Here's the third chapter. The Genin teams will be assembled in this chapter after Naruto handles Mizuki and since y'all are anxious to know when Naruto will get with Hinata, it will be a little later in the story (Preferably around the Chuunin exams). Hopefully that will settle any curious thoughts on that matter. After all, NaruHina is the best pairing out there and no one can say other wise. Any way, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer; I don't Naruto or it's characters, only the plot, OC's and original Jutsus.

Kyuubi Speaking
Kyuubi Thinking
Text
"Words"
"Words in Mind-scape"
Thoughts
"Jutsus/Techniques"
"Summons talking"
(Translations)

Naruto watched everything in vivid detail; from the surrounding rustles of the forest's trees to the even the most miniscule scratches on the fuma shuriken fast approaching him. He didn't move from his spot, or rather he didn't want to move, too tired of having to simply live as an abomination and seen as a monster. A quick death seemed to be a blessing for him. The Fuma shuriken suddenly seemed to falter in it's progress and slowed down to a complete stop inches from his face, his surroundings slowing to a stop. Everything was in a stand-still and nothing moved.

He felt his awareness slipping, a feeling similar to losing consciousness and witnessed the whole world around him dim, seeming to become swallowed by darkness. The black abyss was vast, stretching far beyond his limits of scope, but then again it was darkness after all; darkness concealed, it never was simply vastness or empty space. Strangely, he could see himself perfectly, the color and detail of his cloths an incredible contrast to his present surroundings. Where was he?

"Where am I?" he said, his voice sounding more like a speech of thought. "What's going on?"

We are in your mind spoke a deep rumbling voice. Naruto jumped slightly and intended to to search for the source of the voice but stopped himself when realizing the futility in searching for something in pitch blackness. He blinked suddenly and gasped sharply in surprise when he registered his surroundings changed instantly from endless black that wisped away instantly when two torches lit themselves by some strange force. Naruto took in the detail of his new environment.

He was now in an enormous rectangular chamber, two torches being the only assortments on the bare sandy-colored walls. The whole floor was flooded with some salty liquid that had the young blond thinking better of knowing what it was exactly and continued his inspection. On the opposite end of the chamber stood two towering bar doors with a paper seal on the joining locks. Behind the doors was nothing but shadows. Curious, Naruto walked toward the double iron doors and squinted slightly to peer in the shadows to make out what the darkness was hiding. A silhouetted mass moved about slightly and shifted itself, it's many tails gracefully swooshing while it advanced to the prison doors.

Naruto gaped in wonder and somewhat fear. There above him the very demon of legend stood tall and proud, it's crimson coat of fur resembling armor molded from the very blood of his enemies.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune!

It was indeed a monster of both fear and reverence. It's nine tails whipped against the inner walls of it's confinement while it's whip-cord muscle and sinew rippled and twitched every so often beneath it's blood-red fur. It's skull was dome-shaped with a pair of long pointed ears and a broad and short snout, giving the beast greater jaw strength. It's crimson eyes, rimmed with black fur that tapered into the curve of it's ears looked down at the marginally smaller form with a searching gaze, trying to find something it had sought for once before, but no longer seen.

You're- Naruto gasped, but couldn't finish his statement.

Yes, my little kit. It is I; the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the very demon of legend that purged your village into ruins over a decade ago. I've been quite anxious to meet you in person. Or should I say up-close, with me being not human or mortal? Either way, that means little difference at the moment. It's a pleasure to finally meet my vessel.

Naruto pinched his cheek to make sure he wasn't dreaming, feeling the sharp pain race through his skin that made him wince slightly and silently confirmed he was in no dream. Questions swam through his mind instantly, demanding to be answered and quickly. How could the demon itself be inside of him if it were so large? Why hadn't he noticed it for so long? Wasn't he supposed to be the demon himself? Where was he at that moment? Did the Kyuubi bring him here? So many questions flew through his thoughts, too quickly to follow and began to develope a severe head-ache with a dull throbing in his temples. He tried to calm his excitement by breathing deeply and slowly, focusing on slowing his rushing blood. Once his adrenaline had calmed, his face became stern and looked the demon directly into it's glowing red eyes with a peircing resolve to demand for the answers he sought for. Strangely, the Fox grinned in response to his glaring look.

"I demand some answers from you, and I'm not leaving peacefully until I have them answered. Do we have an understanding?"

The Kyuubi nodded.

"Good. First off, where are we exactly? I've never seen or heard of a place like this in all of Konoha." The Kyuubi was quick to answer.

As I said before, we are in your mind. This chamber is actually part of the seal that merges with your mind. The seal I'm refering to is the spiral seal on your belly, seen only when your chakra is concentrated through your body. Any other questions? If Naruto didn't know any better, he could swear amusement was brimmed in the fox's words, like a sage eager to tell a wise story to show his wisdom.

"Second, why haven't I noticed you until recently before I discovered it myself? On that topic, why the hell did you -and I know it was you!- make my belly erupt in pain? I damn near tore my abdominals just out of reflex from the pain!" To this, the Kyuubi smiled mischievously, but sheepishly.

To answer why you haven't noticed my presence is simple: The spiral seal prevents me from contacting you and allowing my chakra from freely going through your body. Demonic chakra such as mine is quite coarse and harmful -even dangerous- humans unless they were expossed to it for an extended period of time and strengthen the internal constitution by adapting to it, such as you for example, having been my vessel for almost thirteen years after all.

As for why you were in pain, I confess; that Haruno bitch's statement of my defeat had irked me severely, making me release my energy out of anger to relieve my frustration. I had no idea that it would affect you, believe me.

Naruto gave himself a quick chuckle from the demon's reference to Sakura. Even demons thought of her as a bitch! His humor died when he remembered Mizuki's fuma shuriken and how it had stopped. He was about to question if he was already dead with the fuma shuriken so close to him when he was pulled into the recesses of his mind, but remembered that if he was dead, then so would the Kyuubi. It was simple instinct that told him this, but it was without doubt unquestionable. Besides, what did it matter if he died anyway? He had wanted a death over living any longer in that opressive village having discovered why he was hated. He dropped the thought and resumed his questioning.

An untold number of minutes passed as Naruto continued asking his questions, all managing to be answered until his next question was asked:

"Why did you bring me here? Why do you prevent my death from happening? I want to know."

The Kyuubi was silent for a long time and seemed to hold an air of solemness, but was quickly replaced with a determined atmosphere that perpetuated around him and hardened his features, barring his jagged fangs and crouched low enough to look his vessel in the eyes. His gaze was clearly perturbing.

I brought you here to convince you not to seek suicide and death so easily. Especially after just a silly revelation-

"Silly!" Naruto yelled to the demon in furry, his face a mask of loathing and supressed hatred, "You think having discovered you're hated mercelessly and treated like shit for over a decade because of being nothing more than a monster in the eyes of the villagers is 'silly'?! Don't you DARE mock the pain I've suffered through as though it were something easily handled! Well guess the FUCK what, you DAMN DEMON! I've never had a single good memory throughout the whole of my lifetime and I've had nothing to live for! I have no friends, no family, the village scorns me because of you, I live almost like a hunted animal and wounded beggar, and now you're demanding I stay alive just so you could survive a little while longer while I continue to suffer the torment of never finding peace?!

"Well then, if you have any convincing reasons as to why I should live a life of shit, tell me then, Kyuubi: What do I have left in this world to live for?!"

Like a bottomless moat, Naruto's final cry reverberated throughout the cavern, echoing like a distant memory before disappearing into the void that carries sound to limbo. The Kyuubi's eyes that had once been vicious and threatening were now downcast, but only for a moment and hardened his features once again and leered down on his vessel with evident distaste and reproach, lifting himself up until he towered over the young blond. His voice was cold and growling.

You mean to tell me that all the people that have cared for you mean so little that you don't even acknowledge them as part of your life?! What of those two at the ramen stand you frequently visit? Ayame and Ichiraku? Have they not always supported you regardless of what your dreams or intentions were? Naruto's eyes became hurtful after realizing he had neglected considering the ramen stand family, having known them for so long that they had become close friends to him. Shame washed over him like a waterfall.

And what of Sarutobi? Kyuubi continued, Has he not always lent an ear to hear of your troubles and help you when you needed help most when younger? Will you forget everything he has done for you out of the kindness of his old heart? I may be a demon, but even I have a sense of repaying a debt and acknowledging a favor from someone close. At least he was honest in caring for you. Naruto's eyes looked even more pained, his hands shaking from the tremor wracking through him as his shame was almost becoming unbearable. And your sensei, Iruka. Does he mean nothing to you when he has been like an older brother to you when you had no one? Does his understanding of you being not I mean so little that you would pass it off like an after thought? If there's anything that you ought to be upset for, it's being a fool and drowning yourself in training and pitying yourself in your depression to ignore everything and everyone around you! You should be ashamed of yourself for thinking that death is the only way out, because it isn't: It's only the easy way, the COWARDS way out! What happened to your determination that you possessed for so long that you wanted nothing more than strength? Your resolve means nothing, doesn't it?! Naruto had listened to everything, letting the tears slowly slide down his cheeks.

Let me tell you right now, dispite that you don't need my words to know this, but life is hard. In fact, it's an ever fickle bitch that would easily stab you in the back the instant you turn away from it! There's no such thing as the easy life. But don't you dare think that you are alone in suffering! Just get over it already! If there's one thing I know for certain, it's that there's never a reason to die out of depression. True strength comes from never giving up, pain and struggle are the best teachers one can hope for, experience hones your ability. You have all that and more, so don't give in to accepting death with an open invitation! Don't let all your efforts be in vain! And if you must know...The Kyuubi paused, trying to find the best way to adress the statement, and continued, You are loved for...Deeply in fact. There's someone out there in the village that would sooner die after hearing of your death than continuing to live without you in her vision. You don't have to believe me, but I've seen how she looks at you.

Naruto ceased all movements after hearing this revelation. Someone actually loved him? Deeply enough that she would commit suicide than to be without him, and he had never noticed her? Who? Naruto eyed the demon warily and asked who she was. All that he was answered to was a smug Cheshire cat grin that threatened to split the fox's head in two, suggestively raising his eyebrows perversly. The Kyuubi only gave a few vague hints that didn't seem to make sense to the young shinobi: The girl was strong, beautiful, kind, shy, and had admired him from afar for the better part of his life. Renewed strength and resolve burned inside of him after realizing everything the Kyuubi said was right:

If he did die, that would mean that all his efforts would have been for naught. And hearing the villager's gloats only spurred Naruto's rage for them. He shouldn't give a damn about the villager's views of him; he had given up trying to gain their acknowledgement long ago and prefered to keep it that way. He wasn't alone, dispite not having any family, and he couldn't just selfishly abandon them after everything they had done for him. They were important to him, and he had only himself to blame for feeling lonely when he never had been. And he wanted to see who it was that could care for him as deeply as Kyuubi had told him for himself. As selfish as it was, he didn't give a damn that moment.

A sudden pulling sensation gripped Naruto and dragged him away from the chamber confines, a feeling like being dragged to the surface of water after being submerged. Before he left the cavern chamber completely, Kyuubi's rumbling voice reached him through the growing darkness.

Never forget what I've told you Kit, and remember these final words as your ordeals may come:

One life to live;

Remember the past,

Fight for the present,

Live for the future.

Never depend on hope, 'fore hope won't carry your feet,

Never regret and never foresake what is precious to you,

And should your body ever fail, never let your mind and spirit break, 'fore they are your only true untakable possessions you have.

Always stay strong and cherish all you have with all your heart, because nothing lasts forever.

Remember these words, and I'll watch you from the darkness with a smile to remember your renewed resolve. You have my blessings...Baka-kit.

A ghost of a smile crept to Naruto's lips, taking in the demon's final message to him and commiting to his memory preciously. Feeling up for a little rebutal, he whispered a few silent words that Kyuubi had easily caught with his heightened hearing before his vessel disappeared from sight completely:

"I'll be back again...Baka-kitsune."

A toothy smile matted itself on the Kyuubi's snout, a chuckle escaping his throat at the obsurdity of some human actually playfully trading insults with him of all beings. The notion was strangly comforting, even when his vessel had long since left the chamber, silence becoming the beast's only company once more...

Mizuki watched with sickly satisfying glee as the shuriken drew closer with every passing second on the blond vessel, doubtless of any resistance the young Genin could do if he had second thoughts. Too late for those now!

The shuriken was barely a foot away from impacting the boy's head. Naruto suddenly twitched and-

The shuriken shattered! Mizuki watched with stunned amazement as he witnessed, for a brief instant, Naruto executing over ten hand seals in a the blink of an eye and the leaves surrounding him cut through his throwing weapon like paper, spinning in a dome-fashion around the young blond with an impervious wall of razor-sharp moving blades of foliage. When the viel of leaves finally subsided in their rotation, Naruto was no where to be seen!

Mizuki frantically searched for the demon vessel while grasping a kunai in hand, panning left and right, darting his sights up and down and behind himself. Naruto was gone! But how! He couldn't have simply vanished, nor could he move so quickly as to evade sight. He was probably hiding! But where?

"Looking for me, Mizuki-teme?" said a voice from the tree canopy above the said Chuunin. Mizuki didn't bother turning around to face his target, far too intent on simply killing the blond so to escape without much notice, though futile that thought as he clearly forgot Iruka had escaped with the scroll and was now telling the Hokage what had transpired only moments ago. He let loose a series of kunais toward the canopy in effort to strike the blond. All that he heard a second later was a pop.

Baffled, he pivoted himself around in every direction he could think of but halted his search when he found Naruto charging him from a distance, un-armed. Mizuki laughed and chucked several kunai in the boy's direction and saw all the knives make contact with him-

And exploded into smoke and dust! Before he could question what had happened, he was surrounded by six orange-clothed bodies, poised and ready for the finishing blow. Then it hit him. Literally!

'Kage bunshin no Jutsu!' his last thought before all the clones launched their assaults. Two from behind kicked Mizuki's legs outward from the joints, breaking the ligaments in the process and forcing him to fall to ground where three in the front sent their knees strait into the man's chin, hurling him into the air where the final body was waiting and delivered the final blow to the head with neck-snapping force. Mizuki was left paralyzed as he made contact with the solid Earth.

Mizuki groaned and twitched with unspoken agony. He couldn't move any part of his body and his legs were perhaps beyond healing. The pain was indefinable and he couldn't even manage to scream away his pain. Naruto released his clones and approached Mizuki's prone form with a calm stride, stopping only a foot's distance away and knelt to look the man in the eye with a vicious scowl.

"Just so you know", Naruto said with a bored tone, "I've changed my mind. I won't die just yet, and I won't allow scum like you to take my life. And before you ask, I'm not going to kill you. I'm taking you to Hokage-jiji and...well, let's just say it'll be none too pleasant. Oh, that's right! I really want to thank you for taking so long in rendezvousing with me in the forest. Because of your lateness, I had read a great portion of the forbidden scroll and now I have a photographic memory of all the techniques I've read. The Kage bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Shadow Clone) was only one of those techniques, as well as that Kamisori-ha gufuu (Razor Leaf Tornado). Amazing Jutsus, neh?"

Mizuki could say nothing as he gaped in disbelief at this information. Before he could consider those words were but lies, he was picked up and hauled over Naruto's shoulder, grunting painfully as the position was not favorable to his injuries. Without missing a beat, Naruto lept off to the village's direction with Mizuki at wind-blurring speed.

Naruto had no regrets. If he was punished, he would accept that. Now he had nothing to fear or feel worry.

He was content...

The next day, Naruto was sitting in his seat in class, resting his head on the desk as he was very tired from last night's events. It was immediately as he reached the village walls that the Hokage and his ANBU guards intercepted him with Mizuki over his shoulder and the old man had said he heard all the information from Iruka of what had happened prior to a few hours ago at the time. Mizuki was taken by ANBU and carried off to one the shinobi interrogators and Naruto had been cleared of all charges and was congratulated for apprehending the Chuunin so expertly. Naruto prided himself with what strength he had that could deliver such damage to enemies. He was dismissed soon after he was relieved of his temporary cargo and Iruka had asked the blond if he would like to join him for ramen. Naruto happily accepted. The two had talked for over an hour as they ate, strengthening the bond they shared before and making it stronger through their understanding of Naruto's history and his past. Iruka had been rather upset to hear what his student had told him, but that was only the lesser portion of Naruto's bad history experiences. Until he felt the time was right, Naruto had no intention of telling his sensei of one particular incident that had happened over 4 years ago or his discussion with the Kyuubi. That would have to wait for another time.

Today, every passing student with hetai-ate's were going to be put in three-man groups, or teams, with one Jounin sensei that would act as the team leader and commander. Iruka had started announcing the team-assemblies only moments ago and Naruto was more than a little hopeful he wouldn't be paired with that Haruno girl-

"Team 7 will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Damn. Shot down before he even left the ground. As much as he wanted to object to the match-ups, Naruto knew it would do nothing but waste effort. Curious of his new team-mate's reactions, he panned his sights on Sakura and wished a second later he hadn't. Sakura was visibly seething and had a murderous aura coming off her that was felt by everyone within an arms reach and slowly backed away. She turned to his direction and scowled with all the hate she could muster in hopes of harming the blond with her gaze alone, which sadly for her, was futile. Naruto ignored her and looked to the Uchiha's direction. The said Genin was, as usual, brooding with his hands folded across his face and looked to Naruto's direction, meeting his gaze with his own. Only a second later he turned away, seeming as if he didn't care for the match-ups one way or another.

From what Naruto had managed to overhear above the jealous accusations many of the females in the class threw to Sakura's direction because of her being paired with Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji comprised Team 10 and Kiba, Shino and Hinata made-up Team 8. There were a total of ten teams in all, three Genin per group, but Naruto didn't bother paying attention to the others. If anyone in the class would manage to solidify their ranks, Teams 7, 8 and 10 would manage.

After Iruka said his congratulations and respects, he left to meet with Sarutobi, leaving one final announcment that team Jounin captains would come to pick up the selected teams. Two hours had past and all the Genin teams were picked up by their Jounin senseis. All but Team 7.

Naruto had grown bored over an hour ago prior to their wait and opted to have a nap until their new sensei arrived, having been very tired from last night's events and managed to get little sleep. Sakura was occupying herself by watching and fawning over the-ever-brooding Sasuke in hopes of receiving his affections. Her arm was left in a sling after being broken and the medic employees told her she would have to refrain from any hard activities for two weeks until the arm had finished healing. Sasuke was exercising his patience, which he seemed to have in abundance.

Finally, after two and a half hours, their Jounin sensei arrived, casually giving excuses as to explain his tardiness. Naruto had awoken from the noise of hearing someone's casual, though somewhat loud voice breaking him off from his sleep -though he was a rather light sleeper, never willing to allow his guard to falter if in the case of a possible attempt on his life- and did a visual inspection of the man.

He had grey spiky hair, a hetai-ate fastened over his left eye, a black mask covering the lower half of his face and a Jounin uniform; green flak-vest, black body suit, black trousers with bandaged legs and metal-plated fingerless gloves.

"Konichi-wa, Genins", he said, "I'm your new sensei and you must be my new team. Come to the roof top and we'll introduce ourselves properly."

Even though Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were rather upset at hearing the man's aloofness in his own tardiness, they followed the Jounin to the roof top where they found him sitting down and waiting for the Genin to have a seat. Once they did, the Jounin introduced himself. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. Since I'm your new teacher and commander, I'll need to know what I can about you all and what you like. Y'know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, that sort of thing."

Sakura raised her hand, getting Kakashi's attention. "Why don't you do what you said so we get a better idea to introduce ourselves. After all, we don't know anything about you, Sensei."

"Me? Well, my name is Kakashi, I'm sure you know, and my likes and dislikes are none of your business. Dreams for the future...well, I have hobbies."

'How absolutely laughable', Naruto thought, 'the only thing we know about the wind-bag is his name and he has the gall to say what isn't our business when he expects us to tell him about ourselves and doesn't even give an apology for making us wait? Oh, I'm going to give him an "introduction" he won't soon forget!' Sakura and Sasuke shared similar thoughts on Kakashi's introduction. Sakura, deciding to move things along, began introducing herself. "I'm Haruno Sakura. I like-" She lookes at Sasuke and blushes. -"And I hate Naruto and Ino." If she was trying to upset Naruto, it hadn't worked. At all. "My dreams for the future is I want to get married to-" She looks at Sasuke again and blushes. "My hobbies are-"

Amidst the things she described from that point, the males from Team 7 groaned and tuned her out, all thinking along the same lines that the girl needed new hobbies other than accessorizing and posing in a mirror or collecting new tacky cloths. When she finished, Kakashi motioned to Naruto to do the same.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I like to be active and train, and I love eating ramen. I hate the three minute wait it takes to cook the ramen and weak little brats that use excuses to justify their weakness", He said this last part and looked to Sakura's direction, fully intending to get his point across, which it did with Sakura glaring venomously at him, "And I have no real hobbies. My dream is rather personal, so I won't divulge it." He received a few stares which he silently challenged by raising an eyebrow, as if saying, "You have a problem with that?" and waited for the Uchiha to begin his introduction.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things that I don't like and even less that I do consider likable. I don't have any hobbies; I'm too busy training to have any. Dreams are for the weak, but I do have an ambition: To kill the man that destroyed my clan in cold blood."

Everyone that heard this had varying reactions: Naruto felt irritation for the Uchiha, havign heard too many times to count about how he became an avenger while Sakura fawned over his "cool-ness" with a longing gaze and Kakashi had a troubled expression of hearing his words, fearing the boy was becoming blood-thirsty and hungery for killing. Kakashi coughed to get the Genin's attention.

"Alright everyone. Now that that's over with, I want you to meet me at field 14 tomorrow at around 7 a.m. and don't eat or else you'll throw up. We're going to have a survival exercise and I want you all to be ready for the challenge." Before anyone could ask questions, Kakashi continued. "Before you ask, this isn't a regular exercise that you all have done in the academy.

"You see, this year, as many before, we assemble as many three-man teams as possible and reduce the possible graduates to a third of the total students. In other words, only 33 percent of all the students in the academy pass with a legitimate Genin rank while the rest are sent back to the academy for further training. Basically, only three teams can pass and it's up to the assigned Jounin to decide whether or not you suitable for becoming Genins. See you tomorrow, rookies." And with that he left in a puff of smoke.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura shared brief glances at one another before they all headed for their homes, fully intending to deliver pay-back to the damnable, irresponsible Jounin they all grew to dislike.

Naruto's thoughts were on what methods to properly punish Kakashi during their survival exercise and began making a mental list as the possibilities were expanding. A devilish smirk graced his lips as he neared his home.

'Say your prayers, Kakashi,', he thought with a sadistic tremble, 'Cause as soon as you and I meet, you won't even have time to confess your regrets.'

Kakashi was not going to be happy tomorrow...