A/N - Okey dokey, figured I'd update this next. It's totally not because I used an RNG. Not at alllll. lol.

Anyways, this chapter, they graduate, teams are chosen, lots of good stuff. Not a lot of action or anything, but some good stuff does happen! I think you'll like it. Probably. XD

Anywho, enjoy!

Chapter 3 – Team Placements

Naruto groaned as he slowly came to. He remembered exactly what happened and it pissed him off. That fucking asshole! Start to win one spar and he goes insane! Well, he was already a bit deranged, but I didn't think even he would go that far. Opening his eyes, he looked around and let out a groan. Yep, figured I'd be here again. Shizuka-chan probably wasn't too happy. I wonder what happened after that…

"Good, you're awake." somebody said as she stepped out of the darkness of the room. It was late at night and the lights in the room were off. The only real light in the room was from the various machines and from the moonlight illuminating parts of the room.

Looking at who it was, he was a little surprised to see Saeko standing there looking at him with a kind smile on her face. Frowning slightly in confusion, he asked, "Saeko-chan? What are you doing here? It looks like it's pretty late. Shouldn't you be at home sleeping?"

The purple-haired swordswoman giggled a bit and took a seat beside his bed. "I wanted to see you. I knew you would be okay, but I was still concerned. We all are, actually. Besides, I figured you would want to know what happened after Sasuke attempted to kill you. Are you really sure you want me to go home and sleep?"

Naruto chuckled for a moment before saying, "Not really. I appreciate the company, actually." Looking into her eyes, he asked, "So what happened after Sasuke roasted me alive?"

Saeko looked calmly into his eyes and said, "The reason I am here, Naruto-kun, is because I wanted you to hear the truth from me. Rika-sensei told everyone that they were not to praise Sasuke for what he did, or there would be consequences. You were rushed to the hospital and Sasuke was taken before the Hokage. There will be an announcement about Sasuke tomorrow, but from what I've been able to gather, he has been killed. I do not know the full details of his punishment, however."

"After both senseis left, Ami praised Sasuke and tried to get everyone to celebrate with her. The remainder of Sasuke's fangirls split in two once again and Misuzu wishes to apologize to you for what she's said and done to you in the past. I was…frustrated. You know you are dear to me, Naruto-kun. I was barely in control of myself when Ami and her fellow fangirls began to celebrate. Then…Kiba spoke up. Here are his exact words: "I don't see what the problem is. Yeah, I may not like Sasuke, but Naruto? Fuck that guy! He's a loser and should know his place! As far as I'm concerned, Sasuke just did the world a favor by trying to remove that stain on society.""

Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and said, "Naruto-kun…at that point I snapped. I killed both Kiba Inuzuka and Ami. The council has decided not to punish me, when I was fully ready to accept any punishment given. I believe that the only reason they chose not to punish me is because they want me as a soldier out there on the front lines, working to keep 'Them' at bay. The more of them I kill, the better. They would not care if I were to die on a mission."

Naruto frowned for a time before he said, "I see. I…don't know what to say to all that. I…do have a question for you, Saeko-chan. Were you the one who killed those people that attacked me before? When we were younger, I mean."

Saeko nodded and said, "I am. The Hokage was willing to let them off with a slap on the wrist at the time. He would claim his hands were tied, but at the time he simply lacked a spine. Thankfully that seems to have changed. But the fact remains that I killed those that did you harm. And this time I killed because…because of an intense hatred and anger towards those two for being happy about you nearly dying. If that offends you, then I apologize."

The blonde stared at the ceiling for a long while before he asked her, "Just answer me this, Saeko-chan. Was it necessary to kill the two of them? Did you enjoy it?"

The purple-haired woman sighed and said, "Was it necessary? Perhaps not. I do not know what kind of punishment Rika-sensei would have given them. I have no way of knowing what would have happened were they to live. And I'll be perfectly honest with you Naruto-kun. I enjoyed killing them. Just as I enjoyed killing those that did you harm in the past. I've stayed my hand with Sasuke's fangirls for the longest time, considering all they and Sasuke himself have put you through. I just couldn't take it anymore. I do not regret my actions. If you hate me now, then please let me know."

The blue-eyed teen looked into Saeko's eyes and said, "I could never hate you Saeko-chan. Especially not for what you did in the past to those assholes. As for Ami and Kiba? I don't know, Saeko-chan. I'm more worried for you than anything. I don't care about those two. Not even a little bit. I'm just worried about your mental state and how easy it is for you to kill. What worries me more is the fact that you enjoy killing as much as you apparently do. You should never enjoy taking another's life. It should never be that easy for you. I care about you Saeko-chan. I…I don't want anything to happen to you because you kill the wrong person someday. So…can I ask you a favor?"

The blue-eyed swordswoman nodded and asked, "What's the favor, Naruto-kun?"

Looking into her eyes seriously, Naruto said, "I want you to promise me that you'll focus your bloodlust on 'Them' and any other enemy that crosses our path in the future. If you absolutely have to kill, if the need becomes too strong, unleash your fury on those who truly deserve it. You can't just keep killing people willy-nilly when they make you angry. Okay?"

Saeko frowned for a time as she seriously considered the favor he was asking of her. After a time, she said, "Very well, Naruto-kun. For you, I'll channel my rage on our enemies. It will take considerable effort on my part to keep from lashing out at those who wish you harm, but I will do my utmost best to ensure I do not upset you further."

"That's all I ask of you, Saeko-chan." Naruto said with a kind smile on his face. For a while after this, Naruto and Saeko continued to talk about a variety of things, just enjoying one another's company. However, when it started to grow truly late in the night, the purple-haired swordswoman sighed and bid him farewell before leaping out of the nearby window. Saeko-chan…

The Next Day

Naruto had been released from the hospital early in the morning after Shizuka had checked in on him. Now he was standing amidst a rather large crowd with his friends and loved ones. Everyone had been summoned to this location and were awaiting a speech of some kind from the Hokage.

As they waited, Misuzu walked up to Naruto and bowed before him. "Naruto, I am so, so sorry for how I've treated you. I know it's probably too much to ask, but…can you forgive me?"

The blonde looked at her for a while before releasing a sigh. "Misuzu…you treated me like shit just to please Sasuke. I never did anything to you to warrant such treatment besides existing. But…you are Toshimi's friend and she loves you as such. If you promise never to do it again…I'll forgive you. But if you ever try to hurt me again, that'll be it. No more forgiveness. Do you understand me?"

The black-haired girl nodded and smiled happily at Naruto. Hugging him tight, she said, "Thank you! I promise, I'll never hurt you again, Naruto! You have my word!"

Naruto blushed a bit at the close contact, but slowly returned her hug, patting her on the back a couple of times. "Thanks."

Realizing what she was doing, the black-haired teen released Naruto and stepped back beside Toshimi, blushing slightly. "S-Sorry Naruto."

"No problem. It was just a bit unexpected, that's all." Naruto said before turning towards the front again. "Looks like Gramps is ready to speak. Might wanna quiet down and listen now." Everyone nodded, deciding they could talk with Naruto later when they had some more time.

Getting everyone's attention, the Hokage began to speak, using a jutsu of some kind to enhance his voice so he could be heard by everyone. "Everyone, I'm not going to drag this out or beat around the bush. A terrible crime has been committed and I think it's high time I started doing something about it."

"For too long, you all have gotten away with abusing a poor child. You think of him as the very beast that attacked this village so many years ago. By now, I'm sure you know exactly who I'm talking about." Hearing the murmuring amongst the villagers and more importantly the words 'demon boy' and other such derogatory terms being used, the Hokage scowled and unleashed his killing intent on the villagers, bringing everyone to their knees. "Naruto Uzumaki. He is no more the Kyuubi than any of you are. The only thing that makes him different is the fact that he holds the Kyuubi trapped inside of him. He is what is referred to as a jinchuriki. There are nine jinchuriki in total. Each of these people hold one of the bijuu within themselves, trapped and unable to break free. For instance, were Naruto Uzumaki to die, the Kyuubi would be unleashed once again to wreak havoc."

Sighing heavily, he let up on his killing intent for the time being and produced a scroll and a kunai. "This metaphor has been used far too often for my liking, but it's an effective one. In my hands, I hold a scroll and a kunai. They are separate, not one in the same." Sealing the kunai within the scroll, he held the scroll out for everyone to see. "I have sealed the kunai within the scroll. Now tell me, does this make the scroll the kunai? Or are they still separate items?"

One villager shrugged and said, "Not really. From my understanding, the scroll simply contains the kunai. It can be sealed and unsealed at your leisure. Are you trying to tell us that the boy simply contains the Kyuubi? Fourth-sama…didn't seal it into a human form for us to kill…?"

Hiruzen sighed heavily and shook his head in disbelief. "Where the hell did you assholes get that idea?!" Narrowing his eyes, he came to a realization. "Of course. Those fools on the council. They'll be paying for this, of that I assure you. No, the Kyuubi was NOT sealed into a human form. The Kyuubi is simply sealed away INSIDE of Naruto Uzumaki! And if you were to kill him, it would escape. But you idiots never even thought of such a possibility, did you?! Of course you didn't."

"What makes your abuse towards him even worse is the fact that Naruto Uzumaki is the SON of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Minato wanted his son to be treated as a hero for keeping the Kyuubi at bay, and you idiots spat on his wishes! You attempted to murder the Fourth's only child!" Seeing the shocked expressions on most of the village populous, Hiruzen decided to continue. "Instead, you praised and adored Sasuke Uchiha after the Uchiha Massacre. You spoiled him rotten, made him think he was more important, more special than he actually was. Itachi spared his brother not because Sasuke was special, but because he couldn't bring himself to kill him. Itachi loved his family and this village greatly. I'll let you in on a little secret that has been kept from you. The Uchiha clan you praise so highly? They were planning a coup to usurp the position of Hokage from me so they could rule the village instead and make things in their image. Itachi did what he had to do to ensure the Uchiha clan failed."

Chuckling darkly when they were stunned into silence, he decided to continue, not giving them any time to dispute the truth or ask questions. "You spoiled the son of a traitor! You helped make him more arrogant, you fed his superiority complex, and you made him believe that he could get away with absolutely ANYTHING!"

"Now, why am I telling all of you this, you might wonder? In a spar held at the academy just yesterday, Naruto Uzumaki gained the upper hand and was actually beating Sasuke Uchiha. Unable to tolerate the fact that he was losing to the dead last, Sasuke set Naruto on fire with a fire jutsu in an attempt to murder him. All because he was having a difficult time in a simple SPAR of all things!"

Smirking evilly at the gathered crowd, he said, "While Naruto was taken to the hospital, Sasuke was brought before me to determine his punishment. After learning what he did, I tore out his eyes and crushed them. I cut off what makes him a man to ensure he and his sperm could never be used to breed another Uchiha like him. I took everything, absolutely EVERYTHING that belonged to Sasuke and have given it to Naruto Uzumaki. Then, I killed Sasuke in as fitting a way as I could think of. Your little golden boy is no more!"

Listening to all the chatter, the Hokage couldn't help but look at Naruto with a small smile on his face. No longer will I tolerate the abuse towards you, Naruto-kun. Hopefully this makes the villagers think twice before they try anything from now on.

Getting everyone's attention once again, Hiruzen decided to say a few parting words. "There will be no funeral for Sasuke Uchiha, nor will his name be added to the memorial stone. No, Sasuke did not earn it. In fact, he won't even be a footnote in our history. His final punishment will be to be forgotten in the sands of time. I'm done now. Just know that I will not tolerate any more abuse towards Naruto Uzumaki in any form. Now begone." And with that, the Hokage left to resume his paperwork, a smirk on his face.

As the crowd began to disperse, muttering amongst themselves, Naruto stood there stunned at everything he had just heard. "Everything…mine? Huh…?"

Miku giggled conspiratorially to herself. "I know what I want to do. Oh Naruto-kun, why don't we have sex in Sasuke's old room? Really stick it to him in the afterlife, huh?"

Naruto blushed badly and looked her in the eyes. "What?! No! Yuck. Just…no! I don't want to so much as touch his stuff, let alone have sex in his bed. Though I suppose, now that I own everything he once had…hmm." Looking in the direction of the old Uchiha compound, he frowned for a time before finally speaking again. "I can't help but wonder if there's anything there I could make use of. And I assume his money has been transferred to my bank account too. Combine that with the money my parents left me and…holy shit I'm rich."

As Naruto's eyes widened from the realization, the others soon joined him, their eyes widening as well. If they still had their fangirl mindsets, Sakura and Ino realized that they would have started trying to suck up to Naruto in an effort to get at his bank accounts and be well off for life should they marry him.

Coming to another realization, Sakura gently tugged on Naruto's sleeve to get his attention. "Naruto…people are going to try and push for arranged marriages with you to get at your bank accounts. Don't fall for it. Stand strong against any seduction attempts, please."

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "Oh goodie. That sounds just lovely. How am I supposed to tell those who are genuine in their affections from those who would rather get at my money and everything else I have?" he asked with a sigh following afterwards.

Frowning at this, Hinata walked up to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him lovingly on the lips. When they broke apart moments later, they were both blushing. Smiling at him, the Hyuga heiress said, "Trust your heart and your instincts, Naruto-kun. They won't steer you wrong. And…some of us here genuinely love you already. It's up to you if you want to give us a chance, however."

Smiling at Hinata, he hugged her close and said, "Thank you, Hinata-chan. I just hope you and whoever else feels that way about me can wait for me to figure out my own feelings towards you girls. As of right now…I just don't know how I feel. I'm still trying to sort through everything that's happened lately. So much has happened and it's honestly getting kind of insane."

Hinata smiled and kissed his cheek. Hugging him back, she said, "Take all the time you need. We'll help you however we can, should you need us. For now, we should probably get you home. You look like you could use some rest."

Naruto chuckled a bit and shook his head. "I think I rested plenty last night. But you're right, I would like to just relax for a while. I'll start looking through my parents' things later and perhaps even browse through the Uchiha compound to see what I can find. I want to take anything useful before I give the compound to the Hokage to change somehow. Maybe make it into a new housing district for the poorer folk of the village? I don't know."

Toshimi smiled at him and said, "That actually sounds rather nice. I'm glad you're thinking about how to give the old Uchiha compound a new purpose. That's kind of you."

The blonde simply shrugged and said, "The only reason nobody did anything about the massive waste of space before is because Sasuke wouldn't let them. With nobody living there now, it's best to just take what I need and want from there and give it to the people. I wouldn't mind being the landlord for the new apartment complex I assume will be built there, though."

Everyone chuckled a bit at that before Sakura and Hinata took his hands in theirs and began walking with him towards his home. Hinata he had somewhat expected, but Sakura was a bit of a shock. When he looked at her curiously, she simply shrugged and asked, "Can't a girl hold her friend's hand while they walk together? Unless you don't want to be friends with me?"

Naruto chuckled a bit before smiling at her. "That sounds nice, Sakura-chan. I'd love to be friends." he admitted.

As they walked towards Naruto's home, Takashi walked behind the group, keeping a sharp eye on Naruto. Now that he's got all this money, what if Rei decides she likes him better than me? Would she really be that shallow? No…no, she wouldn't be. Would she? Dammit! What the hell does she even like about him anyways?! he wondered to himself, feeling awfully frustrated by the whole situation. He never thought he'd be caught in the middle of a love triangle like this, and he didn't like it one bit!

Six months later

Sure enough, just as Sakura had expected, a number of people had tried to arrange marriages between their daughters and Naruto, but each attempt was blocked by himself and the Hokage, thankfully. Though there were a few marriage candidates that caught his interest and actually stunned him a bit.

First there was a proposal by Hiashi Hyuga to marry his eldest daughter, Hinata Hyuga. When asked why he would give her away like that, the Hyuga clan head had simply smiled at Naruto and explained that he knew about her crush on him and also admitted that he wanted to protect his eldest child from the clan elders that wanted to brand her with the Hyuga clan's curse seal. By marrying into another clan and forming a kind of alliance with one another, she would essentially be untouchable by them, especially if they didn't want to suffer the repercussions of pissing off another clan head. After all, offending another clan in such a way would end very, very badly for them.

So Naruto agreed to the arrange marriage, if only because he genuinely cared for her and wanted her to be happy. That, and he knew he liked her too, though he still needed time to determine just how much. But considering they had the rest of their lives to figure it out, he wasn't too worried about it and neither was she.

The second marriage candidate that caught him off guard was Hana Inuzuka. Tsume hadn't given much of a reason, other than the fact that she'd like to see 'pups' from them given time. Naruto had initially turned down her 'generous offer', but he admitted that he wouldn't mind getting to know Hana as a friend and seeing how things went from there. So far, he and Hana had simply spent time together, talking to each other and getting to know one another as friends. While he had to admit she was a very attractive woman, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to marry her. Sure, she was a great person and they got along really well, but he still didn't know what he wanted for sure.

The final marriage candidate that caught his interest was Sakura Haruno. This was an obvious attempt by her parents to get at his newfound wealth and he had called them out on it. He had turned it down instantly, telling them that if they truly loved their daughter, they wouldn't try to force a marriage on her that she didn't want, nor was she ready for it. They were only using her as a pawn to get what they wanted. They didn't take kindly to this, but they couldn't do anything about it, lest they end up like Sasuke and the civilian council.

Speaking of the civilian council, after Hiruzen's speech, he had each of them executed for their crimes. He had yet to replace them, as he didn't really feel a need for the civilians to have any say in shinobi affairs. Oh sure, he made sure to hire a representative to speak for the regular citizens of Konohagakure, but she was simply there to discuss civilian-related issues rather than trying to butt her nose into shinobi affairs.

As for Sakura, Naruto had admitted that he found her attractive and liked her well enough, but he didn't want to just rush into some kind of forced marriage that neither of them wanted. They got along rather well and enjoyed spending time together. Oftentimes, things Naruto said or did made her giggle and she couldn't help but start to slowly fall for the guy. So after some time, they started dating, just as he and Hinata were. No marriage plans yet, but that could always change later on down the road.

Despite Miku's wishes, she and Naruto had yet to 'do the deed'. They had spent time together and, like with Hinata and Sakura, the two of them had started dating one another. Miku would often use her sex appeal to get a rise out of Naruto, just to torment him a bit. Naruto didn't mind it so much though, as he got back at her in his own creative ways. They were quite happy as it was, simply dating one another.

Naruto was also pleased to see that Takashi and Rei had actually been going on a few dates every now and again. She was trying dearly to make a relationship with him work, and things seemed to be going well. However, there were still moments where Takashi would get jealous of how close Rei and Naruto were. These, of course, annoyed the orange-haired girl something fierce, but she attempted to take it in stride and deal with it in her own way.

Classes had been going well and Naruto was quickly rising in the ranks, becoming one of the top students in the class. With the guidance of Rika and Kiriko, each of the students had improved tremendously, becoming truly capable future shinobi. The remaining Sasuke fangirls had all dropped out, while the others had started taking everything seriously, determined to become the best kunoichi they could become.

Now, however, it was time for team placements. They had all graduated and things were going well. A now 18 year-old Naruto and his friends and loved ones were eager to see who they would be on a team with. Naruto was so giddy he was practically bouncing in his seat!

Rika and Kiriko soon entered the classroom and took their positions at the front of the classroom. Looking around at everyone, they began to give a speech, stating how proud they were of each of them and how they looked forward to seeing and hearing about their future exploits. The usual graduation spiel, Naruto presumed.

Once they were finished, Rika started looking through some papers and began listing off Teams one through six. When she got to Team 7, she frowned slightly at the name of the chosen sensei. Sighing, she said, "Team 7 is Takashi Komuro, Rei Miyamoto, and Yakumo Kurama. Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake. I warn you now, he's going to be extremely late picking you up, so I suggest going out to eat something, take a stroll, do SOMETHING to pass the time. Then, come back here before three hours is up. Understand?"

The named Yakumo, a beautiful young woman with brown hair and brown eyes, frowned slightly in confusion. "If he's that bad, why was he named sensei of our team? We need someone punctual, someone that will take training us seriously. Not someone that will waste our time like that."

Rika sighed and shook her head. "I don't know the answer to that, Yakumo. He used to be a highly respectable shinobi with a stellar performance record. However, he has become lazy and overly reliant on his implanted Sharingan. I'd say he's even become somewhat arrogant. If he doesn't take training you three seriously and something happens…take it up with the Hokage and see if you can't get yourselves a new sensei. All right?"

Seeing each of them nod, Rika looked at the list again and said, "Team 8 is Miku Yuuki, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. Miku, try to behave yourself. Kurenai's kind of a prude and she acts like Hinata's her daughter. So don't antagonize her, okay?"

Miku simply smirked devilishly and said, "No promises Rika-sensei. I've got plenty I want to 'teach' Hinata-chan too."

Rika sighed and facepalmed before she decided to just move on. "Team 9's still in circulation, so next up is Team 10. Looks like you're the next generation of the ol' Ino-Shika-Cho combination. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." Looking into Ino's eyes, she said, "Ino, I expect you to keep all three of them in line. Asuma's kind of lazy himself, but not on the level of a Nara or Kakashi. And you know what your teammates are like. So do what you have to to keep them all in line."

Seeing Ino nod, Rika moved on once again. "Team 11 is Sakura Haruno, Misuzu Ichijou, and Toshimi Niki. Your sensei is Anko Mitarashi. Huh, that's a pretty solid team for a team of nothing but kunoichi. I'm looking forward to hearing what all you four get up to out there."

"Finally, Team 12 is Naruto Uzumaki, Saya Takagi, and Saeko Busujima. Your sensei is Yugao Uzuki. Hokage-sama knew what he was doing putting all of you together. You should be just fine out there." She said, a smile on her face.

Looking around at all of her students, Rika said, "I expect to hear great things about ALL of you. We trained you well, now it's up to you and your senseis to take things to the next level. Don't get careless out there and risk your lives foolishly. Remember, 'They' are everywhere. One wrong move and you'll end up a snack for those things. If your senseis neglect to tell you, then I will now. You should each go and pick out a weapon that suits you. I would recommend both a ranged weapon of some kind and a melee weapon as well. Saeko-chan already has her weapon, so she is set for the most part. However, the rest of you still need to purchase weapons you feel most comfortable with. Now, be careful and take care of yourselves."

After Rika and Kiriko left the room, Naruto and the other students began to chat amongst themselves and gather into groups, most of them choosing to unite with their teammates and discuss future missions, their true Genin tests, their senseis, and so on. Yes, they all knew about the true Genin test. How could they not when Rika and Kiriko had informed them about it ahead of time?

Soon enough, one of the windows shattered and a banner spread out in the front of the classroom. At first, the students were confused, but when two kunoichi appeared before them, both with purple hair (though in very different hairstyles), they immediately understood that these were the senseis for two of the teams. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was who, as the banner clearly stated their names and Anko even made sure to include the fact that she was sexy and single. Which was…interesting in its own, unique way.

"All right, we're Anko Mitarashi and Yugao Uzuki, in case you kids can't read! Teams 11 & 12, you're with us! Let's move out!" Anko exclaimed before she leapt out the broken window.

Sakura deadpanned at Yugao and said, "She didn't even tell us where we're supposed to go."

The purple-haired swordswoman facepalmed and said, "Follow me. Dammit Anko."

Dango Shop

As Yugao and the Genin entered the dango shop, they saw Anko chowing down on dango with a happy expression on her face. Walking up to her, Yugao said, "Next time, have some patience and tell your team where you're supposed to meet."

Anko blinked a couple of times and asked, "I forgot to tell them, huh? Well damn. Sorry kiddos. Dango was calling to me and I just couldn't ignore the call. Lovely, wonderful little treats. I love you too."

As their sensei cooed to her food, Team 11 sweatdropped before taking seats around Anko. Meanwhile, Team 12 took seats with Yugao. They were close enough to one another that they could chat with each other, however. "All right, here's how this is going to work. As new teams, we all have to go through the introduction process. The usual blah blah blah kinda stuff. Yugao, why don't you show them how it's done so they get the idea?" Anko suggested.

Yugao sighed, but nodded her head. "Very well. I am Yugao Uzuki. I…" Frowning, she took a moment to really think on her relationship with one Hayate Gekko. While she loved him dearly, she had her suspicions that something was just off. Frowning slightly, she shook her head and said, "I love my boyfriend, Hayate Gekko. I like my friends, namely Anko, Kurenai, and Hana. I also like cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies. I dislike the fact that…that I can't help but feel like Hayate might be cheating on me. I also dislike those who look down on kunoichi, viewing us as weaker than men. My hobbies include gazing at the moon and practicing my kenjutsu style. Finally, my dream? It was to settle down and have a nice family with Hayate…but now I'm not so sure. I guess…I want to find true love and have a happy family, even if it's not with Hayate."

Everyone frowned sadly at this before Sakura decided to voice a question. "If you're sure he's cheating on you…why haven't you done something about it yet? You could confront him or leave him, or do any number of things."

"Because she's afraid. Aren't you, Yugao-sensei?" Naruto questioned, sounding genuinely sad for her. "You're afraid to find out the truth because you really do love him. And you're worried that he really doesn't feel the same way, especially if he's cheating on you with another woman. But…" Looking seriously into her eyes, he said, "You NEED to find out the truth, whether you like it or not. You can't continue being in a relationship if there's no trust. You're suspicious of him right now, and your instincts are SCREAMING at you that something's wrong. One thing I've learned is that you should trust your instincts, for they rarely steer you wrong. So you have a few choices here, Yugao-sensei."

"You can do one of two things. The first is where you confront him and find out the truth. If it turns out that he IS cheating on you, then you can try and work things out with him, but I'd recommend leaving him and finding happiness with someone else. As they say, once a cheater, always a cheater. There will always be that niggling doubt in the back of your mind saying he could and will do it again. That is no way to live, always worrying about the possibility that something will happen again."

"Or you can choose option number two. Trust your instincts and dump him. You're better off without him because you're a beautiful woman that deserves the absolute best. If Hayate cannot respect you and your feelings, then you should find someone who will. And trust me when I say that there are good men out there that would love to be with someone like you, Yugao-sensei." Naruto said, being completely serious the entire time and never once breaking eye contact with her.

Yugao blushed a bit at what he said, finding herself unable to speak for a while. Anko, on the other hand, smirked for a moment before turning her gaze to Yugao. "Yu-chan, the kid's got a point. I suggest you at least think on what he just said. And I think you should just go ahead and pass your team right now. The kid's got a good head on his shoulders and I think the kids'll grow on you."

The swordswoman giggled softly and said, "I think you're right, Anko-chan. And Naruto-kun? Thank you. I mean it. I'll definitely do something about it. If…if it turns out that things are really as bad as I think they are, then…then I'll leave. Anyways, it's your turn Anko-chan."

Anko nodded and looked around at all the teens. "All right kiddos. My name is Anko Mitarashi, though you already knew that. Naturally, I absolutely love dango, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I love my friends too. I like and value honesty and I like my job quite a bit. I LOATHE Orochimaru of the Sannin. I also dislike Jiraiya of the Sannin for personal reasons. My hobby is pretty much in my job description: I enjoy torturing people. It's fun. And my dream? I dream of one day killing Orochimaru and finally being rid of this damn seal." she said, revealing her curse seal to them. "Keep in mind, this is me showing you kids a little trust. Trust goes both ways, and it's better to be honest with one another than to hide things like that. Shit like that can get you killed out there."

Yugao nodded in agreement before she pointed at Sakura. "All right, let's go in order. Team 11, we'll start with you. Sakura, you can start us off."

The pink-haired girl nodded and said, "My name is Sakura Haruno. I…" Blushing slightly, she looked into Naruto's eyes and decided to just say it. "I love Naruto-kun. I like my friends and I enjoy spending time with Naruto-kun. I dislike bullies and rapists. My hobbies? Umm…like Ino, I enjoy tending to flowers and spending time with Naruto-kun. As for a dream? I have two dreams, actually. I want to become a kunoichi that surpasses Tsunade Senju someday. And…I want to create a family together with Naruto-kun."

Naruto was blushing as he looked at his girlfriend. He honestly had no idea that she felt so strongly for him. Rather than freak out or anything, he simply smiled at her and said, "Love you too, Sakura-chan."

Blushing prettily, Sakura kind of shrunk in on herself from the embarrassment of the moment. Anko simply chuckled and said, "That's so sweet. All right, you next."

When her sensei pointed at her, Misuzu nodded and began to speak. "My name is Misuzu Ichijou. I love my best friend here, Toshimi. I like my other friends as well, and I like to gossip about cute boys." she admitted with a shrug. "I dislike bullies as well, and I dislike those that still support Sasuke Uchiha, even now. My hobby is a simple one: I enjoy reading books of all kinds. Though there are certain books I'll NEVER touch, such as the Icha Icha series. I wish they'd all just burn. As for a dream? I'd kind of like to find a nice guy and settle down with him. Though…it might be kind of nice if To-chan and I could share someone. She's like a sister to me and I never want to be apart from her."

Toshimi blushed at this and asked, "S-Same guy? But…who would go for something like that? Do we even have the same taste in guys?"

Misuzu giggled and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find someone juuuust right for us both. You'll see."

Anko smirked and said, "I'm loving my team already. This is fun!" Looking at Toshimi, she said, "All right Sunshine, your turn. Show us what you've got. Do a little turn on the catwalk!"

Everyone blinked as they stared at Anko quizzically. "Huh?"

The Snake Mistress blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, don't know what came over me there. Anyways, Toshimi-chan! Go go go!" she cheered, throwing her fist into the air.

Toshimi giggled and said, "Our sensei is going to be fun. Anyways, my name is Toshimi Niki. I love my best friend here. I really like spending time with all my friends. I love flowers too. I dislike fish. I just can't stand them. Hmm, a hobby. I kind of enjoy people-watching. And my dream is pretty much the same as Misuzu-chan's. I want to get married and have a wonderful family with someone I love."

Anko grinned and said, "All right, because I like you girls already and I think that whole 'real' Genin test thing is a bunch of crap, I'm just gonna say you all pass right now. We'll start training and all the fun stuff tomorrow. Right now, it's your turn to go Team 12! Make those bunnies proud!"

Saya blinked and said, "I literally have NO idea what's going on anymore."

Naruto just shrugged and said, "I kinda like her. She's fun! Anyways, I'll go first. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I love my girlfriends, and yes, that's plural. It's a polyamorous relationship and we're all happy together. I like training and getting stronger, if only because it means I can protect myself and those I cherish. I like my friends a lot too, and I love ramen. I dislike a lot of the villagers, but I'm sure you all already understand why that is. I dislike rapists and bullies as well. My hobbies include tending to my garden, training, and studying everything in my family's library. There's just so much to learn in there! As for my dream? While most would expect me to say that I want to be Hokage, the truth is that I simply want to start a family with the people I love and be a good father to any children we end up having."

Yugao and the others smiled at him. After a moment, she turned and pointed at Saya. "Your turn Saya. I'm looking forward to hearing this."

The pink-haired genius pushed up her glasses and began to speak. "My name is Saya Takagi. I like my friends and my parents a lot." Underneath her breath, she added, "I like Naruto-kun too, even if he's too stupid to see it…" Unknown to her, both Anko and Yugao had heard what she said. What was even worse for her was the fact that Naruto, with his advanced hearing, heard what she said quite clearly as well.

Naruto fought down the blush that wanted to creep up on his face, as he didn't want Saya to know he had heard her. Instead, he listened calmly as Saya continued with her introduction. "I dislike how stupid some people can be, and no, I don't mean any of you. Just the mass populace and how stupid a lot of people can be in general. My hobbies are twofold. I enjoy reading pretty much whatever I can get my hands on, whether it's a book or a jutsu scroll. I also enjoy studying the art of fuinjutsu. It's a complicated art that very few seem to dabble in. My dream is to become a fuinjutsu master the likes of which this world has never seen before."

The blonde grinned at her and said, "If that's your dream, then you should come visit me at my house more often. My parents were both geniuses in the art. I've been studying fuinjutsu based on their notes and books and I've been making quite a bit of progress in the art thanks to those notes. I'd be happy to let you browse through all their notes and books so you can learn more about the art. I think you'd probably pick up on it faster than I would. You're much smarter than I am, after all."

Saya blushed a bit and looked away from him. "You baka. It's not about being smarter or not. Imagination plays a key role in fuinjutsu, and you've got a far better imagination than I do. I'm…limited in my capacity."

Naruto poked Saya in the cheek and smirked at her. "Then why don't we agree to work together to improve ourselves? I'll help you to think outside the box, and you help me to understand things a bit better. That way we both gain something from our forays into the world of fuinjutsu. We'll both improve together. Sound good?"

Nodding slowly, Saya smiled softly at him and said, "That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Of course. Now Saeko-chan, you're up." Naruto said, grinning at the swordswoman.

Saeko smiled at him before she closed her eyes and began to speak. "My name is Saeko Busujima. I like Naruto-kun and my friends. I love the art of swordsmanship…and I'll admit it now, I enjoy violence. And that's putting it mildly. I dislike those who mistreat Naruto-kun. I also dislike 'Them'. My hobby is practicing my swordsmanship. And my dream is to one day marry Naruto-kun. It's as simple as that."

Anko laughed while Naruto blushed deeply at the blunt statement. "I like you girl! I can tell we're going to get along great! You definitely know what you want, and you're not afraid to say it."

Yugao giggled for a moment before she nodded. "All right, team. As Anko suggested, I think I'll simply pass your team. I like you three, and it would be a shame if something were to happen that would ruin your chances at becoming the splendid shinobi you're meant to be. For now, we'll take you to a great shinobi supplies store and get you some much-needed weapons. If you aren't sure what weapon would work best for you, then you should ask one of us or the store owner."

Everyone nodded and followed Anko and Yugao on their way to the store Yugao had mentioned. As they walked, Sakura stepped up beside Saeko and asked, "Did you mean what you said back there? You really want to marry Naruto-kun?"

Saeko simply raised a brow and asked, "If I didn't mean it, would I have said it? Naruto-kun shall be my husband. It is as simple as that."

"I…I see. You really aren't afraid to go after what you want, huh?" Sakura questioned, sounding genuinely impressed. "You do know that he is going to marry multiple women though, right? That doesn't bother you at all?"

"Why should it? If I get to be with Naruto-kun, then isn't that enough? Why complain about small details like that? I don't even mind if I fail to get his first time. I just refuse to be left out of his heart. We are destined to be together and I won't have it any other way." the purple-haired swordswoman said.

"Huh. I can respect that. You should really try to talk to him about going on a date soon. You might really enjoy yourself." Sakura suggested before she left to walk beside her boyfriend and future husband. Leaning against his shoulder, she smirked up at him and said, "You're pretty popular with the ladies, Naruto-kun."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Apparently so. Have to admit, I didn't expect it. I'm not going to complain though. I'm happy to have friends that support me now. Just as I'm happy to have you girls choosing to be with me."

Kissing his cheek, Sakura smiled happily at him before they stopped upon reaching their destination. Stepping inside, they each looked around in awe at everything inside of the store. "This place is amazing." Sakura said.

"Why thank you, young lady. Welcome to the Higurashi Supply Store. What can I do for you all today?" a burly man asked. He was huge with large muscles, a full, pointed beard and a small mustache. His hair was a dark brown and his eyes were a dark brown as well.

Yugao smiled at him and said, "Hello there Higurashi-san. We've come to get weapons for our Genin. We can't have them fighting 'Them' with simple kunai and shuriken. It just wouldn't work."

"Ah, of course. Well then, what might you all be interested in? Ranged weapons? Melee? A mixture of both?" Higurashi asked curiously.

Saeko simply held up her katana and unsheathed it partway. "I am set. I prefer this weapon over any other. The others, however, could use your guidance."

Sakura walked up to a large single-bladed axe with an ornate wooden handle with engravings of some kind along the wood. The blade itself was magnificent with a brilliant sheen and it looked sharp enough that it could take the heads off of 'Them' with ease. She also noticed some kind of seal on the blade. "Excuse me, what's with all these markings?"

Higurashi stepped up to her and looked the axe over for a moment. Taking it down from the display, he pointed to the various engravings on the wood. "These are all tiny seals engraved into the wood. They have a variety of effects. There's a triple-layered strengthening seal here, here, and here, to ensure the weapon doesn't break. These two are weight seals. The first one will increase the weight of the axe to a point where you start to build up some real muscle when you swing it. Practice with it enough and, once you get used to its weight, up the gravity again and make yourself even stronger. The other one is used to return the weight of the weapon to normal. This way you can swing the axe without having to worry about all that extra weight in combat. You'll be surprised at how powerful your swings are then."

Looking the seals over some more, he pointed at the last one on the shaft of the weapon. "This last one here will attune the weapon to your chakra signature. By pouring your chakra into this seal here, you'll be the only one that can wield the weapon. If anyone else were to try and so much as lift it, they're likely to break their arms in the process. It would be far too heavy for them to lift. As for the seal on the blade, that's used for when you determine your chakra nature. Once you've learned that and you've studied enough, you can focus your chakra into the seal and any number of things can happen. For instance, if you've got a fire nature, the blade will be lit aflame. It's as simple as that."

"Anyways, are you sure you want a weapon like this? It might be a bit much for you…" Higurashi questioned unsurely.

Sakura looked the axe over for a time before she nodded with a wicked grin on her face. "This is perfect. It wouldn't see much use against enemy shinobi until I'm stronger and faster, but for combatting 'Them'? Oh hell yeah!"

Higurashi chuckled and said, "Very well then. I assume one of you has the money to pay for this?"

Naruto nodded and said, "No problem. I can pay for whatever we choose. I'll let you girls choose first. I want to browse for a while until something really jumps out at me." The girls nodded while Saeko and Sakura stood back with Yugao and Anko.

Misuzu was the next one to select a weapon. Oddly enough, she chose a kusarigama to fight from a distance as well as up close when needed. It was a simple enough weapon, and like the axe Sakura had chosen, this weapon had special properties as well, such as a strengthening seal, weight seals, etc.

Toshimi picked a rapier, which was a somewhat unusual weapon, considering its thin blade. It was meant more for piercing and quick thrusts than for slashes and cuts. While it was a questionable choice, she liked it and decided to go with it. For ranged combat, she chose a number of throwing daggers that she could pick up again after using them to kill opponents. What made them special was not only the fact that they would be attuned to her blood and chakra signature, but they'd emit a type of pulse that only she'd be able to sense. This would make it easier for her to find them and collect them again.

Saya was the next one to choose. As she preferred ranged combat to melee, she chose a short bow with arrows that she could easily apply poison to. She also rather enjoyed the fact that the arrows came with their own seals. They were sturdier, for one thing. They could be recollected and reused as long as they lasted. And once she got the hang of her chakra nature, she'd be able to apply that to her arrows to make them even deadlier. It made for quite the handy weapon. Realizing that she'd need a melee weapon as a sort of backup in case things went south, she chose a saw-toothed dagger.

Finally, Naruto found his weapon: a pole-like weapon with two curved blades facing in opposite directions on either side of the pole. Looking it over carefully, he realized that this was a kind of double-bladed scythe and it was quite the dangerous weapon, not just to enemies, but its user as well. This weapon had numerous seals embedded in it as well, and he realized that if he turned the pole in a certain way, it would split apart into a type of kusarigama-like weapon with both sides connected by a long chain. Reconnecting the pieces, he looked it over and grinned wickedly. "Oh yeah, this is definitely my kind of weapon."

Higurashi smiled at everyone and said, "Well, it looks like you've all chosen well. Make sure to treat your weapons right and they'll treat you well in return. Never treat your weapons with disrespect. Anyone who does will soon pay the price. Now, you said you could pay for all of this, correct Uzumaki? Come on over and we can discuss the price. I might even cut you a deal."

Naruto grinned and said, "Sounds good to me. I'm definitely going to treat this weapon like she's a part of me. I'd never disrespect a weapon such as this."

"Glad to hear it. Now, all of these together costs…"

While Naruto and Higurashi bartered, Saya turned to Yugao and asked, "So what are we doing next sensei?"

"For now, nothing. You'll all do whatever you'd like until tomorrow. We have to wait and see how many of the other teams passed their true Genin tests, and then we can start training, taking on missions, etc. And because Kakashi is going to be late as fucking usual…"

Anko giggled a bit and said, "It's rare for you to curse, but I understand how you feel. Kakashi pisses me off too. Anyways, since we plan to train you all together, meet us at the entrance to the Forest of Death at noon tomorrow. We'll figure things out from there. I assure you, you're gonna just love my personal training ground."

"Why do I get the feeling we're about to enter a new kind of hell…?" Toshimi questioned, sounding genuinely worried.

Anko simply smirked and said, "You'll see girly. You'll see."

A/N - And that's the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. As you can see, a bunch of stuff happened...sorta.

Yes, Higurashi is a last name. I didn't include his first name in this chapter, so there's still time to figure that out if I want to make use of him again. lol.

Hopefully you all like the weapon choices and like the team placements. I'll update my profile page to include information on who's on what team and whatnot so you don't have to constantly check this chapter to see who's on what team. :P

Not sure what else to say. My psychiatrist upped the dosage on one of my prescriptions and I'm worn out after taking it last night. I dozed off REALLY early. Around 7:30 PM actually. That's really, REALLY early for me. lol.

Anyways, yeah, definitely need to take a break and play a game or something. Yada yada blah blah blahda!