I can't believe my father would waste time like that, well; yes I can but, not my brother. It seems that they do not value today's event, which regards my start as a ninja. I'll find my own way to the meeting site and I will arrive early without them. I can't believe that freckled face Kyosuke is in my team, father must know how much we quarrel at the academy, we don't get along at all! So why would he put us in the same team? The Uchiha are known as traitors in the village because of their past and I personally do not want to be involved with him. Sure there was a time when we used to get along but, that time has passed, Kyosuke is a traitor, a coward, and cannot be trusted. I hate him so much I beat him up to release all my pent up anger. I guess I'm okay with a punching bag for however long it takes for me to become a Jōnin.

"Where is your father?" a shadow stops in front of me, it's Uncle Kurama.

"I left him." I said as I sighed.

"I know, I smelled you so it was no problem finding you." he looked around for someone but I couldn't tell who or what.

"Maybe you and I can find the meeting site together? I was planning on going alone." I said honestly tired.

"Well that's easy, it's at the top of the Hokage mansion."

"WHAT?"

[x]

"We are almost there!" yelled Rock Lee to his son.

"Wow, I can't believe we are beating the Hatake's." enthused Zakuro.

"Well actually son, they already won."

"Yo!" my father gave Rock Lee thumbs up while Tenzo and I were panting.

"But how?"

"Damn it, I still can't beat you Kakashi sensei."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, you were almost there." father smiled at Lee through his mask.

"Well, that was quite impressive Zakuro. Your speed is incredible." He's got some serious potential, he is very fast.

"T-thanks, me and dad train daily." I said still trying to catch my breath.

"Training makes perfect Shinobi."

"I already know." said Zakuro as he smiled at his father.

"The others should be arriving shortly; although, I would've figured that Naruto and the others would be here by now." Something must be up, what could've delayed them?

"Something is not right." my father sniffed the air around him.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Kakashi" exclaimed Tenzo.

"Yes, I know Tenzo. Son, we'll be right back." father started running.

"Be careful father."

''Well Zakuro, I'm going to catch up to Sakuya, is that ok?'' Rock Lee asked.

''Yes father of course, you brought his breakfast with you, didn't you?''

''Yes, I didn't just want to let him go all by himself you know?''

''Yes dad, I know, you are the best. Tell him I said good luck as well.'' Zakuro hugged Rock Lee.

''Well good luck and remember, stay youthful!'' he ran off.

[x]

"Duck Sasuke!" yelled the Hokage.

"Don't say it like that, you can just say dodge instead!" dad dodges and throws a paper bomb attached to a kunai and knocks one of the enemies out.

"Who are these guys?" I yelled and I began to seek somewhere to hide in, I noticed someone spotted me and went after me, he was closing in on me and is about to make an attack.

''Stop running coward!'' said the enemy as he made a Steel Jutsu hand sign.

"Kyosuke!" my brother had gotten in front of the enemy to protect me; Haruto had attacked the enemy just before he had caused any damage. The enemy back traced before Haruto could hand a hit on him.

"Wow, you've become weak, but my my, what a nice view Dahv." said a guy that was hanging upside down from the nearest tree, not engaging in combat.

"Haruto, let's make these assholes regret who they are messing with."

"Heh, don't get hurt." Haruto stated, I started to run the opposite direction trying to escape combat.

"Who's the one that's going to get hurt?" my brother said as he watched me in the middle of the field.

"Your brother is wide open, he can be an easy target." said Haruto.

"Kyosuke go hide! You will get hurt and embarrass me you bastard!" yelled Shuuhei with much of a worried expression.

''That's what I'm trying to do!'' I yelled back, dad looked over at me and continued fighting. Every once in a while he would glance at me.

There were eight enemies, an ambush. Two of them possessed the Steel Style, which is an advanced nature Kekkei Genkai that can be used to make one's body virtually indestructible by turning it into black steel. One of them possessed the Lava Style which is another advanced nature Kekkei Genkai that combines fire and earth-based chakra to create lava and related substances that can serve multi-faceted purposes. The rest had basic combat skills.

"Hokage Sama!" my brother began to run towards the Hokage but he had already taken down one of the Steel Style users.

"Sorry-ass punks should've stayed home if they couldn't fight and Zen suck my dick you little knob gobbler." said Dahv as he scratched his balls.

''Haha you are such a tease Dahv.'' said Zen who was previously hanging upside down a tree and now seemed to be running towards Shuuhei.

''Am I now?'' Dahv fought with a little bit of annoyance shown on his face. He was going head to head with Sasuke.

"What is it Shuuhei?" asked the Hokage with such a calm voice my brother was astonished and stood there admiring the Hokage, he was idolizing him a bit too much that he didn't notice he was being attacked by the Zen.

"No!" Haruto jumped in front of him as Zen used his gun and shot chakra bullets at random but he was a bit too slow to move that one of his bullets hit his spine. (Chakra bullets only paralyze the chakra flow of the targeted area, it can be temporary or long term, it depends on the user. Though it is extremely rare, the effect can be permanent. The healing process can be sped up by using advanced medical ninjutsu if it isn't permanent.)

"H-Haruto!" my brother had a terrified look on his face as he had gotten only a bullet scratch on his arm. The Hokage looked immediately at Haruto when Shuuhei yelled.

''Haruto!'' yelled the Hokage as he tried to finish the fight he was in.

"What the hell is wrong with you Shuu? Move!" yelled Haruto as he yelled in pain soon after.

"Why don't you watch where you aim those fucking things you no talent twit!" yelled Dahv at Zen after he noticed he was bleeding.

''Fuck, I missed.'' said Zen.

"That's it, you guys are going to pay for hurting my son!" the Hokage used Rasengan on the lava style user he was fighting with and easily knocked him out. Three of the enemies began to flee but dad had caught one of them and knocked her out. As the Hokage headed towards Dahv, a smoke bomb was dropped from Zen.

"Hah, that was fun. Did you manage to get what we were after?'' asked Dahv.

"Dance puppets dance, the world's a stage!" yelled Zen with a grin on his face as they began to disappear.

''H-hey don't leave me here!'' one of the knocked out enemies said as he crawled up to them.

"Sorry doll face, we got what we came for. Just be good and don't sell us out alright?" said Zen.

''Fights over, funs over, I'm going to get hammered, fuck it.'' said Dahv as he spit.

''Fuck who now?'' said Zen as he rips open the air with his short sword and disappears with Dahv. Kakashi appeared a little too late but he managed to stop one of the guys that were trying to escape and Kurama had landed a special attack on one of them.

"Dad!" Naru jumped down on one of the enemies by accident. The enemy hit his head against the edge of a stair case and became unconscious.

"I want an immediate search team to be looking for those two now!'' demanded the Hokage as he saw an Anbu had appeared at the same time as Kakashi.

''Yes, Hokage Sama'' The Anbu disappeared.

''What were they after?" dad was confused, the Hokage ran towards Haruto.

"Brother what happened?" Naru suddenly realized that there were six people unconscious and the ground had been used for a battle field.

"I'll be fine Naru, don't worry…" Haruto was in excruciating pain, he was bleeding from the lips because he was biting them to keep himself from screaming

"Kakashi summon a medical team." said the Hokage as he kneeled down to Haruto.

"Yes sir." Kakashi disappeared and Tenzo followed.

''I'm so sorry Haruto… I should've fought better, I should've protected you better I—''

''Dad… it's not your fault… ngh!'' said Haruto as he coughed up some blood.

"Naruto, you knew that you were going to get ambushed didn't you? And Sasuke was in on this as well wasn't he?" asked Kurama as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes... there was a soothsayer that appeared before us earlier and that just confirmed my suspicions. I'm glad Naru had ran away, he could've gotten hurt by those guys."

"Father you didn't have to do that! I am not weak!" Naru saw that my brother was kneeling down next to Haruto who was lying on the floor in pain.

''I should've known as well, don't leave me out of these things!'' yelled Kurama angrily.

"I-I'm sorry Haru… I-I'm so sorry…" my brother had guilt all over his face; he was beginning to cry.

''Hey… don't do that, don't cry… I did it to protect you. I'll get bet…ter—'' Haruto was beginning to fall unconscious.

''Haruto, stay with me brother, don't…dad!'' Naru became extremely worried when he saw his brother go unconscious.

''Try not to move him much, it's a spinal injury; let's just wait until medics arrive. It's all we can do.'' said dad.

"He shouldn't have protected him." I said as I looked at Haruto. Naru snapped and quickly replied.

"What are you saying? He protected your brother, you should be grateful!"

"My brother could've handled it; your pathetic brother didn't have to step in. He is a fool, that is why he is injured."

"Kyosuke shut the fuck up!" my brother yelled, he was really angry at me.

''…Kyosuke…'' dad looked at me and gave me the coldest glare I have ever received. I kept quiet and lowered my head.

''What do you want to do Naruto?" asked Kurama as Kakashi, Tenzo and the medical team had arrived.

''Naru, do you want to do the challenge today? I can cancel the exams and—'' asked the Hokage.

''No father, we can continue the exams, just go with Haruto.'' said Naru as he looked at his brother, determined that it's what his brother would've wanted.

''Take my shadow clone with you just in case they attack you.'' said the Hokage as he formed a hand seal and a cloned appeared..

''I'll protect him Naruto.'' dad promised.

''Thank you''

''Hokage Sama, what happened?'' asked a medical ninja as he closed in on Haruto.

''We got ambushed by outsiders; there's a search team on the move now looking for two of the ninja that had escaped. My son got a spinal injury during a fight, he got hit by a chakra bullet.'' said the Hokage as fast as he could so that they could tend to him faster.

''Spinal, get the backboard.'' a medic motioned to one of the trainees as she nodded and headed towards the supplies they had brought.

''Excuse me'' The medic said to my brother and Naru who were kneeling next to Haruto, Naru let go of his brother's hand with hesitation but he knew he was better off with the medic. The medic took his wrist for pulse.

''Back board is ready'' said the trainee as she held the straps up and a head immobilizer.

''How long has he been unconscious for?'' asked the medic.

''He fell unconscious a few moments ago, he was talking. He showed signs of impaired breathing.'' said the Hokage trying to remain calm, his hands began to shake but he immediately clenched his fists.

''It might be a head injury as well, falling unconscious is a first sign, impaired breathing is another.'' said the medic as he noticed blood on Haruto's shirt.

''Coughed up blood?'' asked the medic.

''Yes…'' said the Hokage trying to maintain his composure.

''Alright, he needs immediate care.'' The medic placed the head immobilizer on Haruto and strapped him.

''You guys need to be precise with this part, when me and Nawa put him in lateral position you guys place the backboard right next him immediately. Any sudden or rough movement and he'll be paralyzed for the rest of his life.'' The trainees gulped but were determined and did as instructed. The backboard was placed next to Haruto, the medic and Nawa rolled him back to supine position on the backboard and then they strapped him to it carefully.

''Hokage Sama, we'll take him to the hospital now.'' They began to head out as one of the medics began doing hand seals and they were all gone afterwards.

''Hokage Sama, I will accompany Naru with Tenzo just in case." Kakashi said.

''Son, I am sorry I-I want to go accompany you but, Haruto might need me and your mother doesn't even know—'' the Hokage was interrupted.

''It's okay dad… brother needs you more and mom as well. Just tell him I will pass.'' said Naru as he walked next to dad and told him he was ready to leave. Dad nodded as he called my brother and I. Kakashi, Tenzo, Kurama and the Hokage's clone followed. Naru cleared out his teary eyes and sobbed a little but he kept a strong posture.

[x]

"We are here." Kakashi said.

''What took you guys long?'' I asked worriedly.

''We got ambushed; Haruto is in critical conditions in the hospital. Naruto went with him.'' said Sasuke.

''What happened to the enemies?'' I turned to Kurama as he began to speak.

''Two got away, there's a search team working on it. I'm going to join them soon, I'm here to drop off my nephew and make sure that he is safe. Good luck kid, I know you will bring honor to the family.'' said Kurama as he ruffled Naru's hair and disappeared.

''Is the village in danger?'' I asked.

''As of right now, no, they attacked us and left. I'm sure they aren't here to attack the village, they came for something more specific, we don't know what though.'' said Sasuke.

''Father, are you ok?'' I asked.

''Ma, I am, I'm just tired from the fight.'' father placed a hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

''Well I'm joining the Hokage to check on Haruto, good luck everyone.'' said Tenzo as he disappeared.

''Son, I know today was hard on you… but I believe in you. I know you will succeed.'' said the Hokage as he hugged Naru, Naru held onto him tight.

''Find those bastards dad, make them pay.'' Naru demanded.

''You have my word.'' he said as he disappeared.

"Be careful son and good luck." said Sasuke as he left with Shuuhei.

"Well, now that the members are all here, we can start t—'' I was interrupted by my father.

''Listen son, I may be a retired lone wolf but I know that you will surpass me and perhaps become the Hokage I once was. You already bring honor to the family and your mother would be so proud if she were here. You will have fun with these pupils, they will mean the world to you as time passes by." After father finished he vanished.

"Okay kids listen up. Before we become an official team there is a challenge—'' I was interrupted again.

''Great, we can't start off with 'Hi my name is _'?"

''Kyosuke let him finish." Zakuro said as he gave him a deadly gaze.

''There is a challenge you guys will have to pass before I accept you as my pupils. It's very simple really."

"What do we have to do?" asked Zakuro.

''It's a secret'' I chuckled.

"Ah, this sounds perfect!" Kyosuke's sarcasm annoyed Naru a bit but he ignored him.

"You guys will be put into a specified arena, even I don't know where it's going to take place. It might take place over at Suna (Short name for Sunagakure) and we will have to be dismissed for tomorrow if it is in another village." I explained.

"Why?" asked Naru.

"Well, because to get to another village we will need equipment. We will have to go prepared but, if it takes place In Kono then we will start today."

"How long will this take?" asked Kyosuke.

"Honestly, you guys ask a lot. What's the fun in asking?" They all stared at him; he was baffled for a few moments before he answered.

"I don't know guys; it can take two hours or 3 days. It depends on the weather they will throw you in and the conditions of the arena."

"So we might even end up in a snowy place." Naru concluded.

"Oh! And before I forget, while we are in the arena, I want you all to think of a name for the team."

"Why?" asked Kyosuke.

"All teams have a name, Naru's brother and sister's team is called Noblesse, unfortunately, their arena was arranged over at Kumo (Short name for Kumogakure) so they had to wait until the next day but, to their advantage, the village is a combination of trees, rocky terrains, rivers and on that specific day, it was misty. It is a great place to hide and ambush and since his sister possessed the Byakugan, the arena was a big banquet for the team. Haruto however, had to fight differently since his Byakugan doesn't function correctly, though he did very well for his age and with his condition."

"Yeah, my brother and sister told me all about it." said Naru.

"And Kyosuke's brother's team is known as the Gladiators, they chose that name because they all had great skills at killing their targets and showing no mercy while doing so. Their arena was over at Suna, it was a dangerous day because of the desert storm. The event was going to be delayed but their Sensei wanted the challenge. Luckily, they survived and now hold a record of the most kills in any arena. Of course today it is illegal to kill in any arena, we can only knock them out unconscious so that record will not be beaten."

"Unless someone breaks the rule" said Kyosuke.

"Yeah… which we won't!" I exclaimed stared at everyone.

"Zakuro's sister was in my brother's team, she left the village, and people talk about my father being a traitor, look at her!" Kyosuke intended it as a joke, I noticed that Zakuro was trying to hold his tears back but failed miserably.

"I don't know why you are acting like this but, this is my team. We will all respect each other, if I hear or see anything I don't like you will be scolded and or punished. I am warning all of you now before we start the exam. Since this is your first warning there will be no punishments but, you will apologize to him.'' Zakuro cleared his tears and smiled at me.

"…I'm… sorry." Kyosuke said we stayed quiet soon after.

''…When can we start the exam?'' Kyosuke asked trying to undo the awkward situation he had caused.

"When the Anbu comes." I said.

"The what?" asked Zakuro.

"The Anbu are skilled people who protect the Hokage and carry out dangerous tasks for the sake of the village, they are the only ones qualified to do S-rank missions. Kotaishi is one of them." Well, I am wearing a tank top and my mark is visible.

"What? Sensei is an Anbu?" Zakuro looked at me.

"And how do you know he is an Anbu?" Kyosuke's curiousness was notable.

"He has the official Anbu mark on his left shoulder, some ninjas get tattoos of that mark to pretend to be part of the Anbu but there is a hidden mark that can only be seen by the Byakugan users because it has chakra flowing in a cycle motion." said Naru, when did he use his Byakugan? I didn't see his veins. This team is really interesting.

"Well genius then explain why I can see his mark, I'm not part of the Hyūga clan." Kyosuke was trying to annoy Naru but little did he know that Naru had the answer.

"The mark is a sealing Jutsu, it will be visible by the naked eye, though my father wanted to secure the safety of Konoha so he created a way to encode 15% of Senjutsu, which is Nature chakra, with the original mark. My mother being part of the Hyūga clan proposed this idea and my father abided. Therefore we can all obviously see part of his mark but only the Hyūga can tell if it's an impostor or not because of our Kekkei Genkai."

"But if all chakra is blue, then how can you tell the difference?" Kyosuke smiled as he tried to sound smart.

"You are wrong, Senjutsu chakra is green. And there are other several chakras that have different colors. Also the Heart's chakra is green. Green symbolizes harmony, creativity, health, abundance and nature obviously. It is the combining of yellow (soul) and blue (spirit). Green, nature's color, offers new energy and revitalizes tired nerves. Father chose Senjutsu to be the chakra encoded on the Anbu marks because it represents their loyalty to the village and bravery against the enemy." Naru finished and took a deep breath from all that talk.

"Also, the Heart's chakra is located near the center of the breastbone or sternum, this chakra represents higher consciousness and love. The Heart chakra is associated with the heart, thymus gland, lower lung and circulatory system. I know this because it was one of the basic skills I learned from my mother." Zakuro added to Naru's speech.

''Well then, what happens if the clan is suddenly slaughtered? How will we tell who is an impostor then?'' Kyosuke asked as everyone, including myself, looked at him. A dead silence grew amongst us but I broke the silence.

"Impressive, this generation keeps getting smarter and smarter." I meant it but for some reason they glared at me and quickly glanced at Kyosuke.

''…'' they were all silent, this team is going to be a pain in the neck to train since they are all going against Kyosuke. Then again Kyosuke is going against both of them, and you can now include me.

"Finally you came" I said, the boys did not notice that the Anbu had appeared several seconds ago.

"You shall report to Mountain Shinwa (myth), and enter the Shinkirou (mirage) cave located at the highest peak of the mountain. You may start in two hours and you may take two days but after the sun sets on the second day, a search team will be dispatched to look for you guys along with a medical team." With that said the Anbu vanished and I had a terrified look, for intended dramatic purposes of course.

"Sensei what's wrong?"

"Mountain Shinwa… It's a place where mythical creatures live in. And Shinkirou is the exact place where Kaldoreis (Night Elves) reside." I said trying to make it sound as if it's my worse nightmare.

"They can summon any creature: Minotaurs, sirens, hydras, tikbalangs, tiyanaks…" Naru kept going but in a whisper, he seemed more excited than scared.

"Sirens sound good to me." Kyosuke chuckled.

"Be my guess, but you won't live to tell the tale.'' said Naru.

''What do you mean?'' asked Kyosuke.

''Their song, though irresistibly sweet, is no less sad than sweet, and enwraps both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption." said Naru as he turned to Kyosuke.

"Why is that?" Kyosuke asked.

"The sirens are creatures with the torso of a human being and from the waist down, the tail of a shark. They were nymphs and play-mates of Persephone. They were present when she was abducted and, because they did not interfere, Demeter cursed them. Their song is continuously calling on Persephone; the song takes effect at midday, in a windless calm. The end of that song is death. 'That the sailors' flesh is rotting away, though, would suggest it has not been eaten.' They have shark teeth and will bite your dick off before you can even get it up. It's easy to tell a mermaid and siren apart because for one, the mermaids have fish tails whilst sirens have shark tails and gills at their necks and waists." said Naru.

"Boy, you still read a lot of books." I said.

"I thought sirens were mermaids." Kyosuke admitted.

"A lot of people think they are.''

''Hah, those sirens don't scare me, I bet you one can truly fall in love with me.'' Kyosuke posed awkwardly but I'm pretty sure he thinks it is an awesome pose.

''Please, I bet you all of them will truly fall in love with me.'' Naru smirked.

''You think you are that attractive? Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?''

''I don't think, I know and yes I did as a matter of fact, mine didn't break but I heard yours shatter.''

''Don't get cocky just because you are the Hokage's son.''

''Why would I? People love me for who I am, not because I am the Hokage's son.''

''That's what they make you believe.''

''Why you—''

''That's enough.'' I said stopping them from arguing, Naru nodded.

''We are wasting time here we should be heading to Mount Shinwa." Naru began to run.

"Where are you going Naru?" asked Zakuro.

"I'm packing some food, don't know how much time we'll spend there."

"He has a point, but we'll go together since there are two intruders that might possibly still be roaming about." I said.

"Alright then sensei, let's go." said Naru.

"Listen Zakuro, I'm really sorry about earlier…" Kyosuke walked up to Zakuro.

"There is something severely wrong with you if you think that I want to talk to you right now."

"I won't do it again, I promise."

"I know you, and you will."