A/N: Hi everyone, thanks again for the reviews. Love reading them and they help me think about the story, which is absolutely essential. Keep 'em coming!

This is kind of a massive chapter, I hope everyone is okay with more content, not less... I wanted to get this out before I left for a week. I'm going to be writing Chapter 15 shortly, and then 16, but I won't be posting another chapter until I'm done writing Chapter 16 fully. Trying to stay ahead of the game!

Just a little side-note: if you write a review as a Guest, I can't respond to you which is a bummer!

Anyway, a few big hints for the future and a little progress into what I call, 'Part II.' This will be the Academy arc, but fear not, action will not entirely be side-lined. Just keep reading!


Chapter 14: A Malleable Concept


"Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets."

–Paul Tournier


/Apartment 34N

/The Village Hidden in the Leaves

/Fire Country

Naruto

The sight that Naruto walked into when he finally made the arduous journey up the long flights of stairs, back to the dormitory, and into apartment 34N was nothing short of ridiculous. Kiba's dog Akamaru stood on his hind-legs, on the kitchen table where they would be eating, as Choji lobbed popcorn into the air from where he and Kiba both sat cross-legged.

The couch was a good distance away from the table.

Shikamaru was writing something in a notebook behind the dog and every so often a stray piece would hit the table next to him and he would sigh. Choji and Kiba cheered every time Akamaru snatched one out of the air without wobbling. All of sudden it hit him how different these kids seemed than his expectations of a real shinobi; Naruto had seen, in his short life, countless numbers of dead and dying, blood measured in gallons, and more of the open, vivisected human body than he ever would've cared for in another life. Naruto had been kidnapped, tortured, starved, beaten several times within inches of his life, and been powerless to stop the rape of his best friend.

Naruto had clawed for every single inch in his life.

It was bad enough he had to endure pity from Shizune, condescension from that woman Tsunade, and outright indifference from the Hokage. But, regardless of the fallout from his confrontation today, he would not sit here and pretend that he didn't need to excel at this Academy, that he could not pretend to treat anything he learned here as a joke-a joke these kids seemed to think it all was, a grand game that led to a noble life as a shinobi. Like happily ever after would arrive from across the fucking rainbow. There was no happy ending with something like Kaguya lurking in the dark, let alone The Man in Red.

No, that way lay madness and death at best for every person here.

Success here meant survival out there. Worse still, there was absolutely no way he was ever going to avenge Mifune, and all the others, without becoming the absolute greatest shinobi that had ever walked this green earth. But he was shackled with these children? These children who had access to the very tools he'd go to the ends of the earth to have back? And his chakra-!

Rage, white-hot, and violent choked him with its strength.

Here these fucking clowns hung around, the night before the biggest day of their lives amusing themselves with stupid, childish shit. Didn't they know this wasn't a game? All of them, with their working chakra systems? Their easily accessed power? Naruto couldn't look at any of them or he'd snap and choke someone out.

Quickly, he moved through the living room, skirting the couch, just shy of slamming the door behind him and entered the room he shared with Kiba and Shino. Only Shino was there, quietly studying something in his glass terrarium and making notations in a journal.

Naruto felt himself shaking and quickly sat on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands, trying to will his body to stop.

Breathe.

Breathe.

At a four count, he felt himself settle enough to realize his bed was unmade. Oddly, Naruto felt irritated at himself. Did he really think he'd be moving on so quickly that he wouldn't need something so important as bedsheets? He was safe. Safe.

Raido picked out sheets, didn't he?

Rummaging through the bags still left at the foot of his bed, in between the frame and his dresser, Naruto found a still wrapped pack of all-white sheets. For an embarrassingly long time, Naruto struggled to get the fitted sheet over the twin frame, agonizing until he slammed the half-made mattress back onto the frame with a gusty rage-filled sigh.

Shino's hands took the sheet out of his hand and the boy, without speaking, carefully showed him the best process to fit the sheet. Careful, precise, Shino tucked the final piece and creased it, creating a nice line.

"As I've observed some say, 'the first one is free'."

"...thanks, Shino."

The bushy-haired boy pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose from where they'd slid down bent over working on Naruto's mattress and nodded. Naruto watched Shino return to his work, sitting down at his table and opening his notebook.

I'm not here to make friends. I'm not here to make friends.

That reminded him, staring at Shino's notebook, that he had a note of his own to read. Bed neatly made, Naruto threw himself onto it and reached over to his chair where he'd thrown his overcoat. Rummaging through the wide pockets, he found the note stuffed down into the bottom. He pulled it out and unfolded it, laying back against his pillows whose covering he managed to put on himself without ripping it to shreds in frustration.


Naruto,

No shit, I'm alive. Surprise!

Losing an arm sucks, but that's nothing to a puppeteer like myself. Already have plans to forge myself a new arm-fairly excited about it actually!

No cheeky remarks out of you-it takes a great deal more than that punk-ass Raiga Kurosaki to put lil' ol' me in the ground. In fact, I intend to collect on his bounty in the coming days; that is, both his and the Kiba blades.

He doesn't need them anymore.

I wanted to start this out by saying I was so very sorry to hear about Kazan. I did some digging and found a few of the vaunted 'Guardians' are on the payroll of Gato Corporation, so it makes sense they'd want to pin this attack on someone. Their delay that night in Haven Quarter earned them a cool million ryo each while Gato's goons were given the run of the place. Haven looked like a warzone the next day.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened with your capture, but no luck.

I'm just sorry to say that the news on the street is that rat-fuck Lionel Gato lives. He won't be singing any operas, but he'll live. I'm so very sorry it was him that lived, while Kazan died. I'm not sure which pisses me off more.

I snuck in to see both of you, but you'd already been moved, bound for Konohagakure. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were ransomed away from Dhumrais Prison by none other than the Hokage herself! I don't know how you managed that, but it was quite the masterstroke. The Lady Hokage must want you very badly indeed.

She burned quite a few bridges pulling that stunt.

I heard the Daimyo was so infuriated he threatened to pull funding and supplies from the Belton Chakra Mines and give it to Wind Country of all places. We could use it, don't get me wrong, but it's quite an insulting deal to Konoha and given that we're allies… it doesn't sit well. I'm rambling boy, because this will probably be the last communication between you and I, and I've grown rather fond of your idiotic self. That and I'm fascinated to see what you'll develop next with that Fuinjutsu of yours. I might even seek you out one day for your help on some projects.

If you live that long, that is.

Do try, won't you? Keep your temper in check, boy!

My last piece of advice, and it's a big one: I've spent the last decade, especially during the war, fighting someone I think can very much help you-in fact, I think she might be your only hope of a full recovery. The Slug Princess Tsunade, one of those pathetic 'honorary' Sannin, is a fucking bitch, but she's a bitch that… well, I think she might be the best iryounin in the world.

DO NOT TELL HER I SAID THAT.

I'll deny it to my dying day, boy.

Her foundational technique is a kinjutsu that rumor has dealt exclusively with mitotic regeneration. That's the key, Naruto. You can heal already from most things, but this scarring and pathway damage? That's different. That bijuu damaged you good when he came out, gave you a raw deal, but left you alive, despite his best try-that's the miracle. The issue now is that it is damage from a bijuu. That doesn't heal like other things. For that, you'll need a fresh start. As this is the only regeneration-based technique I've ever heard of, it is your best shot at creating new cells!

That slug bitch calls the technique, 'Creation Rebirth' and it is on the definite side of likely S-class. I harbor no illusions you have enough chakra to run it, but it will be the hardest thing you ever do to even get it out of her, let alone master it in a way that will heal you fully. I would imagine it is a project that will take years, boy, years to properly master.

I'm sorry... I know you wanted quick and easy, but there is nothing like that in the world.

Nothing else, save discovering some other way to regenerate your body to full, will be able to give you back your chakra the way you want. I'm afraid... I'm afraid Fuinjutsu will only go so far. Adding more to that will increase the pain load on your system. You will never be able to sustain it long enough to fight someone like the Seifuku-sha without irreparable brain death at worst and a long-term coma at best if you add more without dealing with the underlying scarring.

Her technique must be your sole focus, do you understand?

Anyway, I'm going to wrap this up. I've said my piece.

The rest is up to you.

Please, keep yourself safe. I pray to Kami you walk any other path than the one you're on, but I know you.

I know how far you'll go.

Be safe. Be well.

Lecenya


Naruto stared at the words on the lined paper, re-reading the note several times, just to understand what it was that Chiyo was telling him. Kazan was dead. Yes, Lionel was alive. Disfigured, but alive. That was… well, it pissed him off, but there were so many things more important to worry about. Naruto didn't care about corrupt Guardians, didn't care who was paid what, for which reason. Nor did he care for the veiled insinuations regarding the Hokage, despite his curiosity regarding her motivations. Without a bijuu in his stomach and without his chakra, would good would even be-?

No, that wasn't important and he couldn't think like that.

Even the death of Gato and his son were nothing compared to seeing his main goal through. Without his chakra back, and in full working order, there was absolutely nothing he was going to be able to do about anything else on his list.

No revenge.

No peace.

The Lightning Mark, while amazing and frankly unbelievable, had serious issues with it, as Chiyo pointed out. Those issues stemmed directly from the root issue. Broken pathways. Crippled chakra.

Useless.

There were too many titans of power in the world for him to afford not to be one of them. If there was one thing he learned in Iron, and in the Gutter for that matter, was that peace came very much at the end of a sword point. Bullies responded to nothing but strength. Calling The Seifuku-sha a bully was like calling Kurama, 'a fox.' Sort of, but wildly under-exaggerated. His point still stood.

Naruto needed a very large sword point.

The real gem, the very thing he needed, Chiyo just handed him.

A forbidden jutsu.

Was Tsunade's kinjutsu something he could even use?

Did that even matter?

After a moment, Naruto decided it didn't. This, 'Creation Rebirth' sounded promising and conveniently happened to be his only chance so… now came the hard part. How did he convince that contemptible, condescending old hag to part with what she knew? Naruto needed to do everything in his power to convince the Hokage he was worth keeping and everything in his power to sway Tsunade to his side.

He winced.

They hadn't had a good start… of course, the one person who could solve his biggest problem was someone he'd pissed off with his big fucking mouth. Maybe now wasn't too late to start practicing some restraint?

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts with the click of the door closing behind Kiba. The boy was yawning and Naruto could see, though there was only Kiba's table lamp still left on, that Shino had long since gone to bed. The blonde's earlier rage had died a swift death and now he just felt tired.

Tired of the seemingly never-ending obstacles and bullshit.

Naruto just lay there on his new bed, in his new home, with new people surrounding him, and felt… strange. The faint light of a streetlamp threw bizarre shadows across the room. A swift pang of homesickness swept over him as Kiba shut his light off, the scents and feelings of Master Ouran's forge sweeping over him, the feeling of silky darkness that lulled him to sleep at night in the home he'd shared with his grandfather. A cascade of images, times spent drinking Chava, doing lessons in geography with Taza, getting his ass kicked by Furu, laughing and running in the tunnel-gardens with Shimizu and Roran.

Everything in his life was different; and nothing would ever be that way again. Naruto hadn't even felt like this in the Gutter. There, he had his guard up all the time… but this place? This place felt so much like home, yet not, that he felt some feeling returning to him. The pain of loss felt now like a phantom limb. You kept thinking it was there until you touched it, and the reality of it hit you again, the pain, again.

It was gone. Never coming back.

Naruto felt his cheeks.

They were wet.

Naruto found himself silently crying and couldn't stop. Stupid. Stupid.

Sleep was a long time coming.


/Apartment 34N

/The Village Hidden in the Leaves

/Fire Country

Naruto

Rising early enough to beat the entire apartment out of the building was easy as he hadn't ended up actually falling asleep. It felt like ages since he'd last had a good meal and a good night's sleep. His nerves were frayed at the ends from what seemed like endless running and hiding. Despite Konohagakure being the safest place in the entire world, that reality felt like an illusion that was waiting to be snatched from him.

He wondered if that would ever change.

Finding time to eat properly had been the last thing on his list of priorities. Here, it was the first. If he couldn't sleep well, at least he could eat.

Naruto stared at himself in the bathroom mirror and awkwardly adjusted the new clothing that Raido had seemingly picked at random.

The bandages on his arms and legs he'd decided on last second because of the enormous amount of scars. Shizune had noticed and asked questions and avoiding that subject would be important with nosy children. The white hoodie was nice though, Naruto thought. Though the green stripe is kinda... eh. But at least the stripe was a darker olive, not some bright fluorescent color, given that Raido had obviously matched the pants and the stripe. Naruto sighed. He was reluctant to admit it, but these clothes fit well, despite his fidgeting, and the sandals were extremely comfortable.

Not to mention the white and green was… nice.

With no proper swords to speak of yet, and he'd have to remedy that as quickly as possible for his own safety, Naruto grabbed up his new pouch of odds and ends and secured it behind his belt, pulling the hoodie over it to hide it. Hesitating, Naruto grabbed his notebook with his notes on new Fuinjutsu and slipped it in the pouch. Those new Fuin plans would have to wait. Chiyo was right. The load on the Lightning Mark would be far too much until he mastered Creation Rebirth and fixed his body. Chiyo's letter also went into the pouch.

It wouldn't do for a nosy roommate to find that.

Naruto left the apartment quickly and quietly, walking down the long carpeted hall and listened for signs of life from the other apartments. Most of the boys were active in their rooms when Naruto finally left; even Kiba.

Down three flights and out of the lobby, Naruto pushed open the glass doors and emerged from the dormitory and made his way out from under the eaves and into the early morning dawn. Most things on the KSMA Campus were close by, given that the whole thing was walled in and hidden in the center of Konoha. The walk from Nakamura Hall, where his apartment was located, to the cafeteria took less than five minutes at a leisurely stroll. Naruto consulted his map just to be sure and realized the cafeteria was in the same building as all the classrooms, just on the ground floor.

Convenient.

Navigating the open area was easy and before long he pushed his way through some double-doors and into a hallway that split off, the right path taking him to a massive high-ceilinged room streaming with light. Long tables mixed with smaller circular tables in a banquet hall that seemed as if it could fit half a thousand people.

Along the wall just to his left were two equally-spaced entrances that Naruto assumed was the line for food, as there was just now a sleepy queue beginning to form. The room was less than half full of people, all kids his age with a few older people-professors?-eating quietly together at a table in the back.

Naruto quietly moved into line, picking up a tray from the nearby stack.

The soft murmur of voices lulled him into zoning out and like clock-work, he had his food, some strange breakfast meat, and egg-fried toast combination with a sweet condiment Naruto hadn't had before.

Finding a spot was relatively easy as most of the smaller tables were empty; apparently there were a lot of people who already knew each other. The long tables had filled up quickly. Before long he'd finished his first batch and went for seconds, spotting some yellow juice that was absolutely delicious.

Reluctantly, he decided to take a look at what the day held.

Naruto remembered very well what kind of student he'd been back in Iron and was determined not to be the same lackluster idiot he'd been back then. That was an easy promise to make considering the overall length of his life depending entirely on how powerful he became and how quickly. Let alone whether Mikoto decided to keep him here, now knowing his secret was out in the open.

According to the packet of information, his first stop today was Opening Remarks, followed by a class meeting with his cohort. That wasn't for another couple of hours though. Iruka Umino was listed as the Class Advisor. As long as his class wasn't all a bunch of idiots like Kiba and Choji, the year should go by smoothly.

Naruto didn't notice, deep in his second helping of food, but Shino, Hayato, Shikamaru, and Choji had sat down at his sequestered table, surrounding him. Kiba sat much further down, attempting and failing to separate himself from the group. Caught with his mouth open, Shikamaru and Choji just looked at him. Shino kept… doing whatever it was that he was apparently doing. Naruto knew next to nothing about Shino or the Aburame family other than their familiarity with bugs. From the look of it, they themselves were human-shaped hives. That was… kinda cool actually.

But really, really gross to watch.

"You guys know anything about our Class Advisor?"

Choji was in heaven, clearly, as he brought two helpings with him and was quickly polishing it off. Somehow he managed to say his question around all the food.

Shikamaru kept looking at Naruto, which he studiously ignored, and Shino answered the question.

"I've heard Iruka Umino is both eminently fair and competent. Why do I know this, you ask? My father speaks highly of him. I did some digging before arriving yesterday."

"Oh yeah? Well, I heard the guy is a total beta. I mean, it's been how many years and he's only a Chunin? What a joke."

Naruto tried very hard not to roll his eyes. Kiba seemed to think advancing ranks as a shinobi would be easy.

Naruto could only hope.

Kiba leaned across the table, a bright grin on his face.

"They should've given us someone actually good, or at the very least someone hot, you know? Like Yakumo Kurama. I hear she's a total bombshell."

"Kami, Kiba, you're such a drag. That's sexist as hell."

"The hell did you say to me? How is that sexist?"

Shikamaru sighed and almost dropped his head into his hashbrowns.

"I mean, every word out of your mouth seems to be designed to be as stupid and degrading as humanly possible."

Kiba looked stunned. Hayato looked terrified. Choji watched the back-and-forth like a sports match.

"Is that even possible? Please tell me, Kiba."

"Tch. Shut up asshole!"

"I'm bored already with this. When you get straight up punched in the face for being a total asshole, I'll be waiting next to you to say I told you so."

Akamaru barked at Shikamaru, then thought better of it and started stealing food off Kiba's plate without him noticing, given that he was just scowling at the distracted Nara.

"...man, go back to sleep Nara. Sheesh."

In fact, minus Kiba, everyone's eyes were drifting towards a commotion. A lot of conversations had died down. Naruto swiveled his head, trying to figure out what the hell everyone was staring at and realized they were focused on a girl. She looked like a lion surrounded by hyenas. Naruto would recognize an Uchiha anywhere. She was a sort of washed-out image of her mother in miniature, but harder-looking somehow. All angles and lines and no fat to speak of, leaving her face almost hollow. Uncomfortable with the length of time he spent staring at that girl, examining her, he looked away quickly, trying not to make it obvious.

The blonde leaned into Choji, whispering quietly.

"Why is everyone staring?"

Now that he looked, the eyes were mostly hostile, though not everyone seemed as interested as the older students. A lot of the older kids were fixated. Huh, that's weird. Wonder what she did…

Choji's 'whisper' was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

"That's Satsuki Uchiha, the Hokage's daughter. It's kind of a sensitive topic, but some people in Konoha think the Uchiha are...well."

Kiba interrupted with a snarl. "Traitors. The whole group."

Shino pushed his glasses up his nose and looked away, continuing to eat. Shikamaru pushed his food around and sighed. Hayato had been characteristically quiet, eating as silently as possible.

"But the Hokage-"

"The Hokage is the only one of them we can trust, Naruto-"

Shikamaru scoffed, derisive. "Were you in that cell with the rest of us? Did you not see Itachi take on rogue ANBU to get us? Satsuki was right next to you!"

"Maybe she was a plant!"

"Do you listen to yourself when you speak? Or do you drift in and out? Stupidest thing I've ever heard. 'Oh hey, let's plant our best five-year-old agent in that cell in hopes of getting information out of them!' Foolproof, Inuzuka. Foolproof."

Kiba opened his mouth.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and left the table.

Naruto paid very little attention to the rest of the group as he felt something was up with the girl, Satsuki. He watched as she got her food and sat as far as possible from anybody else, closest to the professors, one table away from where Naruto had initially chosen to sit. Shifting in his seat, Naruto leaned over to Shino-he'd probably be the one most likely to pick up on what was going on.

"Hey, Shino, does it seem like this hostility is a little... strong?"

"No, I do not think so. Why? There is a large adult presence. No one has ever gone that far before either."

But Naruto watched, glued over the next couple of minutes, as most of the professors finished eating, slowly clearing the area of supervision. What would happen when that safeguard was gone? Surely nothing bad could happen to a student in the middle of the Academy right? The darkest parts of his mind were convinced nothing bad was now ever off the table. The fat you could be kidnapped in broad daylight in under ten seconds was horrifying, so why not some kid getting beaten?

No, this is none of your business.

The same feeling was rising in the air though, that same bloodthirsty anticipation he'd felt when Master Shin had pushed him off the railing and into the Gutter. With Seiryu. And Kaz. People had died, hadn't they? Naruto had simply watched. Until…

Until Kaz.

Unlike then, he was in Konoha now, not the Gutter. She would be fine. The professors, one by one, finished and left.

Putting his head down, Naruto finished the last of his second breakfast, gulped down the rest of his juice, and walked past the brewing conflict to throw away his trash. One boy, in particular, stood out as he looked quite a lot like Hayato. From the little he'd gathered, the Hyuuga clan was the largest clan in Konoha and had a reputation for being a little… stiff. Looking over at Hayato, who was anxiously watching his… cousin? Brother? Naruto was unsure, but whatever it was, they did not look like friends. Hayato definitely was some kind of black sheep.

That made Naruto like him just a little bit more, despite the slight resemblance to the murderous goddess in his head.

Naruto tried not to watch as Hayato's look-alike stopped in front of Satsuki's table. All the adults were gone now, save the ones inside the kitchen. Where Hayato was of average-height, this boy was tall for his age; a knife-handle across the shoulders and Naruto could see visible muscles in his arms and legs. A lean, physical fighter. Probably a third or fourth-year?

"Uchiha. I see Fate has allowed a traitor such as yourself to sully these hallowed halls."

"Neji." She looked suddenly surprised.

"You're right. Fate has allowed a traitor to sully these halls."

Neji looked confused.

Most everyone else was too, as Naruto looked around.

"We have something in common, you and I. We come from the blood of traitors. Don't we Neji?"

Nice and pleasant lasted all of a minute as the last part she hissed and Neji went from confused to enraged. Naruto could tell just based on the way his shoulders tensed and his stance shifted. Something about what she said sliced through him and hit on something that absolutely inflamed the older student.

Violence was in the air.

One moment was wary stillness, the next all-out war. A fist punched through the same space that Satsuki's head once occupied. She'd pushed her chair back just in time, giving herself only a hair's breadth to escape. The exchange had been so fast. Naruto watched her eyes spinning with her doujutsu, the Sharingan, active. Hot blood surged in his body and sparks crackled from the Lightning Mark, his body betraying him. Excitement surged, the Rage surfacing. But Naruto pushed it down and turned away.

This is not my fight. This isn't my fight!

A circle had started to form, surrounding the corner of the cafeteria that Neji and Satsuki were fighting, blocking it from Naruto's vision. He walked back to the table and grabbed his backpack, stuffing his folders back into it. Shino was still there, Shikamaru was back, and Kiba was nowhere to be seen.

The four kids were arguing.

"...we should still do something Choji. I know he's your cousin Hayato, but still."

"Shika, we'd just make it worse and then everyone would hate us. We'd be harassed just like Satsuki. I'm… I just…"

Shikamaru looked frustrated. Though he put his hand on Choji's thick shoulder.

"I-I'll go. I-I'm n-not st-strong like my c-cousin, but I'll h-help. It's not right what h-he's doing."

Shino simply stood, nodding to Hayato, who tentatively nodded back, stronger this time.

Shikamaru grinned. "Well, whaddya say Choji? You in?"

The Akimichi winced, then sighed. He nodded. "Okay, fine. Let's do this."

This is not my fight.

Naruto tried to avoid them, but as he snuck around they stood just in time to come face-to-face.

"There you are, Naruto. Come on, we're gonna help Satsuki. She might be a dick, and an Uchiha to boot, but Neji is worse. He's also the strongest student in the KSMA right now."

"Yeah, about that..."

Naruto paused. Unsure. "...this isn't my fight. S'not yours either, guys. Choji had it right. Walk away."

All of them looked stunned.

Hayato looked close to crying. Shino just stared through his glasses, but Naruto got the distinct impression he was disappointed. What makes them think we're fucking friends? I don't owe these fuckers anything.

Who the fuck do they think they are?

"Look, I don't know where you all got the ideas we are, like friends or whatever, but we aren't. I don't need any of you, okay? You think being a shinobi is a goddamn joke? Well, I don't. If Satsuki Uchiha can't handle herself, she deserves what's coming to her. Got it?"

Without realizing it, he'd been shouting by the end.

Hayato really was sniffling. God, what a loser. Shikamaru and Choji were both stiff, but it was Shino, for some reason Naruto couldn't fathom, that drove a dagger into his heart.

Like he'd been betrayed. The same look Naruto imagined would've been on his face when Kazan... did what he did.

We aren't even friends!

Fuck these guys… this is not my fight.

And so he left.


Right outside, Naruto let the cafeteria door slam shut, the noise cut off as if it had never been, and breathed deep as he backed up against the wall and slid down, slumping against the wall. Was it ever possible to do the right thing and yet still feel as if you'd made the wrong choice?

Did that idea even make sense?

Konoha was a peaceful bubble that sheltered their people from the harsh reality of life outside, leaving kids who didn't understand. That idea played out exactly like Tanaka had said it would, even here: 'Focus is what will determine whether you have limits.' Naruto remembered understanding exactly what Tanaka had tried to tell his fledgling Knives… even Mifune had agreed, after all, hadn't he?

...the day we stop focusing, the day we lose track of our targets, is the day we die. This wasn't life or death, but it didn't have to be… because of the bubble. That kind of shit was not tolerated in the Gutter, nor in Iron. Did that make Konoha the biggest hypocrites of all?

The Will of Fire, right?

That's what they followed?

Naruto did not intend to die because he was fucking around with some petty school rivalry. The person next to you had to be someone you relied on. And if those guys wanted to bog themselves down with attachments, well, that was their funeral. Burying more friends was out of the question; better for him, better for everyone, if he kept his head down and eye on the prize.

Yet even after working through it in his head, Naruto still couldn't shake the shivering echo of betrayal that Shino's look had set off inside him. Yet…

Just then, as he leaned near the entrance to the cafeteria, he spotted Raido coming towards him from outside.

Naruto waved, suddenly glad to see him. Weird, but true.

"Raido! Hey, I need your help…"

Despite the quirked eyebrow and clear skepticism, the man changed his trajectory and met him at the outer entrance.

"What is it Naruto? Some more comments out of your smart-ass mouth? Oh joy, can't wait."

Trying to look innocent was hard when every time he gave his most winsome smile people thought he was up to no good.

"Uh, no. It's just… I think there's going to be a huge fight in the cafeteria and none of the professors were around so…"

The put-upon sigh of an adult realizing he has to be responsible early in the morning was almost universal. Raido let out a gusty breath. The bit was something Naruto was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear.

"Fuck me, I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit this early." Louder, "Well, come on."

"Wait-what? No, I told you so that you'd have to handle it. This has nothing to do with me!"

"Like hell it doesn't, I bet your little paws are all over this-"

"...considering I don't have paws, no, they aren't."

"-yeah, I bet you cooked this up with some no-good friends of yours. Are you planning on getting kicked out on the first day?"

"...no? Wait, what?"

"Shut up and follow me."

Raido's look brooked no compromise, so, as no good deed goes unpunished, Naruto followed the heavily-scarred man back into the cafeteria. And into a scene of utter chaos. Raido just looked down at Naruto who was standing on his left, looking just as stunned. Tables crashed, plates broke, utensils were flung all over the place, and general sounds of mayhem met their ears as they opened the same doors Naruto just left to pure bedlam.

Raido was gaping at the scene.

"You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this?"

"...aw shit."

Neji had absolutely annihilated four of the five combatants facing him.

Shino was the only one grimly standing, swaying on two feet with one arm uselessly dangling, fairly obviously done for but stubbornly staying on. Shikamaru was crouched on the floor, next to Shino, but in front of Choji, who was out cold with nasty, strangely-shaped bruises on his face.

Satsuki, once neatly dressed in the usual blue-and-white outfit with the Ucihwa symbol prominently displayed, was a complete mess; her dark hair, which had been half-up and half-down, was now all askew. Blood made a mask as it ran down the left side of her face from her scalp from where she knelt behind Shino. Hayato was out cold on the ground, face a mess.

Oddest of all was Neji, frozen in an attacking stance, bloodied hands outstretched striking towards Shino. Perfectly unharmed, Neji had not a single hair on his perfectly groomed shoulder-length mane out of place.

Naruto's eyes searched for someone controlling a holding technique and it took only a second to realize it was…

The Nara.

That had to be it.

He was holding a single hand seal, Naruto didn't know which one it was as he'd never learned them, but it was clearly controlling a thin line of shadow that encircled Neji and pinned him in place.

The circle of other students that had been blocking their view scattered upon seeing Raido and his Jonin flak vest, giving them a perfect view. The glares of the combatants, those that were awake and aware, could have burnt holes through steel...and they were all aimed at him.

Great.

I just know this is going to end up being a pain in the ass.


/Konoha Shinobi Military Academy

/Office of the Headmaster

/The Village Hidden in the Leaves

/Fire Country

Naruto

Raido took great pleasure in not telling Naruto, and the other six people in tow behind him, where the hell they were going.

As they walked in the Academy, Naruto noticed they were moving higher in the Academy, as the walls became glass or frosted panes instead of wood-paneling, the carpets were nicer too. Ten minutes went by, then fifteen, as they crisscrossed what Naruto assumed were the various administrative offices that kept the Academy running. Raido finally stopped, pointing at two double-doors at the end of a long hallway embossed with the symbol of Konoha; a frozen flame and a leaf entwined together.

"See that?"

Raido seemed quite gleeful.

"Should've thought about that before you started brawling in the cafeteria."

Neji seemed insulted, angrily opening his mouth. "This traitor-"

Raido held a hand up, cutting off the Hyuuga.

Naruto frankly couldn't care less about what Raido said, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"I had nothing to do with this. Nothing."

Shikamaru whirled and the vitriol pouring out of his mouth made even Raido blink.

"Yeah, you've made it clear you want nothing to do with us, we get it Naruto. I don't know about any of the others, but I don't think I want anything to do with you either. Somehow you are more of a drag than Kiba."

If words had edges, Naruto would've cut three ways from yesterday. Over and over, Naruto kept telling himself he did the right thing. Shikamaru's words echoed a part of him, a really, really deep part that would've seen him right there next to Shino defending someone who deserved it... because it was the right thing to do.

"...troublesome pricks everywhere."

Somehow, Naruto thought he was meant to hear that whisper. Naruto tried not to let Shikamaru bother him.

Choji, Shino, and Hayato looked everywhere else but at either of them and both Satsuki and Neji were clearly absorbed in their own thoughts.

Raido pushed the door open and presented the darkly-rich office of the Headmaster with a welcoming hand. As Naruto looked, Tsunade, the Hokage, and a man he presumed were the Headmaster were talking in a loose circle. Steely-eyed and greying, the man fairly screamed vigor. Those eyes were pinning their small group like insects on a peg-board.

The formal kimono did nothing to take away from his balanced, ready stance. The man, despite being their Headmaster, was very much a shinobi.

Choji looked about to be sick, the bruises doing nothing to help his face or its sickly pallor.

Naruto swallowed.

Shikamaru seemed to be thinking quickly, eyes darting.

Satsuki and Neji both kept quiet. How alike they were. Though Satsuki wasn't looking at her mother. Hayato was the only one openly defiant, despite looking faint. Naruto's estimation of him rose just a little bit.

A little bit.

"Well, stalling isn't going to help. After you guys."

The Hokage and Tsunade moved over and stood by the windows overlooking the Frozen Flame statue in the courtyard of the Academy.

The deep bass rumble of the Headmaster cut through everything. The voice had a note of command in it that expected obedience. A soldier's voice designed to carry across battlefields. Naruto came to attention as he heard his name. Dread coiled in his cut like a serpent; Tsunade and the Hokage were both here.

"Professor Raido, keep the students outside. I'd like to speak to Naruto Uzumaki first."

"Of course, sir."

All of the kids looked at Naruto, their stares burning on his neck as he entered. But all Naruto could think about was the ever-evolving titles this unassuming man took on. Professor? Of what? Being a jerk?

"Thank you."

Raido bowed and closed the doors, shutting Naruto in.

Naruto stood looking at a man that had nothing in common with Mifune, but gave off the same weighty feeling. The man, now that Naruto was close, had an incredibly well-muscled physique, despite his advancing age. Closer to fifty than forty, the man was completely grey with a long-ponytail matched with a thick, but neat, beard. Stormy grey eyes peeled Naruto apart like an onion or a doctor's dissection. Not even the Hokage's Sharingan-clad stare had made him feel so exposed. This man was… dangerous. What Naruto didn't expect to receive right off the bat was a genuine smile from the man, but that was what he got anyway.

Straight and white, the man's smile seemed like it might be a rare thing.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I'm so very glad to meet you. My name is Saito Hikama."

The man gestured towards the few chairs positioned in front of his desk. Naruto sat, sinking into the comfortably plump leather.

Naruto nodded, practicing some of his new-fangled restraint.

"Yes sir. Um, it's nice to meet you."

"The Hokage and Lady Tsunade tell me you're a difficult child with an even more difficult problem that we need to accommodate in order for you to succeed here at the KSMA. Is that correct?"

Face twisting, Naruto snapped. "I'm not 'difficult!' I'm-"

Saito looked highly amused, gray eyebrows lifting.

Warily, Naruto ever-so-reluctantly sat back. Then nodded, eyeing both Tsunade-who looked less than thrilled to be here, despite her little laugh at his snap, and the Hokage, who hadn't turned around to face the proceedings, standing as she was with her hand clasping her other wrist behind her back.

"...so maybe, sometimes, I'm a little less reasonable than I should be. I'm working on it."

Tsunade let out a startling guffaw. She was as startled by it as Saito and Naruto. He shot a scowl in her direction. The 'legend' made a face one could only describe as childishly vindictive back at him.

This is the Slug Princess that created an insanely powerful kinjutsu?

Naruto remembered Chiyo's words and internally sighed.

That, 'make Tsunade give you her S-class Kinjutsu' mission was not off to a great start.

"Yes sir, I have a… problem that I'm working to overcome."

"What have you accomplished in that direction so far?"

Naruto stood, considering. The time for hiding was over. "Lemme show ya."

Saito waved a hand in acquiescence. Naruto unzipped his hoodie, shrugged it off, and his shirt quickly followed.

Tsunade grumbled. "If I wanted a peep show of an underage kid, which I don't, I would've picked one with more meat on their bones. Eat a sandwich or something kid, jeez."

Naruto whirled, pointing, Chiyo's advice forgotten. "Fu-

"Enough."

One word from Saito clacked Naruto's teeth shut and quelled the iryounin. "Show me."

In all its beautiful dark tracery and intricate complexity, Naruto's Lightning Mark was on full display, nestled between his shoulder blades and etched across the ever-so-faintly muscular ridgeline down his back. There was a soft glow hovering over his skin and Naruto tried his hardest not to wince with the agonizing chakra sliding through places they had no business being.

Saito's dark eyes glittered in the light.

The man stood, obviously intrigued, and came around his desk to inspect the complex Fuinjutsu. Tsunade was even leaning forward in her chair. Naruto couldn't tell if she was impressed or horrified. She, of all people, would've understood how painful this truly was. Even the Hokage had turned around. Her face, though, was like prying at a stone in the ground; impossible to see underneath, despite how you dug.

Saito took the lead, looking up from Naruto's pride and joy. "What is this thing?"

This whole experience felt strange; to give this much information out. Like baring his soul to strangers. But if not these people, then who? He couldn't do this alone… lightning flashed through him and he stopped speaking.

Naruto couldn't do this on his own.

Fuck.

Chiyo had helped him get out. Kaz saved his bacon from Seiryu. Yojimbra had saved him from Orochimaru. The Hokage had saved him from that prison and that bomber all those months ago. Kurama had fought the Seifuku-sha, despite the certainty of loss. Maybe not for him, but he had fought at his request.

Naruto had a village of people raising him. Mifune, Taza, Yojimbra, and Master Ouran had prepared him as best they could for life… this life, not life as a samurai. Mifune had to have known nothing would stop him from becoming a shinobi. And neither would this minor set back. Naruto swore it. But he needed a few people in his corner; maybe Shizune, Tsunade, Saito, and the Hokage could be those people?

Naruto looked Saito in the eye, a decision made. "I call this the Lightning Mark. The Fuinjutsu symbologies siphon my ambient chakra to the Mark, where the other circles transmute the pure chakra into elemental lightning that enters the third loop, which changes the function to useable power which expresses here as a speed-focused full-body Reinforcement technique."

All three adults looked at each other, seemingly stunned, communicating in that way that adults sometimes did. Thinking the same thing without voicing it. Leaving Naruto in the dark.

Again.

"I have not told a single soul all of this and I'm sharing my secrets with you all. The least you rude assholes can do is speak to me and not over me like I'm not here!"

So much for restraint. And that above statement wasn't quite true as Chiyo knew all of this too.

Surprisingly, Tsunade was the one to apologize. "Sorry kid, it's just… Mikoto, you have to tell him. Everything. He's right in the center of this whether he wants to be or not. When knowledge of that Mark gets out... that an Uzumaki is creating again..."

"On the contrary, I believe Naruto isn't remotely mature enough to understand his place in this with any clarity. Nor has he even graduated and become a shinobi. You presume too far, Tsunade."

Naruto couldn't believe he was hearing this directly from the Hokage's mouth. His mouth worked, but nothing came out. What was he to say to refute that?

"I watched the Seifuku-sha kill… kill everyone. My Master had his leg chopped off by Orochimaru. I fought Orochimaru, was almost murdered in my sleep by Mist ANBU, and I used the Nine-tails against the Seifuku-sha myself. I was nine!"

Naruto glared around the room.

Part of him felt like he was unraveling, explaining what he shouldn't have to explain. The glow of the Fuinjutsu was still there and Naruto shrugged his shirt and hoodie back on, buying himself time to think. The glow faded and he found he could think a little better with less.. Rage thundering through him. Was that Kaguya egging him on silently? Or his own buried feelings?

"I didn't know what to do… so I found the Nine-tailed Fox and made him a deal."

The intake of breath was audible behind him. Horrified.

But fuck them, they weren't there.

"...I told it to do its best to kill that sick fuck and I pulled the chains off its gate. I released it and tried not to die as it broke free from me like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. Kurama, that's the fox, asked me to kill a cheap knock-off of the Shodaime Hokage while I struggled to keep myself in one piece."

Naruto remembered those shadowy tunnels like a vivid nightmare.

"I dunno, some kid that Orochimaru brought with him, could use wood… the jutsu was interfering with the Nine-tails, so I snuck up on him and bashed his fucking face in with a rock. Then I escaped…all the while suffering from my coils being ripped apart, only to run into Orochimaru."

Naruto dared not look at those three while he was speaking. The words flooded out of him, a snake bite being drained of poison. The number of terrible things he'd endured would've put any of them in the ground. But…

Naruto survived.

He'd gotten out. Naruto had to remember that.

"I found my Master crippled in his Smithy. I did my best to save him, but Orochimaru was there, waiting for me, and I was afraid if I stayed…" The Uzumaki stopped, then started, then stopped again. The gathered audience waited quietly for him.

"...Yojimbra arrived, tried to fight the snake. You don't fight him though, you run. I was afraid he'd kill them both if I stayed. So... I ran."

The blonde rubbed a hand against the cool window, chill on his sweaty forehead. Traffic outside soothed him, watching the comings and goings in the courtyard.

"Orochimaru wanted something. An object of some sort that my Master had traded for… it had some amazing Fuinjutsu on it. I grabbed the orb and ran. But that snake fuck found me, stabbed me, tried his very best to kill me, but I jumped off the mountain into the Zainon."

The silence was almost as dramatic as gasps would've been.

"From there… I was found by a man named En Oyashiro and was sold like an animal to the Gutter in Hoseki City. That shithole was a proving ground and… and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Naruto realized now that he said it, that he was grateful.

Despite the pain, it had been eye-opening.

"Tanaka and Shin showed me how the world really is; and it showed me that everyone has something they want. So, now we come to it."

Crossing the room, Naruto strode right up to the Hokage and pinned her dark eyes with his violet ones. "What is it you want from me? Really?"

"Headmaster, are your silencing seals activated?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage. I felt that best."

"Excellent." The Hokage was quiet, eyes darting from side to side while looking at the ground. Was she gathering her thoughts?

"I have not told anyone my suspicions yet, but I will share them with you here."

Mikoto took Naruto's hands in hers and sat him in one of the chairs in front of Saito's desk.

"I believe, though I have no firm evidence, that the Seifuku-sha is, in fact, the legendary Madara Uchiha. The Patriarch of the Uchiha clan. Not an imposter, not a fake, nor a stand-in."

A chill ran through the room, but Tsunade scoffed, openly dismissive.

"That's impossible. My grandfather killed Madara in the Valley of the End. That was… I don't know, over a hundred years ago. The man would be ancient if he even had survived. What proof do you have?"

"None."

"Then…?"

"Hiruzen told me, late one night, of his suspicions based on something the Fourth Hokage had said on his deathbed. The differences between his description concern me more than the similarities."

The Uchiha sat back with a sigh. "I might as well tell you all of this… since it really doesn't matter anymore given the coming storm will be bigger than anything conjured by the truth."

Mikoto knelt in front of Naruto, folding her hands in her lap. Down as she was, humbled before him, Naruto realized the Hokage was human. He didn't know why that was such a surprise, but it was.

"Naruto, I was best friends with your mother, Kushina Uzumaki. That red-headed walking disaster was someone I loved like a sister. Better even as I didn't always see eye-to-eye with my own family."

Her fingertips traced around her eyes, those same eyes distant. There was a faint smile on her lips that faded as she continued.

"I watched over her the day she gave birth. She'd had a dream that a yellow-eyed monster was coming for her and something in her wanted me close, despite my doubts. So… I agreed to be there for her, despite me having my own children to look after. I told my husband Fugaku in no uncertain terms to keep the kids safe in our compound. Back then, he actually listened to me. Luckily, he kept the whole clan home that night. My whole body cried out that something horrible was coming. And...I was right."

Saito and Tsunade stood transfixed. Saito spoke softly, "I remember that day like it was yesterday. The beast wasn't something you could ever forget."

Mikoto swallowed and continued. "Your father was named Minato Namikaze and he… he was the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto felt the air leave his body; another punch from Seiryu straight to the gut.

"... my father was the Fourth Hokage?"

Mikoto smiled now. "Oh yes, you are definitely a perfect mixture of your parents, you know. The man was a genius; charismatic, precise, and so effortlessly wise… he was everything I aspired to be as a Hokage and normally you would hate someone so perfect, but... you couldn't hate Minato."

Tsunade snorted. "That's true. That blonde was incorruptible. He spent years with my pervert of a teammate and still, squeaky clean. Quite a feat."

Mikoto and Saito made noises of agreement, then the Hokage continued a smile in her voice, if not on her face.

"Boy, did he love your mother more than anything in this world. I knew that the moment I saw them together after he saved her from a Kumo Kidnap Squad. I was jealous of them, I'll admit. My marriage to Fugaku was… loveless."

Naruto opened his mouth.

"Another time. Let's finish this first."

"... but I have so many questions. I…"

"I know Naruto, I know. You deserve to have them answered, but I want to give you something so you know what is really at stake here. So you'll believe the man you seek to end is the greatest of us and why this Mark won't be enough. You understand that, right?"

Nodding glumly, he subsided.

Mikoto stared at the ceiling, then continued.

"When the two of them became pregnant with you, joy lit both their lives and the lives of all those connected to them. Minato had had no knowledge of his clan. He'd grown up in Suzikawa's Orphanage right here in Konoha and as you know the Uzumaki had been wiped out a generation earlier… the remnants having scattered across the world, presumably. Kushina had been saved by her maternal grandmother, Mito and brought here. Both transplants, both desperate for a family of their own, you..."

She cleared her throat, "...you were their dream, Naruto. A complete family for both of them. Believe me, they took no chances with your birth."

The Hokage crossed her legs, a finger tapping against her lip.

"Though it wasn't widely known, your mother was actually the previous container of the Nine-tailed Fox."

"What?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's true. The pregnancy was a… vulnerable… period in the stability of the Seal, given that she is completely incapacitated during the duration of the birth. Minato, in spite of all his vaunted power, could never have predicted the attack that came. Though it was a real fear."

Tsunade looked away. If anything, she looked guilty.

"Alone, the Seifuku-sha assaulted the position and slaughtered the entire platoon of ANBU positioned at crucial points on the Sealing Barrier. They slowed him down considerably, as only ANBU could, buying time with their lives, but ultimately he was… he was too strong and fractured their position. Minato went to confront him, but their running battle killed Biwako Sarutobi, the midwife and the Third's wife, as well as most of the other support staff. I kept Kushina safe… but… I was just a Jonin then, no more powerful than any other."

She looked away, faint tears at the edges of her eyes that refused to fall.

"I failed. The Seifuku-sha broke me. Kushina…she fought, but... Kushina had the Nine-tailed Fox ripped from her body before Minato could get back to our position. The Beast and The Conqueror fought Minato together, then. Kushina hung on, clinging to you, Naruto. Biwako had delivered you before the worst of the attack, so…"

Saito spoke quietly into the silence that followed the Hokage's words.

"Minato was the greatest fighter I'd ever seen; never ruffled, placid even when things were going to hell around him. Truly, the man was a legend among legends. Faster than the wind, akin to a strike of lightning, he had an analytical mind that out-thought, out-maneuvered every opponent, and stayed icy calm while doing it. Your father was a great man and a greater shinobi, Naruto. You'll be proud to know that he fought both the Nine-tailed Fox and this Seifuku-sha, whoever he may be."

There was a lump in his throat, Naruto found. My dad... my dad was awesome.

He nodded thanks to the Headmaster.

Mikoto sighed. "The rest is history. Minato managed to score an almost, but not quite fatal wound, driving the man away. The Nine-tails rampaged through Konoha, loose. Minato gave his life sealing the bijuu into the only person who could possibly contain it in its entirety; his son. Kushina… I held her as she died and my Sharingan… my Sharingan burned like a thousand fiery suns and I cried blood that day."

Her Sharingan lit red, spinning into a kaleidoscope of black lines, like a shuriken. The Hokage's fingers gripped the edge of the chair, tiny splinters showing as she squeezed.

"Kushina gave me a gift of the power to protect you and I promised her I'd do just that. I failed in that too. I'm so sorry Naruto."

Numb, Naruto realized the only person he could truly blame here was… was the man he'd always blamed; the Man in Red, the Seifuku-sha.

"...it's… it's not your fault. I know exactly who's fault it is."

Mikoto eyed him, considering. "That's…"

"Maturity? So maybe you were wrong about me, huh?"

The Hokage pursed her lips, smiling. "No, I don't think I was wrong…"

A wave of gratitude swept through him, centered on the Hokage.

That lump was back. "Lady Mikoto, thank… thank you."

Nothing else would come. What else was there to say? She'd given him his history; a place to belong. His parents were searching for exactly what he'd also been searching for; family. They'd found it together, in Konohagakure. More than anything, Naruto wished he could see what they looked like; happy? Serious?

The minor issue of his father sealing a bijuu in him seemed... well, the bijuu had saved him, hadn't it?

Could he even be mad at something like that, knowing as he did the number of choices his father had had? He'd taken the same burden his mother held. That was enough for him. A thought occurred to him.

"I know… I know this might be impossible, but do you… do you have any photos of them? I don't have anything, Mifune never could show me."

He almost couldn't recognize his own voice, as quiet as it was.

Naruto didn't quite feel himself; like his spirit had been ejected from his body, and someone different had been shoved back in. But when the Hokage smiled, that same gentle curve of her lips, his heart relaxed and he felt… happy for the first time in what seemed like his whole life. A piece of him that he never noticed missing had returned.

"I have been waiting to show you my pictures for years, Naruto. I'd love to have you over some time."

"...t-thank you."

Mikoto cleared her throat, the Hokage's face coming back. Official and stern. "We still have some matters to discuss… namely, your current problem."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and eyed Tsunade out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, I have one potential solution to my problem."

Saito returned to his chair, settling. "I need a solution for your issues Naruto. We cannot allow a student to advance or even pass the Academy that has no access to chakra."

Tsunade put her hands behind her head and stretched, yawning. "I can't wait to hear what solution you think will solve a one hundred percent Pathway Derangement. That is something that even I…"

"-ever heard of Creation Rebirth?"

Tsunade's face was hilarious and Naruto couldn't help himself.

"Hah! Look at your fuckin' face!"

The color in the head of the Hospital's face was one he couldn't name, but it resembled a mixture of every red color he knew of. She was on her feet in an instant. "That's my technique!"

"Oh very good, the granny's memory works!"

But this time, the iryounin was not remotely insulted, she was laughing. Far too hard. Dick. Naruto folded his arms, watching her. Saito, Mikoto, and Naruto stared as she almost fell off the chair, laughing so hard she was soon gasping and gulping for air.

"What is so fuckin' funny grandma? You don't think I can learn it? Your precious secret technique?"

Tsunade waved at him, as if to tell him to stop. She was still giggling.

"Aha, that was good brat. Let me tell you something about Creation Rebirth."

Reluctantly, Naruto listened. "What?"

"I am the only person in the entire world with both the understanding and the control necessary to even attempt it." She gestured at the Hokage. "As great as our Hokage is, she couldn't even begin to approach the precision necessary to make the technique work. Nor the power."

Tsunade stood, stretching. "Shizune, bless her heart, definitely has the understanding… but not even she, a renowned medic-nin trained by the best, has the precise chakra control necessary to craft the technique inside her own body, let alone gather the sheer power necessary to power the Rebirth."

The blonde powerhouse shrugged, sniggering. "So, you can imagine how hilarious this is; that some random fucking kid thinks he knows what the hell he's talking about, let alone has the sheer nuts to waltz into this office offering up my forbidden kinjutsu as his only solution."

She pointed a long finger at him, glaring and pinning him with her hard-eyed stare.

"If that's your only solution, brat, you are super fucked. I'd teach you myself if you managed to even master even the first part of it. You'd be a goddamn prodigy."

The iryounin made to leave, one hand up in a backward wave. "I'm done here. Saito, I'll message you with the details on the Feeder program later. Some idiot is sucking the air out of the room. Later."

"HEY! You mean it?"

Tsunade stopped, half turning. "Mean what?"

"That you'll teach me yourself if I master the first part?"

"Heh. Hell no. I was kidding."

Flabbergasted, Naruto watched as his only shot disappeared into the hallway. Raido and the others were watching the door anxiously. Shikamaru scowled at him through the open doors.

Saito cleared his throat. "Well, that went well. It looks like your attendance here has an expiration date."

The Hokage turned, leaning against the wall. "I agree. There are always other things for you to do here in Konoha, Naruto. The Uzumaki are a priceless resource for technology and innovation, so the worst case is you can have the run of our Technology Development Department… but your days as a shinobi would be gone. You'd be helpless out there without the ability to advance in skill and power. I couldn't, in good conscience, send you out there knowing your disability."

Again, foiled! Plans ruined. Life hated him. Was nothing going to go right? Yet, despite how angry he was, a part of him still reveled in his newfound family.

Struggling to restrain his anger and frustration, Naruto thought about his parents and what he learned of them.

Dad was icy calm in battle, huh?

That wasn't the way Naruto fought, but maybe he could try a little calm.

A little.

Naruto took a deep breath and let the emotions simmer. "I… I appreciate that, but I want to be a shinobi. If I wanted to work with Fuinjutsu exclusively for the rest of my life, I would've stayed in Iron."

Naruto winced. That would've been… short-lived. No Journeyman trials for me.

"How long do I have?"

"Pardon?"

"Headmaster, you said my attendance had an expiration date. How long do I have?"

Saito looked at Mikoto, who nodded permission. The Headmaster sighed, shuffling some paper around as if looking for something.

"Okay Naruto. I'll make a deal with you. Are you listening?"

The Headmaster leaned forward, splaying his hands against the table.

Naruto held his breath.

"I'm listening, sir."

"I'll give you till the end of the year to find a permanent solution and pass all your classes with flying colors."

Naruto started to smile and jumped up. Saito held up a finger.

"But-and hear me when I say this: NO, I repeat, NO, incidents of disobedience, cheek, insubordination, or disrespect towards either instructors or students."

Involuntarily, the Uzumaki's mouth fell open.

"If I hear anything, anything from any of your instructors regarding your being anything less than a perfect student, I'm pulling my support and you'll get nothing. Are we clear?"

The Lady Hokage watched him, her dark eyes assessing.

Naruto swallowed, suddenly realizing what a monumental task had been set in front of him.

No incidents… at all?

Shit.

Thankfully at least, Kaguya was silent so far.

Naruto held out his hand to the Headmaster and the man's strong grip encircled his to squeeze tightly. He swore his bones creaked.

"Deal. Thank you sir, ma'am."

Saito smiled faintly. "The ma'am was a nice touch."

The Headmaster jerked his chin to the door, sighing. "You may leave. Tell Raido to send the others in."

Embarrassed, Naruto ducked his head. This would be really fucking hard. Another thought occurred to him and he realized he was getting off scot-free for the Cafeteria incident.

"Uh, sir?"

"Yes, Uzumaki?"

So it was Uzumaki now, huh?

"I'm… not being punished for the cafeteria incident right?"

The man had picked up a pen and been writing, but now he set it back down, steepling his hands under his chin.

"Jonin Namiashi informed me that you acted properly, reporting to him about an untoward situation brewing. Is that not the case?"

"...yes sir."

Naruto didn't know how to feel; his previous contradicting emotions swirling again.

Saito continued to consider him over his hands. "I'm getting the sense you realize there was an ulterior motive attached to your 'good deed.' Was there not?"

Silent, Naruto nodded reluctantly.

"Very good. I see this as evidence you may just keep your word about my stipulations, Uzumaki. You'll join the other students in whatever punishment I dole out. I'll give instructions to your Class Advisor. Now be gone."

The Uzumaki left, already cursing himself for asking.

Idiot.


/Headmaster's Office

/Konoha Shinobi Military Academy

/Land of Fire

Mikoto Uchiha

Headmaster and Hokage watched Naruto leave.

"Masterfully done, Lady Hokage. However, you never did tell him why you wanted him, not all of it."

"I doubt the boy could handle the weight of the responsibility I plan on placing on him. No, there will be plenty of time for that. As for the push he needed..."

"Do you suppose this will be enough?"

The silence was a comfortable one as they both considered.

Saito spoke first.

"That boy… Minato shines brightly through him, but Kushina had always been more akin to a force of nature. A typhoon that swept up friend and foe alike and propelled them forward. That is what I sense in him, tempered by Minato's cunning and skill. Naruto Uzumaki will go far, if he can use this push you, Tsunade, and I have given him today."

"Tsunade was an accident, I fear."

"You don't believe she meant to tempt him so strongly? Hadn't you spoken about this before our meeting like you did with me?"

Mikoto laughed, a rare enough sound that Saito savored it.

"Kami no, if I said jump, that woman would've stayed firmly planted just to spite me. Tsunade did exactly what we would have demanded of her, only she did it without realizing it and without us pushing her to it. Naruto will not stop until he is either dead or mastered that technique now."

Saito grimaced. "I almost pity Tsunade… and Naruto both. They'll make each other miserable."

Mikoto waved a hand. "I have my money on Shizune being the x-factor here. Amazing that Tsunade was considered for the position of Hokage with how short her gaze seems to be."

Both of them were quiet, thinking about a world with Tsunade Senju as Hokage.

Headmaster turned to face the Hokage. "How do you think Naruto knew about Tsunade's kinjutsu? I didn't even know what the name was myself."

Mikoto hmmed. "I always suspected, based on reports from Hayate, that he had some… help escaping Shin Toruku's arena. The fact he has knowledge he probably shouldn't have speaks volumes toward proving my theory."

Raised voices could be heard outside the door; Naruto and a few others, Raido's overriding them all.

"I guess we'll have to wait and watch."

"... I don't mean to question, my Lady, but should you have told him so much? About… everything?"

The Hokage took the seat furthest away from the Headmaster, once occupied by Tsunade.

"That boy has seen more horror in his life than most veteran shinobi, Saito. Everyone in his life has thus far abandoned him; whether it was something they could control or not is irrelevant I fear. He needs an anchor. Trust is the most important thing in the whole world and he has less of it than anyone I've met. I needed him to trust me."

The Headmaster leaned back in his seat and though long, but nodded, finally.

"Am I foolish, Saito, for gambling so much on this?"

The Headmaster pursed his lips. "Frankly, I know you owe Kushina, but his injury… I'm still not sure it can be fixed. Seems… unnecessarily cruel, to dangle this as an incentive. But a year is really all I can realistically give him. The boy will fail."

Mikoto was silent. Then, "I don't even think Konoha has a year before events will outpace us entirely."

Furrowed brows met her statement.

"Is there… something you aren't telling me, my friend?"

"Many things Saito. Many. But don't take offense. What lay outside my control will be something you will simply worry over to no avail. Let me worry for us all. That is my job. Trust me."

Picking up a strange metal octo-hedral on the side-table next to the chair, she spun it in her hands.

"Now, what will we do about these...children?"

"Oh Saito, my daughter is, how do I put this delicately? A gigantic pain in my ass at every turn."

Saito laughed. Mikoto sighed. "How unlike Itachi she is… I always found it funny that when she was tested for an affinity, overwhelmingly it strayed towards Earth. Quite unexpected as an Uchiha. I always tell her that is a good thing, but I fear in my heart I've always been frustrated by her stubborn nature. A will like stone."

Mikoto eyed Saito who was very obviously saying nothing and smiling.

"Yes, yes, I know. We are very… alike."

A knock came on the door. Raido stuck his head in.

"You are ready for us sir, ma'am?"

Mikoto looked at Saito, Saito looked back and turned back to Raido.

"Send them in, please. They've stewed long enough."

The door closed, and Mikoto spoke quietly. "As for what we do… Needs must, as they say. We weave plans within plans, my friend."

Saito sighed, nodding. He put on his Headmaster face; eyebrows drawn down and a severe frown, unnatural for him to anyone who truly knew him, front and center.

Plans changed, none survived contact with the enemy, kami knew that he of all people understood that. The mark of a master was in how you dealt with opportunities that dropped into your lap. His sensei had taught him that.

The doors opened and their future walked in, looking quite stiff and downcast, the clan heir to the Hyuuga looking the exact opposite. Interesting.

"Please, have a seat."


/Headmaster's Office

/Konoha Shinobi Military Academy

/Land of Fire

Naruto

When Naruto blinked, he realized he was outside the walls of the Academy and in the heart of Konoha proper. He hadn't even remembered leaving the Headmaster's office, though he did recall the hot gazes burning into his back as he left. Information overload had taken over and one foot in front of another took him on a rambling walk.

The Uzumaki couldn't recall ever feeling more grateful to another person for something as simple as mere words. Mere words had given him a family; a family he felt closer to than ever and in one moment turned his homesickness around. If anything, his circumstances had seen him truly home for the first time in his short ten years of life. This was the place his parents, and simply saying his parents gave him chills because he knew their names and part of their story, had arrived at when their own horror stories had come to a close.

Minato Namikaze, an orphan, had found his family as a shinobi.

Kushina Uzumaki, a survivor, a refugee, found her family as a shinobi.

This didn't erase his goals but simply added another one.

Naruto Uzumaki would now do the same.

Feeling the warmth of the noon sun, Naruto breathed in deep; the scents of fried food, the chatter of crowds in the market around him, the chirp of birds on the roof-tops. Perhaps it was silly, but today felt… important. This was the first day of the rest of his life and he'd do his very best, from here on out, to honor the things his family believed in. A little more stability anchored his mind, a little more calm for knowing part of his identity, Naruto felt a little less lost today.

Turning, Naruto looked around and realized he hadn't stepped foot outside the walls of the Academy since he'd arrived. Perhaps it was time to go exploring? To get to know the place his parents called home? Smiling, not thinking of anything but the moment he stood in, Naruto started walking.

Two hours had passed in peace, if not quiet. His feet took him through a few small forested parks, up onto a path that wrapped up and onto the cliffside where the likenesses of the Hokages were carved. The view from there was absolutely spectacular; particularly of the Cloudtouched buildings.

Sitting, legs dangling over the side of the cliff, a steep five hundred foot vertical drop to the path below, Naruto pulled out his Academy schedule. Immediately Naruto frantically looked at his new watch, a simple chronograph and back at the time listed beside, 'Opening Remarks.'

I'm going to be LATE!

The Fuinjutsu spun lightning in his veins and he took off at a dead run.

Thanking his wandering nature for helping him start to put together a mental image of the city layout, Naruto took the streets at a dead-run. After about two minutes, he couldn't help but notice the angry glares and multiple fingers pointing at the sky. The screaming about taking the sky-way now made far more sense.

Sprinting, he made a hard left into an alleyway and braced himself, launching at the wall at an angle, he poured as much speed as he could without passing out from the pain. Reaching his apex, the thin alley proving perfect as a springboard, Naruto jumped with everything he had.

Wind rushed in his hair as he soared.

Reaching the lip he twisted, rotating in mid-air to land in a position that let him take off over the buildings towards where the spiraling architecture of the Academy rose to dominate the center of Konoha.

Naruto laughed as he poured on the speed.

Within minutes he was dropping the forty feet to the concrete and rolled directly into a fast walk that put him within spitting distance of the Academy gate.

Rotating his bag around his body from where it lay secure against his back, Naruto unzipped it and pulled out his schedule, double-checking the location.


Opening Remarks (mandatory)

Where: Academy Amphitheatre.

Time: 1:30 PM.

See Class Advisor before being seated


"Well, shit. I have like…" Naruto checked his watch, "two minutes?"

Ignoring the pain that mounted with each passing moment, Naruto sprinted through the open area filled with milling students and focused in on the group streaming towards the same building that housed the classrooms.

Walking along with the rest of the students chattering around him felt much like what a fish in a school probably dealt with on a daily basis. Despite feeling like it took him way longer than the two minutes he had left, he entered the wide-open space with plenty of time to spare.

Wide and deep, the absolutely cavernous space was clearly designed to accommodate not just Naruto's entire class, but maybe the entire school with plenty of leftover space further up in the mezzanine decks.

A simple, slim podium of oak was alone on a massive stage set against a backdrop of dark red curtains fashioned with the symbol of the KSMA.

There was a table covered in a letterhead that declared it as, 'Check-in.' The blonde headed towards that and found himself in line which moved fairly quickly.

"Last name, then first."

"Um, Uzumaki Naruto." As much as Naruto feared being recognized, the older student sitting at the desk, a girl who looked to be a foot taller than he in the maroon uniform he'd seen when he first arrived, didn't even look up from her informational sheet. Shuffling them, Naruto observed a name-tag that read, 'Tenten,' as she ran a finger down a fairly short list of names.

He found it before she did, reading upside down, 'Iruka Umino, 5U, center aisle.' Normally, he would've skipped past her and found him on his own, but Naruto had promised to be a good boy and so waited patiently, tamping down on his rising annoyance.

Finally, she looked up at him, handing him another sheaf of papers, and pointing directly behind her. "Professor Iruka is down Aisle 2, Row B. Check in with him before you find your seat. Opening Remarks begin exactly at 1:45. Next!"

The walk down the aisle was a quick one and it gave him time to look around, spotting his future classmates and current roommates already seated together, taking up almost one whole row. That must be Row B. There was a deeply-tanned man wearing the standard outfit of a Konoha shinobi; flak jacket over a deep blue uniform. Clean-shaven, his Class Advisor had a scar slashed across his face, through his nose, narrowly missing his eyes. A ponytail of dull brown hair jutted above his hitai-ite, the narrow headband marked with the symbol of Leaf given out to all Genin upon graduation.

He didn't look like an idiot, or a hard-ass. So that was good.

"Professor Iruka? Naruto Uzumaki, uh, reporting for check-in."

The man had an easy grin. "Glad to meet you Naruto. No need to be so formal just yet, we haven't begun the school year. Good habit though, so I guess I shouldn't chastise you too badly."

Naruto was very conscious of the burning gazes on his neck.

He rubbed the back of his head and tried to smile. Naruto was afraid it just came out sickly.

"Just… you know, trying to start the year off right."

"Alright, well, Remarks are about to start, so you can sit over there next to Sakura, okay? She's the one with the pink hair down at the end."

The lights dimmed and flickered, once, then twice.

Iruka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pointed. "Shoot. Be quick, Naruto. Sorry to rush you. Hey, can you guys move so Naruto can get down to Sakura? Thanks, everyone."

In Naruto's life there would be very few moments that truly stood out that made him thoroughly uncomfortable, not frightened or scared, but outright I want to leave this situation right now. The next minute and a half, where each of the people he'd fucked over on their very first day in the most important place of their lives was forced to stand up and let him pass in unacceptably close quarters, sometimes stepping over their laps, genitals raking fairly close to face or butt-to-face, ranked far and away as one of the worst situations of his life. That said quite a lot.

Equally, the moment when he was able to pass that humiliating gauntlet and secure his seat ranked as one of the most satisfying.

Naruto knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he regretted not stepping up to help his… his roommates when they were in need. Judging by the sheer animosity boiling in the air, Naruto realized his odds of-and he tried to ignore the irony-making friends was now next to zero. He tried very hard to imagine that as a good thing, for all the reasons he'd tried to tell himself before.

Even the pink-haired girl, Sakura, seemed to sense it.

"Jeez. Did you piss off your entire apartment in one day, what's the story there? I'm dying to know."

Sourly, Naruto settled into his seat. "If you must know, they were fighting in the cafeteria and I got a teacher in hopes they wouldn't be hurt. They don't quite see my actions as… heroic."

Sakura whistled. "Yeah, no, I can see why. My dad always used to say, 'who is a better friend, the one bailing you out or the one next to you saying, 'holy shit, that was awesome.' I'm going to tend to agree with him on this one."

The girl held out her hand. "I'm Sakura by the way. Haruno. You are?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Naruto. Naruto, Uzumaki."

The lights flickered and dimmed and then there was no more time to talk. Still wearing the same formal gray kimono covered in white birds in flight, the Headmaster took the leftmost steps and climbed up onto the stage to applause.

"Thank you very much, you, the newest students at the Konohagakure Shinobi Military Academy!"

Cheers and whoops rang out of the crowd and Saito smiled.

"Yes, it's going to be an exciting, but hopefully not too exciting year here at the Academy. Originally, I had prepared a fairly dry speech about expectations and rules, but then I realized you'll be getting all of that at your Class Advisory meeting after this. So, instead of rambling on about your duty, about this Academy and what will come; how about a story?"

The groans were almost universal.

The Headmaster laughed. "I promise it won't be that bad and that was definitely my fault for asking."

Everyone laughed. He paused, collecting his thoughts.

"Back in the Second Shinobi World War, of which you'll be learning about in-depth from Professor Namiashi," Raido stood up from where the faculty sat and waved to a smattering of applause, "there had been a concerted effort by several of our smaller neighbors, specifically Bear and Bird, to seize the Belton Chakra Mines on the undefended outskirts of our capital city."

Naruto listened closely.

He'd always loved history the most as Yojimbra focused a lot on battles and awesome-ass heroes.

"Military doctrine at the time had not forbidden regular armies from engaging shinobi yet and thus it was decided that a full battalion, over five hundred lightly-armed and armored men would proceed to Belton, occupy the space and annex it. The move was a bold one; especially from a country less than a tenth the size of our own."

Saito cleared his throat.

"Supply lines would funnel the fabulously valuable metal to the less fortunate smaller countries under the pretext of, 'fairer economic distribution' and Konoha, not anticipating much trouble from those smaller countries responded by sending a single squad to reinforce the Belton Chakra Mines."

The Headmaster spoke after a pregnant pause.

"As most personnel were stuck defending Hoseki City from potential strikes from an aggressive Iwagakure, this small, lowly squad was all we had to spare. The Third cared-rightly, I still believe-about the safety of civilian centers than economic targets. We could always regain resources, but we could not regain lives lost."

His audience sat silent, nodding along.

"Now, the squad of four; two Genin, a new Chunin, and their Jonin-sensei almost immediately realized some was very, very wrong. Tsubaki Nasa, a newly promoted Jonin-sensei with a raw team, died in a rear-guard action that saw the vast majority of the enemy, a frankly ridiculous amount-something like almost three-hundred enemy combatants dead. That sacrifice was enough to save her squad."

The Headmaster went silent again for just a second. The serious turn made everyone afraid to breathe.

"Alive and with a mission to fulfill, the newbie Chunin decided their only chance was to take his two genin teammates and hide in the tunnels. You might be asking yourself, as I would, isn't that suicide?"

Pause.

"Can anyone tell me why they would go into the caves? Go ahead, raise your hands."

The silence stretched, but finally, one small hand raised into the air.

It was Shikamaru. The Headmaster smiled, calling on him.

"Go ahead, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru responded to the question slowly, thinking.

"Suicide? Not necessarily. Did this Chunin intend to continue the mission? Those tunnels could be booby-trapped fairly well. That would prevent the annexation or even the ultimate goal of using the mine to transport the ore out. Depending on how many supplies they had, potentially for a long time."

Headmaster Hikama nodded, a glint of respect in his eyes.

"Nicely put. Yes, this Chunin decided, with the input of his team, that he'd continue the mission. Surmising that the decimated battalion wouldn't push in if they thought it was thoroughly trapped, the goal was to use the radios inside to call for back-up and smash the remnants between the caverns and an outside squadron."

The sixty new Academy students waited as one for the resolution.

"But the radios got no one and they were alone."

Shikamaru, like everyone else, was stunned.

"On top of that, another squadron came to reinforce the regulars from

Bird and Bear: no shinobi, thankfully, just regular men. But there were a lot of soldiers. Another fifty men, in fact. The soldiers came like a flood through those tunnels, throwing themselves into the grinder those three kids had set up. For almost two weeks that three-man squad held off almost a hundred and fifty men on their own."

Headmaster Hikama shook his head, sighing.

"These kids did it all. Every last piece of the craft they'd learned and absorbed from teachers dedicated to seeing their students survive came in handy in those tunnels. Traps that used boulders. Cleverly-concealed spikes maimed and while jury-rigged explosives from the mine's own stores laid waste to huge numbers. They even wore soot from the coal-fires to better enable hit-and-run engagements."

Naruto didn't cheer along with the rest of the group; no victory like that came without a cost. He knew that better than most.

"They won despite the odds. But one of the Genin lost a leg and an eye in a bad engagement. All three were practically dead when relief came, but the Chunin was the worst, going into a coma from which most thought he wouldn't wake."

Silence was deafening. Sakura, Naruto noticed, was gripping the arms of her seat.

"Yes, it was a great victory. The three of them came together as a team. But that Chunin had to step up as a leader to make any of it work. So, despite his fears, despite his misgivings, despite the horror flooding through him as he watched his teacher, the person who believed in him above all others, die on a lonely battlefield, he endured."

Stepping out from behind the podium, Saito scanned the crowd, seemingly making eye contact with each and every one of them. Naruto felt that he was talking just to him.

Naruto could not look away. They were all hooked.

"I was the Chunin in that story."

The small chatter that had sprung up immediately died.

"No one thought much of me before that-I hadn't been the top of my class, nor the best in taijutsu," the Headmaster paused, chuckling. "I didn't have any special powers or wield impressive ninjutsu."

Awed chatter sprung up and Naruto, despite himself, was impressed.

The guy was the real deal.

Seeming to stare into the distance, Saito made a see-sawing motion with his hand.

"At best, you could say I was average. Yet I made Chunin before my fellows, who were all those things I was not; one an impressive Uchiha, the other the Rookie of the Year. Instead, I was the hardest working and the most determined. I kept calm and endured."

Silence.

"So what am I saying to you now and why?"

The Headmaster held out his hands, gesturing upward to take in the whole of the building.

"This Academy churns out shinobi. But more than that, it allows our future leaders an endless opportunity to make of ourselves more than what we imagine."

Headmaster Saito pointed out at the crowd.

"Each and every potential shinobi here tonight needs to decide that they chose this life; they'll do that again and again, when things get tough."

Fierce, passionate, his voice spoke to those moments when Naruto had felt like giving up; like that night, so long ago, when his very body was falling apart and he instead bashed Kinoe's skull in to give Kurama a fighting chance.

"An Exam might push you, a particularly grueling conditioning circuit may break you, a test on the political history of Fire may stress your memory-each of those is an opportunity to go further, to go higher. To be the leader Fire needs when the moment is right by breaking the limits you thought you had."

One by one, the professors stood up as the Headmaster referenced them and paused after each name.

"Professor Yakumo, Professor Iruka, Professor Tori, Professor Raido, Professor Hideo, Professor Anko, and Professor Aoba-each of these veteran instructors will, in different ways, push you to where you need to be, to force you to choose the hard life of a shinobi over the easy road in every dark moment."

The instructors turned, waved, bowed, then sat again.

Every student hung on their Headmaster's words.

"I just pray that each and every one of you choose, like I did, to step up and be a leader, to endure and be the shinobi we all know you can be. Thank you!"

The applause was deafening. Excitement thrummed through his body like chakra; energizing his limbs and clearing the remaining funk from his mind. Naruto was ready. A lot of the students were rustling, packing their things up, and starting to move.

"Please see your Class Advisors after this for further instructions. I'll hopefully be seeing each and every one of you excel in the coming years! Good luck!"

The lights flickered on overhead.

Professor Iruka arrived and quickly whistled, grabbing the attention of everyone in the immediate vicinity. Naruto did his best to ignore his roommates, honing in on the words of his Class Advisor.

"Alright students, as of this moment we are Class 5N. We'll be meeting for Advisory bright and early each morning at six o'clock. I understand that is still not quite as early as Professor Tori has you up, but I'm sure he'll explain in class."

Naruto exchanged looks with Sakura who leaned forward near his elbow. She seemed less upset about it than he'd imagined, based on… Naruto paused. Maybe it was best he stopped making assumptions.

"For right now, I'd like us to get acquainted with the route to our Advisory, so I'll meet you all in classroom 10A in Nakamura Hall in five minutes, okay? Chop, chop!"

Iruka disappeared in a lingering cloud of leaves and smoke.