Happy First of March, everyone! Haha, what better way to start up the month than with an update of this story, right? ^_^

Now with all that said and done let the chapter begin and please remember that I own nothing, thank you! ^_^

It was a nice, beautiful morning in the Hidden Leaf Village as two particular young boys were doing their regular scheduled sessions of early morning training before the Academy.

"Well done, Naruto!" Gohan complimented his friend as Naruto held out a ball of Ki before firing it at the tree next to him.

"Heh, thanks! I'm so happy I can use Ki now!" Naruto grinned as Gohan smiled with pride at his friend. He's come a long way from the unexperienced rookie that he met four months prior.

"Who knows? Maybe someday you'll be as powerful as me!" Gohan laughed as Naruto smiled broadly at the thought of surpassing Gohan. Could he do it? Gohan was the most powerful person that he ever met after all.

"Oh no! We should probably make our way to the Academy! We have thirty minutes!" Gohan exclaimed in shock as he stared at his watch as Naruto nearly fell back in shock.

"Oh crap that's right! We definitely gotta boogie!" Naruto yelled as he ran back home in order to get cleaned up before falling on himself. Gohan laughed as he ran over to his friend's side before helping him up.

Normally Naruto wouldn't be as ecstatic to go to school but today was a day of particular importance to him; it was the day of Graduation Exams. On this day, the students in the selected year of study would be given a test in order to show off their ninjutsu skills and if successful in performing the required jutsu, they would pass and become honorary ninja of the Leaf. If they didn't, they would be retained and forced to retake the course again.

While Naruto had failed the previous two times prior to today, he was pretty confident because thanks to training with Gohan he found himelf taking his studies more seriously. The blonde was pretty sure that aspect in Gohan's personality was probably the result of a strict upbringing.

If only he knew how right he was…

As the two boys made their way home, got cleaned up and ate breakfast they could only wonder what sort of adventure awaited the two upon becoming ninja.

"Well Naruto, you ready?" Gohan asked his friend as Naruto grinned at the half-saiyan.

"You know it, bro! Let's go!" Naruto declared before running off as Gohan laughed before following him.

"That guy…Something tells me he'll never change." Gohan mused fondly before following after Naruto. After a short walk full of conversation and chatter, the two eventually reached the Ninja Academy. As they entered the classroom, Gohan greeted Shikamaru and Choji who took notice of him.

"Hey guys!" Gohan greeted his friends as he walked up to them with Naruto at his side.

"Oh Gohan! You ready for the exams?" Choji asked as Gohan smiled.

"Yep!" Gohan replied as a thought came to Kiba's mind who walked up to the two.

"Wait a second, if you can't use Chakra, how're you gonna take the test?" Kiba inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"Due to me being able to use Ki and given their relation with each other, Iruka's worked out a way for me to still take the test." Gohan explained as he recalled even with the amount of reading and trying to train on his own and even asking from assistance from teachers like Iruka, he couldn't use Chakra. He supposed it was easier in trying to use Ki than it was for Chakra.

"Oh I see…" Kiba said as Shino said nothing to Gohan as he sat down, slightly unnerving the half-breed. He wondered if this guy was related to Vegeta given how unfriendly he was….

"G-Good Morning…Gohan….Naruto…." Hinata meekly greeted the two as she appeared behind Shino.

"Oh hey!" Naruto cheerfully greeted the Hyuga.

"Good morning, Hinata." Gohan politely greeted back as she blushed slightly at Gohan. After his help in giving her the confidence to perfect her skills more, the two became close friends over the last four months with him constantly checking up on her as well as making sure her father was treating her well. While she had been in love with Naruto since he saved her from bullies ever since they were four, recently she found her feelings shifting over slightly to Gohan. After all, he really seemed to enjoy her company and he always made sure she was happy and accounted for.

Hinata smiled before sitting next to Kiba and Shino as Ino and Sakura came barging through the door like a herd of stampeding bulls.

"I'm first!" Sakura and Ino simultaneously yelled as they breathed for air, ignoring the snickers they received as a result of their bizarre entrance.

"Heh, look at that, I win again Sakura!" Ino smirked at her rival who returned said smirk.

"Oh give me a break, my toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead!" Sakura retorted before noticing her crush who looked at her for a second before turning his head away.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled as Naruto sat up to greet her.

"Good morning, Sakura!" Naruto greeted his crush who shoved him out of the way.

"Move it!" Sakura yelled, pushing him out of the way.

"That…hurts…." Naruto comically cried.

"Man, ouch…." Gohan winced before helping his friend up.

Sakura greeted her crush who ignored her before he stared at Gohan. There was an obvious air of tension before Sasuke looked away. Gohan shrugged before sitting next to his best friend.

As Gohan and the others waited for Iruka to enter the room, he thought about his time in the Leaf. The villagers' opinions of him was definitely interesting as although he won over a good deal of them with his good deeds in him repairing the parts of the village that he indirectly destroyed, there was still others who were a bit wary of him and saw him as slightly of a freak due to being able to use Ki instead of chakra as well as being able to defeat outstanding genin such as Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, the latter having quite a level of disdain for the son of Goku due to him humiliating him in their fight. Some could argue it was even on the level as the one he has for Hinata.

Gohan's relationships with some of his classmates were better at least as him, Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba were all friends who tended to hang out from time to time when there were no classes. He and Ino were friends who would speak to each other every now and then where as Hinata who he was really close with. Their bond was on the same level as the one he had with Naruto due to him giving her more confidence in herself and her abilities whereas Sakura didn't care for him due to finding him to be a complete weirdo. Sasuke and Shino were wary of him due to Shino being naturally wary of outsiders of the leaf. Although the Aburame didn't outright dislike Gohan, a part of him didn't trust Gohan whereas Sasuke, although he didn't want to admit it, was jealous of Gohan due to his power. He was definitely sure that Gohan could defeat Itachi and the fact that some outsider from another world could defeat Itachi while he worked his ass off and couldn't defeat his wretched brother was truly maddening to the last Uchiha.

Gohan was snapped from these thoughts as Iruka entered the room.

"Good morning class! I hope you all are ready as today is the Graduation Exam." Iruka began as he greeted his class.

"When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The exam will be on the Clone Jutsu." Iruka said as Naruto nearly leaped out of his seat. He couldn't wait until his name was called as had that jutsu nailed!

Everyone waited patiently as their names were called; Sakura, Shino, Choji, Hinata and etc. Eventually it came to be Gohan's turn.

"Son Gohan!" Iruka called as Gohan nodded before following the scarred ninja into the testing room. Upon entering the room, Gohan noticed an adult wearing the same clothes Iruka wore but he had white hair.

"Son Gohan, correct? I am Mizuki and it's a pleasure to meet you." Mizuki smiled as he held his hand out to Gohan who stared at the man warily. There was something….ominous about him. Although not wanting to be rude, Gohan returned the gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Mizuki." Gohan politely replied as he shook Mizuki's hand.

"Okay Gohan, even though you can't use Chakra that well despite our work together, I trust you have an ability that you can use with your Ki like producing copies of yourself?" Iruka asked as Gohan smiled.

"Yep!" Gohan replied before crossing his arms together.

"Multiform Technique!" Gohan yelled before he was able to make two copies of himself that were on the right and left sides of him respectively.

"Amazing! That's very much similar to the clone jutsu! I wonder, how did you learn it?" Iruka asked in amazement as Mizuki appeared equally as shocked.

"A friend of mine by the name of Tien taught me. He thought it'd be useful for me in battles." Gohan answered as he remembered how during the three years before the Androids' attack, the other Z-Fighters such as Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha would occasionally train with Goku, Gohan and Piccolo and Tien decided to teach the young boy his technique.

"Well this Tien of yours sounds like a true master." Mizuki smiled with his eyes closed as Gohan nodded.

"He really was." Gohan said as Iruka smiled before handing Gohan his prize for passing the examination.

"Well whatever the case is, you pass! Congratulations!" Iruka smiled as Gohan was awarded his honorary ninja headband, thus making him a ninja of the Leaf Village.

"Wow….It looks really cool! Thank you, Mr. Iruka! I promise to make you proud!" Gohan smiled before wrapping the headband around his bicep. Even though it was a forehead protector, he felt it'd be cooler on his arm.

Gohan smiled and gave the older man his thanks before leaving and waiting outside for his friend Naruto to graduate. He wasn't worried and was sure that Naruto would pass this time. After all, he reminded him so much of his father who could do anything.

Naruto waited on the seat of his pants for his name to be called and enarly jumped through the roof when the name "Naruto Uzumaki" was called.

"Alright! It's my time to shine!" Naruto gleamed before literally stampeding into the testing room. Mizuki's eye widened slightly at the site of the orange wearing boy.

"Okay Naruto. For this try, you have to make the clone jutsu." Iruka instructed the young boy who grinned before cracking his knuckles.

"Sure thing! Clone jutsu!" Naruto grinned before putting his hands together for the sign for said jutsu before summoning nearly fifteen different clones around the room, much to the shock of the two ninja present.

"N-Naruto?" Iruka stammered.

"Hehe, sup?" One of the clones grinned.

"H-how? A couple of months ago you couldn't even make a clone without it looking deformed and frankly….pathetic…but now?" Iruka could barely breathe as Naruto grinned while rubbing his nose proudly.

"Let's just say I've had some help and motivation in order to take my training a lot more seriously!" Naruto smiled like a fox as Iruka smiled in thought.

"Gohan….the bond these two boys share is nothing short of amazing…." Iruka thought with pride as he was proud that Naruto was finally able to graduate.

"As much as it pleases me to say this, I hereby announce: you pass!" Iruka smiled as he handed Naruto his blue forehead protector.

"YES! Thank you so much!" Naruto yelled as he took off his green goggles while placing them in his pocket before putting his headband on and posed for it several times.

"Well? Well!? How do I look!? Like a model!?" Naruto grinned with sparkly eyes as Iruka laughed while Mizuki stared blankly.

"Yes, yes I suppose. Now the best of luck to you on your ninja career…" Iruka proudly smiled as Naruto grinned at him.

"Thanks again!" Naruto giggled excitedly before running outside the classroom.

"As much as a pain in the ass he can be, I'll miss that boy." Iruka sighed, albeit a little sadly as Mizuki said nothing. In fact if one could go inside his head, one would see just how furious he was.

Naruto ran outside to greet his friend.

"Gohan! I passed!" Naruto cheered before hugging onto the boy as he tackled him to the ground, making both boys laugh.

"I knew you could do it! Now…can I please breathe?" Gohan asked as Naruto sheepishly chuckled.

"Right, sorry…" Naruto laughed as both boys continued laughing. However, close to the two of them, two adult women scoffed at the sight of them as they waited for their children.

"Can you believe it? They actually let those two pass?" One of the woman spat with pure disgust in her voice.

"I know….Our Hidden Leaf Village truly has follow if those two were allowed to pass…I mean one's a chakra-less freak and the other's the-"Her friend tried to add before she was cut off.

"Hey now! We're not supposed to talk about that, remember?" The woman corrected her friend.

"Oops, sorry." Her friend corrected. And their conversation was fully heard by the two, not like the two women cared either way.

Gohan sighed but didn't care what a bunch of ignorant people thought of him. He frowned as he looked at the sad expression on his friend's face.

"Hey Naruto. What did they mean what you are?" Gohan asked as Naruto sighed.

"I don't know…Every time I try to ask about it, all I get are vague answers…..Even the Old Man can't answer…" Naruto answered despondently as Gohan felt remorse for his friend. It wasn't fair to see him being treated for something he had no idea why. Sure he was a bit of a troublemaker, one incident involving him painting the Hokage monuments came to mind, but he was a genuine, down-to-earth person who was loyal. He would definitely find out the answer himself, one day. However, that didn't matter as he turned to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Who cares what a bunch of people like them think? You passed and are one step closer to your dream of becoming Hokage. And you have me!" Gohan smiled as Naruto's eyes widened in realization as he realized that Gohan was indeed right. Naruto returned the smile gratefully.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Gohan! And who cares what a bunch of dumbasses like them think!? One day they'll definitely change their view of me and accept me as one of their own!" Naruto declared proudly as Gohan felt proud of Naruto. He really was definitely like his father.

"And I'm sure you can do that Naruto!" Gohan smiled as he remembered how hated Piccolo was. All of the Z-Fighters save for his father, detested and rejected him but with time he was seen as one of them and if someone like Piccolo could be accepted, Naruto definitely would!

"Now whaddaya say I make us some celebratory dinner?" Gohan suggested as Naruto grinned hungrily.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto yelled. And with that the two made their way to their home as they were suddenly approached by Mizuki.

"Oh, Naruto, Gohan. Hello there." Mizuki greeted friendly.

"Hello." Gohan replied.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

"I'd like to speak to Naruto if that's okay with you, Gohan? It's nothing major and won't take long." Mizuki said as Naruto looked to Gohan as if asking if whether or not it was fine or not.

"Sure. Just don't take too long." Gohan said before stalking off to home.

Naruto and Mizuki were sitting atop of a building looking over the entirety of the Leaf Village.

"So Naruto, tell me…." Mizuki began.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked.

"Now that you've graduated from the ninja academy, you're a ninja now. But tell me, what's your overall goal in the grand scheme of things?" Mizuki asked the energetic twelve year old who watched the going and coming of the villagers down below before donning a determined expression on his face.

"I want to become Hokage. That way everyone will stop treating me like dirt and see me as someone important! As one of them! And I will achieve that goal!" Naruto announced as Mizuki chuckled.

"I see…If that's the case, then I have a certain proposition for you…." Mizuki began as Naruto raised a curious eyebrow.

"A proposition?" Naruto inquired.

"With it, I can guarantee that you be promoted to Chunin!" Mizuki grinned as Naruto nearly fell off the building in excitement. That's definitely a step in the right direction.

"Tell me! Tell me! TELL ME!" Naruto practically begged Mizuki as he got in his face who laughed before settling him down.

"Okay, you just have to do this….." Mizuki explained Naruto's "proposition" although if one could look closely, they'd see a somewhat evil smirk on his face.

Son Gohan was a person who was fairly patient, even in the tightest of situations. However, even he had his limits.

Gohan tapped the dining table with food in front of it with slight irritation. He told Naruto to not be out too long yet this was three hours since he was gone. What on earth could he be doing?

Gohan sighed as he put on his shoes before leaving the apartment in order to find out what Naruto was doing. He flew secretly through the sky as to not be detected before hearing a couple of voices from down below.

"I can't believe it! He's gone too far this time!" One ninja yelled.

"That's right! That damn Naruto! When I find him, I'll skin his little ass!" Another ninja yelled just as angry.

Gohan raised an eyebrow before descending to a nearby building.

"He stole the scroll of sealing! This isn't just some prank but a serious crime!" A third ninja yelled.

"Thankfully Lord Hokage gave us the order to find and apprehend him!" A fourth ninja yelled as Gohan was speechless at what he heard.

Naruto was a lot of things, a brat, troublemaker and even a delinquent but a thief? He was just too pure-hearted for the concept of thievery.

Gohan shook these thoughts out of his head before going to find Naruto by locking onto his Ki.

"Naruto….just what on earth have you gotten yourself into this time?" Gohan could only ponder about his friend as he flew to his location.

Naruto Uzumaki had never been more confused in his life. One moment Mizuki had promised him that he'd be able to advance to Chunin by stealing the scroll of sealing and learning a jutsu from it but then Iruka found him and had no idea about it. If that wasn't bad enough, Mizuki nearly drilled him to death with several Kunai that he was saved from at the last minute thanks to Iruka.

"Wait…what the hell…is going on here!?" Naruto more or less demanded rather than asked.

"Hehe, I've gotta say thanks for all the help, Naruto." Mizuki smirked as Naruto looked even more puzzled.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here!?" As Naruto practically begged for things to make sense.

"Mizuki used you to get the Scroll of Sealing from his own selfish, nefarious ways!" Iruka answered while ripping kunai, after kunai out of him as Naruto gazed at the ninja for his betrayal in utter disbelief.

"What the!? Is this true!?" Naruto yelled with a fierce glare as Mizuki didn't even try to look scared.

"Hehe, that's right. And thanks for being the perfect little bait for my plan to gain more power. Although I wish I could've escaped without you being dumb enough to get caught. Then again, you always were the dead last so I guess that was to be expected." Mizuki shrugged.

"You bastard…." Naruto growled.

"And like the useless piece of trash, you are I'll have you killed like one." Mizuki began as he reached for the Shuriken on his back.

"Sayonara!" Mizuki yelled as he swung the ninja item down at the started rookie ninja. Naruto barely had enough time to react. At least until….

The Shuriken was literally blasted from and disintegrated in midair.

"What the?" Mizuki asked before noticing Gohan atop a tree before jumping down to the ground landing in front of the started Iruka and Naruto.

"Gohan?" Iruka asked.

"It's you!" Naruto exclaimed with a sense of relief as Gohan glared at Mizuki.

"I should've known you were up to something fishy. Something about you always seemed a bit off and now I'm glad to know I was right!" Gohan glared at the traitor ninja as this Mizuki guy really was no different than Cell.

"Hehe, leave it to the good old Son Gohan to being a thorn in my ass. But rather I won't let my plan fail here. Especially if this little monster has anything to say about it." Mizuki grinned as he motioned to Naruto, making both boys raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean a monster?" Gohan inquired as Naruto was equally curious.

"Mizuki, don't you dare tell!" Iruka yelled at the top of his lungs as the white haired shinobi ignored him.

"Hehe, why don't I tell you a story Gohan? Since you're friends, even though I have no real reason why, with Naruto, you've probably always wondered why he's treated like dirt even though there's no real reason why, yes?" Mizuki began as Gohan nodded.

"Yeah I admit I've always been curious about the harsh treatment towards Naruto." Gohan answered.

"Tell me why!" Naruto demanded as Mizuki chuckled evilly.

"The reason is quite simple….Twelve years ago there was a nine tailed demon fox who attacked our village and it was sealed within the body of that idiot blonde right behind you by our beloved Fourth Hokage!" Mizuki explained as Naruto's face literally lost all of its color as Gohan looked at his friend in shock.

"….W-what?" Naruto could barely gasp out.

"He's…the holder of a demon?" Gohan asked.

"That's right. The demon fox who attacked the village has taken over his body! He is the nine tailed fox!" Mizuki declared as tears built up in Naruto's eyes. Finally…it all made sense….why he would hear parents push their kids away from him, why the villagers would call him "that boy" and whisper about what he was…..It was because the fox was inside of him…..He supposed that was the reason behind his whisker marks on his face.

Gohan looked to his friend in sympathy as he realized the burden that he was forced to carry from a very young age. His life was sacrificed for the safety of the village…..If that wasn't saddening, nothing was….

Gohan walked up to his friend and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto….I'm so sorry…" Gohan reasoned as tears fell from the blonde's eyes as he remembered everything the villagers did to him from kicking him out of stores, to the forced isolated social interaction he had with his peers to the overall denial of his existence, it was hitting him ten times over.

Naruto said nothing as Mizuki continued to jeer at the blonde.

"Hehe, I must wonder what Lord Fourth was thinking. What the hell made you so special!? Hmph. Then again, you'll be seeing him soon when I'm done with you, little demon!" Mizuki laughed as Naruto looked down while feeling a multitude of emotions; sadness, grief, betrayal, hurt, anger and hatred. Those damn village bastards had the audacity to treat him like a leper yet lie to him all his life!? Oh how he was definitely going to prove them wrong….Especially with this bastard in front of him!

With these thoughts in mind, a red chakra surrounded him, shocking Iruka and Gohan.

"T-this Chakra…it….feels like…." Iruka could barely gasp out as it reminded him of that night from twelve years ago.

"It feels….so cold!" Gohan observed as it reminded him of when he saw Vegeta go Super Saiyan for the first time. Gohan could only surmise that this was the power of the nine tailed fox.

"Haha, no one will ever accept a monster like you!" Mizuki jeered before guffawing into another laughing fit.

He was too busy laughing before he stopped, feeling the air. What he saw would stay with him for the rest of his days…..

Naruto raised his head up revealing his features…His hair was spikier, his whisker marks became more pronounced and his teeth became sharper but what was the most shocking was his eyes, they were blood red….and if one could look deep into his eyes they would see nothing but anger and hatred.

"So I'm just a monster huh!?" Naruto yelled as he gave a death glare to the white haired ninja who nearly fell back on his rear from the tree he was on before he donned a confident smirk.

"T-that's right, demon boy….What're you gonna do about it?" Mizuki tried to appear confident as Naruto's gaze got even harsher.

"I'll show you who's a real demon!" Naruto roared as Mizuki nearly screamed in fear as he donned the extra shuriken that he had attached to his back.

"Not if I kill you first!" Mizuki yelled as he attempted to throw his Shuriken before Naruto appeared right in front of him in a speed no one, save for Gohan, could have seen.

"Go ahead! Just try to kill me!" Naruto roared before breaking the Shuriken before slamming a hard punch to Mizuki's gut.

Mizuki felt the air leave him before he was slammed hard into the ground by the twelve year old.

Mizuki barely had enough time to get his senses together before Naruto punched him square in the face. Before Mizuki could react Naruto hit him again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And yet again.

This went on for a little while longer as Mizuki was slowly losing consciousness as the possessed Naruto kept on pummeling the pathetic man, getting his fists stained with Mizuki's blood in the process.

Gohan and Iruka could only watch in shock as their friend delivered the beating of a lifetime to the now rogue ninja.

"Naruto…" Iruka sadly commented as he wished he could've done more for his student while Gohan could only stare in horror at the state Naruto was in. He was in a state of hatred that everyone around him was null and void. He was so far gone in his grief and rage that he was a totally different person now. It was just like how Gohan was when he attained his Super Saiyan 2 state. If he didn't stop, he'd definitely kill the traitorous Mizuki. Not like Gohan cared anything about the fool but he'd be damned if he'd let Naruto's innocence be tainted.

Gohan then got up before making his way to the blonde ninja.

"P….please….Mercy…." Mizuki begged as pathetic tears ran down his eyes. His face was bruised and covered with blood and it was by sheer miracle that he was even remotely conscious even a little.

Naruto however was having none of it.

"…Mercy…Mercy!? All the times I wanted someone to be nice to me, did anyone listen to me!? No! So screw you and your mercy!" Naruto roared as he continued his punishment for several more seconds as he readied one final fist.

"And this…is for EVERYTHING that's happened to me over my life!" Naruto yelled as he was about to kill the bastard, ignoring his pleas for mercy before his hand was grabbed right as his fist was only a fraction of a second from Mizuki's face. He looked up to see it was none other than Gohan.

"Gohan?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto…don't kill him." Gohan said to his friend who grunted.

"But! He!" Naruto tried to argue as Gohan shook his head.

"He's not worth it. Believe me. And deep down I know you know it too." Gohan said as Naruto growled in anger before his features returned to normal as Iruka was able to make his way to the two boys.

"Mizuki….How you've fallen ever since we were kids…" Iruka sadly sighed as a long tear flew down his eye.

"You were friends with him, Iruka-Sensei?" Gohan asked the scarred chunin.

"Yes. He comforted me after my parents died and we were as close as well…you two…but I guess that was all an act…huh…Mizuki?" Iruka asked as Mizuki didn't reply. Upon further investigation they all figured out that he lost consciousness.

"I think we should take him back to the village now…What he did was treason and he'll definitely be locked up in prison for his crime." Iruka said as the two boys nodded before making their way to the village.

Upon reaching the gates, Hiruzen was there waiting for them with his pipe in hand and a content smile.

"Iruka, Gohan and Naruto…congratulations for bringing down the traitor to our village…Although it's saddening what he became, I can take solace in the fact that the scroll is safe and sound." Hiruzen congratulated the three boys although internally he was shocked that Naruto unleashed the power of the nine tailed fox.

"Thank you Lord Hokage." Iruka politely bowed as Gohan smiled in thanks as Naruto said nothing.

Hiruzen frowned but realized this was probably the right reaction after finding out that he was basically lied to his whole life.

"Well Gohan, Naruto I can take you two out for ramen to-"Iruka tried to say as Naruto walked away from the group saying nothing, ignoring the concerned calls from his friends.

"Oh Naruto…." Iruka frowned as Gohan decided to go after him.

"I'll handle it." Gohan simply said before following after the blonde.

"I think maybe I should go to…" Iruka tried to follow before Hiruzen stopped him.

"Wait Iruka…I think this is a job only Gohan can do…" Hiruzen said as Iruka was silent before nodding his head.

Gohan followed after the blonde before Naruto ran off in an attempt to be alone. Gohan then waited for him to go home as he decided it'd be best to approach him from that angle. Upon entering their home, Gohan then sensed that Naruto was over the edge of the apartment building.

Naruto was solemnly looking at the ground below as he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Gohan's presence.

"Hey…." Gohan awkwardly greeted as Naruto sighed.

"…Hey…." Naruto greeted back.

"You know….what Mizuki said back there…he wasn't right." Gohan began in an attempt to reason with his friend as Naruto shook his head.

"And what makes you so sure? You saw how I reacted back there. That's nothing short of how a monster would react." Naruto countered harshly as Gohan sighed knowing this wouldn't be easy.

"Naruto, you know that's not true. You're not a monster, you were just someone lost in his own grief…" Gohan said as Naruto turned to him with a glare while tears cascaded from his eyes.

"How do you know what's not true!? I nearly killed him because he got under my skin!? Don't you understand!? I'm nothing but a freak of nature! A monster! Hell even when I was walking through the village earlier, the villagers' eyes got even colder to me, like me finding out about the nine tails made me even more hated than I originally was!" Naruto yelled as Gohan said nothing as he continued letting Naruto vent. Trying to say anything soothing would only make him angrier.

"You know something!? Maybe I should've let him nail me with that Shuriken! It's what I deserve after all…." Naruto moaned as Gohan put his hands on Naruto's shoulder before giving him a stern glare full of shock. The cheerful boy who chanted how he was going to be hokage day in and day out like it was his mantra was going to just give up!?

"Don't say that! Don't you ever say that, Naruto!" Gohan yelled as Naruto returned the stern look.

"Why shouldn't I!? I'm just a monster in the eyes of everything!" Naruto yelled as Gohan's hold on his shoulder got even tighter.

"Because Iruka cares about you! Mr. Hiruzen cares about you! Teuchi and Ayame care about you! And I care about you!" Gohan declare as a certain light that was lost in Naruto's eyes began to shine at the declaration of Gohan's words.

"W-what?" Naruto stammered as Gohan wouldn't let up.

"That's right! I'd never, ever see you as a monster! Hell you're more human than anyone I've ever met! Even more human than me!" Gohan announced as Naruto found himself silent at the hybrid's words before he suddenly started sniffling.

"G…Gohan…" Naruto moaned as Gohan pulled him in for a hug.

"T-thank….you…." Naruto tried holding back his tears.

"It's okay…It's okay to cry…Let it all out!" Gohan told his friend as he sobbed in Gohan's arms like he was a child who lost his mother in the store and found her.

"It'll be okay…It really will…." Gohan soothed as he remembered his father doing this to him as a boy.

Naruto continued crying before he eventually cried himself to sleep as Gohan tucked him into his bed.

"Poor Naruto…he's lived a life of hell….Well with me here I won't let him go through the pain of loneliness anymore…He's like my brother after all…" Gohan said as he pondered a way to show him how much he meant to him before a lightbulb appeared over his head.

"That's it!" Gohan yelled as he pumped his fist in his palm.

Naruto awoke later that day around noon time before deciding to come into a kitchen, thanks to a weird gut feeling. What he saw shocked him.

"G-Gohan? What's this?" Naruto asked his friend who smiled as he stood at the table with two cups. Upon walking to the table he noticed how they were filled with Chocolate milk.

"Chocolate milk? What's all this for?" Naruto pondered with a raised eyebrow as Gohan's smile widened.

"It's to solidify our bond. We've been friends these last couple of months and have gotten so close that one could say that we're even like brothers!" Gohan exclaimed as Naruto's raised eyebrow widened even more as the thought to him came to him several times over the last four months.

"Well yeah! But why chocolate milk and how will this solidify our bond?" Naruto asked as Gohan continued grinning.

"It's said that men who share cups of Sake with each other become brothers. Although we're too young to drink I thought Chocolate Milk would be a good fit." Gohan laughed as Naruto felt himself laughing too.

"You…." Naruto smiled as he teared up as Gohan shrugged.

"In case you're wondering where I heard that from, I read it in a manga." Gohan chuckled before raising his glass up as Naruto did the same.

"To think…boys from different worlds could become the close friends we are today. Eventually I'll have to go back to my own world and we'll have different paths to go on once that happens. But with this exchange, no matter what he do or where we are, we'll always have our bond of brotherhood with us and no one could ever take that away from us." Gohan began as Naruto smiled through his tears as he recalled one memory with Hiruzen as he was crying to him back when he was only five years old.

"Old Man…why do they hate me? Why can't I have any friends?" Naruto cried in Hiruen's lap as Hiruzen pet his head soothingly.

"Because people are ignorant…But let me tell you something, Naruto…." Hiruzen began as Naruto turned his blue eyes upwards to the old man above.

"No one in this world is destined to be alone forever. Someday you'll find friends who'll never leave your side!" Hiruzen declared as Naruto could only stare at the old man in amazement due to his amazing words as well as his charisma.

Naruto wiped his eyes as he smiled. He finally found someone who accepted and cherished him.

"From this day on, we're honest to goodness brothers!" Gohan declared as he clanked his cup with Naruto's.

"BROTHERS!" Naruto announced as his happy mood was slowly returning to him as they made their declaration.

From that moment forward, no longer were Gohan and Naruto outcasts in the village but were brothers with an unbreakable new bond.

A bond that not even being from different worlds could ever hope to tarnish.

And how's THAT for your eighth chapter, guys!? XD

Naruto accessing the power of the Nine Tails earlier than canon along with him passing his graduation exams and then him and Gohan becoming honest to goodness brothers! =D

(Sighs) I'm gonna enjoy writing even more of the bond between him and Naruto…. =)

Well in either case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will see all of you in the ninth chapter coming on March 15th so expect then!

Until then, have yourselves a nice evening! ^_^