AN: I hope that you like this chapter. I made it longer than usual and I would appreciate it if you review! No pressure though. :D I have to say that there will be confusion with relationship between the characters such as with Sasuke and Kushina and Minato but that will be explain later. I warn you now so you can wait patiently. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto! Kishimoto does and I love the fact that he does. All I own is new characters and plot!

Chapter 5: Pass or Fail; Will I make it as a Ninja?

The hyperactive ninja was running around in a blur. His breathing was elevated as he rummaged under some clothing lying around the room. Oh Kami, where did I leave it? He thought frantically as he couldn't find it anywhere he looked. He had half a mind to make a few shadow clones and send them off to find it but he didn't want everyone to know that he lost it. How could I lose my headband! I took it off after I came up stairs! I put in my nightstand drawer!

He almost wanted to weep at the anticipation of finding his headband. It wasn't every day when a shinobi loses their headband. He knew that no one came up to his room. He groaned and ran his hand through his messy blonde hair. On the day where he had another test to do, he lost his headband! If his kaasan was in here, she would blame him for having such a messy room and not bothering to clean it.

Ram, serpent, and tiger he signed as three Narutos appeared. "You guys, I lost my headband and I need you guys to look around my room to find it before everyone wakes up!" He whispered urgently to them.

They all nodded their heads before heading in different directions. The room was relatively large and was very spacious. A thick red velvet curtain hanged, obscuring the wide large windows. The bed was centered at the far right. The head board and the brace were made from maple tree and was coated a dark color of brown. Beside the twin sized bed was same colored nightstand where the said headband was placed. A huge desk was placed in the far left side, against the wall. His drawer wasn't far behind as it was on the opposite side of the desk. Scattered on floor were few article of clothing along with empty instant ramen cups.

The Naruto clones didn't know what to do with the articles of clothing so they decided to pile them in the middle. The original Naruto looked out the window and saw that it was still dark out. He only had a limited amount of time to get ready before he had to meet his team and jonin sensei in training ground 3. He stared out of the window for a little while longer until her heard glass shattering. He whipped his head in that direction to see one of his clones smiling sheepishly at him, scratching his head. On the floor was his lamp broken.

He groaned tiredly and looked at him with slight anger. How can the clone be so stupid! He thought as he cornered his clone. He was about to pounce on him when he heard footstep in the hallway. He froze and looked at the door, hoping that it was just his mom making breakfast for dad. He waited until he heard nothing, silence, letting out his breath when his door was opened widely.

There stood his eight year old sister with a sleepy look on her face. She wiped her eyes and looked at her brother curiously. "Nissan, what are you doing?" She asked as she yawned, stretching her arms.

"I can't find my headband! Kiyo-chan, have you seen it anywhere?" He asked as he turned his attention to his sleepy little sister who still seemed to be stuck on staying awake or going to sleep.

"Well…" She began as she drifted her eyes to the floor. "What if I told you that someone, who will remain nameless, got her brother's headband to see how she looks like as an official ninja?" She said nervously as she started to be more alert.

"I'm not worry about that but I really need it Kiyo-chan! I have another exam and I need to have my headband. Go fetch it and bring it here while I change." He ordered as he overlooked the cause of his almost heart attack.

She nodded her head and dashed down the hall to her room. Naruto sighed in relief and went to his drawer to find another outfit. Lucky for him, Kushina did take him out to buy new clothes. She personally made sure that none of the clothes had orange as he had a whole wardrobe with the bright color. He picked out his dark black pants that went down to his ankles and a long sleeved blue shirt where at the sides was the Uzamaki Clan symbol. In the cuff, the clan symbol of the Namikaze. He giggled a little but shook his head. He didn't have time to make some jokes. He had a test to pass!

He popped his clones and went to the door and closed it. He quickly changed and put on his shinobi sandals. He grabbed his kunai and shuriken holster and strapped one on his leg and the other one on his waist. He took a quick glance at his room before he walked down the hall. Kiyomi came out of her room running and stopped in front of Naruto, handing him his headband.

Naruto grinned and tied it on his forehead. "Bye Kiyomi! Tell otousan and kaasan that I had to leave for my test with Kakashi-sensei!" He yelled out as he ran down the flight of stairs and out the door. His only hope was not to be late. He knew he wouldn't live it down by Sakura or Sasuke.

He ran past a few villagers that were awake, muttering apologies when he brushed against them. He could almost see the training ground, and he felt so excited. He knew that nothing would be able to bring him down with the encouragement from his parents and sister he received last night. "Watch out you guys because I will kick ass! Believe it!" He yelled.

He saw his two teammates and slowed his pace to a casual walk. Both Sasuke and Sakura seemed to have arrived as they had a neutral look on their faces as the stared at different direction of the training ground. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme! Hey!" He called as he neared them.

"Ohayōgozaimasu Naru-" Sakura welcomed as she turned to glance at him. She instantly blushed and looked away. Is that Naruto-kun! Nani! I could hardly recognize him without his orange jumpsuit. He looks so much like the Yondaime Hokage! Inner Sakura smirked. Shannaro! We get to be in the same team with these cute boys! Kawaii! She squealed as she then glanced at Sasuke, blushing even more.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto and nodded his head in his direction. The resemblance to the Hokage is indistinguishable. Seems like the dobe is actually taking this seriously. Sasuke thought as he looked back at the trees.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked around the training ground. His teammates shrugged and stayed in silence. He sighed as stuffed his hands in his pockets.

They all waited for Kakashi to arrive. The sky used to be purple but started to turn to a light shade of blue as the sun already rose. Sakura got tired of standing and sat on the ground with her elbows on her thigh. Sasuke stayed standing while the impatient one couldn't keep still. He'd been pacing around them for a while now and it was driving Sasuke insane.

"Will you stop it Naruto!" Sasuke said annoyed as his eyebrow twitched a little.

"It's not my fault sensei is late! Jeez, take out your anger when he gets here." He retorted as he crossed his arms.

"You guys don't fight now. Sensei must have a good reason why he is late." Sakura eased in, hoping to lighten the mood. Both male genin glared at her and she looked down to the ground. Come on sensei!

Few Hours Later

"Yo" A gray haired jonin said as he appeared with a gush of wind.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto yelled out, pointing with accusations in their eyes.

"Well, you see. As I was walking here, a black cat walked in front of me and…" He stopped and tilted his head to a side, in thought. He shook his head and began. "Well, I forgot to tell you yesterday but this test is really important. Only 9 of you guys will pass to be ninjas. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this test will be really difficult with a dropout rate of 66%."

"What! You didn't tell us that yesterday!" Naruto complained. He didn't like the odds of passing and by the looks of Sasuke and Sakura, they didn't like it either. They had both a frown with look of depression.

"Then sensei, what was the point of the final exam we took?" Sakura asked slightly terrified. She didn't want to go back to the academy. They finally made it and there was sure no way in hell was she going back to start reading more from the text book!

"The purpose of the final exam was to see who qualified to become genin. Usually the loud ones are the one that fails or the one with least experience." He explained as Sakura and Naruto flushed from the comment.

"Let's move on." He cleared his throat as he took out a clock and placed it on the tree stump. "This alarm clock is set to 12 PM. Your goal today is to take away one of these bells from me. Whoever fails to retrieve a bell from me won't get lunch. I'm going to tie you on the tree stump and eat my lunch in front of you." He explained cheerfully as he held out two bells on a red string.

So that's why he didn't want us to eat breakfast. Sasuke thought as he stared at the three wood stumps in front of them.

"Wait, then why are there only two bells when there are three of us?" Sakura asked as she held on her stomach that growled angrily.

"Since there's only two, at least one will have to be tied to the log. That person will then go back to the academy. Then again, it could just be one or all three of you go back to the academy. You can use any of your weapons such as shuriken and kunai. You are not going to be able to get one of the bells if you don't have the intent to kill me. That's the only way to retrieve one." Kakashi instructed as he tied the bells to his pants. "You will start when I say go…Go!"

The three jumped back in a flash and hid around with the landscape. Sakura jumped on the tree top and concealed herself with the leaves. Why did I have to have pink hair? She thought as she lowered her head but kept an eye on Kakashi.

Sasuke did the same but a few trees down. He stayed well in between the branches and the leaves, sitting on a good branch with a view of his teacher.

"A basic for a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide. Seems like everyone hid" Kakashi said softly to himself. He looked to the side and saw Naruto staring at him with a grin. He sweat dropped and shook his head. Spoke to soon. Seems like most of them hid well.

"Kakashi-sensei, it's you and me, face to face." Naruto challenged boldly. His teammates hidden couldn't help but mutter 'dobe' under their breath.

"Isn't it a little weird that you aren't hiding Naruto?" Kakashi said ironically.

"The only thing that is weird is your hair. The reason I didn't point it out was because it is rude and kaasan would lecture me." Naruto chuckled to himself as he charged at his teacher.

Kakashi reached into his pouch which caused Naruto to stop. "Ninja tactic know-how number one, taijutsu. I'll teach you that first." He pulled out a bright orange book, Flirting Paradise, and opened it to his previous page.

"Eh! Why did you take out a book! Taijutsu is hand on hand combat!" He screamed insulted.

"To know what happens next obviously. Something big is happening and I want to see how it develops. Besides, I won't need both of my hands to fight you." He said coolly.

Naruto curled his fist and charged again with greater force. "You're dead!" He threw a punch to his face and he caught it in his hand, without looking away.

"Damn. Roadhouse kick." He muttered as he sent a kick to his midsection. Kakashi swiftly dodged it by crouching down. Naruto landed on his feet and leaned forward to throw an incoming punch only to find the air. "Where did he go?"

"A ninja should not let the enemy get behind him." Kakashi stated as he crouched down behind Naruto. He moved his hand posture and caught the attention of Sakura and Sasuke.

Is he going to do a high ninjutsu on Naruto? Sakura thought as she saw the hand sign of tiger.

That seal…it's for fire element. Sasuke thought shocked. "Naruto! Move! He's going to attack!" He yelled.

Naruto turned slightly to only hear a few dreaded words. "Konoha's secret taijutsu master art…! A Thousand Years of Pain!" Kakashi pushed his fingers to attack Naruto's butt.

Naruto sweat dropped and launched himself into the air, crying from the pain. He reached into his pouch and pulled out kunai and shuriken, hurling it at Kakashi. Kakashi simply dodge it with his book still in hand.

That wasn't a fire ninjutsu. Sasuke said to himself a little irked.

"Both of them are idiots." Sakura sighed, with a light blush.

Naruto landed in the lake, shuddering as he fell in head first into to the cold water. Sasuke and Sakura made no move to help. Though Sasuke did yell out to warn me… there's no way for me take down Kakashi-sensei, he is too strong to fight even though I wasn't ready. Maybe if Sasuke and Sakura help me, we might have a fighting chance… Naruto smiled and dived deeper into the lake. Within a good few feet deep, he swam to the side of the lake opposite of Kakashi and hoped for a distraction to get out, his breath was running out.

"Sasuke, Sakura. I know that you guys are hidden in the trees. If you want to pass, I advise you to run deeper in the forest." Kakashi told them as he flips through the pages of his book.

Naruto rose up with his head out for a breath and looked at Kakashi. As he was getting out of the lake, his stomach growled. "I can still do this!" He convinced himself. He looked at the trees near him and made a run for it. If he could run around the trees, he could get to Sakura and Sasuke and make a plan.

Sasuke caught a glimpse of Naruto getting out of the lake and made eye contact. Naruto nodded his head once and Sasuke returned it with his trademark smirk. "If Naruto tried, then so can I." He told Sakura as he knew she could hear him.

He landed in front of Kakashi who raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you Uchiha Itachi's little brother?" He mused.

"So what if I am?" Sasuke said, thinking over a few jutsu he learned from his niisan. He remembered what Itachi told him when teaching him the jutsu and smirked. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He placed his hands near his mouth and took a deep breath, exhaling a large amount of fiery flames heading towards Kakashi.

The fire burned in the air, alarming Naruto. He stopped running and hid behind a tree. He peeked at the side to see Sasuke attacking Kakashi with ninjutsu. I really need to have otousan and okaasan teach me ninjutsu! Naruto shivered and looked back at his soaked clothes. He took off his shirt and began to wring it, getting rid of the excess water before slipping it back on. He didn't want to catch a cold.

Kakashi looked up and acted quickly disappearing before the flames died down. Sasuke looked around confused. "Where did Kakashi go? Is he behind me? Above me? Where is he?" He looked around frantically.

"Neither. Underneath you. Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!" He called out as his hand popped up from the ground and grabbed Sasuke's ankle, swapping places. Kakashi stood on the floor with Sasuke stuck underneath with his head above ground. Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked to the side.

Sakura watched with horror in her eyes. She really wanted to go help Naruto but knew she would only get in the way. She just hoped Sasuke would help but he only waited to have a turn with Kakashi. The only way I can help is to set up traps in the forest. I don't want to be a nuisance. Besides, I don't want to go back to the academy! What if Ino-pig made it and then she'll get to be with my Sasuke-kun! I will do this for love! She nodded her head with conviction and ran north.

"This is the second ninja tactic know-how, ninjutsu. Know how to use your jutsu and make sure it's not used against you." Kakashi stood up and looked around the clearing. The others were hiding and it was only a matter of time that they would come at him again. To play it on the safe side, Kakashi disappeared with smoke left behind.

Naruto patiently stayed hidden behind a tree until he made sure Kakashi disappeared. He heard Sakura ran off into the forest but he wanted to help Sasuke out before finding Sakura. He had a hunch what was going on but wasn't too sure.

"Sasuke-teme! Do you need any help?" He yelled, waving his hand at him. Sasuke looked up and scowled as he heard him giggle.

Sakura was getting tired. She was well within the center of the forest of the training ground and she couldn't help but to feel like she was followed. She landed on a tree branch and looked around. All she could see was the leaves on the branches.

Don't be too paranoid! Kakashi-sensei might be busy with Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun to go after you! Besides, if he does show up, he will be beaten by the traps you laid out! Inner Sakura cheered. Sakura nodded her head unconvinced when she heard a twig snapped. She stood up and looked to her sides.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, is that you?" She whispered to herself. She stayed still and held her breath.

"Sakura, behind you." A too deep voice said as he performed his seals.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She screamed aloud until she fell down unconsciously heading to the hard ground. Kakashi caught her midair and laid her on the forest floor. He quickly stood and jumped on the tree branches, fleeing from the scene.

Sasuke was dusting the dirt off his white shorts when he heard a scream. "Did you hear that dobe? That sounded like Sakura." He looked at the forest with worry.

"Let's go find Sakura-chan teme! She might be hurt!" Naruto leaded as he ran to the forest.

A few minutes later, Sakura began to stir. She sat up and wiped her eyes. "Kakashi-sensei?" She groaned and stood up. "Where did he go-" She stopped in midsentence as she heard grunts.

"Sensei?" She walked forward freighted. She held her hands to her chest as she hesitantly took several steps forward.

"Sakura!" A voice called out.

"Sakura-chan, help us!" Another familiar voice called.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun?" She ran forward before she froze. Her lips began to tremble as her knee felt like they were about to buckle. She took one step back in horror but landed on her butt, shaking at the sight in front of her.

Sasuke laid on the ground sprawled out. Multiple kunai and shuriken covered his body along with blood from the wounds. He heard her, and lifted his head to have him coughing up blood. He was leaning on a tree for supported but his head wobbled down. "Sakura?" He asked softly.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto said limply. He was on his knees, crawling towards her. Like Sasuke, he had kunai and shuriken all over his body with blood. His shirt was torn apart and drenched with sweat and blood. Dripping from his mouth was blood. He lifted his arm to wipe it off before extending it to Sakura. Both of them are in the verge of death. "Kakashi-sensei ambushed us when we came to help you. He-"

He started until Sakura screamed again, only getting louder until she passed out. Kakashi heard and sighed. Maybe I over did… "Ninja tactic know-how, genjutsu. Learn how to identify if it is real or all an illusion" He mumbled to himself as he sat perched on a tree branch.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look as they quicken their pace in the forest. Along the way, they barely manage to avoid some traps laid out and knew that they were on the right trail. Both of the young genin had a look of misery as they went to find their teammate.

Naruto knew that Sakura might not have more knowledge on ninjutsu than the ones from the academy. Unlike him and Sasuke, they have ninjas to help them train and someone to train with. Her parents were ninja but they probably didn't have much time to train her beyond the basics. He just hoped that they found her in one piece. He wouldn't forgive himself if he knew something bad happened to her.

Naruto scanned the area and found a body on the floor. "Teme, look! It's Sakura!" Naruto screamed excitedly as he landed next to her. Sasuke did the same and looked at Sakura with a bit of concern.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and placed two fingers on her wrist. The pulse present was as if she was as sleep but more logically a genjutsu. "Watch her as I go and see if Kakashi-sensei is nearby. I'll be right back." He instructed as he jumped at the tree branches and left before he could protest.

Sasuke sighed and sat next to her. He really wanted to get a bell on his own and pass this damn test. He knew that his brother would have passed the test in a breeze, easily handling new missions he received. Unlike Itachi, Sasuke wasn't as lucky at graduating early or touching the bell at all. Maybe I should train a little bit harder. I could ask kaasan when Itachi-niisan isn't home. She's a good ninja too… He let his thoughts trail off.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled as she sat up abruptly. She looked to her left and saw Sasuke perfectly fine. "Sasuke-kun!" She cried as she latched her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly and brought herself closer to him.

There was a light crimson blush on his cheek as he hastily pushed her away. "I'm right here Sakura." He felt a little awkward as he stood up and stared at her. "What did Kakashi-sensei do to you?"

Sakura wiped the tears that fell and looked at him with her bright emerald eyes. "He put me in a genjutsu. He caught me off guard. It was horrible." She said sadly as she placed her hands on her laps. "I saw both you and Naruto-kun on the floor asking for help. You were both in bad shape and covered in blood and-"

"You don't have to finish that Sakura." Sasuke interrupted her kindly. She looked up at him and gave him a smile.

Sasuke knew what she was talking about. Itachi managed to convince him to go into a genjutsu to strengthen his mind. In reality, Itachi just wanted to play a little prank on his younger brother who, at the time, was too gullible for his own good. Though what Sasuke saw was not in any shape or form pretty. It was a gruesome death of his family. Sasuke would do anything in the world to make sure that never happened. Itachi did have a funny sense of humor.

"Kakashi-sensei isn't around. Hey Sakura-chan. You're awake." Naruto said as he walked towards his team.

"Kakashi placed her in a genjutsu. She's fine now." Sasuke stated as he looked up to Naruto.

"Oh okay. You guys, I think I know the actual purpose of this test." Naruto whispered as he got serious. He sat down and Sasuke did the same, sitting around in a circle. "We know that the purpose of the test is to get one of the two bells right?" He asked encouragingly. They nodded his head as he continued. "Well, how could it be possible for a genin to beat a jonin? It's impossible!"

"But then why have us try to get the bell?" Asked Sakura she placed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well, I think that the purpose of the test is to work together and get the bells from him." Naruto ended cheerfully as he explained it.

"That is why we are in a three man cell." Sasuke concluded smugly. Wow, the dobe figured it out before I did…

"But there are two bells and there are three of us. How are we supposed to get the bells from him then?" Sakura pressed. It made sense to her but she knew that they were missing something.

"Well..." He scratched the back of his head a little embarrassed. "I didn't think that far. I know that we have to work together and get the bells. We form a plan and we get the bells, becoming official ninjas!" Well, only two of us He thought sadly.

"Here's the plan…"

Kakashi made it back to the clearing with the logs in the middle. He looked at the clock and shook his head. He hoped that this team would have made it. They seemed to have a lot of potential and he knew that the team would be great at forefront combat. They only had ten minutes left.

He let out a perverted giggle as he read. Reina was obviously in love with Yuuto but he never managed to catch on. Yuuto, can't you see the undying unconditional love Reina has for you! She's practically throwing herself on you! Kakashi thought scandalously as he read that Reina was starting to turn to Ryouta for comfort.

He felt the presence of three chakra signatures and looked up. The team had a look of determination in their eyes as they walked forward, Naruto in the front slightly. "Did you bring your friends to watch you fail?" Kakashi questioned with his eyebrow raised.

"Eh? Fail! I'm going to beat you!" He roared. Kakashi nodded his head skeptically before turning his back to him.

"Sensei, you said a ninja should never turn their back on their enemies!" He said with an evil grin. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Twenty Naruto manifested and charged at Kakashi. Sasuke and Sakura got in position around the clones.

Sasuke henged into Naruto and charged along with the clones, blending in. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" He chorused as his breath let out balls of fires following the clones. All of the Narutos threw themselves on Kakashi and held on to him, making sure that none of them moved. Two slipped behind and held Kakashi's arms behind his back.

The fireballs dispelled the clones that held Kakashi in the front as he began to fight back the clones. Kakashi kneed one of the clones, hitting its nose. "Now Sakura!" The Narutos called out simultaneously as their gripped loosened. Kakashi's eyes widened and darted to the bells. He couldn't reach it as the fireballs continued to attack him full on as the clones diminished until the only ones left were holding his arms back.

Sakura ran forward and punched Kakashi in the stomach, taking the breath out of him and swiftly swung her feet around his. He landed back on the clones with the real Naruto and Sakura quickly snatched the bells before jumping back. "I got the bells!" She yelled out.

Sasuke undid the henge and walked next to Sakura. She beamed at him and she looked at Naruto. He looked a little beaten up but smile as he undid his jutsu. He limply walked to his team and looked at their sensei.

Kakashi had a smile underneath his mask as he sat up. He looked over at the kids and smiled. Naruto and Sakura were jumping up and down from excitement while Sasuke just had a small smile on his face.

"Kakashi-sensei, we figured out you test. The goal of the test was to have us work together and get the bells away from you." Kakashi's eye glinted with happiness as he thought of his sensei. Naruto truly is the son of Minato-sensei. A true leader able to see what is really underneath what's given.

"Now that we have the two bells, I made the decision to go back to the academy. Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan will make genin."

Kakashi sweat dropped and took the comment back. "Naruto-kun! That wasn't part of the plan!" Sakura yelled as she bashed him in the head.

Sasuke quickly turned his head to Naruto, probably giving him whiplash, and stared at him with his eyes wide open. Like Sakura said, it wasn't part of the plan. Neither was the attack on Kakashi but it still had the same effect from the original plan.

"You all pass!" Kakashi congratulated.

"What?" They asked in confusion.

"Naruto, you were right about the test being about teamwork but you are wrong about going back to the academy. The test was done to set you guys against each other. From the beginning, it was testing you not only on your ability to work together to accomplish an impossible task but to also to see the meaning behind the words. Saying that you would return to the academy was more motivation to keep you guys apart and want to get the bell on your own. It's essential to have teamwork because missions are carried out that way. You should never put yourself before your teammates. It leads to failure and death." Kakashi said as he closed his book and placed it in his pouch.

"On this stone are the names of all of the ninjas who are honored as heroes." Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets. He turned and faced a granite rock with names inscribed with chakra. "These aren't like most heroes. They are all classified as K.I.A, shinobi that died protecting the village. That's the life of a ninja as they begin to take missions."

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto bowed their headed slightly with a frown. Life as a shinobi was finally getting to them.

"This is a memorial stone. The name of my closest friend is here along with my fellow comrades. My friend taught that sometimes it's okay to break the rules in order to help your friends. 'Those who break the rules are scum' it's true because the successfulness of a missions is important for the village to stay strong, 'but those who abandon their friends are worse that scum'. Even if you have to abandon a mission, it's important to save a comrade. They are willing to help protect others' lives so it would only be respectful if you saved theirs."

Naruto wiped a tear with the end of his sleeve. "Kakashi-sensei, I will always be there for my friends! Believe it!" He proclaimed boldly. "That's my ninja way! Dattebayo! I won't let my friends ever get caught by the enemy, even if I die!"

"I'm glad Naruto." He answered tiredly. "We finished up here so we can go. Team Seven will start doing missions tomorrow!" Kakashi said giving them a smile.

"Woohoo! I'm a ninja!" Naruto cheered. "Sakura-chan, do want to go eat ramen with me?"

"No thanks Naruto. I want to get home and take a shower. Maybe next time." Sakura dismissed as she walked after Kakashi, hiding a blush. She frowned and kept at pace with Kakashi with a millions thoughts at mind.

"Teme, wanna get ramen with me?" Naruto offered as he began walking after his team.

"Sure, I guess." Sasuke walked slowly out of the field. He was tired from staying up late training with his younger brother and father. The lack of sleep wasn't helping as he repressed a yawn.

"Race ya teme!" Naruto called as he began running and passed his sensei and Sakura.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he ran to catch up with him. Naruto had a large distance between them as he had already managed to walk to the busy village street.

"Hehe. Can't catch me tem-" Ump! He crashed into someone and fell down. "Awe man." He complained as he got up. He looked down and saw a familiar indigo haired girl. "Hinata-chan!"

The victim of Naruto's sudden attacked looked up and fell back, her eyes rolling back to unconsciousness.

"Hinata-chan! Not again!" Naruto yelled as he got to his knees. He ran his hands through his hair as he gazed at her hopelessly.

Sasuke, who witness everything, smirked and walked over to them. "Come on dobe. Help me pick her up and carry her to ramen stand. The least you can do is buy her a bowl of ramen. You did bump into her. " Sasuke said as he kneeled down, pulling Hinata's limp arm and placing it around his neck.

"Teme! Get your hands off her! I'll carry her! That's the least I can do." Naruto argued as he pulled Hinata's body towards him. Naruto glared at the raven haired boy before looking at Hinata. He shrugged and scooped her up in his arms.

Sasuke held his hand in surrender as his smirk deepened as he saw the 'dobe' hold her bridal style. "You sure you'll make it to the Ichiraku's?" He comment as he walked passed them both.

"Of course I can! I did it before!"

Sasuke stopped and gave him and expectant look. Naruto scowled and walked alongside the teme silently until they saw the stand. Naruto's mouth instantly watered and jogged to his best ability carrying a Hyuga in his arms. He looked around and spotted empty chairs. He walked to the chair and gently sat Hinata down with her head resting on the table.

"Hey, if it isn't Naruto Namikaze. Did you mother let eat ramen today?" Teuchi smiled as he dried his hands with his apron.

"Well she doesn't exactly know that I'm here… I came here to eat lunch with my friend teme." Naruto answered. He looked back and saw Sasuke come in and took a seat next to him.

"Who's the unconscious girl you brought?" Teuchi asked with concern as he approached her. "You didn't hurt her did you?" He grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. Steadily, there was a rhythmical pulse.

"No! Of course not! Rin-chan said to wait for her wake up on her own! I wasn't going to leave her in the street alone!" He defended himself.

"She fainted 'cause she bumped into Naruto." Sasuke added with another smirk.

Teuchi chuckled and shook his head knowingly. "So what can I get you guys? Will it be the usual for you Naruto?"

"Nah! Not today. I would like pork ramen!"

"I'll have the same." Teuchi smiled and left to the kitchen.

"Do you have any idea what kind of missions we are going to have?" Naruto asked as he patiently looked at the curtain where Teuchi left. He knew better than to hurry Teuchi with making ramen. He wouldn't want to risk having raw ramen! He already knew how that was when he made instant ramen in his room. He almost got caught and had to quickly get rid of the evidence against him.

"Probably D ranks missions around the village." He said with a shrug. He silently wished that they could take on higher rank missions but they were still genin and inexperienced. He was a fool to think that they could take higher missions.

"Awe man! I knew it I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." He said dismissively as his eyes trailed to the unconscious Hyuga.

She was an enigma to Naruto. He'd seen her around the academy and in the village but he hadn't had the chance to talk to her. Nothing about the girl told him that she was loud or shy until that fateful day. He wanted to approach her again but didn't have to nerve to do it. How would one approach someone who lost their mother? He knew that there was always a special between mother and daughter as there is with father and son.

The young Namikaze was curious and was going to make sure that Hinata would always be okay. He just had to talk to his mom to help her out. With his nindo, his was going to help his friends!

"Dobe? Are you there? They just placed ramen in front of you and you didn't respond? You 'kay?" Sasuke asked with his chopstick. To be honest, he was quite surprise that Naruto didn't attack the bowl before it was set down. He had assumed that the bowl would be empty by now.

Naruto shook his head and gave him a big grin. "I'm fine teme. Just thinking." He grabbed his chopstick and hurriedly began to devour the ramen.

"Just don't think too much dobe. You can't strain the little brain you have." Sasuke said jokingly.

"Oi! Teme! Take that back! I'm plenty smart! I just don't show it." He huffed and crossed his arms.

Sasuke smirked and nodded his head unconvincingly. "Say what you want Naruto."

"Kiyo-chan! You don't have to run! It's not like Ichiraku's is going anywhere!" a voiced called out to another.

"Hurry Akihiko-kun! I want to see if tousan is here!" A feminine voice answered persuadably.

With the recognition of the name, Naruto turned around and saw his younger sister and her best friend walk in. He shrugged and slurped the noodles in his mouth.

"Hey niisan! How did it go today with Kakashi-sensei?" Kiyomi asked casually as she sat next to Sasuke.

"It was awesome! You should have seen me! I was fighting Kakashi-sensei while Sasuke-teme hid in the trees." Naruto exclaimed. He was glad his sister came to share his new story with. Now he had the audience of Sasuke's little brother and he was going to take advantage of it. "The teme didn't do anything but hide with Sakura-chan."

"You hid niisan? Why?" Akihiko said at the side of Kiyomi.

"A basic for a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide. Naruto didn't hide and was attacked by one move of Kakashi's and it sent him to the lake." He remarked smugly. He was not going to have Naruto show him up, especially not in front of his younger brother.

Naruto blushed and scratched her head. "Well… I manag-"

Sasuke cleared his throat in a way of a threat.

Naruto sighed. "We defeated Kakashi and we start doing missions tomorrow." He clarified glumly as he boasted to his sister. That secret jutsu of Konoha would make him a target for his sister's jokes. He did not want to be stuck in that situation.

"Wait, I didn't notice there was a girl sitting next you. Who is she Naruto-kun?" Kiyomi frowned at the slouch girl with her head on the table.

"Ohh! That's Hinata! She's from our class. I don't know what happened to her but she fainted."

"Did you take her to Rin-oba? Maybe she's sick." She concluded with a calculated gaze.

"I have. Rin-chan said to wait for 10 minutes or so and that she is not sick." He said with his mouth full.

Sasuke almost choked on his noodle but swallowed either way. He was starting to question whether he was son of the Yondaime. Does he really not notice what's going on or does he plain fully ignore it? Sasuke questioned as he felt the strain of swallowing the noodles.

Kiyomi turned her attention to her hungry stomach and politely asked Teuchi for ramen along with Akihiko and Naruto, who asked for more. Once the Uchihas finished their respectable one bowl, they watched with shock and terror as the Namikaze raced through bowls. Naruto had the most bowls eaten with 10. Kiyomi was barely at 5 but it didn't stop her enthusiasm.

Akihiko was not sure whether to be impressed or scared. He had seen many of the girls take salad to school for lunch but Kiyomi always had a full meal made by her mother. She would always eat it all along with the desert Kushina made, not leaving a single crumb behind. "It's a miracle that you haven't gotten fat." He commented.

Kiyomi's hand froze as she was feeding noodles in her mouth. She put her chopstick inside her bowl and slowly turned her head to face him. "What did you say?" She asked in an even tone.

Sasuke and Naruto knew from the tone that she was angry. They've personally dealt with Kushina but her voice has never been so serious. Sasuke gave his brother a pitying look and turned around, making sure he didn't get caught starting at her aghast.

"I'm surprised that you haven't gotten fat. Naruto eats a lot of ramen but he is always training and burning the calories. While you, on the other han-"

"BAKA!" She yelled as she hit the top of her head with her fist. She reached into her pocket and pulled out yen and placed it on the counter, covering for her meal and a tip. She lifted her fist again and punched him until he fell to the ground before dashing out.

"Kiyomi!" He said desperately as he rubbed his head. He looked at his older brother defeated but only got offered a sympathetic smile. Naruto sat there unnerved and continued eating. "You had it coming Akihiko."

The heiress that once was unconscious jumped at the screamed and stared at the people who caused a scene. What happened? She lifted her head and saw Naruto seated next to her with Sasuke and a little boy on the floor.

Akihiko held his head and ran out the establishment. "Kiyomi! Wait!"

Naruto started laughing loudly, grabbing his stomach. He took a deep breath before turning. He looked to his right and found the Hyuga heiress staring at them confused. "You're awake Hinata-chan!"

"Ep" She whispered before she raised her eyes to meet his. She stared at his cerulean eyes before falling forward.

Naruto caught her and sighed tiredly. What's wrong with her! If Rin-chan said she wasn't sick then what's wrong! He cried mentally.

Sasuke was too amused watching both that they failed to notice someone walk in. "Lord Hokage! It's a pleasure to have you come back!" Teuchi welcomed as he came from the back.

"Hokage-sama?!" Sasuke said as he hastily turned around. The Hokage stood there casually and took a seat next raven haired boy. Sasuke got up and bowed quickly. "Evening Hokage-sama."

"Hey otousan! Today, the pork ramen seems like the best! Might be that I didn't eat breakfast but either way it's ramen!" Naruto greeted his dad open heartily.

Minato smiled. "Sasuke, haven't I told you to call me by name? We're like family, there's no need for that."

"Of course Minato-san." Sasuke nodded his head. He knew from his family that they were supposed to respect the Fourth and show appreciation to him. As his father said, "The Yondaime Hokage is a remarkable man to fullest. Though most will admit his kindness might hinder the village, it's a quality that nonetheless protected the village from war and harsh reality of death. Those who don't know him personally will say his kindness is a setback, when they forget to realize how we won The Third Great Shinobi War."

"Naruto, Sasuke, why is there an unconscious girl seated next to you?" Minato asked as he walked to the girl.

"It's Hinata-chan. She fainted when I kind of… bumped into her… so I decided to treat her to ramen. She woke up when Kiyo-chan screamed at Akihiko but she fainted again!" He vented slightly.

Minato raised his eyebrow in question and chuckled softly. Does he not see the reason why? He mused as he saw the look of exasperation on his son face. Maybe not… He's just like his mother… "Ah Naruto. You'll come to understand this much better when you get older."

Maybe not all of the men in his family are clueless about women. Concluded Sasuke as Minato gently placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Hinata, please open your eyes." Minato whispered softly and felt her tense her shoulder.

"H-H-Hokage-sama!" Hinata stuttered as she quickly went to her feet and bowed.

"Please take it easy. Naruto told me you fainted. Let us buy you some ramen." He smiled, putting his hand on her head.

Hinata turned beet red and nodded. She quickly sat on the stool awkwardly. She was sitting not only next to Naruto, her beloved crush, but with the Hokage of the village! She stood straighter and looked forward, scared that she might faint again.

"Teuchi, please serve these young genin a bowl of pork ramen and one for myself. It's on me." Minato asked as he glanced at the new shinobi.

It isn't every day the Hokage invites you to eat ramen. It's also not like it's impossible to eat more than one bowl. Sasuke smiled at the thought and looked at Naruto. "A-Arigato Hokage-sama." Hinata thanked.

"Very well. I'll be right back Lord Hokage."

"So, how was your test Hinata?" Minato asked as he turned to face the genin.

"I-I-It was fine. K-Kiba-kun, S-Shino-kun and I had to find K-Kurenai-sensei as she hid in the forest. I-It was difficult at first but we decided to w-work together and we found her q-quickly." Hinata quietly spoke, her face completely red. She was embarrassed with the all the attention that she was getting and the look Naruto was giving her. His clear blue eyes stared directly at her as she could feel her heart pound faster.

"That's excellent. I expected nothing more than that." Minato praised. He smiled at the thought that he had finally heard her speak more than a phrase. He wondered what Hiashi did to have his daughter how she was now but he had to put his thoughts in check. The death of Honoka affected not only Hiashi but Hinata as well.

"We beat our sensei too! Kakashi-sensei had nothing on us when we took the bells." Naruto exclaimed energetically. Internally, he just wanted his dad's attention like he always had as a child growing up.

"I see that Kakashi did the bell test on you guys. I trust that went smoothly." He hoped. He wondered how the team reacted to having to get two bells with three of them. He remembered the reactions of his team.

"Yeah. We figured out the true goal of the test and attacked him together. Sasuke-teme and I distracted him while Sakura got the bell and he said that we passed." Naruto summarized.

"I'm glad. We have plenty of missions for you guys to do around the village." Minato said almost evilly.

"Alright! This sounds like fun!" Naruto roared with excitement. He wondered what their first mission would be. Would they do something cool and dangerous? Sasuke said that they wouldn't leave the village yet with D rank missions. Millions of ideas flashed through his head until he remembered something. "Tousan, will you teach me some of our clan's jutsu? I love training with kaasan but I don't want to do more chakra exercises! I want to know cool ninjutsu!"

"Son, you know that you have to good chakra control and besides, that's just some of the training. She's mentioned to me that you have the taijutsu stance down from both of our clans. Just have a little more patience Naruto. Before you know it, you will know a lot of our clan's jutsu." Minato laughed at the annoyed face Naruto gave him. Sometimes Naruto got ahead of himself.

"Then why does Sasuke-teme gets to learn his clan's jutsu? He doesn't have that much of good chakra control." He accused.

"The customs of each clan is greatly different. You must mean the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu. It's a jutsu the Uchiha teach their young shinobi from coming of age. If you want, I could teach you one of our clan's jutsu." Minato offered attempting to not laugh at the pout Naruto had.

"Cool! When will you teach me? Can we go right now? Can we?!" Naruto jumped out of his seat and looks at his father.

Minato laughed. "Maybe not today Naruto. I still have some paperwork back at the office. More likely tomorrow when I have my day off."

He dropped his head and sighed before smiling. "You think that okaasan would be willing to teach me one of her jutsu?"

"Perhaps. She probably at Mikoto's house. Mikoto called her over early to tell her important news."

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked at him as if he grew another head. Mikoto rarely called early to share important news. The most important news the Uchiha would have is that the police force had more recruits that were promising.

Noticing the silence, Hinata felt a little awkward being here. She didn't have the courage to have a conversation with them while eating her ramen. "T-Thank you Hokage-sama for the ramen. It was really good. I-I must go home. My father will be expecting me." She excused as she made her escape.

"Bye Hinata-chan!" called Naruto. "Bye Hinata-chan" Sasuke said casually as they stood to leave. "Tousan, I'm going to check on Mikoto-san. Let's go teme."

Sasuke crossed his arms and gave Naruto an annoyed look. "Thank you Minato-san." Sasuke bowed before going after Naruto who left ahead.

They quickly made their way across the village. They hid a little in the alley when they realize they were being followed by their fan girls. Compared to other times, they have improved on being inconspicuous. When the numbers multiplied, they broke in a full out run to the Uchiha Compound.

They looked back and saw dirt rising up as girls ran after them. They only left behind the dirt in the air and everything in their way was destroyed instantly. "SASUKE-KUN!" "NARUTO-KUN!" Either group of girls screamed.

"Jun, don't let those girls come in the compound!" Sasuke coughed as he ran passed the guards. The man Jun laughed and shook his head. "As you wish Sasuke-kun. It's like when Itachi-kun was still in the academy." He commented with a smirk.

They passed several houses in a blur before arriving at the main house. They placed their hands on their knees and panted, out of breath. "That was a close one. Since when did they get better on staying nonvisible?" Sasuke asked sliding the door open.

"Beats me. All I want to do is train harder so I run away from them faster." Naruto shivered.

The raven haired silently agreed as walked through the living room. In the hall, nearing the kitchen, he heard two familiar voices. Sasuke raised his hand to Naruto and hid in the hallway. They pressed their back to the wall and listened. They knew that they shouldn't listen into their conversation but they were curious why Mikoto had urgency to have the red haired shinobi over.

"Do you have an idea how you are going to tell them?" Kushina asked.

"No, I'm not sure how to. It was unexpected but a nice unexpected thing." Mikoto answered with a little laugh.

"You have to tell Fugaku first. It's important news. I just hope that he'll handle the news smoothly. This is Fugaku so he might not take it that way. He might get mad or he cou-"

"Thanks for the moral support." Mikoto interrupted sarcastically.

"You are very welcome Mikoto-chan."

Naruto gave Sasuke a weird look. "What are they talking about teme?" He whispered softly.

"How am I supposed to know?" He shushed Naruto with his foot.

"Ow!" Naruto cried but Sasuke put his hand on his mouth. "Quiet! We can't get caught. If they catch us, I don't want to even finish that. Kushina-san is very scary when angered."

"Really?" A voice said loudly in Sasuke's ear. He heard her crack her knuckles and he began to sweat. Shit!