A/N: Well here is the latest chapter. I hope you all like it and the next one will be action packed to the max! Look forward to it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I have any writing skills :P

CHAPTER 6

Class Dismissed

When Naruto had finished his packing he looked around his apartment sullenly, realizing that he would, yet again, leave his beloved hovel. After he left five years ago to go training with Jiraya, he had severely missed the comfort of his own bed and the sofa which he had sat around on and hung out with Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba, while they all read a manga by Tite Kubo called Bleach (A/N: o yes! One of my favorite mangas! Lemme kno if I should do a Bleach Fanfic in your review and what pairing it should be! SIDENOTE: No Yaoi or yuri suggestions). As he turned his back to his habitat once more Rai asked him, Are you ready for this?

Naruto nodded and walked out the door into the bright sunlight. Sasuke was waiting, having already finished his organizing and packing a few minutes earlier in his own apartment next door. The two nodded at each other and leapt off the floor on which both their apartments were located. Naruto grinned and yelled at Sasuke when they were jumping from the rooftops, "Hey! Teme! I'll race you to the gate!" And with that, Naruto dashed off at full speed, and then turned his head back to pull down one eye with his finger and stick out his tongue.

Sasuke snapped.

He burst forward with speed that had to come from chakra being constantly funneled to his feet. Naruto grinned and did the same. The two dashed all through the rooftops of Konoha, each using shortcuts or tricks to attempt to gain or maintain the lead. Naruto held fast the lead however. He looked back again to see that Sasuke was about 5 yards behind him and gaining slowly. Naruto put on one final burst of speed and leapt from the final rooftop towards the gate. Sasuke had more speed and his jump eclipsed that of Naruto's. Then, using Naruto's face as a springboard, Sasuke pushed and flew farther ahead and lands gracefully on his feet at the gate, while Naruto landed gracefully on his but on the ground near the building they had vaulted from.

Lifting up his head glumly, Naruto gazed towards the gate only to be obstructed by someone in his way, leaning over him. He squinted his eyes against the sun and was able to make out the dark hair, white eyes and serene face of Hinata Hyuuga. Naruto leapt to his feet and dusted himself off, eager to look presentable for her.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked in her quiet, gentle voice. Naruto just gave her a grin and flashed a thumbs-up her way, getting in return a small blush from the kunoichi. The two walked to the gate and found themselves not the last, but the second and third to last people to arrive.

Temari arrived another thirty seconds later, flushed and out of breath. She muttered excuses about needing to get supplies from Tsunade due to not having any of her own, to which Shikamaru muttered something that sounded a lot like "Useless women…" Temari glared daggers at him as the eight left through the gate of Konoha.

***

They all camped that night in a glade of trees off the side of the road. Sakura lit the fire and bugged Sasuke to teach her some fire jutsus. Sasuke gave in almost immediately and the two went off to a nearby river to practice. Neji was being tutored by Sui as to how to gather water from the air and earth around him. Focus more! he would command. All you need to do is feel the water molecules around you as well as you sense someone else's chakra.

Neji closed his eyes and strained himself to the max and was able to detect a flicker of presence. His eyes opened in surprise and he activated the Byakugan and looked in the direction. He sensed Sasuke's and Sakura's chakra and realized that what he had sensed was the river they were training near. Hmmm, Sui said, it could use some work. You are fairly close to the river and yet you were barely able to sense the presence of such a large boy of water. Neji just grumbled and went back to his "water radar" exercise.

Tenten was enjoying her practice. Under Daichi's direction she was making and reforming various statues from the ground. The effort was great but she thought it was worth it when she made a sculpture of a chibi, anime-style Neji only to have the real thing lose concentration and suppress a chuckle as Naruto roared with laughter.

Hinata laid back, eyes closed, with Raito floating around her head, enjoying his flight. She thought about many things. She thought about her home and her father, her new strength and her one weakness. That weakness also just happened to be a few feet away munching on ramen that had been warmed by the fire pit. Through her eyelids she noticed many colors. She opened her eyes and saw, to her amazement and confusion, colored balls of light spinning around the same trajectory that Raito had been flying previously. The white, red, blue, pink, yellow, and many others kept spinning into some kind of vibrant rainbow. The color eventually settled into the shade of pink she had noticed before. Ha! said Raito, Thinking about Naruto?

How'd you know? she asked. I didn't feel you in my mind.

These colors show your emotions you'd best put them away before anyone realizes you weren't intentionally causing the light show and asks what they mean.

Hinata quickly complied by willing the lights out of existence. She looked over at Naruto who was playing with a bit of lightning by twirling it around his fingers. At first it seemed like a bit of string that he could flip around, but as a sound was heard he threw it quickly in that direction and it stuck in a tree like a needle.

"Oi, Naruto! Watch where you throw those!" said Shikamaru morphing into view by rising from the shadows like a creature form some horror movie.

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head muttering apologies. "By the way Shikamaru," he said, "where did your girlfriend go?" Shikamaru looked like Naruto had kicked him in between his legs.

"Not my girlfriend Naruto. And, for the record, she's up there," he said pointing upward. Hinata and Naruto followed his finger and saw Temari flying on her staff as if it were a broomstick.

She came down to the earth as Sakura and Sasuke came back to the site with a few burn marks and smiles on their faces. "Well," Sasuke said, "you just need to work on managing the size, but aside from that you're getting good at goukakyuu no jutsu."

"Well you surprised me too when yours wasn't a fireball but a giant blizzard! That could be useful later on," Sakura spoke with obvious glee. They all sat down and ate the stew they had cooking. Naruto had packed his own ramen and was eating that when he heard another sound from the woods.

He yelled, "Shikamaru! Come out! I won't throw lightning at you anymore!"

"Shut up you idiot! I'm right here," said Shikamaru, now standing behind Naruto with his scythe at the ready. Everyone else had drawn their weapons as well. Naruto leapt to his feet and summoned his kunai to him as the first of many creatures bounded through the trees.

Familiars! Fight hard everyone!