Chapter One: Unspoken

When Naruto was a year old, Dad had killed Obito Uchiha in single combat. Mom had killed his top subordinate, Black Zetsu. They'd helped the Fourth Hokage stop the nine-tailed fox. Without them, the village might not be standing today.

Dad could have been Hokage if not for the Uchiha.

That's what he told himself when he was fully really alone. Naruto didn't have any pictures leftover from those days; the ANBU black ops had taken it all. Sometimes he could hardly remember what they looked like.

Now it was raining.

Tenten had started wearing her hair with two buns, instead of long. She'd said it kept it out of her eyes. Neji still wore his long with his new Leaf Headband around his forehead. The blank-eyed boy looked at Naruto, then Tenten, then away.

More silence. The pitter-patter of the rain on the roof of the balcony was the only sound.

Tenten gave a nervous smile while Naruto looked down at the floor. "...So, um, I guess we'll be on the same team together."

Silence.

Perfect silence.

It was better than some of the alternatives.

"Oh, come on, guys," said Tenten. "I feel like I'm at a funeral here. Can we at least try to break the ice?"

"So long as we remain professional, Tenten, it should not be necessary," said Neji. He was careful to keep his eyes off Naruto.

Tenten shifted. "Professional? We're kids, Neji."

"We are officially licensed ninja, now that we've graduated from the academy," said Neji. "As such, we have all the obligations and privileges of normal adults. Along with, well...

"I'm sure you're all fully aware of the obligations."

It could have been a lot worse. Neji and Tenten were some of the few people in the academy who hadn't been judging him ever since. Tenten only avoided him for fear of being put in a social ice age, and Neji just didn't care either way. He hated everyone equally.

They'd had a sort of rivalry thing going in the academy. He and Naruto were way more talented than everyone else. Whenever Naruto got stronger, Neji had worked to overtake him again. Neji hadn't wanted to be outdone by someone of his lineage, and Naruto just needed the contacted. The Hyuga was even nice enough not to cite the reason.

"...So are we going to sit here like this forever or what?" asked Tenten, leaning against the stone railing.

"We are waiting for our sensei, Tenten," said Neji. "As such, we are obligated to remain here. In any case, the meeting time isn't even here yet. Given his number of responsibilities, it is highly likely that he may be a few minutes late-"

And then he arrived in a green blur.

He was a tall, lanky man with a bowl cut and a big grin. He looked kind of goofy in his green spandex and weights. The rain, meanwhile, had stopped, and the mist cleared away. "Hello, students! Who's ready to become a splendid ninja!"

Neji shifted, and from the change in his lack of expression, Naruto knew he was annoyed. When was Neji not annoyed. "-there's always room for error, of course."

"Um, are you-" began Tenten.

The man pointed to himself and grinned. "I'm Might Guy, number one ninja of hard work, a practitioner of the power of youth, and eternal rival to Kakashi Hatake, the Copy-Ninja. But you can call me, Guy-sensei."

"...Of course," said Neji, blinking.

Naruto looked back at the floor. He wondered how long until Guy-sensei found out. If he hadn't already.

"Now then, why don't you three introduce yourselves," said Guy.

"There isn't really any need for that; we've been classmates for years," said Neji quickly.

"Nonsense," said Guy-sensei. "Let's start with you." He pointed to Neji.

Neji shifted. "As you wish.

"I am Neji Hyuga of the Branch Clan."

"Alright, anything else you'd like to say?" asked Guy-sensei.

"Not really," said Neji flatly.

"The strong silent type, eh? Well, that's okay in my book," said Guy-sensei. "What about you?" He pointed to Tenten.

Tenten seemed glad to have someone actually to talk to instead of at. "My name is Tenten; I was the best kunai-thrower in my class. I'm an orphan, and I had to do part-time jobs to support myself when I was in class to buy my equipment.

"My goal is to become a great ninja like the Legendary Sanin Tsunade!"

Dad and Mom had been on good terms with Tsunade before they went rogue, hadn't they? Maybe that was just Naruto's imagination. If they hadn't, wouldn't he have run into one of these people?

"Nice to hear it!" said Guy with a thumbs up. "What about you?"

Naruto looked up. "...I'm Naruto." What else was there to say. He doubted Guy-sensei knew. "My parents were traitors."

Guy's goofy demeanor disappeared, and Naruto looked down. "...Well, that's highly unfortunate." Here it came. Then a hand was set to his head, and he looked up. "If it's any consolation, my sensei was Orochimaru himself. When he did what he did, it hurt a great deal. But the power of youth is as much about overcoming adversity as it is living carefree.

"Still, who you are isn't defined by who your parents were. You can make your own destiny and your own new family if you have. All it takes is hard work."

That...

That hadn't been what Naruto was expecting at all.

Guy-sensei turned to walk back. "Now, follow me."

Quickly they stood and followed after him. Tenten shifted. "Where are we going?"

"It's a tradition among ninja that the first mission a team goes on be a bit of a test," said Guy-sensei. His voice was a bit serious but regaining levity. "To see if you've got what it takes.

"Ordinarily, we're supposed to pit you against each other to see if you can do proper teamwork.

"But, I prefer a more direct approach."

"What approach?" asked Neji.

They got their answer when they looked over the jogging track spreading out before them. It was huge, going beyond sight in several places. And they were at the starting line.

"Welcome to the jogging court, students!" said Guy.

"Jogging court?" asked Tenten. "What are we doing here?"

'You will be running, of course." said Guy. "Just a bit of light training to get us going."

"You're having us run laps as a test?" asked Neji. "That doesn't seem-"

"Three hundred laps to be exact," said Guy.

Naruto spoke up at last. "Three hundred laps, but... that track is like ten miles long?"

"Half a mile, actually," said Guy-sensei. "And don't worry. Some impossible odds are always a good way to start the day.

"Oh, and if any of you wash out, every single one of you will be going back to the academy."

"What?" said Naruto. "But I can't go back I'll... I'll be a laughing stock as well as an outcast!"

"Get ready!" said Guy, moving to the edge.

Neji thought quickly. "Listen to me, both of you. If we sprint as quickly as we can from the beginning, we'll only run ourselves ragged.

"Pace yourself. If we go slow and steady, we will be able to go farther."

"A hundred and fifty miles?" said Naruto. "We both know they're just trying to make us wash out." He should have known Guy-sensei had taken it too well. The people who pretended not to mind were the worst; they got his hopes up.

"Get set!" said Guy-sensei.

"Then we will complete the assignment anyway," said Neji. "I, for one, will not go back to the Main Branch in defeat. And if any one of us drags the other down, we all fail."

"He's right, Naruto," said Tenten. "We've got to give it at least our best shot."

"Fine, whatever," said Naruto.

"Go!" said Guy-sensei.

They started running. Naruto had always had the best endurance of everyone in the class, maybe in the school. So he could probably last a decent amount of time. Maybe if he outdid a Hyuga, people would treat him better. No, Neji was part of the main branch.

"So, um-" began Tenten.

"Save your breath," said Neji. "Focus on running."

So they ran. Naruto hardly noticed the ground passing beneath his feet as he did. Tenten and Neji were also doing well, and soon enough, they had circled around and passed the finish line.

"Good job, that's your first lap! Keep it up!" said Guy-sensei.

"He's mocking us, isn't he?" said Tenten.

"Possibly," admitted Neji.

On they went for four more laps, and each time Guy-sensei would congratulate them as they did. "Great work, kids! Five down, three hundred and ninety-five to go!"

Naruto almost believed he was glad for them.

"Neji, this is nuts," said Tenten as they continued their run. "How are we supposed to run over a hundred miles?"

"Ninja are capable of covering such distances, Tenten," said Neji. He'd always prided himself on reading a lot. "It is not an impossible task."

"Yeah, but we just got out of the academy," said Tenten. "Our drills never included anything like this."

Yes, they were doomed, get over it. "Can we just get this over with, please?" asked Naruto.

"Well, excuse me for trying to make conversation," said Tenten in irritation.

"Ten laps!" said Guy-sensei sometime later. "Two hundred and ninety to go!"

"Twenty laps! Excellent work!" came the call.

"That's thirty laps!" he cheered.

Not they were hitting their limits. Or at least Neji and Tenten were, they'd always had less endurance and were starting to look a bit tired. Though Neji, of course, would never admit it.

"Neji I..." gasped Tenten. "I can't keep this up."

"Stay focused Tenten," said Neji. "If you fail this, all of us do."

"I know, but... nevermind..." said Tenten.

On they went, pushing themselves to their limits. Tenten began to lag behind, but she kept pressing forward despite it. Laps blurred into one another as they continued to pass go.

"Forty laps, great work! Nearly a third done!" said Guy-sensei.

"I..." Tenten fell to one knee. "I can't..."

Neji kneeled by her, not looking much better himself and helped her to her feet. "Here, let me help."

Naruto was nowhere near tired. He ought to be the one doing this. "Neji, do you..."

"I'm fine," said Neji flatly, with a twinge of hostility.

One they went, Tenten leaning on Neji. Naruto slowed to a halt and tried to help when he could, but Neji, as usual, was too proud to accept help.

"Fifty-one laps," said Guy in surprise as they passed the line again. "Hmm, a new record."

"...Why don't you let me take her?" asked Naruto.

"I'm fine," replied Neji flatly. "If you... run yourself... ragged..." He said nothing and moved on through sheer anger. This, to him, was about proving himself, both to his family and himself. It was about that stupid Caged Bird Seal, wasn't it?

Neji's limbs were actively shaking with effort. He was relying on Tenten as much as she on him, but he wouldn't ask for help. Idiot.

Then Tenten forced herself off.

So Naruto kept moving, not feeling tired at all. In the early days, he'd been able to train nonstop for hours on end when everyone else had to take a breather. Mom had often given him difficult tasks, like folding paper with just chakra. It'd been a way to keep him occupied.

Then the Root Massacre had happened. Mom and Dad had disappeared after doing it, and everything fell apart. People who had been Naruto's 'friends' all of a sudden wanted nothing to do with him, no matter how talented he was. Teachers began to try and rig grades by making the exam include his worst skills. Naruto had been forced to train to be the best he could at everything, and he'd only barely scraped by.

"Fifty-five, you're over a sixth done now! Keep it up!" said Guy.

But Neji and Tenten weren't keeping it up. They were struggling to keep going while Naruto could do this all day. It was getting dark now, and the sun was setting. The other two were drenched in sweat and wavering with each step. They were at their breaking point now.

"I... I can't..." said Tenten.

Suddenly she collapsed. Neji leaned in to try and grab her but fell forward as well. Naruto backtracked toward him. "Tenten? Neji?

"Are you alright?"

Neji tried to pull himself up, but his body wasn't obeying him. "I..."

"Neji, are you..." Tenten gasped.

Neji dragged himself up to his knee, every move looking painful. He offered a hand. "Get up, Tenten. We can go on."

Tenten took it. "Yeah, it's fine."

Then, Guy-sensei was in front of them, looking stern. "I'm afraid that's not an option."

"What?" said Tenten.

Here it came.

"As a teacher, part of my job is looking out for the safety of my students," said Guy-sensei. "You two are at your limit, and if you push any further, you'll only hurt yourselves.

"And since two of you can't continue, that means none of you can.

"I can say with absurdly certainty your a bunch of failures."

"That's not true!" snapped Neji. "I'm not done, I can still..."

"You pass," said Guy.

What?

"What?" said Neji.

"Failure is what makes someone a winner," said Guy-sensei, giving a thumbs up. "Someone who aces every test without breaking a sweat isn't a winner. A winner is someone who can take failures and keep on going till they reach the next level.

"I needed to know if you three could hack it. And you passed with flying colors!"

"We... you mean we're not going back to the academy?" said Naruto.

"Nope," said Guy-sensei. "Congratulations to all three of you!"

For the first time in years, Naruto smiled. He leaped skyward. "Yes! Yes, we've passed! We passed guys did you-"

Neji and Tenten were lying down in the dirt, glaring at him. "Oh come on, would it kill you guys to show a little enthusiasm?" said Naruto.

"Oh, don't worry," said Guy-sensei. "They'll brighten up once he learns we'll be doing the same thing with weights later."

Naruto wasn't going back to the academy, and from the looks of things, he was on a team that might just accept him. Things were finally looking up.

Author's Note:

Okay, so this is a divergence fic based around the concept that Naruto had a different parentage. The catch being that changing the parentage required alterations.

As such, Naruto is a year older and on a completely different team.

By the way, I'd love to hear your guesses as to who his parents are and what the divergent point is. Rest assured, both are canon characters, and there is a specific point that led to them being here.

I need to stop creating so many fanfics. It's just that I have so many ideas, and sometimes I hit roadblocks in my other stories.