Start Chapter 8 and the Course to Chuunin Arc

I can't believe Naruto passed the exam so easily. Now I won't be in the academy, but out in the field again. I guess I'll have to sharpen my skills back to where they once were in the past. This kid is just full of surprises and I can't wait until he reaches his dream of Hokage one day. Who knows, maybe he'll be the greatest one we ever know?

At the Mission's Office

Naruto reads over the scroll that the Third hands him before Iruka, "It's a basic document pick up from the outpost by the border of Fire Country." The elderly leader says, "Once you retrieve the required papers come back to Leaf Village that's it."

Iruka nods and says, "Alright sounds good, and come on Naruto let's get a move on so we can get this mission done." The blonde follows the Jounin outside of the mission hall and eventually they make their way to the village gates, "You packed and ready to go?"

The blonde Genin nods, "Yep, let's get the show on the road!" Checking out at the gate the two exit the village along the main road. Walking for a little while they eventually break into a run heading towards the outpost.

At the Border of Fire Country Several Days Later

Naruto and Iruka come up to the building by the border and a Chuunin comes out to hand them the documents, "Here you go." He says as he hands the pair the scroll containing a report, "Have a safe journey back you two."

They nod and begin the trek back to the Leaf Village. That night they stop and make camp, "I'll take first watch this time." Naruto says and Iruka nods before lying against a log to get a little rest. The blonde Genin maintains vigilance as he pulls out a book on sealing. A few hours later he marks the page and goes to wake up Iruka, but a rustle in the bushes pulls him away, "Iruka wake up, I think we have company." The blonde draws a kunai and the brown-haired man does the same. However, out from the bush comes a small deer fawn that quickly scurries back, "False alarm." They both breathe a sigh of relief and Naruto lays down this time.

In the morning Iruka shakes the blonde awake, "Time to get going bud." Naruto gets up quickly and they clear the evidence of their campsite before heading back on the road. Halfway through their trip they hear a commotion going on in the forest, "We better check that out in case someone needs our help." Naruto nods and they quietly move through the brush to see a bandit campsite. Looking it over the see women and children locked up in a makeshift cage, "Although I'd rather not get into a fight I think these people need our help." The two devise a plan to silently take out the criminals and rescue the hostages.

Naruto creeps into a tent where several bandits sleep and quickly cuts their throats to dispatch them. Iruka does the same and they eventually whittle down the bandit camp to the leader. They nod and Iruka cuts the hulking man's throat from behind ending the low life's existence. Cutting open the lock they let out the hostages who thank them for the kindness, "Is there anything we can do to repay you?" A man says and they shake their head, "We'll make sure to send our regards back to the Leaf Village."

Iruka and Naruto smile at each other "Just get back home safely and try to set up some kind of defenses around your homes in case they come back." The civilians nod and the two leave the scene knowing they've done something good. Heading back onto the main road the pair picks up their pace on the way back.

Back at the Hokage's Office

"Good job completing your mission and stopping those bandits. We had actually gotten a mission request for that, so you will be compensated and be credited for a B-rank mission as well." Sarutobi says and the pair smiles as they collect their reward, "Keep up the good work Naruto, I expect you to do great things."

The blonde nods and the two exit the building "Get some rest tonight and show up at our training spot tomorrow. We have some serious work to do if we're going to get you ready for harder mission." Naruto smiles and heads home to leave the Jounin to take care of his business for the day.

At Naruto's Apartment

Naruto lays down his stuff before going to the bathroom and taking his first hot shower in a while. Once done with that he wanders over to the kitchen and prepares a hot meal. Sitting at his dinner table enjoying the home-cooked food he realizes how much he takes for granted, "Funny, I never thought eating this would be so much better than it usually is." Taking another bite of his chicken Naruto feels content, "I guess going on missions makes you realize how much you take for granted on a daily basis." The blonde shrugs his shoulders as he finishes his meal and cleans up the kitchen. Grabbing his book on seals he begins to read the final chapter. An hour later he turns the last page of it before closing the reading material and smiling, "I guess Jiraiya of the Sannin guy knows what he's talking about." Looking at other books by the author he notices some adult novels, "He's also a huge pervert I guess." Laughing lightly he stows the book on the shelf before yawning and looking at the clock, "Time for bed." Naruto heads into his room and prepares to rest for the night.

The Next Day at the Secret Training Spot

Naruto sweats and pants as he blocks blows from Iruka. He feels fatigued and sweat now flows freely down his face. The Jounin lands a spinning kick that sends him careening into a tree trunk, "I suppose that's enough taijutsu for the day." Naruto smiles wearily in agreement, "How about some Shougi for a change of pace?" The blonde Genin nods and they sit down to the game board. As they progress through a few games Naruto notices that Iruka is a lot tougher of an opponent than Ebisu was, "Having trouble there Naruto?"

The Genin laughs before making his move that puts Iruka in checkmate, "Not so much anymore." The Jounin looks surprised as he loses the first game in a while to the boy, "Checkmate." Setting up another game the blonde doesn't have as much success the next time around, "Well I can't win them all I guess." Packing up the game pieces and board the two decide to work on some chakra control for a bit, "I mastered the leaf splitting exercise, so what's next?"

Iruka looks at the scroll, "Waterfall splitting, it's like the leaf one, but this should take you a lot longer to even get close to grasping." The two walk over to the small waterfall that crashes by the site, "It's the same concept just on a larger and more powerful scale." Naruto looks at the falls before placing his hand in the ice-cold water and running chakra through it. He makes a small gap in the flowing water around his hands and sighs, "I'll sit over here while you work on that." The blond gets to work while the Jounin perches on a nearby branch to read.

For several hours Naruto attempts to make progress, but eventually his chakra reservoirs begin to dwindle down to nothing, "I think I've had enough for today." The Jounin looks up and the two call it a day.

"We'll meet here tomorrow at the same time and start with that." Splitting up for the day Naruto decides to head to Ichiraku Ramen. On his way there he sees Sasuke walking along and quickly hides until he passes. Once the coast is clear the blonde continues his journey to the small eatery.

He enters the stand and calls out, "Old Man Ichiraku! I'm going to need a few bowls of Miso!" The old man comes out of the back with a huge grin and the two make small talk for a bit until the soup is ready. Naruto digs into the bowl of steaming noodles slowly and enjoys every bit of it. As he finishes his last bit he wipes his face and pays his bill. Heading back onto the streets the blonde makes his way home.

The Next Day

Naruto places his hands in the waterfall before channeling large amounts of wind chakra into the flowing water. Concentrating hard he releases the energy and causes a small upward gap in the liquid, "Yes!" He cries out before steeling himself for another go at it. Iruka looks up from his novel to see his student's success and smiles to himself before continuing his reading. As time passes Naruto gradually makes his way a quarter up the waterfall before calling it for that, "Iruka do you have anything else planned?"

The Jounin shrugs, "What do you want to work on?" Naruto strokes his chin in thought before pulling out a brush, ink, and paper, "Sealing huh? I might need to call in a friend on this, so you don't go blowing yourself up. However, for now I should be able to help you on the basics." The two sit down and begin working on the delicate art of sealing jutsu for a little while until night falls, "Well I think we shouldn't work on this in the dark, so let's call it day shall we?" Naruto agrees and the two leave the area for the day.

Several Days Later in the Mission Hall

Iruka looks over a scroll, "Are you sure we should be running a mission like this so soon?" The Jounin is hesitant, "I know we beat some low-level bandits last time, but I think the possibility of enemy ninja is a little too much just yet." Naruto stays silent as the two superior ninja talk. After a bit they come to an agreement, "We'll do some reconnaissance and if I determine it's not too difficult we'll engage them does that sound good?"

Sarutobi smiles, "That is acceptable, I'm sure you'll make the right decision on this one." The two ninja bow before heading out into the village.

The Jounin says, "Naruto I want you to pack some extra supplies and bring you're A-game for this. Just in case the scouting goes bad be prepared to fight." Naruto nods and they grab their required supplies for the mission at their homes before reconvening at the gates, "Alright let's go!"

A Day Later Somewhere in Fire Country

Naruto and Iruka are scoping out the bandit camp from a distance on a hill. The Jounin looks over the inhabitants and sees some low-level criminals, "Well I think we can take them, but we're going to have to be careful. None of these guys really pose a threat to us, but be ready for the worst." The two ninja head toward the camp keeping an eye out for any traps on the way. Avoiding several trip wires they get near the base camp with concealed chakra signatures. Looking for any hostages they see none and begin setting up explosive seals around the area. They creep back from the blast radius before activating the tags sending the place into a blazing inferno. Screams of pain ring out from the camp as ninja and bandits are burned alive. Once the flames have settled they inspect cautiously for any signs of life. Several members of the group are twitch and they end their misery. Cutting off the heads of those with bounties on their heads and stowing them away they erase any signs that the base ever existed.

Back at the Hokage's Office

"Back so soon?" Sarutobi says and Naruto pulls out a scroll containing the heads of the wanted criminals, "Well it looks like you managed to take care of parts of the bingo book, good job. I'll make sure the Hunter-ninja division gets you your rewards for their bounties." The Hokage looks at the blonde who looks slightly shaken, "Are you alright Naruto?"

The blonde looks up and shakes his head, "Well I'm just not used to all of this death around me, and I guess it'll just take some adjustment."

Smiling the Hokage says, "Naruto it's perfectly normal, it means you're human if you don't enjoy killing. If you did there would be a bigger problem, so why don't you talk to Iruka about it? Maybe take an extra week off from missions to sort out your feelings." Iruka nods and takes the blonde with him from the mission's office, "I'm going to have to let him know soon." The Hokage sighs at the thought of the talk about the nine-tails, "I'll wait until he's used to being a ninja before bringing that up." Rubbing his temples the elderly leader puts back on his serious face for the next group of ninja.

At Iruka's Apartment

Naruto sips on the green tea Iruka handed him before saying; "I don't know why I haven't thought about it until now. Maybe, I'm just not cut out for this?"

Iruka pats the blonde's shoulder, "Naruto I'm going to let you in on a secret, killing people sucks." Naruto dryly chuckles at that statement, "However, you have to remember why you're killing them. They were low lives that raped, pillaged, and in some cases betrayed their home villages. If you keep that in mind it'll make it a lot easier to deal with the emotions you're feeling right now." The blonde take another sip from his tea and smiles at his mentor, "Good, now rest up for tomorrow. We have a lot to do!"

Heading out the door to his apartment Naruto feels a lot better after that pep talk from Iruka.

Several Weeks of Training Later

Naruto feels rejuvenated as he steps into the mission hall for the first time in a few weeks, "So what am I going to do today?"

Sarutobi smiles at the blonde boy's renewed energy and picks out a C-ranked mission from the pile, "An escort mission to the grass village." Waving for the client to come in, "This is Douin you will be taking him back home to his home, you'll just need to protect him from the occasional bandit." The merchant nods at the two extending his hand for a handshake that they return, "Good luck you two, keep this good man safe."

The trio heads out into the village and Douin looks at them before saying, "Just to let you know I have some very important items with me that I couldn't sell here mostly clothing and some rare herbs. That's the reason I desire a little ninja protection; I'd rather not lose part of my livelihood if I can help it." The two ninja nod and they head through the village making their way to the gates and beyond.

At the Merchant's Home in Grass Village

Douin calls out to his family, "I'm back!" His two children come running up to hug their father and his wife looks through a doorway smiling, "Would you two like to stay for the night? I have several spare rooms that you could stay in." Naruto looks at the happiness of the family sadly as he recalls his lack of it.

Iruka shakes his head, "No thank you, but we appreciate the offer. We have to get back home ourselves." He tugs at the blonde Genin's arm and the two make their way home, "Naruto I know what you're feeling right now, I was there too once." The blonde looks up at his mentor's brown eyes feeling a little better, "Come on, and let's get going to our home." The two break out into a running pace heading back to the Leaf Village.

Back in the Leaf Village after Checking in with the Hokage

Naruto opens his apartment placing his stuff down on the table before taking a seat in his living room. A knock at his door pulls him away and he opens it to see the Hokage standing outside, "Can I come in?" Naruto nods and the elderly leader makes his way back in, "I see you've managed to keep this place up pretty well." The blonde smiles thanking the man, "Naruto sit down I have something very important to tell you." The boy takes his place on a seat and the Hokage sighs, "I'm going to tell you something that's been a secret for twelve years. The night of the nine-tails attack the Fourth Hokage didn't defeat the beast he sealed it."

"Inside of me right?" Naruto finishes the statement, "I figured that out a little while ago, but I wasn't positive about it." He pauses to think, "Why else would everyone in the village hate me? Why did I always have so much chakra? And I was born on the night of the attack. It all fit together pretty easily." Sarutobi is shocked by the boy's insight on the matter and wonders if he knows the real truth, "I also have an idea of whom my father might be you took his place after he sealed the nine-tails in me."

The Hokage becomes concerned at the blonde's knowledge, "How did you figure all this out?"

Naruto looks up at the man with cool azure eyes as he says, "I'm surprised nobody else has figured it out." He thinks for a second choosing his words carefully, "I may have a different last name, but for the love of god I look almost exactly like him and he chose me as the vessel for the beast." Naruto pauses before looking out the window and saying, "Although who my mother is a mystery to me."

Realizing all of those facts the leader feels a little less worried, "Well I'm glad you figured that all out on your own, but it makes me wonder who else has. However, I cannot tell you who your mother is."

Laughing lightly and nodding Naruto says, "Clearly the rest of the village is too blind from their hatred to put two and two together. I mean jeez, if I figured it out when I was twelve how hard could it be?"

Sarutobi waves it off, "Well that's good to hear I expect to see you keep doing well. Don't let me down, because one day this hat will be yours if you keep it up." In a swirl of leaves the elderly leader goes home. Naruto sighs in relief feeling like he finally knows who he is for the first time in a while…

End Chapter 8