Disclaimer: Aki's story is © to me, all events referring to Naruto and his friends that Dragon Man included in his fic, "Naruto the Kitsune Hanyou" are hereby © to him. All other things are hereby © to their respectful and rightful owners.

Seventh Shadow: Graduation

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Ugh. Not another morning. I slammed my hand onto the top of the alarm, and it stopped its incessant ringing. I dropped my arm, falling back into a deep slumber once again.

"Aki! Wake up! Now! You can't be late today! Tomorrow's the graduation exam! You need this day to study! Iruka-sensei will most likely be reviewing everything you need to know for tomorrow!" My mother yelled from downstairs.

Fine. I grumbled. I rolled out of bed, landing on the hard wood floor with a thud, suddenly waking up. I grabbed some clothes, stumbling into the bathroom, looking at my twelve-year-old self.

I dressed, brushing my teeth, and combing through my long black hair. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and my eyes widened.

"Hurry up! You're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled back.

I ran out of my room and into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of toast, chugging some juice, sticking a corner of my toast into my mouth as I strapped on my holster and supply pouch, sliding down the banister and running out the door, eating my toast as I ran.

I reached the Academy just in time to see a crowd of girls disperse, Sasuke leading the mob. He's being chased. AGAIN.

I sighed, and walked inside, ignoring a certain blonde-haired, orange jumpsuit clad boy talking to a dark-haired dog boy while a fox and dog fought playfully nearby.

Drumming my fingers on the tabletop, I glanced at Shikamaru. For once we thought the exact same thing.

"How troublesome…" we said in unison.

Naruto had left the moment he saw the note on the board indicating that Iruka-sensei was in a meeting. Then everyone began to crowd around the windows. I rolled my eyes.

Naruto was pulling another prank. As usual. I looked over at the Hokage monument, which was the object of attention for today.

"Best Dad Ever!" were the words painted above the rock carving of the Yondaime. Below the carving of the Sandaime were the words "Dirty Old Man". In the space directly to the right of the Yondaime's rock carving, words were in the process of being painted on. I squinted, and saw Naruto suspended from a rope, paint buckets in hand. Finally Naruto had finished with his Hokage monument additions. His final message next to his father's face read, "This Space Reserved for Uzumaki Naruto!"

I rolled my eyes. Geez. What a dork.

A few minutes later Iruka-sensei showed up, Naruto in tow, tied up. The class started laughing. I was one of the few that didn't.

"Tomorrow is the Academy graduation exam and you choose to cause trouble now? What will your parents think when they see what you did?" Iruka scolded.

Naruto looked away from Iruka-sensei, muttering "Yeah, yeah". And thus the sensei finally cracked.

"Time for a review test on Henge no Jutsu! Everyone line up! Transform perfectly into me!" Iruka yelled.

I groaned. When it was my turn, I made the seal, rolling my eyes before crying out, "Henge!" I turned into a perfect Iruka clone. He nodded and I dispelled the jutsu, walking back to my seat.

Sasuke was next and all the girls got excited. I sighed, Shikamaru nearby, sleeping.

"Henge!" Sasuke yelled.

Smoke obscured him from view, and a perfect double of Iruka stood in the place that Sasuke was.

"Excellent job Sasuke, you can sit down now. Next, Uzumaki Naruto!" said Iruka.

Naruto stepped up, ignoring the whispers from the other students about the whole test being his fault.

"Henge!"

A large cloud of smoke hid him, but when it finally cleared, a tall blonde-haired woman with her hair in pigtails, a pair of blonde fox ears, five fox tails, and clad in naught but her skin, small wisps of smoke covering her more intimate areas. The nude fox girl blew a kiss at Iruka, whose jaw was hanging on the floor for just a second before a huge stream of blood shot out of his nose, which sent him crashing backwards. Naruto returned to normal, laughing. "I call it Sexy no Jutsu!" he announced proudly.

Iruka recovered, and using his special 'Demon Head' to yell at the kitsune boy. "You Dumbass, don't invent stupid skills!" he roared.

The force of the yell had blown Naruto's hair back, and the entire display would've been quite impressive if the whole effect hadn't been killed by the two pieces of twisted tissue jammed up Iruka's nose so he wouldn't faint from blood loss.

I sighed. Another long day…

x0x0x0x

I walked home, watching as the Hokage monument's additions were washed away by Naruto himself. I reached the shop and walked inside. My mother stood behind the counter.

"Your shift." She said.

"Yeah…" I replied.

She stepped away from the counter and I took her place. My mother retreated upstairs, and I was left alone to work.

When five o'clock rolled around, I put up the "Closed" sign, and locked the front door, checking that all the downstairs locks were still undisturbed and secure. I trudged upstairs, finding dinner waiting for me. I ate in silence, washing my dishes and heading into my room, shutting the door without a word to my mother.

We never talked anymore. If we ever did, it was in a business-like way. We never asked "How was your day?" or "What did you do today?" Such questions were lost to us. Ever since that fateful night, my mother and I became entirely different people. I locked away who I was, hiding behind a frozen wall all the time, and my mother just became angry. Everything I did was never good enough for her. She accepted nothing less than perfection from me. I was allowed no distractions either. I had two purposes. Become a ninja and run the store. Then I had sub-purposes. Obey everything I'm asked, respect people, excel as a shinobi, and listen.

I went on my computer a bit, playing a few games of solitaire before I got bored. I sat in my room, waiting for the sun to sink lower into the horizon, waiting for the shadows to come. Once there were enough shadows, I stood, practicing my ninjutsu.

"Kage Chozou no Jutsu!"

"Kage Hokou no Jutsu!"

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Kagemusha no Jutsu!"

I slumped heavily onto the floor, exhausted. I was at my limits. My chakra was just about gone. Panting, I tried to catch my breath. Man, I needed a chakra boost. Stat. Where else to go? The kitchen of course. Food's the fastest way to recover.

My mother sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea. I went into cupboards, sensing my mother's stare.

"What're you doing?" she asked finally.

"Getting something to eat." I replied stiffly.

"You already ate."

"I've been practicing again. I'm nearly out of chakra."

"Fine. But you're not allowed to have anything that's going to keep you up all night. You need to sleep so you can pass the exam tomorrow. You know how disappointed I'll be if you don't even make it to Genin level."

"Yes, I'm aware of that…"

I made a lunch meat sandwich, adding a slice of cheese, taking it to my room with a glass of milk. I ate, feeling much better, and then at long last I retired, going to sleep.

x0x0x0x

"Now, for the graduation exam, you will do the Bunshin no Jutsu. When you are called, come to the next room." Iruka announced.

"Aburame, Shino."

And thus, the waiting game had begun. I sighed, slumped over my desk, half-asleep.

I must've fallen asleep because the next thing I knew Shikamaru was poking me awake, and he had a hitai-ate attached to his shoulder.

"Huh…? Is it my turn?" I asked sleepily.

"You have five more people before your name." He replied.

"Why'd you have to wake me?"

"So that you'll be awake enough to perform the Bunshin."

"Wow, Shikamaru, the master of troublesome is going out of his way and being troublesome just to help me."

"You're very troublesome…I'm only doing it because I know how your Okaa-san is."

"Heh. Thanks for that."

"Tamahashi, Aki!"

I stood up, stretching and walked into the next room.

Iruka smiled. Mizuki-sensei looked anxious.

"Aki, I want you to make three bunshin clones of yourself."

I nodded, seeing a bunch of Konoha hitai-ate resting on the table in front of where Iruka and Mizuki sat.

Alright, this is easy! I made the hand seal.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Iruka smiled, and I looked around, three identical clones of myself. "Congratulations! You pass."

Iruka-sensei handed me a hitai-ate, which I tied around my neck. I left the room happier than ever.

I did it. I became a shinobi. Now, I just have to make sure I'm really good at it. I will be a fine kunoichi. You'll see, Otou-san. I'll be great. Just like you said I would.

'"I'm sorry I won't see you become a genin."'

It's okay, I guess.

'"And I'm sorry that I won't be able to see you become the fine kunoichi I know you will be someday."'

You will see me. Don't worry you will. Some way or another, I'll see you again.

'"But this is the path I have chosen."'

Well, this is mine. And my path, I will become stronger. So strong that I will surpass you.

'"Just know that once you realize you're being held back, I will be waiting for you."'

I want you to know that once you realize that you're just being forced to tag along, I will be waiting for you. Even if I have to knock that sense into you myself. You're not like Itachi. You two are polar opposites of one another. I know you. You're not like this.

I found Shikamaru outside, we chatted happily and we talked about our test. But then people started looking towards a lone figure sitting sadly on a swing.

"Look, the Hokage's son failed. He's the only one who did, too. Probably because he's a hanyou. I mean, no offense to Kyuubi-sama or Hokage-sama, but that thing shouldn't be allowed to graduate." One of the graduates said.

I whirled around and faced them.

"Hey! Don't say such things! You call him a thing? An abomination? How dare you say something like that! If anything, you're the thing, the abomination. People who can't accept someone different from themselves haven't got the right to call themselves human. You aren't human if you aren't different, and if you can't accept someone who doesn't look like you, then you deserve to be shunned from society. If anyone should ever be the outcast, it's you. Not him. That boy is the son of the Yondaime, Uzumaki Ken, and in my opinion the greatest Hokage we've ever had. You should honor that boy, honor him! He is Uzumaki Naruto, and even if he's failed today, he will undoubtedly become the next Hokage of Konoha no matter what!"

The students around stared at me, gaping open-mouthed.

"Anyone else going to complain about Naruto? Come on, anyone else wanna bitch and complain about him? I've got plenty of 'love' to go around! If none of you are gonna stand up and be a man about it, then SCRAM!"

Everyone backed away, Shikamaru and Chouji looking on, impressed.

I don't know where all those words came from. They just…happened. It was weird, but I don't know how or why, I seemed to have gained a great amount of respect for Naruto. Even with all his jokes and pranks. That was just who he was. Throughout all his prankster qualities, there was an undying will and a heart of gold that could never diminish, no matter what happened. Because Naruto was just, well, Naruto.

A/N: I'm really sorry about not updating. I've been really busy as of late, and I kind of forgot about updating this one, I've been preoccupied trying to work on my other story, and I guess I got a little too carried away. Anyways, I'll be posting up the next couple of chapters of this one, seeing as I have several of them at my disposal. So ja ne until next time!