December 27th

CIL: Well, it seems i've fallen ill on my daily, heck even weekly updates. It seems work is not long enough for me to think up ideas now. That and i jump around to much. Thinking of new stories and ideas for what is not on the weeks focus. It looks like i'll be dropping the weekly focus idea now, hehe sorry guys. But, I am honestly going to finish this. Well the first season of it anyway, then maybe take a break to catch up on other fanfics, like the mario one i've forgotten all about. Sorry to bore you like this, now it's time for the make it or break it chapter, where i screw around with the teams, and you meet the last of my three OC ninja. Please review on this one, i want to know if i've screwed up already...

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The annoying sound of an alarm filled the air. The sleepy eyed brat woke from his peaceful rest by throwing the annoyance out of his window, to the unluckiness of a passer by. After his memorized routine, Naruto's eyes woke up fully and began taking in the day. Looking at his headband on the desk before him he smiled, his eyes then drifted to a picture of him, Kaben, and Hinata all standing together, days after their first week in the academy. Hinata displayed a smile but her form showed abuse and unhappiness. Naruto gave an annoyed smirk with his analysis of the picture then headed out of his room.

"Maybe I'll walk her to school. She'll tell me if she passed or not, I mean, she'll at least want to see us off right?" Naruto scratched his head, and silently wondered who he was asking the question to. "Her house is on the way to Kaben's, I'll just go say hi."

\/\/\/

Kaben emerged from a giant flower in her garden, her body lightly doused in a coat of dew. Her uncovered body began to sprout leaves and the buds resting behind her ears bloomed. She opened her green eyes with a yawn and strechted, inspecting her garden as she did. Everything seemed to be in order. She dripped the dew on her arms into a glass and drank of the liquid, feeling refreshed she headed to a nearby spring to soak her body and relax a little more.

"Naruto and I have graduated. Hinata has taken the extra credit assignment. From the sounds of the leaves, she has had quite the adventure with the assignment. But they leave out information, like someone has forced the information out of them. Perhaps the village is just concerned with my ability and think I might try and learn secrets. All common sense for people who know what I am...a monster, why can't they just accept that it's just a ninja technique. I depend on nature to grow a bond with it; this is the teachings of the Ha clan." She sighed in disgust. "Well, I suppose there is no point in getting angry about it, I'll just head to the academy and have fun with whatever team I get placed in..."

\/\/\/

Hinata waited outside the gates of the Hyuuga compound. She wanted to meet Naruto on his way to the academy and tell him the good news about the events of last night, and to see if he made a full recovery after Iruka knocked him out. She hid her headband just inside her sleeve so Naruto couldn't see it; she wanted to see if she could pull a fast one on him, a prank as she called it.

"Naruto, you've helped me so much. You've given me strength when I ran out, courage when I felt defeated, and now...you've given me a dream to pursue. I'm going to be the best ninja I can be...and hopefully...just maybe...be your...loving-"

"HEY HINATA!" Naruto burst out of a balloon just behind her with as much noise and confetti as possible.

Hinata tried to keep her heart from bursting through her ribcage and exploding. She turned around and gave the boy a much deserved slap.

"What are you trying to do, kill me!?"

Naruto turned his head around to look her in the eye, he chuckled a bit as he rubbed the sore hand print on his face. "Sorry, you were just standing there so I thought I'd surprise you..."

Hinata couldn't follow through with her plan now, Naruto did the better prank. She slid the headband out of her sleeve and showed it with a smile to Naruto. "I passed! Can you believe it?"

Naruto froze with a grin of sheer pleasure on his face. "Can I!? Heck, I knew you would right from the start!" He lied through his teeth just to make sure she would be just as happy.

"Naruto...We should head to the academy now, they should be assigning the teams today..."

"Yeah, come on, I bet Kaben is waiting on us, too."

\/\/\/

After meeting with Kaben, the three headed straight to the academy and entered the classroom with wide grins, or Naruto at least. Hinata took her usual seat near the door, Kaben sat beside her. But Naruto became distracted, he saw Sakura fawning over Sasuke at another table. Naruto stomped over and jumped on the desk, right in front of Sasuke and stared him down. The friction caused sparks to shoot from their eyes at each other, or maybe that was just a jutsu. A student clumsily bumped Naruto and forced his body forward, No one in the room was ready for what they saw. Naruto had beaned Sasuke right where it counts, a head butt right to the berries. Sasuke rolled over in grief as his pride took a great toll.

"I-I'm going to destroy you, N-Naruto!"

"You think you got it bad, I probably gotta wash my hair now!"

"NARUTO!" Nearly all the women in the class shot him a fierce glare. "You better not have done any permanent damage!" Sakura said as she cracked her knuckles.

Moments later Iruka entered the classroom, and gave a surprised look at Naruto, he looked like he got into a fight with hippo with brass knuckles. He greeted the class and said he'd now be dividing the class into three man squads.

"When you hear your name, head to the empty class room marked on the paper you receive and wait for your instructors. Ok, first, team 7: Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha..."

"YES! WOO-HOO-HO! In your face, Ino!" Sakura resisted the urge to get on the desk and dance.

"-and Juzou Aramaki."

Sasuke and the Juzou lad glanced over at each other with equal stubbornness. "Great," they said dryly, meaning to insult the other.

"Great, the number 1 and 2 cool guy ninja. Sakura, you're going to pay!" Ino silently cursed under her breath.

"You will be assigned to room 19, wait for you instructor there. Now Team 8: Kaben Ha, Naruto Uzumaki..."

Hinata couldn't take the suspension of the 2 seconds before the last name to be said, her hands trembled on the desk. "Hinata Hyuga."

"YES!" Hinata nearly jumped out of her chair. But the voice she had hoped only to be in her head drew the unneeded attention she did not want. With a bright red blush coming to her face she hid her face and began mentally calming herself down.

"You are in room 12, wait there for your Sensei. Team 10: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Arubame, and Nishikon Kumo. Classroom 27."

"A team of animal users...interesting." Shino got up and headed out of the classroom.

"Team 11 Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, And Choji Akimichi."

"NOOOOOO!" Ino nearly died on her desk. "Of all the people..."

The day went on slowly. The teams were made and the students waited for their proper instructors. Earlier that day it was all decided how the teams would be split apart, some had to fight to get the point across that some ninja can't work together...

(Early that day)

The Hokage sat at his table with his glass ball between his hands, images of all the students passed before it as every instructor judged each student. Kakashi was first to comment on the students.

"What a bunch we have this year. A hyper prankster, several giddy young girls, and other quirks. I only see two promising students out of the whole bunch."

"Always the picky one, eh Kakashi?" Karei laughed at her own joke. "Naruto has more skill then the rest of them, he's challenged and beat the ANBU, can any other student say that?"

"Karei, do you forget that you too are in the roster to teach a team?"

"What!? No! No way! I can't do that!"

"Cause you're not a ninja? Stop using that excuse, you have been given those rights back."

"Ah man, come on! I just want to sit back and enjoy the rest of my life."

"Not after that deal you made, your working off the damages. Consider this punishment," The Hokage spoke.

"Well, if you want a recon special group, I can see several mixes we can have, any combination of the Inuzuka child, The Hyuuga, Arubame, or Kaben Ha will do."

"Hmm, interesting. But will none of you take Naruto? We need to make a team fair with him."

"No one can stand the child, he's just a prankster." Kakashi said in his blank voice. "I'll take h-"

"Halt!" Karei stood up. "Hokage, I'll take my duty as a teacher, but not solo."

"Hmm?" The hokage let his pipe sag on his lip for a second.

"Kurenai, Take Naruto, Kaben and Hinata. Naruto is an excellent trapper, he'll be able to cover you in case caught. I'll train them and any other team members in advanced assassination skills."

Kurenai and the Hokage looked at her strangely, her face filled with determination.

"Very well. Kurenai, do you agree with this?"

"Hmm..." She looked at the orb, she saw the three happily talking to each other. She noticed that Hinata looked very uncomfortable, her eyes would watch Naruto with the fiercest attentiveness she had ever seen. But when his eyes would turn to hers she would stare at the ground and falter her words. "Hmm, looks like there will be more then ninja training in that team..." "Yes, I will teach those three"

"I will teach Arubame, Inuzuka, and my son," a man with a large black widow on his shoulder spoke.

"I'll have the three kids with the fathers that worked together before," Asuma said taking a puff of his cigarette.

"And I guess I'll have Sasuke Uchiha, Juzou Aramaki, and Sakura," Kakashi said sounding like he was defeated.

"Very well, you are dismissed. You will meet your teams at lunch."

\/\/\/

Team 7 waited in the classroom for their sensei with uneasy silence. Both Juzou and Sasuke took opposite sides of the room and stared at each other on the edge of their vision, leaving Sakura to stay back, afraid that if she were to get between them something horrible might happen. Hours passed with no sign of their teacher coming. Several more minutes passed before the door creaked open.

A man with white hair up like he's been falling since he was born stood in the doorway. His face was almost entirely covered with a mask and his band. His only visible eye could give away his lax nature to anyone attuned to tell.

"Greetings, sorry I'm late, I forgot the class number."

They couldn't believe his excuse and nearly ripped his ear off in complaint.

\/\/\/

"Ok, time to get on with our tasks. But first, perhaps we should get to know each other. Get to know our likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, that kinda stuff."

"What? What are you talking about?" Sakura questioned Kakashi.

"What I said exactly."

"Why don't you go first, so we know what to say," Sakura said, thinking she could get something gold from it.

"Well, let's see. My name is Kakashi Hatake, my likes and dislikes...can't say I really have any. Hobbies...I have lots of them. And dreams? Hmm, can't say really."

"Great, that worked. All I got was his name."

"You, with the armor on, tell us about yourself."

With a scuff of disgust he started to speak. "I am Juzou Aramaki, of the Aramaki Clan of the West. I enjoy combat and honorable opponents, I dislike Ninja tactics and unfair play. I spend my time practicing Family jutsu and Kenjutsu. And I hope to find my mother and father and kill the man who took them away from me..." His last relieving breath seemed more like a demonic snort. His hands were clearly clenching each other with great force.

"Ok, you there, the girl."

"Oh, I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like is...I mean, it's more a who...my hobby is...my dreams?..." Sakura could barely control her giggling.

"And? What do you hate?
"Naruto!"

"Seems she's more into fantasizing than Ninja training." "You there, you're next."

"I, am Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, it will be a reality. I am going to restore my clan, and destroy...a certain...someone."

"Just as I thought..." "Good, you're all unique. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

"A mission? What kinda mission?"

"A survival exercise..."

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And sorry to any fans that enjoy the Naruto kissing Sasuke scene, I just can't write that way, makes me feel al icky. so i went with an equally embarrassing scenario that would still provoke the gril to beat him up. review please.