(a/n: Well, here's chapter three of the introduction bundle to start off my new fic. Enjoy!)

(Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, which is kinda obvious since I am writing a fanfic about it. Naruto is a copyright of Misashi Kishimoto)

Why he was Hated

"NARUTO!!!!!!!" Naruto just laughed as he was pursued by the two ninjas. "Just wait until we get our hands on you!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try!" Naruto turned around and stuck a tongue back at them. It had been three long years since he met Ryu. His features didn't seem to have changed very much. He still had the old mischievous grin and determined cerulean eyes. He now wore a matching pair of orange colored pants and jacket, with the shoulder part of the jacket being colored dark blue. Under it he wore a blank black shirt. He was also wearing a pair of goggles, which he wore over his forehead like it was a headband.

"Hokage-sama! We have trouble!" said a ninja with much urgency. The Third sighed at hearing those words.

"What has Naruto done now?" he asked dully.

"He has vandalized the heads of the Hokages at the mountain!"

"Calm down, I'm sure that once he comes to class, Iruka will set him straight," the Third said, uninterested in the current situation.

This is the tenth time he has pulled a prank on us this month. Sarutobi sighed.

Meanwhile, the two ninjas had chased Naruto to an alley. Naruto swiftly landed on the soft dirt road and jumped again onto the buildings nearby, followed by the ninjas. But little did they know that Naruto had blended into the fence that they had just passed using a camouflage cloak to conceal himself. He laughed at their idiocy, but felt a hand on his shoulder not much later.

"Naruto, why aren't you in class?" Iruka said sternly. Naruto felt a sweat drop down his head.

"I…er…uh…hehe…" said Naruto with a nervous tone. Iruka sighed.
---

"Since Naruto was late to class," Iruka said once he had gotten Naruto back to the academy, "you all will be performing Henge no jutsu (Transformation Technique) for me." A chorus of complaints and sighs followed.

"Naruto…," sighed Shikamaru as the class got in line.

"This is all your fault," complained Ino next to Shikamaru.

"Yeah, like I care," Naruto scoffed with his hands on his hips as he went in front of the two. Sakura was up first. She still wore the red ribbon from three years ago, but her hair had grown much longer, reaching down to her hips. She now wore a red dress with a white circle decorated on back and front of it. It had a white outlining and the sides of it were tucked into her brown pants, much like a normal T-shirt.

"Henge!" she shouted, putting her hands together to form a seal. A puff of smoke followed. Once it cleared, Iruka was standing there. But his eyes were a little off and he was a little too skinny.

"Not bad," said Iruka, checking off something on his clipboard. "Next!" Sakura returned to her normal form with her hands together against her chest.

"Did you see that Sasuke-kun?" she asked the boy behind her with much excitement. He seemed uninterested and stepped forward.

"Henge!" he shouted, again disappearing in a puff of smoke, to be replaced with another Iruka. This one was much different than Sakura's version, being nearly identical to the real Iruka.

"Very good, as always Sasuke," Iruka said checking off another item on his clipboard. "Next!" Sasuke returned to his normal form with his hands rested inside his pockets. He hadn't changed much during the three short years either, but now wore a pair of white shorts and a navy blue t-shirt with the Uchiha symbol decorated on the back.

Naruto stepped up in anticipation; he couldn't wait to show the class his skills. A girl could be seen from the back of the line, pushing her index fingers together shyly. She was blushing, but no one seemed to notice. Naruto-kun, do your best!

"Henge!" Naruto shouted, disappearing in a puff of smoke. But unlike Sasuke and Sakura, he was replaced with a very hot and nude girl whose private areas were barely covered by a thick, white smoke. She had her hair styled into two ponytails and had the whisker-like lines embedded into her cheeks, like Naruto. She blew a kiss to Iruka, causing him to fall over with a bleeding nose. Naruto then returned to his normal form, laughing at his sensei.

"Haha, you fell for it! I call it, Oiroke no jutsu (Sexy Technique)!" Iruka immediately stood up.

"DON'T COME UP WITH SUCH A USELESS TECHNIQUE!!!" shouted Iruka at the top of his lungs, causing Naruto's hair to be blown back.

---

Like the Third predicted, Naruto was sent to clean up the vandalized faces of the four Hokages after class with Iruka supervising him.

"Naruto, why did you paint on the Hokages faces?" Iruka said, looking down at his student. "You must remember that they are known as the strongest ninjas of Konoha and they protect this village with their lives."

"So what?" snapped Naruto in an impolite tone. "I will become stronger than all of the Hokages one day! Then everyone in Konoha will know the name Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka frowned, Naruto wasn't understanding what he told him. A boy started to approach the sensei and his student right after Naruto announced his reason. He was around Naruto's age and had jet black hair. His skin was slightly tan like Iruka and he wore a black coat that reached down a little beyond his waist. He wore it unzipped and hanging over his long, loose navy blue pants. Under it he wore a plain black shirt, much like Naruto.

"Huh? Oh, hey Ryu!" Naruto said turning around, just noticing that he stopped by.

"Heh, I knew you'd be here after all the commotion this morning," Ryu smirked. Naruto looked away from him and pouted, but continued to scrub the paint off the faces.

"It's a good thing that you stopped by, Ryu," greeted Iruka. He then placed his fingers under his chin as if he was locked in deep thought. "Say, if you both help clean the Hokages, how about I take you both to Ichiraku's?" Both of their faces lit up with glee.

"Yosh!" they both chimed together. Ryu jumped next to Naruto, grabbed a towel, and they both started to clean vigorously.

---

"Here you go," said Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen.

"Itadakimasu!" the three said in unison before devouring their bowls of ramen, fresh from the stove. Iruka slurped in some of the noodles and looked at the other two.

"So, you two know that the last retakes of the Genin tests are tomorrow, right?" he asked them.

"Of course!" Naruto said after drowning his bowl. He was very excited. Once he became a ninja, he would be one step closer to becoming Hokage! Though, not to much of anyone's surprise, he had failed the first two tests. Ryu nodded and continued to eat his ramen. Ryu had also failed the first two tests, partly because he felt sorry for Naruto and didn't want to let him down.

"Say, Iruka-sensei," Naruto put his hands together as if he was begging. "Can I please try on your headband?"

"Oh this?" Iruka placed his hand on his headband and smiled. He felt the cold steel plate on the tips of his fingers. In the center of the plate was an engraving of the symbol of Konoha, a leaf. "This headband signifies that you are a full-fledged Konoha ninja. You will be getting yours tomorrow if you pass the test, so you will have to wait until that time comes."

"Oh come on, please?"

"No," Iruka replied back playfully.

"Fine! I want another bowl!" Naruto retaliated.

"What!?" exclaimed Iruka. Ryu laughed at the two. They both seemed so close. Almost to the extent that Iruka was Naruto's dad.

---

Naruto stood in line before Ryu, waiting for his name to be called. It was the day for the last tests and Naruto felt that he was prepared to pass, no matter how hard it was.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto heard the voice of his sensei echo from the room in front of him. Naruto slowly opened the door and closed it behind him.

"Ok, Naruto, for the last test, please perform the Bunshin no Jutsu (Replication Technique) for me." Naruto felt a small shock shoot up his spine.

Crap! The Bunshin no Jutsu!? That's my worst technique! Naruto glanced over to Iruka's gentle eyes, waiting for him to show how well he could perform the technique. No, I can't fail now! I will become Hokage! I will show Iruka that I am an excellent student! With that, he placed hands together and formed a seal. Blue energies began to surround him, jumping up and down as well as circling around his feet.

"Ha!" The area beside him clouded in smoke, to reveal a very sad replication of Naruto playing dead on the floor. Iruka felt a sweatdrop from behind his neck, but then sighed. It was Naruto's last chance to become a ninja, and he blew it.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but you fail." The words hit Naruto like a boulder. He felt like the world was beginning to collapse on him.

"Wait Iruka, Naruto was able to replicate after all. He also showed quite a good amount of stamina," said Mizuki, the other sensei that was observing Naruto. Naruto's eyes lit up, perhaps there was hope for him after all.

"I'm sorry, but Naruto did not meet the requirements to pass," Iruka said gloomily. He lifted his head to see how Naruto had reacted, but it was too late. He had run out of the classroom, perhaps to escape from the shame that he had created.

---

Hinata sighed with relief as she left the academy doors and blended into the crowd of newly promoted Genins outside. She wore the headband that she had recently earned around her neck rather than her forehead like the other ninjas did. Other than growing a few inches, not much has changed about her. She still had the shy face that would heavily blush on many occasions. She wore a light beige hooded coat that was decorated with white fur on its bottom side. A yellow circle that contained a swirling red fire was also decorated onto her sleeves, perhaps representing her clan's symbol.

She now had one thing on her mind: to see if Naruto had passed the test. Her father wasn't able to attend her graduation, not that it mattered, so she could come home anytime before midnight. Her eyes scanned through the crowd. She couldn't find him anywhere.

Per-perhaps he didn't pass? She couldn't bear to think about it. But then she noticed a familiar head of blonde hair in the distance. Naruto was sitting on a swing, away from the crowd of graduates. The shadow of his messy hair covered his face and he was staring down at the ground, lost in thought.

"Did you hear? He was the only one that didn't pass," a girl whispered to another one next to her.

"Hmph, serves him right," scoffed the other one. "Besides if he did pass, it would only lead to trouble, considering all the pranks that he's pulled over the past months." Hinata's heart dropped. She knew that somehow she would be wrong.

"Oi, Hinata-chan, how did you do on the test?" Ryu approached the shy kunoichi waving his hand in the air. He was wearing his headband around his waist, the steel plate reflecting the brilliant sunlight from above. "I barely passed," he added, putting his hands behind his head nervously. Hinata didn't respond. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, anyways, have you seen Naruto?" Ryu said, trying to change the subject. Hinata looked away from him, on the verge of tears. Ryu then noticed Naruto and wished that he hadn't asked.

"Hey, how about you and me go and cheer him up? I'm sure he'll feel a lot better." Hinata looked up at him and nodded, though it looked like she was slightly holding back. They both walked up to Naruto. He noticed them and looked up.

"Oh, hey Ryu, er…Hinata" Naruto tried to sound cheerful. Hinata sensed the sadness in his voice and attempted to cheer him up.

"Umm… Naruto-kun, I believe that, um, you are a g-great ninja, even if you didn't pass the test…" she managed to say while she continued to stare and play with her index fingers. Naruto was too depressed to notice her compliment. After a while, he looked up at Hinata once again.

"Did you say something?" Hinata blushed and she looked away, trying to avert the intense gaze of his azure eyes. Ryu, on the other hand, was speechless. Naruto had always told him how much he wanted to become Hokage. But yet, here he was now, barely holding on to his distant dream. But Ryu had to agree, his determination was extraordinary.

Footsteps could be heard approaching the three. It was Mizuki. His light blue hair waved in the wind as he calmly strode over. All three of the students turned around to identify the figure.

"Listen Iruka." The Third and Iruka were behind the crowd, watching Mizuki take the kids to an unknown destination. "You must understand that Naruto has lived a childhood without parents. The citizens of this village have never looked upon him like a normal human being. Rather, they have shunned him like a monster and ignored him. That is why he pulls pranks and all sorts of other ridiculous things so that the others around him would recognize the value of his existence."

---

The sun was starting to set as Mizuki had taken Naruto, Hinata, and Ryu onto a rooftop of a building on the other side of Konoha. They all sat there in silence for a while, enjoying the beautiful view of the village from above. Hinata often took a glance at Naruto for a few seconds, and then looked away, blushing and continued to play with her index fingers. After the long, awkward silence, Mizuki faced Naruto. "Please don't hate Iruka, he was just doing what he was supposed to do." Naruto sighed and faced Mizuki.

"But… I wanted to become a ninja…" He touched his plastic goggles and wished that he felt a cold steel plate in its place. Hinata's blushing face turned into a worried one. She pressed her right hand against her chest in anxiety.

I wish I could cheer Naruto-kun up… Hinata couldn't stand to seem him like this. It gave her an empty, unidentifiable feeling in her stomach. It was as if… Mizuki looked at Naruto and smirked.

"You know what? I do know another way that you could become a ninja…" Naruto's eyes widened as he heard those words. Ryu raised an eyebrow. "In fact, it requires the help of two other comrades. I'm sure that your friends would love to help!" Naruto looked over to Ryu and Hinata. Hinata gave him a quick nod in surprise. Ryu closed his eyes in agreement.

---

Iruka was in his bed reflecting the Third's words. They echoed inside his head over and over again as he remembered the night when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha twelve years ago. It was a very shocking event for him. His parents died defending the village. From then on, no one noticed him anymore. He recalled becoming the class clown so he could earn the attention of others, much like Naruto. Just as he was beginning to fall asleep, he heard a knock on his door.

"Iruka! Some terrible has happened!" It was Mizuki. "It's Naruto, he has stolen the Scroll of Sealing!"

"WHAT!?" Iruka knew that Naruto pulled pranks in order to get the attention of the villagers, but this was going way too far.

Outside of the Hokage's office, many of the academy instructors as well as a large mixture of other ranking ninjas had gathered to try to sort out the problem.

"This is going too far!" shouted one of the ninjas at the Third.

"Yes! Stealing the Scroll of Sealing can't be treated like a normal prank!" added another one. The Third sighed, he understood the importance of the scroll just as well as the others around him.

"I understand that the Scroll of Sealing is a legendary item that the First wrote himself, but a mere kid cannot be able to fully comprehend the most dangerous jutsus inside, even if he does have two friends alongside him," the Third said. One thing that he didn't understand was why Naruto would want the Scroll of Sealing in the first place. But whether or not his intentions were bent to the wrong light or not, he didn't want any of the ninjas to kill Naruto until he was interrogated. "Bring Naruto back to me, alive!" With that, he waved his hand in the air, causing all the ninjas to split up.

---

Iruka landed on a building high above Konoha and scanned the village below. "Damn it Naruto, where are you?"

Mizuki rushed down an alley. But unlike Iruka, he wasn't worried, his face showed a different emotion. He grinned wickedly. Though I didn't expect the fox boy to have friends, that doesn't matter. I'll kill all three of them before the others discover where they are, and then I'll take the scroll and leave this damned village!

---

Meanwhile, in a forested area on the outskirts of Konoha, Naruto, Ryu, and Hinata had settled down to examine the scroll. Naruto opened the scroll and examined the first technique.

"Ok, the first technique is… Kage Bunshin no jutsu (Shadow Replication Technique)? Aw!" he complained, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not good at bunshins!" Hinata giggled softly. Ryu, on the other hand, though very interested in learning the high level technique, but was also skeptical about the idea of stealing the scroll and helping Naruto become a ninja by using the Scroll of Sealing. Something just didn't seem right…

---

After about an hour of practice, Ryu and Hinata were completely exhausted. Naruto was still full of energy though. Hehe, that technique wasn't that bad after all. I managed to be able to summon two replications. Naruto smiled at his accomplishment. Ryu had managed to barely summon one, and Hinata had made no progress at all whatsoever.

"Well, anyways, I'm going to look around," Naruto told the other two.

"Ok, we'll rest up a bit here, and we'll catch up with you later," Ryu responded. After Hinata nodded shyly in agreement, Naruto strapped the large scroll onto his back and looked around. As he was studying an abandoned shed not too faraway, he felt a light weight on his shoulders. He turned around to find very pissed off Iruka.

"N-a-r-u-t-o…" he said very slowly in an angry voice. Naruto didn't seem to understand why he was acting that way and smiled.

"Looks like I was found," Naruto said putting his hand behind his neck. "Hey, Iruka-sensei! If I show the technique I just learned, will you let me become a ninja?" Iruka raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to see that Naruto had hidden in a secluded area just to train.

"Naruto, who told you that?"

"Mizuki-sensei! He also told me about this place and the scroll, too!" Iruka's eyes widened in disbelief. Mizuki? Of all people, he could not imagine why Mizuki would want the Scroll of Sealing and, more importantly, would drag Naruto into the crime.

"Where are the two others that are with you?" Iruka was getting concerned.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Hinata and Ryu? They're taking a rest in the woods back there…" Naruto froze at mid-sentence. Something, no, many things were flying straight towards. Perhaps, too fast to dodge.

Crap! Iruka acted just at the right moment, pushing Naruto out of harm's way and taking the blow from the kunai himself. He shifted his gaze to a dark figure standing firmly on a tree from above.

"I'm surprised, Iruka, that you found out about this place," the dark figure said.

"Mizuki," Iruka could not believe what he saw. "Why Mizuki? Why…" Mizuki scoffed, and faced Naruto.

"Naruto, hand over the scroll."

---

"Did you hear that, Hinata-chan?" Ryu stood up and scanned the area around him. There was no one about. Hinata looked up at him after catching her breath.

"Y-yes, but there doesn't seem to be anyone in this area, except us and Naruto-kun…" Hinata now realized the situation.

"Crap, something must have happened to him!" Ryu started to panic. He knew that something was bound to happen to them if they stayed in the area for too long. He quickly grabbed Hinata's arm and started running in the direction of the noise.

Naruto-kun… Please be safe… Hinata had never known what true danger was before in her entire life. She only recalled one incident long ago, but it was very unclear in her mind. One part of her wanted to stay away, but the other wanted to help, in fear that Naruto would die. All she could do now was wait until they found out what caused the noise.

---

"Ano sa, what's going on here?"

"Naruto, don't listen to him!" Naruto looked at Iruka, then at Mizuki. He didn't understand what was going on. "That scroll has many forbidden techniques! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself." Mizuki laughed.

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth Naruto." Iruka's eyes widened.

"Don't Mizuki!" Mizuki ignored Iruka and continued.

"A rule was created after an incident that occurred twelve years ago."

"A rule?" Naruto was getting curious. What rule? Did it have to do with him?

"The rule not to say that you are a demon fox!" The sudden information stunned Naruto. He was a demon fox? Mizuki laughed and continued, "In other words, you are the Kyuubi that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed Konoha!"

Naruto felt the anger inside start to build up. So that was the reason why the village hated him. No one ever recognized him because he was the very demon that threatened Konoha many years. But the fact that it wasn't his fault and he had never known until now was what angered him even more. "Damn it!" He began to mold his chakra. He could no longer take anymore of the information.

Mizuki untied one of the large shurikens from his back. He started to spin it, increasing its speed with every passing second. "Now die Naruto!" Mizuki released the shuriken from his hand, sending is flying towards Naruto, who had just began to notice and started to crawl away in desperation.

Recognize the value of his existence. The words of the Third echoed once more in Iruka's head, giving him the strength to move. "Naruto! Duck!" Naruto ducked in panic and began to quiver in fear. Was it the end for him? A large noise of metal piercing through flesh followed. Except, Naruto felt no pain. He wondered why and looked up to see that Iruka had shielded him from the shuriken by taking the blow himself. The blow was very fatal though, causing Iruka to cough up a sizable amount of blood slightly landed on Naruto's cheek.

"W-why?" Naruto couldn't believe that Iruka had saved him.

"Because, you're the same as me," Iruka's eyes began to swell up and water. "When my parents died, no one recognized me either. I was left alone and uncared for, like the world hated me. It was lonely, wasn't it, Naruto?" Naruto continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Naruto! Iruka-sensei!" Ryu and Hinata had just arrived to see Iruka protect Naruto. "Are you ok?" Before any of them could try to help, Naruto had bolted deeper into the forest and out of sight.

"Naruto!" Iruka called out to his student but he didn't receive a reply.

"Naruto isn't the kind of person to change his mind," Mizuki said as he jumped down from the tree. "With the scroll, he is going to take revenge on the village." Ryu and Hinata watched in disbelief. What was going on? Why was Naruto going to try to harm the village?

"Naruto isn't that kind of person!" Iruka dislodged the shuriken from his back and attempted to throw at Mizuki, who dodged it to leave it flying up into the moonlit night.

"I'll deal with you two and Iruka once I have gotten the scroll from Naruto," Mizuki said as he faced the two newly graduated ninjas. "Don't bother trying to go back to the village for aid, I'll be long gone by then." With that he jumped away.

"Ryu, Hinata, what Mizuki said was true. I understand that you both don't know what is going on, but please try to find Naruto. Going back to the village will not solve this problem." Iruka regained his footing.

"But…what are you going to do, Iruka-sensei?" Hinata asked, putting both hands together and against her chest. "Even if we do find Naruto-kun, Mizuki will also find us, then…"

"I can still move," Iruka gave an assuring smile to his students. "I'll take care of Mizuki. You two just do your best to get Naruto back to the village." He then jumped away, leaving the two ninjas alone.

"I guess it's no use just standing here, let's go Hinata-chan!" Ryu started to run in Naruto's direction.

Naruto-kun… She hesitated for a moment, but then decided to follow Ryu.

---

Where are you, Naruto? Mizuki scanned the forest as he leapt from branch to branch with ease. His speed was considerably faster than Naruto's, giving him the upper hand in the situation. As he continued to scan the forest, a figure was quickly catching up with him. Before he could look behind him, he felt a powerful blow to his spine, sending him crashing into the grassy floor below.

Mizuki stood up and looked behind him to see who it was. Iruka was sitting against the trunk of a tree, extremely exhausted. "How? You shouldn't be able to move with your injury." Iruka grinned at him. Mizuki scoffed.

"You're a persistent one. Why protect the kid who killed your parents?"

"I'm no going to let an idiot like you have the scroll." Iruka was breathing heavily. He was at his limit.

Not too far away behind another of the many trees in the area, Naruto was resting and hugging the scroll in his arms, listening to the two instructors.

"You're the idiot." Iruka looked up at him. "Naruto is the same as me. There is no way a demon fox like him would not use the scroll."

"You're right," Iruka replied. Naruto was shocked.

I knew it. Iruka-sensei didn't recognize me inside all along. Naruto felt destroyed. Iruka was the one of the three people he looked up to most.

"If he was a demon fox," Iruka added not too much later. What? "But Naruto is different. He's an excellent student that I recognize. He's hardworking, clumsy, and no one recognizes him for who he is. But he understands the pain of others, even if they don't understand his. He isn't a demon, he is Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!" Naruto began to shed tears and had a runny nose. So he did understand all along. Just then, Ryu and Hinata had arrived beside Naruto.

"Phew, we finally found you," said Ryu as he was catching his breath. Hinata was exhausted as well.

"Are you, um, ok, Naruto-kun?" she asked him un a gentle voice. Before he could reply, Mizuki had taken out his last giant shuriken.

"Iruka, I said that I'd kill you later, but I take that back." Mizuki began to spin the shuriken. "Now die!" He ran towards Iruka with the shuriken at his side, getting ready to turn him into a bloody corpse.

I guess this is the end. Iruka closed his eyes and awaited the inevitable. But it never came. Confused, he opened his eyes to see what happened. Ryu had jumped in the way just in time, kneeing Mizuki to send him flying backwards while the shuriken flew up and out of sight.

"I saved you just in time huh, Iruka-sensei?" Ryu looked back at his sensei and grinned. Iruka returned a smile to him. Hinata then stepped out also and got into a unique stance, placing both arms in front of her each open in a palm position.

I must try to protect Naruto-kun! Just then Naruto appeared beside her, causing her to blush a deep red and recoil out of her stance.

"Don't lay a finger on Iruka-sensei," Naruto's words were cruel and serious. "If you do… I'll kill you!" His face started to turn fox-like in appearance, but the two ninjas beside him didn't notice, still focused on Mizuki as he began to rise from the ground.

"I'd like to see you try!" He leapt towards Naruto with blinding speed. As his fist was about to collide with Naruto's face, he felt a palm press into his stomach, again sending him back to the ground. Hinata had brought up enough strength to hit him, even with Naruto closely beside her. She then collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion and panic.

"What you said before," Naruto said as he began to calm down, "I'll show a thousand times more than what you'll be able to take!" He put his hands together. In a quick fluid motion, he shifted the position of his hands to form a seal in the shape of a plus. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu (Shadow Replication Technique)!" Naruto disappeared in a dense mist. Once it cleared, Mizuki fell to floor in shock.

What the hell just happened? Why are there so many… Naruto's? He could not believe his eyes. Now surrounding him was an endless see of orange and yellow. Some were perched up on the branches of the trees above, while the others were standing on the ground, passing comments and taunts at the poor man in the middle of it all. Ryu, Hinata, and Iruka stared in amazement.

Amazing! Naruto was able to summon solid clones rather than mere tricks of light! What a guy. Perhaps he does have the potential to surpass the Hokages. Iruka grinned at his student and grew less tense.

Hinata stared in amazement at her crush. Ryu lowered his fighting stance put his hands back into his pockets. Well, Naruto should be able to end this quickly. Ryu smiled and laughed a little to himself.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Are you scared?"

"Get up Mizuki-sensei!" The taunts continued pound onto him. He couldn't believe it, the fox boy, scaring him. What had happened along the way? His plan was perfect! What went wrong? Too scared to get back to his feet to defend himself, he let out a yell. The clones then charged in, each trying to get a clear whack at Mizuki.

---

After a while, the clones disappeared to reveal Mizuki, beaten to a bloody pulp, still twitching every now and then. Naruto put his hands behind his back and chuckled. "I think I went a little overboard." Iruka smiled happily at his blonde student. Hinata giggled softly.

Naruto-kun…you're amazing! She proudly watched her crush as he chuckled to himself in the still night. Her index fingers began to poke against each other as she tried to come up with something to say. Anything. But she couldn't find it in herself to do it. Her exhaustion only made it harder.

"Hey, Naruto, I have something that I want to give to you." Naruto looked at his sensei and nodded. He headed over to him and looked up at his face. "Close your eyes please." Naruto complied, closing his eyes and tried to anticipate what Iruka was going to do next. He felt a small weight lift from his head which was replaced by a slightly heavier one.

"There, you can open your eyes now." Naruto slowly opened his eyes. As his vision slowly came into focus with the dark night, he saw that Iruka was no longer wearing his headband.

"Congratulations, you pass Naruto!" Iruka smiled and ruffled Naruto's already messy blonde hair. Ryu's eyes widened with surprise as well as Hinata's.

I guess there actually was another way to become a Genin after all. Before Ryu could congratulate Naruto, he had already leapt onto his sensei.

"Iruka-sensei! Thank you!!!"

"Ah! Stop! That hurts!" Iruka said playfully as he fell back to the ground. Hinata put her hand up to her chin and giggled at Naruto. Not too much later, she frowned.

"Ano, Iruka-sensei, I think I have to go home now, it's getting dark."

"Ah you're right. Well if Naruto would get off of me, I'll take you home." They all laughed.

It seems that Naruto has proved himself to be able to graduate without passing the test. The Third took another puff out of his pipe as he released the Tomegane no jutsu (Telescope Technique) from his orb. But, the ninja's path for him and the new generation of Genins has just begun, after all. Sarutobi looked up at the portraits of the Hokages and smiled. This is what you wanted, right Yondaime? The young man's face in the portrait was engulfed with shadow as the full moon continued to travel across the night sky.

(a/n: That wraps up the introduction bundle. I know, the third chapter was very similar to the first episode of Naruto, but I thought that it would help start off the story with the new characters and etc. R&R, and thanks for reading!)