are you so exited anyway?"

"Huh? Oh sorry!" said Naruto sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Guess I just got caught up in the excitement." Naruto slowed down substantially and joined his new teammates. He looked at Shikamaru with an apologetic grin. He turned back forward and re started his trek towards the arranged meeting place. They kept the pace slow and leisurely, by Shikamaru's standards but because of Naruto's impromptu speed race, they arrived at the large oak tree by themselves.

"Hmmm, oh how troublesome," said a bored Shikamaru. "Now we have to wait here for her."

"You know, we don't really know each other that well for us to suddenly be a team," puzzled Naruto. "I wonder why the old mad put us together?"

"Does it really make a difference?" sighed Shikamaru. "I mean, how troublesome, why does it bug you to be on this team? Everyone likely got at least one person that they didn't like or know."

"Hmm. Yeah your right, I just though that our teams might have, like some form of specialization." said Naruto.

"Um." Said Hinata so quietly that they almost didn't hear her. "Maybe…m-maybe they w-wanted a general team?"

"Hey your right! Maybe they made us a team that has people who are good in every aspect of ninja life between us." Said Naruto in an over developed thinking pose with his hand on his chin. "It does make sense. Great thinking Hinata-chan!"

Hinata stared at Naruto in shock, and then blushed a color of red that Naruto had never seen on a human face. To the rest of the world she looked greatly embarrassed but to Naruto she almost looked sick.

"Hey, are you alright Hinata?" asked Naruto looking at her as if trying to find a wound or sign of sickness. At the close inspection, Hinata turned away and tried to hide her entire head under the forehead protector she wore around her neck.

"I-I'm o-ok N-N-Naruto-kun" Hinata stuttered out of embarrassment. Inwardly she was dancing about with joy. 'He thinks I'm a great thinker!' she said in her mind. Her inner Hinata was currently dancing away under two banners that read "Hinata-CHAN" and "Great thinker".

Suddenly, a little two suddenly for Hinata as it interrupted her inner celebration; Kurenai appeared. It was also to soon for Shikamaru as it interrupted his cloud watching time. Naruto couldn't have been happier and neither could Kyubi. His instructor there meant that he could finally start to be a ninja, which made him happy. His instructor being there also meant he was distracted from his conversation with Hinata, which made Kyubi ecstatic.

"Wow, I didn't expect you guy's to beat me here," said an extremely impressed Kurenai. "You guy's must be really fast! Wait, I'm getting off track already, sorry if I'm a little scatterbrained but this is my first time being allowed to teach my own genin cell. Anyways, lets get the introductions out of the way shall we?"

There was a moment of stunned silence. Not only had their teacher come out of nowhere, she had spoken so quickly and with such enthusiasm that her word were hard to make out. Once the three new genins got around what it was she had actually said they seemed to go into their own first impressions. Naruto felt himself swell up with pride at the thought that an elite jonin was impressed by his speed, Hinata blushed at the though of the praise but then remembered how it was Naruto who had been the fast one. Shikamaru looked slightly annoyed at how hyperactive she seemed and was dreading having to put up with her. 'Standard bossy troublesome women, should have known' he thought.

"So," questioned Naruto. "How should we introduce our selves? Why don't you start so we can get an idea of what to do?" said Naruto looking to gain as much knowledge about his new instructor as he could.

"OH! That's right, you guy's still don't know me. Sorry about that" Kurenai said while slapping a palm to her forehead, upset by her own forgetfulness. "My names Yuuhi Kurenai, I'm a genjutsu specialist and I've been a jonin for six years now. I'm twenty-six, my eyes are naturally red, I like people who try to do their best and I dislike people who dislike someone because of their past. So you all get a clean slate with me. Now, it's your turn. Lets start with you," she looked down at a clipboard, "Nara Shikamaru".

"How troublesome," mumbled Shikamaru as he sat up from watching his clouds, "you already know my name, my age and my rank, I like strategy games like shogi or go. I like to rest and look at the clouds. That's about all you need to know about me."

Kurenai looked slightly downcast at the response. "Ok then. That was… informative. How about you," she looked down at her clipboard again, "Hyuga Hinata"

Hinata blushed again and when she finally spoke it was barely above a whisper. "My name is Hyuga Hinata, I've been a genin for almost a full day, I like medical jutsus and helping people who need it, as well as…" she trailed off and looked at Naruto.

Kurenai caught the glance and smiled slyly, 'Hmmm, maybe I could set those two up' "thank you Hinata. Now how about…"

Before she had time to say any more, Naruto jumped up onto the log he'd been using as a bench and struck a 'heroic' pose. In his loudest voice below a yell, he proudly exclaimed, "I am Uzumaki Naruto! I am a proud genin of Konoha. I like ramen and people who are honest to their word. I dream to become a great ninja and take the Hokage name to gain acknowledgement from every one and to surpass all previous Hokages!"

Kurenai couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm. He acted almost like Jiraya, of the legendary three sennin. Hinata giggled as well but so quiet and hidden away under her forehead protector and the turned shoulder of her jacket that none of the others noticed. But though none of the three noticed, Kyubi did. Kyubi would have been laughing along with everyone else, if it weren't for Hinata. She honestly had nothing against the overly shy girl and would love for her to come out of her shell, but she could no more deny her feelings for Naruto then she could bend the bars of her cell. But then, how could she tell him. If she told Naruto that she loved him, he'd either think of her as a sister, or their relationship would become strained because she was in his head. If she could get out on her own, find her own body, then she could tell him and hopefully they could lead a happy life together but if she couldn't, then he would never look at her the same. He would either try to love her and ruin his own life or stop talking to her, provided he didn't class her as immediately a sibling. That was the last thing she wanted. If she was his sister in his head, she would be his sister out of his head.

"Well then," said Kurenai after finally reining in her giggles and laughter enough to talk respectably. "I guess that's all for to day. But tomorrow is going to be the 'real' test"

"'Real' test, what does that mean?" asked Naruto.

"Well," chuckled Kurenai with a bit of a malicious glint in her eye, "You guys aren't going to like this, but you aren't really genin yet. The first day of our time together is the official genin test, and it has a sixty six percent failure rate."

"WHAT?" coursed by all three genin. Inside Naruto's head, Kyubi joined as well. The combine force of all three yelling but especially Naruto almost knocked Kurenai over.

"Tomorrow, we'll all meet back here, and you'll get the test. Bring all your supplies. I'd advise a big breakfast, but I think you'll more then likely not be able to hold it down." Said Kurenai with more then a hint of a threat buried in her words. "Oh, before I forget." Instantly, the happy forgetful Kurenai they had seen during the introductions was back "Naruto, the Hokage wants to meat you at his office as soon as your done here so you should probably go. See you all here tomorrow at eight thirty sharp. Not a moment later!" with those last words, she was gone in a puff of smoke.

"Sorry guy's, but you heard her. I got to go see an old man about a scroll, bye!" and with that, he too was gone. The only difference between his departure and Kurenai's was that he left no smoke behind. Kurenai watched from her spot hidden among the trees. 'How did he do that?' she thought. The only other person she had ever even heard of, who was able to disappear like that, was the Yellow Flash, and he was long dead. Plus she had heard that his disappearances left no trace. She had felt an odd chakra surge from Naruto and it left an odd residue behind as well. 'Hmmm, could that have just been pure chakra induced speed?'

Naruto vaulted straight out of the forest and onto the buildings near by. With a quick scan of his route, he leapt into the air and on his way towards the Hokage building. This would be his first training session with the old man. He had translated the red portion and the meditation technique the night before and was hoping to start on to the white or black sections today, as they were his next most abundant sources and would be more often used then the blue or green.

'Which do you think I should learn first Kyubi-chan?' asked Naruto. He felt kind of bad because he had a hard time talking to her while around other people without them knowing and the old man had said that until he learnt more of the scroll, he probably shouldn't tell his team-mates about Kyubi. 'Black, or white?'

'Well, the old man did say that the red chakra abundance was because of me, so maybe the next best thing to learn would be the next biggest because that's probably what is the most from you.' Said Kyubi. She was glad he had taken the initiative to talk to her. It got so lonely when he was around people and couldn't talk to her. 'That would be white right?' Naruto mentally snickered. 'What? What's funny?' asked Kyubi

'You rhymed.' Laughed Naruto. 'You really couldn't be a demon. What kind of thousand's of years old demon would make a stupid rhyme like that?'

'That's what assures you I'm not a demon?' asked Kyubi. She looked over the situation and began her own mental chuckle. 'You know, when you lay it out like that it makes perfect sense.'

'Yep' said Naruto. There was a moment of mental silence in Naruto's head, then both occupants burst into uproarious laughter. Kyubi sighed in content amid her laughs. Even if she couldn't have a body at the moment, she could live happy with Naruto for moments like this. In times like this when they would joke and laugh and poke fun at the world, both of their troubles would just melt away and they'd be a pair of normal kids. Well, as normal as a twelve-year-old ninja and his demon fox mental roommate could be.

A.N.: hey all. And give me a pat on the back. A chapter completely devoid of cliffy endings. Ok so it was mostly fluff and mindless filler, but hey at least it has an ending.

Ok, next time on minds alike, Naruto and his new team will go up against their new teacher in a test that will seem familiar but it will still be a little different. I'll probably skip Naruto's training session with the Hokage, and then flash back to it when it's appropriate.

For all those who worry and send me reviews, I can promise right now that this will not be a naru/hina. It is a good pairing but a little over done. I plan on having Naruto become the oblivious target of the affections of many of the village girls, as he doesn't get that enough in the normal series and that stuff is my favorite type of story. It will become a naru/kyu, but due to her current lack of body, it will take a while to properly develop. I might not even have her come out before the chunin exams.

Well, I hope you like my story so far and that you keep reading it.

Ja Ne