Ch.2

"Naruto! Get up!" called Kushina from downstairs. He slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He didn't sleep well. He finally mustered up enough energy to get out of bed. 'Come on kit, you should have more energy than this. I know you didn't sleep well, but this is the day you graduate you should be excited' Kurama said excitedly. 'I am excited' he responed plainly. 'Whatever, shower and get dressed gaki' the nine tailed bijuu ordered. Naruto proceeded to shower and brush his teeth. Now came the most important decision. Picking out what to wear. After a few short moments he decided on a fish net undershirt, a black hoodie with an orange flame at the bottom. Black pants that stopped above his ankles, and black sandals. Along with a shuriken holster and a tactical pouch that clipped to his hip.

At the Academy...

He walked into the classroom and was immediately greeted by Sasuke, Ino, Sakura and Shikamaru. "Sup guys?" Naruto said with a smile. "Nothing much" Shikamaru replied lazily. "Ready for the test Dobe?" asked a confident Sasuke. "Yeah I guess" Naruto responded with his signature smile, turning his attention to Sakura and Ino. "Hey Ino-chan, Sakura-chan are y'all excited as well?" he asked with curiosity evident in his voice. "Hell yeah, this will be a piece of cake" replied Sakura arrogantly. "What about you Ino-chan?" he asked with his eyes solely on her. "I guess, I just hope we all pass" she said unable to look her crush directly in the eyes. "I'm sure we'll all pass" he said reassuring his friend. Just as Sasuke was about to say something their sensei Iruka walked in. Everyone in the class quickly took their seats.

"Okay kids as you all know today is the day of the Graduation Exam" began Iruka. "The test will be divided into two parts. The written exam, and a jutsu knowledge test. And just for fun a couple of friendly bouts" he explained as he began to pass out the written portion. 'You got this kit' encouraged Kurama with a smile. 'Thanks furball' teased Naruto...After the written portion of the exam Iruka told everyone to head outside for the jutsu knowledge test while several of his clones graded papers. "Okay first I want you to Henge into me. Then you can choose two personal jutsu that you know and perform them in front of the class" Iruka explained. 'Kurama what other jutsu should I show off besides Rasengan?' he asked his bijuu. 'How about your Fuuton Kazeryuu no Jutsu?' suggested the Kyuubi. 'That'll be perfect' thought Naruto; thanking the furball. "Okay first up is one of our top students Naruto" bragged Iruka, he hated being singled out like that. But nevertheless he stepped out and began to Henge into Iruka. "Okay now any two jutsu you know" Iruka said knowing Naruto was going to do something spectacular. After performing a long series of hand seals you could see a small vortex form beside him. From that vortex a dragon's head began to appear. But since he didn't have a target he just simple expelled the dragon. Most of the kids were fairly impressed except for Sasuke who already knew what the baka was capable of. "Impressive an A rank jutsu, next" commented Iruka. Naruto held out his hand and began to manipulate and mold chakra in his palm. A orb of spinning chakra appeared. 'Rasengan' he exclaimed slamming the orb into the ground causing a small earthquake, along with making a fairly large crater appear. "T-The Rasengan? thats an A rank also" Iruka managed to say. Naruto grinned and returned to his place in line. "Naruto-kun...that was amazing!" compliemented Ino. He smiled in return. "Next is Sasuke" annouced their sensei. "Watch this Ino-chan" he encouraged. Sasuke's Henge had no flaws so he started with his next jutsu. He fell to one knee and ran through a short series of hand seals and concentrated a large portion of chakra into his hand. The end result being that his hand now emmitted a lightning like chakra, that sounded like the name suggested 1,000 birds chirping. He rushed at the tree that sit in front of him and punched a fist sized hole through it. "Kami damn" Iruka said under his breath. "Next jutsu please" he said. After running through another series of hand seals, 'Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu' he thought. Sasuke inhaled and then released a giant fireball. That incinerated the small space in front of him. "Okay an A rank and C rank jutsu not bad" said Iruka patting Sasuke's back.

"Naruto what was that jutsu that Sasuke used on that tree?" asked a curious Sakura. "Oh that's the Chidori, it's a lesser form of the Raikiri made famous by Konoha's own Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi" said Naruto with a smile. "And what about that you used on the ground?" she asked. "That was the Rasengan a jutsu that my father created; it's an exact match to Sasuke's Chidori" he explained. "Whats the difference between them?" "The main difference being he has a limit of 2 Chidori uses a day, while I can use Rasengan continuously granted my chakra doesn't run out" he explained to Sakura who could hardly follow what he was saying.

After everyone finished Iruka announced that their would only be one battle Naruto vs Sasuke. They bumped fists and took their fighting stances. "Come on Sasuke-kun kick his ass" shouted Sakura earning a glare from Ino. "You can do it Naruto-kun I believe in you" she said with a smile. Neither of the two teens paid the girls any mind. "Begin" instructed Iruka. Naruto right out of the gate made a cross with his fingers 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' he said summoning two clones. Sasuke smirked 'typical Naruto' he thought. He launched two kunai at the clones; not paying attention Naruto appeared behind him. Sasuke threw back a elbow, Naruto ducked down and swept Sasuke's feet from under him. "Come on teme" he teased. "Shut up" he barked back, punching Naruto in the stomach. Poof. Appearing above Sasuke 'Fuuton Kaze no Yaiba' he said as a blade of wind took form in his hand. He made a slashing motion towards Sasuke who dodges it but suffered a small cut on his arm. As Naruto was landing Sasuke sent a fireball at him. He quickly formed a protective barrier using the Kyuubi's chakra. "Okay Sasuke lets give them the grand finale" shouted Naruto, Sasuke simply nodded in agreement. Both began to channel chakra into their hand. Charging at one another 'Rasengan' 'Chidori' their attacks melded together in a spectacular display. Knowing the consequences for using this attack on each other they prepared for impact as the backlash sent them flying. "Okay it's over" Iruka announced rushing to the aid of his students. Both got up easily with a wide smile on their faces. A stunned audience suddenly broke out into cheers. "Good show" congratulated Shikamaru.

"Okay you guys after talking with my clones and the academy advisor I'd like to inform you that for the first time in the academy's history everyone has passed the exam" he announced to the new genin with a proud smile on his face. Everyone in that class cheered and congratulated one another. "Told you we'd pass Ino-chan" Naruto said gently nudging her. "Yeah yeah" she responded.

"Okay everyone lets head inside so I can hand out you hitai-ate" he adviced. The hitai-ate came in a variety of styles and colors. One by one everybody picked out what style and color they wanted. Naruto chose a standard black headband. Sasuke chose a standard navy blue. Sakura picked red, and Ino chose purple. After everyone chose their headbands Iruka congratulated them once more. "I need to get these results to the Hokage. So he can determine teams, which shouldn't take long. So meet here first thing in the morning for team assignment. You're dismissed" he said with a smile.

"Sakura-chan you want to go do something?" Naruto asked shyly. "What makes you think I'd wanna go on a date with you? How many times have you already asked and my answer was no? Just leave me the fuck alone." she yelled so everyone could hear her. To say Naruto felt humiliated was an understatment. Ino glared daggers at her 'friend'. 'She doesn't have to be such a bitch about it' Ino thought angrily. "Ok Sakura if that what you want" he said with a sad smile. Seeing how upset he was Ino walked up and slapped Sakura hard as shit. "The fuck?" she cursed rubbing her hand across her cheek. Ino then proceeded to follow after Naruto to see if he was okay. Sakura shrugged and turned her attention to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun you wanna go on a date?" she asked lovingly. Sasuke looked at her and chuckled "No, especially not after what you just did to Naruto. He just wanted to hang out with you. Never once did the word date come out his mouth" he said coldly. "But" "Don't but me you stupid fangirl. The only reason you wanna date me is so you can look good. But let me tell you something you're a horrible person inside and out. I hope you rot in hell." he finished and pushed past her. Leaving her shocked.

With Naruto...

"Naruto-kun, wait up!" the platinum blonde yelled after the person in question. 'Kit stop. See what that Yamanaka girl wants' Kurama ordered. He sighed and turned to meet her. "Naruto-kun I'm sorry" she apologized, confusing him. "Huh?" "I'm sorry Sakura embarassed you like that" she said softly. "Oh thats okay Ino-chan" he reassured scratching the back of his head. "No, it's not okay...If she didn't want to go with you she could of just said no and not make a big deal out of it" she argued. "Well what's done is done, do you want to go something to eat with me? My treat?" he asked. "Y-You me-mean like a date?" she stuttered, trying to restrain her excitement.

"Uh yeah I guess" he said with a blush appearing on his cheeks. "Sure" she replied blushing just as much as he was. "Where would you like to go?" he asked as they began to walk. "How about Ichiraku?" she suggested. "We don't have go there just because I like it" he said with a light chuckle. "I know...but I like it too. I go there at least once a week. Every since the first time I tried it" she insisted. "Okay if that what you want" Naruto said shrugging his shoulders. A short while later they arrived at Ichiraku. "Hey Naruto-kun, Ino-san!" Ayame greeted "Are y'all on a date?" she asked teasing them. The two blonde blushed, "Yeah you could call it that. I invited her to have a late lunch with me" Naruto said skipping the part about Sakura rejecting him for the hundredth time. "Ah I see...wait you guys have hitai-ate's on does that mean y'all graduated?" she asked. "Yeah" the two answered. "Well in that case your orders are on the house!" Teuchi said excited for the two teens.

After a few moments their order was ready for consumption. They both scarfed down their food...

"Thanks old man" he said with a smile. Ino jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Manners baka" she reminded with a small smile. "Right" he agreed with a small chuckle as they began to walk. He looked at his watch 'It's only 3:35, what to do?' he asked himself. 'Ask her if she wants to fuck' intervened Kurama. His face turned bright red. 'KURAMA' he mentally yelled at the fox. 'I don't like her like that, and even so it's only the first date' 'Don't give me that shit kit, I know you really like her you always have. Ever since you first saw her when you were what 7-8 years old. But you pretend to like Sakura.' the Kyuubi retorted. 'Okay you got me there but still I can't ask her that' he replied.

While having the mental conversation with the Kyuubi no Kitsune he hadn't realized that they had stopped walking; they were now in the Konoha park. Ino was staring at him with concern. He was zoned out. 'What's going on in his head? Also why is his face so red? Is he blushing?' where just some of the thoughts that she had. She waved her hand in front of him. "Naruto-kun? You okay?" she asked instantly snapping him out of his daze. "Huh? What?" he said shaking his head. "Are you okay? You seemed out of it" she said softly. He felt guilty for making her worry especially for no reason. "I'm fine, I was just thinking about tomorrow, what teams we'll be in. Thats all" he lied.

"Oh, well I know that there are usually only 3 genin in a squad along with their sensei" she explained. "I hope we're on the same team" she added. "Why would you want to be on my team?" Naruto questioned with curiosity, causing Kurama to face palm(more like facepaw). "Well...its just that...um...I just want to spend more time with you. I like you. Up until now you've never paid me attention" she said as tears began to well in her eyes, finally a single tear escaped. "Ino-chan I" he tried. "Ever since the first day of the academy you always had your eyes on Sakura. Sakura this and Sakura that. What about me? Don't I matter?" she finished now full on sobbing. Turning her back to him not wanting him to see her cry like a little girl.

"Ino-chan, I'm sorry I ignored you the way I did. I never meant to make you feel that way" he apologized but to no avail; she simply ran off. 'Kit you really fucked up' Kyuubi said nonchalantly 'I know furball' he said with sigh 'and to make it worse, I don't know where that confession of hers came from'

At the Namikaze Residence...

Naruto casually walked in through the door. "Welcome home son" Kushina greeted. "Sup mom?" he replied. She noticed his headband, and against her better judgment she asked a rather stupid question. "So since you have your hitai-ate I assume you graduated" "Yeah, in fact according to Iruka-sensei we acheived something that hasn't happened in Konohagakure history. 100% pass rate" he said sadly. "Well that's great" she said smiling. "Our teams are being assigned tomorrow" he added. "Why don't you seem that excited?" she asked. "Ma I really messed up today with Ino-chan" he started. "What happened?" she asked with concern seeing her son this distressed. He went into a lengthy explaination; afterwards Kushina sighed. "Naruto, I really don't know what to tell you" she said honestly. Naruto got up and headed to his room. He drifted off to sleep.

Next Day; At the academy...

Naruto walked into the academy depressed as can be. "Naruto is something wrong?" asked Sasuke. He glanced up to where Sakura and Ino usually sat, happy to see Ino in attendance. "Yeah I'm fine" he lied. "If you say so" Sasuke replied, knowing his friend was lying but no wanting to force it out of him.

"Okay class team assignment time" Iruka announced walking through the doorway..."Okay this is another first but anyway Team 7 lead by Hatake Kakashi will consist of Namikaze Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino the first four person squad in Konoha. Team 7's members all nodded happy with who they were teamed with. "Meet Kakashi on the rooftop in an hour" Iruka instructed.

'I'm on Naruto-kun's team! Good. I should apologize for flipping on him like that yesterday' she thought.

1 hour later; Rooftop

"It's been an hour already" complained Sakura. "Calm down, Kakashi-sensei is always late for meetings" Naruto said slightly annoyed. "How do you know?" she questioned. "I know Kakashi pretty well" he answered. Ino was trying to think of something to say to him, but decided to wait until they could be alone. Naruto by coincidence was think the exact same thing. Poof. "Hey there guys sorry I'm late. I got lost on the road of life" Kakashi said with his signature eye-smile. "So anyway let's get to know everyone, your name, likes, dislikes, dreams, and anything else you want us to know Naruto you can go first" he stated plainly. "I'm Namikaze Naruto, I like ramen, learning ninjutsu, sparring, and" he paused; glancing at Ino, making her blush. "I dislike quitters, liars, and those who turn their back on the people who care about them. My dream is to be a better shinobi and Hokage than my dad" he finished with a smile. "Sasuke you're next" "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, I like my friends and the rest is on a need to know basis, I dislike alot of things. I don't have a dream, I have a goal. To kill my older brother Itachi" he said coldly at the end. "Next pink hair" "I'm Haruno Sakura, I like Sasuke-kun, I dislike that baka over there" she said pointing at Naruto, earning her a glare from both Sasuke and Ino. "And I dont have a dream" she said nonchalantly. "Last but not least you pale blonde" Kakashi teased. "I'm Yamanaka Ino, I like working in my family's flower shop, among many other things" she said glancing at her crush just as he had done moments ago. "I dislike to many things to name, and my dream is to be a great kunochi!" she said with pride. "Well I'm Hatake Kakashi. That's all you need to know for now" he said. "Meet me at Training Ground 7 in two hours" he instructed before he Shushined away.

"Uh Naruto-kun? Can I talk with you?" Ino asked softly. "Yeah sure" he answered. She led him away from the Sasuke and Sakura. "Naruto-kun I'm sorry I flipped out on you like that yesterday. I've been holding that in for a while" she explained. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, causing her face to turn bright red. "No need to apologize I understand" he said with a smile.

At the Training Grounds...

Kakashi was reading Make Out Paradise as his students approached. He put the book into his tactical pouch and began to explain the rules. "Okay you four this is the bell test" he said pulling out three bells. "You must take these bells from me, there are only 3 meaning that whoever doesnt get one will be sent back to the academy; you can obtain them anyway you'd like. Begin!" he explained yelling the last part before disappearing in a smoke cloud...

Author's Note: So I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying not to rush anything that will happen. So Review plz and thank you for reading this fic. See you next chapter!