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Ever since the attack of the Kyuubi, Naruto was shunned as 'Konoha's Demon' when he was born with the Kyuubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. Time passed by and he has slowly proven himself as its jailer instead of its incarnate. But despite this, love never truly touched the young jinchuuriki's heart until death came over him.
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A/N: I do not own Naruto, Bleach or any other canonical characters. If I did, I wouldn't be here in FF now would I?
A/N: Here is the next chapter enjoy. Don't really know what to say about this one except that Naruto is a lot cleverer than he seems. Cunning plus ability equals deadly.
Talking
'thinking/flashback'
Kyuubi Talking/Jutsu
'Kyuubi Thinking'
Chapter 15
Cunning and Deadly
Another day has come….
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It was another bright day as dawn had ended revealing morning in the deep blue sky. Naruto had just finished his morning training and was preparing for his team assignment.
"Looks like I'll be needing weapons now."
The young blonde strapped on his kunai holsters on his legs and strapped on his utility belt. He swung both his arms down revealing two string attached kunai hidden in his sleeves for his hands to grasp when the situation needed for it.
"Yosh. Now that I know they work, better rummage through my stuff one last time."
The young blonde looked through his belts and pockets before setting out. He had fifty explosive notes, thirty kunai, twenty senbons and ten soldier pills, five scrolls tagged with special colors, some wires and a brush with a full ink cartridge kept in the end of the brush, two collapsed fuuma shuriken, three smoke bombs, a complete first aid kit, his black notebook, and a set of retractable katars. If they weren't all hidden in his attire, he would look like he was preparing for war. The young blonde then inspected himself in his mirror as he strapped on his headband. He was wearing the same attire as when he took the genin exam two days ago.
Preparing for carnage now are we? As much as I'd like to agree, we don't have any wars coming yet until the Chuunin exams so it really isn't necessary.
Kyuubi said as he chuckled. Naruto just frowned before he set off to Ichiraku Ramen for breakfast. He sat down at his usual seat and ordered his meal. The fragrance of noodles seeped into his nose. He grabbed his chopsticks at the ready as he eyed the ramen hungrily.
"Today is a special day so, Itadakimasu!"
The young blonde then wolfed down his meal. Teuchi was pleased to see his number one customer eat his well prepared food happily. He then questioned the blonde.
"So what's so special today Naruto?"
The young blonde smiled at the old ramen vendor and said,
"Today is the team assignment day oji-san! I can't wait to see who my teammates are and my jounin-sensei!" 'Hopefully it would be Hinata-chan in my team. But then again it could be the same as last time and I would need to go with plan B instead. I just hope that Sarutobi-oji-san isn't completely suspicious of my movements. The last thing I need is his worrying ass on my heels when I need stealth the most.'
Ayame had just walked in with some fresh supplies for the store and greeted the young blonde good morning. But as she traveled to get inside the stand, she noticed the several kunai holsters strapped to his legs and what looks like the silhouette of several scrolls hidden in his white sleeveless hooded jacket. Though Ayame herself was no nin, but after years of service to several shinobi customers, she had a keen eye on what shinobis of every class carried with them and some of their uses. And obviously, the objects that Naruto carried were not of genin class since it looked like he was prepared for a week long journey just without a backpack.
The curious brown haired woman then asked Naruto.
"So why do have so much stuff with you today Naruto? It's not like your going to infiltrate another hidden village for your first mission."
She pointed at the young blonde's belt and strapped legs. Naruto scratched his head and said,
"I have to be prepared for anything. Just because I'm a genin doesn't mean I'm not going to run into any trouble."
The old man took this chance and made a sarcastic remark.
"Well with your juvenile record of pranking, I think it's good to be prepared. At least the mob will think twice before chasing you all over Konoha again."
The trio just laughed until Naruto checked the time and paid for his food as he took his leave.
Along the way to the academy for his big day, he felt a familiar presence just a couple of meters off. He smirked knowing who it was. When he got within range, a badly camouflaged Konohamaru leaped out of hiding and shouted,
"Fight me!"
The brown haired boy took a step and accidentally tripped over his paper painting of the wall he tried to hide in. Naruto just sweatdropped at his performance.
'Not much has changed…wait a second…'
Naruto looked a bit closer from his position and saw the many bruises and bandages that enveloped the boy's body. He knew instantly what Konohamaru had been up to.
"So Konohamaru, have you got the kunai already?"
The young blonde said as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"Konohamaru then quickly got up and said,
"Not yet, but I will boss! Just you wait and see!"
"Good! Well, I'm off. I need to head out to the academy and see who will be my teammates. Ja ne!"
The young blonde replied as he used shunpo to disappear from sight. Konohamaru was shocked and amazed as his eyes turned to saucers and his jaw dropped to the ground.
When Naruto finally reached the academy, he saw Hinata entering the double doors and followed suit. Hinata didn't notice the young blonde behind her until they entered the classroom. Both of them blushed when they saw each other. Naruto was just as embarrassed when he remembered what he just did that night.
"O-ohayo Hinata-chan!"
The young blonde nervously said as he scratched his head and made a weak smile. His blush grew wider at this point. Hinata twiddled her fingers as she nervously replied back,
"O-o-ohayo Naruto-kun."
"So, um Hinata-chan…do you know what we're supposed to do today?"
Hinata blushed as red as a tomato until an angry Sakura and Ino arrived and angrily mowed passed Naruto leaving him on the floor with several foot marks all over.
"Are you ok Naruto-kun?"
Hinata said as she knelt down to the blonde and helped him up. Naruto nervously dusted himself as he smiled and replied,
"I'm fine Hinata-chan. No need to worry. Besides I heal fast so I don't really need to worry about minor stuff like that!"
Naruto nervously laughed trying to regain his composure. As the blonde completely dusted himself off and fixed a bit of his clothing, A certain lazy genius was walking to his seat when he noticed the young blonde in the room.
'What the…I thought he failed the exam? So why is he here? And he's wearing the same clothing when he took the exam except now he has a hitai-ate. Wait a second, he's got so many kunai holsters and I bet that belt is full of other stuff as well. It's not unusual to have two holsters for kunai and a utility belt but to have quadruple holster set on each leg and that many pouches around his waist and back? And to top it all off, he's talking with Hinata…nervously. My intuition was right, something is definitely up. I need to keep a close eye on him.'
Shikamaru then approached the blonde and lazily asked,
"Why are you here? Today's explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated."
Naruto then looked at Shikamaru confidently and pointed at his headband that was partially covered by his bangs of blonde hair.
"Hey can you not see this hitai-ate? Starting today I'm also a shinobi. How should I say this…this looks really good on me, eh?"
The young blonde inwardly smirked while his tenant however was eyeing the lazy genius carefully. Both knew very well that once Shikamaru had his brain racking, it won't be long before he gets to the bottom of Naruto's secrets and that would be hazardous for his health and the health of his friends.
Shikamaru then yawned as he said,
"This is so troublesome."
Shikamaru then left and sat beside his good friend Chouji while Naruto sat one seat away from Sasuke. Hinata on the other hand sat at Naruto's right since she wasn't up to sitting beside him after what just happened last night. The raven haired boy who sat by the window noticed the young blonde who sat one seat away from him and said,
"Ohayo…dobe."
Naruto looked at the brooding Sasuke and smiled.
'At least he's not much of a jerk anymore. It looks like the mission was a success. But maybe I can play a little prank on him once in a while.'
"Ohayo…Sasuke. You know, you never talk to any of the girls or the guys unless you need something. Don't tell me you're falling for me because I'm not interested and you're not my type."
Sasuke was pissed at the sudden profane comment as he glared at the blonde menacingly. Naruto made a foxy grin as he continued,
"Sheesh, can't you get it into your skull? I am not interested in your homo fantasies so stop looking at me like you want to rape me. If you want to play your little homo fantasies with someone, I suggest with Chouji over there. I overheard rumors that the Akamichi clan has jutsus that allow them to grow any body part they wished."
Chouji suddenly lost his appetite as did Sasuke as he blushed faintly with a sick look on his face as he opened the window and released his load from his mouth. Many girls began to glare angrily at the blonde as they approached him with cold blood and fired up eyes of hate. Naruto began to sweat heavily at the sight of the approaching banshees until he got pounded once more even worse than before. Hinata looked worried as she saw the bruised form of Naruto from the heavy pounding he received.
Every other male in the room shuddered at the thought of ever making such an unruly comment in front of Sasuke's fanclub. And while the fangirls were tending to the bruised ego and imagination of the raven haired boy, they began a new battle to see who could sit beside Sasuke. Sakura then managed to fight her way from the other girls and sat beside the brooding raven haired boy. Just in time for Iruka to enter the classroom. Everyone took their seats as they paid attention to Iruka.
"Starting today you are all official ninjas, but…you are all still new genins so it's going to get harder from here."
Naruto sighed.
'You have no idea Iruka-sensei. It's going to be hell. I just hope Hinata-chan can cope with this. I hope that I can save as many people as I can. There will be casualties, but that's a given since it was an invasion nonetheless. Kuso! I just remembered that I have no idea how to defeat the elemental gods and the Akatsuki!"
Iruka saw their bored faces and decided to get straight to the point so that everything can be over and dealt with.
"You will all be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a jounin-sensei."
Hinata perked up at the sound of that as did every other girl. To Hinata it was a chance to be with Naruto for the rest of her career as a shinobi. She blushed red as a tomato at that thought as she buried her head in embarrassment. To the other girls however, it meant being with Sasuke all their life as a shinobi. Ino smirked as she leaned over to get a closer shot at speaking to her pink haired rival in front of her.
"I wonder who's going to be in Sasuke-kun's team."
Sakura gazed her eyes back at her blonde rival and said,
"I don't know."
Naruto looked like he was pretty lazy from the lecture but in the deep recesses of his twenty-four year old mind, he was thinking of various strategies with his soon to be team as he began pairing up people like trading cards in his head.
'Ok, if things will go like before, it's most likely that I'd end up with Sakura and Sasuke. We'd still have the perfect teamwork up despite having a lazy sensei. But if time had changed drastically because of my actions, I might end up with a different team. Shikamaru would be the perfect strategist if he wasn't so damn lazy all the time. Shino has always been the quiet type, but he is excellent when it comes to stealth and reconnaissance. Chouji is the heavy hitter with his power and family jutsus now if only he can train a bit more. If I read him right, Kiba and Akamaru can be a great attacking force and tracking hound as well as enemy discernment unit because of his enhanced senses. When it comes to the girls, Ino has her mind transferring jutsus so it's most likely she would be excellent when it comes to genjutsu. If she just focuses more, she can be a great kunoichi like Sakura was. But most of all, Hinata-chan is what I'm keeping an eye for. Though she's managed to get some self-confidence, she still has a long way to go. She's already strong on her own, so with just a little encouragement, she can be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, I get paired up with her so that we can spend more time together.'
Naruto then sat up straight as he paid attention to Iruka with earnest heed and flaming azure eyes. Shikamaru who was secretly eyeing the blonde noticed the fiery determination suddenly ignite from the blonde. The lazy genius' gaze became sharper at the new reaction of Naruto.
"We've arranged the groups such that the overall abilities are equivalent."
Iruka said as he looked over the list of names. Tension rose as the blonde's gaze sharpened. Hinata, unknowingly clenched her fists noting how tense she was as well.
"I will now announce them."
Everyone except a select few in that room tensed as Iruka carefully looked at the list of genins and began announcing the teams.
Hinata's grip tightened.
'I want to be close to Naruto-kun. I wish we would be on the same team together.'
Shikamaru looked at the young blonde lazily but inwardly he was just as tense.
'Naruto is one enigma. But I still have that gut feeling that he's up to something. If it wasn't so troublesome, I'd personally find out more about him. But oh well. I wonder how the clouds are looking this time.'
Ino was just as tense as Sakura as their thoughts seemed to be unison.
'Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, please be with Sasuke-kun…'
Iruka then finished announcing the members of team six, causing Naruto to tense even further.
"Next, seventh group…"
'Here it comes.'
"Uzumaki Naruto….Haruno Sakura…"
Naruto and Sakura face faulted on their desks when they heard this. Hinata suddenly got a stroke of envy at the pink haired girl.
"And Uchiha Sasuke…"
Sakura suddenly rose up in her seat triumphant causing the rest of the kunoichi in that class to burn with envy. This included Hinata since she wasn't teamed up with her beloved blonde crush.
"Next, eight group…Hyuuga Hinata…Inuzuka Kiba…and Aburame Shino."
Kiba smirked while Shino adjusted his dark glasses. Hinata and Naruto sighed in unison.
"Next, ninth group…"
Shikamaru complained why anyone would want to be with someone like Sasuke while Ino beside him made a remark why he would never be wanted like the brooding Uchiha and how she would not like to be teamed up with him.
"Next, tenth group…Yamanaka Ino…Nara Shikamaru…and Akamichi Chouji."
Ino grabbed her head in disgust at her two teammates to which Shikamaru made a counter remark to the rant of the blonde girl beside him. Iruka then looked at the class and decided to end things.
"That's it for the groups."
Naruto then pulled out his black notebook and began to read as he muttered,
"I can't believe I'm saying this but this is so troublesome."
Shikamaru smirked and for once agreed with the blonde.
"I'll introduce your Jounin-senseis in the afternoon so until then, this meeting is adjourned."
Iruka said to finish the meeting. With that, everyone casually left the building. Along the way, Hinata managed to move along with the crowd and catch up with the overly focused blonde reading a black book as he exited the building without a care in the world. She walked closer and closer until she hesitated to speak at the last minute. The all seeing Naruto, then closed his book and turned around.
"Is anything wrong Hinata-chan?"
Hinata was surprised at first, but she then went a little closer to him while twiddling her fingers reflexively. She managed to keep a steady gaze at his face as she bloomed like the delicate flower she is.
"Ano…Naruto-kun…thanks for the seeds you gave me. They're growing quite fast."
Naruto smiled as he blushed as well.
"No problem Hinata-chan. They must have sprouted by now. I'm sure it's quite a light show. How did your parents take it when they saw your plants?"
"They liked it. It was the most unusual thing they ever saw. They were even more surprised when I told them they were the Konoha Fire Lilies. I guess rare plants can have rare types of growth."
Hinata said as she smiled weakly. Her heart was beating hard as she heard the pulse echo in her mind. She then mustered her courage as she gripped her jacket tightly to say what her heart desired.
"Naruto-kun…w-would y-you l-like to eat lunch with me?"
She was blushing to the point where she was ready to faint. Naruto kept a grip on his ammonium bottle in his left pocket knowing what would happen next. He tried to calm himself down as he put his black notebook away. He knew what he wanted to do. His blooming appearance showed how much he wanted to causing the Hyuuga heiress to perk up in happiness as Naruto began to open his lips, he suddenly stopped as he looked to the side where he saw Kiba and Shino approach. Hinata looked in that direction as well and sighed as she saw her teammates.
"I guess another time Hinata-chan. Maybe when we're finally alone together we can eat lunch. That way it would be a more enjoyable date."
Naruto said as he looked at her lovingly and gave her a charming smile. Hinata turned crimson in embarrassment at the words of her long time crush and his killer expression. It was like one fantasy being fulfilled one after another. While she lowered her head in embarrassment, Naruto waved to the two approaching figures which then waved back. Hinata looked at her two teammates as Kiba smirked while Shino remained expressionless as they stood there.
"Yo! Naruto. What's shakin'? Shouldn't you be with your team?"
"Ahh! I almost forgot! How can I build teamwork if I don't meet up with them?"
Naruto said as he panicked. He then waved them goodbye as he ran looking for his two teammates leaving Hinata to dine with her team. All the while though, a certain black haired boy with a high ponytail that made him look like a pineapple scouted in the distance as he quietly tailed the blonde.
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Naruto had run quite a long way until he managed to find Sakura nearby.
'Still looking for Sasuke eh? Though I don't want to rekindle that old flame, but for team purposes, I might as well eat with her. But this means that I really have to go with plan B since oji-san hasn't exactly noticed. To what extent he knows is still hazy but I can't leave any loose ends. I have to lay low until I can tell him directly before the chuunin exams. That reminds me, what the hell do I do with Byakko's seal breakage? I can already feel my affinity to wind strengthen much more quickly and that's not a good sign. If only I can find a way to directly confront Suzaku then I would be able to understand how to deal with this situation.'
Naruto then approached the pink haired girl and said,
"Sakura-san! How about we eat together since we're on the same team?"
Sakura frowned.
"No way do I want to eat with you. You're annoying."
"Sheesh, fine by me. You know you're acting more like Sasuke everyday with that bitching attitude of yours."
Naruto then took out his sandwhich and his black notebook and walked away as he ate and read. Sakura was rather perplexed by the sudden rant of the young blonde. He had never spoken back before nor acted so coldly and coolly towards her. In fact, he had never acted this way. The way he talked and walked was still somewhat the same yet the aura around him eminated differently. Shikamaru had the same thoughts as he continued tailing the blonde from a distance.
As Naruto walked along, he noticed that he was being tailed. His tenant then smirked as the fiery kitsune said,
How long do you intend to keep him tailing you? He might accidentally discover something and all our plans would be for naught. Let me remind you that using shunpo everytime will draw attention from Soul Society and this world and right now, stealth is of the essence. This is after all, a Kami level mission.
'Don't worry. I can sense Chouji tailing him along with Ino so I know he would end up giving up at the last second. Besides, I can already feel Sasuke's reiatsu and chakra signature. I might not be able to get to talk with him by the time Kakashi-sensei gets here.'
And just like clockwork, Shikamaru's presence began to move in the opposite direction along with Chouji's and Ino's. Naruto continued on his way until he saw the Uchiha sitting in a bench brooding. The young blonde then masked his chakra and reiatsu signature and shunsined just beside the raven haired boy. Sasuke didn't notice a thing until Naruto spoke.
"Yo! So how are you doing teammate?"
Sasuke was so startled that he fell face first on the floor before he regained his composure and glared at the smiling young blonde not noticing the black book in his hand.
'How did he sneak up on me? How did I not notice his presence?'
"I don't know about you, but I'd rather you sit down so that you keep your cool and act like it was just an act from the beginning."
The young blonde said as he urged Sasuke to sit while he put away his black book. Sasuke then sat back down but occasionally glared at the young blonde with a confused expression. Naruto decided to break the ice and said,
"So Sasuke, How have you been doing lately? It must hard to know that your family is the only Uchiha left."
Sasuke mellowed down his glares and gazed straight ahead as he said,
"I'm doing fine. Lately I've been trying my hardest to bring out my Kekkei Genkai for use in both training and battle."
"Oh, I see…I thought that by now you would have been able to bring it out. I guess some things take more time."
Naruto said as he threw the wrapper of his sandwich at the nearby trashcan. Sasuke smirked as a thought entered his mind.
"So tell me Naruto, what have you been up to? Have you been training? Or is that hitai-ate just for show?"
Naruto smiled back as he scratched his head.
"Actually I have been training really hard. I really want to be able to be the Hokage so that I can protect my village and prevent another thing like what happened to your family."
Sasuke made a weak smile at this and said.
"It looks like that's going to be impossible since you're the dobe of the class. Might as well give you a hand so that you can at least touch the Hokage's hat."
Naruto smirked back and made a foxy grin as he said,
"Oh really? I'm honored to have the 'Great Uchiha Sasuke' aid me. Tell you what, when I become Hokage, you can have all the Okamas you want for your harem. If ever you need to rebuild your clan, I'll just donate your sperm to the hospital so that you don't have to touch woman for reproduction. I'm sure Sakura-san would love to give birth to your children and will accept it wholeheartedly. How's that sound Sasugay?"
Sasuke gave Naruto a deathglare as he stood up which caused Naruto to reflexively stand up as well. Sasuke then threw a punch to Naruto's face only for the young blonde to evade by mere millimeters to the right. While still evading the thrown blow, young blonde reflexively grabbed Sasuke's wrist with his right hand and moved back causing the raven haired boy to lose balance. While in one circular motion, Naruto locked his right forearm by grabbing it with his left hand and placing his right elbow underneath the joint of Sasuke's right arm. While still keeping the armlock in place, Naruto then moved forward and with the full weight of his body, lifted him up on his back, then he twisted his body to the right and threw him on the floor causing Sasuke to land back first with his head at the feet of Naruto.
It didn't hurt Sasuke since Naruto let go at the last second so as to not break his arm in the process. The only thing that Naruto hurt was his pride. Naruto then smiled as he said,
"Next time you want to punch me, move closer so that you can protect yourself from being grappled. Even an open hand can be stronger than a clenched fist in the right time."
Sasuke just looked at him dumfounded as he got back up and regained his posture. The raven haired boy was the number one in all the academy's classes both written and practical. He was the rookie of the year and yet this so-called 'dead last' had effortlessly defeated him. Everything seemed like a blur to Sasuke as he experienced the well timed complex reflexes of the young blonde.
Seeing the shocked state of Sasuke, Naruto then continued speaking.
"Anyway, I'd best head off and look for Sakura-san so that we can meet our Jounin-sensei this afternoon. I'll see you back in class. Ja ne!"
Naruto then turned around and walked away as he continued reading his black notebook along the way. Sasuke was still dumbfounded as he saw the retreating form of the young blonde and the insignia on his back. Instinctively, he did the only thing his body would permit him to do, follow Naruto.
As the raven haired boy got closer to the young blonde, a cool breeze carrying leaves swept passed his dark brown eyes. And in that instant, Naruto disappeared from sight without a trace. Sasuke looked everywhere but could see no sign of the young blonde. He had no understanding of the enigma that was his teammate and worst of all, Naruto was better than him. Sasuke ran as quickly as he could towards the direction of the academy as he despaired in his now rattled mind who could be this young boy called his teammate.
Naruto managed to find his other teammate sitting at a bench with an empty bento and canteen. He inwardly smirked as nostalgia filled his heart and mind.
'Here she is. Just like before. I know exactly why she likes Sasuke. But she's Sasuke's girl so I have no complaints. Good luck to him when she becomes a violent banshee like Tsunade-baa-chan. Besides, I have Hinata-chan and she's way sweeter and kinder. I wonder if I can…'
Naruto then made the same entry move he did with Sasuke. She never saw him coming until Naruto spoke up.
"If you're still brooding about Sasuke, then you're more like him than I thought."
Scared would be an understatement as she was frightened out of her wits when she screamed in fright before falling face flat on the ground. Veins started throbbing on her as she gave the young blonde a deathglare that even scared some nearby birds while she clenched her vein throbbing fist to beat him to a pulp with. Without hesitation, she threw her fist which landed on the empty seat Naruto was leaving the poor bench to receive the blow as a small crack appeared on the spot. Naruto of course, had evaded the blow quickly and was behind her. He then whistled as he looked at the small crack on the bench and then replied,
"That is one painful punch. If I hadn't moved, my skull could have been cracked wide open like an egg."
Sakura began blowing on her reddened hand as she tried to shake the pain away. The pink haired banshee then gave Naruto another deathglare as she screamed at him,
"I'LL SCRAMBLE THAT DIPSHIT ASS THAT YOU CALL A HEAD SHANNARO!"
Naruto then pinched his nose as he said,
"Sheesh, your breath stinks more than Kiba's odor with all that trash talk. You know, for a girl whose name means cherry blossom, you act more like the other meaning of your name."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Sakura screeched at the young blonde as she readied her other fist. Naruto made a foxy grin as he said what could be the last sentence of his mortal existence.
"Your name Sakura has two meanings. One is cherry blossom tree, and the other if translated correctly, 'Sa' means 'Sand'. 'Ku' means 'Long Time'. And finally, 'Ra' means 'Demon'. So put together, Sakura means The Sand's Long Time Demon!"
Sakura became exactly that as she gave the second blow to Naruto's face. Naruto flew a couple of feet away before transforming into a log and appearing behind Sakura once again. Naruto then placed his left hand on her shoulder as she regained consciousness from what just happened. Sakura grit her teeth as she turned around to give another blow which Naruto blocked with a wrapped rectangular object that had Sasuke's handwriting on it. Sakura, being Sasuke's number one fangirl, easily recognized the handwriting and stopped midway when she saw it. She didn't bother to ask Naruto how he keeps disappearing and reappearing behind her as she forcefully grabbed the object and read the card on it.
"It says it's from Sasuke…it's for me!"
She blushed as she joyfully ripped the wrappings to shreds and gawked at the 'present' she received from her beloved avenger. She was perplexed at the present in her hands.
'Icha Icha Paradise…What the heck is this? I never knew Sasuke was into this kind of stuff. I knew he read books for training purposes, but for leisure? And this kind of book, I've never seen anything like this. Maybe he wants me to read it. But why? But if it's Sasuke maybe…'
"Did Sasuke tell you to give this to me?"
Sakura asked Naruto innocently. Naruto mentally grinned as did his tenant. The young blonde smiled and said,
"Well if you weren't so busy trying to pound me into the afterlife, I would have given it to you much sooner. I don't understand why he told me to give it to you but he said that he couldn't give it himself. Damn teme…making me his errand boy, who does he think he is? Oh yeah, he said we should meet up back at the classroom now since our Jounin-sensei might already be there. I'll go on ahead, Ja ne!"
Naruto then ran off leaving a bewildered Sakura. It was a perfectly constructed lie since Naruto said it the way only he could have said it with his childlike innocence towards matters of the heart. The contents really didn't matter since Sakura had no idea what it was she was holding but the way Naruto's explanation sounded is exactly the way Sasuke would have done it. she felt a moment of bliss as she held the pornographic book in her arms before opening to the first page and began reading.
Naruto was chuckling in the distance as his tenant made a countdown until Sakura screeched saying,
"HEEEEEEEHHHH?!"
Naruto arrived at the classroom where many were finally seated with Iruka already waiting for the last remaining teams to arrive for the next part of the meeting. As the young blonde sat down, he was grinning from ear to ear in a way that made Iruka sweatdrop. He knew that devious look anywhere and it definitely meant trouble.
Sasuke then came in as he lifelessly sat down in his seat while eyeing the blonde sharply as the aftershock began to take its toll on the Uchiha. Sakura soon came in as well as her face became a light shade of crimson. While she nervously marched to her seat, she kept her gaze away from her other male compatriots and avoided any form of contact with them as much as possible. When she finally sat down, she quickly glanced at Naruto and Sasuke who seemed surprised by her expression. She began to blush further as she inched away from her male teammates. Iruka smacked his face as he mentally said,
'Naruto you baka…what kind of prank did you pull this time? Hopefully, your Jounin-sensei should be able to get that anarchist attitude of yours out the window by the time he's through with you.'
Everyone began to settle down as Iruka cleared his throat.
"Alright, settle down. Your Jounin-senseis are her now and will escort you to your training grounds so teams one to six, please head out of the academy."
Soon the room emptied leaving only the remaining genins for Iruka to deal with as he continued.
"For team seven, Hatake Kakashi will be your sensei you'll have to wait for him since he's currently not here yet…."
Naruto then pulled up his black notebook once again and started reading. Sasuke managed to get over his wounded pride and continued to analyze the blonde as did Shikamaru. Both were curious as to what the blonde was reading and his sudden change in personality. He was still the same loudmouth he once was, yet something was very amiss. Sakura saw noticed the book that Naruto was reading and blushed as she remembered the book she just 'received from Sasuke' as a present.
"For team eight, Yuhi Kurenai will be your sensei."
Kurenai walked in and caused all the boys in that room to blush at her beauty as if she was a goddess to behold while the girls burned with envy.
"Hello everyone. I am team eight's Jounin-sensei. I am very pleased to meet you."
Kiba and Shino walked towards the raven haired beauty while Hinata hesitated as she looked at Naruto one last time before following suit. Kurenai marked this down as she saw the small smile emerge from Naruto before Hinata turned away allowing him to return to his reading.
"Alright team eight. We will meet outside in the training yard in five minutes so let us hurry."
With that, the team exited as Iruka called out the next team who met their Jounin-sensei and left. At this point, Sakura managed to calm herself down after the embarrassing situation she was just in a few minutes ago. Sasuke on the other hand was replaying what just happened awhile ago in his mind when he threw his fist at Naruto. He played over and over again trying to piece together little by little what exactly happened and how it happened. He was baffled and angry that the dobe of the class was capable of such a maneuver with such flawlessness and fluidity. It was as if he had done this before so many times that it was a natural reflex action for him. Sasuke decided to take back his statement that Naruto was a dobe. If he could do that to him so effortlessly, how much more if he was actually serious?
"Next, Team ten. Your Jounin-sensei is Sarutobi Asuma…"
Asuma stepped in and lazily introduced himself.
"Yo! I'm Saru…Just call me Asuma. Anyway, team…ten right? I'll see you outside in the training fields…Yeah, I think that's about it."
Ino face faulted as she exasperated,
"Great. Another lazy bum like Shikamaru over here. What's a girl to do?"
Shikamaru dragged himself from his seat as did Chouji and Ino. But before the lazy genius went to his Jounin-sensei, he managed to take a glimpse at what Naruto was reading. Inwardly, he was shocked at what he saw. The young blonde was reading a book in a foreign language that Shikamaru with his above superior IQ could not recognize. What was it that the blonde was reading? Unfortunately, he couldn't continue his observations as he trugged down the steps and followed his sensei outside.
Naruto then remembered what had happened with Asuma and his death at the hands of Hidan.
'Another mission has been presented. I have to keep Asuma alive. If I can keep what's left of the Sarutobi clan alive, then I can ensure that Konoha will still have many supporters of the Third's laws and the future Godaime's.'
Soon, the only team remaining was Naruto's as Iruka bid them goodbye to attend his other duties. For hours they waited there in that classroom Sakura and Sasuke waited as patiently as they could, but inside they were already irritated at the tardiness of their teacher. Naruto on the other hand was used to this having lived this part of his life before. He waited patiently while reading his black notebook of knowledge and jutsu trying to figure out a possible incantation within the writings and learning new jutsus on the way.
Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and went over to the young blonde and asked,
"Naruto, what is that book you're reading?"
Sakura snapped out of her trance and as if on instinct, noticed the book as well. Naruto then looked up at the curious Uchiha and replied,
"This is the BINGO book. In the bingo book are listed information on the missing nins and their bounty. If we're going to be out on missions, we have to keep an eye out for them."
Sakura then said,
"But we're still genins so there's no point to reading that since we'll never catch them at our current rank."
Naruto then closed his book and looked at his pink haired teammate.
"That's not the only purpose for reading the BINGO book. Aside from catching them, we can also use the info for evading them as well as misinformation during missions if the situation presents it. You never know when they could be right at your doorstep and you wouldn't be able to recognize them."
At first it didn't click in Sasuke's and Sakura's mind until Sakura smacked her forehead in bitter realization at what he meant.
"Since when did you become so clever? What, have you been failing the tests on purpose?"
Sakura asked the young blonde. Naruto shook his head and replied,
"Not really. I have been working hard. If only the teachers actually teach me and helped me, I would have decent grades instead of barely passing. So I had to learn things on my own and that was really hard. And to answer your first question, yes I'm actually smart. But like I said, I needed h-e-l-p to really understand the lessons."
Sasuke smirked at the young blonde's remark. He then eyed the blonde sharply and said,
"Is that so? Then I suppose that grappling technique you used on me earlier when I tried to punch you was self taught."
Sakura still in bewilderment at the remark of Sasuke, danced her gaze between Sasuke and Naruto until she saw Naruto make his infamous roxy grin. It then dawned upon her in another set of bitter realization.
"Yes I taught that myself. I saw a martial arts competition once in Konoha and it was really cool. Then I tried learning the moves they performed during that competition. I did learn some of it, and created some moves of my own. That was one of those moves. That I finally mastered after years of training." 'Though I wasn't lying about the martial arts competition, I did lie about the move being self taught. It's actually a basic hakuda grapple move from the academy. Since it's a physical attack, I don't need to always keep low about my taijutsu skills.'
Sasuke adorned a weak smile on his face at the thought of having a competent partner on his team. Sasuke then said,
"If that's the case, then I want you to fight me now. I won't fall for the same trick again."
Sasuke then took a few steps back and moved into a basic taijutsu stance. Sakura was stirred by the sudden urge of Sasuke while Naruto placed his book back in his jacket and began walking towards Sasuke. Sakura then smirked as she said,
"There's no way you can beat Sasuke, Naruto. You must have tricked him before performing whatever move you used on him. He'll beat your ass down so just forget it."
Without falter, the young blonde continued moving despite the warnings of his pink haired teammate. As the gap between the two combatants shortened, Sasuke clenched his fist as he moved steeper in his stance to defend himself from Naruto. The young blonde on the other hand, walked right past the raven haired boy and took an eraser from the chalkboard and made the same prank on Kakashi like in his past lifetime. Sakura then screeched at Naruto.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Our sensei could come in at any minute."
Sasuke was irritated at the sudden back down of the blonde and Sakura's voice as he told her,
"Shut up. You're annoying."
Sakura then shut her mouth as she was told. But she was surprised at the statement of her long time crush and began to protest.
"But…Sasuke-kun…It's not like our sensei would fall for that. Which reminds me, about the present you gave me…ano…ano…I…"
"Just shut it. I really don't care much about your whines and requests."
Sakura was taken aback by Sasuke's remark. She was rejected in a most painful way. Sakura then sat back down and took out the 'present' she received from Naruto and looked at it blankly. Sasuke noticed the book and blushed as he asked her,
"Where did you get that?"
Sakura looked at her crush and replied,
"Naruto gave it to me. He said it was a present from you. If you want it back then you can have it."
She held up the book to give it to him. Sasuke blushed even further as he turned around and said,
"No you can have it. That book…was…missing from our house for…some time now."
Sasuke was blushing much brighter now as did Sakura. She felt a sudden tug of emotions as many embarrassing thoughts flooded her mind until she realized something which incurred her wrath.
"NARUTO! YOU STOLE SASUKE'S STUFF YOU DAMN BASTARD!"
Naruto made another foxy grin as he said,
"At least you have an idea on Sasuke's likes and dislikes. I just thought that you should best prepare yourself for what dark nature the number one rookie of the year has behind that arrogant face."
Sakura then blushed even brighter at the thought of a naughtier side to Sasuke. Even though she would not admit it, she herself, had thought about the darker and naughtier side of Sasuke and enjoyed thinking about what kind of a devil he could be.
Naruto then sat at the seat closest to the door as he pulled out his black book and began reading again. And in a few minutes, Kakashi arrived. It was a laugh to see such a high ranking Jounin fall for such a simple booby trap….to Naruto at least. Sakura and Sasuke had one thought in common.
'No way! He actually fell for it?'
Kakashi sighed having fallen for the trap. He scanned the room and saw Sakura standing with shock on her face, Sasuke with the same expression as well, and Naruto seated with his nose in the 'BINGO book'. He then picked up the eraser and said,
"How should I say this…My first impression of you guys are…I hate you."
Naruto smirked as he flipped to the next page while Sasuke and Sakura frowned. Kakashi then continued.
"Meet me in the rooftop in five minutes."
With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke was surprised at the new technique of his sensei. Naruto just stood up and said,
"It's called Shunsin. Anyway, we'd better go upstairs now."
The young blonde then walked out of the classroom with his nose in his book. Sasuke and Sakura followed suit. When they reached the top, they saw their sensei leaning on the balcony railing as he just put away an orange book back in his pocket. Both Sakura and Sasuke thought that they saw something familiar about that book. Naruto however knew better because he already knew what it was. Each of them sat in a step in front of their sensei. The white haired Jounin wasted no time and started to speak.
"It's been a while since we last saw each other Naruto and Sasuke. The last time I saw you guys was when Naruto reported that there were people dead in the streets and a couple still alive but in critical condition. And Sasuke rushed to the hospital because he heard that his entire clan was massacred except his parents who were wounded."
Sakura looked at the two boys on her left and right with a shocked expression. Sasuke then replied to Kakashi.
"How can I forget? I still owe Naruto for that time since if he never showed up there, my parents wouldn't have been able to last long enough to make it to the hospital. Actually I'm even more surprised that you're our Jounin-sensei."
Sakura was even more surprised when she heard that as she looked at the blonde savior. Seeing their distracted thoughts, Kakashi then spoke once more.
"Alright…for formality, let's see…Why don't you introduce yourselves."
"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?"
Sakura asked. Kakashi then replied,
"What you like, hate, your dreams, and hobbies. Something like that."
"Hey, why don't you introduce yourself sensei?"
Naruto said as continued reading. Kakashi saw that Naruto wasn't entirely bothered by the situation. He was paying more attention to his reading than what was going on around him. But since the one eyed jounin read his profile, he understood why the young blonde was so bored.
Kakashi then began the introductions for them.
"I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intentions of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream…I have few hobbies."
"So all we found out was his name."
Sakura said to her teammates with a frown on her face.
"Now it's your turn. You first bookworm."
Naruto then closed his notebook as tuck it away in his pocket.
'Ok. This is it. The last thing I need is to blow it with them. I think a little hint now and then shouldn't be so bad. Since they will be next ones I will inform after Hinata-chan.' "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are training, learning new things, being with the people I love who love me back, ramen, and reading. My dislikes are traitors, people who underestimate me, snakes, and the Akatsuki. My hobbies are hunting, sparring and chakra control. My dream is to one day become the greatest Hokage in all of Konoha!"
The young blonde's flaming azure eyes burned brightly as an aura of determination eminated from him. Kakashi was surprised by the boy's strong willed and serious attitude.
'That's strange. I read in the profile he was the one with the lowest scores and was the one of the most carefree shinobi in the entire class. With his kind of background, it wouldn't be a surprise that he would be this determined but to this extent? And what is the Akatsuki? Hmm…I think I better make a recheck if the profile was correct.'
Kakashi then cleared his throat as he said,
"Okay, next."
Sakura then took a deep breath as she shyly then complied.
"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like…well the person I like is…"
She momentarily glances at the brooding raven haired boy next to her.
"And my hobby is…well, my dream is to…"
She then squeals in delight. Kakashi sweatdropped.
'Great. A fangirl. Now, now Kakashi, you can't judge a book by its cover.'
"And what do you hate?"
Kakashi said. Sakura thought about it first before replying,
"Naruto."
Naruto normally would've felt broken by this, but since his heart already belongs to another, he paid no heed. Kakashi placed his chin on his right hand as he began making an assessment of the first two students. He frowned as he mentally said,
'Girls at her age must be more interested in love than shinobi training.'
Kakashi then said as he looked over the brooding Uchiha,
"Last guy."
Sasuke didn't perk up as he continued brooding but complied anyway.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate and there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to…kill a certain man."
Naruto and Kakashi had one thought in unison.
'Just as I thought.'
Though the air tensed when the raven haired boy spoke, Naruto knew he still had his work cut out for him since Sasuke is still brooding over the loss of his clan and the attempted murder of his parents. In order to lighten the mood a little, Kakashi decided to get to the point and have the day over with.
"Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We're going to have a mission starting tomorrow. First were going to do something that we four can do…survival training."
Sakura being the smartest of the group then replied,
"Why are we going to train when it's a mission? We had plenty of training in the academy."
Naruto then looked at his pink haired teammate and said,
"Don't you like that? Just because we had training in the academy doesn't mean we should stop there. Besides, I'd love to be able to train under a jounin and see what kind of moves he could teach us."
Sasuke reluctantly nodded at the thought of training from a competent elite shinobi. Kakashi's visible eye became a u shape as he replied,
"Glad to hear you're in. This is no ordinary training I'm giving you….Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised."
Naruto smirked at this point knowing exactly what his sensei was implying. This did not go unnoticed to Sasuke as he eyed the blonde carefully while Sakura was curiously eyeing the white haired jounin as his face hardened into seriousness.
"Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become genins. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of sixy-six percent."
Naruto sharpened his gaze as Sasuke's eyes widened a little. Sakura frowned at what kind of hell they're going to go through.
"See? You three are surprised!"
Kakashi said as his scare tactic managed to work…at least on the other two. He could see that Naruto wasn't intimidated at the very least making him even more unsure about the profile he was given concerning the young blonde. So Kakashi attempted another scare tactic to the young blonde as he said,
"Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your equipment and meet at five a.m.! Now then meeting over. Oh, yeah and don't eat breakfast you're going to throw up if you do."
Naruto then smiled even wider intimidating the intimidator. Now Kakashi was really suspicious until the blonde pumped his fist in the air and said,
"Ikimasho Kakashi-sensei! I ain't afraid of no stinkin' test so bring it on!"
The tension suddenly dropped from Naruto's battle cry as Sakura began to unclench her fist while Sasuke loosened his grip on his hands. Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly.
'I guess the report was partially true. But he blew away the tension like a gale of wind…a maelstrom…this will be interesting.'
With that, Kakashi shunsined away. Naruto then stood up from his seat and placed his hands in his pockets. He then said to his teammates,
"Well, since we have tomorrow to do everything, how about we spend some time together to build up our teamwork?"
Sasuke stood up and walked away as he exited the balcony through the same door they entered through with Sakura following close behind. Seeing as his team had no intentions of joining him, Naruto then looked over the balcony as he gazed at the beautiful view before him. He then took out from his jacket his GPS as he looked at the several reiatsu signatures that dotted the village. He then began pressing on some buttons as he located certain reiatsu signatures until he found the specific one he was looking for.
"That direction huh? Unfortunately, that's the inside of her house meaning she has no intention of leaving. Especially since her cousin is with her. They're probably sparring so I can't bother with it. What should I do now? I guess I can head back to the library for some research, but then again I can also do some training with the time I have. And lastly, I should observe the terrain we will probably be in for the survival mission. Hmm…"
Naruto said to himself. His tenant who listened throughout the conversations decided to pitch in his suggestion.
Gaki, you know as well as I do that you can create bunshins for that. Besides, you need to practice on the jutsus I taught you during our days in Soul Society. You don't have to do it out here since it would inconvenience our position. But instead, practice in your mindscape were you have unlimited access for the techniques. Unless you can create a Fuzetsu in the real world which I highly doubt since that technique is of god level, then you have no choice.
Naruto nodded in agreement. Until he can figure out a way to bring out his zanpakuto into the physical world, it would mean serious training in his other supplementary powers.
"I guess will have to go with that one. Training first, and resting second."
The young blonde then put away his GPS as he shunsined his way out in a swirl of leaves and wind.
Sasuke was surprised from his hidden position behind the door. Sakura was just as shocked as they saw him perform the move for the third time of the day.
"I knew he was hiding something. Martial arts my ass, he knows a technique that's beyond genin level."
Sasuke said as he clenched his fist. Sakura was even more perplexed of Naruto. Was that really him? The number one most unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja sure lived up to being unpredictable. But a knucklehead, he wasn't.
"Sasuke-kun, I think that he knows more than he's letting on. And what was that device he was holding?"
Sakura asked as she looked to Sasuke for answers to which he shook his head in defeat.
----------o)0(o----------
Naruto managed to reach a familiar ground where he saw Konohamaru climbing the tree in the distance. The brown haired boy tried his hardest to climb the tree but fell every time. Naruto silently chuckled at the determination that Konohamaru showed as Ebisu arrived with some drinks for Konohamaru to have as he rested. Naruto then masked his chakra and reiatsu as he poured chakra to his ears for him to listen in on them.
"To think you would recklessly follow that boy's instructions don't you think it's time to stop this nonsense?"
Ebisu said as he applied some ointment on Konohamaru's bruised arms. Konohamaru then angrily replied,
"No way! Naruto-nii-san gave me a challenge and I'm not going to back down! Besides, there are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage."
Ebisu saw the fire in the boy's eyes. He knew very well that the young lad wasn't going anywhere until he got to where he needed to go. Although he hated to admit it, but he was glad that Konohamaru had met Naruto. After that one encounter, the young master had changed completely and did everything he could to learn so that he can achive his dream. Ebisu smiled as he said,
"Well you're not going to be able to climb up that tree the way you're doing it. If you want to climb the tree, then you jump from branch to branch. The tree is like a staircase where you have to use both your hands and feet. If you can get to the top, I'll teach you another way of climbing it. But I won't teach you that other way if you don't first get there the normal way. Is that understood?"
Konohamaru nodded and began climbing once again. Naruto then walked away as he continued on towards his home. Unfortunately for him, he was being tailed once again.
You seem to have stalkers of your own gaki. At least in the Uchiha's case, it was girls.
Naruto inwardly frowned at the kitsune's remark. True enough, it wasn't a woman who was tailing him, but an enemy disguised as a civilian. Why he was being tailed was a mystery. But whoever this person is wasn't going to let up. Naruto casually roamed the streets with the enemy hot in pursuit.
The young blonde darted in and out of the crowd avoiding being pelted by stones or rotten food by several more aggressive villagers until he managed to get into an empty alleyway. He didn't feel any other presences nearby. Not even ANBU units were here despite their ability to mask their presence. It was just Naruto and the shady individual. The shady individual made his move as he drew a dagger and ran into the alleyway only to see it empty. He searched around him as he moved forward and stabbed the wooden wall hoping to have gotten the blonde only for it to hit just wood.
Suddenly, the shady man felt a sudden jolt of energy at the back of his neck. The man immediately fell to the floor completely paralyzed. Before he could react, he felt the tip of the kunai pierce his neck as a trickle of blood flowed on the cold steel.
"Kanashibari no Jutsu…a pretty useful jutsu for guys like you. Now tell me who sent you and where are your companions and I will make sure that the Konoha prison treats you fairly. Give me the wrong information, and you will die where you lie and we will still find your friends and we will execute them in the most brutal way."
The young blonde coldly stated disguised as an ANBU officer. The man shivered as he felt the cold blade pierce even further.
"Like hell I'd tell you—AHHACK!!!"
The man attempted to scream until Naruto placed his free hand on the man's mouth as he shoved the kunai in between the right shoulder blade of the man and started using the kunai as a lever to lift the man's shoulder blade off his body.
"I'll ask you again. Who sent you and where are your friends? If you value your companion's lives, then tell me quickly before I…"
Naruto then released his free hand's grip and took another kunai as he pointed it up the man's ass.
"Well…you get the point."
The man was too panicked to say anything more and just complied. It turns out that he was just a mere bandit who entered Konoha looking to learn anything he could from the village so that he can peddle his trade along with his gang who were waiting outside one of the walls of Konoha. The reason he was chasing Naruto was because Naruto seemed like the easiest prey for him to pick on. A mistake he learned when several jounins arrived and took the man away for interrogation just after Naruto had pilfered the man of all his things and left without a trace.
Naruto then saw that it was late and headed home where he began to train in his mindscape. He trained hard in all the jutsus he learned from his past life and the ones he learned from his father and Kyuubi. He practiced them over and over again until he could do at least half of them with one-handed seals. It was a difficult task, but he did it nonetheless. With his perfect chakra and reiatsu control, it was a breeze for him.
He returned to the real world where he trained himself in trying to get the balance between chakra and reiatsu. For years he tried hard, but this type of control was much harder since it tended to flow too quickly to either ends of the scale. He then got too frustrated that he stopped to cool down.
"Man it's harder than it looks. I can try another day so I'd best get some rest today."
That he did until dawn woke him up once again. He took a quick shower and prepared himself with the same battle gear as yesterday. He then quickly shunpo'd his way out.
Within a second and a half, he reached the training ground. The midnight blue sky still predominantly colored the azure plane as the cold morning breeze filled the atmosphere with its crisp air. The young blonde saw that he was much earlier than the others so he decided to scout out the land before finally waiting in a nearby tree. He sat in the highest branch where he took out his notebook and began reading once again.
Not too soon, Sakura and Sasuke arrived. Naruto saw them and decided to not to enter the scene yet since he wished to observe their reactions. Sasuke, completely out of character, decided to break the ice.
"Where's Naruto?"
Sakura perked up from her half-asleep state but sighed at what Sasuke was asking of her.
"I don't know. It's not like we live together."
"Sorry about that I was just asking."
Sakura was shocked at what she heard. She cleaned her ears with her pinky finger to which Sasuke just ignored and sat down. Sakura sighed once more in relief knowing that Sasuke hadn't changed. She then sat down beside him as she tried to strike up a conversation with him all in vain.
Naruto decided that it was time to show up as he put away his book and appeared behind them and said,
"So how's the romantic couple doing?"
They were scared out of their skin as Sasuke took out his kunai and got into a defensive position. He then dropped his guard when he realized who it was. Sakura was really pissed at this point as she hollered out to him,
"NARUTO BAKA! STOP SCARING US LIKE THAT! SASUKE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"
Naruto then replied,
"Well, if I was able to get behind you guys without you knowing, then wouldn't that mean that I could have killed you guys instead?"
Sasuke sighed as he put back his kunai and said,
"Unfortunately, he's right. We were too unaware." 'I don't get it! How is he able to keep sneaking up on us? It doesn't make any sense. I couldn't even feel him. I need to know how he does that.'
"Tell me Naruto…"
Sasuke said causing Naruto and Sakura to look at him.
"HOW is it you keep getting BEHIND ME?!"
Naruto smiled deviously as he said,
"Training and practice. And besides, I find it weird that you emphasized behind and me. You're homo tendencies are really creeping me out."
Sakura charged at the blonde recklessly leaving a slight dent in the shape of her fist at the spot were Naruto was when Naruto backed away. He then whistled again as he said,
"You're inhuman strength keeps amazing me, The Sand's Long Time Demon!"
Sasuke then grabbed a hold of Sakura as she attempted to break free while cursing profanities that made even Naruto's tenant chuckle in laughter.
When the three finally calmed down, Naruto then spoke once more,
"If my instincts are right, Kakashi-sensei will be late again so we have some ample time to prepare for whatever test he's going to give us."
Sasuke nodded.
"I agree with Naruto here. So what should we do then?"
Sakura had a brilliant idea and said,
"How about we check our surroundings so we can have a good idea of what's out here."
Naruto then took out a small scroll and said,
"Already did. I was here really early so that I can have a layout of the land. I made a map of the area so we know where we can set potential traps. There weren't any traps by the way so Kakashi wasn't planning any sneak attacks on us in the training grounds. Anyway this allows us to plan out and coordinate much easier since we have an idea on what we will be up against out here in this survival test."
Once again, they marveled at the strategic mind that Naruto displayed before them. It was as if he had done this before causing a change in view of the young blonde before them. Sasuke then decided to speak.
"Since that's done, we need to check our arsenals."
Sakura complied as she showed her gear. She had several kunai and shuriken, some rations, a first aid kit, some extra clothing, and a mirror and comb. Sasuke then took out his stuff and had more battle ready equipment as he had five exploding tags, a few shurikens and kunai, three fuuma shuriken, some wire, rations, extra clothing and a first aid kit. Sakura praised Sasuke for being so battle ready. Both the cherry blossom and the raven haired boy looked at Naruto who was looking nervous. Sasuke smirked and said,
"You forgot to bring your stuff huh? I bet that bag is full of the ramen you love eating so much."
Naruto then sighed as he unloaded his bag and the gear from his jacket and pockets. His two other teammates were jawdropped at what the blonde unloaded.
He had one hundred explosive notes, fifty kunai and shuriken each, thirty-five senbons and fifteen soldier pills, ten scrolls tagged with special colors, some wires and a brush with a full ink cartridge kept in the end of the brush, three collapsed fuuma shuriken, twelve smoke bombs, a complete first aid kit with extra needles, bandages and disinfectant, his black notebook and a set of retractable katars, kusari-gama, a pair of knives, some rations and five flash bombs.
Sakura was the first to react and said,
"THIS IS SURVIVAL TRAINING NOT A WAR!"
Sasuke just swallowed hard at the amount of arsenal the blonde carried. With all that gear, he didn't even have space for extra clothing. Naruto then sheepishly replied,
"Well better to be over prepared than under prepared."
Sakura, irritated to no end, asked of Naruto.
"And where in the world did you get all that stuff? I feel like I'm looking at a traveling weapons merchant. I don't even recognize some of the stuff here!"
Sakura said pointing at the katars and flash grenades. Naruto then replied.
"Those, my pink haired friend, are katars. They're arm mounted blades that you place on your forearms. The mechanism allows the blade to come out and retract when the person activates it. And the other thing you were pointing at is called flash grenades. They can temporarily blind your opponent allowing you to escape. They're loud, but effective. And if you wanted to know where I got them, I've been scavenging them all around Konoha since I didn't have enough money to buy my own set."
Sasuke reluctantly nodded not knowing what to say as did Sakura. They then packed up their equipment and began planning until morning broke the dim skyline. They were still amazed the young blonde that was their teammate. Though he still had his very Naruto-like tendencies, it was as if they were looking at a completely different person. Only two words could describe the young blonde…cunning and deadly.
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That is it! I don't like to make cliffhangers but the bell test will be in the next chapter. Anyway, I've decided to go with the old team since it makes things a lot easier for me to work with than a completely different team up. I did think about Hinata being in the team, but then their relationship could be easily discovered rather early so I made sure they don't end up in the same team together. But it makes things much harder for both of them creating that much needed tension. Till the next update, Ja ne!
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Fuzetsu(Time-stop)- a technique solely for stopping time in the real world. It is a god level technique since it can momentarily stop time in a huge area. The size of the area is directly proportional to the amount of energy needed for its output.
Kanashibari no Jutsu(Temporary Paralysis Technique)- an ANBU level technique used to temporarily cut off the nervous system of the intended target. This technique is usually used by ANBU to interrogate the victims.