Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. I wrote more than 10K words in less than 24 hours, a feat which I am probably not going to repeat. It was only this fast for two reasons; I was not busy today, and I have had this idea for a while now. However, you can certainly expect updates of this size (I don't know if it'll be 10K, but bare minimum of 5K) weekly, if not more often than that, and if I can only update once a week, I'll make it as big as I possibly can. During the school year, I may only release a chapter of about this size every week, but that's still not that bad, neh? More detailed Author's Notes at the bottom

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I do not own Naruto

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Naruto went through the same routine as always, except now he tried to mix things up sometimes. He tried using kawirimi to swap with a towel in the bathroom, and he used henge to make himself slightly different, just small changes. Of course, he dropped these before walking outside his room as they were pointless, but he was always fascinated as the chakra, before always so free and flowing, would suddenly solidify into a structure of his choosing, in a density of his design. He liked how it looked, he felt like he could see the change the henge made on him and the chakra the henge used itself at the same time; it was a strange, but good, feeling.

He went downstairs and ate, and waited for Aya to come and take him to the Hokage. She arrived, wearing a face that seemed too cheerful and bothered Naruto. He felt that she should keep her good fortune to herself, and get him on his way to see his. They went through the residential district as always, though he did notice that more and more shops were opening. The village really was doing well. They continued to walk until they reached the ninja district. From there Naruto started really paying attention, though he was being stagnated in his quest for information by Aya, who seemed to wish nothing better than to walk back to the residential district and let Naruto go by himself. But she remained firm in her task and guided Naruto to the Hokage Tower. Before they got there, Naruto saw something which truly fascinated him. A woman and man were arguing, they seemed to be high chuunin level, though Naruto had learned that the amount of chakra someone had did not determine their rank.

"It took me weeks to learn the technique, but I did!" the girl bragged to her comrade.

"No way, that's an A-rank technique, how would you learn it?" The man scoffed.

"I'll prove it to you then!" the girl said, making Naruto stop and stare.

Aya turned around to look at Naruto, then turned to see what he was staring at. She then seemed impatient and told Naruto sternly, "Come on, don't bother them. They have their own things to do and we have ours."

Naruto then smiled sweetly and pleaded, "Please, Aya-san, just one more second?"

Aya had rarely seen Naruto so passionate about something, so she turned to the two ninja and waited for whatever they were doing to be over so they could leave, deciding not to reject Naruto's request when he so rarely made one.

The female ninja began making handseals, which Naruto subconsciously memorized. But that was not what he was looking at, it was her chakra, how it moved and changed and flowed… it was mesmerizing. Finally, she yelled, "Water Dragon!"

A tiny dragon came out, composed only of the water she had been carrying with her in a bottle. Naruto nearly balked. She had put it too much chakra for it all to be wasted. However, ignoring her mistakes, he watched as the dragon twisted and turned as her chakra did, until she cut off the chakra flow, further wasting the chakra connecting the dragon to her. Naruto felt that she could have tried to take back what had not been used, or at least let the connecting chakra flow into the dragon, to give it just a few more seconds of life… Oh well, he supposed there was a reason for this.

The male ninja whistled and said, "Not bad! It was pretty weak, but that's a neat trick!"

The female ninja smiled and said, "Yeah, I know." and kept walking.

Aya had been wide-eyed as the dragon moved, but once it was gone, pushed Naruto onwards.

"Come on, Naruto-kun, we will be late if you keep standing there," she said.

Naruto relented and continued moving, but he was quietly and slowly forming the seals he had seen the woman use, while molding the chakra inside his body, doing his best to mimick hers, but without the wasteful gestures. They were just outside the Hokage Tower when he finally decided to let the chakra out. He had long since realized that saying the name of the jutsu was useless, letting your opponent realize what you were doing even if he couldn't see you. It was just a way to psyche yourself up for the sudden release of chakra, same as focusing would. He let the chakra he had molded out of his body, and saw to his delight that water around him began to form a dragon in front of him. Aya was still walking resolutely ahead, glad to be so near her destination, not even noticing the dragon forming behind her.

This dragon had much less water than the female ninja's had, but it quickly became far larger, the size of Naruto in height, and much longer. Ninja turned around to look, gaping as this little boy performed a jutsu he should not no and could not do. Naruto, in his defense, had overestimated the amount of chakra required from having watched the girl, and had intended for it to be much smaller. In addition, he would have cancelled it sooner, but this was his first elemental jutsu, and he was fascinated by the chakra, swirling and moving along with the dragon in front of him. He completely lost focus. The dragon roared, and three things happened at once.

Aya yelled and ran forward, unsure what had made the ghastly noise. She turned and saw Naruto with a dragon made of water in front of him, and did not know what to think. Naruto, for his part, quickly jolted back to reality and let go of the chakra, but he made a mistake, letting the chakra connecting him and the dragon continue to enter the dragon; usually a good idea, and one requiring enormous skill, but not when trying to end a jutsu as fast as possible. Ninja all around, who had originally another ninja was showing off his proficiency in a jutsu all turned to face Naruto as they heard the dragon roar, all of them on edge. They all saw Naruto cancel the chakra, as the dragon let out a final roar before dissolving.

The crowd of ninja began murmuring, staring, and pointing at Naruto, most of them in disbelief, others assuming it was a joke. One silver-haired man with a facemask who Naruto recognized, Naruto knew now that he was an Anbu, quickly shoved them inside the Hokage Tower, following them indoors. What he had just seen had to be reported, and had to be acted upon.

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Naruto and Aya entered the Hokage's office, and Aya was waved out, much to her relief; she was frightened stiff, and was still unsure of what had happened. The Hokage, for his part, had looked out his window when he heard the commotion going on beneath the Hokage Tower, but did not know what had caused the ruckus. He figured someone else would fix it. Kakashi had walked in with Aya and Naruto, and now stood behind Naruto, while waiting for the Hokage to speak.

"Hello Naruto, it is great to see you. I'll get to you in one second, let me just speak to Kakashi for a moment," the Hokage said kindly, while beckoning for Kakashi to come closer. Naruto just shrugged and walked to the chair, to sit and think about what had just happened. He knew a couple of things were off. How had he done something so easily when a chuunin had had so much trouble. Was his dragon somehow inferior? It had felt the same…. no, it had felt stronger. He continued to brood over this while Kakashi walked closer to the Hokage, and waited for him to speak.

"What's wrong, Kakashi? Is it about what is happening outside?" the Hokage whispered, though Naruto could easily hear him. He had gotten into the habit of constantly putting chakra into his eyes, ears, and nose, having long since realized that it made the world sharper. He no longer felt the drain on his reserves, his diligent exercising having increased his reserves astronomically.

"Yes, Hokage-san. You see… this boy… he used a water dragon jutsu…. perhaps, more importantly, I believe he used it only minutes after watching another ninja perform it… is this possible?" Kakashi whispered, anxiously awaiting the answer.

Sarutobi sat silently for a few moments, thinking it over. He did not doubt Kakashi's word, but he knew he had given Naruto only the most basic of ninjutsu scrolls, was it possible for him to perform such a high-level jutsu by mimicry alone?

"Come here, Naruto-kun," he said, and waited for Naruto to get up and face him attentively. Sarutobi continued, "Naruto-kun, how have you been doing on the scrolls, and can you describe for me what happened outside?"

"Sarutobi-san, the scrolls you provided were very simple, and I had them completed months ago. I was going to ask if I might get a more advanced scroll. As for what happened outside, I believe the ninja overreacted. A woman performed a jutsu she called 'Water Dragon jutsu', and I merely did the same thing. However, when I did, people began talking and making noise. I fear I have done something wrong, as mine was different than hers, and hers did not concern any ninja so much. In addition, the jutsu is, apparently, difficult. So, perhaps skipping steps and imitating her has caused the jutsu to become flawed…" Naruto reasoned out, still wondering why the people had been so noisy when he had done the same thing the woman had.

For his part, Sarutobi was shocked. To have done what took many ninja so long, and to have such a natural grasp for ninjutsu, put him on par with the Uchiha. And he was working without the Sharingan, and without the tutoring Itachi had received. Such proficiency put Naruto at prodigy levels, and Sarutobi was not sure what to do.

"Naruto-kun, I will get back to you right away about what can be done about your education, and I assure you that you have done nothing wrong. The ninja outside were merely surprised, and ninja take surprises very poorly, but for now, would you mind waiting outside while I speak to Kakashi?" the Hokage said almost laughing, putting up a front to clear any worry from Naruto's mind. Naruto detected the ruse, but shrugged it off, knowing that the Hokage had the right to tell him anything he wanted at his discretion. Naruto was a child, Sarutobi a Kage. Naruto left the room, and Kakashi and Sarutobi began talking quickly.

"Kakashi, I see now that Naruto-kun is proceeding far beyond my expectations. He is going at the rate Itachi is, but with only basic scrolls for guidance…" Sarutobi explained.

Kakashi thought for a second and said, "Well, we must surely do something to help him flourish. Does he have any living relatives at all? Anyone who may stake a claim to him? Or is he completely under the control of the village?"

Sarutobi pondered the question. If anyone could be told Naruto was the Yondaime's son, it would be Kakashi. But Kakashi would surely be angry at the Hokage for hiding it… though perhaps Kakashi would understand. Perhaps Kakashi would realize that he, as the Hokage, had made the best decision he could under the circumstances. And right now, he really needed advice about what to do. He was an old man, and he had become hardened in his belief, unable to respond to this new situation. He finally, perhaps selfishly, decided to get Kakashi's help on this matter.

"Kakashi, he has no relatives… he was the Yondaime's son, and please hold your responses for later, perhaps after we decide what to do with Naruto. Just know that giving him the Namikaze name would only give him enemies and trouble... or so I thought. That Naruto is a prodigy is not, perhaps, as surprising as is the fact that he has been under the radar for so long. We must decide what to do. Should his lineage be announced, despite the trouble it would cause? Minato did not have much to speak of, and what assets he had have already been sanctioned to the village itself. Giving Naruto the Namikaze name would only cause trouble, and would not give Naruto much, though a powerful clan may adopt him. But in the worst case scenario, an agreement would not be reached, Naruto would remain without any single clan agreeing to any other clan to have guardianship, and he would be left only with enemies. But without the title of Namikaze, how can we give Naruto the training he deserves? He does not have a clan to back him up, as the Uchiha did, and I am afraid that I cannot pull rank and take him under my belt, as Minato did for you. I am too old, and too tired. What should we do Kakashi?" Sarutobi said, laying all of the concerns on his mind out there.

Kakashi took all of this at once, and his mind had trouble sorting it all out. The first thing to register was that his sensei had a son. A legacy, a link to the living world, a… son. He also knew that the Hokage had lied to him, but he shut these thoughts out immediately. What good would it do him to be angry now? He processed everything the Hokage said and finally came up with an idea.

"Hokage-san, who else knows of Naruto's father?" Kakashi asked.

"Only me, Jiraiya, and now you, Kakashi," Sarutobi said, hoping Kakashi had an idea.

Kakashi thought about Jiraiya. He was shocked that he had abandoned Minato's son, but he supposed that Jiraiya had other things to do, and Kakashi felt heartened that someone else had been hit as hard as he had by Minato's death. Though that thought was a bit twisted, he could not deny that misery loves company. He realized that Jiraiya could only help Naruto. For now he was not even part of the equation, but if he later wanted to train Naruto, then that would be all the better. For now, Kakashi realized he had a chance to get guardianship of Naruto, his sensei's only child, and also out of the slump he felt he'd been in for some time.

Kakashi took up an earnest face, and told the listening Hokage his plan, "Hokage-san, I have grown tired of Anbu. I realize it is an honor for any ninja to be selected as the captain of a squad, but I simply cannot do it. The pain that my father must surely have felt before he... died, is what I feel I am beginning to experience." The Hokage blanched at this. It had been a huge shock when Kakashi's legendary father had committed suicide, and for Kakashi to be pulling out a card like that meant that this was really important to Kakashi. He gestured for Kakashi to continue.

"Well, knowing that, I'd like to resign from the Anbu. I will still take missions as a jounin, but I can no longer effectively handle the strain of Anbu life. And it is here that Naruto comes into play. As a new Jounin, I have a five year period before it becomes necessary that I officially take an apprentice or a genin squad. It is during these five years that I will take guardianship of Naruto. Call it an adoption if you must, but for now, no one knows about Naruto's genius. It would be easy to pass it off as a favor to the orphanage. I have money to spare to feed Naruto and I, and it would put him in better care than he must be getting at the orphanage. Once I am his legal guardian, I can train him without making a formal request to the council, and by the time my five years are up, he'll be what, 10 years old, right? Plenty old enough to become an apprentice, right, Hokage-san?" Kakashi finished his speech with a genuine smile on his face, hoping the Hokage wouldn't refuse.

The Hokage thought about this. It was indeed a good idea. There was no action in any of Kakashi's plan that would require council approval, and it could all be done without garnering any attention. His only concern was Kakashi's fathering abilities; after all, he had barely had a real father of his own, and Sarutobi recognized that Kakashi had never called Naruto his son. He could not call his sensei's child his own; perhaps his godson, but Kakashi did not wish to take the place of Minato. Sarutobi sighed. The plan was better than anything he had come up with, and perhaps being around someone like Kakashi would warm Naruto up, who remained rather unattached to people.

"Kakashi, we will ask Naruto only one question; how would you like to get a sensei to teach you. We will not tell him he is being adopted, who his father is, or any of the other circumstances regarding his situation. He may figure it out on his own, but we will keep it simple for him for now. Does he want a sensei?" Sarutobi said, while calling his secretary to send Naruto back in.

Naruto walked in, holding a small ball of water in his hands. Both Kakashi and Sarutobi noticed that it did not touch his hands, only floated between them. Apparently, Naruto had combined the water creation portion of the water dragon jutsu with the concept of water walking to allow him to hold water as if solid. Naruto looked at the two men, before chuckling nervously. Sarutobi and Kakashi were confused by the reaction, until they realized that Naruto had nowhere to put the water he was holding. The situation almost made them both laugh, especially having come after such a grim conversation.

Sarutobi said, "Just drop it, Naruto, you will find this room will absorb it immediately." Naruto did as told, and found to his surprise that it was true, the water vanished as it hit the floor. He was going to inspect the floor when he realized he was being watched, the ability to sense people's stares having become second nature to him, and looked at the two men.

Sarutobi asked suddenly, "Naruto, would you like a sensei to teach you more about being a ninja?"

Naruto didn't hesitate. He nodded and said, "Yes, please, Hokage-san."

This immediate reaction surprised Kakashi and Sarutobi, but the truth was Naruto had been thinking outside the door about the only feasible ways he would be taught, and had long since considered that a sensei might teach him, an agreeable situation for Naruto. Kakashi's visible eye curved upwards happily as he held out his hand to Naruto.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, my name is Kakashi, and I will be your sensei." Kakshi said cheerily.

Naruto shook his hand and replied, "Naruto Uzumaki, it's great to meet you Kakashi-san!" The reply held more than a little enthusiasm, which both men picked up on and were happy about.

"Pack your bags Naruto, I'll show you where to go," Kakashi said, already leading Naruto out of the room. Naruto simply nodded, but he had a perk to his step, knowing he would get guidance from an Anbu operative. In fact, he would have to ask about that later; he had never heard of an Anbu being a sensei. But these were problems for another day, and as he happily followed Kakashi back to the orphanage, the Hokage sighed peacefully.

"Minato, your son has the same face you had when you were happy. I hope he'll grow up to love this village as much as you did," the Hokage said, with some mirth, before turning angrily to his feared enemy; paperwork!

And while, perhaps, his last request was too much to hope for, Naruto certainly had nothing bad to say about Konoha. And hopefully, would not have anything bad to say for a while yet.

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Okay, about this chapter. It always feels clunky when you resolve how Naruto gets trained in almost every smart/strong Naruto fanfiction I've ever read, largely because what's in the manga will always feel the most natural, and him getting a sensei early on is about as far off as you can get. However, this is more of a transition chapter, after this I'll be getting to the better stuff, like Naruto's training and development (both socially and mentally). Basically, Naruto is living with Kakashi, who is his new sensei. Yup, that was this entire chapter in ten words. Oh well.

As for review stuff, in the lead so far is…

Naruto/Ino, with Naruto/Hana now in contention

Kakashi will be his sensei until Naruto his 10. Your choice, who will be his sensei after that, Kakashi, or someone else? Go ahead and vote.

Land of Water is in first, though I'm still open to suggestions.

A special callout to two reviewers. Challenger, for all the helpful information and advice. I hope to be able to use those names soon, thanks! Also, a giant thank you to InARealPickle, thanks for all the constructive criticism, ideas, and advice. Know of any good betas, because I'd really rather not use the English names for all the jutsu and stuff. If there are no obvious choices for a Beta, I suppose I'll look jutsu names up online and do my best, sorry for "Water Dragon" this time (though again, this was a transition chapter, so it may be modified later, it was just for progression). Well, expect another update from me in coming days, though I'll be waiting for a bit to get all the reviews and ideas I can before pumping out the next chapter.

~MadDiction