Author's Foreword – I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi does.

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Strength Of Will

Academy Scenes

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"Let's move!" Ino carolled, pointing forwards. "Mush! Mush!"

"You're being troublesome again, Ino." Shikamaru sighed not even bothering to duck as Ino flailed down at him from her perch on Naruto's shoulders. The blond Boy chuckled as he placed one large hand over Ino's ankle, allowing her to lean over to swat her lazy friend without risking falling off.

"Oi!"

"You were asking for it, Shika." Choji chuckled, glancing up to meet Naruto's amused gaze.

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru grumped. "Remind me just why we're friends again?"

"Because you can hide behind me whenever your mom is on the warpath?" Naruto chuckled and Shika glanced up again, then across at Choji, who was grinning.

"Troublesome."

"You know…" Ino mused, "It's going to be odd when we graduate. Think we'll be the first four-person squad?"

Naruto shrugged, causing Ino to reflexively wrap her arms around his head for stability.

"Doubt it." Shikamaru sighed. "'ruto'll probably be on another team since we're already being encouraged to be the next Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"Hey, once Choji grows a bit bigger, you'll be able to perch on his shoulders." Naruto joked and Choji promptly flexed his arm to show his strong biceps, grinning as he did so.

"He still needs to gain some inches." Ino sniffed and Choji looked up at his almost-six-foot-tall friend.

"She has a point."

"Once you learn your clan's multi-size Jutsu, you'll be able to make me look tiny." Naruto shot back. "Remember when your dad demonstrated how big he could go?"

Choji nodded slowly. "Yeah… and his expression when you asked if he could bounce in his tank form…"

"He says he's almost cracked it." Naruto shrugged again, ignoring Ino's wordless complaint as her seat shifted. "He'll probably make a point of teaching it to you."

"Hope so." Choji agreed. "Sure, having you to wrestle with has really helped me get strong, but I'm going to need some new skills if I'm gonna have a chance once we're proper shinobi."

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"What the…?"

Umino Iruka looked up from the last few pieces of paperwork that needed doing before class could commence. "What is it?"

"I thought that Inoichi was bringing his daughter in, but that isn't him. Who is it?"

Rising from his desk, Iruka walked across to join his assistant at the window, looking down at the entrance to the Academy grounds. A quick glance let him locate the object of his assistant's curiosity.

"Ah, that's Uzumaki Naruto. Huh, I'd heard he was big, but…"

"He's bigger than I am!" Mizuki protested and Iruka nodded slowly.

"So he is… I wonder how big he'll be at graduation?"

"He's a walking wall of muscle now!" Mizuke protested. "How will we get anyone to spar with him?"

"…you may have a point." Iruka finally agreed. "You may have a point."

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"Big brother… who is that?"

Itachi followed his brother's curious gaze. "That would be Uzumaki Naruto, an orphan who is clan-friend to the Nara, Yamanaka and Akamichi clans."

"He's huge!" Sasuke breathed in amazement. "What year is he in?"

"Yours." Itachi kept his face impassive as Sasuke's jaw dropped in shock, then his younger brother shook his head.

"Nu-uh! He's too big! He must be at least about to graduate!"

Itachi simply raised one eyebrow, secretly enjoying his brother's reaction.

"Come on. It is almost time for your class to begin."

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Hinata couldn't believe her eyes as she entered the classroom. At the back of the room were the Ino-Shika-Cho trio that her father had told her about, but beside them was someone who, at first glance, shouldn't have been there.

She didn't know who the blond boy was (as her briefing had only covered clan-heirs and those with known important political affiliations), but he was looming above everyone else to the point that he was looking slightly uncomfortable behind his desk.

"Who's the blond loser?" One of the other girls in the class scoffed. "And how many times has he had to repeat this year?"

The blond man frowned, but the girl next to him quickly slapped his arm and shook her head.

"That is Uzumaki Naruto, who's eight years old." Their teacher noted from the front of the room.

"We think it's a form of Kekkei Genkai." The sleepy-looking boy sat beyond the girl yawned. "Naruto's an orphan, so we don't know for sure, but it fits what we do know."

"There's your answer." The teacher noted. "Now sit down so that I can take your names."

"Even mine?" Naruto chuckled and Iruka sighed.

"Yes, Naruto, even yours."

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"Huh." Hiruzen stared down from his window as he watched the new students making their way into the Academy. "You know, it hadn't actually occurred to me before today just how odd Naruto's size is."

"It may be because of his burden." The silver-haired ANBU standing beside him offered. "According to our records, Senju Mito was fully grown when she sealed the Kyuubi into herself and Kushina was almost fully grown when it was her turn to host the nine-tails. Naruto is both the first male Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and the first to have it sealed into him as a baby. I think we were lucky to just have it boost his growth. Have you heard about the problems that Suna is having?"

"Training their Jinchuuriki by trying to kill it?" Hiruzen nodded. "Idiots. How do they expect him to be loyal to them after trying to kill him?"

"Family bonds?" The ANBU offered.

"Perhaps." Hiruzen conceded, watching as the yard emptied. "With strong links to three clans already, as well as his seeing me as a type of grandfather, Naruto's loyalty to Konoha is almost assured."

"Much to Danzo's annoyance."

Hiruzen chuckled at the silver-haired man's comment. "Indeed. Danzo sees the strength of steel and muscle, but he doesn't understand that mercy and forgiveness can be far greater weapons if used correctly."

For a long moment, the two men stood silently, then Hiruzen sighed and moved to his desk.

"I have a mission for you, Inu."

"I am yours to command, Hokage."

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Naruto staggered back as Choji delivered a straight punch that hit him in the stomach, then he dropped to one knee so that he could catch the scything kick that would have destabilized him.

"Oh… crap." Choji muttered, having encountered that exact situation before, then Naruto spun to his feet, using his superior size to swing Choji round, sending him into the air on a high arc that carried him out of the sparring circle and into the pond.

"Why do you always aim for there?" Choji spluttered as he waded out of the knee-deep pond.

"Softer landing than solid ground." Naruto offered and Choji paused for a moment before nodding in reluctant agreement.

"Yeah, it kinda is. At least I'm not the only one who ends up there."

Choji wasn't the only one to nod in belated understanding of Naruto's preferred way of ending a fight. As Choji squelched his way back to the ring, Naruto bowed to him, offering one hand in the seal of reconciliation, an offer which Choji reciprocated.

"Winner, Naruto… again." Mizuki noted from the sidelines. "We're going to have to match you up against the older students. You're just too big for a proper fight."

"Not my fault I'm the biggest and strongest one around." Naruto chuckled. "I barely even exercise."

"Older students it is." Mizuki noted.

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Graduation Events

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"You wanted to see me, sir?" Naruto asked as he ducked in through the doorway and Mizuki nodded.

"I did. You know that you tied with Uchiha Sasuke for the position of Rookie of the Year?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "He's very… driven. Fortunately for me, I had the Akamichi, Nara and Yamanaka to help me learn what I really needed to. Getting my Chakra under control was difficult, but worth it."

"Which is why he is also participating in the tie-breaker." Mizuki shrugged. "It's to decide which of you truly deserves the rank and it will be noted on your files, meaning you'll probably reach Chunin sooner, thus giving you a better chance of reaching Jonin."

It had been a shot in the dark, but Mizuki knew he had scored when Naruto's eyes lit up.

"What do I do, sir?"

"It's an infiltration test." Mizuki leaned forwards. "Sasuke has his own mission, but if you wish to beat him, you must infiltrate the Hokage's office and retrieve the fake Forbidden Scroll."

"Fake?" Naruto tilted his head and Mizuki chuckled.

"Of course. Do you really think that we'd use the real one for this? Retrieve the scroll and make your way to the rendezvous point, the disused shed just past training ground thirteen. Either Iruko or I will be there to grade you."

As Naruto grinned, Mizuki held up a finger. "Just remember, this is a covert mission. You lose points if anyone not read into the mission finds out, or if you mention it to anyone assigned to stop you… and I'm afraid the Hokage is on the other side for this exercise."

Naruto nodded. "Got it, Sensei, and thanks."

"Good." Mizuki smiled. "Go. The mission starts at sundown and ends at midnight. Plan carefully."

"Hai, Sensei!"

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"Come on, you lazybones!" Ino scolded Shikamaru, causing Choji to fight down the urge to laugh. "Let's move!"

"You know, you could just as easily have fetched him without us." Shikamaru pointed out logically. "You pulled me away from watching a wonderful sunset."

Ino let out a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh, then blinked as something flashed by overhead. "Was that Naruto?"

"I… Choji, boost me!"

"Okay, Shika." Choji half-crouched to let Shikamaru step up onto his hands, then with a grunt of effort, he launched Shikamaru straight into the air. The smaller boy controlled his spin, almost floating for several seconds, then he dropped down, Choji catching him with the ease of long practice.

"It's Naruto… as if anyone else is that big normally… but he's wearing a black tunic instead of his normal orange one and he's put a dark bandanna on."

"He's… being stealthy?" Ino shook her head in disbelief. "Naruto? Stealthy?"

"He's quite good when he needs to be." Choji defended his larger friend. "Remember when he popped up behind you and you fell over into the pond?"

"I've tried very hard to forget." Ino growled. "Now I'll have to repress that memory again. Thank you."

"He's heading for the Academy." Shikamaru pointed out. "Come on, let's follow him and find out what he's doing."

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"Sensei?" Naruto looked round the small clearing that surrounded the shed. Bending down, he peered in through the window, then straightened up again, rising to his full eight feet of height. "Sensei Mizuki? I've got the fake scroll."

"Excellent." Mizuki leapt out of the trees and landed on the roof of the shed. "Hand it over and it'll be…hrk?"

"Shadow binding, success." Shikamaru's voice said and Naruto groaned.

"Great. That's going to cost me. Dammit, Shika, now Sasuke's going to be Rookie of the Year!"

"Is that what this is about?" Ino scowled as she emerged from the undergrowth. "Being number one?"

"Being Rookie of the Year traditionally allows you to ask to be on a specific team." Naruto shrugged. "I wanted to be that so I could ask to be with you guys."

Ino paused in thought. "I… yeah. I thought it didn't seem like you, but… that makes sense."

"Hey!" Choji pointed at the scroll Naruto was holding. "That's the real Forbidden Scroll! Look at the end-caps!"

Naruto blinked, then he reached out and grabbed Mizuki by his vest, lifting the furious chunin off the roof.

"Shika, we need to see your dad about this. Something isn't right… ow!"

Naruto dropped Mizuki and grabbed at the kunai embedded in his arm.

"You three fucked everything up for me!" Mizuki snarled as he unhooked one of the two windmill shuriken from his back and started to spin it in preparation for throwing. "Before you die, Naruto, I think you should know why all those people hate you."

Naruto froze.

"You remember reading about how the nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha and was defeated by the Yondaime?" Mizuki sneered. "Well, he did so by sealing the fox into the corpse of a baby, so that the fox animated it and could be raised to be a weapon for Konoha to use. The power of the Kyuubi, obedient to the village. You get it now? You are the Kyuubi! And now I shall destroy you and Orochimaru shall reward me for weakening the village and bringing him the Forbidden Scro-ooof!"

The spinning shuriken vanished into the treetops as Mizuki was knocked flying by a spherical projectile. The attacking ball ricocheted off a tree and slammed into Mizuki a second time, then a third and a fourth before bouncing off an exposed root and arcing high into the air, descending with bone-crushing force on the unfortunate traitor, leaving him half-embedded in a crater.

"Whoah." Choji released his technique, then fell over. "Still need to work on that… leaves me dizzy afterwards.

"Shika!" Ino snapped as she moved to hug Naruto, who wasn't moving. "Get your dad… now!"

"Gone!" Shika hurtled off into the woods.

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"…am I the fox?" Naruto asked quietly, looking round the office at the two generations of Ino-Shika-Cho and the Hokage. From behind his desk, Hiruzen shook his head.

"No. While you contain the fox, you are not the fox. Mizuki lied to you."

"But… he said the fox was sealed into…"

"For something as powerful as the Kyuubi, you need something with a strong, flexible and active Chakra network." Hiruzen stated. "While the Yondaime did indeed use you to seal the Kyuubi into, he could only do so because of your strong Chakra. Had you been dead, he could not have done it, so the fact you are alive now is proof that you were alive back then too."

Shikamaru patted Naruto on the shoulder, reaching up even though Naruto was seated and he was standing.

"It makes sense, Naruto. You need chakra flows to seal things for a long time. That's why storage seals last a month at most unless recharged, the chakra in them has nothing to keep it moving after the original infusion."

"Quite right." Hiruzen agreed. "Now, Naruto, I'm afraid that infiltrating my tower and stealing the scroll without checking that the mission was official means that I'll have to give you a demerit which means it's Sasuke who's the Rookie of the Year."

"Makes sense." Naruto sighed.

"As for you three, you caught a traitor and prevented Naruto from being killed, so I'm listing that as your team's first completed C-rank mission. Well done."

"Thank you, Hokage." Ino bowed, glancing worriedly at Naruto as she did so.

"…Sorry guys." Naruto mumbled. "Looks like I'm on a different team, after all."