Here it is, Chapter 2! A quick note: Over the course of the next couple of chapters after this one, I'll be describing the outfits of the One Piece characters as they are in this story. For now, the only significant difference to note is that Luffy's straw hat is of the conical variety; something a bit more appropriate for the setting, yeah? With that being said, please enjoy!

Walking down the streets of Konoha toward Ichiraku Ramen, Luffy and his friends were chatting about the last few days of school. "So Luffy," Usopp asked, "Are your brothers going to throw you a party or something for graduating?" Luffy shrugged. "I hope so, but they aren't home right now. They're out on a mission with some other Jonin. I dunno when they'll be back." Usopp nodded, having heard something about a big mission. "Oh yeah. What was that about, again? Something about the Village Hidden in the Clouds?"

Robin nodded. "Yes," She confirmed. "As I recall overhearing, they are on an escort mission defending a princess travelling to a diplomatic meeting. I didn't hear who or where with, though." Luffy nodded, the details sounding vaguely familiar. His brothers had been talking about it before they left, but he hadn't really been paying attention since he was trying to focus on his training for the Genin Exam. "Something like that, yeah."

Up ahead, the three spotted another group; Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, the latter two arguing with the former about something. Inside the restaurant they were waiting by, Luffy could spot who he could only guess were their fathers. "Hey!" He called out to the three, who paused in their squabbling to look for the source of the voice. The straw hat boy walked over to them, Usopp and Robin close behind. "How's it going? Nice job passing the exam!" He congratulated them, Shikamaru smirking and Choji smiling proudly.

Ino also smirked, shifting her weight to one side. "Same to you all." She returned, looking at the three. "So where are you three off to?" Usopp pointed down the street in the direction they were heading. "We're going to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate passing! What about you guys?"

Shikamaru sighed irritably as he remembered why they were there. "We're waiting on the old war dogs to run out of stories." He explained, nodding to their fathers inside. "Shouldn't be much longer than another couple of hours. What a pain…" Ino groaned, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, don't tempt fate, Shikamaru. You know it'll happen!" Choji chuckled, but scratched his stomach in agreement. "Say, do you guys think we could come along?" He asked. "I don't know about Shikamaru and Ino, but I've got money. I could really go for some ramen right about now."

Luffy shrugged. "Sure, why not? You guys mind?" Robin and Usopp both shook their heads, and Ino and Shikamaru's expressions seemed to ease up slightly. "Let us go ask our dads real quick." She told them, ducking inside the restaurant to do so. The trio watched as she spoke to their fathers, her own casting a look at them that made Usopp shiver nervously, Robin only smiling politely and Luffy grinning massively as he always did. After another minute, Ino came out with a relieved look. "We're good to go!" She told Choji and Shikamaru, who both nodded.

So now a group of six walked down the street, Luffy attempting to snatch a bag of chips from an annoyed Choji while Ino was talking to Usopp about a bug problem the flower shop had been having recently. Robin and Shikamaru remained comfortably silent, preferring to stay out of stuff that didn't concern them. Eventually, they finally reached the small stand, each one sitting down. Luffy sat between Ino and Usopp, the young woman on the far left side of the seats, with Robin to his right. Choji sat on the right end with Shikamaru to his left. The store owner, Teuchi, turned to see the group and smiled welcomingly.

"Hey there kids, how's it going?" He asked as he dried a bowl with a small cloth. Luffy snickered excitedly, all too eager to share. "Today was the Genin Exam!" He exclaimed, standing up out of his chair to show the hitai-ate around his waist, the others displaying theirs just as proudly to the man. "You don't say!" He said with a laugh, impressed.

"Well ain't that something! Seems to me like you guys could use a reward for all the hard work. How does half-price ramen sound?" Luffy and Choji both salivated at the thought of how much more ramen they could afford to buy now, bowing their heads gratefully. Usopp laughed nervously, hoping that Teuchi knew what he was getting himself into with these two. "So what'll it be for the ladies?" The man asked Robin and Ino first.

In the Hokage's Chambers

"Seventeen, you say?" The Hokage muttered, looking at the three Jonin he had summoned. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Confirmed Kakashi, a shinobi wearing his hitai-ate over one eye. "Seventeen graduates this year." Sarutobi looked at the files placed in front of him, each detailing one of the students who had passed.

"This is a lot more than usual." Observed Asuma, a dark-haired ninja as he lit a cigarette, the kunoichi beside him, Kurenai, taking a step away to avoid the smoke. "With the three Jonin out on a mission, we're understaffed for this many graduates. That's five teams, and one team of two."

Kurenai nodded in agreement, and looked at the Hokage. "Asuma is right. What do you suggest that we do, sir?" Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. "Until the others return, it seems that you all will be pulling double-time. Ebisu is preoccupied with my grandson, and most of the others available are preparing for the Chunin Exams." Kakashi and the others nodded; it was a bit unorthodox, but it was only temporary.

"Now then, I assume you've all looked over the students who have passed?" The Hokage asked, once again met with nods of confirmation. "Very well. Let's hear any observations you have."

Asuma spoke up first, taking a step forward. "I am very interested in the potential of Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru. I have a feeling that this generation's InoShikaCho combination will impress. They're all a bit problematic, and they bicker all the time, but I think I can whip them into shape."

Kurenai, after waiting to see if he would continue, stepped forward next. "I would like to take Hinata, Kiba, and Shino under my wing." She informed the others. "They are all proficient in both tracking and combat, and I feel their abilities will complement each other well. Plus, I feel as though Hinata may require some emotional support. She has a lot of potential, but she's easily discouraged. Shino and Kiba both have the makings of great leaders, and I think that they'll bring out each other's competitive side."

Kakashi cleared his throat, bringing the attention to focus on him. "Having looked over the students, I feel that Sakura, Sasuke, and Luffy have potential as a team." He determined. "Sasuke and Sakura are both quite intelligent for their ages, and if his teamwork scores are anything to go by, Luffy seems like a good choice to keep them together. Plus, he seems to be a rare case in the class; he isn't jealous of or hate Sasuke, and he learns surprisingly quickly through practice, which I feel Sakura's academic abilities will be able to take advantage of."

Sarutobi considered the three teams and, finding no issue with them, nodded. "So that settles the first three teams. And now for the others. Now, who will take on the team of two?" He continued, writing the three teams and their instructors down on documents he had pushed to the side.

Ichiraku Ramen

Back at the stand, Usopp and others found themselves staring at a certain straw hat wearing Genin, who was just finishing his sixth bowl of ramen. Choji, not to be outdone, wasn't far behind. Teuchi watched them in a daze, mouth slightly ajar in disbelief. "Of course…" He muttered quietly, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. "I decide to give them a discount, and two of them eat enough for ten people." His daughter, Ayame, chuckled nervously and gave him a pat on the back.

Shikamaru shook his head in amusement, having overheard the two. "Poor Teuchi's losing a fortune because of this." He mused, Robin giggling in agreement. Usopp rubbed his temples. "He's not normal…" He said, referring to the skinnier of the two big eaters. Ino nodded. "Seriously, that's not fair." She said, looking at her own bowl, which she had just finished." Luffy paused and looked at her, wiping his mouth roughly with a napkin as he swallowed.

"What's not fair?" He asked, confused. "How can you eat that much and still be so thin? Are you bulimic or something?" She asked, curious. Luffy blinked in confusion and turned to Robin for an explanation. "A bulimic is someone who eats a great amount of food, and then throws it all up to avoid losing weight." She explained bluntly, nauseating Usopp and making Choji's pace slow for a few moments.

Luffy tilted his head, turning back to Ino. "Why would I do that?" He asked. "That's stupid." She opened her mouth to explain, but couldn't find a good reason to be that desperate about dieting. She shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like the only way you could stay so thin." Luffy resumed eating for a minute, quickly finishing his bowl and asking for another. "I don't do anything special." He answered as his food was delivered by a solemn Teuchi. "Maybe it's just because I train a lot? My brothers always told me that I burn through my energy way too fast."

Robin thought about this, and then spoke up. "What can you tell us about your brothers, Luffy?" She asked, the others also curious. Ino and Choji didn't even know that he had brothers. "Ah, Sabo and Ace?" He asked, smiling widely. "Well, they're both super strong! They're Jonins, and members of the ANBU Black Ops!"

"Really? Both of them?" Choji asked, surprised. Luffy nodded. "Yeah! They're both really good with fire jutsu. Ace has always been stronger, but Sabo always seems to have more control over his."

Ino tapped her chin as she thought, the names and their association with fire starting to sound familiar. "Wait a second. Ace and Sabo… the Konoha Twin Dragons?" She asked, recalling stories she heard of two powerful Konoha shinobi. Luffy nodded excitedly. "That's them alright!" He confirmed happily. Shikamaru and Choji's eyes widened along with Ino's, shocked that he was related to the two.

Robin smiled at their reactions, having heard from Luffy of his relation to the two before. "You seem quite proud of your brothers, Luffy." She observed, the boy nodding. "Yeah!" He declared. "Ace and Sabo help me train a lot when they're home. Sabo especially. I want to get strong enough to join the ANBU Black Ops one day, too! I'm going to be stronger than the both of them eventually!"

Ino blinked in surprise, not having expected that to be his goal. "A member of the ANBU, huh?" She asked, taking a sip of her tea. "That's surprising. I figured you'd be the type going after the Hokage title, like Naruto and Kiba." Usopp nodded in agreement, and Luffy laughed. "I used to want to." He admitted, taking his conical straw hat off and contemplating it as he spoke. "But a long while back I met someone who made me reconsider, and I decided to change my goal. Besides, I've seen what he has to do; just a bunch of paperwork and sitting behind a desk all day. So boring!"

Choji pushed his bowl away, finally having had his fill, and pat his stomach contently. "So," He asked. "Squads are being decided tomorrow. Who do you think you guys will be put with?" Usopp thought on the question, having been considering it for a while himself. "I don't really know." He admitted. Of course there was Luffy, but who would be the third person? Most of the other graduates were people he didn't know very much. "I never really hung out with anyone at the academy besides Luffy."

Luffy grinned widely. "I don't care whose team I get put on!" He exclaimed confidently. "Everyone who graduated looks really strong! Like Zoro, or that Cabbage guy!" Shikamaru chuckled in amusement at the mispronunciation of Cavendish's name, but remembered something. "Wait, doesn't Cavendish hate you?" Luffy's eyes widened. "Eh, he does?!" He shouted in shock.

Robin giggled quietly, earning her Ino's attention. "What about you, Robin?" She asked. Robin shook her head. "I'm in a similar situation as Usopp." She explained. "I never spent much time with anyone besides Luffy. I suppose that Shino boy seems interesting? I really have no idea." Luffy thought about the name, trying to remember who Shino was.

Usopp looked at the others as his friend thought. "So what about you guys?" He asked. "Who do you think you'll be paired up with?" Ino rolled her eyes. "Well, I HOPE I get to be on a team with Sasuke-kun." She began. "But I KNOW I'm going to be on a team with these two." Luffy, having given up on thinking of who Shino was, looked at her curiously. "How do you know that?" He asked. Robin, remembering who their fathers were, spoke up. "The Ino-Shika-Cho tradition, correct?" She asked.

Choji nodded. "Right." He confirmed. "Our clans have a long history together, so for generations members of our clans have been put on the same Genin squad. Our dads were the last Ino-Shika-Cho squad." Shikamaru nodded, but groaned loudly. "It's such a pain." He told them. "Of all the girls I could have been partnered up with, I have to get paired with Yamanaka." The girl's eye twitched in irritation. "Hey, it's not like I'm excited for this stupid thing either! Working with a lazy bum like you is going to be torture!"

Choji sighed. "Hey, come on guys. It won't be that bad! I'm sure we'll make a great team." He insisted, not wanting his future team mates to start arguing already. Luffy only laughed at the two. "You guys are funny!" He told them.

Usopp's face met his palm, and as it did he noticed a clock inside the restaurant. "Hey, it's starting to get kind of late." He told the others. Everyone else looked at the clock. "He's right." Shikamaru said. "We should probably be getting back to the old-timers."

"The what-timers?" A voice asked from behind them, causing Usopp and Ino to jump in surprise. Shikamaru groaned again, turning around. Luffy and the others followed his lead, spotting Shikaku, Chozu, and Inoichi standing there with amused expressions. "Hey, we were just about to start back your way!" Ino told them with a nervous laugh, Choji nodding in agreement. Chozu chuckled. "Come on Choji. Time to go." The boy nodded and hopped out of his seat. "See you guys tomorrow!" He told the others as he and his father began to walk away.

Shikamaru and his father went to leave not long after, the boy giving a lazy wave as they left, Shikaku muttering something about his wife chewing him out for being late. Inoichi looked at Luffy and his friends, Usopp swallowing nervously. He put some money on the counter and slipped out of his chair quickly. "W-well, I should get going too! Later!" He told them hastily as he jogged away. "Bye Usopp!" Luffy called after him, waving obliviously.

Ino frowned at her dad, noticing that he was staring at Luffy. "Oh come on, we were just talking!" She told him, snapping his attention to her. He smirked and turned back to the black-haired boy. "What's your name, boy?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

The boy only laughed. "My name's Monkey D. Luffy! And this is my friend Robin!" The girl smiled politely at the father. "A pleasure to meet you, Yamanaka-san." She told him. Luffy nodded in agreement. "Yeah! But we should probably get going. Don't want to stay up too late the day before squad division." He told the man, hopping out of his seat. Inoichi blinked in surprise, not having expected the boy to be so utterly unintimidated by him. After a moment, he laughed. "Good to meet you two as well." He told them.

"Come on, Ino. Like he said, you'll want to get some rest tonight." He said to his daughter, who nodded. "Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She said as she went to follow her father home. Luffy returned the farewell, and turned to Robin, who was still sitting at the counter. Putting some money on the table, Luffy smiled. "Hey Robin, you want to come stay at my place for the night? Usually Ace or Sabo wake me up in the morning, but they aren't home because of the mission. I'd appreciate it if you could help me get up in time for squad division tomorrow!"

Robin thought on the invitation. She lived alone, so she was caught off guard by it for a moment. She didn't see any issue with it, though. Robin smiled. "Well, why not?" She answered. "I've never slept over at someone else's house before." Luffy's signature grin widened, and he placed his hat on his head. "Awesome! Come on, it's not that far away!" He told her, marching off in the direction of the home he and his brothers shared. Robin giggled, always having admired how easy the boy was to amuse. "Lead the way." She instructed him, falling into step behind him.

Hokage's Chambers

"And with that, we have our new Genin squads." Sarutobi said, pushing the last of the documents to the side. There was only one left; there always was. The Hokage looked at it solemnly, sighing in disappointment. The Jonin all looked at the file, knowing too well whose file it was.

"How close did he come this time?" Kakashi asked, wondering at the boy's progress. "Closer. He always seems to be getting better… but not good enough. The boy just seems to freeze up when he has to actually perform a jutsu." Sarutobi responded, clasping his hands together in front of his mouth.

Kurenai crossed her arms, gripping both elbows. "Do you think that it has something to do with… it?" She asked uncertainly, wondering if a certain "influence" was affecting the boy's performance. The Hokage closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Perhaps." He said. "Naruto already has far more chakra than the average boy his age. His "guest" likely doesn't make things any easier."

Asuma lit a cigarette, exhaling his first drag slowly. "There's nothing we can do to help." He reasoned, frowning seriously. "We can't show him any special treatment just because of his situation. The villagers are already weary of him; we don't want them to think that Naruto is getting a free pass."

The others all nodded, not liking it but knowing that he was right. Kakashi sighed and rubbed his neck. "We'll just have to hope that he succeeds next time." He decided regretfully. Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. Very well, then. Everyone, you're dis-" "HOKAGE-SAMA!"

The group's attention snapped to the door into the Hokage's office, having heard someone shouting. "Genma, what is it?!" Sarutobi asked, standing up. "It's Iruka! He's really banged up!" The three Jonin present looked at each other, Asuma walking over to the door and opening it. He looked at the shinobi standing there, chewing on the senbon he used as a toothpick to stay calm. "What about Iruka?" He asked. The man shook his head. "I don't know all of the details. All I know is that Mizuki's been taken into custody and that Iruka requested that Hokage-sama visit him at the hospital immediately. He says that it's really important."

Sarutobi heard the conversation the two of them were having, and after a moment of processing the information, nodded. "Very well, then." He said, turning to the Jonin as he approached the door. "I apologize, but I'm afraid I can't dismiss you for tonight quite yet." The three nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, sir. Would you like us to come along as well?" Kurenai asked. The Hokage thought for a moment.

"Kurenai, you and Kakashi come with me. Asuma, stay here in case we get more information of just went on tonight. Hopefully we will be back soon." Asuma nodded, giving a small wave as the three left the room. He turned and looked out over the village.

"Just what the hell is going on?" He muttered, breathing out a thin cloud of smoke. Little did he, or the others, know just how much of an impact this day would have on the future.

So there's Chapter 2. A bit shorter than the first chapter. For those curious about romance in the story, it won't be a major aspect of the story. There will be some hints and ship-teasing, but hopefully nothing too terribly out of character. With that said, I hope you all are looking forward to Chapter 3, where we'll find out what all of the squad set ups are!