Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor the fictional characters except my own. I do not own the pictures either, but I own the plot.
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Naruto awoke early today. It was 5 am as he turned off his alarm clock. "Ugh, it's way too early to wake up," he moaned but who was he kidding? He was more used to waking up to the sunrise than waking up after the sunrise.
The blonde got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom in the corridor to begin his day. Once he stepped inside, closed, and locked the door, he began with his usual morning routine.
The blonde washed his face after brushing his teeth and took a shower right after. While showering, the blonde enjoyed the warm temperature of the water falling on his body. It wasn't hard to relax but it was too easy to rest and too hard to focus on relaxing.
Relaxing wasn't something everyone was good at. An example would be an archiver. Someone who only was their goal and wasn't taking any time off to relax. It was easy to slack off. Too easy.
Nonetheless, was it true? Could you relax just like that? No thoughts and such? The boy couldn't. Not like he missed the days where he was free, walking around, traveling with a certain raven-haired Uchiha he held dear.
As he finished his shower it was already a few minutes before half-past 5. The blonde dried himself and began to wear the clothes which he had taken with him as he walked to the bathroom. Finished with brushing his hair, the boy went downstairs to meet some of the people he lived with.
"Good morning, how did you sleep?" the blonde asked the two with a loving smile. It was nice to wake up to people who loved you. Something the blonde was thankful for. Something he wouldn't have been able to feel in the past.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun."
"Good morning, Naruto."
"When do you guys have to be there to meet your team?" asked the blonde his two friends. Tiger smiled and thought about it for a second before she answered. They had to meet at seven. So, she still had to prepare herself for the day. Spider, on the other hand, didn't need to think about it as he answered right away.
"I have to meet my team at 8 am," he said before smiling. Nice. He was smiling. Naruto nodded his head and wondered why he was the only one who had to meet his team so early. It wasn't like his teacher would arrive early. He would probably arrive at noon and Naruto was sure about it.
But it didn't matter.
The kids got ready for the day before they gathered together to eat breakfast. It was hard to depend on something like food, but right now, it was important for growth. If they could ignore such a thing, then they would.
The blonde glanced at the clock. Shoot. He was late. On the first day. The blonde sighed before he walked towards his shoes and put them on. After that, he teleported himself to the place he was assigned to and ran out of that building.
Sure, it would have been better if he had just teleported himself to his destination, however, people would get suspicious. Where was he and why didn't they see him? Why couldn't the Anbus find him? All of that would have been a hassle.
So, Naruto saw it as his only option and ran. As he arrived at his destination he was 10 minutes late but there was no sign of his teacher. There was only a boy whose hair was styled like the ass of a duck and a pink-haired girl who yelled at him the moment she saw him.
"Naruto! You are late!" she scolded him. Why was he late though was a question she wouldn't dare to ask. It wasn't like she cared about him or anything. And then, they waited. They waited for the next three hours for their teacher to finally arrive.
"You are late!" yelled both the girl and Naruto as they saw their teacher. The man only smiled under his mask and gave them some lousy excuse.
"Anyway, before you are officially announced the title of Genin, you have to go through one more test," the man informed them. However, there was another question asked by the girl, which he slowly grew annoyed at. "But why is that? I thought we were Genin the moment we passed the exams. At least, that was what they told us."
And it was true. There wouldn't be a test but the man decided against it. He wouldn't train these children before they passed the test they were assigned to. The girl wasn't stupid and she proved it many times before.
"You don't think you can make it as a Genin if I don't approve of it, do you? If you fail the test, I'll send you back to the academy."
Fuck, the man was serious.
The children nodded their heads. They had to be able to succeed. Then, bells were heard. Kakashi had pulled out two bells and the kids looked at him confused, but were they truly confused?
"As you can see, I have to bells with me. Your job is to get those."
"But there are only two and we are three."
"Yes Sakura, you saw it right. This means that the one to fail the test and not be able to get one of the bells by the end of the day, when noon arrives, then will get sent back to the academy where they would have to study again," answered the man, and the kids paled.
There was something missing and both Naruto and Sakura knew it. Both knew due to two different reasons. The bell test was something his father used to do before he accepted the Genin. Kurama had told him about that, and Naruto was happy about it.
Sakura knew something was wrong with it as she recalled the things she learned in school. Ironic, isn't it? She had never heard of a three-man team. There was no such thing. Every Genin team has four members. The teacher and the students. Three students.
This meant that they would fail either way. Something wasn't right. If that wasn't the main goal of the test then what was it? The girl thought about it as she got ready to hide and think of a plan while Kakashi still talked.
"It starts the moment I say go."
However, the man wasn't able to say it before he was attacked by the blonde. Naruto knew the purpose of the fight he just needed his teammates to know it too. "What are you doing, Naruto?" Kakashi asked the boy who had attacked him after he dodged.
"You don't wait for the enemy to get ready to attack, do you? If you do that, you would be dead the moment they attack," replied the blonde, and Sakura must say; he was right. Sasuke was the only one not seeing that. His vision was filled with rage and hatred. All he needed to do was to get stronger so that he could kill the man who massacred his family.
He didn't have time for such things as team bonding or whatever this was called. All he needed to do was; getting stronger. The strongest to avenge his family.
"You are right, Naruto-kun. However, this is only a small test. So, go!"
And with that, the three were gone. Sakura hid behind a bush. She was close enough to see her enemy but between them, there was still some distance. It was kept for safety. Therefore, there wouldn't be any way to detect her. Sakura hid her chakra well, but was it good enough?
Sasuke on the other hand had hidden behind a tree. He controlled his charka well but it wasn't perfect. Better than the girl but he was still there. And Naruto? Where was that brat anyway?
He was moving fast. Too fast for Kakashi's liking. The man sighed and pulled out an orange book. The blonde recognized it immediately. That pervert.
Kakashi was reading his book, while Naruto was on his way to Sakura. After a few moments, Naruto found her and stopped her from screaming. He had surprised her. "Psh, don't scream. I have the feeling that you have understood the meaning of this test, haven't you?" The girl wasn't sure why she did that but she nodded her head.
"Good. All we have to do now is work together. If we get those bells I will give mine to Sasuke if he decides to bitch around," the blonde told her before slowly removing his hand from her mouth. She nodded again. The boy next to her seemed different. He wasn't loud and knew how to whisper and the plan sounded logical.
"But how will we convince Sasuke-kun?"
"We boost his ego."
There was an unfamiliar smirk. She shivered. Naruto explained to Sakura what she needed to do and after that, they both looked out for Sasuke for two different reasons. Sakura was the first to reach him. "Sasuke-kun, let's work together. It wouldn't be clever to be teammates with a dead last like Naruto. He would only hinder us, hinder you. Don't you want to avenge your family?"
Just as Sasuke was about to decline he stopped as she mentioned his family. Avenge his family? Yes. Work with Sakura? Risky. Working with Naruto? No. The boy sighed and nodded his head. If he got to get rid of one of them, then it had to be Naruto. He couldn't stand him.
"Fine."
Sakura smiled. Later, Naruto found the pair and glanced around before he walked towards them. "Sasuke-teme, let's work together. We can do this! We are both men and are stronger than Sakura! What could she do? Do you want someone like her in your team?" Naruto asked him, and Sasuke tsked.
Kakashi was standing somewhere in the field as suddenly Naruto attacked. The man didn't put the book away as the blonde continued to attack him with some Jutsus. Instead, he only dodged and did nothing. This, of course, frustrated the blonde and he got impatient. He was getting sloppy.
And then, he was defeated. Kakashi sighed. This is your son, Sensei? I cannot see why you gave up your life for him. Kakashi continued reading as he walked around searching for the other two Genin. It seemed like they hadn't figured out the purpose of the test yet. None of his previous students had.
And then, he found Sakura. The girl was walking around calling out for her Sasuke-kun to come out and work with her. Did she understand the test? I hope. Kakashi decided to use a Genjutsu on her. The result; she fainted. Was he too harsh on her?
Nah.
Last stop; Sasuke Uchiha.
The time was running and the kids didn't get as near as they wanted to get. And slowly, from behind his teacher, Sasuke attacked but he failed. Kakashi was now fighting Sasuke but his concentration did not leave the book he was reading nor the area around him. Just as he was about to land a blow on the boy, Sakura and Naruto attacked out of the blue. The blonde almost grabbed the bells but was stopped the moment Kakashi heard the bells jingle.
Naruto was thrown around and was made a weapon by the person who should have protected him. Kakashi threw the boy on Sasuke and punched the girl just as hard as he was allowed to in the stomach. If she was still able to produce children, then she would be useful for the future.
The alarm clock rang. It was noon. They had lost.
"You have lost. All of you."
Sasuke grew angry as he looked at the bells which were now in Kakashi's hands. They were supposed to dust the moment he touched them. Why wasn't it happening? Did he fail? Of course, he did. He trusted the girl to be able to do something. And Sakura? She didn't look as angry or as disappointed as Sasuke did. Why was that?
"What are you smiling for, Naruto? None of you won," asked the teacher the smiling blonde but Naruto only shook his head. Then, the blonde looked at Sakura and smiled even wider. He was almost grinning at this point.
"What are you talking about Sensei?"
"We have the bells, look."
Both Naruto and Sakura pulled out one bell each and Sasuke including his teacher were stunned. It didn't make any sense. Why did the two of them have bells when the bells were still in Kakashi's hands? And why didn't Sasuke have any?
The answer was simple. Well, as simple as you want it to be.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Sensei? We worked together to get those bells. While you were busy with Sasuke, Naruto and I attacked you. He wasn't the one who almost touched the bells. I was. He was switching them out the moment you decided to swing him around like some mad man swinging an ax."
"You should have seen the Genkutsu we used on ourselves. And the clone from Sakura. The clone who fainted. You were busy reading that book and did not notice how Sakura and I switched places. The one you threw wasn't me, it was Sakura. Sasuke was just the bait."
"I see how it is. But what about the bells? It seems like I have to send you back, Sasuke," informed Kakashi the boy who seemed pale. "You don't have to do that. He was the mastermind behind this plan. I am just somebody who listens to their captain. And the rules would be that I take the risk and save my comrades. We can't leave him behind. So, we have to take either take the bells and leave him or we take him and leave the bells. The second option is what we decided on."
And with that, the blonde and pinknette threw the bells over to the man while Naruto grabbed Sasuke. Sasuke was buffed. That wasn't the plan he had with Sakura. Neither was it the plan he had with the blonde. Sakura wasn't too sure herself.
Why was she listening to the blonde? Was it really a good idea? She didn't know but she gave it a try as she threw the bell towards Kakashi who caught it.
Kakashi didn't say anything. What was the man thinking?
"Congratulations! You guys passed. I didn't think that you were able to do such a thing. Amazing mind Sasuke and good teamwork."
Sasuke didn't understand. How did they pass the test? The girl wasn't too sure herself but she was happy nonetheless. She smiled at the two boys. Naruto turned to face her and smiled at her. And there it was. A pinkish color was painted on her cheeks. Was she blushing?
"Tomorrow will be our first mission as a team. Meet me here at 7 am. We will have towards the Hokage tower and receive our missions. Until then, rest and enjoy the day." With that, the man was gone.
"Sakura-chan, would you like to go get Ramen with me?" the blonde questioned the girl who still had a small blush painted on her cheeks. Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked away. The girl shook her head before she answered. "No, uh. Sorry, I have something else to do. Maybe another time, yeah?" she voiced before she walked away not waiting for an answer.
The blonde didn't expect that.
"Did she apologize just now?"
"It seems like that, kid."
The blonde sighed and headed to his apartment. He wouldn't be able to get used to that shady thing they call his apartment. The moment he reached and entered, he teleported himself to the place he called home. "I'm back," he called out, and just like yesterday, he received an answer.
"How was it?"
"To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. Kakashi did the bell test and Sakura and I worked together. You won't believe it! She was listening to me and even answering my questions. She didn't even call me stupid! And to top that, she apologized for not being able to eat Ramen with me. Instead, she said that we could eat some another time."
Tiger and Spider were impressed.
"So you happy that you got a date with your little girlfriend?" teased Tiger as she looked amused. The blonde blushed and shook his head. "What are you talking about? What girlfriend?" the boy questioned her. It was kind of sad that these we the only moments where they could be kids.
"What girlfriend? I'm talking about Sakura-chan, of course. I bet you will have as many children as Kami-sama allows you to."
"Ha ha. You are so funny. And besides, what about Sasuke?"
"I guess you just need to get rid of him. I know a very good method how to do so," replied Spider, and they began to laugh. It was nice to be able to just stop worrying about life and just be able to enjoy it.
"I'm home."
"Sakura."
...
The day continued and soon it was night. The small blonde was outside of his house and looked up at the moon. It was beautiful. He sighed.
It was morning. Around 5 am as the blonde awoke. And just like yesterday, he got ready for the day. This time, he would be on time. The boy waved his family goodbye before he was seen in his apartment. Naruto walked out and enjoyed the sunshine. It felt amazing.
The blonde arrived and was met by Sakura. She was quite early. The blonde wondered why she was there so early in the morning. They had around twenty minutes before 7 am. Something wasn't right and he knew that.
As the blonde walked towards her he thought about possible solutions for that cause. "Hello Sakura-chan," he greeted her. He didn't expect a greeting back but he received one.
"Good morning to you too, Naruto," she answered as she smiled at him. This was new, strange even but the blonde wouldn't complain about such things. It was nice and maybe, just maybe, they would be able to become friends.
They talked a bit until Sasuke decided it was the perfect moment to appear. Then, it was gone. Sakura excused herself silently and walked over to Sasuke. "Good morning Sasuke-kun. How is your morning?"
No answer.
But she didn't give up on him just yet. But why was that?
Naruto shrugged and sat underneath a near which was nearby. He opened a scroll that was sealed somewhere on his body and pulled out a book. If they did not want to talk to him, fine. But Sakura's behavior wasn't usual. It was nagging on him. He had to investigate that matter later.
While reading his book, Naruto noticed Kakashi's presence. He was hidden somewhere behind trees and bushed and it got on his nerves. Why was the man spying on them? Was he a coward? A pervert? Nonetheless, the blonde ignored him.
After half an hour, the man finally decided to show himself. That's when it happened.
"You are late!"
"Mah, mah, Sakura, Naruto. I'm sorry I got lost on the path of life."
The blonde wanted to yell, scream and shout at him for lying but he knew what the man meant. Losing to the enemy called life, wasn't something he hadn't experienced yet. Nonetheless, he along with Sakura scolded the man for being late. That wasn't an excuse.
The blonde knew that.
"Ok, kids listen up. I already informed myself about the mission we are about to have. All we got to do is search for a cat named Tora. Her owner was devastated," explained Kakashi, and Naruto knew that he had made the right choice by reading a book about cats.
"Sounds simple enough," said Sasuke.
"May Kami-sama bless him."
"Do you mean it, Kurama?"
"Of course not."
"I hate this cat."
Kurama snorted. It wasn't like Sasuke could hear him. But he heard Sasuke and it seemed like Kakashi did too. The mission was over and the children were dismissed. Over the week they had various missions. All of them were D-rank missions.
One of them, Naruto remembered clearly. It was babysitting.
They had to babysit some kids. Three to be exact. They were ten, seven, and two years old. Sasuke didn't understand why he had to babysit children to get stronger. Neither did Naruto or Sakura but it was somewhat nice. And surprisingly, the blonde knew how to take care of children. Sakura liked to play with the youngest one. That child was cute.
Sasuke on the other hand hated these children. The ten-year-old kid would stare at him like he was some cactus that he wasn't allowed to touch. Kakashi was just regretting his life choices by now.
A few hours later, the woman arrived with some groceries. But before she went grocery shopping, she worked. It was hard on her but she didn't lose hope. She had lost her husband a few years ago. Two years ago.
The three Genin took the groceries and helped her with cooking. Sasuke could cook. How else was he supposed to take care of himself?
After that, the team waved the children goodbye and headed home for that day.
Once, they were in Hiruzen's office where they delivered Tora the cat which had escaped again. Naruto held the cat in his arms while the door busted open to reveal the wife of the daimyo of the Land of Fire. She immediately ran towards the blonde and grabbed the cat.
"Thank you so much for getting my beloved Tora back," she thanked them.
"It's no wonder the cat fled," whispered Sakura to herself and she was right. The way the woman was treating the cat was unhealthy. The blonde winced as the woman continued to bone crush the cat with the thing she called a hug.
"May I interrupt this? Your cat does not appreciate the way you are treating her. Have you thought about why she was running away the whole time?" Naruto asked her, and she shook her head no.
"Tell me, boy, why is she running away?"
Narito explained to her what she could improve and informed her about cats' well-being. And how did he know that piece of information? "I read it in a book about cats. If you want, I can give you a copy of it."
The days went on. Mission after mission. And Naruto knew he had to stop this now. It wasn't like he hated doing some of this stuff but he didn't like it very much either. He also knew that his teammates couldn't stand them but weren't able to voice it out.
"Jiji, can we get another mission? All these missions are boring and won't help us to develop. We have no energy for such things. How do you expect us to be great ninjas if we are stuck here not being able to learn from the experience we collect? I know that we need to complete at least some of them but still," argued the blonde.
Just as Iruka was about to argue back, Hiruzen spoke. "Are you sure you can do it? Are all of you ready to take a C-rank mission?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely sure of it. We have already proved ourselves many times and will do it again."
It was Sakura who spoke this time.
Hiruzen looked over to Kakashi. "What do you think Kakashi? Are they ready? You are their teacher and saw them training. Are they ready for a C-rank mission?" Hiruzen questioned the man. Kakashi thought about it. Was it truly a good decision?
"Yes, I think they are ready."
And with that, it was decided.
"Fine," sighed the Hokage, " Iruka-san, please let the client in." Iruka only nodded his head as he excused himself. A few moments later, there was a tipsy man walking inside with Iruka. The man was swinging left to right as he looked over to the children.
Then, he locked eyes with one of them and something flashed through his eyes which no one noticed. "These children are supposed to protect me? Are you joking?" the man questioned.
"Oho, this will be fun."
"Mah, don't be like that. I promise that my Genin will be able to protect you. So, don't worry," Kakashi assured the man who only rolled his eyes.
"If you think that. Anyway, my name is Tazuna the super bridge builder. I build the greatest bridges. I need you to take me to the land of waves so I can build the bridge," the man explained, and the four understood.
"We will meet tomorrow at 8 am by the gate. Understand?"
"Yes, Sensei."
The children headed home. Sakura couldn't wait to be outside that village for the first time. She always dreamt of seeing the world. And now, she was able to.
Naruto on the other hand was also glad to be able to escape from this village for a while. But he would miss his family at home.
And Sasuke. What about Sasuke? The boy was glad to say that he was finally able to get stronger. He was getting closer and closer towards his goal. His goal of revenge. Killing the man who killed his family.
The sunrise arrived and everyone was waiting at the gate.
"Eh, Kakashi-sensei. You aren't late?"
"Why should I be late on our first C-rank mission, Sakura and Naruto?"
"Nevermind."
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Total word count 4350