KOMBAN WA, MINA-CHAN!

...Well, it's night when I updated, so there. (Technically it's morning, since it's past midnight, I guess.) It's been a while, hasn't it? Gomen, gomen. I was busy with Christmas, writers' block, the monitor being repaired, and my damn curse for being a lazy bastard. Again, I apologize to whoever is angry at the lack of updates.

And now for the Reviewers corner!

Fic Slayr: I think that I'm going to do the pairings anyway. Sorry. Also, like I said, I'm made this up as I went, and this chapter is the result of my half-asleep state.

Gato-sama: Honestly, I absolutely have no idea either. Maybe he'll be a lot nicer than before, I really don't know.

Send me more reviews! Any questions? Ask me!

I knew I should have done this a few chapters back... Eh. Okay, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, although I do own this fic. If anyone actually wants to steal this, then you're even crazier than I'll ever be.

Chapter 4

It had been months after the failed kidnapping incident and it was a nice hot summer's day in the village of Konoha. The perfect weather for playing outside, especially for young, overworked children aspiring to become ninjas.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Instead, the children were trapped inside a humid, stuffy room, trying to listen to another boring lecture by their chuunin instructors. Or falling asleep, which was the apparent case for Naruto and a few others.

"Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba! For the last time, WAKE UP! This is the seventh time I've woken you! See me after class for an extra lesson," said Iruka. The boys in question groaned.

"But Iruka-sensei," protested Naruto, "With your boring speech and this weather, it'll make even people who can't go to sleep out like a light. At this rate, it could be an S-rank genjutsu(1)." His classmates laughed at this, but immediately stopped when they noticed their teacher's expression of fury that even Kyuubi wouldn't be able to match. Then he forced a smile, which was eerily more terrifying than him angry.

"Naruto… We're going to have a little talk after this," he said calmly. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you… Much." Naruto was sweating bullets at this point. Whatever it was, he was positive it was not going to be pleasant. After the lesson (Which seemed to drag longer than usual), the four was held back for the 'extra lesson'.

"Now boys, to be a ninja, you must be able to concentrate," explained Iruka to the four (five if you counted the puppy on Kiba's head, Akamaru.). "Think about it this way. If you were given instructions that were important for the success of a mission and you weren't paying attention, then what would happen?" He closed his eyes trying to remember his old memories. "I was once like you four. I never paid attention to anyone, or anything; giving me the reputation of the dobe. So one teacher decided to help me concentrate by putting a leaf on my forehead. You have to concentrate all your chakra on it, which is what I'm going to do to you four. Now, any questions?" He opened his eyes to see… Four empty chairs and an open window.

"YOU BRATS! GET BACK HERE!" he shouted. By that time, the boys were little specks in the distance. Cursing angrily under his breath, the chuunin left his office.

"I need a stiff drink…" he murmured.

"Ne, Shikamaru. You run fast for a lazy guy," remarked Kiba. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"This is going to be so troublesome when Iruka-sensei catches us," he replied.

"So? It's still funny," said Naruto. "I'm going to wander around for a bit. What about you guys?"

"I need to go home and train. My dad's going to teach me the Jujin Bunshin no jutsu(2) so Akamaru and I can get stronger," said Kiba.

"Shikamaru and I are going to my house because my dad is friends with his dad and wants some… Sake or something. It's not something I was allowed to eat or drink, so I don't know what it is. Speaking of which, doesn't it mean that Ino's going to be there as well?" asked Chouji.

The future shadow user and tactician visibly paled. That girl was bossy, mean, manipulative, stubborn, and just plain evil. She vaguely resembled his terrifying mother.

Then again, she was kinda pretty...

Shaking the thought out his mind quickly, he whined, "Aw man, she's scary though. I hope I'm not in her team when we become ninjas."

'That's just ironic ne, Kyuubi-sensei? To think that those three are going to be in the same team,' thought Naruto amusedly.

"Don't get your hopes up. You might do something that changes the teams, kit."

The four split up and headed to their destinations. Naruto decided to go to the playground, for old time's sake, where he met a depressed looking blue-haired girl. (A/N: I wonder who that could be… - -;;)

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!" he declared, pretending to flex his muscles. "And who would you be, m'lady?" he asked. The girl giggled at his antics.

"I'm… Hyuuga Hinata…" she replied quietly.

"Why were you so sad, Hinata-chan?" As dense as ever, Naruto failed to notice that Hinata blushed at 'Hinata-chan'.

"I… My otou-san called me weak. He says that I'm not fit to be a Hyuuga. He's even thinking of disowning me," she said. "He's right though. I am weak… I don't even like fighting…"

"That's rubbish! You're not weak, Hinata-chan, you can be strong in other places as a ninja, like a medic-nin or something! Whatever you do, don't give up and ignore your father's insults!" He exclaimed.

The girl smiled weakly.

"Thank you… Naruto-kun," she whispered.

"No problem! It's my duty as the next Hokage to sort troubles out! If you have any other troubles, don't be shy and ask me!" Giving another foxy smile, he hugged her and left the playground in a happier mood than when he came. Shocked at the sudden contact, she froze for a moment. Hearing the branch Hyuuga members calling for her to start returning home, she snapped out of her trance and headed back towards the estate.

She didn't stop blushing and she seemed to be in a quite happy mood, to the point that she didn't hear her father's cold insults and his inquiries to whether she had a cold or not.

Later that night, Naruto was visited by an ANBU with a bird mask on. "The Hokage-sama wishes for your audience," he said with a tinge of hostility in his voice. Naruto sighed. His status as the 'Damned Fox child' to both the villagers and most of the ninja forces was not revoked yet, something which irritated him immensely.

"Hai, hai… I'm going…" He said. Then he noticed that the ANBU was already gone, knowing that it had better things to do than being with the 'Demon' or something similar to the effect.

Grinning evilly, Naruto made sure to remember the ANBU's mask and look him up later. He was going to get his… 'Present' in a matter of days, when he managed to figure out a suitable prank. With that thought in mind, he headed towards the Hokage's office. In there, he met a slightly more grave-looking Sandaime.

"Naruto-kun, thank you for coming on such short notice. Wait a minute, what happened to the ANBU I ordered to escort you?"

"He left. You know what they're like against the Demon Child or something close along those lines. By the way, can you lend me his profile for a few seconds? For some… reasons…" he trailed off, thinking up of an excuse.

"In a minute Naruto; the reason why I called you here was because Uchiha Shisui was murdered." At once Naruto forgot about his revenge and paid more attention to the Hokage's words.

"He was WHAT!"

"Yes, murdered. I was hoping maybe the Kyuubi could help stop the upcoming massacre."

"Ask him if Itachi is going to be assigned to a mission these coming seven days or so. Also, ask whether Itachi himself knows about this already." replied the fox.

"Hokage-jiisan, will Itachi-san be assigned to a mission these coming seven days and does he even know about this?"

"No, I took him out of duty for the time being and yes, he knows. Why do you ask?"

"The thing is that Itachi was said to be stronger than Orochimaru so with that thought in mind, I was thinking of hiding the members of the Uchiha family who will actually believe the old geezer, then filling their gaps with Kage Bunshins(3) using Henges(4). Pretend to put Itachi on a mission that would require days to finish, then finally ambush the snake freak when he attacks with Itachi and the geezer himself."

Naruto then relayed the information back to the Sandaime. The Hokage thought about the plan, then said, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'll discuss this with the Uchiha clan and what they think. After all, they are the ones who will be the victims."

"By the way… Could you label Itachi-san as an S-ranked missing-nin? I know it sounds fishy, but in a few years time, there will be a group called the 'Akatsuki' in which their purpose is to take demon containers and use them for their own sake. Since Itachi-san joined last time, I thought maybe you could use him as a spy," suggested Naruto.

"I'm surprised at how much smarter you became. From what I remembered, at this age you didn't even know how to count to ten." Kyuubi remarked.

'Kyuubi-sensei, you're really getting on my nerves. Any particular reason you're picking on me today?'

"Not really. It's just funny pissing you off. And since you can't block me out, I can do this as much as I want! Yay me!" here the 'Ever powerful and dignified Kyuubi' waved little flags and danced around in chibi fox mode.(5) Trying to block the thoughts out (in vain) Naruto then asked, "Hokage-jiisan, since I've said what I wanted, can I leave? Oh, and can I see the ANBU's profile for just one minute? I swear I won't do anything… that might scar him for life…" he mumbled the last bit out of hearing range.

"Yes, yes, I'll give you his profile. But only for one minute, this is something I am not supposed to do." He handed the Kyuubi vessel the profile of the ANBU member. Making sure that his tenant was able to memorize the sheet, Naruto handed it back. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I shall consider your tactics well. Oh, and before I forget, Iruka-san wishes to speak to you tomorrow. It was something along the lines of, 'When I get my hands on him' or something… But I'm sure he was just joking."

For the second time on the same day, Naruto grew pale and gulped miserably.

'I am so screwed tomorrow…'

The next day, it was all over the village that some members of the Uchiha clan were massacred by none other than the prodigy, Itachi. Only a select few knew the whole truth, them being what was left of the clan. Only they knew that it was in fact Orochimaru who killed the family, but was chased out by the combined efforts of Itachi and the Sandaime. The others thought that the murderer was Itachi, who was spotted leaving the village around ten minutes after the news had spread.

The snake sannin wasn't aware of the fact that they knew he was the culprit, as it was such a well kept secret that even Kabuto, his spy, could not find.

Meanwhile, Naruto sadly walked towards the Academy earlier than usual, terrified of his fate, when he spotted a raven-haired boy sitting alone. The once happy child became more stoic and heartless, seeking revenge to Orochimaru for killing some of his family and trying to frame his brother. Deciding that the new human ice cube should lighten up, Naruto quietly sneaked up behind him and did a few hand seals.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu(6)," he whispered. A tiny water dragon, about the size of a grown man's arm appeared and drenched the Uchiha survivor from head to toe. Indignant, Sasuke turned angrily to face Naruto.

"What the hell was that for!"

"Uh... to cheer you up?" This seemed to be the wrong answer, for his future rival began to look extremely aggravated. "Come on Sasuke, being all heartless and masking your hate for Orochimaru isn't going to help! I want revenge for him as well, and yet I'm still trying to live a normal life. He's the exact reason why I'm an orphan... and why everyone hates me..." he said, getting quieter and quieter until he spoke the last part in a whisper.

The fact that Naruto knew about the snake sannin seemed to calm Sasuke down immensely and adopt a look of pity when he was informed about Naruto's orphanage. "I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for talking to me about it, though. You're the only one who actually treated me as a person. The villagers all treat me either as if I'm going to be a murderer as well or if I was something to be pitied and treat me like royalty. And then there's my fan club." At this he shuddered violently, "Rabid fangirls are a force to be reckoned with, I assure you."

"No problem. By the way... Since we both want revenge, let's both destroy Orochimaru together when we have the chance! After all, he's probably too strong to be defeated alone. What do you say? Friends?" asked the fox vessel, holding out his hand.

The Uchiha survivor smiled. Not one of his arrogant smirks, but a true smile which was a very rare sight to see. He shook the other boy's hand. "No; best friends. But I'm going to damage the idiot more than you will, dobe!" he added jokingly.

"Are not, teme!"

"Am too, times infinity." Here the raven-haired boy stuck his tongue out at Naruto.

"Why you-"

Just then the bell rang, indicating that the classes were about to begin. Naruto grew pale. Iruka-sensei was going to kill him for ditching the 'Extra class' yesterday.

"Help..."

...And now for an extra belated Christmas gift for you wonderful readers!

Omake:

It was a cold Christmas day, and the ANBU ninja who was supposed to escort the 'Demon child' felt some very bad karma (Even though he never practiced Buddhism) as he hurried to his house. Somehow, he had a very ominous feeling, as if something very bad was going to happen.

As he stepped into his house, he was greeted by a barrage of kunais and shuriken. Dodging them with reflexes honed by years of experience, the ANBU member (Let's call him... 'Atori' for now, 'kay?) managed to slip on some gooey stuff planted by someone (A/N: If you don't know who did that,Come on! It's so obvious!). Realizing that this was another trap, Atori(7) used his chakra to steady himself... then was covered in a white powdery-like substance from above. It seemed that the culprit was already one step ahead of him.

Muttering angrily, Atori wiped his eyes from the powder, then started to become very itchy. Itching powder! Frantically he began to run towards his bathroom to wash the horrid stuff off when he noticed that the bathroom had an exploding tag on it. He also noticed that the tag was smoking, which is not a very good sign to see.

"Kuso..."

The result was an explosion that managed to destroy the bathroom door and send Atori hurtling back to the entrance of his house. Hoping that the torture was over, he stood up shakily and had his wind knocked out of him by a log colliding with his chest. He had managed to tip off hidden tripwires everywhere, as suddenly the house seemed to turn to life. Chairs crashed about, Doors were attacking him, and as for his futon? Forget about it.

Finally, when Atori thought it was safe to move, he set off yet another series of traps that lasted for hours. Tired, ragged, and to the point of unconsciousness, he was sent a kunai with a note attached next to him. Using the last of his strength, the ANBU read the note which said:

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" A smiley face (8) was on the note. The man, unable to stay awake, fainted.

Meanwhile, in a small apartment, a certain fox vessel laughed quietly as he heard the explosions which could be heard throughout the village.

'I told you I'd get my revenge...'

(1) Genjutsu: Illusionary techniques

(2) Jujin Bunshin no jutsu: Beast-human clone technique. In coordination with an animal, the user creates a perfect likeness of that creature, and vice-versa with the beast assuming the form of the person.

(3) Kage Bunshin no jutsu: Shadow clone technique. Naruto's signature move which creates real bodies instead of regular Bunshins.

(4) Henge no jutsu: Transformation technique. Changes the user's appearance.

(5) ...What? I like the idea of a chibi fox. If you don't like it though, let me know.

(6) Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu: Water Element: Water dragon technique. Forms a kind of water dragon. It can be created without being near a body of water, but only high leveled ninjas can do it.

(7) Atori: I think it means Bird or something. I just thought it was appropriate.

(8) It's one of those "Have a nice day" ones. I just love those things.

Thank you, to all the readers, and I hope that this isn't going to be the last chapter I write. Please review my humble little fic if you wish! Ja ne!