Uzumaki Naruto springs off another roof and is already leaping off the edge of another as a jounin sprints two roofs behind. A chuunin had tried to block his way, but he simply ducks into an alley below, causing a collision course for the shinobi. A couple ANBU had joined in on the chase, but it doesn't matter – if nothing else, the village pariah knows how to give others the slip. Hard earned of years upon years of bailing out of his own trouble, he's on his way to being a certified escape artist.

Some of the ninjas are even covered in paint, due to earlier when Naruto dumped the can's leftovers on his first pursuers. People don't understand how a failure could avoid the clutches of elites for so long. Well, Naruto saw the value of being underestimated, and took it to his advantage. Plus, he knows how to annoy, get under someone's skin, which makes their performance sloppy and lackluster; it definitely helps that they're aggravated with him from the get-go.

Thusly he hops past a fence, and the shinobi follows his trick blindly. He snickers as he removes the fence camouflaging cloak – one of the most basic techniques – as the seasoned soldiers of the shadow rush to another block. Now in the clear, Naruto springs to his most favorite place. He enters the second he lands, plopping on the closest stool as he calls out. "Oi Teuchi!"

A man of squinting eyes and a thick neck approaches with a steaming bowl. "Naruto, right on time." He sets down freshly made ramen before the boy. "Miso Ramen with extra pork."

"Aw, Teuchi! You know my needs-ttebayo!" Naruto snags and breaks apart a pair of chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" He relishes the first slurp of noodles.

"Ready to work, Touchan!" A teenaged brunette appears from the back and smiles at Naruto. "I see our number one customer is enjoying himself. You gave quite the wake-up call this morning, Naruto-kun."

The blond raises his head to give a big grin. "I'm doing my part for the community-ttebayo!"

"Is that so?"

Naruto flinches. 'Uh… oh…' Slowly he peeks over his shoulder, and sure enough, it's him. That scar across the nose is a dead giveaway. "Eh-heh… good morning Iruka-sensei… dattebayo." Naruto laughs nervously.

Said sensei smiles all saccharine. "Naruto, do you know what time it is?"

The boy gulps loudly. "U-Uh, Teuchi, Ayame-neechan… I'll come back later-ttebayo."

Konoha's Ninja Academy—Iruka's classroom

"Wonder what the class clown did this time."

"Are you kidding? Did you not see the monument on your way here?"

"If we're lucky, maybe he'll be expelled."

"But the Hokage won't allow it!"

"Dunno why, that retarded dead-last won't make genin anyway."

The students chattered the second Iruka leapt out the window. Hot topics of the best attraction stores and a favorite movie bounced all over the room. So out of the blue someone mentioned the class delinquent, and disparaging clamor of his mere existence commences.

"My dad says he's a menace to society."

"Yeah well my mom says he's a plague to life."

There's only a handful of students who're not participating in such ruthlessness. One is lazily laying his head on his desk, the other next to him is chowing on a bag of chips. Sasuke remains coldly silent, his face still unreadable. Rouzakura has her back to him as she talks to the other girl beside her.

"So, you're ready for the graduation exam, Hinata-chan?" She gently nudges the girl's shoulder.

Hinata, a maiden of pale moonlight skin, short midnight hair, and pastel lavender irises. She timidly twiddles with her fingers, "I-I… I th-think we will b-be f-fine."

"Well, I know we'll be great." Rouzakura smiles, "Don't sell yourself so short, Hina, you're more than qualified to become genin. Heck, I dare to say you could've graduated years prior."

"A-Ano, I s-suppose…"

"Well I'm certain."

Hinata shyly smiles at her friend. "I kn-know you'll m-make it, R-Rouzakura-chan."

At her friend's gentle encouragement, Rouzakura brilliantly grins.

Right then, a girl with pale blonde hair fashioned in a long ponytail butts in. "You seem ridiculously confident, Rouzakura."

The pinkette sighs. "Quite rude of you to eavesdrop, Ino." That's what she's saying out loud, what she really meant is:

'Go back to drooling over the Uchiha you snobby sow!'

Ino snorts. "Aw, the little civilian girl is still pretending to be a kunoichi. When are you going to realize you're making a fool of yourself?"

Rouzakura turns to look her dead in the eyes. "About the same time you realize that you're nothing more than a pudgy boar trapped in a genjutsu of being an underweighted prepubescent. Rephrased in way you can understand: never."

Hinata covers her mouth to curb the bubbling giggle-fit.

Ino is less than amused, staring aghast and gaping affront, and her rage curdling like a volcano. But she doesn't get the chance to explode as the class quietens. They can all hear their sensei ranting from the down the hall.

"You are on thin ice, young man! To pull such a stunt and to disturb the peace the way you did! Sandaime-sama had to deal with several complaints! Of all the pranks you've committed, this is by far the WORST!"

The shouting grows louder as he comes closer to his homeroom. The shouji-door slides open in a flinching slam, and the framework portrays an irate Iruka with a firm grip of some rope. He marches in, and the rope drags in a tightly bound Naruto.

"You are going to clean the mess you made, right after class! Do I make myself clear?!" He finished hauling the boy in the middle of the room.

Naruto scoffs.

Iruka towers over his wayward student with hands planted on his waist, signifying further lecture. "You've flunked the Graduation Exam twice already! You can't afford to lollygag and expect a difference the third time around! It's a ludicrous thought process! If you ever hope to make it, you need to stop and use your head for once, and actually study the precepts of shinobi!" Lecture over, he's left panting, his tanned face red and his posture slightly hunched.

In return he gets an inelegant snort as a response. Naruto jerks his head away, and Iruka could almost swear he saw a grimace marring the boy's face. "Your point?" Naruto says offhandedly.

Iruka could feel his blood vessel spasm under his eye. "Alright then…" He points sharply to his class, "For your recalcitrance, Uzumaki Naruto, everyone line up alphabetically right now to perform the Henge no Jutsu, in my image!"

Soon follows a chorus of groaning and complaints and promises that Naruto will pay. Nevertheless, they followed directions and are soon lined up by their surnames. A handful steps up and performs the technique flawlessly.

Then Iruka calls for "Hagoromo Rouzakura."

The rosette takes a deep breath and steps forth. Raising her hands, she does the seals categorized by memory: 'Dog→Boar→Ram.' In a puff of smoke, it's as if Iruka is looking in a mirror.

"Excellent, Rouzakura!" He praises.

Rouzakura poofs back to herself and bows gratefully. "Arigato, sensei!" She turns to Hinata to give an a-okay sign and skips back to her seat.

After a few more H's. "Hyuuga Hinata."

The timid girl conducts the technique with unparalleled grace.

Iruka nods. "Very gracious, Hinata."

Hinata bows and returns to her seat. Through her bangs, she catches Naruto giving her a big smile as she passes him, making her blush prettily and a smaller smile gracing her lips.

More students came and went. Then, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Cue the collective squeals of "Sasuke-kun~!"

Rouzakura rolls her eyes and returns to her book. Naruto grunts his displeasure.

As expected, the top of the class perfectly effectuates.

"Very good, Sasuke." Iruka congratulates.

Finally. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The blond struts forth.

"Hurry up and screw up!" Ino hollers from further down.

Naruto glares at her. "Piss off ya bitchy boar!"

"Whatcha call me!?"

Iruka intervenes. "QUIET! Naruto, watch your mouth! Ino, don't interrupt!"

Naruto and does the seals, then with a shout, "Henge!" The classroom is almost filled with huge puffs of clouds. When things are cleared again…

"Hello~" Seductive mist teasingly covers an otherwise naked woman. A curvaceous figure, her long blonde hair tied in pigtails, she's bent forward while blowing a kiss.

"GWAAA!?" Iruka's thwarted backwards by a bursting nosebleed. He's not the only one, many of the boys are badly affected.

The sultry lady disappears and Naruto's guffawing like mad. "Wahahaha! Gotcha! Oiroke no Jutsu never fails-ttebayo!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN TRICKS! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!" Iruka's nose is now clogged and his head so large he could bite Naruto's head off.

The jokester has the decency to at least act shamefaced.

Hinata hides her red face behind her hands. Sasuke doesn't move an inch. Rouzakura has the book unnecessarily pressed to her nose.