Chapter 2: The End of the Academy Days
Twelve Years Later
A silent breeze flowed through the calm village of Konohagakure, also known as the Hidden Leaf Village of Land of Fire. The tree branches swayed with the complimenting weather, causing the villagers to smile as they went on with their business. The sun shone brightly, smiling down at the busy village. Bright and early this morning, the village streets began to get crowded as parents of young shinobi took their children to the academy. Some of the older shinobi jumped on the rooftop on their way to train or to receive a mission from the Hokage, several would smile at the nervous academy students before heading off.
One red head mother fought hard as she tried getting her son out of bed. She knocked on his door angrily. "Naruto! Come out of bed!" Silence, no response. "Naruto! If you don't open this door this instant, then the door will be gone. One, two… three!" She kicked the door down with one swift movement, smirking as the door hanged from its hinges. She dusted her tan dress, and listened quietly for her son.
She walked in to her son's messy room and inwardly sighed. You are picking up too many bad habits! Once you get home from the academy…. The threat continued in her head. She went to the bed and began folding the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. She stopped short as she noticed there was nobody underneath the blanket. She lifted the blanket in the air and nobody was there underneath, as she suspected.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the door. "Kiyomi!" She yelled out again as a girl with blonde wavy hair ran inside. She wore a blue dress that went to her knees, similar in design of her mother's. It had thick straps and was fitted nicely with a matching undershirt. Instead of having a longed sleeved shirt like her mother wore underneath, she wore a netted shirt. She wore matching blue sandals with a black hairband pulling her hair back. "Yes okaasan?" She asked, with a hint of surprise being called to this room again. She scrunched her nose in disgust, trying not to stick her tongue out from the smell of sweat. Her eyes scanned the room and she noticed empty cups of instant ramen and she grinned quietly.
Kushina placed her hands on her hip and stared at her daughter expectantly. Kiyomi smiled innocently, putting her hands on her back. "Where's your brother?" Kiyomi blinked, giving her mother a look of confusion. "Nani? I don't know. I thought he went to the academy already."
Kushina stared down at her daughter before jumping out the window gracefully, breaking down in a run. Kiyomi ran to the window and saw a red blur head for the village. "Ani, you better not get caught. Okaasan is going to kill you and father can't do anything to save you." She laughed to herself, skipping out to the living room.
A blonde haired boy stood on top on the Hokage monument, smiling happily to himself with his hands at his waist, admiring his work. Hehe! You are going to be proud okaasan! Not even you came up with this great prank! This will put all of them to shame!
The blonde haired boy placed his paint brush inside the paint can and heard the sound of someone approaching. He jumped on the stair's rail and slid down the flight of stairs, laughing aloud. "Woo! This is so much fun! Dattebayo!" He threw a fist in the air, causing him to lose his balance as he promptly fell to the ground, head first.
"Naruto-kun! Come back here right now!" An anbu yelled with some other chunins behind, running to catch up. Naruto quickly jumped on his feet and put his orange goggles on his eyes. He looked back and almost jumped out of his skin. Crap! They seem so fast! Too bad they are not going to catch me! He left himself undusted and ran the closest houses.
He jumped on top of the roof and jumped house to house, avoiding to get caught. "Is that all you got? Come one! I thought this was going to be fun! Just give it up!" He laughed, grinning ear to ear.
"Stop Naruto-kun!" A female chunin cried out as she tried to gain momentum. She stumbled a little as she landed awkwardly on the roof of a small house, causing her lose some distance. She smiled to herself, enjoying the little chase along with the fellow shinobi. Most thought it was funny that the Hokage's son could be such a trouble maker.
Naruto looked back and involuntarily shivered from terror. A red blur was heading after him, closing the distance between the both of them quickly. "Naruto!" She called out, scaring the other pursuant making them leave. He sighed as he stopped running. He held his breath as he waited for her to speak. Slowly, he turned around to face his mom, thinking over some excuses to tell her. They both jumped down from the roof and stood patiently. Neither of them wanted to back down as they stared at each other, waiting for one of them to make a move.
An evil smile came on her face as her stormy sapphire eyes watched him. "Naruto, what were you doing?" She spoke in a normal voice, sending s chill down his spine. He opened his mouth and then closed it. "You must have done something to get chased by shinobi." She crossed her arms and pressed her lips tightly.
Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. He chuckled quietly. "Did imouto tell you something?" He kicked some of the loose pebbles on the ground. Kushina cocked her head to her side, waiting for him to continue. He led out his breath he was holding. "The Hokage Monument looks nice today."
Kushina squinted her eyes at her son and then looked back. Saying she was surprise would be a lie; however she didn't expect he would do something like this. She doubled over, slapping her hand on her knee as she laughed. A tear slid down from her check as her laughed continued to get louder and louder. The corner of Naruto's lip twitched before he laughed along with his mother.
The Hokage Monument where the faces of each Hokage were held each had paint all over. The Shodai Hokage had big red lips that hanged to his chin. His eyebrows were narrowed as it looked down on the village with leaves in his hair. He had a green scar across his cheek, big and large. The Nidaime Hokage had green bulging eyes with a double chin. Dark red paint was dripping from his nose with a slight blush on his cheek. The Sandaime Hokage had a major nose bleed that went all the way to his beard. He had a creepy pervy smile that everyone knew of. The Yondaime Hokage had vibrant red hair with two streaks of blonde hair.
"Your dad doesn't look that bad with red hair. It kind of suits him." Kushina said, sobering up. Naruto beamed with the compliment. "What about me okaasan? Wouldn't I look great with red hair?" Naruto asked, running his hand through his hair and struck a pose with him giving a thumb up and a daring smile. His eyes shined and a sparkle on his teeth, his best guy pose.
An anime sweat appeared at the corner of her head as she gave a small smile. "Eh. Only I can have such great hair." She flipped her hair, exaggerating slightly. "Come on, we have to get to the academy. Wouldn't it be sad if you could be genin just because you were late?" Naruto frowned at that and nodded energetically. "Let's go." She reached for his hand and ran with him to the academy.
"Not too fast kaasan! I can't keep up!" Naruto said as they both flew from the village. Some of the villagers laughed at them and shook their head. Naruto's leg didn't even touch the ground as she dashed down the street; they seemed to be at her side as they dashed through everywhere. "Whose fault was it to go to the monument? Let's go slow poke."
Naruto pressed on his heel to stop while he laughed, ignoring the pain it caused him to stop at such speed. Kushina stopped and looked at Naruto. "What's so funny? Huh?" She asked, wondering if something was wrong with him. Naruto pointed behind him. "The academy is back at the monument. We just passed it mom! Don't you know where it is?"
It was Kushina's turn to scratch the back of her head. She smiled sheepishly at her son and blushed. "I knew that! I was just checking on her scouting technique, if you can differentiate your surrounding while in a sprint! We wouldn't have you as a genin if you did not know where you are going!" She said energetically.
A sprint? I couldn't even touch the ground! Kaa-san is very scary, that's for sure!Believe it!
Naruto stood there thinking it over. "Oh." He commented and looked at his mother proudly. "I aced that written exam yesterday! Today I'll pass and be genin in no time! The hands on exam will be a piece of cake! Dattebayo!" Naruto grinned, putting both of his hands back in a relaxing demeanor.
Kushina smiled at him and silently walked to the academy. She put her arms around his shoulder and kissed the side of his head. Naruto gave her sideway glanced and grinned cheekily, giggling happily.
Walking down the silent hall, the sound of Iruka talking was heard. Both of them were nervous, sweating bullets the more they neared. Naruto slammed the door opened and stood at the entrance with his mom behind. Her eyes twitched. Yup, enter class in a big production! That will help. She thought sarcastically. It'll get you more in trouble!
Iruka turned to where the door opened and sighed. "You're late." He closed his book and looked at both of them in disapproval. "Ask kaasan." Naruto gave an evil smile as he looked at his mom. He wanted to take the heat of himself and watch as his mother took care of business.
Kushina smiled forcefully. "Well…. Um…. We were ugh…Later! I have to be in the Hokage's office! You better not be late for dinner Naruto!" She warned as she shunshin from a scolding. A spiral of wind was left behind, leaves falling gracefully to the ground. A chorus of giggles was heard in the background with several awes and hearts floating to where Naruto's mom was. Naruto glared at the boys staring at his mother and then looked back at his sensei.
Iruka raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Well… I was with kaasan and we were… um…" Iruka shook his head. "Go have a seat Naruto. Being late is not a good thing to do. When on a mission, it is crucial to arrive on time or before. The successfulness of the mission depends on your commitment and being physically there." He lectured.
The class snickered as he lazily made his way to a seat. Some of his female classmate stood up and ran toward him. "Oh Naruto-kun! Sit with me!" "Sit with me!" "I have a seat with your name on it!" "No! Sit with me!" "She's too ugly to be with you! Sit with me" "Naruto-kun!" Raged the girls, hearts filled their eyes. Naruto took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling in desperation.
"Sasuke-kun! Don't be near those kinds of girls! They don't admire how great you are!" a civilian girl spoke, blowing a kiss to a boy with black raven hair in the shape of a duck's butt. He wore a high collared blue shirt with sleeves that were on his wrist to his elbow, matching with his white short and blue shinobi sandals. A girl with long blonde hair cast a look at a pinked haired girl. Both of their faces darkened as the raced toward the black haired boy at the same time.
"Sasuke-kun is mine Ino-pig! Hands off!" The pink haired girl yelled, attempting to sit next on the empty seat.
I have to talk to oniisan about it. Kaasan said that he had fan girls too. Maybe he can tell me how to get rid of them once we train. I'm not even sure if any of them are serious of becoming a ninja anyhow. Sasuke thought to himself as he stared at the corner of the room.
"Shove it billboard-brow! You and your big forehead will scare him off!" Ino raised her fist at her. "Just like your butt! Move it!" Iruka tried to walk into the group of girls and was carried off. "Class!"
Naruto looked at the girl with pink hair and smiled. He jumped in front of the blacked hair boy's desk and glared at him. "Sakura-chan! Why do you like Sasuke-teme?" he crouched down and glared at his black eyes. Sasuke returned the glare and stayed there in a staring contest. "He's strong and smart. So what! I'm strong and smart too!"
"Naruto! Don't look at Sasuke-kun like that!" The girls screamed outraged. Other girls chorused with agreement and threats. Naruto looked at them and stuck his tongue out, taunting them.
A civilian boy in front of the of Naruto and Sasuke pushed his chair back and hit Naruto from behind. He fell forward and his face landed on top of Sasuke. Both of their eyes turned wide in shock. The lips were touching. They simultaneously looked down and pulled away from their kiss. "Oopss." The civilian boy said non-apologetically. Naruto stuck his tongue out and wiped on it furiously.
"Oh Kami! Eww!" He yelled, turning red. Sasuke grunted and did the same, both of them glaring at each other in the process. The male classmates laughed aloud, pointing and grinning.
"Aahh! You stole Naruto's first kiss!" Naruto's fan girls cried, shooting daggers at the boy. One of them fainted, falling to the ground. Sasuke's fan girls gasped and glared at girls who worriedly gazed at Naruto. "Naruto! I was supposed to be Sasuke's first kiss!" Sakura roared. Inner Sakura inside cursed silently. Cha! Punch him in his nose! It'll serve him right! Sasuke is ours! I should make him bleed for him being such a baka! I'm the only girl for Sasuke-kun.Flames burned in both of their eyes as they looked up in determination.
Naruto raised his fist for a punch aimed at Sasuke, but Iruka put two fingers in his mouth and whistle loudly. A boy with a white puppy whimpered in pain. "Iruka-sensei! That hurts!" The boy covered his ear with the hood of his jacket. The white pup put its paw on its ears, trying to block out the sound as well as it howled.
"Sorry Kiba, it was the only way to get their attention. Now class! Line up against the wall! I'll happily make a sitting chart for today and tomorrow." The class quieted down as they raced to the wall.
"But Iruka-sensei!" Naruto whined. "It wasn-"
"No buts Naruto. Now, boys, I want you all to sit in the half of the class room closer to the window. Sit alphabetical order but Naruto, go sit behind Sasuke so I can keep an eye on both of you. Girls, go sit at the half of the room by the door in alphabetical order as well. No talking or I'll make you sit in boy girl boy girl order and clean up the black board of every classroom." He threatened with a cheerful smile. His class mumbled under their breath as they moved around the room. He clapped his hands, scaring his students. "Now we can start class. Also, don't forget about the exams after recess." He walked to his desk and picked up his text book for review. "Now on page 73…"
The Hokage sat in his chair, viewing over some of the documents the elders gave him earlier this morning. He sighed and looked out of the window in his office. The view of the village brought a smile on his face. He leaned back of his chair and placed his foot the window frame, watching the villagers go about on the day, reminiscing about a young boy.
Flashback
A knock came to the door, startling the Hokage as he ate his instant ramen. He wasn't able to go get lunch as he was busy distributing missions to teams and he had an important meeting with the clans' leaders, not sparing anytime for the Hokage to have lunch with his wife. He cleared his throat and hid the cup in case it was his wife checking up on him. "Come in." An anbu came in his full attire. He wore long black pants that went to his ankle and ninja sandals. A gray chest armor was over his short sleeved black shirt with a high collar along with his metal guards and his gloves. His raven mask covered his face, concealing his identity.
"Raven-san. What brings you here? Do you want a mission?" Minato asked seriously, appalled with his sudden appearance. Raven was talked about always coming early in the morning to retrieve missions as well of doing his mission such great speed and success. He would only do missions once a day so other shinobi would work as he attended to his family as they had their meetings. He was one of the best they had in the force, almost as well as his former student.
"Minato-sama. May you seal the room? What I have to speak to you about it really important." He spoke, his deep voice showed urgency. Minato nodded his hand and warded everyone out. The only voices that were heard were of the two men in the room.
Raven took off his mask and placed it in his side pouch. "Have a seat Itachi-san." Minato quickly caught on and stopped with the customary welcoming. The young anbu complied and looked at the Hokage without his powerful genkai kekkai.
"I'm going straight to my point, fully knowing you have other business to attend to. I have been going to the clan's meetings recently due to their strange behavior around the compound. I secretively attended one of their special meetings where my father spoke. The clan is planning a coup d'état as they call it, an uprising against the village. Though, there are some of the members who wish that violence should be avoided. "
Minato frowned deeply and leaned forward. He grabbed his hands on his desk and gazed at the young prodigy. "Do you know the reason behind their plan?" He analyzed him, wondering if he was lying to him and saw no sign of it. He gave him the benefit of the doubt and listen carefully.
Itachi sighed sadly, not wanting to hurt his clan but not wanting anything bad to happen to his village. "Some of the clan members are still upset about Senju Clan and the treatment they have endured. They feel like second class citizen and they want more respect for their abilities. They want power they could have attained in the election of the Shodai Hokage Their resentment never left them and seems to only grow stronger."
Minato stood up and performed more seals, a door with blue chakra flickering at the outline of the double door. Itachi walked to the Hokage as he opened one of the heavy doors. "We must talk to the elders and come up with a proper solution. We will not have the Uchiha feel like second class citizen of Konoha. They are not any better or any worse than anyone in the village." He paused and looked at Itachi. He sighed and looked at him worriedly. "Itachi-san, to be honest, I fear that you might not like what the elders will decree about the faith of the clan."
Itachi looked at the blonde Hokage confused and waited for him to continue. "The elders are going to possibly want to get rid of them. We have had suspicion of an uprising ever since Tobirama-san was Hokage. In any case, I promise you that nothing will happen to the clan as long as I'm the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha." He smiled Itachi grabbed him on his shoulder, bringing hope into his eyes. He worriedly though about the other founder of the Hidden Leaf Village and wondered if there was any connection whatsoever.
Itachi stared at the Hokage appreciatively for his honesty. He bowed lowly at the Hokage. "Thank you Minato-sama. I love my village too much to have it destroyed. As well for my clan." He added. A small smile formed as he stayed bowed.
Minato released the ward and walked to the door, waiting for Itachi to pass through. "Please, don't worry. We'll have this problem solved in no time. Now come, we must speak to the elders before it is too late."
End of Flashback
A soft knock ringed in Hokage's ear. "Come in" He wiped away some of the noodles from his face. He turned away from the view of the village as he welcomed his visitor. "Raven-san. It's nice to see again. Please have a seat."
Raven-san took a seat. If it was not for his mask covering his face, Raven would have been smiling at the Hokage for having some ramen on his face. "I'm here to give my monthly report about the clan. All is well now. The clan no longer has any resentment against the villagers. They are working well with no talk of the coup d'état."
"That is good to hear. I knew that the compromise would work. In one more year, we won't have you give this report anymore. The probation is almost up and your clan can be at rest. On another note, I have a mission for you and your team. All of the details are here and if you any question, just ask. It's pretty self-explanatory." Minato handed over a manila folder of the mission as he looked over Raven's report.
Raven looked through it. "Thank you Hokage-sama." He stood and bowed, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Thank Kami that everything went well. I wouldn't want Kushina to be upset that I had her best friend killed along with her husband and child.
He shook his head and smiled proudly. "I wonder how Naruto is doing. He should be doing his genin test after a quick recess. Perhaps I'll stop by and watch for myself after a nice read of Jiraiya-sensei's book." He said to himself as he reached in his drawer and pulled out an orange book, glancing at the cover.
He was about to read his longtime favorite book when someone knock at the door. He sighed and placed his book on the desk. "Come in." He called out.
The ninja stepped in with a book in his face. He was fair skinned with spiky white hair. Dark eyes with the left eyes covered with his forehead protector tilted to left. He wore a mask which obscures the lower half of his face. He wore the standard flat jacket over a long sleeved black shirt with the red spiral at the side. He had on black long pants with blue shinobi sandals.
He looked up from his book and his visible eye smiled at the Hokage. "Yo Minato-san." Minato smiled at his former student amuse. He knew that his student went through a lot as a kid and in the Third Shinobi War where he lost his best friend and nearly lost his other teammate Nohara Rin. She was kidnapped and interrogated for Konoha's war effort but her strong will never faltered. With her surviving the war, she was able to make Kakashi, his other student to not give up and have hope. Their other teammate died but Minato and his old team didn't like talking about it.
"How is Rin, Kakashi?" Minato asked, smiling at his students. He knew that his student never thought about the prospect of love, especially not with his teammate Rin, but he knew that she liked him. It wasn't until that Rin came from the war, where she almost died, for Kakashi to realize that he loved her as well.
"She's at the hospital, doing well. I'm here to see how you are sensei. How are Naruto and Kiyomi?" He asked, sitting in one of the chairs.
Minato sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Kiyomi is doing fine. Her friend Akihiko, from the Uchiha clan seems to have a crush on Kiyo. She doesn't know but it is a matter of time that she notices. I'm surprise that Akihiko hasn't realized his feelings towards her."
Kakashi was going to let out a perverted giggled but stopped at the face of his sensei. He looked a little worried and annoyed of the boy. As he was about to say something, he was stopped short.
"Otousan! Otousan!" A loud clear voice yell, coming closer to the office. The Hokage perked up as he quickly placed his book in the middle drawer, smiling at the door. He barged in, a bead of perspiration on his forehead. Minato stood up and quickly went to him and hugged him. "Hey Naruto. What's with all the yelling?"
Naruto looked up at his father and grinned. "I just did the transformation jutsu! I think I nailed it! I know everything for the genin exam except for one, the bunshin, but still! You should have been there!" He jumped up giddy, bouncing on the heel of his feet. "I'm going to kick butt! Believe it!" He threw a kick in the air. He then noticed Kakashi in the room. "Hey Kakashi-san." Kakashi nodded his head, smiling under his mask as how great of a father his teacher is.
Minato looked at him. "Really? That's great son. Taking up after your father aren't you?" He clasped his shoulder. "Let's eat some ramen I have in my drawer hidden. Don't tell you mother though." He said, walking to his desk, pulling out the cups of instant ramen. With a simple jutsu, he boiled the water and carefully poured the steaming water into the cups, waiting for the three minutes to pass.
"Yes!" Naruto yelled. "Dattebayo! I'll be Hokage in no time! Believe it!" Naruto threw his fist in the air in excitement. Kakashi sweat dropped and waved his hand at them. "Later." With that said, he turned to a puff a smoke.
Minato chuckled, ignoring Kakashi little escape. "Trying to take my place are you?" He sat down on his chair and placed his foot on his desk. Naruto blushed in embarrassment, laughing to himself. He looked back as steam rose from the cups. "Here's your cup of ramen." Minato said, ecstatic that his son had already decided what his goals as a ninja were going to be which would only make him a stronger ninja and more determined one as well.
Naruto jumped toward his dad's opened hand and took the ramen, devouring it in an instant without the chopstick he offered. Minato walked back to his seat and sat down, digging his chopsticks into the ramen cup, "Minato! Naruto!" Kushina yelled, barging inside his office. At the sound of her voice, the Yondaime promptly fell off of his chair, spilling the ramen on his clothes, his green flat jacket specifically. Naruto quickly threw his cup of ramen out the window and turned to look at his mother guiltily. Painful yell was heard with muffled cries under the window and Naruto ignored it.
They both looked at her in surprise as she glared at them. She walked to Naruto and bashed him at the back of his head, her teeth gritted as she shot daggers at him. "What did I tell you about eating too much ramen? It's not good for you! Baka!" She then cast a dirt look at her husband, pointing a finger at her husband. "You…"
He put his hand in front of him in surrender, smiling. "It was just a little snack. There was no harm in that." All of her anger left her face and she smiled contently. "Okay. What were my boys doing?" she said cheerfully, sitting on one of the chairs a jumpy Naruto offered.
He recovered quickly and smiled cheekily at his parents. "I'm going to be genin and I can go on cool missions and earn my own money!"
Kushina burst out laughing. Minato looked at her with his lips twitching upwards, trying not to laugh with her. Naruto paused and looked at them. "Why are you laughing? I'm going to be a great ninja and surpass you both!" He glared at them, putting his hands on his waist in frustration.
Kushina laughed more, muffling her laugh with her hand. She blushed slightly for her outburst and took a deep breath. "How can you be a great shinobi when you wear orange? If you want to live through a mission, then you need to work on stealth. You are a walking target."
Minato suppressed a smile as he leaned against his desk, glancing at both of them. "Your mother is right. Maybe she can take you clothes shopping."
Naruto pouted. "But I like orange! It's my favorite color! With okaasan's red hair, and our yellow hair, you get me!"
"What about Kiyomi?" Minato asked, amused of his reaction. It reminded him of Kushina when they were both in the academy. Loud and defensive, even for the smallest things. He remembered when she told everybody about her dreams too.
Naruto scoffed. "Kiyomi-chan one of the special ones. She has yellowish orange hair."
"Ano? Speaking of hair, are you going to tell your father what you did to the monument?" Kushina asked innocently, inspecting her nails. Naruto paled slightly, glancing at the door for an escape route.
Minato leaned forward from the edge of his desk, arms crossed. "What happened to your motor-mouth? Are you not going to tell me?" Kushina looked up at the mention of motor-mouth and threw a little glare at her husband who in return gave her wink.
Naruto laughed sacredly. "Look at the time! I have to get back to the academy for class! Phew. It was nice talking! Later." He ran for the door, hearing the sound of Kushina's laughter roaring again.
"Naruto!" He called out, appearing in front of his son. "Whoah." He said to himself, shaking his head.
"Get a bucket and brush and clean off the paint. You're lucky I decide not to deduct it from your future paychecks. I want you to wash the monument before you get home." He said sternly.
"Aw! Come on! Kaa-san didn't tell me anything! She said you look nice with red hair." He complained. Both of them glanced back at Kushina. She smiled angelically, sliding deep into the chair. He gave Naruto a pointed look, motioning for him to keep moving.
Naruto grumbled under his breath, dragging his feet on the floor. "I shouldn't have listened to Kiyomi-chan. She should have done it." He walked past the secretary, mumbling incoherent words.
"I bet Sasuke-teme tried to beat me in the exams. Psst! Like he can!" He talked to himself. With his hands in his pocket, he walked out of the Hokage's building and headed to the academy's playground.
"Naruto." A deep voice called out to him. He turned around and looked at him questionably. The man had short length white hair that had a hint of blue. With green eyes, he wore a standard flat jacket and a forehead protector as a bandana. He had a small smirk as he gazed at the young boy.
"Hey Mizuki-sensei. Are you here to tell me I became genin? Huh?" Naruto asked, bouncing up and down as he recognized the man as a fellow proctor who reviewed their exams. "Did I pass before everyone else for my awesome moves?" He lifted his leg for a kick and nearly fell, but caught himself.
"Ugh. Actually, no. I have something important to tell you. Come with me." He wore a serious face, making the young Namikaze frown. His hands were deep in his pocket as he spoke to the academy student. He tried not to grimace and glare at the boy in front of him. Because of the brat's father, he was still a teacher at the academy as nobody took him on serious or treated him with any respect. Mizuki was tired that he was not treated like any other shinobi just because he taught their ungrateful children. He was going to change all of their minds, even if he had to do it forcefully.
"What's so important that you have to tell me? Should I get kaa-san?" He scratched his head, looking at his dad's office.
Mizuki sighed irritated. "Just come with me Naruto-kun. It is quite important." He looked back at the Hokage's office and then at the child.
"Okay." Mizuki grabbed Naruto and jumped away.
Namikaze Kiyomi walked through the village thoughtfully, avoiding bumping into anyone her brother knew and talked with. Every so often, she would put her hair behind her hair, anxiously walking near the park at the village. She took off her headband because it was giving her a headache but also wanting her hair to be more like her mother as well. I wonder if Naruto-niisan told mother or father about my little idea. He probably didn't, either way, I should be extract good this afternoon and help mother cook dinner and perhaps help father and cheer him up.
"Kiyomi-chan! Wait up!" A boy yelled, running after the youngest Namikaze. He panted as he stopped in front of her. "Didn't you hear me yell after you? I wanted to ask you something." The black haired boy said, smiling at her, catching his breath. He had the traditional Uchiha black hair that spiked out on its own; defying gravity, though his hair seemed to be more tamed than others. He wore a long white shirt with a belt tied at the middle, a netted shirt underneath with a pair of black shorts.
"I'm sorry Akihiko-kun. I was lost in my thoughts. Forgive me." Kiyomi said, returning his smile with her heart breaking smile, which made the Yondaime Hokage surrender at the whim of his only daughter, granting her anything she pleased.
A slight blush adorned his cheek. "Huh?" He said dumb folded. She looked at him with worry and he quickly recuperated, shaking his head. "It's okay Kiyomi-chan. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to train with me. Itachi-niisan was able to train with me before Sasuke-niisan got home. I can teach you the moves he taught me."
"Okay Akihiko-kun. Let's go to my house. Our training ground is larger to train in with more terrain." She reached for his hand and he pulled it back like he touched a hot potato. She frowned and looked him, her crystal blue eyes saddening. "What's wrong Akihiko?" Her bright blue eyes met his black eyes one, making his heart ache at the little pain she showed. His heart suddenly began to beat faster, pounding in his ribcage.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I just didn't want to get your hand sweaty. I had to run after you to catch up." He answered lamely, almost regretting lying to her. He quickly wiped his palms against his shorts. I need to talk to Itachi-niisan and Sasuke-niisan. They probably will be able to explain what is happening with me. I don't know why I'm blushing when she tells me something or why my heart suddenly beats faster when she's near. If not, I'm sure that father and mother will explain it then. I might be sick somehow.
She beamed at him. "Don't worry about it Akihiko. Once we are training, we will sweat either way. I don't mind." She reached for his hand again and he met her halfway. "Race you!" She called, pulling him with her and then let him go after a few meters, running up ahead than him.
"Hey! That's not fair! You started running before I did!" He complained, running after a slight blur before him. Just when he thought he was going to catch up with her, he bumped into her. He landed on his butt and looked up at his best friend. "Kiyomi-chan, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"
He followed her gaze and saw a mix of colors of orange and yellow along with a tall man with gray hair. "Is that not your brother?"
Most of the color left her face as she looked at the gray haired shinobi. "What is Naruto-kun doing with him? He's usually with Kaa-san and Otousan eating ramen or something."
Akihiko beamed at her. "He probably wants to train with him. Don't you want to be strong like your brother?"
Kiyomi nodded her head, not truly convinced as she raced home. Something about the man with her older brother left her with an unnerving feeling. He let off an aura of malicious and destruction, his flat jacket not really giving a warm feeling of protection unlike others who choose to be shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village to stand and serve their people of Konoha.
"Kiyomi, how about if we go after them. We can watch after them and see if he teaches Naruto-kun anything cool and practice it. Also, then you can be calm knowing your brother is alright." The youngest Uchiha said, reasoning with her.
She gave him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand as she helped him up. "Thank you Akihiko-kun. You're the best!" She cheered, giving him a hug. Akihiko froze, his body instantly becoming warm all over. He turned red from his neck to his face, his heart seeming to be in his throat.
"Are you sure that you are alright? It seems like you have a fever or some sort. You are a little too warm. My mom can take you to the hospital if-" She pulled away and placed her hand on his forehead before he pushed it away.
"It's okay Kiyomi-chan! I'm fine! Totally healthy!" He choked out too quickly, a blush coming out again from embarrassment.
"Alright then, come one. They aren't far from here now." She whispered as they ran after them. They neared an abandon looking house and slowed down, walking carefully. She crouched down and signaled him to do the same. With their feet wide apart, they place their ears to the ground, listening for steps. Two heavy steps stopped after heading north a few meters ahead.
Kiyomi's head bounced up as she pointed to her left. In front of the porch sat Naruto and Mizuki, both with a dead serious face. Scared, they walked closer to the men to be within earshot and put their backs to the wall and stayed still and quiet to listen to the conversation.
"I'm sorry Naruto that you had to find out that Iruka only wants to have you pass the exams because of your father being Hokage and all. I thought you did well on Henge no Jutsu. With a little bit more practice, then you will be able to master it. The fact is that Iruka does not want you pass this year for his own selfish reason. However, I know a loophole into the Genin Test."
Kiyomi carefully peeked at the side of the house. She noticed her brother had a look of sadness and all she wanted to do was go run to his side and give him a hug. She restrained herself as she stayed with her back to the wall, wanting to hear what the man wanted with her brother.
"What is it? Tell me Mizuki-sensei!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat.
"There's a forbidden scroll hidden in a temple that is guarded. If you grab the scroll, you would be able to pass if you were to perform one of the jutsu perfectly, becoming a genin automatically. It was another exam for genin to prove themselves worthy but was only done for those who showed great character and needed more help to show that they had mastered the material. "
Naruto's face lit up and darkened if only a little. He scratched his cheek and frowned slightly as if in thought. A forbidden scroll? If it is another exam for students to take that need help, then why is it forbidden? I never hear about this.
Kiyomi's breathing quickened as listen. Akihiko narrowed his eyebrow as he continued to listen, watching his best friend as well. If any sign she was going to ruin their cover, he would happily carry her away from her brother to safety.
"Later tonight, go retrieve the scroll and I'll meet you here but facing the forest so I can train with you. Maybe then, you will be able to pass the test. You'll be able to make your father much prouder with a higher mark then everyone else."
Kiyomi silently gasped and motioned with her head to run. They ran into the village and took a sharp left turn. They were in the middle of the bundling of villagers, scampering into the shops. The young Uchiha firmly grabbed Kiyomi's wrist and led her from the cluttered villagers and pulled her toward the park that was nearby.
"Kiyomi, perhaps we heard wrong. We only got there after they were already there and they could have been talking about something else entirely." He reason, trying to bring a smile on his best friend. "Besides, we both know how much your brother trains. I wouldn't be surprise if he just messing with us."
She turned to face him. "You're right." She gave him a small smile before she looked away worried. "Let's go train. Maybe we misheard the whole conversation. We are not far from my house anyways. I think okaasan can make us a snack."
He instantly brightened up at the mention of her mother's cooking. Uchiha Mikoto was not bad cook at all but her cooking was nothing compared to the kunoichi from the Uzushiogakure. No one can deny that the cooking of Red Hot Habanero of Konoha was delicious!
Naruto sat on the porch, waiting for Mizuki to walk away. He listened to everything he said but got distracted only slightly. He sensed the chakra of his younger sister and her best friend nearby the building. He did not know whether it was his imagination or not that he heard her gasped before running off. He must have eaten the ramen too fast to hear anything right. Either way, he wanted to go find her and ask her what she heard and what she was doing here.
He honestly did not know what to think. He had been training with his mother and occasionally his father would spar with him whenever he had time to spare. Naruto wished he had more time to train with his dad but knew that he had a big responsibility to watch over the village and the people of Konoha. He didn't keep it against him. Never.
The young Namikaze heir sighed deeply troubled. "How can I not pass the exams? I've trained with okaasan and tried to study. Hmph. The only thing I can't do is to perform the Transformation Technique or Clone Technique but even then, okaasan said there was an exception to my abilities. Unless…" His voice trailed off as he came to a conclusion. Worried, he stood up and walked to the village, paying no attention to any one in particular.
He walked through the park and saw a familiar an indigo haired girl. "Hey Hinata!" He said, waving energetically at her as she picked up some of the spring flowers. She looked up and turned red, promptly fainting, falling on the tall grass.
Naruto's eyes turned wide as he ran towards her. "Hinata!" He called out worriedly. He walked through the grass that kept her concealed from everyone and picked her up in his arms. "Dammit. I just waved at her and she fainted. She must be sick or something. Don't worry Hinata. I'll take you to the hospital and you'll get better!"
He bent over and picked her up, putting her on his shoulder. "Gosh Hinata, you must really heavy or I'm just not that fit." He adjusted her into his arm, holding her bridal instead, the weight evenly distributed. Her pale eyes fluttered opened and she turned red all over again. "Hinata! You're awake!" Her eyes widened before they rolled back, going unconscious.
"Awe man!" He complained, carrying her to the hospital. What did I do to get her sick? She must be really ill to be fainting. I'm sure that she'll get better and she'll pass and be genin too!
He arrived at the hospital and went up to the front desk. "Excuse me, but Hinata-chan keeps fainting." He told the nurse on the desk. She took off her glasses and looked at him, placing patients' charts on her desk. "Naruto-kun! What happened to her?"
"I just said that she kept fainting! I don't know what's wrong with her! I just saw her at the park and she went down." He said defensively, holding her closely. He wanted to drop her for her weight but knew that would be mean on his part. He didn't want to be rude and get her hurt.
"What is going on? Oh hey Naruto. What happened with the Hyuga girl?" A feminine voice called. Naruto perked up at the sound of her voice while the nurse instinctively stood straighter. She had two rectangle purple tattoos on her cheek, light brown hair that rested on her shoulder with muddy soft brown eyes. Her Hidden Leaf headband covered her forehead. She had a loose long sleeved shirt with a tight skirt that went to her tall waist, accenting her curvy features.
"Hey Rin-chan!" Naruto beamed at her, smiling at him with his famous smile. Rin giggled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Come on, tell me what happened to the little girl."
Naruto looked sheepishly as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Nurse, please take Hinata to one of the rooms and have her checked."
The nurse nodded her head and took the girl from his arms. "Well, I don't know what happened to Hinata-chan, but once I said hi to her, she fainted and she fell. I didn't know what to do so I just brought her here."
Rin smirked at the young boy. Like any other boys, he was clueless on how the young Hyuga heiress felt for him. Everyone knew that Hinata developed a crush on him. Everyone knew better than to try to explain it to him so they kept it in the shadow until he learned to figure it out or until manage to tell Naruto herself. "Bye Naruto. I'll see you later. Oh, before I forget. Next time, wait for 10 minutes before you do anything." Rin said, chuckling to herself as she went to attend the patients.
Naruto looked after who he called aunt as she walked down the hall. He didn't know what she meant by waiting for 10 minutes, then again he never understood why she would faint every time he was near her. He shook his head as he walked out of the hospital.
"Why couldn't find Sakura-chan in the park instead? She's so pretty and smart." He grumbled to himself. He settled into a peaceful silent as he walked home, replaying today's event. He turned red from the embarrassment at the memory of kissing Sasuke. Eww! I'm going to brush my teeth all-night! Use mouth wash and floss! I would rather kiss Akamaru than that teme! Such and ignorant shinobi! I don't even know why Kiyomi-chan hangs out with Akihiko.
The scroll stayed in his mind as if it were imprinted in his mind. According to Mizuki, anyone that would be able to master at least one of the jutsu, then they would be automatically promoted to genin. He liked the odds but what kept the gears in his head spinning was that it was in a temple guarded.
If the scrolls was to be used by anyone wanting to past, then the scroll would be at the library or the sensei would recommend it to their students. The fact that the scroll was hidden made Naruto smiled at the challenge. The odds of Mizuki being right were very slim. A scroll that was forbidden was forbidden for a reason, though the reason for this particular scroll made no sense to him. If it would grant anyone into the academy to be promoted, then it would only be fair if they all could read it.
He rubbed his hands anticipating going to get the scroll. He took out a piece of parchment and took out an ink pen. He scribbled something on the piece of paper and hurried along the dirt road to the end of the village.
Within ten minutes, his home came to view. The dark ginger orange roof came to sight, with the light beige yellow colored walls. The iron black gates surrounded their house's perimeter until the back yard that held their large training ground. He opened the single gate and tiptoed inside. He looked to his left and then to his right, smiling to himself. Kiyomi-chan, I need you to come and find me and deliver a little something to kaa-san.
He walked through the side of the house and put his back to the wall quickly as he heard the clinking of metals, probably kunai knife stopping at hit. He popped his head at the side of the house and saw his sister sparring with her friend. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked at Akihiko. Just friends, ha! Look at him holding back on Kiyomi. He better be just friends with her or I'm going to have a talk with him." He growled mentally.
He walked out, making her sister and her friend stop from sparring. "Hey Naruto. What's up?" She asked casually, wiping her sweating hands on her dress.
Naruto almost laughed. "Nothing much. Kiyo-chan, I have something for you to give kaa-san. Give it to her once she comes. It's really important."
Kiyomi gave Akihiko a looked and took the letter from Naruto. "What do I tell her when she asked what it's for?"
"Nothing except that I will be waiting for her." Naruto smiled eagerly, walking to the gates and swiftly jumped over it.
Kiyomi looked at her best friend, who shrugged in response. She sighed and threw a skuriken at Akihiko, resuming their battle. She was just praying that her brother didn't do anything bad.