Disclaimer: I don't own the Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl. This is Barry Lyga's property.

Chapter Six

"Team Eleven consists of Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Ino and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jounin-sensei is Hyuuga Haru."

Ino took a cautious sip from the bowl of hot steaming ramen and raised an eyebrow. This stuff was actually really good. Her eyes moved to stare at Naruto who was talking to Shino between bites. It looked more like a monologue than a dialogue in Ino's opinion.

She didn't know what to expect of the blonde ninja. His performance earlier had shattered Ino's perception of Naruto as the dead last. This guy was no dead last. Ino had to admit that he was probably even stronger than her.

"Neh, Ino-chan, did you like the ramen?" Naruto asked, snapping Ino from her thoughts.

She gave him a smile and nodded. "Yes, it's very good." At least he isn't fat. Ino thought wryly, remembering one of her father's friends.

"Of course it's good," Naruto quipped. "Ichiraku serves the best ramen!"

Ino smiled and looked at Shino. She almost screamed as she saw a bug crawl out of the guy's ear. She bit it back and frowned. This guy is a bug-user. Gotta remember that. Looking back at the boy's performance, Ino had to admit the guy was a genius as well. At least he isn't lazy like someone I know. She crinkled her nose at the thought.

A couple of meters away, Shikamaru sneezed.

"Someone must be thinking of you," Hinata said and smiled softly. Chouji offered Shikamaru a rice ball.

Sasuke stared darkly at the wall, his mind still on the fight. His hands twitched as he thought of the different jutsus he could have used given the situation. He clenched his fist and banged it against the wall. Focus, Sasuke. That dobe is just a stepping stone. You did the right thing when you didn't show him all your techniques; there will be other fights, away from prying eyes.

Footsteps made Sasuke stand up from his place at the rooftop. He turned around and saw Kiba who was holding a bento and Sakura who waved timidly at him. He frowned and crossed his arms.

"Hey, Sasuke, nice fight," Kiba said and sneered at his teammate. "The way Naruto kicked your ass was very enjoyable."

"Now, now, Kiba," Sakura said and smacked Kiba lightly against the shoulder, "I'm sure there's a reason why Sasuke lost. Right, Sasuke-kun?"

"Of course," Sasuke said and looked away. "It won't do me any good if I actually show all my trump cards at once. Only a dobe like him would do something as idiotic."

Sakura beamed, "See, I knew Sasuke-kun wouldn't lose without a reason."

Haru looked up at the sky and pinched the bridge of his nose. The heat of the morning sun had made his head ache ferociously. Perhaps he could raid the main branch's clinic later for some aspirin. With a grin he jumped off a tree, his eyes staring at the direction of the Academy. It was time to pick up his ducklings.
"What's taking him so long?" Naruto whined. "I'm hungry."

"We just ate lunch, Naruto," Ino remarked and rolled her eyes. "How many stomachs do you have to feed?"

Naruto frowned and stroked his beardless chin thoughtfully. He grinned, "Four, I think."

"You're such a cow, you know that, Naruto?" Ino grumbled.

Shino snorted, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Ino looked at Shino and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Care to enlighten us on what's so funny, Shino?"

"A—a cow has four stomachs," Shino said breathlessly and grinned. The usually stoic boy was nowhere to be seen. "I found your comment...hilarious."

"We thought Naruto was a cow too but then the medical staff from the hospital said we were just being delusional," a voice came from the window sill.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Very funny, Haru-sensei."

With a loud snap, the window was opened and a man appeared, standing on top of a desk. He had black hair tied in a braid, his eyes pale. He wore the traditional clothes of a jounin; a dark blue long-sleeved shirt underneath the jounin vest and tight-fitting pants of the same color. He waved at them and smiled. "Sorry about that; Jiro was always the one with the humor. I just provide the much needed laughter after he cracks a joke."

Naruto sighed and stood up. "Guys, meet my dad's best friend: Hyuuga Haru." Naruto nodded at his teammates, "Haru-sensei, my teammates, Shino and Ino. Hey, their names rhymed!" Naruto beamed.

"You have a father, Naruto?" Shino asked, his face finally returning to its normal frown. "I thought you were an orphan."

"It's a long story," Naruto said and shrugged. "I'll tell you guys about it some other time. Let's just say, yes, I was an orphan. And yes, I was adopted."

Shino opened his mouth to ask another question but Haru spoke first, "It's so stuffy in here. Tell you what, meet me at the front of the Academy and I'll bring you some place else." He turned to go when Kiba stood, slamming his hand against the table.

"Hey, sensei," Kiba said and crossed his arms. "Do you know who Kakashi-sensei is? He's supposed to be our jounin-sensei but he hasn't shown up yet."

Haru scratched his head. "I don't think I've seen him that often; he was always late at our meetings." He looked at them seriously. "I do know one thing."

"What's that sensei?" Sakura asked and perked up from her seat.

"No one has ever passed his survival test."

"Survival test?" Kiba asked, looking worried. "Iruka-sensei didn't—"

Haru winced. "Oops. Was that supposed to be a secret?" He grinned apologetically, "Gomen, gomen." He looked at his wrist. "Well, look at the time. We better get going guys." He motioned for Naruto and the others to move. He turned to look at Team Seven. "As for you three, a snooze is always good for your health. Remember that."

Haru disappeared in a flurry of leftover chalk dust and paper.

"I hope our sensei is not as cryptic as he is," Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

Kiba nodded silently in agreement.

The Hokage looked up from the document he was reading. "Aah, Iruka, what brings you here?"

Iruka grinned sheepishly and placed a written report on the Hokage's desk. "I uh…did some last-minute changes on the teams."

The Third frowned. "Why didn't you consult with me?"

"There wasn't enough time," Iruka explained. "I wasn't exactly informed about Naruto's abilities. If I had known how strong he actually was…" Iruka frowned. "Did you know, Hokage-sama? About this?"

"I did." The Hokage said brusquely. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead. "I meant to put him with Uchiha."

"Why? With his level, it wouldn't be right to put two powerful children in one team." Iruka said. "It would feel like cheating, sir."

"I meant for him to watch over the boy. Besides, I had hoped that his cheerfulness would have some effect on the Uchiha kid."

Team Eleven or Team Hyuuga as they would later be called, sat on top of the Hokage Monument, watching their sensei walk back and forth. Unable to stand their stares any longer, Haru stopped and turned to face them. "Ok. Before I tell you what the survival test is all about, I think it best that we should introduce ourselves." He looked at them expectantly.

They stared back. Finally Ino raised her arm much to Haru's relief.

"Sir, shouldn't you go first?" Ino asked.

Haru winced and sighed. "Very well." He sat in front of them in a lotus position. "My name is Hyuuga Haru of the Hyuuga lower branch. I have been teaching students for six years now." He cleared his throat and continued. "I like teaching kids, reading scrolls in my free time and listening to jokes." Naruto snorted. Haru ignored him. "I hate the Hyuuga branch system, men who regard knowledge as simply tools and—" he crinkled his nose in disgust, "—people who do not believe in change. My ambition is to be able to successfully guide my students until they are no longer in need of my help."

"And to collect every single type of bubblegum in the whole world." Naruto added smugly.

"And to collect every single type of bubblegum in the whole world." Haru repeated and glared at Naruto. "Since you know so much about me, please feel free to tell something about yourself."

Naruto grinned foxily, "Hai, sensei." He stood up. "I am Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki clan. I have been a genin for—" he paused to think, "—two days now. I like ramen, Jiro-outo-san, new techniques and Ifrit-san. I hate people who hurt my precious friends, the three minutes it takes to cook ramen, memorizing hand seals and having to wear a green spandex suit." He threw his fist against the air, completing his Cool-Guy Pose. "My ambition is to one day become the Hokage and have everyone recognize my power!"

Haru nodded and turned to look at Shino who was watching Naruto silently. "You next, Aburame."

"Hai," was the quite reply. Shino stood up stiffly. "My name is Aburame Shino of the Aburame clan. My likes are: finding new breeds of insects and people who are interested in entomology." He pushed his black sunglasses up his nose and continued. "My dislikes are: bug-killers, other clans who wish to steal my clan's secrets and…those who have no regards of rules. My ambition is to succeed my father someday as the clan leader and look after my clan with the same resolve. That is all." He sat down.

At Haru's nod, Ino stood up and smiled. "I am Yamanaka Ino of the Yamanaka clan. My clan specializes on mind jutsus. I like flowers, making friends and shopping." Naruto rolled his eyes and made vomiting noises. Ino glared at him. "I hate immature and lazy men, people who trample on our flowers and being completely helpless. My ambition is to become a powerful kunoichi someday like the great medic-nin, Tsunade-sama." She sat down and crossed her arms, glowering at Naruto.

"Right," Haru clapped his hand once, making the three genins look at him. "The survival test will be conducted at Training Area 76 at exactly eight in the morning. If you are the slightest bit late, I'm afraid I must fail you."

Ino frowned. "Why, Sir? What's so bad about being late?"

"I believe that tardiness is a cause of failure," Haru replied. "There may come a time when you have to save someone. If you fail to be on time, then you have failed to save that person. Are we clear on this?"

The three genins nodded.

Haru looked up at the sky. "Any questions?"

"Why do we have to do a survival test?" Naruto asked. "Haven't we graduated yet?"

Haru looked at Naruto. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, he spoke. "Out of the twenty-seven candidates, only nine will be chosen as genin. The graduation is only an excuse to look for those who actually have the potential of ever becoming a genin."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but no words came out. He was speechless. It was Ino who spoke, "Why can't we all just become genin? Why go to all this trouble?"

Haru smiled hesitantly, "You'll find out soon enough." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto looked at the spot where Haru vanished, his thinking face on, "Dramatic, not too flashy, has a sort of mysterious tinge…definitely cool material." He pulled out a tattered pad of paper and began taking notes.

After a couple of minutes, Ino peered at Naruto's shoulder, her face bordering on a frown. "You done taking notes, Fanboy?"

Naruto finished writing with a flourish and glared at Ino as he pocketed his pad of paper. "I propose we have a meeting," he said haughtily.

Ino slammed her fist against Naruto's head, "Stop being so arrogant."

Naruto nursed his aching head, a pout on his face. "That's how your Pretty Boy acts and yet you don't hit him in the head!"

Ino spluttered, "My Pretty Boy? You think I like that arrogant ass?" Ino sniffed and looked away, "I just do that to spite Forehead Girl."

"Umm…guys? Can you stop it with the names? You lost me with Pretty Boy." Shino said quietly.

"Sorry, Shino," Naruto said and smiled apologetically. He glowered at Ino, "I still think we should have a meeting."

"What for? So we can discuss about your love life? We all know you have a thing for Forehead Girl!" Ino huffed.

Naruto smirked, "Jealous?"

Ino screamed in frustration. Shino frowned. "What for?"

"I think we should have a more detailed introduction," Naruto explained, ignoring Ino's cursing. "None of us were friends at school so we barely know each other." He shrugged. "Besides, it'd be good if we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well as ninjutsus, genjutsus and the level of taijutsu each one of us possess. That way, if we are to work together, it'd be much easier."

Ino stopped in mid-curse and nodded thoughtfully. "Fanboy's got a point."

Shino nodded, "I agree."

Ino looked at Shino and grinned. "On the Fanboy thing? Cool!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well?" He asked them testily. "Do we meet or not?"

"Oh, definitely," Ino nodded. She beamed, "Why don't we have our meeting at my house? Over dinner?"

Shino nodded while Naruto grinned. "Sure! I bet your mom is a great cook!"

Ino smiled back. "Seven then?" The two boys nodded. "Good." She turned to go but stopped and looked back, "Oh, and Naruto, I suggest wearing something else." She crinkled her nose. "Mom hates it when her guests wear filthy clothes."

"Teme! My clothes are not filthy!" Naruto huffed indignantly. "I'm pretty proud of these stains."

Shino bowed politely at Ino and dragged Naruto who shook his fist angrily, shouting curses at the top of his lungs. Once they were out of the blonde ninja's sight, Shino let go of Naruto's shirt. "What did you that for that?" Naruto demanded.

Shino looked at him seriously, "It is best not to argue with women, Naruto. Remember that."

Naruto rummaged through his closet, pulling shirt after shirt from the wooden drawers. Jiro peered from behind the door; green eyes flitted around the room. Finally, he spoke. "Why the mess, Naruto?"

"I'm going to Ino's house for dinner and I don't know what to wear!" Naruto whined.

"What's wrong with the clothes you're wearing?" Jiro asked.

"Apparently, they're not good enough," Naruto grumbled. "My clothes are not filthy!"

"Well, you haven't washed them for three days now," Jiro pointed out.

"You're not helping," came the muffled reply. Jiro sighed and walked across the room. He pulled Naruto from underneath the pile of clothes.

"Then I'll help." Jiro said and started picking up Naruto's mess. "You're going to some girl's place right? You're not dating her are you?"

"No!" Naruto replied and made a face. "I am never gonna date Ino! Even if it means getting the Hokage's title."

Jiro chuckled. "I said the same things. Years ago."

"Course you can't date Ino, outo-san." Naruto said matter-of-factly. "First of all, she's too young for you. Second, I would never allow it."

Jiro rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean this Ino-san you keep talking about." He picked up a dark green shirt and threw it at Naruto's face. "I used to have a teammate who was as annoying as hell."

"Really?" Naruto asked curiously, "What happened to her?"

Jiro shrugged. "She disappeared seven years ago." Sad green eyes looked at Naruto. "She's been a missing-nin ever since."

"And what does this have to do with Ino?" Naruto asked as he changed his shirt.

Jiro smirked. "Oh you'll find out…in a couple of years."

"Ehh?! What's that suppose to mean?" Naruto asked, his face a mixture of disgust and confusion.

Jiro tilted his head. "That means…I honestly can't tell you. " He grinned at Naruto. "Like I said, you'll find out…soon."

Naruto smacked his head and rolled his eyes. "That's what I don't understand. What exactly do I have to find out? That Ino is actually a harbinger of evil and that we should throw her in jail before she goes missing-nin on us?!"

Jiro shook his head sadly, "Kids."

Ino opened the door and grinned as she let her two teammates in. Naruto had taken Ino's advice and had changed into a dark green shirt and black pants, bandages covered his forearms. Ino raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your arms, Naruto?"

The whisker-marked genin smiled sheepishly, "Experimenting accident. I got my arms burnt."

Ino nodded and ushered them inside, leading them into the dining room. There, her father, Yamanaka Inoichi, peered from the newspaper he was reading and grinned. "And here I was hoping the Hokage would make another Ino-Shika-Cho team." He stood up and offered Shino his hand. "You're from the Aburame clan, right?" Shino nodded and shook the man's hand.

Naruto jumped besides him and offered Inoichi his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you, Ino's outo-san." Inoichi hesitated, having seen the all-too familiar whisker marks. Naruto frowned. "What's the matter, Ino's outo-san?" He looked at his hand. "I swear I washed 'em before I came here."

Inoichi let out a nervous laugh and grabbed Naruto's hand. He shook it briefly and beckoned for them to sit. "Sit, please. My wife, Yuka, cooked something special for you guys."

Naruto's eyes widened in delight, "Yosh! I shall eat like a king tonight."

Ino clenched her fist and slammed it against Naruto. "Do you always think with your stomach?!"

"Itai!" Naruto cried out in pain. He rubbed his head sullenly and pouted. "You don't have to be so mean, Ino-chan."

Inoichi chuckled. "Naruto-kun's right, Ino."

Ino pulled out her tongue. Besides her, Yuka smiled, her hand touched Ino's shoulder lightly. They looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Men."

Inoichi frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," the two chorused.

Irritated, Naruto sat down with a huff. "I will eat like a king. Whether you like it or not."

Ino sighed and sat beside him while Shino sat at the other side. Yuka giggled. "Well, it's a good thing I cooked a meal fit for one." She frowned, her brows crinkling, "Although, I was expecting someone fatter."

Ino glowered at her father who smiled sheepishly. "Like I said, I was expecting a second-generation Ino-Shika-Cho team. I mean, the Hokage hinted very strongly on it." He explained. "That's why I told your oka-san to prepare a large dinner; I thought we were going to have an Akimichi as a guest."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Now, we all know why we're here. I—"

"You're here to eat, right?" Inoichi asked.

Naruto waved the comment offhandedly. "Besides that, we're also going to discuss about each other's ninjutsus—"

Yuka groaned and looked at Inoichi sweetly. "May I be excused, darling? Ninja stuff bores me."

Shino glared at Naruto before he could comment. Naruto sighed. "As I was saying, we're here to discuss about each other's strengths and weaknesses." He looked at Shino. "Why don't you go first?"

"Above average Taijutsu level, average family ninjutsu, and no genjutsu whatsoever." Shino replied curtly.

Naruto nodded as he helped himself to a bowl of steaming rice. "Can you tell me what kind of ninjutsus you know?"

Shino looked at Naruto for a while. Finally he spoke, "Usually, I can control my bugs at a certain level. This means that jutsus are not really necessary. But, if you really are intent in my jutsus, I must say I am quite adept at Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto looked at Shino and blinked. He wasn't really that used to hearing Shino make a speech. Even a little one. He managed to regain his composure and nodded briefly. "Controlling your bugs without the use of hand seals is certainly an advantage." He sipped a bit of his soup. "As for your taijutsu skills, perhaps we could test them tomorrow?"

Shino nodded, "It would be a pleasure to spar with you."

Ino, who had been listening for the most part, finally said, "What about me?"

"I'll fight you too, Ino." Naruto said and grinned.

Ino sighed. "That's not what I meant." Ino looked down at her own cup.

"Well, what exactly did you mean?" Naruto asked.

"What about my skills?"

"Oh," Naruto scratched his head. "Well go on. Tell us about your techniques."

Ino took a deep breath. "My taijutsu is pretty much average. I don't know any genjutsus, and my ninjutsu is nothing special. Just basic academy stuff." She said offhandedly. "And the only family taijutsu I know is the Shintenshin no Jutsu."

"Which will soon be remedied, I can promise you that," Inoichi said seriously.

Naruto gulped down some fish. "Thank you, Ino's outo-san. We appreciate your effort into this." He said, his face as serious as Inoichi's own. He looked at his two teammates. "I'm not really sure about my taijutsu skills." Naruto admitted. "My ninjutsu on the other hand..." He beamed and did a pose. "I'm definitely good at it."

"What about genjutsu?" Ino asked curiously.

Naruto's grin widened. "Just average, I guess." He said. "I do know a genjutsu that could send even the most strongest of men whimpering."

"Really?" Inoichi asked, his face brightening up.

Naruto's grin vanished and he pouted, "But it only works on the perverted kind."

"Oh, those sort of jutsus," Inoichi said and nodded sagely. Yuka hit his arm. "What did you that for, woman?"

"Duck," Ino whispered urgently. The two obeyed as Inoichi went flying through the air.

Naruto pulled off an imaginary hat and shook his head gravely before returning to his food. Ino smacked her head and sighed.

"I'm alright," Inoichi said as he slowly stood up.

"So Naruto, what about your ninjutsus? Any family ones you know?" Ino asked, ignoring her father who was making pained noises.

"The Uzumaki clan specializes on jutsu creation and modification," Naruto explained, "so basically, if I was to list every family jutsu I know, it'd take forever."

"You said you have a father, Naruto." Shino pointed out.

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well, it really is a long story."

Naruto stretched and grunted. "Remember what I said, no ninjutsus and no genjutsus; this fight is purely taijutsu. You ready?"

Shino pulled off the weights he carried under his jacket and the ones under his pants. Stretching a bit, he nodded.

An explosion of dust signaled the start of their fight. Naruto jumped into the air and threw two shuriken towards Shino. Shino dodged both and threw three of his own. Naruto pulled out his daggers and used them to knock out the shuriken in flight. He slammed his daggers down. Shino caught them under two kunai and pushed Naruto back. Throwing one of his kunai to distract Naruto, Shino drew some wire out of his weapon holster and disappeared.

Wiping the sweat out of his eyes, Naruto looked around his surroundings wearily. He turned around to face the kunais that flew towards him. They missed. All of them. Naruto frowned. "What's the big idea, Shino? I didn't even have to raise my daggers. Let alone move."

A kunai flew down his feet. An exploding tag was wrapped around it. Naruto cursed and tried to escape but found that wires were entangled around him. He touched one with his fingertip and winced as blood appeared from his wound. "I didn't ask for you to kill—"

The explosion cut off his words. When the smoke had cleared, Naruto stood up with a sigh. He turned to look at Ino who was watching them fight. "What do you think, Ino?"

"Well, obviously, he won," Ino pointed out coolly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I mean us. Our taijutsu level, how was it?"

Ino crossed her arms and frowned. "In terms of speed and strength, you are better than him. He's better at accuracy though." Ino smiled sweetly. "And thinking too," she added.

Naruto made a face and turned to shake Shino's hand. "You're really good Shino. I bet Sasuke couldn't do what you did under pressure."

"Your speed and strength are commendable…for a genin." Shino said calmly.

"So, Ino, who do you want to fight?" Naruto asked, turning to face the blonde ninja.

Ino looked at Naruto thoughtfully. Finally she spoke, "I'll fight Shino." She smiled a bit. "No offense, Naruto, but you're hurt. If we're going to survive the Survival training, I need you in one piece."

Naruto snorted, "Like you'd do much harm." He dodged the kunai Ino threw at him and bowed. "Your throwing is commendable." He said, using Shino's words.

Ino pulled out her tongue and turned to face Shino. She took out two kunais and moved into a fighting position. "Let's get this over with."

Shino nodded. He crossed the kunais he had pulled out of his holster and disappeared. Ino looked around wearily. "You do know that that trick won't work twice."

Shino appeared behind Ino and slammed his foot against Ino's shoulder. "I don't do repeat performances."

Ino rolled and moved to a crouch. Throwing a kunai towards Shino, she jumped and flipped on top of a tree branch.

"Good, coz—coz…oh crud." Ino groaned. "How come you got a witty line?"

Shino shrugged. He vanished again, but this time for a moment, and appeared on top of the tree trunk in a crouch-like position. He pushed himself off and threw a shuriken Ino quickly dislodged from flight. Shino twisted in mid-air and slammed his heel, aiming for Ino's shoulder.

Ino grunted in pain. Letting go of the kunai she held in her hand, she grabbed Shino's foot and sent him crashing against a tree. She heard clapping.

"I think I can guess what'll happen next," Naruto said, a smirk planted on his face. "From my view, Shino's taijutsu skills are indeed above average. He's speed, now that I think of it, is probably better than mine."

Ino jumped down from the branch. "But you were faster than him when I saw you fight."

"I have a lot more stamina," Naruto explained. "Which means I can do fast but I waste a lot more energy than that guy over there," he nodded to Shino. "As for you, your skills are average," Naruto said and beamed at Ino, "Your stamina is fuelled by your determination to win though, which means you can take a lot of impact before anyone could ever stop you."

Ino crossed her arms, "Is that a complement?"

"I do believe it is," Naruto bowed. Looking up at the sun, he frowned. "Don't you think sensei is a bit late?"

"He was too busy watching you guys play." The three looked up to see their teacher on top of a tree branch. He plucked a small scroll from out of his pocket and grinned. His hands moved quickly, forming seals Naruto could barely make out. Jumping down, he slammed the scroll against the ground. "Special Summoning Contract: Shadow Beasts!"

Jumping away, he began forming other seals. "Activate!" The three genin turned around to see Jiro as well as a red-eyed woman, standing around them. Both had the same last seal formed.

A multi-colored barrier appeared enclosed around the three genins. Haru smiled. "Survival training begins now." Nodding towards the other two jounin, Haru bowed. "Thanks for the assistance, Jiro…Kurenai-san."

"No problem," Jiro said and vanished, appearing beside Haru. "I wanna see how much my son has grown."

Kurenai smiled. "I should thank you, Haru. You're giving me ideas for when I make up my own survival test." She raised a hand, "Ja."

"Naruto…" Shino called out. Naruto tore his gaze from Haru and turned around. True to their name, shadow-like creatures emerged from the trees and underneath the ground.

Taking out a kunai, Naruto frowned. "What're we supposed to do? Kill them?"

Ino slashed a beast in half and shrugged. "You got any better ideas, Fanboy?"

"Stop calling me that," Naruto said touchily. Naruto clones appeared around him forming a small shield. Naruto crossed his arms and glared at Haru. "Care to explain?"

"Oh, right…sorry," Haru smiled sheepishly and cleared his throat. "There are two scrolls hidden underneath the area. One will deactivate all the jutsus we have placed…the other will give you a nasty surprise. Your mission is simple—"

"You want us to look for the right scroll and deactivate the jutsus," Naruto cut in. He grinned. Looking at Shino, he said, "When I give you the signal, spread your insects around the place to look for the two scrolls. We are going to look for both."

"Why? Ino asked. "Won't it be easier to look for just one?"

"And what if we get the wrong one?" Naruto countered.

"I am not finished," Haru said, disgruntled. "You have exactly five minutes to finish this mission," he added haughtily.

Naruto's jaw dropped. He turned around and formed seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A large fireball appeared from Naruto's mouth engulfing the shadowy beasts in flames. This was followed by a water jutsu that extinguished them. Nodding to Shino, Naruto summoned some clones by his side to stop more beasts from reappearing.

Jiro raised an eyebrow as he watched the three work together. Looking at Haru, he noticed that the man was astonished as well. Jiro grinned. "Naruto got his leadership skills from me," he said proudly.

Haru glared at him. "As I remember…you were a dark antisocial ass before Kyoko changed you. Not a leader."

"Don't remind me," Jiro grumbled darkly.

"Like I said…dark antisocial ass," Haru said.

"And you were a snobby son of a golem," Jiro snapped.

"You forgot to say: until Kyoko changed you," Haru retorted.

"You know, sensei…" Haru turned to look at Naruto and saw that the barrier had fallen and the three were watching them with mild interest. "That survival test sucked."

Haru grinned. "Whoever said it was over yet?"

A large roar filled the air. Turning around, the three saw a fiend in the shape of a large black dog with glowing yellow eyes. He had two extra legs in the front and had a pair of spiraling horns planted on top of his head.

"How the hell do we defeat this thing?" Naruto asked, waving his arms.

"I don't know! You're the genius here," Ino answered back.

Naruto hid behind a tree. "I am not gonna fight that thing!" Naruto shouted, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Haru felt a sweatdrop coming. "I didn't know your son was such a coward, Jiro."

"And this is the boy who faced the Kyuubi at the tender age of ten…" Jiro muttered under his breath.

Apparently, Naruto heard this because he stood up and yelled, "That's because I was a stupid little kid back then, old man!"

"Well at least it's better than a stupid coward!" Jiro growled. "And I am not an old man!"

Naruto crossed his arms and was about to storm off when Ino screamed his name.

"Uzumaki Naruto, get your butt here and help us!" Ino said, waving a fist at him. She was being tossed into the air by the beast who was amused by the girl's antics.

An extra head appeared from the fiend's body. Watching the girl fly in the air, the extra head grinned. "This is fun, Aniki," the beast spoke in a deep baritone.

Naruto beamed. "A damsel in distress! I must save her at once."

"Is it just me…or is your son crazy?" Haru asked Jiro quietly.

Naruto jumped and landed on top of the fiend's head. Grabbing the fiend's horns, he spoke to Shino who was avoiding the fiend's paws. "Do you still have some wire, Shino?"

Shino looked up and raised an eyebrow. Realizing what Naruto wanted him to do, he shook his head briefly. "Not enough to trap him, Naruto."

"You don't have to, Shino." Naruto said. "Just place a net in front of him."

Shino shrugged and moved to stand on top of a tree branch. Pulling out some wire from his weapon holster, he began to work.

Naruto let one of his hands go and formed a sheep seal. Calling forth his chakra, he took a deep breath before shouting, "Experimental Uzumaki Technique: Lightning Crash!"

A bolt of lightning slammed against his body, moving through his veins and into the large beast. Gasping for air, Naruto fell to his knees.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked up and grinned weakly. He jumped and caught Ino who was screaming for the entire world to hear.

"You bloody poop! I almost got hit." The girl said, beating Naruto with a fist.

"I just saved your dumb ass and this is how you repay me?" Naruto asked, looking slightly hurt.

"Naruto," Shino called out. "I've finished putting the wire in front of the beast."

Naruto threw Ino towards Shino who caught the girl deftly. He moved to stand in front of the net and began pouring in his chakra. The shadow beast struggled to move but found that he couldn't. "What did you do to me, boy?" The older of the two heads growled.

"I made you stop moving," Naruto said dryly, "isn't it obvious?"

"Aniki," the younger whined, "I wanna kick the crap out of him."

"We will," the older grumbled, "as soon as I can move."

Naruto turned to look at his teammates. "Wait here." Whistling a jaunty tune, he walked slowly to the back where he could see the beast's behind. His hands moved to form a familiar set of seals. "Experimental Uzumaki Technique: Elemental Weapon Creation!"

His hands glowed for a brief moment before a whip made of lightning materialized under his grasp. "Prepare to get whipped, boys."

Ino, who was watching the whole thing, covered her eyes. "This is going to get real messy."

The dark beast howled in pain and found himself moving towards the net. "Aniki, we're going to crash!"

Haru had to admit it was disturbing, the way the body parts of the beast fell through the net. At least we don't have to clean up after. He thought as he watched the sliced and diced bits dissolve into the ground.

"So, did we pass or what?"

Haru looked at them thoughtfully. "Well…judging from the way you three worked together…I say…"

Kakashi glared at his students who looked guiltily at each other. In the middle of the group was Kiba who was tied against the wooden post. Beside him was Akamaru who also shared the same fate.

Dark clouds rolled through the horizon. "You all…"

Asuma grinned at his students who were lying on the grass. All three were tired from the fight and had promptly fell to the ground. Shikamaru was already asleep.

Rubbing an imaginary tear, he sniffed. "You all passed."

A/N: Damn you, Thomas! Why the hell did you give us a damn filler?!

I am terribly sorry about this. I don't like fillers too, you know. As for the Ino/Naruto hints... All I can say is, if you want it to happen, it'll happen. If you don't, it'll still happen...just not as long-lived.

New poll: Should Naruto learn about magic too like in the Final Fantasy series? Or should I stick to jutsus? If you think I should give Naruto magical powers, which magical system do you prefer? FF8's draw system wherein Naruto draws his magic from the earth as well as certain magical artifacts or FF6(Japanese version) magical system wherein Naruto simply learns different spells by junctioning different aeons?

Again, I don't know when the next update will be. All I can say is, it'll be shorter than this one.