A:N It's good to be back! Enjoy the chapter!


"Hiruzen, it's done."

"Good job Naruto. Return back to the village." At the order Naruto instantly appeared inside of the Hokage's office.

"I always get a little shocked every time you do that. The Hiraishin no Jutsu suits you well." Hiruzen met a blank stare from an icy blue eye, and a fiery red one with three tomoe. Hiruzen sighed as he held out his hand.

"Was there any trouble?" The Hokage asked as Naruto took out a scroll and handed it to the older man.

"There was." The simplicity of the answer had Hiruzen frowning.

"How many?"

"Zero now."

"How many was there before?"

"257." Hiruzen widened his eyes at the answer.

"..I see. You said there aren't any survivors then?" He received a nod from the younger man.

"There are no survivors." Hiruzen nodded grimly before handing Naruto three bags full of ryo.

"That's your pay for the S-Rank mission, don't spend it all in one place now." Naruto simply nodded before vanishing into thin air. Hiruzen sighed before placing his head into his hands, leaning on the desk while he did so.

"Naruto.. I don't know what to do with you. But.. I hope you'll be okay."


Naruto reappeared in front of his two-story home. He stared up at the building blankly before he entered. Once inside he barely noticed the pictures that had been hung up on walls, littering shelves, and scattering themselves all over the place.

Nothing but memories now.

He went to his shower, passing by a picture of a family of four.

Two blondes, two redheads. He was one of the blondes.

He ascended the stairs seeing a photo of a silver-haired man with a facemask.

Naruto looked straight ahead as he entered the bathroom.

There was a photo of a younger Naruto with a young redheaded, blue-eyed girl hanging on the wall.

Naruto turned on the shower.

It was cold.

He didn't care.

Naruto stripped off his clothes as he looked at himself in the mirror.

One red eye, one blue eye, belonging to a man, a broken man.

He entered his cold shower and started rinsing off the grime from the mission.

'Naruto.'

'Yes Kurama?'

'You should eat. You haven't eaten in days.'

'I will.'

'Naruto, don't lie to me. You said the same thing yesterday.'

'I promise, I will Kurama.'

'If it comes down to it, I will take over just to make you eat.'

'You don't need to do that. I'll eat when I'm done here.'

'Good. Talk to me when you need me.'

'I will, thank you Kurama.'

'You don't need to thank me.. Just take care of yourself for once.'

'Okay.'

The connection cut off as Naruto lathered soap on himself, shampooing and conditioning his hair right after.

He got dressed in a pair of boxers as he went to cook dinner. Naruto opened up his fridge to see it full of food and beverages.

He decided to cook some rice and pork.

His dinner tasted good, at least to him.

Naruto washed his dishes after he ate all of the food he cooked. He let it sit on the dish rack. He'll put it away in the morning. Naruto went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then he went to bed.

It was a simple day.


In the morning he felt the Hokage trying to reach him telepathically.

"Hiruzen?"

"Naruto come to my office at your earliest convenience."

"I'll be in." Naruto cut the telepathy jutsu off as he dressed up for the day.

He hiraishined into the Hokage's office. Hiruzen looked to him in slight surprise before speaking.

"I have a position I want you to fill. It was originally meant for Kakashi. Before.. you know." Naruto hardened his visage which made even Hiruzen sweat.

'One mention of him and you'll get some sort of reaction out of Naruto. Best not to push my luck.' Hiruzen cleared his throat as he continued.

"You're going to be training a team. Team 7. It consists of Satsuki Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuuga. You'll be taking a break from your.. usual duties to help the future generation grow." Naruto frowned at the order.

"Why me?" Naruto's question had the effect of getting Hiruzen to frown.

"There's no one else that's qualified. You have a Sharingan, you're intelligent, and the strongest in Konoha. You have a vast repertoire of skills that can benefit all three of these Genin. And.. I'm worried about you Naruto. You haven't been the same since.."

"Don't continue that sentence Hiruzen. I'll train the kids, but if they end up like me then that's not my problem." Naruto stated and Hiruzen clenched his eyebrows.

"Naruto.. you can still find a reason to fight, to-

"To what, live? The only reason i haven't died is because no one is strong enough to kill me, or smart enough. I haven't committed suicide because I made a promise to Kakashi. To not do what his father did. But right now Hiruzen, I don't have a damn thing to live for. I'm just waking up every day just to go back to bed every night. I complete the most impossible missions because no one else can. Until that one day comes where even I can't. Living is not on my priority list as much as dying without doing it myself is. I don't live. I just exist." Naruto huffed and Hiruzen almost had tears in his eyes from the words he had been hearing.

"Is there any way I can change that Naruto? Is there any way to help you find a reason to wake up the next day, to smile, laugh, to be more than an empty husk?" Naruto stared hard into Hiruzen's eyes. It unnerved the older shinobi, Naruto should have never been able to have that look in his eyes. It made him sad, his grandson in all but blood should be a happier man.

"If you truly want me to be happy, then bring my mom, my dad, my little sister back, bring back Kakashi, Itachi, Rin, my teammates, bring back the people I lost due to my weakness." Naruto's cold fury had Hiruzen frowning in despair.

"I wish I could my boy.. I wish I could." Naruto simply shook his head before sighing.

"When do I have to meet the kids?"

"Tomorrow at 10AM. At the Academy." Naruto nodded before vanishing into thin air. Hiruzen sunk into his chair once the blonde left.

"I can't bring back what you lost.. but maybe something new can fill that void. I'm so sorry Naruto."


Naruto was the last Jonin to arrive, not because of carelessness. Although there was a bit of that. It was mostly because he didn't want to deal with the verbal awes and starstruck gazes that were sent his way by students and shinobi-alike. He only came in when he knew that every other person cleared out of the classroom.

He noticed the three girls immediately. One of them had hair as pink as bubblegum, the other wanted to fold into herself with how uncomfortable she was with her teammates. And the last one was comparable to stone, cold and unmoving in her visage.

"Sakura, Hinata, and Satsuki. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Naruto vanished leaving three perplexed Genin to catch up.

Naruto sat on a bench as he patiently waited for the kids to join him. It didn't take long for them to arrive, but it was enough for him to think. And think he did.

He looked toward the three of them as they sat on the steps in front of him. He noticed the three Genin studying him, well more like one was studying him while the other two were just passively noticing things about him.

'So this is the Ghost of Konoha. He's much more relaxed than I thought he would be.. Or is it something else? One blue eye, while the other held the Sharingan. A facemask to cover most of his features, blonde hair... Tall, imposing, a brick wall in human form. He may appear lethargic but he's definitely the Ghost.' Satsuki's analysis showed in her eyes as Naruto took a second to perceive her judgments.

"Alright introduce yourselves. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, etc. " He was straightforward as well. Satsuki liked that. Sakura and Hinata however found Naruto to be intimidating. A shinobi of has caliber proceeds him without him even trying.

"Can you demonstrate sensei? So we can have an idea of how we should do it?" The girl with the bubblegum hair asked and Naruto almost sighed.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki-Senju. I don't like much, and I dislike a lot. I don't have hobbies, and my dream for the future is nonexistent." It was a dull introduction which made the three younger kids frown further. Naruto looked to Satsuki to go next and she did.

"I'm Satsuki Uchiha, I like tomatoes, training, and reading. I dislike many things, and my hobbies are the last two things I like. I don't have a dream, but a goal, a promise. To restore my clan and to kill a certain man." The two girls beside the Uchiha survivor felt chills run down their spine at the declaration while Naruto gave her a nod.

'Who knew the last surviving Uchiha from the Massacre had a death wish.' Naruto simply looked to Sakura as the pink haired girl yelped at the sudden gaze.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, I like sweets, romance.. dislike annoying people.. my hobbies include shopping, dieting, and reading romantic books. My dream is to fall in love and to settle down with the person I love." Naruto nodded. Although he wondered why she became a shinobi if she wanted to just focus on the romantic aspect of her life. He turned to the Hyuuga girl as her face turned a similar shade to a tomato.

"I-I'm.. Hinata H-Hyuuga. I like.. training, my family, zenzai, and I dislike bullies, and when people give up easily. My hobbies are reading, writing poetry.. my dream is to become strong enough to change the way of the Hyuuga." Naruto saw her confidence rise as she talked more. But now she was back to her clamshell self.

"Good. Now I have to tell you something. You're not shinobi quite yet-" All three kids began to speak before Naruto raised a hand in the air, silencing them.

"Let me finish. The Academy weeds out people who aren't qualified to be Genin. But it thrusts people with that potential into another test to prove that they have what it takes to survive out there. I became the 'Ghost of Konoha' not because I write poetry, eat tomatoes, and go shopping. I had that bestowed upon me by my allies and enemies because I did things to earn that moniker. Go ahead and complain about the circumstances but it changes nothing.

Tomorrow I have a survival test for you three to complete. If you don't then your road to being a shinobi ends tomorrow.

Come by Training Ground 7 at 6AM sharp. If you're late, you fail." Naruto disappeared, leaving the three kids stressed and in wonder.


Naruto slept that night tossing and turning. A recollection of recent memories assaulted him.

He was in an open field, surrounded by enemy shinobi.

"You still have a chance to walk away from this." Naruto's words echoed as the surrounding shinobi glared.

"We're not letting you leave with our village's secrets. 'Ghost' or not." Naruto frowned.

"It could've been easy for you." As soon as he said that, the ground opened up and sprung trees and wood alike, capturing all 257 shinobi surrounding him.

"You're seeing and feeling the Senju part of my bloodline. Now here's the Uzumaki part." Naruto made a hand seal as all of the trees capturing the shinobi had two seals appear on the wood. One for "drain" and the other the famous Hiraishin seal.

"If you don't give up then my seal will drain half off your forces' life energy, to rejuvenate my own. If you surrender then everyone walks away." Naruto stated as people struggled to gain freedom from his wooden grasp.

"I guess that's my answer." In three blinks of an eye, 128 shinobi turned into ash, their life force draining into the Uzumaki-Senju hybrid. Men shouted, and women cried at seeing their loved ones fade into nonexistence.

"Now, do you want to see the Namikaze part of me? Or do you want to walk away?" Naruto sidled up to a crying man who couldn't bear to look at Naruto.

"Hmm, too slow." In a flash Naruto slashed the remaining 129 shinobi's throats. He inhaled a deep breath of air before exhaling.

"Hiruzen, it's done." He disappeared and reappeared in the Hokage's office.

Naruto woke up in a gasp.

"Damn it."

'Naruto. Breathe, just breathe and focus on the sound of my voice.'

'Okay.. Kurama.. okay.. I'm.. okay..'

'You're not a monster. You gave them a choice and they didn't accept.'

'But..'

'No buts! They honored their village. You gave them a choice and they decided to die with theirs. End of discussion.'

'Yes Kurama.'

'Good. Do you want me to put on the sleep genjutsu for you?'

'Yes please.'

'Goodnight Naruto.'

'Goodnight Kurama.. thank you.'

'No need to thank me.. now go to bed. We have brats to test tomorrow.'

Naruto had a vivid dream of him, Kakashi's family, his family, and Itachi's family going on a picnic together.

The genjutsu helped him sleep peacefully.


True to Naruto's word he was there at Training Ground 7 at 6AM. He was pleased to notice the fatigue on the three kids. He mostly noticed it with Sakura and Hinata. Satsuki hid it well, but her features showed enough. You just had to look deeper than the average individual.

"Good, you all made it. Punctuality is important to garner respect for a person's reputation, as well as the village's reputation. No client will want to hire our forces if we're known for being late." The three took in the information diligently. Naruto took out two bells and tied it on his person. He placed a clock on a stump and set the timer for noon.

"This is the survival test. Your goal is to take these bells from me. If you take a bell, you pass and become a ninja. If you don't you fail and get sent back to the Academy for another year. Yes Sakura?" He saw the pink haired girl's hand being raised and called on her.

"Sensei, there's two bells and three of us. Why is that?"

"Good question. That just means the person who doesn't have a bell fails. They fail, and get sent back to the Academy for a year of revisional courses. But also remember, two of you can get a bell, one of you can get a bell.. or none of you can get a bell. Now, are you all ready?" Two of the three girls gulped as Naruto slammed his hand on the alarm clock.

"Start." Naruto muttered as all three kids leapt away into their respective hiding spots.

"I hope you come at me with the intent the kill. That's the only way you can stand a chance of passing." Naruto sighed as he sat on a tree stump and started reading some Icha Icha.

"Now.. what does Mazuko do with- oh goodness." Naruto smiled underneath his facemask at the.. plot.

He felt it then, the wind shifted, the breeze quicker than usual.

Four shuriken, two fingers.

He caught them without looking up from his book.

The interesting was, this training ground was HIS training ground. Each tree crafted by his own hand. Each bush, each inch of grass and ground all belonging to him. He knew where each student was, at all times.

Their hiding spots were visually spectacular. But he can sense each one of their movements.

Satsuki was the one who threw the shuriken, so she was his first target.

He felt her move rapidly through the trees, trying to relocate. He met her in a slightly more open part of the training ground.

"Shinobi tactics part one, taijutsu." Naruto stated calmly and Satsuki huffed. She threw a kunai which Naruto sidestepped. He heard the snap of rope as a huge piece of log tried to smush him. He leapt to the side to be met by a flying high kick that he grabbed. Before she could do anything else he threw the Uchiha away making her growl in annoyance. He simply looked at her, a blank visage that she frowned at.

She threw a few more shuriken as she tried to reengage the jonin. He caught it midair as he threw it right back at her. She widened her eyes as she dodged, flying through hand signs. Naruto hummed as he flew through hand signs even faster than the Uchiha. He performed the fireball jutsu before she even did. She gasped as she dodged the flaming projectile.

'Of course he knows the fireball jutsu. But the fact he knew which jutsu I was going to perform.. yet he analyzed it, and used it on me first. Even Itachi would have trouble doing that.' She stood still as she tried to gauge him for any openings.

There were none. She saw Naruto simply fold his arms, the veins on his forearms showcasing years of hardwork under the muscle fibers.

"The longer you stay still, the longer your opponent has a chance to capitalize on you." As soon as he said this she felt the ground beneath her turn to liquid. She sunk rapidly until only her onyx ponytailed head was visible. She glared up at him and he stared at her. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds until he vanished, leaving her stuck in the earth.

'Damn it!'

Naruto reappeared behind a scared out of her mind Sakura. He simply stayed in the shadows as he placed her under one of the only genjutsus he could manage. Which is impressive in itself as he had an insane amount of chakra in his reserves.

He put her under a minor fear genjutsu. He didn't quite know what she feared or how it affected her. But it was more than he could hope as she rolled around in the dirt while screaming her flamingo haired head off. Then she passed out.

'Shinobi tactics part two.. genjutsu.' Naruto sighed as he went to confront the least confident member of the group. He saw her hiding in a bush. He simply threw a fire covered kunai from the front and into the bush. It started to burn and she leapt away as soon as she felt the leaves rustle. Good reflexes at least.

Naruto stood in front of her, meeting her right where she leapt.

"Shinobi tactics part three, ninjutsu." Naruto went through hand seals as Hinata tried to charge him head on.

"Wind style: Wind vacuum." A force of air sucked Hinata toward the blonde as the force of the wind left her unable to move her limbs. She tried to maneuver but the power was too great. As she was being forcefully moved to the blonde she noticed him go through some more hand seals.

"Earth style: Mud wall." A wall appeared in front of her as the vacuum became stronger. It was so strong that Hinata hit the wall hard enough to make an imprint.

The Hyuuga heiress was knocked unconscious from the impact.

Naruto frowned as he went back to the stump where the alarm clock was at. He sat down while leaning against it. He pulled out his book and started reading once more.

'Kind of pathetic.'

'Maybe, but they're kids Kurama.'

'Heh. They should've seen you and Itachi at their age.'

'Well, him and I were a different sort.. even dad said he wasn't as good as I was when he was 13.'

'Hopefully these kids shape up. They haven't even grasped the point of the exercise.'

Naruto shook his head as he kept up the reading.

5 and a half hours later.

The bell rung.

...

'You're telling me, they still haven't figured out the point of the exercise even after five hours?!' Kurama's shout of astonishment even had Naruto in agreement.

He wasn't a genius by any means.. but damn.

He saw the three girls slug their way to the stump he was at in clear disappointment and exhaustion. Their bodies were ragged and their bellies were starved. And their spirits? Broken.

"Six hours later and you all still didn't get a single bell. Six hours later and you all still didn't figure out the point of this text. I'm amazed. Truly." Naruto pulled out two bento boxes and handed them to Hinata and Satsuki. All of a sudden Sakura was tied to a stump in the blink of an eye.

"W-what- SENSEI! Why am I tied up?!" She screeched and Naruto sighed.

"You did the least in the exercise. Your skills are lacking in practicality. If we were all in the field you wouldn't be able to contribute in any positive way. And also, since you're the hungriest I'm giving Satsuki and Hinata lunch. Now, I'm going to explain the purpose of this test, which I wish I didn't have to.. well at least six hours after the test started anyways.

The point of it was to work as a team. Why do you think there's three genin and a jonin in a squad? It's because they're needed to form a team. To cooperate, watch each other's backs, to be stronger together instead of being alone." At the explanation the three of them had never felt so stupid.

"Let that sink in. Even if you didn't get the bells from me, as long as you all worked together then you would've passed. You may have even gotten both bells, but no. You didn't become a team, which is what this exercise is all about." All three girls looked away in shame, Sastuki more irritated than anything else. Naruto sighed as he stood up.

"I'm gonna give you all one last chance. We'll do another test when I return. So while I'm gone, don't feed Sakura any food. Otherwise you'll fail automatically. See you three in an hour." Naruto vanished to a nearby tree as he watched the trio of girls.

'You think they'll listen to you?'

'I hope not. This is their final test, whether they know it or not.'

'Wait, you see that? The Hyuuga girl is offering her portion.'

'Now that gives Satsuki the influence to offer hers. Looks like the team passes after all.' Naruto didn't realize it yet, but he was smiling underneath his mask.

'Should I give them a scare?'

'I think it would be funny.'

'Funny? Hm.'

As Hinata and Satsuki fed Sakura, they noticed that the area seemed to darken. They looked around and saw the clouds become grey and black, lightning started striking, thunder began booming, and the earth beneath their feet started to shake.

"YOU DARE DEFY ME?! THE GHOST OF KONOHA?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Naruto suddenly appeared, both eyes red as his killing intent was pouring out in waves. The three girls noticed with every step Naruto took toward them, the ground itself cracked.

'Such power, to be able to do that by walking alone..' Satsuki had chills run up her spine as the jonin came closer. Surprisingly it was Hinata who stood up to defy the blonde demon.

"G-Ghost of K-Konoha or not.. we're still a team! You can fail us as many times as you want.. we'll still find a way to be Shinobi! Together!"

"Yeah sensei! So you can take that bento and shove it!" Sakura piped up, seeing the normally shy girl stand up for herself helped her do the same. Satsuki stood up on shaky legs, similar to her teammates.

"Whatever test you've got to throw at us, we'll crush it this time." Naruto took his time inspecting each individual, seeing frightened but resolved expressions on each and every one of them.

All of a sudden the sky cleared and the sun shined once more.

"You pass." For the first time in a long time, Naruto grinned. Truly grinned.

"Wait wha-"

"I said you pass." Naruto shrugged and the girls looked at each other in confusion.

"Wait why?" Sakura asked and Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow.

"What, do you not want me to pass you? Because I can just take it back-"

"NO!" The girls exclaimed all at once and Naruto chuckled.

'That's the first time you laughed in years.' Kurama's voice resounded in Naruto's head. The blonde focused on the girls as he explained his decision.

"The reason why I passed you was because of what you all just agreed on. At first it was to see if you would listen to me, and not give Sakura any food. Then the second part was to test all of your resolves in the face of danger. I'm pleased to say that I was proven wrong. Do you want to know why I tested you like this?" All three genin stood at rapt attention. Naruto untied Sakura's binds as he bid them to follow him.

"The reason why I tested you as a team is because of this." Naruto and the girls stood in front of the Memorial Stone, taking in the names those that have fallen.

"All these names are the shinobi who sacrificed their life for the sake of the village. A lot of people who I hold dear to me have their names on this stone." Naruto felt the atmosphere change as he stared at some of the names he recognized. They stared in silence for a few minutes.

'Kakashi, Rin, Naruko, mom, dad.. I hope I'm making the right decision here.' Naruto turned to give his attention to his team.

"Remember this. Those who don't follow the rules are trash. But those who disregard their comrades, their friends, those who leave them behind. Those people are worse than trash. This test made sure you all knew the value of friendship, of being as one altogether." Naruto said and the three genin in front of him nodded forlornly.

"However, as of today we all are now officially Team 7. Congratulations." Naruto said and the three girls celebrated in their own way. Sakura cheered, Hinata smiled shyly, and Satsuki smirked.

"Okay, you all hold out your hands." They all did so in confusion. Naruto took some money out and handed them all the equivalent of one-hundred dollars each.

"This is a gift, celebrate together in memory of passing the test. I'm gonna let Hi- the Hokage know I passed you three. Good job today team. We'll meet back here tomorrow first thing in the morning." The three girls bowed their heads in thanks as Naruto vanished.


"Hiruzen." The Hokage turned from his position of looking out the window to address the jonin.

"Hello Naruto. How did the test go?" Naruto slid a document on the desk as the Hokage eyed it.

"They passed." Hiruzen smiled as he tried to analyze Naruto's expression. Although it was difficult to do with a shinobi of Naruto's caliber. The facemask didn't help that either.

"That is good to hear. How do you feel?" Naruto stared at the older man blankly.

"They're just a bunch of brats that I have to teach now. Not much to be excited about." Hiruzen simply nodded at Naruto's words. Although Hiruzen still had hope for the healing of a young, broken man.

"Either way this is great news. I'm sure they'll keep surpassing your expectations Naruto." Naruto simply shrugged before vanishing into thin air. The Hokage breathed in deeply before turning back to the window.

"They'll be good to mend a broken heart like yours. You'll see Naruto, even if you don't right now."


A:N Please let me know what you think, this idea has been on my mind for a bit. Review your opinion, and let me know if you want me to add more girls to the harem. Right now I have Naruto's genin team since it's much more convenient. If you list another female I will take it under heavy consideration.