Demon: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.

Lexboss: So, team assignments today?

Demon: Yep.

GoodWriter: So, how's things going with Creeper?

Demon: Well, the project was a success, so hopefully Creeper recovers soon.

Lexboss: What exactly was the project?

Demon: I'd rather not say.

GoodWriter: As long as it keeps him from attacking me, I'm fine with it.

Demon: Right. Well, let's get to the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.

"Talking" – Thinking – Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu – Demon/Summon Thinking

The Orphan Trio, Chapter 9: Team Assignments

The next day and a half passed quickly and smoothly for the group. After leaving the Academy, Toshi, Kurohi, Naruto, and Ami headed directly to the Hokage tower to talk with the Hokage. On their way, they noticed a slight change in the civilians. While the hateful glares towards Naruto were still there, they seemed lessened a bit.

While some would consider this progress for Naruto, the group of four could easily tell the real reason behind it. The civilians knew that Naruto had more power than he used to. One of the laws of the village, created well before Naruto was born, states that if a civilian attacks a ninja of their village for any reason, they are responsible for whatever injury occurs to either them or the ninja. In other words, Naruto could harm any civilian that attacks him and receive no punishment for it. The civilian council tried to exclude Naruto for it, but Sarutobi refused, pointing out that it involves ninjas as well, allowing them to vote on that idea (which they all rejected).

Naruto kept his face neutral, but his friends could tell he was disgusted with these villagers. They couldn't blame him; after all they were disgusted too. However, Kurohi was more open in his show of disgust. He simply threw the finger at them as they kept walking, not saying a word. By the time they made it to the tower, the four managed to calm down enough to not snap at someone.

(page break)

"And, we're all done." Sarutobi said, handing the three identification cards to the new ninjas. Toshi had stood with his arms at his side, a neutral expression on his face. Sarutobi wanted him to pull his hood down, so the Magnet user had nothing but his headband on his head. Kurohi had his arms crossed and sported a smug smirk on his face for his picture. He was asked to remove his bandanna, and he reluctantly agreed, his black spiky hair exposed. His Konoha headband was tied around his left arm, similar to a certain Nara. Naruto had a smile on his face, a true one, as he stood with a kunai in his hand just under his face in the photo. Sarutobi wanted to have Naruto be serious, but figured the blond deserved some kind of reprieve.

Once the cards were handed out, Sarutobi turned to Ami. "So, you wish to live with Naruto and his friends." He said, locking his fingers in front of his face. "Before I allow this, I have to make sure that you aren't going to try to harm Naruto. I know you are aware of his secret, but I need to know that he is safe."

Ami nodded, staring straight at the Hokage. "Naruto and his friends were the only ones nice to me at the Academy. Honestly, if demons act like that, then we need more demons in the world. Naruto is my friend, and I won't harm him." Sarutobi noticed a determined fire in her eyes as she continued. "I may not be a ninja, but I will do anything I can to protect him if some idiot decides to attack him."

The old Hokage nodded before creating a shadow clone to complete his paperwork while he followed the group to the trio's apartment complex. Again, the group noticed a lesser amount of hateful glares, but they knew it was now because the Hokage was with them. This time, Kurohi and Naruto both threw the finger, much to Sarutobi's chagrin.

(page break)

After talking with the landlord, the group quickly packed everything from the trio's old apartment into storage scrolls to move into the four kids' new home. As Toshi guessed, the rent was more overall, but less per person. This showed that the four bedroom apartment was a much better idea than finding Ami a single room.

After setting up the paperwork and Sarutobi left the group, the four kids headed into town to get Ami some clothes and supplies she didn't have at the orphanage. As usual, Naruto, Toshi, and Kurohi henged into random people to avoid being overcharged or thrown out. Luckily, Ami hadn't walked around with the group very often, so the glares were not shown to her. The four first went to a clothing store and the three boys offered to buy Ami whatever she needed.

An hour later, Ami left with a scroll full of clothes that she found. Kurohi started grumbling a bit about spending over 1,000 ryo in that store alone, but the three agreed that it was worth it to make Ami happy. They went into a few more stores, getting some furniture that was not provided in the apartment. After getting everything Ami needed, the group headed back to the apartment to unpack everything and prepare for the future ahead of them.

(page break)

The next day, the four headed to the obstacle course to see the progress and set Ami up for her job. In the time since the course was completed, very few managed to advance far. Currently, there were only two people that managed to reach the second stage, albeit barely. The first was Kakashi Hatake. After his time-out on the Warped Wall, he was hounded constantly by his "eternal rival", Might Guy, for the next year and a half. To, as Kakashi put it, "shut him up", the ex-ANBU completed the first stage and hadn't bothered to start the second stage.

Meanwhile, Guy was excited to see his rival youthful enough to complete the first stage, something he was having trouble with. However, his determination to not be outdone by his "hip" rival led to him managing to beat the first stage about a month ago. However, Guy refused to advance to the second stage until he beat Kakashi's time on the first stage. Kurohi liked it because that meant more time could pass before someone finished the course completely, and Kakashi liked it because he didn't need to continue the course for a while. After all, he managed to finish with about thirty seconds left, surprising the trio at the time.

Ami learned first-hand how much paperwork was involved in the management of the course. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a physical clone jutsu to help her with the massive amount of paperwork. While she wouldn't quit because her friends were her boss, and the pay they agreed to was great for a younger civilian, she wasn't happy with the sheer amount of paperwork involved. When she switched out with another person the trio had hired for night time and got home, her first words to her three friends was a weak "Fuck you guys" before passing out on the couch, not even bothering to go to her room.

(page break)

After setting Ami up at the course, the boys headed back into the shopping district. The reason was Naruto. Since Naruto only had shorts and t-shirts, the group had decided the blonde needed a decent outfit. Naruto was unhappy about this, saying his current clothes would be fine. However, Toshi explained that most of his clothes had a fair amount of orange on them, which meant he would stick out like a sore thumb in the field. Grumbling about being betrayed, Naruto followed his friends into a clothes store. Luckily for them, the shopkeeper was one of the few civilians who liked Naruto. At first, the woman was scared of the boy, but eventually saw the kid for who he really was. Plus, Naruto reminded her of her own son, who was also a bit of a prankster.

It took a couple hours, due to the constant arguments between Naruto and his friends about what he should get, but the blonde finally had a respectable outfit on. Naruto walked out wearing a dark gray short-sleeve shirt and black pants. Over his shirt, the blonde had a long-sleeved black jacket that went to just below his ribcage, leaving the gray shirt exposed at his stomach. The jacket was buttoned only at the neckline with one button strap. He also sported black ninja sandals and black gloves with a metal plate on the back of the hand. Despite his friends' suggestions, Naruto kept a little orange in his outfit. The jacket had orange vertical stripes going down the sleeves, as well as having vertical orange stripes on his pant legs. He also had a burnt orange belt around his waist, but was used as an accessory due to him not needing it for his pants. Naruto paid for his clothes and waved goodbye to the shopkeeper, as did Toshi and Kurohi. The trio made sure to get a few extra sets of Naruto's outfit, just in case they were needed.

(page break)

Currently, the three boys were sitting in their old classroom, waiting for team assignments to begin. Looking around, they noticed a fair number of their classmates had failed, leaving only about half of their class. As usual, Shikamaru was sleeping away, Choji was eating chips, Sai was drawing, Ino and Sakura were arguing over Sasuke, who looked like he was about ready to kill somebody, Kiba was playing with Akamaru, and Shino and Hinata were sitting quietly.

A moment later, the door opened and Iruka walked in. "Good morning, Genin. Today, you will be given your team assignments. You will find out who your teammates are, as well as your Jonin instructor. Now, these teams were decided by the Hokage himself, so don't complain if you don't like your team. Now, let's begin."

Kurohi and Naruto were ignoring the team calls, waiting for their names to be called. Meanwhile, Toshi was paying attention to who was being teamed up. The first five teams all seemed average at best. While it was a bit pessimistic, Toshi had a feeling they wouldn't be able to handle their duties for long.

"Team six will be Sakura Haruno, Sai…" At this, Sai let out a low, emotionless "Fuck", "…and Sasuke Uchiha." At this, both Sasuke and Sai let out an audible "Fuck!" Iruka ignored this and continued. "Your sensei will be Genma Shiranui." The trio snickered a bit at this. Genma was another Jonin they knew fairly well because he competed on the course often. Genma, while he usually wouldn't show it, hated fan girls and was not a fan of Sasuke Uchiha. They had a feeling Genma was going to be pissed when he got here.

Iruka continued his announcements. "Team seven will be comprised of Toshi Jiryo, Kurohi Yami, and Naruto Uzumaki." The trio smirked and high fived each other, happy that they were all together. "Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." The trio smiled again. They had talked with Kakashi before and were happy to learn that he had nothing against Naruto. Not only that, but Kakashi was taught by the Fourth Hokage when he was a Jonin instructor. Toshi and Kurohi felt it was fitting that Naruto be taught by the student of his father.

"Team eight will be Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame." The trio noticed Hinata seemed slightly upset, likely over not being with Naruto, but they knew she would fit with her team well. "Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi." None of the trio knew Kurenai, so they didn't know how their friends were going to like their sensei.

"Team nine is still in circulation, so we'll move on to team ten. Team ten will be Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, and Ino Yamanaka." Ino started complaining about being stuck with the two, or as she called them, "lardo" and "the lazy bum". Shikamaru, still with his head down, muttered "Fucking troublesome." Iruka couldn't help but smirk on that one. Shikamaru rarely cursed, and when he did he was really irritated. "Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." The trio's eyes widened. They figured the Ino-Shika-Cho team would be done again this generation, but to be taught by the son of the Hokage? They really have a lot going for them now.

"Your senseis will be here soon to pick you up. Once again, congratulations on making it this far. Be proud and make Konoha proud." Iruka walked out of the room, only for a few Jonin to appear and receive their teams. After only a few minutes, only teams 6, 7, 8, and 10 were left. Toshi pulled out a book, knowing Kakashi would take a while. Naruto decided to take a nap while Kurohi pulled out a manga and began to read. He wasn't interested in reading educational stuff as much as Toshi. He preferred reading fiction and manga. Right now, he was reading the adventures of a pirate crew being led by a kid wearing a straw hat. 'Pirates with magical abilities. What will they think of next?' Kurohi thought, amused.

(page break)

After half an hour, only teams 6 and 7 were left in the classroom. Toshi noticed that Sasuke was switching between glaring at him and glaring at his team, specifically his female teammate. Sakura was just complaining about how long it's taking for their instructor to show up. Sai was still drawing, not paying attention to his teammates. At that moment, the door opened and a Jonin wearing a bandanna headband and chewing on a senbon walked in. Toshi could see that Genma was hoping his team wasn't who he thought it was. "Team 6, come with me." Seeing Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai stand up, Genma left the room before the six ninjas heard a loud "Fuck me!"

(page break)

Three hours after team assignments, Kakashi finally opened the door and entered. He spent a while at the memorial stone before deciding to head to the academy. While he had been at the building for an hour, he wanted to see how his team would act while waiting so long. He was surprised to see Toshi and Kurohi reading patiently, while Naruto was just sleeping. "Team 7, you're with me. Meet me on the roof." With that, he shunshined to the roof.

Toshi and Kurohi sealed their books up before waking their blond friend. The three walked up to the roof, seeing Kakashi reading an orange book while sitting on the exposed air duct. The three took a seat on the other duct before Kakashi closed his book and addressed them.

"Now, how about we do some introductions. Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future." The Jonin said, looking at his students. Seeing nobody started, he figured they wanted him to start. "Alright, I guess I'll start. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have a few likes and dislikes, but I'd rather not say what they are. I have many hobbies, and as for my dreams, well I never really thought about it."

The trio knew Kakashi was secretive, but that was ridiculous. Naruto, knowing Kakashi the most, decided to enlighten the other two. "His likes are his Icha Icha series, he dislikes traitors and slackers, his main hobbies are reading Icha Icha in public and visiting the Memorial Stone. His dream is to honor his father, Konoha's White Fang." The blond explained before yawning a little.

Toshi decided to take his turn. He knew a bit about Kakashi's history, but not about his habit of visiting the Memorial. "My name is Toshi Jiryo. I like my friends and reading. I dislike those who mistreat my friends or me. I also dislike those who judge me because I was from Iwa. My hobbies include reading and training. My dreams are to be a good ninja, honor my parents, and if possible, see to it a certain person is dead before I retire or die."

Kurohi sighed before taking his turn. "My name is Kurohi Yami. I like my obstacle course and my friends. I dislike those who mistreat us and those who give me shit for being from Kiri. My hobbies include managing the obstacle course I built and reading manga and fiction. My dream is to become a strong ninja and possibly helping to get rid of Yagura so the civil war in Kiri will end." Naruto and Toshi frowned a bit at this. They knew that Kurohi's parents were killed because they had a bloodline, and Kurohi managed to escape before he was killed as well.

Naruto decided to take his turn and get his mind off its current track. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes include ramen, my friends, and those who are kind to me. My dislikes are those who can't see the difference between a prison and the prisoner inside as well as traitors. My hobbies include training and hanging out with my friends, and my dream is to become Hokage and show I am not a monster."

Kakashi nodded before looking at his team. 'I think this team might be able to pass the test this time.' The one-eyed ninja eye smiled as he stood up. "Alright, meet me at training ground 7 at 6 a.m. tomorrow. We'll test you there, so you have the rest of today to relax."

Naruto cut in at this point. "What do you mean test? Didn't we already get tested?" Kakashi nodded before pulling his book. "True, but that was just to see if you had what it took to possibly become Genin. Weeding out the lost causes, if you will." The trio wasn't happy to hear Ami be referred to as a "lost cause".

"Watch it, Kakashi-sensei. Our friend didn't pass, but she's not a lost cause." Naruto said, barely holding in his temper. Kakashi held his hand up defensively. "Relax, I only mean that as in unable to handle being a ninja. That's all." Kakashi walked to the ledge and looked back. "By the way, I'd advise against eating before going to the training ground. Otherwise, you'll throw up and I'd rather not make some Genin clean up vomit from the training ground as a D-rank. 'Kami knows I hated when I had to do that.' See you tomorrow." Kakashi said before using a shunshin to disappear, leaving his team on the roof to consider what to expect tomorrow.

Demon: Phew. Chapter 9, complete.

Lexboss: Things are finally picking up.

GoodWriter: Yeah, finally. It only took 9 chapters.

Demon: Look, it's called set up. I've seen some stories where everything was just skipped and their story was horribly rushed. It ruined the experience for me.

Lexboss: Fair enough.

GoodWriter: Alright, then.

Demon: Good. Remember everyone, read and review!

Lexboss: No flames!

(unknown location)

(Creeper is standing in a small room with a wall in front of him)

Creeper: What's going on here?

(An intercom comes on)

Voice: Do not worry. This is to help you relieve your anxiety and solve your problem.

(Creeper hears a clang before finding a sword drop on the ground from a latch)

Creeper: What's with this?

Voice: You'll find out now. Enjoy yourself!

(The wall rises to the ceiling, revealing 100 clones of GoodWriter)

Clones: What the hell?

Creeper: Awesome! BANZAIIII!