Naruto was very, very bored. And for those who knew Naruto well, that was an indication that it was time to flee in the opposite direction, screaming. Naruto was so bored that he was prepared to do just about anything to liven up the day. The trio was settled in the middle of one of Konoha's training fields. Sasuke had dragged them there, insisting that they had to train if they wanted to be formidable ninjas. Sakura didn't seem to mind all that much, but Naruto, on the other hand...

"That was a nice shot, Naruto!" Sasuke nodded, examining Naruto's kunai, which was lodged in the center of the target. "But could you aim for the target in front of you next time?" Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Sasuke sighed as Naruto let out another enthusiastic yell, threw his kunai with immense gusto, and missed the target spectacularly, narrowly avoiding decapitating a rabbit. Sakura began to giggle uncontrollably as Naruto groaned and sat cross-legged on the ground, eyeing the target suspiciously, wondering if it was dodging his kunai.

"Maybe you ought to try aiming from a shorter distance?" Sasuke suggested.

"Eh, no way! A Hokage must be able to do all the most difficult things!" Naruto replied, pumping his fist into the air, drawing another kunai. He steadied himself, positioning his body for the throw, and shut one eye. He drew his hand backwards in an upward arc, the kunai gleaming brightly as it reached the zenith of its climb. His hand blurred as it moved forward swiftly, and he released the kunai with a deft flick of his wrist. The kunai flew, never wavering, never shifting in its course...

Straight...

Past...

The target.

Sasuke slapped his forehead in exasperation as Naruto stared at the target, his eyes close to popping out of their sockets. That was more than Sakura could take. Struggling to stop laughing and catch her breath, Sakura stumbled away to the nearby lake. As she settled down by the side, calming herself, her gaze traveled out to the pristine, tranquil water surface, and an idea began to form in her mind. Dipping her hands into the water, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Back at the targets, Naruto was pouting as he stared at his and Sasuke's targets. His was remarkably empty, and the few kunai that were stuck in it were scattered widely all over the target. On the other hand, Sasuke's target was filled with kunai, most of them in the central zone. Naruto's pout deepened as he recalled that one of those kunai had been his.

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" Naruto pestered, poking the raven-haired boy in the shoulder, "How do you aim so good?" Sasuke turned, wiping the sweat from his forehead, then thought to himself.

"Well, I focus on the target, and then use my mind's eye to make it seem larger, so when I aim for the center, it's easier." He said after a moment of silence. Naruto stood, a finger scratching his cheek; processing the information Sasuke had just given him.

"What's a mind's eye?" Sasuke sighed.

"I can't really explain it... okay, look at the target." Naruto did as he was told. "Focus on it, and picture it in your head at the same time." Naruto's eyes widened as he stared pointedly at the target. "Now, while focusing on it, zoom in on the picture in your head until you can see the center really up close." Naruto's eyes popped wider even further, if that was possible. Sasuke resisted the urge to burst out laughing at the sight of Naruto's face, red with exertion, eyes wide, mouth pressed shut tightly.

"Naruto!" Sakura called from the lake, and Naruto turned to face her, his facial expression not changing. "You look constipated!"

"What?!" Naruto spluttered indignantly, then... "Blargh!" He toppled over backwards as a ball of water came flying and exploded in his face. Sasuke stared blankly. Where had the water come from? The target practice area was a good distance away from the lake, and there was no other source of water nearby. He didn't have much time to think further than that, as another ball of water came whizzing along and hit him in the face as well, knocking him over with a startled yell.

Naruto and Sasuke got to their feet unsteadily, spitting water out of their mouths, and stared as Sakura fell over, laughing madly.

"It worked! It really worked!" She repeated to herself.

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked, curious. She giggled and beckoned, and the two boys jogged over. All three sat by the lake, and the two males watched as Sakura dipped her hands into the water, spacing them outwards slightly. She frowned slightly as she concentrated, and her hands began to glow as chakra flowed into her palms. Naruto and Sasuke watched, fascinated, as the water around her hands began to swirl slowly, and as the chakra from her hands spread out and formed a small orb around the water. Slowly, she pulled her hands out of the water, and raised the small ball of water triumphantly, the chakra glowing a brilliant blue.

"Wow." Was all Sasuke could manage.

"That's really awesome, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "Teach me how to do it! Please, please?" Sakura nodded.

"It's really easy!" She dipped her hands into the water again, and Naruto eagerly followed. Sasuke, immensely intrigued, did the same. "Okay, now summon your chakra to your hands. Use less if you want a smaller ball of water, and more if you want a larger one, obviously. But try not to let it get too big – it's really hard to control."

Moments later, Sakura was happy tossing a ball of water around, Sasuke was struggling to keep the ball of water in shape as he lifted it out of the lake, and Naruto was often causing the water to blow up in his face because he kept pumping too much chakra into it. Sasuke smiled as he managed to solidify a ball of water, albeit a tiny one, and chucked it at Naruto's head, breaking his concentration and causing the water in front of him to explode spectacularly. Again.

"Wow, Sakura, your chakra control is really good." Sasuke said admiringly. Sakura grinned at the compliment.

"Thanks!"

"Eeehhhh! This is impossible!" Naruto whined.

----------

Iruka smiled and waved cheerfully as the students ran out of the classroom, eager to get home after a long day of school. As the last of the students left and the door slid shut, Iruka settled into his chair, and began to grade the essays the students had handed in. It was a peaceful day, and it had been a good one, too. Today, none of the students had fallen asleep in class, and Iruka considered it a sort of personal record.

Whoosh.

"Huh?" Iruka muttered to himself, looking up. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled all over his desk, his face dripping with water, coughing. Looking around, he heard suppressed laughter from outside the classroom, and he stormed over to the window, and peered outside. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were sitting beneath it. Naruto was grinning madly, holding a ball of water about the size of a child's head in his hands. Sakura was laughing, and Sasuke had an amused look on his face, holding a ball of similar size as Naruto's. Iruka marveled at their chakra control, then sighed and kneaded his forehead.

"Naruto, I don't have time for this today." He said, rapping Naruto's head, eliciting an 'ow!' Returning to his seat, Iruka resumed grading his essays. He would take a closer look at those balls of water later–

Whoosh.

Iruka scowled as another ball of water sailed into the classroom and exploded on the floor in front of him. Looking at the window, he saw Sasuke looking vaguely mortified, bent over slightly. Sakura stood behind him, her hands outstretched, and Naruto was guffawing. From the looks of it, Sakura had pushed Sasuke, causing him to lose hold of the ball of water. Naruto grinned, and raised his ball to chest-level, where Iruka could see it clearly. Iruka frowned, and chucked a piece of chalk at Naruto, striking the goggles he wore on his forehead and promptly falling into the ball of water. The outer layer of chakra shredded the chalk into fine powder, and the powder in turn swirled around in the water, turning it into a murky white.

Naruto's initially confused look immediately turned into a sly grin. Iruka didn't like it.

"Naruto, don't you dare throw that." The grin was still there.

"Naruto..."

Whoosh.

The silence hanging over Konoha was abruptly shattered as a blond-haired boy burst out from the academy, screaming. Following close behind was a middle-aged man, dripping wet, chasing after him with a murderous gleam in his eyes.

----------

Uchiha Itachi stood impassively in the middle of a huge enclosed hall, which was shrouded in darkness. The floor was made of marble, cracked and worn with age, and from what little Itachi could see in the reflections, he appeared to be the only one within the chamber, although he knew otherwise. Tall pillars, built of solid stone, towered over him, spaced out evenly in a circle around the hall. They were built as arches, culminating at an unseen point hidden in the darkness. The ceiling could not be seen.

Words and symbols were carved into the walls of the hall, and Itachi immediately recognized them as the symbols to a sealing scroll. His eyes narrowed. Jutsus were useless in this hall – the walls would absorb the chakra. It was deathly silent, much as the forest had been. He had traveled for days through that forest, filled with an eerie fog, a forest where no sunlight penetrated the treetops, where no living creatures seemed to exist. And now, he was here.

"Uchiha Itachi." A voice rang out from the darkness, echoing, masking its source. "Origin: Konoha. S-class criminal, wanted for the massacre of the Uchiha clan." There was amusement apparent in the voice's tone. It was strong, confident and unwavering. "Considered to be a genius, mastered the Sharingan at the age of six, and became an ANBU captain at the age of thirteen." There was a low murmur now, although Itachi did not care. He focused his attention on the voice.

"Uchiha." The amusement faded from the voice's tone, and it became sharp, deadly. "Do you consider yourself worthy?"

"Of course." Itachi replied steadily, immediately, injecting confidence into his tone. "Is there even a need to ask?" The voice began to laugh.

"You are a confident one, Itachi. I like that." Itachi said nothing in response, standing still, waiting as the laughter came to a stop.

"Welcome to the organization of Akatsuki."