Yet another new fic. But I have to tell you, just writing what strikes me is like returning back to when I first started out with fanfiction. Less stressing on the self imposed deadlines. That being said, do know that I have an update for Good Brother, Son of the Dragon, Hunger Games, and others all in the works. A couple are even over 5k into the chapters so I am working on multiple updates at all times. Unfortunately I have mostly just been dealing with some regular work and life stuff that eats up a lot of time.
Anyway, excuses for a lack of content aside I am pretty excited for this story. At one time there were two routes for it in front of me. One was a crossover with Bleach where the Kurosaki family was from Konoha and Ichigo was the main character. It dropped most of the bleach content in favor of running Ichigo born in the Elemental Nations, but after a small vote on AizenTheGoat's Discord server I inevitably locked onto the second option. The classic older brother Naruto fic. Maybe one day in the future I will do the Ichigo fic, but sadly it's not today.
That all said some character ages are changes and others aren't. Like just for simplicity sake I have left Kakashi's generation and older untouched, Naruto is three years older than what his canon generation would be and those of that generation are aged up as changes to graduation age are put in place.
So essentially for some reference.
Naruto-19
Anko-24
Kasumi/Setsuna/Sakura/etc-16
Kakashi-26
Itachi-21
Now lets get after it. You can find links to some fun discord servers centered on fanfiction at the bottom author note for the story, but for right now lets begin.
Chapter One
The little boy stood staring silently at the two headstones sitting in the Konoha cemetery. Behind him, his little sister stared at him while holding the hand of the elderly third Hokage.
Neither child spoke, both having kept this little spot as a sort of hallowed ground. They didn't utter a word here. It felt taboo.
The old man stared at the two children sadly. The boy had just graduated from the academy earlier that day. Matching the likes of Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake. Though while those two had been primarily due to natural talent, this boy had pushed himself to that point so that he could gain the rights all Shinobi of Konoha had. Legally he was now an adult and the guardian of his younger sister.
Both would be moving into the humble home he had prepared for them this evening. After the redhead had paid his respects.
As he felt the little three year old girl holding his hand shiver from the chilly early morning air, Hiruzen cleared his throat softly and captured the attention of the young boy before him.
"Oh, sorry." Naruto said softly before holding out a hand to the little blonde girl.
"Come on, Kasumi. We need to finish packing our things at the orphanage." Naruto said as she took a hold of his hand.
The old man sighed as he followed after the children. He was happy that the village was better than many others, and no one was willing to abuse the children. He wondered if that would have still been the case if their parentage was unknown. Either way, while they were not abused or even truly neglected, the ostracization from their fellow orphans and the staff out of natural fear of the seal on Kasumi had begun to have adverse effects on both children.
It wasn't a real solution to allow them their own new home, but as Naruto had said to Hiruzen a few weeks earlier, being alone was far worse when you were surrounded by people.
The aged Hokage just hoped that upon little Kasumi entering the academy that the fear would have died down and she could live as normal of a childhood as possible, unlike her elder brother.
Naruto's time as a genin was short. Incredibly short. The income a genin made was hardly anything compared to the higher ranks, and he pushed himself into the chunin rank just over a year after his graduation from the academy.
Juggling his career, training, and caring for his sister would have been difficult for an adult. Doing so at such a young age was impossible. Hiruzen didn't forget the children, though and as Kasumi grew, just as Hiruzen had hoped, the fear surrounding her burden began to subside.
When the girl befriended Hinata Hyuga, and the Hyuga had opened their doors to her whenever Naruto was on missions, things truly became brighter. It warmed both Hiruzen and Naruto's hearts to see Kasumi so happy to have a friend.
The fact that it was the result of Kasumi trying to stop some bullies from picking on the heiress had been a bit of a point of pride for Hiruzen. The Uzumaki children were like family to him, much like their father had been before he died. He couldn't imagine being disappointed in either of them. Though he did have to intervene when Naruto found out about Kasumi being bullied by the same older children.
The protectiveness of an older brother became a far less amusing thing to see when that older brother was a natural born Shinobi.
In time Naruto advanced through the ranks and found himself conducting missions as a tokujo and a member of the ANBU before most even attempted their first chunin exams. His natural gifts for large and dense chakra coupled with a positively ruthless mind saw him soon become an invaluable member of his team alongside the likes of fellow prodigies, Itachi Uchiha, Yugao Uzuki, and Tenzo. All led by the living legend Kakashi Hatake.
Their team made a name for itself despite all being supposedly anonymous behind their masks. After all it was difficult to hide the fact that the 'kiddie squad' as some derogatorily referred to them, were all children.
Despite that, they were known for a perfect mission record. No losses and nothing but successes. From assassinations to bodyguard missions, they completed them all with little issue. Even the rescue of Princess Koyuki Kazehana and the elimination of a plethora of different rogues across the continent.
Things, of course, changed when Itachi massacred his clan except for his younger sister, Setsuna. The team grew distant. Tenzo took more and more solitary assignments, and Kakashi likewise pushed others away. Yugao found camaraderie and eventually romance with a fellow kenjutsu user who taught her a great many things. Not just things connected to the sword either.
Naruto, on the other hand, was transferred, at his request, to the hunter detachment. He wanted to capture his former teammate and friend and bring him to Konoha to face trial, however, never got the chance.
Instead, a rogue that he had tracked moved to join the traitor, Orochimaru. While Naruto never saw the Snake Sannin himself, he did find one of the villain's many bases. A laboratory with corpses of several former Konoha Shinobi and one living test subject, Anko Mirarashi.
The scene had been a bit too much for Naruto. Even after having considered himself desensitized to the horrors of their world, one of Orochimaru's playgrounds was enough to shake him terribly.
Thankfully his rescue of Anko was just the start of a new path opening up for him. One that pulled him back from the cold-hearted ninja he was gradually evolving into.
After dropping Kasumi off at the academy Naruto made his way toward Anko's new residence in Konoha. She lived in a cheaper part of town, but it wasn't exactly a bad neighborhood or anything. Just less comfortable housing that the Hokage could easily afford to pay for and house Shinobi that were temporarily unable to return to duty for one reason or another. Most were financially stable enough that they would never need to live here, but those that did were mainly Shinobi either crippled by the Kyuubi attack eight years prior or damaged in some way on a mission.
Anko was technically fine. The few experiments besides the cursed seal that Orochimaru had used on her hadn't been as invasive as one might suspect. The invisible damage that the Sannin had done to his former apprentice was a different situation entirely.
The attitude that she had been presented with by most of the villagers and Shinobi upon her return hadn't helped. That was part of why Naruto had become so involved with the girl. She might be older than him, but he couldn't help but imagine his baby sister in Anko's shoes. Considered with suspicion and distaste for something completely out of her control.
"Anko, open up." He called out as he knocked on the door.
After some rustling inside, the door swung open to reveal the bathrobe-clad teenager before him. Anko looked down at the eleven year old in front of her. When he was out of his uniform it was kind of hard to picture him as the Shinobi that had just recently left the ANBU after being promoted to Jonin. The youngest to ever be in the organization, though he never reached the same level of notoriety that Itachi Uchiha had. That boy may have entered ANBU at an older age than Naruto, but he also was made a captain in the black ops force before the incident that earned him S-rank criminal status in the bingo book.
"Oh, it's you, pipsqueak…I guess you can come in." Anko said as she opened the door further and let Naruto in.
He frowned slightly at the messy living room as he followed her in. He had to brush clutter off of the small table in front of the couch to place down the takeout he had brought her.
"Bringing me food again? If I didn't know better I would say you had a crush on me." She teased weakly.
Naruto smiled slightly at that. Slowly but surely, the girl in front of him was coming out of the broken shell that her experience had landed her in. She would always have some of the issues that her pain left behind, but the fact that she had started to regularly tease and banter with him when he visited was a marked improvement even after a full month of her recovery.
"Are you sure you know better?" He joked back, causing Anko to chuckle at him while she opened up the takeout.
"You are a weird kid, but I definitely like that. You're one of only like four people that bother visiting me outside of Inoichi and his clan members." Anko said with a shrug.
Naruto could see beneath the nonchalant mask, though. Such a lack of empathy from her comrades hit her hard. Prior to her disappearance at Orochimaru's hands, she had been much like Naruto. Lauded as a young prodigy in the Shinobi arts and on the fast track to an amazing career.
Now though, she was lucky that she had gained the tank of chunin before her disappearance because it was doubtful she would be given the chance for a long while to properly integrate back into their forces.
"Ah, you got my favorite again." She said happily as she plopped down to eat.
Naruto blushed and looked away as she very nearly gave him a free show. Anko herself blushed a bit as she tightened her robe properly. She was pretty shameless normally. She was sixteen, and while she didn't get the loving attention she once did in Konoha, she did enjoy turning heads with her looks.
That being said, not only was the kid too young he was one of the few people she felt actually comfortable with in Konoha anymore. Being tricked into the most horrible experience of your life by the man you considered a foster father didn't exactly set you up for being a trusting and healthy individual.
"You know. It is weird when you just come over with food and sit silently while I eat. Why do you come over anyway? I mean that Tokujo, Kurenai, that Lord Third assigned me, has started coming between meals just to visit or whatever but you haven't been assigned to me or anything like that."
Naruto shifted a bit but faced Anko after she asked her question. He hadn't been assigned to her. That was true. He wasn't like the rest of those that visited her. All of them came in some sort of official capacity. While Kurenai had started to come around more than was required because she actually got along with Anko, Naruto had been visiting her practically since she moved into her new place.
"I dunno. I just felt like I should, I guess. It's not right the way people treat you like a traitor. Your not…him." Naruto said simply.
Anko eyed the younger boy for a time as a small, content smile crept onto her lips.
"You are just a sweet kid, aren't you?" She chuckled.
"Don't tell anyone. It makes me look bad." The boy replied with a grin.
"Oh, please. If they think you being a little sweet kid has anything to do with your ability as a Shinobi, then they don't deserve their own headband." Anko shrugged.
Naruto nodded before he snagged a bit of the food for himself despite the offended look from her.
"Hey." She grumbled.
"I bought it…plus, I outrank you. I have to make sure that it's okay for my pretty junior to eat." Naruto teased.
"Aww, does the itty bitty Jonin think I'm pretty? Do you actually have a crush on me?" She asked, causing him to blush again and abruptly head for the door.
Anko cackled as he left. He wasn't really ready to be teasing her just yet. If he stayed cute when he got older, maybe she could really have fun picking on him, though.
Either way, Naruto's care for her had quickly made the two of them fast friends. While Kurenai and Anko had initially started with little more than professional courtesy, it was clear from the start that Naruto genuinely cared for her well-being.
The room was filled with arguments as adults seemed content to act more childish than Naruto had ever seen. He was a bit shocked by the reaction to the Third Hokage's decision.
"It's breaking of tradition. Hiashi, won't you say something?" One of the village elders asked the man sitting immediately to Naruto's left.
Today was a unique one. Hiruzen had brought the clan heads and department heads in for a meeting to discuss a plan to change the curriculum of the academy. With rumors that the academy has grown lax over the years since the Third Shinobi War, most were expecting harsher exams or courses.
Instead, Hiruzen had declared his intention to extend the academy to age sixteen for graduation and to make D-rank missions a part of the curriculum for academy students. It was a drastic change but one that the Hokage felt strongly about.
It was still major enough to bring before the various political figures of the village to get their opinions.
"I support the Third's decision. More time spent training and honing our recruits, as well as getting them used to live as a Shinobi will only improve our forces in time."
The room was stunned. However, Naruto had an inkling that Hiashi wasn't giving his full opinion. Either way, the Hyuga was finished speaking, clearly not about to engage in debates with the others summoned.
"Sixteen, though? Isn't that a bit old for graduation? We need to rebuild our forces after the war and Kyubi still." Inoichi stated.
"It's been ten years since the Kyubi attack, and are you really saying you're ready for Ino to graduate in less than two years?" Choza asked his friend a bit sharply.
"No…well. Shikaku…" Inoichi stumbled on his words.
"We have been running wartime graduation ages since the first Shinobi war. I believe the original age was to be fourteen." Shikaku replied.
"That could be more reasonable." Shibi chimed in.
"With all due respect, Lord Third, but why now? I mean, my Hana graduated at twelve, and my Kiba would be fine doing the same." Tsume said as she turned back to face the Hokage. Most of the room did the same.
"It's simple. My teachers were Lord First and Second themselves. Their reason for founding the village in the first place was in search of peace. They weren't so naive as to assume there would be no war, but their wish for children to grow up and be children before living the life of Shinobi was their core desire in building our home. I made the mistake of shortening the graduation age to twelve during the first war in a bid to increase our manpower. It's shortened and shortened since then with some of our children entering war as young as five or six." Hiruzen spoke, and many eyes glanced toward Naruto as he did so.
"I have regretted my rash decision to shorten the graduation age ever since. If anything, I should have extended it like I wish to now. Numbers are not how we have won the wars we have fought. So many of our children have died needlessly, or should I remind you of our losses in the third Shinobi war? Many of you lost friends and siblings before they had even entered puberty."
The Hokage's mind was clear. However, Hiruzen had made a habit of being open to the decisions of his subordinates. He wanted to at least appear to be taking the majority opinion in mind.
"My position remains with Lord Third." Hiashi Hyuga said simply.
"The graduation ages have been perfectly fine in the past. The curriculum could be changed, though." The elders agreed with one another.
"Naruto?" Hiruzen asked.
He mentally cursed the old man for putting him on the spot. However, his position was easy to decide.
"I'm all for it. I graduated early. I've served Konoha in combat since I was six. It was far too early to be seeing such things. We already removed early graduation when Itachi Uchiha snapped. This seems just as good of an idea as that was." Naruto replied.
"As you said, you were an early graduate. What makes you think this is necessary?" Koharu asked Naruto directly. Clearly displeased that one of the prodigies of their village would press for more time spent in the academy.
"Because from the group that I graduated from, three other Shinobi remain active. Out of nearly twenty graduates. I might have been half the age of the rest of my class when I got the headband but don't you see the fact that you've been using children as fodder for over fifty years at this point? I mean, we haven't even been at war since the Kyubi attack. Our casualties among genin are completely avoidable." Naruto ranted, surprising most of the adults with his words. Hiashi Hyuga, however, added his own approval to Naruto, and a handful of others had been won over by it as well.
As the meeting was disbanded, and Hiruzen put into effect the new academy conditions he had wanted, the old man made the decision that it was time to begin grooming his next successor. He had once wanted Itachi for the role, but that ship had long since sailed. Now though, Naruto was the perfect choice to ascend to the Hokage position.
At least he would be in time.
Naruto slipped the kunai from its holster in silence. It had been a long time since Naruto had worked with Kakashi and Tenzo, if only Yugao could have been present and most of their old squad would be back together for this mission.
"What's g-" A civilian man began, only for a shuriken to tear through his throat. The throw had come from the drying linens nearby. Naruto replied with his Kunai and was pleased to see the billowing sheets splattered with red as his opponent caught the blade with their chest.
The village of Narashiri was a sleepy little town near the border of the Land of Rivers. Recently though it had become a focal point for a band of rogue Shinobi leading a sizeable force of bandits. They had been brazen enough to kill the local lord and take his holdfast as their base of operations. Or at least that is what it had appeared. That was just for the bandits, though.
Really, their base of operations had been a small inn here in Narashiri. The innkeeper was a former Kunoichi from Suna, and coupled with her comrades, all of whom were missing-nin from various villages across the continent, they had been running one of the most profitable human trafficking rings in the continent.
Sadly before the team led by Kakashi could find who was purchasing so many kidnapping victims from them, the rogues had made their move. Now Narashiri was a silent battlefield as the Shinobi on both sides hunted one another.
Naruto and his team were outnumbered, but as was normal with most rogue ninjas, it was clear that their training had taken a hit in their absences from home. Slowly the tables were turning, and one by one, the missing ninja were hunted down.
The sound of chirping birds two buildings away told Naruto that Kakashi had found another of their enemies and removed them from the equation. From his own position within this house, Naruto carefully drew out another kunai.
The paper doors of the traditional little village and the tight close nature of the buildings made the battlefield a unique one. Most fights he had taken part in up to this point had either been away from civilization or in some sort of embattled fortress or ruins.
What's more, the civilians of Narashiri had no idea what was going on. Some simply stumbled upon a corpse and called out, only for the jumpy rogue ninja to kill them. Doing so gave away their position and made it possible for Naruto and his team to take them out, but it still cost innocent life, which bothered the Uzumaki more than he had expected.
"Leaf." A voice called out from a nearby doorway.
"Tree." Naruto replied with the proper countersign, though he kept his eyes scanning for targets.
"Naruto." Tenzo said as he quickly joined Naruto in his position.
"What's the count?" He asked the older boy.
"I think there's only three left. Well, maybe less, depending on how many Kakashi just took down."
"Kind of reminds me of the old days," Naruto said.
Tenzo snorted. "You're sixteen. What old days?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah. Sure. Let's move to the east. I have a wood clone covering the bridge, but I feel like if there are any leftovers they will try and make a break for it, and the bridge is the fastest route toward the border."
"Sounds good. Lead the way, Tenzo." Naruto said as he kept his eyes scanning for targets.
The pair of Konoha Shinobi silently maneuvered through the village. They did their best to ignore the sobbing of a woman who had found her murdered son just outside their front door. Clean-up would take some time but it was only right that they help the villagers bury their loved ones after all this mess was handled.
"Yo." A familiar voice called out to both Naruto and Tenzo, causing them to blink in surprise.
Kakashi stood beside the bridge with the remains of Tenzo's wood clone beside him. The three dead missing-nin at Kakashi's feet had obvious marks of an electrified kunai passing through them.
"Oh, was that the last of them?" Naruto asked as he and Tenzo stood and joined their senior.
"Far as I could tell," Kakashi replied simply.
Naruto nodded as he kicked one of the bodies over onto its back and began rummaging through its pockets, looking for anything noteworthy.
"I already searched them. They didn't have anything useful. We should seal up the bodies, though. There might be something I missed for our research teams to find. Plus, we probably ought to help the villagers clean up." Kakashi stated.
As if to emphasize his point, a scream broke out in the direction Naruto and Tenzo had just come from. Naruto had an idea that the voice likely belonged to the cute young washerwoman that hung the sheets out to dry. At least she wouldn't be meeting the same fate as her neighbor though.
The Narashiri incident was largely swept under the rug. At least until about a month later when Jiraiya had shown up demanding answers about what had happened. It didn't take a genius to figure out who exactly the buyer for all of those missing people had actually been.
"I found one of his labs down the road from the village. It looked like a roadside shrine but had a hidden door. You've all seen his labs. You know what was inside." Jiraiya said tiredly to the others gathered in the Hokage's office.
Naruto cast a glance toward Tenzo and felt his chest burn to see the hollow look in his friend's eyes.
"He's gone with no leads again. At this rate, Orochimaru will be on the run for the rest of his life." Jiraiya said as he stood.
"Nothing? No new reports at all?" Hiruzen asked.
"Sorry, sensei, I have nothing for you this time. Clearly, I'm behind where I should be if it takes me a month to even find out Konoha hit one of Orochimaru's suppliers."
"Still, I want you to watch for anything. Orochimaru is our priority target." The Hokage said.
"What about Itachi?" Naruto asked.
"He's dangerous and powerful, but Orochimaru spreads death everywhere he goes. Itachi just seems to be trying to lay low." Jiraiya answered instead.
Naruto and his teammates exchanged looks. They weren't exactly pleased, but truth be told, Naruto had seen the aftermath of Orochimaru. As bad as Itachi's crimes were. Murdering people as he had was mild in comparison to the cruelty Orochimaru enjoyed.
"You're all dismissed." Hiruzen said tiredly. Thinking of his former student was exhausting.
The men all made their way out. Kakashi disappeared in a small burst of smoke, as was typical. Tenzo waved goodbye to Naruto before heading off over the rooftops while Naruto took to the streets on foot, only to pause as he realized he was joined by someone else.
"Lord Jiraiya?" He asked.
"What's with this Lord Jiraiya stuff, kid? I'm your godfather, remember? Don't you want to catch up or something?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto pinched his eyebrows together in confusion at that. It had been over a decade since Jiraiya had come by to catch up. The last time he had stopped by to actually speak directly to Naruto, the redhead had just recently lost his parents. They had only seen one another in passing since then whenever Jiraiya was meeting with the Sandaime.
What's more, he was not only Naruto's godfather but also Kasumi's, and she had never even seen the man. Naruto hadn't bothered telling his sister about the man or their connection to him either. What was the point when he doubted she would ever meet him face to face?
That evidently had been the wrong assumption as Jiraiya crossed his arms.
"You know. I really should meet Kasumi. She's what, like…" Jiraiya trailed off as Naruto simply stared at him.
"She shares a birthday with the same day she and I were orphaned. The same day the village got wrecked…remember? Sure you do." Naruto commented hotly.
"Right. Look, I know I should have been here, but I-" Jiraiya began again.
"Stop. Whatever excuse it is, it doesn't matter. I won't forgive you for it, but I know my dad would at least want me to let you come to the house. Maybe meet Kasumi." Naruto huffed.
Jiraiya grinned brightly at that. Though he stopped when Naruto held up a hand.
"What?" He asked the teenager.
"Three conditions. Don't get her hopes up about you coming around to visit. We both know you won't. At least not for another five years or so. Secondly, I have someone staying with us. Don't pull that perv crap around them. They're off-limits…I shouldn't have to say Kasumi is too, but I am anyway."
"Sheesh, kid, give me some credit. I'm not a pedophile." Jiraiya groused.
"I don't care, just follow my conditions." Naruto replied with a glare.
"Okay, okay. Now, what's the third one?"
"You have to tell me whatever way that my dad taught you the Rasengan. Kakashi has flat-out refused to teach me what he knows about it, saying I have to learn it from you, and shockingly all my dad's notes on the technique seem to have disappeared from the Hokage vault at some point. Weird since only the Hokage are keyed to the seal on the latch…except for you since you maintain it." Naruto commented.
"Hey, I wasn't trying to steal it away from you and your sister or anything. That vault just isn't as secure as it was when your dad was the one maintaining it." Jiraiya defended himself.
"I don't care, old man. Just make sure you have what you need. You aren't leaving the village until I have the technique down." With that said, Naruto pivoted and headed for his home.
"Now, wait a minute. It took me months to get that damn thing down. I can't hang around here for that long." Jiraiya argued.
"If it took you months, you won't be here that long after all." Naruto called over his shoulder.
"You are so not like Minato. He was so nice and polite." The Sannin grumbled as he caught up to Naruto.
At the Uzumaki family apartment, Jiraiya was a bit surprised to find it was a pretty decent home. The building was one of the nicer ones in the village and clearly well-maintained. He had expected a teenage boy and his little sister…his girlfriend too he guessed by the second condition of his visit, to make more of a mess. Instead, the place was practically spotless.
"Kasumi will be home from the academy soon and-" Naruto began to inform Jiraiya until he paused as Anko strode into the room with a big smile though her head cocked to the side at the sight of Jiraiya.
"What's up with the toad?" She asked bluntly, causing Naruto to smirk just slightly.
In the years since he had brought her back to the village, Anko and he had gotten closer and closer. Eventually, she was capable of returning to active duty despite many still holding her with suspicion. Thankfully the department heads, most notably the head of T&I, were confident in her loyalty to Konoha. Or at least her loyalty to a handful of people within Konoha.
With her status returning to active duty, though, she no longer qualified for the housing that the village had been supplying her with. She made good money in her new position as a tokujo under Ibiki's command, but she was personally overcharged for any sort of lease she might get. The villagers didn't outright state it, but it was clear they didn't want her around them.
As friends do, Naruto allowed her to stay with him. His apartment was too big for just himself and Kasumi, after all. They had spare rooms that could easily be made into bedrooms. So, what was originally a temporary thing had quickly become a permanent thing.
It had also become a bit more complicated than that recently.
"Anko Mitarashi is your guest?" Jiraiya asked in mild shock. He had heard about what Orochimaru had done to the girl and about how the village had treated her from Sarutobi. He had even heard a handful of shinobi had stuck by her side to make sure she was welcomed back into their ranks. He hadn't realized Naruto had been one of them, though.
"Guest?" She asked, turning toward Naruto.
"I didn't want to give him any ideas." Naruto said simply.
"Smart." She then turned toward Jiraiya. "Sorry, gramps, but I'm taken. No peep show for you."
"Taken?" Jiraiya murmured before turning to look at his godson.
"Remember what I told you, Jiraiya. She's off limits, and so is Kasumi." Naruto all but growled.
Anko made a sour look and glanced at the Sannin. The man wilted under such an expression. Clearly, she had the wrong idea about him.
"Wait, I'm not into little girls. I would much rather look at you. Well done, by the way, Naruto. Didn't realize you were into older girls, but you definitely know how to pick 'em." Jiraiya said with a leer toward the redhead.
"This is going to be a long day." Naruto sighed. Anko planted a kiss on him before heading into the kitchen to make some tea.
Naruto and Jiraiya sat in the living room, and before long Anko rejoined them. Over tea, the three of them talked, and Jiraiya and Naruto did catch up, though the older man's questions were more than a bit invasive in regards to Naruto and Anko dating.
"I have got to know. Did she pop your cherry on your birthday? Oh, did he pop yours?" Jiraiya asked the couple.
"We're saving it for marriage actually." Naruto said offhandedly, getting Anko to snort and spill her tea.
"Gah, Dammit." She groaned as she stretched her shirt to look at the tea stain down her front.
As she left the room to change, Naruto and Jiraiya sat in silence. Anko had largely kept the conversation rolling by teasing her boyfriend and the old man. She was actually far better than either of them was at conversation. Something that Naruto wanted to tease the master spy about a bit.
Before he could begin to though, Kasumi barreled through the front door of the apartment with a loud cry of 'I'm home!'.
"Welcome home." Both Naruto and Anko called out.
The blonde grinned as she walked into the apartment, only pausing when she saw the man sitting beside her brother in the living room. She awkwardly stared at him a moment before glancing toward Naruto, who shifted to give her some room in the seat next to him. Instead, she dropped down on top of him while staring at the man.
"Kasumi, this is Jiraiya of the Sannin. He taught dad, I guess." Naruto introduced simply.
"Really?" She asked.
"It's kind of doubtful, honestly, besides the toads, I don't think the Fourth was known for anything that the old man taught him at all." Anko said as she rejoined them.
The young woman stuck her tongue out at the girl sitting in her boyfriend's lap. Instead, she took the spot that Kasumi hadn't taken beside him. Both clearly as close as can be.
Jiraiya's smile at seeing Kasumi quickly dipped at Anko's words.
"That's not fair." Jiraiya argued.
"It's not wrong, though." Naruto shrugged.
"Oh…that's kind of lame then. What are you visiting for?" She asked him. It came off blunter than she likely meant. She actually did just want to know what he was there for, though. However, as much as Kasumi looked like their father her personality was a bit too rough in comparison to the ever-polite Minato. Being raised by Naruto and, to a lesser extent, Anko had had a large hand in that.
"I was close with your dad, you know. So I thought I would check up on you guys. Get to know you better."
"But, mom and dad died nearly fifteen years ago. I've never seen you in my life." Kasumi replied a bit coldly.
Jiraiya sighed. He really needed to work to get back into these kids' good graces. Especially if he was going to be here for however long it took to teach Naruto the Rasengan.
Jiraiya had sort of gotten used to a student outdoing him. His first students, back in the late days of the second war in Rain country, had been far more talented than he had been at their age. They had still just been kids, though.
Later on, with Minato, it was hard to stay ahead of the kid. He soaked everything up like a sponge and was too creative for his own good. Taking the Second Hokage's Flying Raijin further than anyone could imagine and inventing the legendary Rasengan. Even if he claimed it was incomplete in its current form.
Jiraiya accepted that. Practically everyone regarded Minato as a once-in-a-generation legend. His son was just an asshole.
Less than a full week. He claimed he had a rough understanding of the jutsu already and figured most of it out for himself by trying to redevelop it over the years. That Jiraiya's little training session had just clicked the pieces together.
How could he be so polite about that and still be such an asshole?
The Sannin had felt a bit used after it was all said and done. A small simple goodbye dinner was held for him the night after Naruto had gotten the technique down one-handed.
Here he now stood watching the young redheaded man walk away with his purple-haired girlfriend wrapped in one arm and his sunny blonde sister wrapped in the other. Not even paying his brief teacher any mind at all as he strolled back home.
"Lord Jiraiya, forgive me, but this note was left with the bill for you." A waitress said as she handed him a small crinkled-up and poorly folded piece of paper. A napkin, no less.
"The handwriting is kind of girly….'Thanks for the jutsu and the meal pervert. See you next time you're in town. We can do it again, I guess…Later, Naruto.' You little shit." Jiraiya scowled out toward the backs of the three that had just gotten a free expensive meal from him.
The toad sage sighed sadly. Things would probably take time with his student's children, but he did want some kind of relationship with them. Right now, he actually did need to be getting back to work, though. He needed to stop his former best friend and bring him to justice for all the evil he had done in the world. It was just as much of a way to protect Konoha as it was a personal issue for him to do that.
Sadly even after all this time, he wasn't any closer to stopping him.
"She's going to be late."
"It's not her fault. She was too excited to sleep until almost two in the morning. She'll be finished getting ready soon enough."
"Gah, you sound like such a mom."
The woman at the stove stumbled and caught herself on the countertop before shooting a mild glare toward her boyfriend.
"That wasn't funny, Naruto. " Anko scowled at the redhead, who was busy organizing his little sister's things.
Naruto just smirked at her way as she got back to cooking the residents of the house breakfast. She'd just recently had a bit of a pregnancy scare that had caused her to overreact. Now that they knew she was not, in fact, about to have a life-altering change occur, Naruto had decided it was fair game to tease her incessantly about it.
She thought that was ironic since it would have been his baby she'd be carrying, and he'd be taking responsibility whether he wanted to or not.
"She really is going to be late at this rate, though." Naruto said as he stepped over and leaned into the hallway.
"Kasumi, hurry up!" He bellowed loudly, getting an audible thump and a string of curses from somewhere in the back of the house. Anko and Naruto both chuckled at that as the blonde teen entered the living room. She was barely dressed, wearing only her pants and chest bindings, though at least she had the mesh shirt Anko had insisted she wears over the top of that. Her blonde pigtails which had become a bit of a signature look for her, were tangled with a brush handle sticking out of the mess.
"This is your doing." She flatly stated with a cold glare pointed toward her elder brother.
"Nope, if you had woken up when I told you to, this morning, you wouldn't be scrambling to get ready for class now. Hurry up…and put on a shirt." Naruto said to her with a small grin getting another glare from her before she disappeared back down the hall toward her room.
Naruto glanced over at his girlfriend to see her shoulders shaking slightly as she attempted to keep her laughter down. Usually, Kasumi was ahead of schedule and surprisingly neat and tidy, but seeing her so out of sorts had hit the woman just right, and she couldn't stop her laughter. Naruto smiled at the mere sight of her attempting to reign it in. Today was starting off with plenty of humor in his opinion. He loved seeing her smiling.
He stepped forward and wrapped Anko into his arms from behind while kissing along the back of her neck and making her shiver slightly.
"Mmm, be careful what you get started there, Naruto." She chided though the way she pressed back into his body, grinding up against him slightly, made it very clear she was open to the idea of some quality time together.
"Heh, you actually do wanna be a mother, don't you." He hissed into her ear, causing her to bite her lip and moan ever so slightly as his teeth grazed her neck.
"Ugh, Not in the kitchen! People eat here. I eat here!" Kasumi shouted as she reentered the room, bright red blush on her face and brush never stopping as it fought the tangles in her hair.
"I'll have you know he eats here too." Anko teased the girl, getting Kasumi to sputter incoherently.
"Alright, alright. Everybody relax. We need to eat-" Naruto said, getting another bright blush from Kasumi and a cackle from Anko. "And finish up here. Kasumi, it's the big day if you're held back because you are late...who knows who your sensei might be. Although I might suggest Tenzo."
The blonde paled slightly. Tenzo was her elder brother's good friend, but like all the ANBU and former ANBU, he was weird. Tenzo would try to scare her with a freaky dead-eyed fish look from time to time. It wasn't scary, but it was grotesque.
Anko held back another bout of laughter as she served up the breakfast she had made. Few might realize it due to the outward appearance she presented to most of the village, but Anko was quite enamored with the various domestic things a couple did around the house. Where she had let her home become cluttered and dirty when she had first returned to Konoha. Now she acted almost like a housewife, happily cooking and cleaning, even if it was cleaning up after the Uzumaki siblings. Though Naruto insisted she makes Kasumi pull her weight around the house as well.
The trio quickly ate up the meal. Delicious as Anko's cooking always was. Immediately afterwards Kasumi was charging out the window toward the academy. Her brother rolled his eyes while Anko simply smiled as she washed the dishes as well.
"What's your day looking like?" He asked as he stepped over and dried and put away the dishes she had washed.
"Same old same old. Haven't had any new visitors in my cell block since you dropped off little ole Mizuki. Been kinda boring, honestly. I'll go fill out some paperwork, then maybe head over to the tea shop." She shrugged while handing him a plate.
"Sounds nice. I, for one, am going to the meeting at the tower. Team selections and requests are today."
"Think he'll let you have her?"
"I think he knows me well enough that if I don't get her there will be trouble. I can be very whiny and obnoxious if I want to be." Naruto chortled as he slipped the last of the dishes into their places.
Anko raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. The young man who would tease her and give as good as he got didn't strike her as being able to act all petulant. She smirked a bit as he flatly stared at her. His empty threats toward the Hokage were obvious to her.
"When do you have to go?" She asked.
"Eh, I still have a while still. Got an idea to kill some time?" Naruto asked with a smile that would make more than a few women across the village swoon. For Anko, it just fed the fire that was already present.
"Yes." She simply said as she began walking and tossing her coat onto the back of a chair as she passed. Just before she passed into the hallway she pulled her mesh shirt up and over her head and chucked it back at the redhead.
The woman laughed as he pursued her back into their bedroom.
The room was filled with most of the Jonin shinobi that Konoha had within its ranks. Those few not present were either already assigned a team of genin and were managing them or were too busy on missions to take a team of genin for themselves. With the freshest batch of recruits graduating the academy today, the senior shinobi were being gathered to be assigned or, in some cases, request genin for their teams.
Most wouldn't be really selecting their own team. Those that would be making requests would typically just be making them out of a sort of formality. After all, Hiruzen had been anticipating the graduation of this class for longer than most due to the amount of high-profile shinobi and clan heirs within. That being said, he typically met with fitting jonin prior to any graduation to see where best the genin would be assigned.
"You're taking a team this year, Naruto?" A feminine voice asked just as he stepped in to join the group.
Naruto turned to see Kurenai standing beside Asuma. A few others glanced his way before returning their attention to whoever they were chatting with.
"Yeah. Kasumi is graduating this year, so I figured it's time. You two hoping for any specific genin?" Naruto asked.
"I'm taking the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Their dads and mine have it all worked out already, I guess." Asuma replied.
"I was actually hoping to pick up both Hinata and your younger sister." Kurenai said with a mild frown knowing Naruto would fight her on it.
"You'll be a good sensei for little Hinata. Between you taking her under your wing recently and my sister spending so much time with her, I know Hiashi has already seen a marked improvement in her abilities and the Hyuga main branch members are a lot less vocal in disapproving of her as the heiress." Naruto said.
Kurenai smiled at that before frowning again. "And Kasumi?"
"Don't worry about Kasumi. She is and always will be my responsibility." Naruto replied simply.
"Don't you think that could be a little bit of a conflict of interest?" Kurenai said a little too sharply, making Asuma wince a little at her tone.
"I really don't care. Besides, couldn't the same be said for you and Hinata?" Naruto's voice became flat and dead as he stared at her. Blue locked with scarlet as they seemed to challenge one another until finally, the scarlet pair of eyes broke away to focus on the front of the room.
"We'll see who the Hokage approves of." She said.
Asuma shot Naruto a bit of an apologetic look, but the redhead simply waved the man off. He knew Kurenai a bit, both through Anko and his sister. Normally they got along easily though it was clear the woman felt a bit insecure in her status as it had taken her a very long time to climb from the rank of a tokujo to that of a proper Jonin and just as long to be considered among the elite of the village Jonin.
Kurenai's weirdly competitive streak aside, he did generally get along with her. She was one of the few who cared about Anko despite her former apprenticeship under Orochimaru and had made it clear she didn't care that Kasumi was a jinchuuriki. It was a bit flattering she wanted Kasumi on her team as well though Naruto suspected it was mostly because the woman saw Hinata and Kasumi's growth linked to one another.
Naruto disagreed with that idea. If anything, Anko was the one that had worked with Kasumi the most and Kurenai was the one responsible for Hinata's advancement. Though, he doubted Kurenai herself saw it as such.
"Welcome everyone." Hiruzen said loudly enough for the room to hear him over their chatter. At his greeting the conversation died away and the Jonin gathered stood straighter. Not quite at attention but clearly giving their leader their undivided attention.
"You all likely know why you are here already, but for formality's sake, I wish to announce it. You have been called to congregate before me to both requests and be assigned your genin students for the foreseeable future. As is the tradition begun by my own teacher, Lord Second, those selected as Jonin sensei will each receive a team of three students whom they will then personally test for both ability and camaraderie before finalizing their team assignment with me. Starting us out, are there any team requests to be made at this time." Hiruzen droned on in a very practiced monologue about the assignment of genin.
"Yes. I, Asuma Sarutobi, request Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akamichi to establish the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio formation. I have previously worked with the previous incarnation of the team and was directly taught as a genin by Shikaku Nara, the clan head of the Nara clan and father of Shikamaru Nara. He requested I make this request personally, and all three have met with me in regards to the needs and schedules that the heirs in the proposed team would need." Asuma stated loudly and very professionally.
Hiruzen hummed as he nodded and scribbled down a note on the scroll in front of him. Asuma had only returned in the last year from a decade spent as the personal bodyguard of the Daimyo and his family.
"Any objections?" The Third Hokage asked.
No one argued with the team. It was pretty clear that the Hokage, Asuma, and the three involved clan heads had all met beforehand regarding the formation of the team.
"Very well then. Any more requests?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes, Lord Third. I would like to request both Hinata Hyuga and Kasumi Uzumaki as well as your recommendation for a possible genjutsu focused student." Kurenai stated.
Naruto shot her an unamused look while a few others glanced her way. It wasn't exactly a secret that Naruto intended to take his sister as a student.
"And your reasons for requesting them, Kurenai?" The Sarutobi head asked.
"As you know, I have been working directly with Hinata for nearly a decade, Lord Hokage. I know how best to stimulate her growth and keep her working toward becoming a stronger Kunoichi and an asset to the village." Kurenai replied.
"Fair enough, but what of Kasumi?" He asked
"While I haven't been directly acting as her tutor as I have with Hinata, both girls are extremely close and I have become very familiar with her. Additionally, I know that Hinata and Kasumi help one other to grow as Kunoichi and I believe that on a te together, they will go further than if they were apart." Kurenai argued.
Hiruzen nodded slightly before humming loudly enough that the rest of the room could hear it easily.
"Are there any objections to these requests?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes." Naruto said as he stepped up beside Kurenai.
"By all means, speak your mind, Naruto." Hiruzen simply said.
"I have nothing to say about Kurenai taking Hinata under her wing. If anything, she's a perfect fit for Hinata as a sensei. Unfortunately, I can't think that she could be any worse of a fit for my sister. While she is a full fledged Jonin her specialty remains genjutsu and chakra control. Perfect for the likes of a Hyuga who focuses on chakra control to the extreme. For an Uzumaki and my sister in particular…it would be a fruitless endeavor." Naruto calmly stated, feeling a bit bad as it did make Kurenai sound like she wasn't worthy of being a full fledged elite Jonin like himself. However, the reality was her specialty was the complete opposite of what his sister needed in a sensei.
"You are suggesting yourself then. What would you offer that Kurenai can't?" The Hokage asked, playing the typical neutral party in a debate between his Jonin.
"Between fuinjutsu and hidden techniques of my clan, she is best left with me. Combined with the reality of her tenant and the fact she is destined to be a ninjutsu heavy fighter like myself, I am confident I would be her best option."
Hiruzen nodded before scribbling a couple of notes down on his scroll yet again.
"Very well. Kurenai, you will be receiving Hinata in your team however, Kasumi will be assigned to Naruto. There is no one available in our ranks more fit to watch over her training and her burden than Naruto is. Now any other requests?" Hiruzen asked.
There were no other team requests, and after some brief time spent scribbling on his scroll, Hiruzen focused his attention back onto the gathered Shinobi. One by one, he listed off the new teams and their teachers.
Asuma, as expected, received the three students he had asked for. Kurenai got Hinata as well as Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. Fitting choices. It gave her a student trained heavily on chakra control in Shino, perfect for teaching some genjutsu techniques, too, an excellent sensor and Taijutsu fighter in Hinata. As well as an adequate multi-role Shinobi in Kiba. She could really prove herself with her team.
Naruto was a bit surprised by the team he got. Kasumi was a given, and he had somewhat suspected he would receive Sakura. He'd heard about her from Kasumi, and evidently, the pink-haired girl was starting to make a name for herself among her peers with medical techniques and chakra control. He imagined she would either end up with Kurenai or with him as a support role Shinobi.
The last one was a bit surprising, though. Setsuna Uchiha was his former friend's younger sister. And the only one he had spared in the massacre of his clan. He didn't quite understand the reasoning behind placing the girl on his team. Especially being as he had heard plenty from Kasumi about how poorly she and Setsuna evidently got along.
"Naruto, I need to speak with you about your team after they pass your test," Hiruzen said as the group of Jonin began to dissipate.
"After the test? Wouldn't before the test be better in case they don't pass?"
"I think you'll find yourself hard pressed to fail them. All three of them are among our most promising young Shinobi. We had an unusually higher quantity of Kunoichi than most years this year, so our rookie of the year and Kunoichi of the year were more like a first and second-place award. You'll be happy to know Kasumi snagged the 'second place Kunoichi of the year spot rather easily."
"So the Uchiha is the top of the class then."
"Yes. Setsuna is a very…driven young woman."
"Yeah, I bet. Would you like to come over for dinner tonight, then? I'll test them straight out the gate, and we can meet and eat." Naruto suggested.
"Is Anko cooking?" Hiruzen asked.
"Usually."
"Then I'm happy to come over. I think both Anko and Kasumi should be present for the conversation as well. It concerns your father and his heritage." Hiruzen said.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at that but nodded to his Kage before disappearing in a puff of smoke toward the academy.
Naruto settled onto the tree branch outside the windows of the third floor of the academy. He already knew well enough what classroom his sister and her class were using this year. Between missions he had slipped by to check up on her. Kasumi was a bit fond of ditching class so he took it upon himself to drag her back to the classroom.
At the moment though, Kasumi wasn't ditching. Instead she was sitting and animatedly chatting with the clearly uncomfortable Sakura Haruno. It seemed that the other students were being picked up by their sensei and already heading out while Naruto's three new charges were clearly aggravated by his current absence. The redhead took his time to look over all three of his projected students.
Kasumi, of course being his sister, was the easiest to get a read on. The blonde was incredibly excited. As usual when she was excited or anxious about something she was rambling and babbling on. A quirk Naruto considered adorable even if it was a bit taxing on the patience of whoever she was talking with. He looked forward to showing her the real ropes of being a shinobi. Not just the training he and Anko had given her as she grew up.
Beside Kasumi, and suffering as the unfortunate victim of her verbal shower, Sakura Haruno was probably the one Naruto knew least about. Her file showed her grades were far above average. She was seriously smart. He suspected when it came to bookwork and theory she was one of if not the best in her class. A good foundation for him to give her the more practical skills she would need.
He was thankful for the old Hokage extending the ages of the graduates of the academy so far. It gave a lot more time for teachers to work with and develop the skillsets of their students before they even met their jonin sensei. Sakura had clearly dove deep into her training after she began falling behind in the practical skills in her class. Kasumi had told Naruto about the one civilian born girl to stand with the more advanced clan heirs in their class.
He was almost as excited to teach her as he was Kasumi. Though he supposed he was most definitely biased in favor of his favorite blonde.
The last of the trio sat far away from the other two. Clearly neither Kasumi or Sakura held any interest in involving the raven haired girl in their conversation, just as Setsuna had no intention of interacting with either of them even slightly. That could be a real problem.
The Uchiha was talented across the board. She was extremely driven as well, but she was a testy brat as well. At least that was the more polite way of wording Kasumi's description of her classmate. She had developed her Sharingan during the student's first foundational combat exercises that all academy students now began at thirteen.
That all being said…there was no shortage of worry over her intentions for the future. She openly claimed a desire to rebuild her clan, but the requirement for such a thing had become a taboo subject around the teen. Many doubted she was as invested in rebuilding her clan within Konoha as she publicly put forward though. She avoided interacting with her peers and outside of the handful of trainers she paid to work with her, her teachers from the academy, or the select few shopkeepers she purchased her needs from Setsuna didn't interact with anyone.
That worried Naruto, almost as badly as the fact that Anko had let slip that the information department had labeled Setsuna as a high flight risk following her psychological evaluation prior to her graduation test. She was going to need a lot of work. Ironic that she was technically the most advanced of the three girls.
"I suppose I had best get this over with." He grumbled to himself. He already knew that as much as he was looking forward to taking on a team, this one in particular would be a slew of problems he would have to deal with.
With another body flicker he appeared directly behind Kasumi causing her to scream and leap out of her seat. He fought down the smirk as he glared daggers at him while Sakura likewise stifled a giggle.
"Ugh, why couldn't you use the door like a normal person. What took you so long anyway?" Kasumi complained.
"Trust me, I'm not the worst when it comes to that. Anyway, follow me and we can get acquainted over something to eat." Naruto said before casually striding toward the door.
Kasumi glanced toward Sakura before both girls followed after the red head. Setsuna slowly followed behind at a distance behind the pair of more sociable girls. They didn't have far to go. Just down the street and around the bend to one of the Uzumaki family's favorite stops for a hot meal.
Ichiraku Ramen was a tradition passed on from his parents. His students would get the same treatment he had when he was a little boy.
A few short moments later, the four of them were sitting at the table of the Ichiraku noodle stand. Naruto softly smiled as he recalled being carried into the little stand with his mother and father. Memories of bringing Kasumi here her entire childhood swam through his mind as well.
"If we all become a team we'll be meeting here regularly for team building meals and some down time to discuss what we can improve upon. Go ahead and order whatever you want, my treat." Naruto said as the girls each eyed him suspiciously for the way he worded things.
"If?" Sakura mumbled after they all made their orders.
"Heh, caught on already? I shouldn't be surprised it seems like you three were all pretty much the top of the class in your specialties." Naruto said, easily moving past the subject, only helped along as Ayame returned with their drinks.
"Let's start this off by getting to know one another. Obviously Kasumi and I know one another already but sadly enough I don't know the two of you beyond your grades." Naruto said this primarily to Sakura and Setsuna.
The three girls stared at him blankly causing him to sigh.
"Girls this isn't a pop quiz or something. Just introduce yourselves. Tell me a little about what makes you well, you. Here I'll start off, then Kasumi can go and we can go from there. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I'm a Jonin and have been a shinobi since I was six. I enjoy experimenting with new techniques and I'm pretty excited to begin training some students of my own. As far as hobbies I mostly spend my free time either working on my techniques or seals…or cleaning up after my younger sister. Kasumi go ahead." Naruto motioned toward the blonde with his thumb getting a halfhearted glare back for the shot about cleaning up after her.
"You all know me already, uhm i like learning shinobi skills I guess and some other stuff as well. I enjoy spending time with my brother and his girlfriend even when he is deciding to be a smart ass…I guess I just want to be the best kunoichi I can be." She hurriedly stated the last section about her dream. Naruto knew it wasn't exactly what she was thinking but he wasn't going to push the subject. Especially in front of the other two.
"Great. Either of you want to volunteer for who goes next?" Naruto asked, turning his attention to the other two girls that would be on his team.
"I suppose I could go." Sakura said a bit awkwardly before straightening herself out. "I'm Sakura Haruno, I enjoy reading, and I guess learning new techniques like you two. I don't really do much with Ninjutsu, but the last couple of years I have been really working on taijutsu. It's great for a workout and for fighting so it's kind of a win win for me. Uhm…I also took a lot of additional support classes in the academy. My mom helps out at a clinic and my dad used to be a shinobi in the last war before he was injured. He says he only survived because of Lord Fourth and the medics…"
Naruto offered the girl a warm reassuring smile to encourage her to continue. The slight blush as she had begun revealing a bit more personal aspects of her reason for becoming a Kunoichi was tinging her cheeks a slight red. Still after a short breath she pressed on, embarrassed at revealing something that she held so close to her heart.
"It made me want to become a medic ninja. I've worked on my chakra control even before joining the academy. I had to do that to even get in since I had such small reserves. Now my control is the best in our class though. I can even perform some healing jutsu." She stopped when she realized her speech was coming out too quickly to easily understand.
Naruto didn't let any awkward air hang over her though and quickly gave her a nod and a smile. That brought them to the last of the group though. HIs problem child.
The Uchiha rolled her eye but with a sigh she began speaking. "I'm Setsuna Uchiha. I like to train and to fight. I want to rebuild the Uchiha clan. I have the sharingan and I'm good at the shinobi arts."
"Do you have a more specific art that you prefer among the disciplines?" Naruto asked genially.
"No." She replied flatly.
'Great, so fun to talk to you.' He thought acidically.
"Well, looks like our food is here so lets waste no more time and dig right in!" Naruto chirped cheerfully getting Kasumi to quirk and eyebrow at her brother but shrug and dig into the meal without much of a worry.
She was about to realize that was a mistake. Sadly for her it wouldn't be soon enough.
As they all finished their bowls the girls realized they felt a bit lightheaded. Sick to their stomachs. Perhaps even nauseous.
"Ah, oops I forget to let you know. There is one final test before you become my genin. You aren't doing very well on it so far either." He said with a chuckle.
"What? What do you mean by that? Ugh…" Kasumi asked before groaning as her stomach seemed to clench.
"Well. There is a final test. I have to personally test you all for a specific aspect that I am looking for in this team. I'm not going to tell you outright what it is. Unfair as it may seem it's good to start off learning the reality of nothing ever actually being fair in our world." Naruto lectured them as they all grabbed their stomachs in pain.
"It's really starting to kick in now, huh?" He asked.
"Sensei…what did you do to us?" Sakura managed to ask.
"Nothing much really. I slipped a clone into the kitchen to meet with our cute server and maybe dropped a little something into your ramen as it was being dished up. Nothing too bad. Just enough poison to put you in the hospital and fail this test. Unless of course you manage to get the antidote with me. Sadly I only have three vials and~" Naruto taunted before popping the lid off of a small tube and downing the contents.
"Why?" Setsuna demanded.
"Oh, well see I thought why not just poison all of the bowls. Kasumi has a tendency to snag food from my plate and I needed to make sure I got her too. Sadly that only leaves you all with two vials to take. You only have about an hour till you'll pass out from the poison too. If you can't report to the mission office to sign the finalized team form in two hours. Well…you fail and get to go back for remedial training at the academy." Naruto said before pushing away from the restaurant and strolling calmly away from the girls with a wave over his shoulder.
"Come try and get your shot at passing whenever you're ready, girls. I've got all day, but the clock is ticking for you." With that he flickered away in a simple swirl of leaves and wind.
And I am ending this here. As an introductory chapter I think it covers enough. Next chapter we will get to see the team and have a very important conversation with Hiruzen, not to mention no d-ranks for genin since they complete those in the academy now. Straight to some c rank goodness
If you didn't realize, yes this is a harem fic though the main pairing is Naruto and Anko. There is an obvious reason for why I aged up characters.
Anyway the pairing is Naruto with Anko, Kasumi, Sakura, and Setsuna.
Here are those two discord links.
Link#1→ /dV9hH5zd5F
Link#2→ /auc4PQjVtz
Till Next Time.
