A/N: Oh my, 200 followers! I'm the happiest person ever!

Guys, I'm so sorry for not updating. I didn't have access to my laptop, but now it's fine and I'm back! Yoo-hoo!

So all of you voted for yaoi, but let me tell you that it's be very different from average yaoi stories. The person I'm paring him of is… well, different and, IMHO, perfect for a SI. So yeah, there will be nothing graphic because… because I don't want to put spoilers so yeah, gonna keep you in the dark xD

Thank you all for the support! You are fabulous, guys!

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto.

Warnings: Language, description of death, reference to child abuse and torture. Orochimaru in short.

Genin Arc: It All Feels Right

Everything has changed and yet, I am more me than I've ever been. – Iain Thomas, I wrote this for you

The weirdness of the world never stops to amaze me. The night before the team assignments was the one I spent going through all the info I had on this world, aka The Notebooks.

The Notebooks were kept in the storage scroll that I always had with me. I'm very glad that I took precautions with them, creating three security levels, because Masu-chan and Komugi have been trying their best to crack the code for the last three years. They've yet to make progress.

I flipped to the main characters. Uzumaki Naruto, aka Tangerine. 'Boisterous, exuberant and lively. Has a foxy tenant. Descendant of the Swirly Clan. Enormous chakra pools, poor control over it. Easily falls victim to illusions, short-range fighter (in the beginning). Son of Mrs. Badass and Impulse. Reincarnation of That Dude no. 16. Can go on fire with a particular fluffy friend's help. Dense, kind, optimistic. Stats: powerhouse, martial artist, bad magician, not a weapons type, too energetic. Sometimes there's just too many of him. Industrious. Travels with the perv for three years. Still dense. On team with Duck, Forehead and Pirate. Will work with Tree-lover and Artist no. 3. Ramen lover.' Overall adorable.

Uchiha Sasuke, aka Duck. 'Emo, broody, induratized, indifferent to others, "wanna-kill-my-bro" (all in case the massacre). Mental trauma, he will need help. Very ambitious. Have to keep him out of Putin 2.0's hands. Reincarnation of That Dude no. 15. Brother of Alaska.'

Alaska. Hmm. I flipped through the pages till I came across his file. Uchiha Itachi, aka Alaska. 'Selfless, aspirational, prodigious, pacifist. All of those are under question because most of all he's an enigma.' There is nothing to be said accurately about him. His action, his decisions… they always confused me. He always confused me. He's the smartest shinobi of his generation, but… why does he commit so many mistakes? It's like the Chimp rubbed off on him just after the graduation. The choices he made are senseless. Why did he wait all this time when he could save his clan? Why did he not ask for Sarutobi to do something about it? Why not try and talk his father out of executing the coup? I know Itachi was capable of giving valid reason in order for his clan to come to senses, but he didn't. He was titled a prodigy, but that's all there is to it, a mere title. That's why I must figure out the enigma of Uchiha Itachi before it's too late.

So… why am I drilling his file with my gaze? Is it some type of sign from above or something? If yes, than I don't get it, Kami dear!

(Somewhere up in the sky, the place no mortal will ever be allowed to step into, a god facepalmed himself to death.)

The classroom was swarming with the freshly minted Genin. I decided to go all out, arriving with my hitai-ate around my waist, a black hoodie and grey pants on me. The shinobi sandals, that are surprisingly comfy, are my "to go" footwear. Seriously, should have gotten those in my previous life.

You might be wondering why exactly is the room so… low on oxygen. Well, the answer to your question is that the new teams are being assembled of both our group and the average graduates (read: twelve-thirteen year olds). I could hardly squeeze myself into the darkest, furthest corner in order to breathe. I'm telling you, children are devil's spawns!

I could make out a few familiar faces, but most were from the older group. Most were discussing their future goals, the team they want to be on and just how exited they are to be in here today.

It took a few more minutes for Yuina-sensei (thank Kami it wasn't Yuichi-sensei) to enter, try – and fail – to calm down the preteens. That's when the big guns were brought out: Big Head no Jutsu.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP NOW!"

The class fell deathly still. Yay.

Sensei cleared her throat before continuing, "Ohayō gozaimasu. Today you take the first step as Konohagakure no Shinobi, the protectors of the Will of Fire. You'll be assembled into three man cells under the leadership of an Elite Jōnin. You're to follow all of their instruction without complaint. Now, let's get onto the team assignments. Team One…"

The list went on with the names that didn't matter all that much till, "Team Five consists of Akamichi Hokomaru, Nara Keiko and… Yamanaka Tadao, under Shinrinno Mikio's supervision."

There was no Tadao in our group. Distantly, I could see an older kid smash his head against his desk, muttering "stupid clan relations."

The list went on till, finally, "Team Eight will consist of Harinezumi Noboru, Uchiha Izumi and Amachi Isamu, under Mimura Hamaki's supervision."

Uchiha Izumi, my classmate and a cheerful girl. Best kunoichi of the year, definitely has a great chance at becoming a formidable opponent. We've shared rather friendly ties, and she's nice to have around, so I'm glad to have her on my team. Harinezumi Noboru, on the other hand…

"NO!" yelled a teenager from the other side of the room, his ginger hair swinging as her leapt onto the desk, "I won't babysit those brats! There must be a mistake!" He pleaded frantically, desperate to not me on our team. Well, shit…

"There is no mistake, so stay silent. The decision is final," Yuina-sensei waved him off, her stern gaze leaving no room for complaints. "The teams are complied in order for each member to balance the other out. Isamu and Izumi are the best shinobi and kunoichi of the year. You, on the other hand, got the worst grades." Noboru mumbled something – a curse, I suppose – under his breath as he got back onto his seat, hands fisted at his sides. I could see some of the older kids taunt him. I can only hope that he won't cause too much trouble during the Genin Test.

We were told to wait for the Jōnin sensei to come pick us up after the lunch break, so I did the only sensible thing: I went towards my teammates, who were in different corners of the room. The joy.

Izumi was conversing with an older girl that spotted the same Uchiwa fan on her back. As soon as she saw me approaching, she waved me over. "Isamu-kun, hi! Come," she snatched my hand, "let's go meet our new teammate!"

We came up to Noboru, who was glaring at us. The older teen is rather slender, slightly tanned boy with short, auburn hair and piercing hazel eyes. He's wearing a plain brown tee and green shorts, his kunai holster strapped onto his right leg. Though he seemed hostile towards us, he was sitting alone in the back of the classroom.

"Whatcha want, brats? I ain't got all day for ya'," he sneered at us, arms crossed. Of fucking course the last team member needed to be all broody and almighty. I must get him to cooperate if we want to have any chance at nailing the Genin Test.

I sighed before speaking. "Noboru-san, I understand your concern, but we're a team now and the rules cannot be bent just for your comfort, so the best in this situation is to work together in order to become the shinobi we strive to be. Don't you agree?"

"Hn," he looked away, "ya're just brats and I can't spend my time on the likes of ya', so get outta my way!"

What did he say? Who does that moron think he's talking to! "Yo, baka, listen here. I trained hard to become who I am now, so don't you dare tell me what to do. I don't give a fuck about you, but we're teamed up now, so shut up and cooperate. A true shinobi endures, so learn how to do that. Want to get us out of your way? Train your ass out and get promoted to Chūnin. Now, we wait for our Jōnin sensei and work our way up."

Well, my outburst definitely brought him to the ground. He was staring at me in shock, mouth agape. Collecting himself, he retorted, "You brat! I'm your senior! And watch your language, it's disgusting! Fine, I might help you for now, but don't expect me to babysit you for long – I'll become Chūnin in no time, yeah!"

I sent him a smile. He'll be a headache, but at least he listens and this will serve to motivate him, which is great on its own. Karma: 0, Isamu: 1!

The lunch was a rather loud affair with Noboru ranting about this and that. It seems like he has no friends, considering the few insults sent his way. Older kids would sneer at me, but that's not surprise – I remember seeing them while playing with Naruto, and most hate him and, by extension, me. I might have even cared were I a real child.

Noboru turned out to be an arrogant, but very funny individual. He's the clumsy type, kind of like me, but even worse. He's very extraverted, so he'll balance me. I hope.

The lunch passed by, and so the teams started to get picked up by their sensei. In twenty minutes a tall, bulky man entered the room. He spotted short dark hair and a beard. His eyes were dark-brown and his skin tanned. He wore his hitai-ate as a bandanna and the tantō strapped to his lower back was nothing to mess with. Scanning the room, his gaze caught us as he commanded, "Team Eight, follow!" We quickly stood up and ran after him, only to find the hallway empty.

"Brats…" Noboru gulped, "Got any ideas what's going on? Use your genius or something!" Great, he's panicking already.

I have no genius, so I can't use it. But I am an adult, so I can try and decipher his plan. Even though he's a Jōnin and I'm just some guy. Shit. Okay. We have a Jōnin. The Genin Test. A Jōnin disappears. Why would he? Genin Test… He left us alone after telling us to follow him and he disappeared… of course! "Guys, I think I get it. He wants for us to track him down. Are any of you a sensor? Because I can't sense him."

Both of them shook their heads. Great, we're no good as a tracker unit. So how do you find an elite shinobi? I try scanning the room, but nothing catches my attention. That's when I hear Izumi call out, "Here, fast!"

We sprint in her direction, only to find her holding a small piece of paper. It said in italics: "I shine brighter than the sun, I'm always here but you can't see me.

"Who am I?"

Well, fuck. We're screwed.

"Ano… any ideas what the fuck that is?" I asked the ones who were still staring at the letter.

"Shine brighter… can't see me… always here… who…" Muttered Noboru without moving from his place.

Izumi hasn't moved an inch. In fact, she completely ignored my question. She locked her gaze onto the paper, but what could it be?

"Boys… mm, 'I'm always here but you can't see me'. It's either a natural phenomenon or a feeling, right?" The kunoichi peeked at us through her bangs.

Hmm… "You do have a valid point. It needs to be something intangible, permanent. A feeling, a motive, a purpose-"

I was cut off my Noboru, who stomped his foot onto the ground, a light bulb – how is it even possible? – sparkling above his head. "I get it, I get it! It's the Will of Fire! You can't see it, but it's always there, shining brightly, the will to protect our homeland!"

Oh. It does make sense. In an ideological place as Konoha, people would focus on what they do best – protect their loved ones. Quite frankly, I'd have never guessed. Not so patriotic, huh.

Izumi's eyes were gleaming as she latched onto Noboru, hugging the stuffing out of him. The Will of Fire, huh…

"Guys! The Hokage memorial shaped as the Fire flames! It must be it!" I scream in excitement. It's like we're detectives! Yoo-hoo!

We arrived at the Hokages' graves, only to burst into Sherlock's again. The whole affair took an hour, but we didn't find a single clue. Could it be?

Our own will was almost depleted when an elderly man entered the cemetery, heading towards the memorial. Izumi quickly made her way up and towards him, stopping right in front of the old man. "Konnichiwa, Ojii-san. Could you please explain to me what the Will of Fire is?" She asked in an innocent voice. Pff… wait, he's actually answering?!

"Well, child, in my times we used to…"

/Cue two hours/

"… that is why the Will of Fire is the will of all loyal Konoha citizens, the will to give up one's life for our precious village, the will to live for it. That is what the Will of Fire is, child." Finished the old man after "the story of his life". Help.

That's when something caught my attention: the old man had a pendant with the kanji for harbor scribed on it. Harbor… Minato!

After I grabbed my teammates and headed to his head on the Hokage Monument (his gravestone was emptier than ever), we caught a glimpse of our new sensei before he disappeared into a swirl of leaves (show off), leaving a lone coin behind. We approached it, only to be greeted with the faces of the Sannin. Okay, now that's weird. There are three main sights devoted to them and their accomplishments: the Second Shinobi World War Museum, the Statue of the Irremeable (Toad, Slug and Snake figures) and the painting "Vision of the Legends" in the Konoha Gallery.

"Hey, Izumi," called Noboru, "you're from some clan or something, yeah?"

She turned to him. "Indeed I am, why?" She frowned at him while I was trying to get their attention in the background because Sannin! Argh!

Noboru smirked at her answer. "Great, it means we're gonna spar! I never got to go against an Uchiha, heard your kin is good."

Izumi huffed in pride. "Of course we're amazing, we're the Uchiha, the best. So you better watch out for us," she grinned as he paled.

"YOU RETARDS, FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!"

Well, that's one way to catch attention. They both glared at me. If looks could kill…

"Guys, the coin has the Sannin on it. I know only three main sights dedicated to them. Any ideas?" I asked in relief because they finally listen. Yay.

Noboru tilts his head to the side. "Whatcha mean by that? Ain't Orochimaru gone berserkers or something?" He asks in confusion. He's right, the snake is a fugitive.

"Boys, there's something you both might like, but you must keep it secret. Can you do that?"

Both of us nod vigorously, causing her mouth to form into a smile. "Thank you. The thing is, my clan knows a location of one of his labs. It's only known to the village leaders and the clan members themselves. It's due to an Uchiha being one of the victims of the snake," she spit with a huge amount of disgust. "The lab has been cleared, but people tend to avoid it. I think," she – more like the three of us – gulps before saying, "I think he wants for us to go there.

Help us. Someone. Please~

Izumi took us to the outskirts of the village, in the middle of nowhere. The deep forest enclosed us so our vision was at point zero.

The entrance to the hideout was perfectly concealed by thicket. That's when a thought hit me.

"Say, Izumi," I started, "I've never heard of Orochimaru kidnapping any Uchiha. What happened?"

She swallowed audibly, her voice a no louder than a whisper. "Five years ago, mere months before the Kyūbi Attack, a boy of three has gone missing. He came from a half-blood family, an Uchiha officer as a father, a civilian born Shinobi as a mother. It was all good in their family, but one day the parents left for mere minutes, only to never see their child. The clan mourned, but only the higher-ups knew about this condition – it was a tragedy, one that could lead to further disturbances, even on international level. So no one knew of it till that faithful day… the day that snake was caught behind his hideous doings. That day he escaped, leaving behind a trail of bodies. One of them was that boy, thorax dissected. His viscera were stored in cans while those of someone else took their previous place, an image of pure agony on his face. His corpse was at least a few days old, they said. But the most horrendous thing were his empty eye sockets, his eyes nowhere to be seen. Not even his replaced limb or the hollow figure of a rotting child would bring pure fear to the hearts of any Uchiha. But his were gone, just like his life, only their covers remained." She finished, turning away so he bangs would hide her face from us. None of us spoke because we couldn't. We were too afraid to.

Minutes passed by when Noboru finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "Izumi-chan… I'm sorry. This must be hard for you. It sure as hell ain't easy for me. I understand that you're hurt, I really do, but we have a mission. Please rely on your comrades this time – I might not know you well, and you're still a lousy brat, but your pain is almost tangible. I want to help you."

"I concur," I muttered, "we'll help you together. Thank you, Izumi."

She seemed to be on verge of tears. "Thank you, guys! Thank you!" She hugged us, punching the air out of me. Noboru was fine, the perks of being a teenager. Almost.

After that we entered the base, using our kunai to cut through the branches and the likes. We entered the dusty hideout; Izumi used a low-level Katon jutsu to light up the hall. We found a porch and lit it. The hallway itself was gloomy and eerie, sending chills down my spine. Noboru lead the way with the light source followed by a frightened Izumi and me. Not because I'm a pussy and would rather these kids get eaten rather than me. Of course not, it's because I'm on the look out. Surely.

We've been strolling through the maze hideout for almost two hours (it was rather empty. Guess the Sandaime did think it'd be better to keep the horrendous researches to himself. At least I hope it was the Sandaime) when an eldritch door started to open and the creepy footsteps pounding against the concrete-

"Argh! Take them, they're younger and much tastier! Just please don't eat me!" Yelled The Brave and Gutsy Noboru as he pushed Izumi and me towards the door, all of us sweaty and anxious. I opened my mouth to retort to his actions when the door opened, making us stop dead in our track. That's when we saw him – no, it…

Surely enough, our dear sensei – I swear to God I'll revenge my dignity! – was standing in the doorway, eyeing us with a slight quirk on his lips. That bastard!

"Team Eight," started Hamaki-sensei in his commander tone, all traces of his smile disappearing momently, "today you showed your incompetence in all its might. You were immature, selfish and brash. You do not deserve to be Konoha no Shinobi." The three of us slumped our heads – we're doomed…

"But," the smile returned as his posture loosened up, "you showed skills way above your current level, as well as masterful deduction. You worked in unison, trying to understand each other, actually giving it your best. You showed why our shinobi are feared across the Elemental Nations: the masterful teamwork. You still have ways to go and your overall camaraderie is lacking," he glued Noboru to his spot by a mere look, "but you have the framework of a fantastic team. That is why, as of today," he paused, as the three of us wouldn't even dare to breathe in excitement, "I declare Team Eight passed!"

"Yeah!" The three of us cheered, our smiles wide and mood higher that the skies. We came here as Genin under question, but left as Team Eight.

That was the beginning of a legend.

Impulse (aka Bart Allen) is a DC superhero, speedster, hence why I chose the name for Minato (aka Yellow Flash).

Weasel (русс. ласка) is the meaning of Itachi's name. In Russian it sounds like "laska", akin to Alaska, the reason why I chose it as his codename (I make it sound like they're CIA agents or something, hehe.)

A/N: 50k words! Yes! Genin! Yes!

I'm happy, yo.

So, we're done with the childhood and the academy. For those who might be interested, I think that if Itachi can learn elemental Jutsu at four, Sasuke at 6-8, and that girl from Shikamaru Hiden developed her own jutsu at the academy… yeah, that's why Isamu progressed. It always confused me how others were so slow… That's a topic for another time. And yup, I named one of his teammates Harinezumi Noboru, meaning "rising hedgehog" xD

P.S. Yeah, that's the guy that saved Isamu during the Kyūbi Attack.

Hope you liked it and please review!