It had been a little over a month since the Land of Waves mission and all was peaceful, well as peaceful as a ninja village could get when one of its residents was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Currently Kakashi was watching Naruto and his teammate Sasuke spar while the third genin of team seven sat beside him cheering Sasuke on. Today was the first time since they had gotten back from the Land of the Waves that Naruto was up to his same old speed again, which was still no match for Sasuke.
At first Kakashi had thought he had hurt himself or was still recovering after using the fox's chakra. He had been thoroughly surprised and impressed when he had seen Naruto running off to the training grounds that they met at every day, now that wasn't very abnormal, what was abnormal was that it was six hours before he had told team seven to meet him there. So being the good sensei he was, he followed his loud mouthed student to see what he was up to so early in the morning, before light even.
He perched himself in a nearby tree and watched as he stripped off his blindingly orange jacket, Kakashi raised an eyebrow when he saw that the twelve year old boy had strapped on weights around his arms and waist, chances were he had weights on each leg as well. he began to wonder just how heavy those weights were as he watched him run laps around the training field, do hanging pull-ups then finally laps in the river next to the tree Kakashi was squatted in. so maybe the kid really did want to be Hokage, if he kept this up he would surpass him in no time, a very unappealing thought.
Another thing he had noticed about Naruto in the last month was that his hair had grown out making him look even more like Minato-sensei. Who would have thought he'd find someone so much like Obito and Minato rolled up into one highly energetic orange ball. Sasuke was turning out to be nothing like Obito and even when he looked into his sharingan, he couldn't see his long lost friend.
Kakashi pulled himself back to the present and looked up to see Sasuke staring down haughtily at Naruto who was breathing hard on the ground. "Well, I think that's enough for today." He said snapping his book closed.
"Oh Sasuke!" Sakura squealed beside him. "You were so great!"
Sasuke pointedly ignored her and looked away as Naruto got to his feet. "I'll get you next time!" Naruto declared shaking his fist at the Uchiha.
"Whatever, loser." he scuffed.
In true Obito fashion, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked away with his nose in the air. Kakashi decided now would be a good time to tell them about the meeting he had had this morning with the Hokage and rest of the jounin sensei. He pulled out three forms from his weapons pouch and held them out to his students.
"What are these, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she took one followed by Naruto and Sasuke.
"They're forms so that you can take the chunin exams, I've recommended you all to take them-"
"That's so cool!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs and ran over to envelop his poor sensei in a bone crushing hug.
"Hey! Get off of me Naruto!" Kakashi said while trying to push the blonde maniac away from him. After a few minutes Naruto had calmed down enough to let go and stand beside his teammates. "Now if you want to enter the exams then you need to show up to room three-oh-one tomorrow morning with the forms filled out." He surveyed his team for a moment before turning his head and looking off into the distance. "Well I think that's all." He said before forming his hands in the seals for a body flicker technique and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
XxX
Naruto was so excited he didn't even say goodbye to Sakura or Sasuke as he tore off for his apartment, he couldn't wait to tell the Fourth that he was going to be a chunin. Over the last month he had come to view the Fourth as a sort of father figure. He didn't yell at him like Iruka-sensei or the Old Man and he didn't criticize him into working harder like Kakashi-sensei, instead he always stood behind him, offering advice and support. No one had ever done that for him before, it made him feel good, loved even. It was a new feeling and he kind of liked it. Sometimes he even forgot that the Fourth was the one who sealed the Kyuubi in him.
He burst into his apartment, kicking his shoes off and nearly tripping over them in the process. He looked around his kitchen/bedroom and saw… nothing. The man was dead, where could he possibly be, it's not like anyone else could see and hear him. Naruto let out an agitated sigh and plopped down on his kitchen chair, he had a form to fill out and then after that he would search for the Fourth.
XxX
Minato was sitting on top of his head on the Hokage Monument, it was weird to say the least and for the last twenty minutes he had been debating moving to another head but had given up on it, he would be leaving soon anyway as it was almost time for Naruto's training to be done for the day. He wondered if Kakashi had told them about the chunin exams yet, the test was tomorrow after all.
He let a small smile take over his lips. Everyone thought Naruto was a joke; they were all in for a rude awakening when he blew them away. Is training was going steadily and Minato could already tell that he was getting a lot stronger, maybe sometime after the chunin exams he would get Naruto to up the weight. When Naruto was motivated properly he had a disturbingly steep learning curve, which, along with his never-ending supply of chakra made him for a very powerful opponent indeed. He was just like his mother.
Minato sighed as he recalled how last week Naruto had broached the subject of his parentage. Naruto had just mastered the shadow shuriken jutsu and was celebrating with six cups of ramen when he so eloquently asked him.
"Hey you're old right?" Naruto asked with a noodle hanging out of the side of his mouth.
"I'm not old, I'm younger then Kakashi is now." he said a little irritated.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto dismissed him. "But I mean you were around when my parents were still alive right?"
If Minato had had a pulse it would have stopped and his long since gone blood would have drained from his face. "I guess." He said.
"Do you know who they were?" he asked looking up at him with those bright blue eyes that were so like his. This kid really could be dense when he wanted to be.
"Well I told you, I don't even remember becoming Hokage, plus I didn't know everyone in the village. Maybe you should ask Lord Hokage about it." He said, unable to even look his son in the face.
Naruto's face scrunched up in agitation. "I've tried that like a hundred times already! He just says that they died fighting the Fox and won't tell me anymore." After that Minato had quickly changed the subject to something less revealing.
With a sigh he stood up, it was time to see his son and find out what he learned today.
XxX
Naruto checked himself in the mirror again. The Fourth, who insisted he be called Minato, said that he needed a new wardrobe for the chunin exams, something with less orange. While Naruto hadn't been excited about the lack of his favorite color he agreed to it. So there he stood, in front of the mirror on the morning of the exams, scrutinizing every last bit of clothing.
Minato had dressed him up in a tight, long-sleeved black undershirt that had pockets for the weights he wore sown in. now also wore black pants and sandals with his ankles taped. The last and only piece of new clothing he could muster up any sort of excitement about was the dark orange jacket that hung open but still covered the training weights he wore. Minato also said he should grow out his hair some because there weren't nearly enough people in Konoha with spiky blonde hair, secretly, Naruto agreed.
"So how do I look?" Naruto asked with his arms open wide.
Minato cocked his head to the side as he studied him. "Now you're starting to look like a real shinobi." He said and moved his hand to place it on Naruto's head before he remembered it would only go through him.
"So do you really think I'll make chunin?" he asked excitedly.
"As long as you keep a level head and remember everything that Kakashi and I have taught you." He said with a smile.
"Right!" he said. "Oh man, I can't believe it, I'm gonna be a chunin!" he said to himself as he re-tied his forehead protector and checked his appearance one more time.
"Well you better get going; you don't want to be late." Minato said looking pointedly at the clock on the wall.
"Okay, I'll see you later and tell you how it went." He said as he raced out of his apartment door.
It was about ten minutes later when Naruto skidded to a halt in front of Sasuke and Sakura. "Okay, I'm here! Let's go!" he said and grabbing both their wrists, drug them into the building.
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she and Sasuke tried to wrench themselves free of their deceivingly strong comrade.
"Let go of me, Loser." Sasuke said, just before managing to twist himself free.
Naruto let Sakura go to as they stood in front of the double doors that lead to the hallway. "Hey, Naruto, are you wearing new clothes?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her wrist.
"Yeah, Min-"Naruto cut off, he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about him being able to see and speak to the dead Fourth Hokage. "A friend suggested I get new clothes for the exam."
"Well its better than that bright orange." Sasuke said as he pushed past him and into the hallway.
Naruto flashed Sakura a blinding smile before following Sasuke into a crowded hallway. Two boys were standing in front of the door they were supposed to go through for the exam while about fifteen more people stood around them. Naruto had every intention of pushing his way through but was stopped when he felt Sakura grabbed his and Sasuke's arm.
"It's a genjutsu, we're only on the second floor." she whispered to the both of them.
Naruto was terrible at genjutsu; he was convinced it would one day be the death of him.
"Don't release it, if these idiots can't tell then it'll be less competition for us." Sasuke whispered back to them.
Naruto was just going to take their word for it and follow them out. Minato had once suggested he had no aptitude for genjutsu was because the nine-tails couldn't do genjutsu and was very susceptible to a certain type of genjutsu. Naruto saw it just as another way the fox held him back. It only took a few minutes but soon they were in front of the real room three-oh-one with non-other than Kakashi-sensei standing in front of it.
"Well, I see you made it past the genjutsu." He said lazily.
"Yeah, Sakura pointed it out right away!" Naruto said with a bright smile and his hands behind his head.
"Well, it's a good thing indeed you came Sakura." He said. "Because I could only allow a three man squad to go beyond this point."
"Wait, you mean if I hadn't come they couldn't go on to the exams?" she asked.
"You saved our butts again." Naruto said slapping her on the back.
"Right, well, this is where I leave you. From here on out, you're on your own." He said. "Good luck."
And with that the three walked through the double doors to the exam that would determine if they moved up in rank or not. Through the doors were about two hundred of the meanest looking genin from every village he had ever seen. If he didn't know for a fact that he couldn't die and he had near superhuman regenerating abilities then he might have been worried, plus the most powerful of all the tailed beasts living inside him. He surveyed the room as a few of his old classmates started talking to Sakura and Sasuke. He was going to be a chunin no matter what!
XxX
He was Gaara of the Desert, the sands ultimate defense and the container of Shakaku. He had never bled and he had never been afraid, but something quiet close to the feeling was overtaking him. Across the room with about nine other people his age was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, there were strange whisker like marks on his cheeks as well. All in all he looked rather weak, easy to kill. But when their eyes locked for a brief moment he got a strong warning feeling from Mother.
Until he saw this shinobi in action he would avoid him, even if he did look like an idiot.
A/N
Okay I squeezed another chapter out before vacation but I'm leaving at midnight so don't expect any more till august.