The fiery woman glared at the Hokage, someone she thought of as a young grandfather. Right now, however, she couldn't see an inkling of the man she was close to in him. "What is the meaning of this? Why can't she remember anything about Jiraiya-sama, or anything that has to do with her past?" She clenched her teeth, and tightened her fists. "Don't just sit there! Say something!"

Jiraiya rested a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to hush down, before looking at his former teacher. "Naruto's heartbeat was going up and down when she was still unconscious. What's going on? Why is she believing her made up story of how she lived before coming to this village?"

"I've tried searching all kinds of seals imaginable to help her situation, but nothing had come up." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "I chose the next best thing to do for her."

Kushina grew more and more impatient. "And what was that?" She snapped, voice clipped.

He opened his eyes again, preparing himself for the anger and rage that was sure to come.

"I erased the memories she had of anything related to the future."

The jinchuuriki's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in fury. "What were you thinking?" She all but yelled, almost hysterical, slamming her hands against his desk.

"Of course, I kept a copy of them inside a scroll and replaced them with fabricated memories of her and her 'sensei', which also means her skills and knowledge not concerning the future are still intact." Sarutobi sighed, turning away towards the wide windows. "It was the most safest and easiest way for her."

Jiraiya cut in before Kushina could, eyes cold. "What do you mean by that? Who's after her?"

"Danzo, of course." The Hokage rubbed his temples tiredly. "He's already made his move, if what I saw from the dog was correct."

"Dog?" Kushina frowned. "Don't tell me... You mean the dog that follows Naruto around? Chibi?"

"Yes, Chibi was its name. It left before I can do anything about the seal on the scruff of its neck." He stood up, walking to one side of the wall. "He underestimated me, that Danzo. It was the same one he had taken a stubborn liking to when we were younger."

"What does it do?"

"It's very much like the Yamanaka clan's famed technique, the Shintenshin no Jutsu, except it can't control anything that can hold a complex thought. So people and summons are out of the question. Basically, all you can really do is see from it's point of view, but the victim isn't aware." He turned back to them, "A seal good for spying, really."

"And peeking," The seriousness of the situation forgotten, Jiraiya drooled at the thought, before shivered at the chilly glare Kushina sent him, "For research of course!"

"Hmph," she rolled her eyes and looked back down at the Hokage. "So? What are you going to do about it other than what you have done already?"

"Well, it seems like Danzo's main objective is Naruto which is understandable since, in his eyes, she's the most likely to leak out classified information. Plus, she might turn into a very strong kunoichi in the future." He stood up, "And since I've already solved that by 'openly' showing that I took away her memories, now he'll be aiming for you two."

"Through the dog?" Kushina skeptically asked after he didn't continue. She crossed her arms, annoyed. "I thought that the seal can only show them Chibi's sight. You never said anything about it being able to control him."

"Yes, I never said anything like that, and I'm sure he's aware that I figured out how to get rid of the seal a long time ago." He replied exasperatedly. "Danzo's going to try a different tactic this time, I'm sure. He may even go as far as to resort to violence."

"That miserable rat? I doubt it." Kushina huffed, hateful of the man. The Hokage merely shook his head, unable to say anything to that. The woman had always disliked Danzo, though he knew why; she didn't have a great first impression of him, after all, and first impressions tend to stick with an individual throughout their life if something wasn't done about it.

He activated a seal on the wall, revealing a hidden door. Kushina shared a glance with Jiraiya, confirming that he also didn't know about it.

"Come, it's time we see what happened in the future from Naruto's eyes."

Minato nodded, and Kushina missed how his eyes narrowed. "I see, so that's what happened. She was merely stressed from the mission, and it had taken a toll on her, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened." It wasn't exactly a lie; Naruto was stressed from the mission, which also contributed to her four days of unconsciousness. However, that wasn't all, not even close. At least it managed to pull some weight off her shoulders, since she wasn't completely lying. "So all she needs is proper rest."

"Hmm..." Without her noticing, he watched her carefully. "It's odd though."

"What is?"

"Why was she sent on the mission?" He turned away, sitting down on the couch. "Of all people, why an academy student? I know she has something no one else does, but is it so important that the mission can't go on without it?"

She tensed, which didn't go unnoticed by him from the sound of her breathing. "It's... I guess so. That... something, was really important."

"Hmm..."

Now, Kushina noticed he caught onto something. It was only natural, she guessed. After all, this was Namikaze Minato. She needed to keep him distracted, no matter how difficult it proves to be. "So, how does fried rice sound?"

He finally smiled when he looked up at her, "You know I love your cooking no matter what it is."

She laughed, and gave him a light peck on the cheek. The Uzumaki's customary, satisfied smirk was on her lips, knowing that the man had on a flustered, beet-red face.

Naruto had spent most of her time in the hospital going over her memories of the mission, but Jiraiya and Kushina realized that many bits and pieces of them were cut off. Thankfully she remembered the toad sage, but it took a rather long time to sort everything in her mind out.

Once Naruto was released, Kakashi wouldn't stop sticking by her side. Even in the hospital, he would silently peel her apples, not even bothering to ask if she wants some before stuffing them in her mouth. She didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed with this odd show of care.

"Um... Kakashi? You know I'm alright, right?" She laughed nervously, feeling strangely awkward at how nice the boy was being. "You don't have to force yourself."

He merely tugged a lock of her loose hair lightly. She took this as him trying to shut her up.

"... Say something." Pouting when he didn't, she tried saying this time, "Scarecrow."

Still, no reply.

"Scare—"

"How's your head?" He interrupted, and Naruto blinked.

"Oh, it's fine. They said I got knocked out because of all the stress from going to the mission or something," Naruto frowned, brows knit together in thought. "But my memories of it are all kinda blurry..."

The Hatake nodded. He couldn't believe his own eyes when he saw how deathly pale she, the loud, boisterous Naruto, was on the hospital bed. Whenever the adults left the room, he would try to wake her up, squeezing her hand or shaking her shoulder. Naruto's face would crunch up in clear agony at whatever dream she had, and all he could do to help was hold her hand.

It almost made him want to go up to the Hokage and punch him for making her go on the mission.

She gazed up at the Hokage Monument with an odd look in her eyes, something young Kakashi couldn't identify. He barely heard Naruto's whisper, and only caught the end of it. "...weird?"

"What?"

Naruto rubbed her arm subconsciously, brows furrowed. "I... I always have this feeling, like something's off about that monument." At Kakashi's raised brow, she seemed to be drowning further into her inner turmoil, confusion engulfing her. "It's weird, isn't it? I must be going crazy."

She suddenly shook her head and grinned, before slapping his back. "But enough about that! Staying in the stuffy hospital room got me craving for some dango!" With a skip to her trotting, she dragged him down the streets. "Of course, since I'm broke, you have to pay!"

"Broke?" Noting to search that word up later he scowled, "Why me?"

"I said, I don't have any money!"

"I don't have any, either!"

Naruto turned back to him, eyes scrutinizing. After a while, she sighed in disappointment. "You're pretty useless, huh?" Before Kakashi can blow up at that comment, her eyes sparkled as a thought entered her mind. "I know! Hey, let's go have a spar at your house's backyard!"

"Oi, you just got out of theーHey!"

"That was..." Naruto didn't even have to look up to see the annoyed look on his face.

"I know, it was pathetic." She took in another gulp of air. "I'm pathetic."

"Do four days of rest really make you that weak?"

"Sure looks like it," the blonde sighed miserably as she sat up, exhausted from not even thirty minutes of only taijutsu.

Kakashi hefted himself over to the wooden porch, and flopped down with a loud thump. "Loser has to get the winner a drink and snack."
Sticking out her tongue, she reluctantly asked, "I just have to go to the right corridor, left, across the living room, and left again, right?"

"Mm."

Rolling her eyes at his answer she grumbled her way to the kitchen. "Why is his house so big? It's just like the Uchiha'sーHuh?"

How did she know that?

"Ugh, something's not right with me today..." Shaking her head, she turned her head back and yelled out, "Kakashi, should I put some ice in?"

"Yeah, a lot!"

"If you have that much energy to shout, why not just get it yourself?" She mumbled, looking around at the pictures hung on the walls of the living room. Her eyes landed on one small, framed photo sitting on a coffee table, and she smiled. "Man, his mom really is pretty."

Humming, she went to get two cups of orange juice and ice, before going on her way back to the porch. She was about to pass the picture she saw earlier, until she noticed something about it, just inside the frame. "Hm?"

Taking a closer look, she noticed Sakumo's handwriting, "Hatake... Aww, the ink's smudged..." But that should be the name of Kakashi's mother, she thought inwardly.

"What took you so long?" Kakashi asked, irritated, as he was handed his drink. Naruto scowled back.

"Can't a guest have some time to look at the house's pictures?" She sighed, "And there's not a single picture of you and your family together! Plus you always have that mask on!"

"We just don't put them out."

"I guess that's it, but..." Naruto pouted, taking a sip of her drink. "I mean... I wanted to see them..."

He rose a brow.

"... And baby pictures."

He snorted.

"I mean, you could have been cute when you were a baby!" She went on, ranting. "Look at you now! Totally not cute."

Kakashi scowled again. "Well, sorry I'm totally not cute," he quoted, imitating her high pitched voice.

"Hmph! As long as you understand."

He rolled his eyes, and after a while, she spoke again.

"And... I do not sound like that."

He copied her again.

"Kakashi!"

One thing young Kakashi learned, was that the equally young Naruto was a slave driver when it comes to prank-pulling.

"No, you don't tie a knot so lazily! You're supposed to make the wire stay for someone to trip over it!"

"No, don't drop the bucket now!"

"Don't crouch like that! It makes running away harder!"

"Timing! Your timing's all wrong!"

It wasn't even close to lunch time yet, and Kakashi was already wheezing. How was this... this crafty menace the same as his air-headed training partner?

One thing he was sure of, though, was that his pranks have gone up a notch. Even their classmates have noticed.

"Huh, that Uzumaki really is awesome at tricks." One boy said, his voice attracting many others' attention.

"I know, I know," a girl said excitedly, "I'm so glad Naruto-chan never targets us; I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Makes someone wonder where she got all those skills fromーHey, we should invite her when a party comes up." The boy thought for a moment, "Wonder if we're gonna have one any time soon?"

"Totally! Let's have a class party! We're close to graduating, after all." A loud boy announced, earning many nods and pleased squeals. "And that, of course, calls for the Test of Courage!"

"Whaaat! No way!"

"Oh yeah! That's awesome!"

"Huh?" Naruto finally noticed the excited cheers of the class, and turned to Kakashi. "What's all that about?"

"They're planning to have a Halloween party and some kind of 'test of courage'." He answered her, missing how her eyes sparkled. Shrugging, he continued on, "I think it's a waste of tiー"

"WHAT! I'M SO GOING!" Naruto yelled, and their classmates laughed at her vigor. She turned back to the silver-haired boy with a apologetic smile, "Heh, sorry about that, 'Kashi, you were saying?"

"...I'm going too."

"Naruto, are you sure you're okay?" A smirking twelve year old boy, Aki, teased when the said girl and Kakashi finally arrived. "Do you need a handsome Onii-chan to go with you?"

Naruto smirked back, and feigned mock confusion. "Eh? I don't see anyone like that around here?" She said, looking around. The girls of the group laughed.

A girl the blonde remembered to be eleven years old, smacked Aki. "More like a old geezer with how you're perving on her."

With crocodile tears, he held his red cheek, over-exaggerated hurt in his eyes. "W-What a thing to say, Miki! I am a perfectly healthy young man of dignity!"

Rolling her eyes at him, Miki's focus changed to Naruto, grinning as she all but squealed at the sight of the girl. Her words came out in a rush at first, "Ohmygawsh Naruto-chan, you look so adorable! Kakashi-kun, you too!"

The other female classmates came over to squeeze the life out of them as well, and Naruto could see that Kakashi was desperate for oxygen like she was. "C-Can'tーbreathe!"

When they finally let them go, Naruto couldn't help but smile at how Kakashi was now fitting in with the grade. She noticed earlier, of course, when she just got back, but seeing how he interacted with the class again reminded her. Him pulling crazy pranks and talking more must have helped, she guessed with pride and joy.

"So," Kippei began loudly, successfully gaining everyone's attention. "Let's start the Test of Courage! Have you guys chosen your partner yet? You can be a group of threes, you know!"

Naruto whooped, and dragged Kakashi with her to sign their names down, not bothering to even ask if he wanted to team up. She guessed that Mika, Genma, and Shizuka would be a group of three, anyways. "Don't worry, it'll be fine, nothing to get scared of." She told him, though he found it highly unnecessary and glared at the wiggling brows of the other groups or pairs of people. "Plus, I, your fabulous Onee-chan, is right by your side!"

"I don't need your help. And for your information, I'm older than you." He huffed, trying to wriggle his arm out of her grasp. "Are you sure you're not the one who's gonna need it?"

The Uzumaki merely laughed, shaking her head at the fact that he would even suggest that she, the fearless young rebel, would need support. "Of course not! You're crazy if you think that! Now come on!"

Kushina scowled, getting quite fed up with the blond's pacing and muttering. "Relax, she's only gone out with her class. Surely they wouldn't do anything too drastic."

"What if they do, Kushina! There aren't any adults there, you know! They might get lost, or maybe even kidnappedー"

"They go to the ninja academy for a reason, Minato, and I'm sure they know their way around the whole village, even the forests. It's not that big, after all, and they just have to go to where the lights and noises are." She sighed in exasperation. This man is such a worrywart. Although she guessed she was a little bit too laid-back. Just a little. "Besides, if it becomes too late, say eight-thirty or so, then we'll go out to look for them."

She rolled her eyes when the man she called her boyfriend still continued to stomp in circles, eyes watery. What a mess he's become. "But... But wouldn't she want to spend more time with her daddy? Her beloved daddy that she hasn't played with for a long time?"

"She's having fun with her classmates, so deal with it." She slumped back onto the couch, closing her eyes. "She needs some more time with friends since she's been hogged up in that stinky old hospital with me and the nurses fussing over her a lot. I wonder how Kakashi-kun's doing."

At the mere mention of the boy, Minato wrinkled his nose. Kushina raised a brow.

"I thought you liked him?"

"I do, but..." His eyes turned dead serious, and she was taken aback.

"But?"

"I have this really bad feeling... an omen, that he would be trouble in the future. When he realizes the beauty Naruto is, both inside and out."

She was silent for the whole of Minato's rant over how young Naruto would become in later years. He hadn't noticed, and his violently waving arms had knocked a few cups and books of the shelves and table.

Kushina could only stare at the stupidity of this jounin.

Nononono, Naruto wanted to shrink back, hide herself behind Kakashi's slightly shorter frame. Her pride, of course, was still there, thus she hasn't backed down. Yet.

The sudden rustling of the bushes made her flinch.

Kakashi looked down at her, the urge to roll his eyes getting heavier as the girl's pink lips began to quiver. Feigning nonchalance, he casted his eyes over at the tall, looming dark trees. "I don't mind you c-clinging onto me, you know, if you're scared."

She contemplated his sentence, before recoiling at the last part of it. "N-No way! I'm not s-scared or anything!" She gave an awkward, unconvincing laugh, and looked the other way. "W-What about you? Aren't you scared yet? You're shaking!"

He stared. "That's you."

"Huh, whatーno, I ain't shaking!" She stubbornly persisted, "Maybe it's an earthquake. Yeah, that's it. A mini one, but I'm really... good at sensing those things!"

"Hmm..." Kakashi sighed in exasperation, before an idea came to him like a light bulb switching on. "Hey, did you hear...?"

She twitched. She gave a small 'eep' in fear of his low tone. "H-hear what?"

"They live in forests, just like these."

"T-T-T-They?"

Before he spoke again the paused for effect, and it worked; a few beads of sweat started rolling down the side of her face.

Just when he opened his mouth, a shrill shriek pierced through.

Naruto jumped, squawking and scrambling onto Kakashi's back in panic. "What the heck was that?!"

"How should I knowーOw! Your foot! Your foot is grinding into my back!"

Kakashi waited for her to get down, but gave up when she tightened her grip around his neck to the point of painful torture. "Alright, alright! I'm going, I'm going!"

By the time they got to the place where they heard the scream, they blanched.

Kakashi stuttered, unable to get the word out of his lips.

"G-Ghoー"

Naruto ended it for him.

"There's a freaking Ghost!"

Minato whimpered, longingly reaching for the girl only to have his hand slapped away again and be ignored.

"I-I said I was sorry, didn't I?" He whined, his ghostly make up messing up his face with black tear tracks. "I was lonely!"

Naruto didn't give him any attention, and coldly strutted to the kitchen for a cup of orange juice. Back in the forest, it was Kakashi who revealed the true identity of the 'ghost.' Turns out, her father had gone to drive the kids back home by scaring them off, but because of the silver haired boy that plan was foiled.

"That's why I told you it would be a bad idea," Kushina muttered, not caring if he heard or not. Even if he did, he wouldn't pay her comment any heed being the stubborn man he is. She turned to Naruto, grinning. "Well, let's eat some cake. I bought a really good one from the bakery you two love so much." Both blonds' eyes shone.

"Yay! Cake, cake!"

Kushina ruffled her hair and went to the kitchen, face twisting in pain once she turned her back towards the two.

She couldn't believe it. Naruto's lonely, terrible childhood. Had the Uchiha, who had later betrayed the girl and the village, not appeared in her life, what kind of person would Naruto have been? Would she still be able to live on as the warm and strong young lady she was in the future?

Kushina's breath hitched, but thankfully she was far enough to not be heard.

Now, she was glad the Sandaime had taken Naruto's burden away.

Sarutobi stroked his small goatee thoughtfully, looking down at the list of academy students and their pictures. Sakumo waited in front of him patiently, and the Hokage finally faced him.

"Sakumo."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

He took one sheet, which had the profile of the highest class in the academy, and marked two students. Sakumo frowned, staring at Naruto and Kakashi's face inside blaring red circles. "I'm assigning you to be a jounin sensei this year," Hiruzen watched the other man's surprised face.

"This is pretty sudden, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, I apologize for that. But I believe if these two are in your team, there won't be a problem, hm?" The Sarutobi said pleasantly with a smile.

Sakumo blinked. He hadn't expected Naruto and Kakashi to be set into one team already, seeing as the Genin Exams were still a month away.

As if sensing Sakumo's thoughts, the village leader continued. "I've been reading your monthly reports of their training because I have taken quite an interest in those two. Their teamwork is getting better, isn't it?"

"Yes, during the month before Naruto had left and after she came back, I have trained them to work with each other against me." Sakumo furrowed his brows. He could see where the Hokage was going with this, but there was still more. "What about the third member of the future team, Hokage-sama? Surely you don't plan to have a three-man-cell."

"I have thought of that, to be honest, but of course that hasn't ever worked out before, has it?" He let a sad smile cross his lips at the memories of past experiences, before closing them away again. "So, as for the third genin, I was thinking of having this boy be him."

"Shiranui, huh?" Sakumo contemplated from what he could remember of the brown haired student. "He's good with weapons, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, he is. He's really an all-rounder," Hiruzen rotated the sheet so the Hatake could read it, "but he is exceptionally good with genjutsu and weapons. A good match for a team with Naruto in it, really."

Everyone knew of Naruto and genjutsu, oil and water. The girl couldn't keep up a genjutsu for more than even three minutes without it going unrealistic. And, while she can hit targets, her stronger points are mostly taijutsu and ninjutsu, and her speed.

"He's also a good strategy maker, so if you were their sensei and happened to be away, he would be suitable for making the last decisions." The Hokage paused, leaning back into his chair. "And I have a feeling Kakashi would follow by the rules too much once he becomes genin. Doing that tends to make people lose sight of what's important."

He had seen enough of Naruto's memories to know that.

Sakumo hummed in thought, and nodded his head slowly. "So this would be team nine, wouldn't it? Seeing as the members has something the others lack, filling whatever holes the cell would have had."

"It would seem so, that is, if they do get the grades I expect them to on the exams."

"So how long would I be taking care of this team? Until they reach chuunin?" Sakumo asked curiously, seeing as jounin senseis tended to vary in the length of time they take on a team.

"Normally that would be the case, but I think it best for you to train them as their teacher for roughly two years." The Hokage smiled, apologetic. "Sorry about this, Sakumo. I know you're more suited for the front line, but I have high hopes for this team, and I believe you're their best chance at reaching the top ranks."

Surprised, Sakumo shook his head with a soft grin. "Oh, no, I actually think this is a great opportunity for me to see those two improve."

"By the way, how is their training going?"

"Kakashi's been trying out a few techniques so he would be better prepared for the exams," he placed a sheet of paper on the table which listed

Once the man left, Hiruzen let out a breath of relief as he fell back against his chair. He kept one of his best fighters from straying towards the dark path. Even if this was going against fate, it was for a good cause. Thank the heavens.

Naruto now sat, not even staring at the exam paper, tapping her pencil in deep thought. She couldn't help but think that time flew by pretty quickly, that it had only been roughly a year since she came stumbling upon the tall gates of Konoha.

She had fun pranking many of the teachers and playing around with her class, but now she had to get serious. Living the life of a ninja was a hard road, young Naruto knew that. Once she passes the exams, she will be treated as an adult, and would hold the responsibilities of an adult.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the blonde noticed that she only had fifteen minutes left.

Looking down, she also noticed that she hadn't finished even half of it.

A desk away from her, Kakashi noticed the way Naruto had drifted off into her daydreams. Of all times... He knew about her horrible concentration, but why now?

He huffed. It would be her loss anyways when the test rankings are up, showing that he's first place. He looked down to check his perfectly answered test, having nothing better to do.

Yawning, he sat back, knowing he'll be the student with the best scores.

Naruto grinned up at the chuunin man, waiting for the second part of the exams, taijutsu, to begin.

"Start!"

She immediately attacked. The rules were simple. The examiner has to defend and attack the examinee, while another teacher determines what score the performance deserves and the student's endurance.

And, of course, no forms of chakra use was allowed.

Naruto dodged and occasionally blocked the chuunin's attacks knowing he's physically much stronger. Having the amount of stamina she has was a great advantage in times like this, since evading for a long while takes a surprising amount of it.

She jumped and lashed a quick, unexpected kick to his face. He blocked it with an arm, and Naruto grabbed it to pull herself behind him.

Landing, she wasted not even a second before jabbing the back of his knees with her foot, making the black haired man lose his balance and lean backward. With a cry, Naruto leaped up high and kicked down his shoulder, preventing him from stopping his fall and making him land on his back faster.

She had learned to use the weak points of a person to her advantage, after the death training Sakumo-sensei had provided. They had done taijutsu for an hour straight everyday, and Naruto would always lose in their spars (of course) and go home with several bruises and harsh muscle pain.

Eventually, she learned how to fight without resorting to use the mere strength of a five year old ninja-in-training.

Once the man landed with a groan, she straddled his arms and chest firmly, bringing her hand to his neck. She wondered if she should continue, using her hand to chop him to unconsciousness.

Luckily, the examiner stopped her, clapping his hands, eyes wide with surprise and approval. "Uzumaki Naruto, you pass! Please send Kakashi in."

As the blonde girl skipped away, the chuunin she had been fighting let out an exasperated sigh. "Whew, shouldn't have underestimated that one."

"Tetsu, you okay?"

"Yeah, just in a moment of shock," Tetsu joked, massaging his shoulder and cringing. "Damn, for a five year old, she can sure kick."

"Well, you shouldn't hold back so much on the next one too. He'sー"

"Hatake Kakashi." The silver haired boy announced his presence, snapping their attention towards him in an instant.

Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the results for the written part of the exams. The rankings were posted on the wall, and he had to get through the suffocating crowd of excited, nervous students to see them.

He was second place. Second place.

And who was above his name?

Uzumaki Naruto. The girl who had her mind wandering off during the exam time, and rushed in the last fifteen minutes of it.

How was she first?

He shifted his eyes to the right to see the scores, and felt like ripping the poster apart.

She was ranked higher than him by half a point.

"Ah, Danzo, what a pleasant surprise." Sarutobi smiled, watching the man walk in.

Bitterly, the dark haired man asked with spite. "What are you scheming, Hokage?"

"Scheming?" He repeated with genuine bemusement. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Why send a girl, not even out of the Academy, to an A-rank mission?" Danzo sent him an unwavering, icy glare. "You knew full well that I've sent my men to aid Hanzo."

"I did," the village leader's smile fell, replaced by a equally cold face. "And I have never approved it, which you knew fully well."

Danzo bristled. "My actions are not wrong. It was all for Konoha's well-beingー"

"All for Konoha, that has become quite your motto." The lax smile returned. "Do you realize that your forceful, sneaky way of doing things is exactly what makes Konoha enemy of millions?"

"Are you suggesting that how you settle things is better?"

"No, but now that you have said it, that might be so." Sarutobi smirked, silently infuriating the other man. "You have always seen the forest but not its trees, Danzo. You never see the people; the people that determines what is really right for their home.

"Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kushina's mission was to help the Akatsuki, the organization favored by all of Amegakure. Hanzo was too blinded by his power and official status as leader to see the village's suffering, which is what led him to his downfall." The Hokage leaned back in his chair, resting his weaved hands on his stomach. "Now Amegakure has strong ties with Konoha, which would help us greatly in this war in a few years time."

Danzo was aware why, and knowing this Hiruzen didn't bother to elaborate. The Akatsuki was a strong, large group of shinobi. Their chances of transforming Rain into a powerful village was high. Waiting for that time to come wouldn't do much harm.

The air grew tense as both waited for the other to speak. Finally, Danzo spoke, voice piercing.

"What do you really want, Hiruzen?"

"Simple," with an unreadable smile, the Hokage got up from his chair and walked towards him, stopping once they were face-to-face.

"I want ROOT dissolved."

Naruto's class was moved to a larger room, and sat mixed with another class. She recognized it as boy she met in the secluded part of the park's group, and looked for him only to be disappointed. Did he fail?

Naruto grinned, oblivious to the heated glare from a certain silver haired boy sitting right next to her. "I can't believe we're genin now! It'll be awesome if we're in the same team, right, Scarecrow?" She finally noticed Kakashi's bad mood, and cocked her head to the side, furrowing her brows, puzzled. "You okay?"

The girl was definitely mocking him. Definitely. Kakashi scowled. He shouldn't have believed even for a second that he cared for this devil. He could see the menacing, taunting smirk on her seemingly innocent, worried face.

Naruto slapped her hand to his forehead, not realizing that he was growling. "You seem fine..." She pulled away, and smiled again. "Y'know, I thought they were gonna give me something harder in the ninjutsu part of the exams! But all I really had to do was make five clones!"

"Oh, isn't that great?" He snapped.

"Kakashi? Really, what's wrongー"

The door rattled open, and their sensei came in with a wide grin, "I'm proud of every one of you! Congratulations on passing the exams!"

The class erupted in cheers, Kippei and Naruto being the loudest out of all.

"I'm sure you're all dying to know who's in your team and whatnot, so I'll hurry with the speech, alright?"

The majority of the students groaned, and of course Kakashi, Shizuka, and Genma weren't one of them. The former being too annoyed with the blonde beside him, the second being too indulged in her book and secret stash of pocky, and the latter not bothered. Naruto, Mika, and Kippei, however, had been constantly sighing, yawning, and muttering throughout the whole road-to-shinobi speech.

It was incredible how the chuunin had resisted the urge to throw a thick, sharp book to them.

"Alright, now I'll be announcing your teamsー" the class immediately broke into excited whispers, "ーso be quiet."

Huffing, he held a sheet of paper closer to his face, and, with the children held their breaths in anticipation, read out the teams. "ーTeam seven will be Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Maito Gai." Naruto looked around, and guessed that the surprised, brown haired girl with rectangular, purple markings was Rin. She then heard the loud yell of 'youth!' and premised that the boy with shining, black, bowl-cut hair and extremely bushy eyebrows was the last team member. The blonde then looked back down to the teacher, noticing his silence, and saw his confused expression. "Their sensei is Namikaze Minato."

Her eyes widened at that; it was her dad who will be their teacher. She pouted. Why isn't he her teacher?

When a few students were about to ask for the absence of the third member, the teacher cut in. "It would be most likely that this team would join in training with another, so don't worry about it. Alright, now for Team Eight.

"Team Eight; Inuzuka Kippei," Kippei whooped, "Hyuuga Shizuka," said girl gave a look of distaste towards him, "and Aburame Muta. Their teacher will be Yuuhi Hiromu."

Naruto didn't recognize the third member of the team, Aburame Muta, and looked around to find him. Who is he?

"Team Ten; Shiranui Genma," said boy gave a slow blink, "Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto sent him a grin, and he nodded in return, "Hatake Kakashiー"

Naruto whooped, and grabbed Kakashi in a bear hug. The Hatake widened his eyes, unable to pull himself away from her death grip.

"ーTheir sensei will be H-Hatake Sakumo."
The two students who were very familiar with the said man froze, eyes round, and Naruto got up to look at the son of their new sensei. "Did you know this?"

Kakashi shook his head, equally shocked.

Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry for Genma, who didn't know about the horrors of Sakumo's extensive training.

The blonde Uzumaki grinned nonstop, looking between the two silent boys with amusement. Now that they were sitting down on either sides of her, she could see the strong resemblance. "Guys," she said suddenly.

Both grunted, looking down at her in unison, and all three noticed. Naruto exploded in laughter, while Kakashi and Genma glared.

Kakashi didn't like Shiranui Genma very much. Sometimes, the older boy would get better scores than he did in tests, and was better than he was in throwing weapons. Also, Genma was around Naruto too often, making her talk a lot, and it would seem like she forgot all about him being there.

He wasn't jealous. Just annoyed.

The door suddenly bursted open, and all the students in the room jumped.

Naruto blinked, looking down at the harshly panting, black haired, orange-goggles-wearing boy, and her eyes shone with recognition. She watched him scan the room, his face red from what seemed to be from running a lot, and practically radiated relief.

"Uchiha Obito! You're late!" Rin hopped down to him, chiding him. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago! You're lucky we're still waiting for our team sensei to come!"

"Our?" Obito widened his eyes, "You're in my team?"

Rin warily nodded, "Yeah. What, you don't want me to be?" His eyes, if possible, widened even more.

"N-n-no! I'm really, really happy!"

Naruto watched them, smiling at how the girl teased him and at how the boy blushed. How cute, she giggled, so his name is Uchiha Obito. She looked around, remembering their other teammate was a boy called Gai. She furrowed her brows, and soon spotted him, grinning a grin that sparkled.

"There you are, Obito-kun! We were all very worried, you know!" He then went on in a rant about how un-youthful it was to be so late early in the morning, and Naruto didn't bother to listen. It wasn't like he was talking to her anyways. But ignoring him proved to be difficult, since he was just so loud.

Kakashi thought so too, and wasn't afraid to shut him up. "Would you keep it down? Your voice is really annoying."

"Youー!" Naruto stared at Maito Gai, and decided to nickname him Bushy Brows, smiling at her creativeness.

He didn't continue his comeback, and instead stood gawking at her. She frowned lightly, wondering if something was on her face, just as distracting as his eyebrows. "Um, is something, er, wrong?"

He constantly opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide. Gai's face gradually turned a bright shade of red, and he shook his head before scurrying off to his own desk.

Team Ten raised a brow, and Rin bit back a knowing smile. Obito only looked at his new male teammate with bemusement.

The door rattled open, then, and a silver haired head popped out to look around the room, "Hatake Sakumo, here for Team Ten."

Naruto, Genma, and Kakashi perked up.

Yeah, once again, sorry for the late update. I said I'd update in two weeks, didn't I?

Blame English assignments.

And yes, I've sped things up with this chapter. I think I was going to slow before...

Thanks for the support! I was surprised at the amount of reviews the last chapter got.

Response:

Missy Morningstar - Yup, Kyuubi's definitely angry, too bad he's dug inside her too deep to show it. Dx He'll get his part of the show soon though!

Gruffard - I think I explained enough of Hiruzen's intentions here, but I'll explain more of what he did in the next, I think. Sorry about the harsh cliffhanger last time ^^" Thanks!

Sensoray - Don't worry, she'll get them back eventually! And it's actually better for her now, I think.

Vermouth - Thank you!

animeromance72 - THANK YOU. And yup, their relationship would escalate as chapters pass by~ I must admit, I love Kakashi tormenting Minato. xD

wolfsrainrules - OMG I LOVED WOLF'S RAIN. Heheh, sorry, I just had to say that after seeing your penname. XD Thanks!

kyothefallenkit - What he did was for a good cause TAT Thanks! xD

OnryoRyuu16 - LOL. But what the Jijii did was for a good cause, as he explained in the beginning of the chapter! If anything, curse the war mongrel, Danzo! D:

ShadowRealmTriforce - Yep, Obito! And yeah... Jijii was a major ASLKDAJSLF. But it was for a good cause! I love your reviews, by the way! It lets me know about how you felt with many different parts of the chapter!

Pizzafan123 - She will, just not soon! She'll remember tidbits of them though, but won't know why. Thanks!

Vantweet - Yes, she'll get them all back eventually. As time passes, though, she'll get small bits and pieces of them when seeing something that triggers her inner, sub-conscious mind. XD

Animefreak Amii - If you're talking about the preview, then yup, I had hoped it would give you that feeling! I felt that leaving you hanging with such a big cliffie would be too cruel (and the shortness of the chapter too TAT). Thanks!

Guest -

Quoted - Ahahah... She didn't really fall for Kakashi... But she will! from here on I'm planning to speed the pace up a bit. She'll of course get back her memories (I'm not that cruel) but it will take time to get them all back (hint hint).

Lolipop Spammer - Don't worry, I'm planning to show how Naruto affects him as the chapters pass by! Thanks for providing the suggestion!

SleepyPuppy - Ohmygod that's such a cute penname. And trust me, she'll have a horrid prank once she finds out - but it won't be soon T.T And she didn't lose her skills (the Hokage made some memories in her head and twisted some a little to preserve them).

mugu - "Idle whistle" XD Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Just that I was focusing my attention on homework and didn't read fanfiction for a really long while (ohmygod). And yes, I know your age - read your bio ^^" Still, thanks for the constant support. I actually need the class scenes, to show the characters' personality and all that (also to show Kakashi and Naruto's interactions with them). It's more of a subtle thing, and I don't blame anyone if they think it's pointless :)
I treat this writing thing more like a fun, comfortable homework that has a due date, and think of the readers as teachers (sorry about that). And I see teachers as scary, almighty kings/queens most of the time (childhood trauma TAT). So sorry if I tend to exaggerate too much (and sorry for saying sorry too much xD). And I know how you feel about reviews.

Sora Tsuiki - Haha, I'm glad you liked the comic relief bits! And she didn't necessarily have her memories erased. Just that she can't recall them on her own (hint, hint).

Theia Pallas - Don't worry, Naruto isn't the only one who can save the future xD the Sandaime will make up for it, I promise.

Tsume Yuki - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

69AnimeFreak69 - She will get them all back some time in the future, just not all of them so soon... You'll have to wait and see! xD

Allyieh & fatesmask - Yeah, the Sandaime-jijii was a real asshole in the last chapter, huh? But it was for a good cause!

Thanks for the alerts, faves, and reviews again (T v T)v

Reviews would be highly appreciated!