Author Notes: Well, I'm updating this story again, and may or may not be neglecting my other stories. Anyways, this should be the final time-skip for a while in this story... Until Naruto's three-year training leave anyways... Still debating the necessity of a lemon scene(s) in this story, since it may not work well with the established tone of the story.
Q&A Section(As well as some other responses)
Dragon and Sword Master: Heh, I figured two opposites would play well off of each other.
windwolf777: Admittedly, English is not my first language, but that is no excuse. I'll try to ensure the rest of this story flows better in terms of writing. On a more positive note, thanks for the compliments!
Lightblade1121: My bad, will attempt to amend this problem in this chapter.
biginferno: Welp, one of your suggestions made the pick... A character who goes by Shizuka.
dalatte: Fret not, neither one of those three will be added into the harem.
WindyCitySlayer1: Thanks for the compliment! I agree Kurama-Chan is indeed adorable, and Naruto will be utilizing a new bloodline in this chapter, albeit a very obscure one. The bloodline, however, will be revealed in the next chapter. Unfortunately, however, no girls who will be paired with Naruto will be introduced in this chapter.
zachosg7: Thanks!
Griever321: Thanks!
Park Otsutsuki: Upon some consideration, I have decided to keep the Sasuke Bashing to a minimum, before stopping it entirely in Itachi's first appearance, where I hope I can switch him to a tragic hero. Other than that, thanks as always for the feedback.
Harem - Fem!Kyuubi, Anko, Fem!Haku, Temari, Fem!Deidara and Shizuka. (Might be the final iteration of Harem)
Ages are probably also important, so here they are!
Naruto - 15(altered anatomical structure)
Anko - 20
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"'Talking or thinking by Kurama or berserk Naruto'"
Now then... Let's catch up with what Naruto and others have been up to!
-Naruto, Age: 14-
It was early in the morning, four in the morning to be exact when Naruto arrived at the Forest of Death. Attempting to sneak in subtly through Anko's window, Naruto was quickly disappointed upon noticing the noise of a snake hissing. Looking downwards, two kunai seemingly launched themselves towards Naruto. The kunai dug themselves into the wall which Naruto had clung to before Anko came out of the shadows, a snake wrapped around her shoulders.
"What the..." Anko muttered, walking towards the wall, taking note of the lack of any blood. "Those kunai would've at least grazed him... Or even pinned him to the wall... Even then, blood would've been left behind as residue..."
"You would be surprised at how much people can change in two years... Anko-Chan," Naruto replied, appearing next to Anko, who immediately trapped the blonde in a tight hug. "Sorry for dropping out for two years..."
"Sorry?!" Anko asked, pulling away from the blonde, "You should be! We went from seeing each other daily to not seeing each other for two years! Where have you been?!"
"That's... Considerably simple to explain," Naruto assured, "You remember Kurama-Chan, right?"
"Stop calling me that!" Kurama protested.
'I've done it for four years and I will continue to do it!' Naruto mentally remarked, annoying Kurama.
"What did she do this time?!" Anko asked in a drawn-out tone as if expecting the blonde's reply.
"To put it simply..." Naruto began to say.
-Two Years Ago-
"Naruto-Kun, wake up!" Kurama yelled, forcing Naruto to reluctantly open his eyes. "We're, or, well, I am beginning your training today!"
"How long is this training going to last?" Naruto asked.
"Well, considering how little emphasis you've placed into Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu... It's probably going to take two years," Kurama analyzed, to which Naruto slightly frowned. "Don't give me that look, it's for your own good!"
"Well, fair enough," Naruto admitted, both to Kurama and himself in regards to his lack of effort in the conventional ninja arts. "You're right, I have been gifted, or cursed, with the perfect set of tools which any shinobi would dream of, yet I remain unrefined, unskilled in the usage of those tools."
"Now you're starting to understand!" Kurama exclaimed.
"I require this training to ensure that I can properly utilize these tools..." Naruto replied, "For a fool with a sword is far less dangerous in comparison to a pro with his fists... Do I at least get to continue my research?"
"You will," Kurama assured, "Get changed, brush your teeth, we're leaving at once!"
"Do I at least get to say goodbye to Anko-Chan?" Naruto asked.
"Does she not mind that suffix like I do?" Kurama asked.
"Well, no," Naruto replied, "She calls it cute... I don't get why."
Kurama smiled, Naruto still had much to learn, especially when it came to social interactions. Kurama sighed, "Naruto-Kun, you will not be able to do so, unfortunately... We are to leave at once."
Naruto didn't react, turning to his apartment's bathroom, "Fine, give me a few minutes."
-Present Day-
"I see..." Anko replied, "What did this training entail?"
"Training is a strong term..." Naruto stated, "Torture seems rather weak right now."
"Well then, I assume you have no issue showing me what you had learned?" Anko requested.
"What?" Naruto asked, only to be kicked through the door, landing onto the soft grass of the Forest of Death. 'Oh, so that's what she meant.'
Anko landed in front of Naruto, before pulling out a kunai.
"Ready?" Anko asked.
"Whenever you are," Naruto replied, outstretching his right hand, facing his palm outwards while placing his right palm over his right elbow, both of which were close to his face, with both his legs slightly bent. "Just so you know, I do not intend on losing."
"Real romantic, genius," Kurama mocked.
'Now's not the time!' Naruto replied, 'If I go in full of bravado, she may be intimidated!'
"Less talk, more work," Anko stated, before dashing towards Naruto. "Want a wager? If I win, you come to live with me from now on, if I lose..."
"I get to take you on a date," Naruto finished, dashing towards Anko.
'Win-win for me then,' Anko thought, withdrawing a kunai from her sleeve, before flinging it towards Naruto, fully expecting him to dodge it.
Surprisingly, Naruto didn't flinch, earning a slash on his cheek. Anko stopped her dash, confused as to Naruto's approach. Naruto touched his wound, standing still as if he was working something out. Anko walked forwards, pulling out another kunai.
"What are you doing?" Anko asked, before throwing her second kunai at Naruto.
Mere milliseconds before the kunai was able to rip itself into Naruto's face, the blond lifted his arm, before grabbing the kunai by its handle, stopping it mere millimeters from his face, shocking Anko.
"How the heck-" Anko began to ask, only to be cut off by Naruto.
"We're currently about two meters apart," Naruto began to explain, examining the kunai, "It took your kunai about six seconds to cut me in the last exchange, assuming that your kunai doesn't decelerate in any way, your kunai should be traveling at a velocity of a meter per second, giving me about five seconds to react to your kunai, four if I intend to pull that stunt-"
As Naruto was distracted by his explanation, multiple snakes launched themselves towards Naruto, wrapping around the blonde and binding him in place, seemingly immobilizing him.
"I don't even wanna know how you did that so quickly," Anko stated, as she walked towards the bound Naruto. "But seeing as you lost, I don't suppose you've forgotten the terms?"
"I wouldn't be so sure..." Naruto stated, appearing suddenly behind Anko, pressing a kunai to her neck.
Anko grit her teeth at first, before dispelling the snakes out of her sleeve and raising both her arms, as Naruto slowly pulled back his kunai.
"Alright, you win," Anko congratulated with a smile, "Just name the day, time, and place... And you can bet your ass I'll be there!"
"How about later?" Naruto asked, "I'll need to attend the graduation thing first, although those council shitheads probably won't like me passing."
Anko sighed, lightly clenching her fist. "If you fail... I swear, I'll burn that damned council building to the ground..."
"Relax," Naruto replied, turning to leave, "I will not fail... I would rather die in a blaze of fire than bow to the heel of those damned civilian councilors." Naruto finished, before leaving for the academy.
Jumping across the tops of several trees, Naruto didn't miss the strange silence presence in Kurama.
"Anything the matter, Kurama-Chan?" Naruto asked, slightly concerned.
"I'm alright," Kurama replied.
'Strange... She didn't get annoyed at me calling her Kurama-Chan...' Naruto mentally noted.
"You know I can read your thoughts, right?" Kurama asked.
"Then you should understand why I wanted to ask you..." Naruto replied.
"Naruto-Kun, I'm fine," Kurama assured, "Really, I'm fine."
"Are you sure though?" Naruto asked for confirmation.
Kurama pouted, "Of course I'm fine! Stop worrying so much about me, you'll end up with a head full of grey hair!" Kurama teased, "Naruto-Kun, I'll always be fine, no need to worry..." Kurama stated, her tone slightly different from her normal one.
"Alright then," Naruto stated, approaching the academy. "Let's ace this test."
-Inside the Academy-
Naruto walked into the classroom, with most of his classmates seemingly surprised by the change in his attire. In stark contrast to his usual orange jumpsuit, Naruto now donned a black trenchcoat, a pair of goggles on his head, intangible mesh armor, anbu-styled pants, a pair of black combat boots, as well as several small pouches around his waist. Iruka placed his fingers on his temple.
"Naruto, you're late," Iruka stated, "Please get seated so we can begin the first test."
Naruto did not reply, only sparing a glance to Iruka before taking his seat next to one Sasuke Uchiha, who eyed him up and down.
"What's with the new outfit, usuratonkachi?" Sasuke asked, only for Naruto to not answer. "Did you not hear me?"
Naruto shook his head, before lifting a finger, signaling for Sasuke to wait.
'Is this the same Naruto I know?' Sasuke asked himself, before turning back towards the board. 'Whatever, he should still be that kid who was decent in science and nothing else... No big threat to me..."
Iruka stepped forward, Mizuki by his side.
"We're about to begin the tests!" Iruka announced, handing out papers with Mizuki to every student present. "Write your name, the date today, and begin answering the questions! You all have an hour to complete it, good luck!"
Naruto lifted his pencil, before glancing through the test itself, quickly realizing how much he had overestimated the difficulty of the written test. Shaking his head slightly, Naruto began to fill in the blanks, intentionally getting a few questions wrong to not make it seem as though he had been cheating. An hour later, Iruka instructed the class to cease their answering, before Mizuki walk around and collect the papers. Skimming through the blonde's paper, Mizuki's ever-growing scowl had not gone unnoticed by Naruto, even less so by Kurama.
"Do not trust that man," Kurama stated with a scowl of her own, "Even in the direst of situations."
'I do not intend to,' Naruto mentally replied.
Mizuki plopped the stack of papers on the table before Iruka opened the door.
"Alright class, for the next test," Iruka began to say, "Please make your way to the roof so we may commence the next two tests at once."
Finishing his statement, Iruka left the room, before the students all piled out of the classroom.
-Rooftop-
Reaching the rooftops, the students all found themselves facing rows of training dummies.
"Alright, class!" Mizuki began to announce, "This will be an accuracy-test! You will all individually throw three kunai, one at a time, at your assigned training dummies and will be scored based on the parts you hit."
'Fascinating...' Naruto thought, analyzing the situation. 'They all have a constant range between the target and the thrower...'
'I can see where this is going...' Kurama thought.
The first student went ahead, throwing all three of his kunai in rapid succession, hitting two in the dummy's chest and missing one completely.
'The range is about fifteen meters...' Naruto analyzed.
The second student went forward, throwing all three of his kunai in slower succession, hitting one in the dummy's left leg and the other two in the dummy's torso.
'It takes approximately ten seconds for a kunai to reach...' Naruto analyzed.
-Half an hour later-
The raven-haired Hinata walked up to the starting position, throwing all three of her kunai one at a time, hitting the dummy's head with one and hitting the dummy's torso with the other two.
'Assuming it does not decelerate...' Naruto rationalized, 'I would need to throw my kunai at a constant velocity of twenty meters a second, taking account of the light breeze in the air. It also has to be from an angle of forty-five degrees...'
"Lastly, Naruto Uzumaki!" Mizuki announced, a small smirk forming across his face.
Naruto shrugged, before walking towards the starting position, feeling the kunai in his hands getting lighter every second that passed. Within a blink of an eye, Naruto threw all three of his kunai at once, successfully hitting the dummy's head with all three, causing Iruka to gape in confusion and Mizuki to fume in slight anger.
'Unexpected... That's for sure...' Mizuki thought, fuming at the blonde's ease of passing.
"Next up!" Mizuki announced, "It's time for the Taijutsu test!"
Iruka pointed to a square drawn on the ground, "This is where combatants will be fighting, any inch of the body that exits the square will be counted as an 'out-of-bounds' for that contestant!"
"First up, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha!" Mizuki announced, his wicked gleam not going unnoticed by Naruto.
Naruto walked to the center of the square, as Sasuke did the same. Both combatants performed the Seal of Confrontation before slipping into their respective stances, Sasuke slipping into his family's stance, while Naruto assumed the stance he did against Anko.
"Get him, Sasuke!" Ino yelled.
"Make him know his place!" Sakura added on.
Sasuke smirked, clearly knowing that Naruto was not in the audience's favor. "You sure you don't want to give up now?" Sasuke mocked, attempting to agitate Naruto.
"On the contrary," Naruto replied, "I did prepare for this... So I might as well continue."
Not knowing the meaning of Naruto's statement, Sasuke dashed towards Naruto, before throwing a punch, one which Naruto caught with ease. Using the Uchiha's momentum against himself, Naruto tossed the Uchiha over his shoulder and out of the square, deeming him officially 'out-of-bounds'. Not wanting to be yelled at by the hordes of fangirls for his apparent 'rudeness', Naruto made sure to help the Uchiha up, who had been as confused as everyone else watching.
"Sorry about that," Naruto began to say, "I got lucky."
Sasuke looked on, stunned by Naruto's humbleness. "You- You didn't- Whatever..." Sasuke attempted to reply, before giving up and offering to perform the Seal of Reconciliation, which Naruto accepted.
'He doesn't need to know...' Naruto thought, 'But I have to say... He isn't the douche I expected him to be...'
"For once..." Kurama noted, "The Uchiha do have a chance of changing..."
-Classroom(After the Taijutsu Test)-
Iruka stood at the front of the class, as Mizuki stood in the corner, fuming at his failed attempts of sabotaging Naruto's exams.
"Alright, class," Iruka began to say, "For the final test, I will be calling each of you up to the front of the class, where you will all have to perform the three basic Ninjutsu techniques, the Substitution Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Clone Technique."
"First off, Naruto Uzumaki!" Mizuki declared, knowing full-well that this was his final chance of embarrassing the blonde.
Shrugging slightly, Naruto walked to the front of the class, before Iruka threw a whiteboard duster at him. Seconds before the object made contact with his face, Naruto vanished from sight, leaving a mere eraser in his place, himself appearing on the desk.
"Very good," Iruka stated, "Now, the transformation technique."
Nodding, Naruto placed his hands together, before transforming into a pitch-perfect clone of Iruka, complete with the scar and all. Not only was his appearance on point, but Naruto also succeeded in perfectly imitating the scarred teacher's voice as well.
"Impressive," Iruka acknowledged, "Now, the clone technique."
Without further thinking, Naruto formed a cross with his hands.
"Wait, Naruto-Kun!" Kurama suddenly yelled, "That's the wrong-"
This attempted warning would go on to fall on deaf ears for Naruto, as clouds of white smoke appeared before quickly fading, leaving three perfect clones of Naruto in their place, shocking everyone present.
"-clone technique..." Kurama finished, face-palming.
'Oops?' Naruto thought.
"I-Incredible..." Iruka stammered, shocked at the blonde's display, before handing Naruto a blue hitae-ate. "There is simply nothing more that I could say... You have truly exceeded my expectations in every way, and I am very proud to call you my student. There is simply nothing more I could teach you... So, go be a shinobi that will make us all proud!"
Naruto smiled back at Iruka, receiving the headband before leaving.
'Damn it!' Mizuki thought, full of rage for his failure to sabotage Naruto's exam, 'Time for Plan B then...'
-Anko's Home(Evening)-
"So..." Anko began to say seductively with a sultry smile, "You are a shinobi now, huh?"
"I sure am," Naruto replied, lifting his goggles to reveal his hitae-ate. "This color of the headband does suck, though."
"It does," Anko replied, "But hey, you ready for our date?"
"I am," Naruto replied, taking Anko's hand, "Let's go."
With the mood of the occasion, Naruto missed the reaction of Kurama, who had a slightly sour look on her face.
Author's Notes 2: And that's the chapter! Tell me what you guys thought about it in the reviews down below!
Extra Notes: Please do not come after me for the incorrect mathematical logic, I have not been involved in mathematical studies for many years, so please excuse the errors made in the chapter.