Tip Of The Spear
Chapter Seven
After the meeting with Sasuke Naruto finished up a proposal to Hiruzen. It concerned the curriculum for the classes following his. The changes would be phased in over the course of the next four years, with the full changes to be implemented in next years incoming classes. The age for acceptance into the academy had been raised during Naruto's absence to eight years old.
Hiruzen, feeling guilty about his charge had decided that children should have a childhood before they were placed in a school that trained them to kill. Since the villages have been at peace for such a long period of time this would pose no problems. The first change was the removal of courses that were deemed useless such as flower arranging. These had been forced upon the academy by the council for no good reason other than because they could.
With the council gone and replaced Naruto and Sakura were now using what they had trained in to make the changes. The first years would now have a full year of advanced math. This was necessary for the next years class in sabotage. The kids would need to know where and how much explosive to use to bring down a bridge, wall or dam. Each structure built had natural weak points, it was the students job to figure them out and then calculate the right explosive load for the mission.
The classes would be taken on field trips to power generation plants, water works and gas works on the civilian side of things. The next phase was to be taken to military sites such as barracks, border control stations and bunkers on the country's frontiers. Upon return from each trip the kids would have two days to write a summary and brief of the trip and then using those notes write a full report and plan of attack on the facility. The plan was not just how to blow the thing up, it had to cover entry, placement and exit as well as timings of sentries and other security measures.
Naruto wanted to have the children that graduated from the full program to the resident experts in everything ninja. He and Sakura now had a good reason to want the changes. Three actually, in the names of Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. The couple saw the three as a combination of younger siblings and the children they had longed for while on Earth.
The three were orphans, Konohamaru actually being Hiruzen's only grandson, the boy's parents having died in the service of the village. The other two that ran with him were also children of ninja killed in the line of duty. These kids were the ones that would be entering the revamped course load and Naruto was worrying over every detail no matter how small. Sakura as well was trying to fineness her side of the coin.
Her concern was the instruction of basic and intermediate first aid training and the overall health and fitness of the students. After spending almost a year with a mass of Uchiha and then later Uzumaki fan girls she had had enough. Just as in boot camp the students would have a full physical within the first week. The boys were not really a problem, in order for them to be as high on the pecking order as they can they did all they could to get bigger in height and weight as they grew.
Girls, especially fan girls were the problem. They had the idea that they needed to be thin to catch a boys attention and to be thin meant dieting. That was going to change beginning the next year with all classes but the younger students were the ones that could still be taught. Those girls would be monitored and counseled on proper diet if need be. A weight loss with no reason would be red flagged and the student medically examined. Failure to follow the dietary program would result in being dropped from the academy and placed in a civilian facility where if you wanted to starve yourself you could as it posed no risk to your school or workmates.
Now, as the couple stood and exited their shared office. Well not really shared as it was an outer office staffed by fellow students on rotation and a private office for both Naruto and Sakura. The students that helped out were doing the job as both extra income and job experience as an infiltrator. At some point they may have to take a mission that places them in this kind of environment. Part of their job working in the office was to obtain anything of intelligence value. Those items would be included in a report given to Iruka and only Iruka. Important and actually sensitive items were locked in cabinets with a blood seal so only Naruto of Sakura and anyone they included in the sealing matrix actually had access.
Saying goodnight to their assistants the couple stepped into the hall to be greeted by their three followers. "Boss, are you done for the day?" Kono asked.
"Yep, all done. You three ready to get a meal and then home?" Naruto replied as the three kids cheered and yelled in the affirmative.
As the fivesome left the villages academy and administrative compound Sakura looked and the children and asked that dreaded question, "You three have homework tonight?"
Over the weeks they had known her the trio learned quickly not to lie about anything. Her temper was already legendary and neither child wanted to endure another spanking by the daemon with the pink hair.
"Yes ma'am," Moegi answered, "We have a page of math and then read the last chapter of our history book."
"That's all? Just read the chapter?"
"No ma'am, we have to answer the questions at the end of the chapter too," Udon whined. While he was a bright child he had trouble getting his thoughts in his head down his arm and to his pencil and paper. Naruto partially solved that problem as he had Mokoto purchase a cassette recorder the boy could dictate into and then write down what he had said.
Naruto smiled at the three and spoke to them, "Well let's get dinner and then we'll head home. Don't worry, Sakura and I will help you three out okay?"
The kids nodded and the group made their way to the market district for a meal. Since Shin Sekei's was closed for remodeling and the Ichiraku's were on vacation they decided on going to a new restaurant that had opened up. They had heard from Choji how great the food was and the Akimichi clan had been going there since they opened up. From what they heard, the owners had been out of the village for a few years and decided to open a place there after the success they had had in the capital.
/
As they entered they saw not only Choji and his family but Ino, Shikamaru and their families as well. The large boy stood and waved to them calling them over. Naruto nodded and waited until the host walked up to his group. The older man stopped and stared for a moment as Sakura asked for a table for five next to their friends. At that the man sneered and with a loud voice declared to the girl, "As if the daemon brat and his whore have friends. Go away! We don't serve your kind here!"
"What do you mean calling my big sis a whore?" Konohamaru yelled.
Looking at the boy the man spoke, "Honored Grandson, these two are the lowest forms of human, if you can even call the boy that, life this village has seen. The slut is even worse since she decided to turn traitor to her family and clan and take up with him."
Just as Konohamaru began to respond a voice called from behind, "What is the meaning of this? You were told to stay in the back and not interact with the public, or did you forget that?"
The man just shouted back to his questioner, "It's a good thing I did come out, I stopped this scum from ruining your and your restaurant's reputation. I told you that he and that...girl are nothing but trash!"
"And I told you that you and your friends were making a mistake thinking like that. I made a mistake bringing you back here, leave, just get out and don't come back!"
"How dare you?!" the man yelled, "I'm family, I'm your father! You can't do this to me, do you know who I am in this hole you call a village?"
"I know who you were and what you are. You're a member of a council that was dissolved by order of the Hokage's Regent and the Fire Lord, an ex-convict guilty of crimes to many to list and a bastard that was banished from the village. You ARE NOT MY FATHER! The biggest mistake in my life was to petition to have you let back into the village."
As the old man glared at his son the younger man continued, "I'm done with you, get out of here and don't bother going to my house, your shit will be sent to whatever hole you crawl back into."
As the man left he took a swing at Naruto who was standing there still in shock at the man's words as memories of his previous treatment played back in his mind. The blow might have connected but a sharp pain in his gut and arm stopped the attacker. As he looked down he saw Moegi withdrawing a kunai from his stomach as Udon still had his kunai embedded into the man's arm.
The little girl was actually snarling at the man, "No one touches or hurts our father!"
By then Naruto's ANBU detail had arrived as the team known as Ino-Shika-Cho walked up, "Weasel," Inoichi said, "Take this man to Ibiki and Anko, have them...educate him on the current situation of the village and then toss him in a cell. His probation is revoked and since he was banished in the first place, let the Hokage and his regent decided his fate."
Without a word the man was whisked away, no one, not even his now former son asked that the stab to the gut be treated. Ibiki would have it looked at if it was serious, if not, oh well. The restaurant owner then walked up to Naruto to apologize but them became concerned seeing the boys face.
Looking at the pink haired girl he began to speak, "Lady Sakura, I am so sorry for this, had I knew that bastard would leave the office I never would have left the place."
Sakura turned to the man with a confused and angry look on her face, "My husband is having a flashback of all the pain this village gave him when we were younger because of what that man said to him and and all you can do is say 'you're sorry'?"
"No, I...I just don't have the words for what I feel at the moment, that man," he began, "that man does not speak for me or anyone that works for me. The first question I ask a new employee is how they feel about the daemon brat," at this the temperature in the room dropped to zero as Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"Be very careful of your next words mister because they may just be your last," she warned.
The man swallowed thickly as he answered, "I know, and that's why anyone that did not threaten me, attack me or otherwise show displeasure at my words would not be hired. I will never knowingly hire someone who would disrespect Lord Uzumaki, please believe me."
As Sakura opened her mouth Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Sakura-chan, you don't recognize him?" he asked.
Taking a closer look she noticed the dark eyes that always showed warmth when he spoke to two scared little kids. She began to remember an older teen that would grab them and take them to safety when the mob was to large and and too close for ANBU to rescue them. She remembered the meals that were hot and filling on days that were cold and wet and she remembered the kind words he would say to them as he closed the door to the hidden room that would shelter them for at least a few days.
Sakura threw her arms around the man and cried in his shoulder, "Ayato, I'm sorry I forgot about you and I almost hurt you," she sobbed out.
The man, Ayato, just patted her back and smiled at her and Naruto, "No, I'm the one that's sorry," said softly, "I couldn't do more, I couldn't protect you and Naruto-Sama from my father and the rest of the councilmen."
"Ayato, you did protect us from him, just now when he was yelling at us you did like you always do, save us in the nick of time."
"Thank you Lord Uzumaki, if you follow me I will make sure you and your little family are well cared for. I have a surprise for you two as well," turning to Sakura he smiled and continued, "Lady Sakura, I heard that you finally caught your fox, congratulations."
Sakura smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you Ayato, I'm sorry for forgetting you, you were always so kind to us."
"It's okay, the important thing is I didn't forget you two. In fact that's why I moved back here and opened this place up, I wanted you and Lord Naruto to have a welcome place besides the Ichiraku's."
Ayato led the small party to a booth in the back that overlooked a garden and fountain. They were told when the weather was more predicable tables would be opened out there. Since everything was so new to the group they let Ayato select their meal for them. Having done so the food was soon brought out.
Sakura fell in love with the soup, it was the same as she remembered when she was younger and made her feel safe. The meal was called the Maelstrom, it was the soup, rice, vegetables and beef that was swimming in a sweet teriyaki sauce and a large bowel of ramen. The meal was designed to be as healthy as it could be but have flavors that children would enjoy eating. As Naruto ate he was trying to place the noodles and the miso as the flavor was very familiar but couldn't place it.
As Ayato walked up Naruto couldn't help it and asked why the ramen tasted so familiar. The answer was a big shock, it was Ichiraku's recipe. The old man had given it to Ayato on the condition it would be used in one dish, never sold by itself and always made fresh as soon as Naruto walked in the door. The man readily agreed and even named the meal after the boy.
After being called 'Lord' so many times Naruto laughed and told the man just to call him and Sakura by their names like he always did. They weren't big on formalities and friends should never let a title stand between them. As the group made their way to leave their bill was waived even thought the couple argued that they wanted to pay, it's not like the old days, now they had more money than they knew what to do with it.
Rather than argue Naruto and Sakura did what they've been doing with the ramen folks, at the cash register was a large glass jar stuffed with ryo coins and paper notes. The tips would be shared at the end of the day with the wait and cooking staff. Since the confrontation had made the employees very nervous the young couple decided to do what was only right. On the way out as they were saying goodbye to Ayato Moegi was by the tip jar stuffing the large wad of bills given her into the top. She was smiling innocently as she did her E rank mission, as she knew they would be home by the time Ayato and the rest figured out that the tip jar contained the same amount of cash Naruto's meal had come to they would all be home asleep.
Afterwards the small group made their way home, it was too early to call them a family but the signs were there. Signs such as Moegi claiming Naruto as her father and Konohamaru calling Sakura sis. While the couple had not officially adopted either of the three Hiruzen did allow them to live there. As mentioned, Konohamaru's clan really did not have time for him as the only two that could help with his Ninja studies were constantly busy. At the same time the couples classmates had found a new hangout in their house, not only did their classmates hang out, Hinata's sister Hanabi would visit too. That wasn't surprising for two reasons, one, the girl had a crush on Konohamaru and two, the two children were under a marriage contract that was proposed by Hiashi to solidify relations between the Third Hokage's family and his own.
Political intentions aside, the two children were together as much as they could be and both looked up to Naruto and Sakura. So much so that they would counter the argument that they were to young to know what love is with pointing out that Naruto and Sakura were younger than they were when they confessed to each other and were a couple before they were aware of the contract that linked them together. At this stage however it was cute to see them not only play but train together with their friends and families.
The other pair of children Moegi and Udon were Konohamaru's best friends, where one went the others followed. The only places that they weren't together were bathing, using the restroom and sleeping. The rest of the time they were together look for one and you would find all three. While some would say they spent too much time together, Naruto encouraged it. The way they worked and learned had already made it easy for him to pick the first team from their incoming classmates.
Now, as it grew later in the evening Sakura went into the room set aside as the kid's study. Finding them at the table in the center of the room she looked over their homework. Answering a few questions from her charges she noticed Moegi a little quieter than usual.
"Moegi? Dear, something wrong?" she asked.
"That man, the one that insulted fa...Naruto," she began, "When he went to hit him I stabbed him and I didn't get into trouble."
"What about him?" Sakura replied looking at the girl for signs of mental trauma.
"Am I a bad person for doing that?"
"Do you feel like a bad person? I mean, he didn't die since ANBU would have let us know by now."
"I...I don't know. I mean I'm not sad that I did it, but I'm not happy about it either. I just did what you and Naruto taught us just like Kono-baka. I feel...confused?" the little girl told her guardian.
"Moegi, what you are feeling is normal. You shouldn't feel happy that you almost killed someone but you should be happy that you were able to protect your precious person," turning Sakura looked at her and her husband's final charge, "You too Udon-kun, I'm very proud of you for defending Naruto-kun."
"Remember," Sakura continued, "as long as you take no pleasure in killing or hurting a person while doing your job you'll not lose your humanity."
Feeling the three kids hug her Sakura walked them to their rooms. As she was saying good night Naruto came in, first to the boys and then to Moegi. Tucking them in he told them that Hiruzen had heard what happened and they would be paid for a D rank escort mission since they had acted to protect the young Hokage. The boys had been a bit miffed since Moegi had been given an E mission to stuff the tip jar. Naruto pointed out that they turned the mission down when he asked who wanted to take it. That shut them up and he went to tuck the girl in. Telling her that he was proud of her he kissed her forehead like he had seen fathers on TV do when he was growing up. Moegi was grateful that it was dim in the room so her heated cheeks were hidden.
/
The next day was typical of classes getting ready for the graduation exams. Iruka was going over some last minute lessons in stealth and Mizuki giving individual attention to those like Kiba and a couple civilian born kids. Naruto noticed that what was being told to Kiba was not exactly wrong, but it was not correct enough for him to answer the written portion correctly. Kiba, was finding it hard to stay calm near the now confirmed traitor.
The confirmation had come that morning with Sai informing Naruto that the man had met with a merchant that was suspected of providing cover and a safe house for Danzo's ROOT agents that would make their way back to their former home from time to time. Naruto and Jiraiya had provided seals that would record a person's chakra signature and Naruto had the foxes obtain a couple of 'spy' cameras and audio recording gear.
All of the audio/video equipment was triggered by mechanical means and the seals were passive in nature. The budding intelligence gatherers were rewarded by the recordings that were quickly delivered to the Hokage's office. ANBU were notified that the merchant was to have a fatal 'accident' while he traveled outside the walls of the village sometime after Mizuki was taken care of. The final piece of the puzzle was finding out Mizuki's target, the Hokage's 'Forbidden Scroll'. Actually it belonged to the Uzumaki royal family but it was kept safe by the Hokage's office.
Naruto was pissed off, that was his family's property the man was after. Thinking about the evidence presented it was safe for the boy to assume that in the end either Danzo or Orochimoro would be the ones pulling the strings. Odds on favorite was the old mummy, he hated Minato and Hiruzen's vision for the village. Where those men wanted peace and to work with the other villages Danzo saw Konoha and Fire country ruling the others and growing rich off the backs of the conquered villages with Danzo governing over everything.
After lunch the final brief was being conducted as Mizuki sat in his office. After Iruka's promotion the man became a pain in the ass until Naruto got a brilliant idea. Calling Mizuki into a meeting with him and Hiruzen the man was told that while he was not promoted his experience as an instructor was valuable to the village and it's children. Mizuki was given the title of 'Teaching Assistant Resident Expert', and 'Subject & Source Matter Instructor'.
The titles meant nothing in reality but they soothed the mans ruffled feathers and inflated his ego. He also was given his own office instead of having to share space in the teachers lounge. What he didn't know was that the office was wired for sound and video, anything that went on in there was sent to ANBU for analysis.
As the days wore on Naruto's mission was drawing to a close. He was in his own office thinking about how things were progressing. Uchiha Sasuke was becoming one of his strongest supporters. Between Sakura befriending him and helping with his mental trauma and his own action in giving the boy what little was known about Itachi's betrayal and attack the once lone boy was looking forward to a future with a stronger clan. Since there were so few survivors it was evident that when marriage partners were chosen the Uchiha clan would have to outside the clan for suitable partners. In doing so would not only bring in new blood but ensure no genetic misfortune would befall them.
Kiba was another that was a strong supporter and friend. In contrast to his brash nature he was a natural for deep cover work. Once it was realized that Mizuki was selectively sabotaging the kids education for some unknown reason Kiba was read into the mission and began to gain the traitor's confidence. Akamaru himself was a part of the plan, recording equipment was placed in the pup's collar and at the end of meetings or training sessions the dog would wander over to an ANBU agent in a dog mask to exchange collars so the info would be sent to ANBU HQ while still fresh.
Hinata would sometimes provide over watch on her childhood friend with her bloodline. Over time the girl became more confident in her abilities. She was sometimes paired up with Ami and Ino as cover. While it was no secret that Kiba had feelings for the Hyuga heiress Hinata had a small crush on the boy in return. The class used that as a plausible reason to be following him with her friends.
Where those three girls went Shikamaru, Choji and Sasuke would be close by. Sasuke because Ami was his girlfriend now and he swore to protect her. The other two boys because Ino was like a little sister to them and they would never let anything happen to her. The last of the promising graduates, Shino and Sai, stayed in the background.
Shino would use his bugs as not only as a warning to when unwanted company was near but as a means of protection of his friends and classmates. The insects his clan used would be spread out around anywhere Kiba was to meet his teacher. At the first sign of trouble they would be ordered to swarm the danger and buy time for Kiba and Akamaru to escape as ANBU moved in. Sai would use his paintings of mice and other critters to provide eyes and ears in places that Naruto's technology could not be placed.
One last thing about Kiba, the boy was stronger than he looked and he took learning his clan techniques very seriously. In fact Neji and Sasuke were not the only prodigy's in the village, Kiba was one in his own right but kept it carefully hidden. The only people that were never around on the stake out and support assignments were Naruto and Sakura.
For one, Mizuki hated them with a passion but he kept it concealed. The other reason was that they both had things to do after class ended in the academy. Naruto had training by the Third and his grandfather in how to run a village, spy network and other things Hokage related. Sakura would report to the hospital for training under Tsunade. It was actually a mutual exchange of experience. Sakura would be trained in the Mystic Palm and other chakra related techniques and Tsunade would learn from Sakura first aid and other medical practices that were not reliant on chakra.
Over the last few months the foxes had been bringing in medical equipment that Sakura had trained on. Some were to be added into the medical bags of all combat medics such as a portable defibrillator, blood pressure cuff and reader, pulse oximeter and digital thermometer. They were placed in an oversized backpack that held not only the aforementioned items but also drugs, IV setups, bandages and splints. Everything Sakura had used had been brought to this world and made ready for the new medic nins.
/
After one last meeting under the guise of graduation review the day arrived. The first phase of the three phase exam was the written, it was here that Mizuki had done his damage to Kiba. As noted, while not wrong, the answers he provided to the future clan head were not enough to make the correct answer. Had Kiba's graduation depended on this portion he would have been in trouble.
The next phase was ninjutsu, the so called academy three. One a student did the three required tasks they could do more for extra credit. Only did a couple of the more loud and over confident civilian born males make use of that option. The rest of the class hid their skills from Mizuki and the other observers in attendance. Naruto was proud of them, they had learned to think like a ninja of Planet Earth, always conceal your true self from your enemies.
The last phase was taijutsu. It was here that Naruto and Sakura revealed a portion of their true power and selves. Mizuki, still thinking that Sasuke and Naruto had a very bitter rivalry thanks to their planning pitted them in the first bout. Both smirked at each other and began the trash talk.
"Ready to lose dope?" the Uchiha yelled.
"Always you Bastard, let's do this!" Naruto shouted back as Ami and Sakura rolled their eyes.
As Iruka yelled for them to start they both charged each other. Sasuke settled into his clans interceptor style as Naruto used his speed and size to his advantage. Both traded glancing blows as the blonde passed by his opponent. Pivoting to keep Naruto in sight Sasuke frowned as he now saw three annoying whisker faced boys facing him.
"So you can make bunshin!" Sasuke yelled, "I can't get hurt by them and it's still you that has to land a punch!" he taunted.
Naruto just smiled and the three nodded as one. Raising their fists the charged at Sasuke. As the first hit his smirk vanished, the dope had clipped him without him realizing that the first one was real. Concentrating on that Naruto since the others were the distractions Sasuke was struck again and then thrown to the ground.
Now he was mad, friend or not, nobody gets the drop on an Uchiha. As he tried to figure out how Naruto was in two places at the same time the second Naruto threw himself at his friend. Sasuke was again taken by surprise as he felt his nose break from the impact of fist on cartilage. As his eyes clouded from tears and pain the onyx haired boy lashed out and struck the remaining Naruto. Inwardly he was shocked to see and hear a pop of smoke where the blonde powerhouse was just standing.
His shock was overridden as Naruto emerged from the smoke and clothes lined his friend. The impact threw the boy on the ground as Naruto had aimed a little low and caught him across the upper chest and shoulders. Had he struck Sasuke in a true clothes line the impact could have broke the Uchiha's neck. It was not a quick death as Naruto had witnessed before as he had once fought to the death with a Brazilian cartel soldier.
Scrambling to reverse his course Naruto pounced on Sasuke and levered his arm across his foes neck. "Yield, yeah?"
"Fuck, I yield, you win, you win! Now can your wife please fix my nose?"
"Sure, that was a good fight bro. Hey Sakura-chan! Can you fix this loser's nose for me?" Naruto yelled to his wife who answered with a roll of her eyes and a fist to the head.
"Owww! Sakura-chan, that hurts when you do that!" he then cried out.
"What was it you always say? Oh yeah, pain is just weakness leaving the body. Come here Sasuke, just stand there and hold...still (SNAP!)" the girl told Sasuke as she snapped his nose back into place.
"Ohh fffffffuuck that hurt! What's with that smile?" the boy accused, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"
Trying and failing to hide the smile and mirth in her voice Sakura gave the boy her best shocked look, "I'm shocked Uchiha-san, I'm a professional medic. I do not enjoy causing pain to my patients and loved ones."
"Yeah right," Naruto mumbled sitting next to her as he rubbed his head.
Before the argument could continue the next fight was announced. As it started Ami came over and sat down next to her boyfriend and the two couples began watching and commenting on the match in front of them. After the third match Sakura was called to fight against Ino. Everyone was watching the two girls.
Ino was a known quantity, she was a fan girl that didn't take her physical strength seriously. Sakura on the other hand was unknown. She had seen actual fighting and was a combat veteran by the time she was twelve. She also trained everyday with Naruto and the three kids that lived with them. She was also suspected to have been holding back in the spars held during the school year.
As they entered the circle neither spoke or made any taunts. This was a fight to establish the top girl in the group. While they were friends Ino was always a bit miffed that the other girls would defer to the pink haired female. Before Sakura's return Ino had been top girl, now she wasn't so sure. As Iruka's hand dropped both girls charged. Ino sure that she could hold her own.
She was not, however, prepared for the pink torpedo that Sakura had become. The Uzumaki matriarch was still a small girl even when standing next to her best friend. She didn't have the mass to put behind a punch, not yet. She did have her speed and she had years of experience from not only training but years of competition in martial arts tournaments. While Naruto was the top male in his age group, Sakura was the female title holder. Now she was using this well of experience to her advantage.
Before Ino could react she found a fist buried in her gut bending her over and down. With the wind knocked out of her all Ino could do was sag to her knees, once again disappointed that no one still had learned anything of how Sakura fought. With Iruka's words announcing Sakura as winner in her ears she felt someone helping her up. Turning she saw Sakura's small smile, the one she saved for her friends and Naruto as the pink haired girl helped her to the sidelines.
Finally it was time for the announcements of who passed the exams. While the taijutsu matches were pass or fail they were only twenty percent of the total score. The instructors only wanted to see if their students had the right stances and idea rather than the power to fight to the death unlike a village such as the "Bloody Mist".
All passed but Kiba, he had failed the written exam completely. Now as the happy students left the building with their new headbands and families Kiba stayed behind. He had informed his mother as to the ongoing mission and his part in it so she wouldn't make a scene when it was announced that he had 'failed'. As he sat in one of the swings he heard Mizuki walk up behind him, his blood boiling that he had to listen to this traitor for hopefully the last time.
"Kiba, I want to say I'm sorry you didn't pass. I didn't think Iruka would be that strict with the answers on the test. I mean technically you did get the questions right," he told the boy trying to hide the glee in his voice.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to tell mom that I have to repeat the last year because of that. I mean how can Naruto pass when he was only in the academy for just a year? It's not fair sensei, it's just not fair."
"Well Kiba, in special cases like yours I'm allowed, since I'm one of your sensei's and your tutor for the written part, to give you the confidential exam."
"Confidential exam?"
"Yes, it's essentially a stealth mission. You have to infiltrate a secured area and retrieve an object of high value. In this case the Uzukage's Forbidden Scroll, it's held in the tower on the top level. It also belongs to the Uzumaki clan, what better way to prove that you deserve to graduate than to steal that little bastard's property and show him who's the better ninja?"
Kiba gave his own smile as he replied, "Yeah, you're right, what better way? Don't worry, tonight I'll show you who's the better ninja, sensei, I'll show everyone."
/
As Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's desk facing his mentor the door opened up, Sai walked in and bowed to the occupants inside, "Lord Third, Lord Jiraiya, Lord Fifth. Genin Sai reporting as ordered."
Naruto looked at the boy, "What are your orders?"
"I'm here to report the target has taken the bait and is on the move."
"Good," Naruto smiled, "And what of Kiba?"
Getting ready, he should be here shortly after Lord Third leaves for the day. Shino reports Mizuki has packed away his apartment and is closing his bank accounts. The excuse he's giving is that the Hokage had ordered him on an extended mission."
"Very well, let him continue unhindered. It's funny to think the man is wary of ANBU but has left himself open to be tracked by a bunch of students."
Sai gave a rare true smile at that remark, "This is for keeps isn't it Hokage-sama?"
"Yes it is, and Sai? Until I officially take the hat I'm just plain Naruto okay?"
"As you say. Uhmm, Naruto, may I ask a question?"
"Sure, what do ya want to know?" the blonde responded.
"Is it...is it normal to be nervous? At the start of a mission I mean," came the boys query.
"Yes, for me and Sakura it is. You have so much to remember and plan for and you worry that you'll forget something or you'll freeze up. But you want to know something I learned Sai?"
"Yes, tell me please. I'm so afraid that I'll fail you and my friends that I'm shaking on the inside."
"What happens, happens. No plan ever survives the first minute of contact so be grateful that we've ran this mission for so long without the bastard figuring things out," Naruto told his friend, "Even so, if you weren't nervous before it's showtime I'd be worried that you forgot something. Nervousness is Kami's way of making sure you've done everything you could and are still looking for things that were not thought of."
Looking at the dark haired boy Naruto smiled, "I trust you more now than I did before because you're not afraid to ask questions like what you asked. It means that you're not a mindless drone. Now, go on out there and continue the mission. Inform that lazy Nara he has operational control until Kiba leaves the tower."
Sai smiled and with a grin saluted Naruto and yelled out , "Hai! Hokage-sama!" and left as quickly as he could.
Naruto shook his head and pulled on his web gear before collecting Sakura and with her in tow walked up the stairs to his mentors office alongside Hiruzen and Jiraiya. Entering said chamber Hiruzen sat in his chair and looked at the pair. Both were in their cammies with full web gear. On their heads were the unusual hats they wore, boonie hats, he recalled.
The pair were wearing them in a different fashion than normal, Sakura had both the right and left sides rolled up and held in place by the chinstrap. Naruto had the left side of his brim pinned up with a spare Trident badge. Hiruzen also noticed the new clan emblem on the left shoulder of their uniform blouses. In subdued colors Naruto had incorporated the Haruno circle with the Uzumaki swirl. Bisecting that was the Namekazi lightening bolt that employed a slant to the left, a bar sinister, Naruto called it. He told the old man that it meant the herald bearer was either an illegitimate son or the son of one. In other words Minato and by extension Naruto, were bastards. Something that the boy was for some reason proud of the fact.
Hiruzen noticed the last touches of the patch, to the left of the bolt was a nine tailed fox with a kunai in it's mouth superimposed over an anchor symbolizing their training by both the fox and Naval force of their adopted country. To the right was the symbol of the Leaf Village superimposed on a red and black flame, showing the village and country that they swore to protect and call home.
Jiraiya noticed the new clan emblem and smiled with pride, his grandson and granddaughter, he would never see Sakura as a mere in law, were ready to complete their first mission for the village. They had lived up to the Uzumaki-Namekazi name and here now stood not two academy students but two hardened combat veterans. They had that look of steel in their eyes and the walk and stature that oozed confidence. However his eyes caught something on their persons, Naruto's M4 and Sakura's M14 were slung on their backs and Jiraiya knew that they had a pistol each in the low slung holsters with kunai on the opposite side.
"You're taking those?" he asked as he pointed to the weapons.
"Yes Ero-Jijii," Naruto answered as he rolled his eyes.
"But...don't you think those are a little but much? Like...say...overkill?"
Sakura giggled as she kissed the man on his cheek, "Really Ero-Ji, asking us not to take these is like asking you not to peep or Hokage-Jijii not to use Enma or telling Baka-Kakashi not to be late. These are a part of our gear, besides, we have the suppressors attached. That should be ninja enough for you right?"
"That's not what I mean and you know it, if you use those it can and most likely will get back the the other villages about our developing a new weapon. Sakura, that would start an arms race the lands can't afford."
"Actually Jiraiya, they'll be looking in the wrong place for these," Sakura replied, "You know and I know that the most they'll have is muzzle loading muskets, if that."
"Yeah, grandfather," Naruto joined in, "Only the foxes and Jaguars know where to get this stuff and they won't tell. Now lets get going, Dog Breath is going to be here soon." With that the office was cleared and dark.
/
It was like that twenty minutes later when Kiba entered the office and looked around. Not knowing if the traitor was watching, Kiba had to make it look like he had no idea where to find the scroll. After a few minutes of looking around, Kiba had a really good look at the Fourth's portrait and realized that Naruto really was the son of the village's beloved Fourth Hokage. Shaking off the thoughts of how the villagers, civilian and shinobi alike, could be so ignorant the boy found what he was looking for.
The scroll was large and heavy, however it was not the scroll Mizuki wanted. It was a replica, a dummy, and while the techniques looked real they were in reality fatally flawed. If one were to use one of those jutsus they risked injury at the best and death the worst. One of the techniques that Naruto doctored would burn out the casters chakra coils, they would be crippled for the rest of their life, if they lived at all.
Once Kiba had the scroll in his possession the boy fled to the prearranged meeting point. Before he left he dropped one of Akamaru's collars with the final location of his meeting with Mizuki. It was already assumed that Kiba would not be able to inform anyone as to where he would be heading. The collar would be also used to ID the thief of the scroll when the search was enacted.
It took Kiba roughly ninety minutes to reach the location to hand off the scroll. Sitting in the clearing with his pup on his head the boy acted like he was studying the scroll when Iruka made his way to him. Looking at his teacher the boy just moaned out, "Aw man, you caught me before I could learn a jutsu for extra credit sensei!"
Iruka, being fully briefed and in on the sting from the start played along, "Kiba, what are you talking about? That scroll isn't to be taken from the tower, why did you take it?"
"You mean this makeup test is so secret even you don't know?"
"Know what? That my dead last student decided to betray his village and his friends? What is this so called test you're talking about?" the man asked playing up his role.
"Mizuki-sensei told me that I could still be a ninja if I took the secret make up exam. All I had to do was infiltrate the tower and take the scroll without anyone knowing. If I learned a jutsu from it Mizuki told me I would get extra credit," Kiba told his teacher with a proud tone in his voice.
"Well I hate to say this but the Third figured it was you that took the thing in the first place so... if this was a real test you still fail."
"Wh...what do you mean he figured it out? I was very careful not to be seen, I left the tower through the window and I used gloves when I touched something. How did he find out?"
Iruka held up a small piece of leather, "You dropped this, most likely when you pulled out your gloves. Only one dog in the village has a collar like this, right Akamaru? Now, tell me Kiba, where is Mizuki?"
"Right here Iruka," the disgraced teacher called out, "Kiba, don't give him the scroll, he just wants you to fail again," came Mizuki's voice from a branch above and across the clearing.
"Sensei? Is this true? That there's really no test and you're just using me?" Kiba cried out with crocodile tear running down his face.
"Well Kiba, I say you passed the test, if it were real. Now, hand that over and I'll let you and your dog live. However, I'll have to kill Iruka and since you led him here his death will be on your head," the man yelled with a sick grin on his face.
"No, I won't give this to you! I won't betray my village or my sensei!," the boy yelled.
Mizuki just smirked and did something that no one could have predicted, "Come on Kiba, just hand over the scroll. It's not as if you'd be the first Inuzuka that betrayed the village and got a comrade killed."
"What are you talking about? My clan hsa never gone against the village you bastard! Come down here and face me, I'll show you how wrong you are!"
Iruka grabbed the boy and held him still, "Kiba," the man hissed in his ear, "don't listen to him, the investigation found no evidence that what he's saying happened."
"Oh, it happened Iruka, it was just covered up. Can't have the head of a clan be named a traitor if he's dead and the village can't have a trial can we?" Mizuki yelled stirring up Kiba even more.
"You fucker! That's my father you're talking about! I'll kill you!" with that Kiba charged to the tree the man was standing in.
Mizuki grinned wide as he threw a kunai at the boy. Kiba in his rage didn't see it coming but Iruka did, using a shunshin he grabbed the boy in a hug and spun around the knife striking him in the back with his flack jacket taking the brunt of the impact. Looking at the boy Iruka saw that he was going into shock at what has been happening.
"Kiba," he ordered, "Take the scroll and head back to the tower. Do IT!
Kiba nodded and then took off heading in the direction of the village and his classmates. Mizuki swore under his breath and took off after the boy as Iruka made his move to stop or slow the man down. As this was all going on Naruto and Sakura were nearby observing everything.
"Damn, why didn't we know that about Kiba's old man? Sakura, see if you can slow that fucker down a bit," the blonde told his team mate and wife.
Sakura was already looking through her rifle's sights and shook her head, "Sorry, between Iruka and the trees I can't get a bead on him."
Standing Naruto pulled his pistol out and stared to run towards the clearing to help his teacher, "Let's go," was all he said as he took off.
Sakura sighed and stood up with her M14 in hand, she was well trained with this weapon, she'd use it instead of switching guns. Running after her mate she just mumbled, "Just be careful love."
Stopping at the edge of the clearing Naruto had seen Iruka get forced down with Mizuki moving in for the kill, "You know Iruka, I was going to make this as quick and painless as I could since you are my friend and all. But, since you gave that stupid brat a chance to get away and live you're going to die in a lot of pain instead," with that said the traitor pulled out another knife and walked to his fallen friend.
"That's far enough Mizuki, drop the knife and put your hands on top of your head," Naruto called out stopping the man.
"And what are you going to do about it? You're just a new Genin, you and that pink haired slut can't beat a Chunin with experience like me and you know it daemon!" he yelled back.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at what the man had said about Sakura but he held his position as he watched Mizuki get kicked in the face by Iruka. Naruto had given the teacher the time he needed to recover and go on the offensive. As they began to fight the other students involved were making their way to the fight.
Kiba on the other hand was with Hinata and being led out under the protection of ANBU. As he kept asking if it was true Hinata just held his hand and tried to calm him down. As they made it to the edge of the woods Kiba's sister, Hana, arrived. Hinata quickly told her what was said about the Inuzuka's father and Hana told her that she would handle things from that point on.
Back to the fight Iruka began to get the upper hand. No one dared to step in because of how strong the men were. Naruto and Sakura would be the only ones that would have a chance but the rest would be seriously hurt or worse. At some point Iruka had managed to seriously injure Mizuki to the point that the man was panting to control the pain of a broken arm and ribs.
As Iruka took a step back to assess the situation Mizuki smirked. Pulling out a small phial he took the stopper out of it's neck, "I was hoping that I wouldn't need this but who knew that you and that brat would delay me this long. Lord Orochimoro was right in giving me this as a trump card."
Looking at where Naruto and Sakura were crouched he smiled, "Don't worry you little shit, I haven't forgot you or your little bitch. After I'm through with Iruka over there I'll be over there to see to you."
With that he drank the foul looking liquid. As the mixture entered his system Mizuki began to show physical changes. First he began to bulk up with muscles and his hair turned white. His skin took on a purplish shade with black tiger like stripes marring his skin. Naruto watched as the man's teeth elongated into sharp fangs.
The next thing Naruto saw was Mizuki moving at such a fast pace he swore the man had used his father's technique. As Mizuki reached towards a stunned Iruka Naruto yelled a final warning. Mizuki just looked at him and laughed as he made to slash Iruka's belly with claw like fingernails.
That was the final straw for the Uzumaki's as Naruto's M1911 barked out two shots hitting the now monster in the chest near his heart. Mizuki stopped for a minute just short of his target Iruka. Looking at his chest and the black blood flowing out he snarled and took a step forward. Sakura then pulled the trigger thrice and a trio of rounds struck home again in the man's center of mass as the sonic cracks of the rounds leaving the muzzle the only thing heard from her weapon.
Again Mizuki felt the impact and pain of three bullets entering his chest and abdomen tearing holes in his lungs and other internal organs. Looking down and seeing more of the black blood pour out Mizuki let out the roar of a big cat, stepped back and crouched down. As he did that he felt a brace of kunai and shuriken flying to him from different locations. Pulling a knife of his own he deflected most of the incoming sharp implements.
Looking around he frowned as even though he could smell them now in his changed form he could not see them for some reason. As he stood to turn around and look for the knife throwers he heard strange metallic sounds coming from where Naruto and Sakura were hiding. The young couple seeing that standard ball ammunition was not working fast enough decided to change magazines. Now loaded with .45 and 7.62 hollow point rounds they took aim and fired again. Naruto's Colt thundered two more times as Mizuki's kneecap exploded outward from his leg. The nearly half inch in diameter slugs deforming on impact and then blowing out the man's destroyed joint.
As Mizuki was sinking to his good knee Sakura flipped the selector on her rifle from semi to full auto. The girl aimed low targeting the small of Mizuki's back to compensate for the gun's muzzle climb. Pulling the trigger the cracks came faster this time and there were more of them. Five slugs were fired and five slugs climbed the man's back starting a the base of his spine and upwards. The last hitting between the shoulder blades. These hollow point rounds were more destructive than Naruto's, the energy dumped on impact being three times the equivalent of getting hit by one of Tsunade's enhanced punches.
The first of Sakura's rounds hit Mizuki's spine in the lumbar region shattering the vertebra's and paralyzing him from the waist down. The next grazed his kidney destroying a portion of it and then ripping hole in his lower intestines. The next two hit more of his spine and ribs the bone just turning into dust as the bullets flattened themselves on impact. The last of Sakura's rounds struck between the shoulder blades severing his spine in that location shutting down all nerve signals to and from his brain and the rest of his body.
Had it not been the work of what ever Mizuki drank he would have been already dead but he was still yelling out, cursing the pain these two newly minted Genin were causing him. As he grew quiet a buzzing was heard in the clearing, Shino was making his move, his insects trying to siphon off the nearly dead man's chakra. That wasn't working however since whatever he drank had tainted his chakra as well.
As the Genin watched in horror Mizuki began to stand up. Slowly the blood flow was stemmed and then stopped as he turned to face his tormentors Naruto just looked on in disbelief.
"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me!" he yelled out in frustration. The man had taken four rounds from his Colt and eight from Sakura's M14. This just wasn't happening. Seeing that Iruka had gotten away and out of the clearing Naruto took aim again not wasting time to talk or yell at his foe. Four more rounds boomed out as Sakura fired three of her own on semi-auto.
Once again all seven rounds struck home only this time it was Mizuki's head that caught the rounds. As the hybrid monster sank to the ground blood poured from his destroyed skull. Grey matter was splattered everywhere. As the Uzumaki couple walked forward with their guns trained on Mizuki's corpse they noted that it had begun the shrivel up going from a muscle bound abomination to what could pass for an eighty year old unfortunate. Picking up the bottle Naruto sealed it in a scroll and passed it off to one of the ANBU that had arrived.
As Naruto stood looking at what remained of the traitor the others came out from cover. Iruka noticed that they were all wearing clothing similar to the Uzumaki's but the cloth was a dull green instead of the two shades of green with black and brown accents. Seeing Iruka's questioning look Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Ahhh, they kind of decided that they liked the look and cut of mine and Sakura-chan's uniforms so I sent them to our tailor. I can get you a couple of sets, on us, I mean you did help us out a lot with this mission."
Iruka smiled, "That's fine Naruto, I was glad to help and proud that you trusted me as early as you did. I think we all need to report to the Hokage's office and then the classroom okay?" Seeing the rest nod the small group made their way to the tower.
/
Upon arrival the saw that Kiba's mother was with him and his sister. Tzume walked over to Naruto and Iruka and spoke to them,
"My son was never told the truth about his father's death. It was a mistake but thanks to the Hokage he knows now. I take it that he was not really guilty of treason then?"
"No ma'am, not in the least. Kiba was just playing a role in this mission. He was the key player and did a very good job all the way to the end. You should be proud of him, not many academy grads can say they completed a B rank on the day they supposedly failed the exam," Naruto told the woman.
Hearing Hiruzen call the meeting to order the Inuzuka clan head left the office as the new ninja all stood at attention. "I want to thank you all for a successful mission conclusion. While it began as an undercover operation to get a read on Naruto and Sakura-chan's skills it slowly grew on it's own. The skills all of you displayed were admirable and telling of the quality of this graduating class."
Now looking at the assembly with pride the old man continued, "I have a couple of questions for Naruto and Sakura, if I may."
Naruto looked at his adopted grandfather and nodded his head, "Ask away sir, this is what this debrief is for," he then was on the floor holding his head as Sakura didn't care for his snarky answer.
Lighting his pipe to hide the smile on his face the old man gazed at the couple, "Was the use of your...special weapons necessary? Especially since you literally debuted them in front of your entire academy class."
"Mizuki ingested some kind of liquid that transformed him into a kind of were-beast," Sakura answered. Naruto would always defer to her in regards to things that required knowledge in the medical or alchemy fields, "Once he drank that liquid he bulked up in terms of muscle and grew taller, his skin tone also changed as well as his hair turning white."
"I see, anything else?"
"Yes, whatever was in that stuff also increased his speed, tolerance for pain and his ability to take damage, the squad threw multiple knives and shuriken at him and of those that hit five or six were lethal strikes. He shrugged them off like they were mere insect bites," Sakura continued while Naruto picked added his observations.
"Once Mizuki drank whatever that was and began to change I made the decision to use deadly force ," Naruto explained, "As far as I'm concerned it was the right choice. I fired two rounds and Sakura fired three, all aimed at his chest and upper body. Any one of those would have been a lethal hit on a normal person, the traitor kept going, the wounds sealing themselves with very thick almost black in color blood."
"We then changed ammunition from solid ball to hollow point and resumed fire," Sakura added as her husband gathered his thoughts.
"Hollow point? I don't understand that term could you please explain Sakura?" asked Hiruzen.
"Hai, simply put the bullets have a cavity in the nose while the nose is simply open or with a windshield that allows it to retain it's ballistic properties," the girl said as she entered what Naruto called her 'teacher mode', "Upon impact the nose of the round expands causing a bigger wound and dumping the majority of it's kinetic energy in the first few millimeters of the target. The wounds caused are larger with more damage done that standard ball or solid rounds."
"And that helped in taking him down?" the old man asked.
"On a normal target yes, it would have," Naruto said as he rejoined the conversation, "However, Mizuki took two pistol rounds to his knee, the shock of impact alone should have put him down, and five rifle rounds to his back. Four of those five cut his spine in several places, but the fucker got back up. It was then that we went for the head. Once he mentioned the Snake I was wanting to take him prisoner. His actions dictated our response and we were not going to allow Iruka-sensei to be injured anymore than he was."
"I see, then it couldn't be helped then. Now on to the rest of you, let's start with Kiba shall we?" the old man asked, "Genin Inazuka Kiba, you should be very proud of the part you played in this mission. You were the one most in danger of discovery and preformed your assigned task better that we could of asked. You will receive pay for a long term B rank mission."
Kiba was shocked to hear the rank of his part, he had just assumed that his and his classmates reward would be knowing that he was officially a ninja, "Than...thank you Hokage-sama, I do apologize for my actions at the end but what he said about my father...it..."
"I and your mission leaders understand Kiba. It was something that could not be taken into account, had it been we would have had your mother or sister tel you the whole story. I'm truly sorry that you had to be put through that."
"I understand sir, I'll have to work on controlling my emotions better in the future," Kiba replied as he stepped back into line.
Hiruzen gave the boy a soft smile, "As long as you don't lose your humanity you'll go far. Now, Abrume Shino and Sai, I and the Jonin Commander have read your reports and your team leaders notes on your skills. You two have demonstrated everything thing taught in infiltration and surveillance. You two have shown skill and great promise and I'm proud to say that you also have completed your first B rank. Trying to stay undetected and still observe your target is a difficult thing and you two did the task flawlessly, congratulations."
Both boys uttered their thanks as Hinata, Ino and Ami were called on. The three girls, along with their male backups/boyfriends were ranked a C mission classification. While they were as important the first three, they were fortunately not needed at any time to step in to aid or rescue Kiba so their classification and pay were lower. All those called out accepted that outcome, even Sasuke quietly took the praise and pay without a temper tantrum regarding his clan's 'elite' status.
The rest of the class were listed as completing their first low end C rank because of the danger associated with the end game. They had all lent support and distraction to aid Sakura, Naruto and Iruka-sensei, they would receive pay for a one day C rank with the rest would be paid for every day they were involved.
Shikamaru was given D rank pay for every day that he was asked to analyze information coming in or give advice based on his conclusions as well as his C rank pay. His sharp mind was proving to be just as good if not better than his father's, both Naruto and Hiruzen thought that he'd go far in this occupation.
Finally Naruto and Sakura were called up. Hiruzen smiled proudly at the pair, it had been almost nine months since they had returned and been given their mission. They were informed that they would receive A rank pay going back to day one and Hiruzen made his complimentary remarks to the young couple. While the praise was music to Naruto's ears having been subject and used to insults and jeers up to but a few months ago, the words were more for their classmates. The Hokage-Regent wanted them to know just how special and important to the village these two were.
What surprised everyone however was the next few remarks and what they meant to everyone in the room as a group of Jonin walked into the room. "Now, I congratulate everyone for passing their first mission and last academy exercise. All of you except for Naruto and Sakura are now Genin of the Leaf, may the will of fire burn bright in you for all your days."
At that point Sasuke spoke up, "Excuse me, what about Naruto and Sakura?"
"What about them Uchiha-san?"
"You said everyone are now Genin but those two, why's that?" Sasuke asked not caring about formalities like he used to.
"Well, now that you mentioned it, traditionally Naruto would be automatically Jonin and Sakura-chan would be a plain Genin. However, on Naruto's insistence the combat experience the two have not including their education and training things were changed a bit. Naruto and Sakura are as of now Tokubetsu Genin and Naruto holds the new position of Genin Commander," Hiruzen announced.
"Tokubetsu Genin?" Shino asked in as few words as possible.
"There are twenty-three students in this class that graduated," the old man began explaining, "Only seven teams of three will formed, normally there would be another test given by your Jonin-senseis that would cut the numbers down to only three but since we're at peace and still rebuilding our forces from the attack thirteen years ago Naruto came up with this instead."
"What the old man is trying to say," Naruto began, "is that we, Sakura and I, pointed out the waste of funds and resources it was to train someone for as long as you did, just to throw it all away if you failed a nonsensical and arbitrary test. The graduation mission grew out of our mission but it did give everyone a sense of purpose and a goal to achieve that was greater than an individual's self."
"As such, you will be placed in a pool along with Team Nine and given missions based on the available manpower and experience level," the blonde continued, "The Jonin-senseis will be placed in a similar pool and when not on missions they will be training us. At the end of the year we will have an idea of who works well with who. As for Sakura-chan and myself, we will not be placed on a permanent team but assigned where needed. We will also be apprentices to one or more senseis to finish our training, I will be under Lord Third so I can learn my job as Hokage and Sakura-chan under my grandmother Lady Tsunade to train as a doctor. That does not mean this is the last you see of us. We will be training alongside you all until the teams are finally chosen and passing on what we have learned while abroad."
"Troublesome, you and your loud woman as our bosses," came Shikamaru's lazy voice.
"Yes, Shika and I will get you to use that brain of yours to do more than get you out of work. Having said all that we will meet in one weeks time in our old classroom."
Sakura then stepped forward, "Before we leave one more thing, Iruka-sensei will continue to train us for the next year. We decided that we needed at least one sensei that was able to stay in the village at all times. Now, this is the other thing about our class, we, well all of you, are the last class that will be trained in the old system. The classes following are going to see major changes when the academy starts back up in a month so be proud in knowing that not only are you the last of the old but you're also the first of the new. Naruto-kun and I will see you in a week, feel free to visit us anytime," with that the meeting and debriefing drew to a close leaving a stunned graduating class walking out. Next week would be big changes and most of them didn't seem that bad.
A/N:
And thus the class graduates. What does Naruto have planned for them as they are now to be placed in a manpower pool? How will Team Guy react when they are pulled from missions for 'remedial' training? And what is Sasuke doing in his compounds gardens?
I hope you enjoyed how the scroll incident played out. As I've said in the past and summary, canon for the most part is going out the window since lots of it made no sense to me. This however had to be changed since Naruto and Sakura aren't as easily manipulated as they were in canon. My first choice was Sasuke as I had seen it done before but it didn't end well for him and this version of Sasuke has more on his mind than just passing the exams. Out of all the canon males left Kiba was the perfect choice due to his nature and in canon he was usually tied with Naruto as the class dead last student. I don't plan on expanding his father's story however since it was explained to him 'off camera' by Hiruzen and his mother so please don't ask that I do so. That would mean I would have to work and it's too troublesome for me to do that.
Now, the other major change I hope you like is what I've done to the Konohamaru Corps. Once again off camera Naruto and Sakura have discussed children while adults in our world. Taking the three in provides Sakura and Naruto the chance to have a family without the problems of her getting pregnant before her body is ready for it. Right now she and Naruto are intimate but intercourse is still off limits until her body is a little more developed. Sakura does however love to mess with Ino and Ami's head and gives them the impression of her and Naruto having sex anytime they want. Sakura also knows about Hinata's little crush on Naruto so she tries to take the girls feelings into mind as she plays her games. She also knows about Hinata's growing feelings for Kiba and she does push Hinata towards the dog boy from time to time. As to when our main couple do the deed is in the air for now, let's just say they cross that bridge sometime soon.
This may be the last update for a while as I have a Neon Genesis Evangelion story I need to update since it was in I think May that I updated last and my readers there are getting worried that I left it to die. Once I get the next update to Welcome To The Machine posted I'll start working on this again. I have an idea of the hell, I mean training, the new Genins and their teachers will face. Lets just say, logs are a SEALs best friend.