Chapter 3

I'm back! Welcome everybody to 2019! And to the new chapter. In this one, we are going to see Naruto and his team. Sorry if you expected to see Naruto's time in the academy. The most you will see is the final exam. And with that said, let's start this chapter!

Legend:

"Talking."

'Thinking...'

Jutsu Name

Chapter 3: First Steps

"Are you two excited?" Kushina asked her children as they ate breakfast.

Kyoka nodded as she ate her food. "Hmm! I can't wait to become a ninja! And you Naru?"

Naruto only nodded. He finished his food to put his scarf back on. He had changed since that day. He is quiet, more reserved, more serious, and kind of overprotective on Kyoka.

He now dresses in black baggy pants and a black tank top that with his massive white scarf wrapped around his neck that it also covers his shoulders.

His change had been subtle at first. Came home later, less sociable with other kids and with a bigger drive to train. Then he changed his clothes. Then he completely stopped talking to another kids and glared at any one that looked funny at his sister and even interfered if he sees that someone is playing too rough with her.

Kyoka let it slides because she knows that her big brother worries over her and just wants to make sure that she is safe. But it annoys her from time to time. She lost opportunities to make new friends and even lost some.

The reason Minato still doesn't pull Naruto away from Danzo, it is because the improvements he had with his devil fruit and with his haki. His armament haki is strong enough to break weapons and he can even see some minutes into the future with his observation haki. That plus his devil fruit gives him a perfect defense and attack. He can stretch his limbs and coat them with haki making his attacks a longer range and stronger while predicting where his opponent will move to hit him.

And with his defense works the same. He can predict where his opponent will strike and block, and even if he can't block, he can make his body into mochi so the attack will go right through.

But it will change now, with Minato finding the perfect sensei for his son's abilities.

*Academy*

Naruto was sat next to Kyoka that was chatting with Hinata. Well, Kyoka was doing most of the talk while the shy Hyuga was trying to keep up.

He knows that Hinata isn't a harm to Kyoka, otherwise, he would had made sure they weren't that close. He can hear all the chatter that the other groups were having and it was pure and mild nonsense.

'Sasuke this...'

'I am going to be the best...'

'Bla, bla, bla...'

Those were what Naruto thought of the vast majority of his classmates. They are fangirls, kids thinking that this is a game, or spoiled brats.

He closed his eyes as he felt someone sit next to him. They didn't have to greet each other due to that being their... code.

This being Shino. Just like Naruto he isn't the social type. Naruto still doesn't know what are they. They don't speak with each other. They just sit next to each other from time to time and... stay in silence.

Not that it bothers neither of them.

It didn't take much more time until Iruka and Mizuki to enter the class. Naruto stared boridly at them already wanting to finish this.

(A/N: I am going to skip the first two parts of the exams and go directly to the third one)

Naruto stood in front of the two academy teachers that were smiling at him. "Naruto, we are going to ask you to do the three basic techniques. Do you think you can do them?" Iruka asked knowing about his condition.

Naruto nodded. "Okay, first do a Henge." Naruto didn't move from his spot. He let the mochi to cover him and he transformed into Iruka.

Iruka was impressed to see what a realistic clone that was but continued. "Now do a Kawarimi." Naruto using his high speed, went to an empty chair and threw it where he was. Due to how fast he was, neither chunin noticed the little trick.

"And now, do two Bushin." Naruto nodded and let some mochi fall from his body. That mochi molded itself into two clones of Naruto.

Iruka was impressed. For a kid that slacked in class and skipped all the jutsu training, he was really good. Maybe he will have the best grade of the year.

Iruka handed Naruto his headband with a smile. "Congratulations Naruto. You did a great job." Naruto wrapped his headband around his arm and left without saying a word.

Once he put a foot outside, he was hugged by an overexcited Kyoka. "Naru! We did it! We are finally ninjas!"

Naruto grabbed his sister and put her down while she gave him a big grin "We should go to celebrate! To Ichiraku's!" She exclaimed as he let himself be dragged around by his little sister.

*Next Week, Academy*

Naruto was sat next to Kyoka that was chattering no stop with Hinata. The poor girl was barely keeping up with the energy of his little sister.

He had his eyes closed feeling who was around them. The same useless conversations of the same useless people. He felt Shino sat next to him and to surprise, he talked to him.

"Hello Naruto. May I sit here?" Naruto eyed his from the corner of his eye before nodding. Shino sat there and stayed in silence. Naruto was eyeing him suspiciously, wondering why would he ask him to sit next to him while before he just did it without any permission.

He doesn't have any hostile intentions but still. They didn't talk for the rest of the time there and it didn't take too much time for Iruka to enter the class alone. He gave a small speech saying how proud he was from all of them and following that, he said the teams.

"Team 7: Kyoka Namikaze," Naruto perked up at the name of his sister, wondering with who she will be.

"Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Your Sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto snapped his tongue. He doesn't know much about Haruno side the fact that she is obsessed with Sasuke and that she comes from a civilian family.

Sasuke in the other hand... he doesn't trust him. He had catch him eyeing his sister in a way he doesn't like. Naruto glared at Sasuke. He will have a nice little talk with him later.

"Team 8: Naruto Namikaze," Naruto looked back at Iruka wanting to know who his teammates will be "Shino Aburame and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is Itachi Uchiha."

Shino and Choji... he can work with them. Shino is analytic from what he had seen from him while Choji, as an Aburame, should be good at Taijutsu.

And their sensei... Itachi Uchiha. Wasn't he the prodigy of the Uchiha clan?

"Team 9 is still in circulation. Team 10: Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga and Yakumo Kurama. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi. And Team 11: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamananka and Sai Okada. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."

Sai. The kid that Danzo deemed as a failure. He hasn't heard a lot about him and his sensei told him not to worry about him. But he can't shake the feeling there is something off about him. He doesn't have any hostile intentions, so he is off the hook.

For now.

Their sensei's will pick them after lunch and Naruto was ready to leave to eat in his secret place his delicious and god sent donuts.

"Naruto." He turned around to see Shino talking to him "I believe that we should have lunch together as a team. Why? Because for now we are simply classmates and the most logical option would be to know each other better. Do you agree."

He did. He... made really good points. He closed his eyes and walked towards Choji being followed by Shino that seemed to already know his answer.

"Choji." Naruto said and the round-boned boy looked at him and Shino while still eating his chips.

"Yeah?"

"We were wondering if you would mind joining us in lunch, due to us being a new team." Shino explained while Naruto didn't move from his spot.

Choji looked at Shikamaru that nodded and Choji grinned "Sure guys! Let's go!" He said as he exited the classroom and went towards the roof.

It was a different type of talk. One that Naruto wasn't used too. Choji asked him about his lunch, favorite food, if he was going to eat his food, favorite topping once he answered the second question, if he can give him his sacred donuts, etc.

Shino asked more normal questions. He guess. He doesn't know what people usually talks about. With Shino they talked about aspirations in the ninja world while with Choji he spoke about food. He liked both themes so he answered the best he could.

"Just one! Please!" Choji begged to Naruto that still had his donuts. Naruto kept looking at the front without turning around.

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!"

"Drop it. I won't give you anything."

"Choji, you shouldn't ask for something to Naruto unless you can compensate it." Shino said and Choji grinned.

"Good idea Shino! Naruto; I'll give you free BBQ if you give me your donuts."

"I don't like BBQ."

"What! How's that possible! Do you only eat donuts or something!?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Shino and Choji exchanged a look, wondering how his classmate conserved such a good physique with only those sugar treats.

They sat on a table waiting for their sensei. Naruto scanned the room looking for his sister and noticed how she was talking with Sakura while Sasuke was looking at them. Or at Kyoka.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and was about to give the Uchiha a piece of his mind when the door opened.

"Team 8. Follow me." They turned to see a man with black hair made into a ponytail. He seemed around 18 years old and had two lines on his face.

The man left and the newly assembled team followed him all the way to training ground 17.

They sat in front of a tree where their new sensei, Itachi, was on top of a branch. "Hello. My name is Itachi Uchiha. And I am your new sensei. Please introduce yourselves."

Choji grinned at that as he kept stuffing his mouth with chips. "I am Choji Akimichi."

"My name is Shino Aburame Itachi-sensei."

"Naruto Namikaze."

Itachi nodded "Good. Now, I need to make a test to see if you are worth of being ninja of Konoha."

"Wait? Test?" Choji asked and Shino nodded.

"It makes sense. Why? The final exam in the academy was too easy, so he probably wants to see what our true potential is."

Itachi nodded. "Indeed."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stood up hands in his pockets "What's the test?"

"A question. If one of you will go back to the academy, who will it be? You will decide that and the one that arguments the best for who should go back, that one will head back to the academy. You have 30 minutes." With that Itachi left the tree.

Naruto knew he was hiding around them in the forest due to his haki. He looked at his teammates that where thinking what to do. Choji stopped eating and was scratching his head while Shino was sweating.

"This doesn't make sense." Naruto said grabbing their attention.

"What thing?" Choji asked and Naruto closed his eyes.

"This test. He wouldn't send one of us to the academy. Where had you listen of a three-man team?"

"Naruto is right. That prospect doesn't have a lot of logic behind it." Shino said and Choji released a sigh.

"Then he is not going to send one of us at the academy."

"No. If we fail, he is going to send us all back there." Naruto said glaring where his sensei was hiden from the corner of his eye.

"I think I have something that might work guys." Choji said and Shino raised a brow.

"What is it?"

Choji grinned at them "Just follow my lead."

Naruto narrowed his eyes "Can you give us a clue?"

Suddenly Itachi appeared in front of them "Time's up."

Naruto glared at him "You said he had 30 minutes. I don't think that even 5 had passed." He said and Itachi looked down at him.

"I changed my mind. Now, who wants to go first?"

Choji raised his hand and Itachi nodded giving him the word "Me! Otherwise, Shino and Naruto wouldn't become great ninjas!"

Naruto widened his eyes at that 'What is this idiot doing?'.

Shino realizing this shook his head "I disagree. Why? Because I should go to the academy. I still have to perfect more things and it would be illogical for you two to stay behind."

Itachi looked at Naruto that was deciding what to do "And you Naruto. Who would you send back?"

Naruto looked at Shino and Choji that gave him a nod asking for his trust. He took a deep breath, feeling there was any other choice and said "Myself. Don't ask me why. I just should."

Itachi narrowed his eyes "Is that your final answer?" He asked and they nodded. He smiled slightly "The you pass. Congratulations."

Naruto released a breath, thanking god that Choji was correct. Talking about his teammates Shino had a ghost of a smile while Choji had a big grin on his face.

He was ready to walk away and finally have his donuts when Choji called for him "C'mon guys! Let's go to celebrate!"

Itachi was watching with a small smile how Choji and Shino convinced Naruto to go with them to bond. He now needs to give his report to the Hokage.

*Hokage Office*

"Itachi, do you mind staying here for a while." Minato called the Uchiha once everyone left.

Itachi nodded "Need something Lord Hokage?"

Minato nodded "Yes. It is about Naruto..."

"I want to make sure you keep Danzo away from him."

And done! Huf. My back hurts. That was chapter 3. Hope you enjoyed. Now, I know that many where expecting something different for the test that the sensei would give. But I thought that something different every once in a while, wouldn't hurt. Also, I hope you liked my final decision about the team and sensei. And that's all! Remember to leave your Review that it helps my motivation, PM me for any doubt or suggestion, Follow and Favorite me and the story.

Till Next Time.

Roy D. Harper.

Next Chapter: Outside the Walls.