I just started watching Naruto episodes on Youtube.I think I'm addicted; I watched about 25 episodes last Saturday, and I'm already more than 30 ahead of Cartoon Network. And I love the fact that it's in Japanese with English subtitles; they have a lot more freedom and use words that one wouldn't normally find in the CN versions. But anyway, my point is that if this seems to flow a bit better than the last chapters or if I use words and terms that are related to the Japanese versions and not necessarily the English ones, that's why.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or Naruto!

Danny came to a halt and stood on a tree branch a good three feet in diameter. He leaned against the tree trunk and gulped a few much-needed breaths of air. The past few hours had been very draining. Suddenly, he saw something move on the edge of his field of vision. He instinctively ducked, and three kunai lodged themselves in the trunk right where his head and chest had been just an instant before. He quickly launched off of the branch and sped through the treetops in an effort to lose his pursuer.

It had been several months since he'd begun training in Konoha Village. Thanks to Naruto's vigorous workout sessions, he had grown a good three inches but hadn't gained a whole lot of muscle mass. However, he was extremely lean and agile, and had no trouble leaping from tree to tree. Sakura's tutoring gave him insight into ninja ways and history. He learned most of the basic types of jutsu that all genin needed to know, and had mastered throwing kunai and shuriken. Since he'd begun sparring with Sasuke, he'd developed speed and endurance, as well as a degree of chakra control. It had taken everything he'd had to dodge some of those fire blasts without reflexively going intangible.

Danny had tried his best to avoid using his ghost powers throughout most of the time spent training. He thought, and everyone he'd spoken to about the subject agreed with him, that using his powers to help him train would be just like cheating. He'd be cheating all of the thousands of ninja that had trained and worked hard to reach the same level he'd reached, and he'd be cheating himself, since he wouldn't progress as quickly as a ninja if he used his powers.

He took a quick look around, decided it was relatively safe, and chanced a high jump that launched him above the dense canopy of the forest and into the open air. From this vantage point he was able to note the fact that the sun was halfway through the process of setting; an orange semicircle loomed above the horizon. As soon as he landed back on a sturdy branch, he turned around and headed back. He was supposed to return to the fields at sundown.

When he returned, his opponent was already there, waiting for him. He was standing in front of a large monument made out of pure, black obsidian. It had so many words carved into it in such small print that Danny couldn't have made out the writing on it in the daylight; let alone in the feeble rays of the setting sun.

"Sorry I'm late," Danny apologized. The man chuckled.

"It's no problem. Congratulations, Danny," he said as he withdrew a folded headband from a pocket of his vest and handed it to the halfa. "You graduate!"

"Thank you," a breathless Danny replied as he nervously accepted the headband, "Iruka sensei." Iruka chuckled again as he watched Danny hold his messy hair up and tie the headband so that the part containing the metal forehead protector was touching his bare forehead and was covered slightly by the a fringe of raven hair.

"Just one question, though," the newly-certified-shinobi said.

"Sure, ask away!"

"Does everyone have to go through all that," he gestured back into the forest, "before graduating?"

"Not always. It used to be that students just had to pass a written exam and a practical exam, but Naruto went through an experience similar to the one you just finished. After that, the heads of the academy decided to make that the final exam."

"I see. So what am I supposed to do, now that I've officially become a ninja?"

"Well, first you need to rest up, because you're having your final exam with Kakashi in a couple of days."

"What? I thought that this was my final exam!"

"That was your final exam that made you an official ninja. Kakashi will test you on how well you fight against the sharingan, so that you're sufficiently prepared to fight against Vlad." Danny nodded.

"That makes sense."

"There's just one more thing that I want to tell you before we can go celebrate," Iruka informed him.

"What is it?"

"This," he said as he turned around and gestured to the stone. "Do you know what this is?" Danny squinted at the stone, but couldn't make out anything of significance. He shook his head.

"This is a memorial stone," Iruka said in a sobering voice. "It marks all of the brave ninja who died on missions protecting Konoha." He stared silently at the stone for a second, and his next sentence was just above a whisper, more to himself than to Danny. "Both my parents are written on here." Danny stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Every ninja knows someone or has heard of someone who didn't make it through a mission. It's a fact of life that we eventually learn to live with. I decided to become a teacher at the academy, rather than actively going out on missions, because I believe that it's vital that we educate young people before they become ninja. Shinobi are weapons of war. It's very tough for a youngster to grasp that type of concept. My life gains meaning from the fact that I help them slowly adjust to that concept. I also teach because I like knowing that the practical knowledge I impart on them might help them survive in the future." That night's full moon floated just above the black monument. Iruka faced it once again, and Danny found in himself a newfound respect for the man. All of a sudden, he understood why Naruto spoke so favorably about him. Iruka turned around to face Danny, and the halfa saw that he was wearing a soft smile.

"Let's go." They took off into the night.

Danny and Iruka met up with Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi by a noodle stand. The cook stood over a grill with his back to them, and the pretty waitress politely took their orders.

"This is my favorite place!" Naruto asserted as he placed a massive order that took nearly a full minute to recite. "I love ramen noodles!"

"I can tell," Danny observed, and then ordered a bowl of pork lo-mein noodles.

"So you've finally made it through the academy," Saukra noted. "Congratulations; it's a pretty big accomplishment."

"Yes, and we're all very proud to have helped you come this far," Iruka added. Danny started blushing from being at the center of attention for so long.

"Well…thanks for helping me, all of you…I couldn't have made it this far without your help." Just then, their food was finished being prepared. Danny watched in awe as the waitress brought a tray piled high with about a dozen bowls of noodles in front of Naruto. He eagerly dug in while the rest of them were served, and they all tucked into the delicious ramen.

"Mm…hmhm…hm…" Naruto mumbled around a mouthful of noodles.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Sakura shouted, and punched him on the back of the head. Naruto swallowed and rubbed the bump on his head painfully.

"Ow…anyway, I was going to say that now it's cool how you're one of us now!" Danny shrugged.

"I couldn't have done it without your training, Naruto. It's really thanks to you that I passed this evening." Naruto puffed out his chest proudly. He turned to face Sasuke.

"See? It was thanks to me!" Sasuke, who had been engrossed in his meal, turned up for a second.

"You are such a loser," he stated, then turned back to his food. Everyone chuckled as Naruto began to simmer. He grumbled something incoherent and started shoving food down his throat at a rapid pace.

A little while later, they all turned to go. They were about to pass through the flap that would lead them out into the street when all of a sudden,

"Wait, your bill!" The waitress placed a long sheet of paper down on the counter.

"Er…" everyone mumbled and glanced at each other, before they all turned towards Danny.

"What?" he asked. They continued to stare at him.

"Fine…" he grumbled as he took out the bag of money that the hokage had given him. He groaned when he saw Naruto's order, and reluctantly emptied a good portion of the bag. The fry cook and the waitress were chuckling softly as he placed the money down, turned tail, and left the stand along with everyone else.