Hello everyone! This is Fanatick! Thank you for reading my story! Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that my updates are now going to come a long time after each other, because I will be trying to write really, REALLY, long chapters. I hope you understand. Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to my BETA READER, Biohazard938! I really appreciate their help in getting these chapters ready for release! Anyways, on to the story!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY COMPUTER, MY BOOKS, AND MY MUSIC! (I KNOW, SAD (CRIES))

Finally, A Ninja!

Naruto woke up in the hospital once more, remembering the events that had occurred recently. He was wondering if he would FINALLY get to leave the hospital. He HATED hospitals, and he wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. The door to his ward slowly opened, and Naruto sat up, hopeful. However, when he saw that it was the Hokage, his face fell. He sighed. "Jii-chan, what is it now?"

The Hokage looked serious. "Naruto," he began, "You are now well enough to leave the hospital. Because of that, I must request that you accompany me when you leave." "But why?", said Naruto. 'What did I do this time?', he thought. Sarutobi, as though reading his thoughts, said, "Don't worry Naruto, you're not in any trouble. We simply have to ask you a few questions."

Naruto then relaxed. "Okay, jii-chan.", he said. Sarutobi was in thought, and after a while, he said, "You know what, Naruto? I think that it would be better for us to meet at your ceremony. You're going there anyways, and I don't want to make you go out of your way. Anyways, go there, and I will escort you to a secret place that I have arranged." Naruto was confused by this initially, but then said, "Hai, jii-chan!"

The Hokage frowned momentarily, then smiled. He said, "I'll see you there, Naruto!", he called over his shoulder as he was leaving. 'That boy,'he thought, 'Minato, he looks just like you. And Kushina. . . . . . you definitely live on through him. His personality is just like yours.' He sighed. 'If only you could have been here for him. . . . . but sadly, you're not. Just at the time when you needed him most.' The Hokage was out of the hospital now, and he looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day out, and he smiled as he said, "But then, you two sacrificed yourselves for him, didn't you? I suppose that's the ultimate show of parental love." He then walked away, back to his office.

1 hour later. . . . . . .

Naruto stood at the desk impatiently, waiting for the receptionist to clear his release from the hospital. He was tapping his foot, and scowling. But inside, he was very happy. 'Yes! Finally out!',he thought. His mind turned to more pressing matters. 'Well, I have a lot to do, too. I have to go to the Academy today for the Rookie Of The Year ceremony, and I have to. . . . talk to Hinata. I'd better talk to her before the ceremony. I won't have much time afterwards, since the ceremony will continue till late.' He was brought back to the real world by the sound of the receptionist stamping his release papers, which she then handed to him. "Alright, young man, you're free to go.", she said.

As soon as he heard those words, Naruto rushed out of the hospital door, and ran down the street. He headed for his home, ignoring the dirty looks on the way. However, he noticed that there weren't as many as before. Now, it seemed like some of the villagers accepted him for who he was, and trusted him. He happily sped up, and rushed home, so that he could be ready. When he reached his home, however, he relaxed, and walked inside normally. He decided that he would rest for a bit, and then he would get ready for the ceremony later on. He yawned, and went to his bed, and then went to sleep.

An hour later. . . . . . .

Naruto woke up, sweating. 'That was some dream.', he thought. He remembered the dream, and he thought about it as he lay on the bed in his room:

Naruto's Dream

Naruto was standing in water up to his ankles. He curiously looked around, and lifted a foot cautiously. He put it back down, and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in what appeared to be a dark, dank corridor. The walls glistened with the dirty water that ran through the corridor, and there were several doors in the walls. Wondering what this place could be, he walked forward, looking everywhere, when suddenly, his eyes fell upon a door unlike the others.

The door had ornate carvings on it, in various loops and swirls. Naruto felt a sense of foreboding and danger: he couldn't explain it. What could be in there?, he wondered. Well, I'll find out when I open this door. But. . . I don't know. It might be something bad.`He swallowed nervously, contemplating the door in front of him. He then made his decision.

He pushed at the door. It was so big that it didn't move at first, but it gradually started moving, and finally opened just wide enough for Naruto to squeeze through. He did so, and when he was on the other side, his eyes widened in shock as soon as he looked up.

There, in front of him, was a cage. But that wasn't why he was shocked. Inside the cage was a giant animal. A canine, of some kind. Now that he thought about it, it looked. . . . like a fox.

But it was like no fox Naruto had ever seen. Not that he had seen many. He wasn't much of an animal person. It wouldn't have mattered, anyway. THIS fox was an. . . . orange-red colour, with white eyes which had red slits in them, and it gave off an evil presence.

Naruto stared at the beast. "Who ARE you? Actually, WHAT are you?", he said loudly. The fox, if that was what it was, reared back his head, and laughed loudly. (Author's note: "This is Kyuubi speaking".) "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"The fox, who was convulsed with laughter, stopped laughing and looked at Naruto. "You little squirt! You dare ask who I am? HOHOHOHOHO! I'm only the Kyuubi, the most powerful bijuu in the world!"

"Okay, okay!," said Naruto. "Stop being so sarcastic! What the heck are you doing in my head?" The Kyuubi didn't know how to answer this question. (Author's note: 'This is Kyuubi thinking') 'Well, he is going to have to learn about his parentage sooner or later,' thought Kyuubi. 'But not now. He's far too young. Maybe when he gets older. But definitely not before he's at least 15.'

The Kyuubi sighed, and in response to Naruto's question said, "I'm sorry, Naruto, I can't answer that question yet. But, I will tell you that in the forest, it was my chakra that you were using." Naruto`s eyes widened even further. "Wait, YOUR chakra?", he said. A look of understanding dawned on his face.

"Oh!", said Naruto. "I was wondering where that red chakra came from all this time. And it was yours?", he asked. The Kyuubi proudly said, "Yup! That red chakra was mine. Anyways, you'd better wake up now. You have 2 hours to get ready for the ceremony this evening. You also want to talk to that girl, don't you?"Naruto blushed. The Kyuubi broke into a wide grin, "I knew it! Go on, go on,", he said. "You need to get ready!" Naruto left his own mind, and the Kyuubi was left with his thoughts.

`That boy is the cause of my salvation. I now see things clearly.` He laughed. `Minato, you bastard. You made me curse you and bless you at the same time. You sealed me inside this boy, imprisoning me, but you also made the scales fall from my eyes. I am no longer the beast I once was. I now have reason, thanks to you. I still need to repay you, though. I will repay you by watching over your son. I promise that I will make sure that he comes to no harm.`

In the real world in the present. . . . . .

Naruto yawned, and sat up. He decided that he would think about what the Kyuubi said. Meanwhile, he decided, he was going to have a shower and get ready for the ceremony tonight. He got out of bed, had a quick snack (Ramen, of course), and then went for a bath.

After the bath, what seems like 10 minutes later

Naruto got out of the washroom, and went to his room to change. He came out, got ready to leave, and then walked out the front door, leaving it closed behind him. He skipped along in a jolly manner, happily contemplating the ceremony. . . . . . . . . .

At the ceremony, 06:30 P.M.

Naruto arrived at the ceremony early. The ceremony would not start until 07:00 P.M., but he wanted to get ready. He was extremely nervous. He hoped that being there early would help him to calm his nerves. 'Okay,' he thought. 'Okay, I can do this! I'm just here for the ceremony. There's nothing to be worried about. It's just a ceremony. . . . . . . ah, what the heck! I'm so nervous! I hope. . . yeah, it'll be fine.'He relaxed. 'Just don't think about the people who will be watching. Don't think about them. Just. . . just think of. . . . the congratulations from my friends after the ceremony. Yeah..' Upon thinking this, he blushed, and was startled when he heard a voice. "Ah, Naruto, here early?" Naruto, frozen, slowly turned around, only to see the Hokage standing behind him with a wide smirk on his face. Naruto nervously said, "I was trying to think of what I would do at the ceremony. I mean, I've never been up in front of so many people before. What am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to say? I just don't know!"

Sarutobi listened to Naruto with a growing look of sadness in his eyes. 'This poor boy has been all alone from the beginning. He has no idea what it's like to be socially active. Everyone has shunned him for years.'Sarutobi sighed, and said, "Naruto, when you get up there, say whatever you like. Just. . . just don't embarrass yourself. You'll know what to do when you're up there." Naruto just stood there, looking confused, "That's it, jii-chan? Just say whatever I like?" Sarutobi said, "Well, no, not ANYTHING. You can't insult someone, for instance, and you can't just get all excited like you usually do. You need to be. . . . calm." Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Um, jii-chan, I'm not exactly good at being calm. In fact, I'm rather good at being exactly the opposite." Sarutobi shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry, Naruto. This is something you'll have to work out on your own." Sarutobi checked the time, and said, "Oh dear! Quick, quick, Naruto, go backstage! The ceremony starts in 10 minutes, and we need to be ready!"

10 minutes later. . . . . . . . .

Backstage, Naruto was fidgeting, even though he knew what he had to do. `Okay, Naruto, calm down. You just have to go out there, accept the award, then go backstage, change into regular clothes, and go downstairs. But, everyone will be watching! Does that mean I will have to say something?'Naruto, who was nervously fidgeting, came to attention when he heard Sarutobi's voice like a foghorn. "Many times in the past, we have had a Rookie Of The Year. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here at Konoha's Ninja Academy, we award the students with the highest achievement a title. This title is Konoha's Rookie Of The Year! It is hard to choose any one person, from all, it was the talented young prospective ninja who go through our Academy."

Sarutobi continued to speak. "This year, it was exceptionally hard, as we had so many talented young ninja! However, after a certain incident occurred, I, along with the teachers of the Academy, made a decision! This year, our Rookie Of The Year is a young boy, who risked his life to protect his friend from a rogue ninja of his village!" At this, murmurs sprang up among the crowd, as they wondered who it could be. Sarutobi smiled as he lifted the trophy from it's podium. Naruto's friends looked excited. Lee pumped his fist in the air, Neji and Hinata were smiling; Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and the other girls looked excited; and the rest of the boys, Kiba, Shino, Sasuke and the others had happy expressions on their faces, or in the case of Sasuke, a bored happy expression.

Sarutobi announced, "I am proud to announce this year's winner. . . . . . . Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto stepped onto the stage, amid shouts of approval, jubilation, excitement, and a few cries of disparagement. He walked up to the podium, shook hands with him, and nervously stood at the podium, trying to think of what to say. Below him, everyone looked up at him expectantly, some in an encouraging way, others looking at him with hate, daring him to make a mistake mistake.

Naruto nervously cleared his throat, and spoke "I. . . . okay, I don't have any eloquent speech prepared. I'm not the type of person who can discourse about things effortlessly and fluently. But I'll do my best." He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then began in earnest. "I am very grateful for this award. But I NEVER would have been able to do this without the help of my friends and teachers. They taught me everything I know, and they are the reason I stand here today. I will never forget everything that they have done for me, and I appreciate them very much. To my teachers at the Academy, who helped me when I didn't know what to do, thank you so much! Your help was what allowed me to graduate, and what allowed me to defend myself. To my friends, thank you for supporting me when no one else would. You helped me to stand on my feet again. So, once again, thank you to all of you! I really appreciate what you have done for me!" After he finished, everyone stood up, and gave him a standing ovation. Naruto, who was very touched by this, started to cry with tears of joy, and he proudly held his prize high in the air, waving it around. He left the stage, and everyone cheered for him.

After the ceremony, outside the hall. . . . . . . . . . .

Naruto was relaxing by the pond outside of the hall. He was still trying to take in the fact that he had been named Rookie Of The Year, when he heard someone approaching him. He saw Sarutobi, and he moved, so that Sarutobi could sit down comfortably. "Ah, thank you, Naruto. I appreciate what you do for an old man." Sarutobi sat down, then turned to Naruto, and started grilling him. "Alright, Naruto, you know what I want you to tell me. Tell me what happened in the forest." Naruto looked irresolute, but he decided to tell the old man what had happened.

"Well," began Naruto, with Sarutobi listening intently, "I was. . . running away from some people who were chasing me, b. ." Sarutobi interrupted, and asked "Why were you running? Why were they chasing you?" Naruto, who looked sad, said, "I don't know. They were calling me names, like 'demon' and 'brat'." Sarutobi looked shocked upon hearing this, and said,"What? Naruto, how long has this been going on for? Why didn't you tell me, or some other responsible adult? We could have prevented this from happening!" Naruto looked down at the ground, and said, "Well, jii-chan, I didn't want to tell anyone, because I thought. . . . I thought that nobody would help me!" Naruto looked almost. . . ashamed. "I'm sorry, jii-chan. It was just. . . so many people were angry with me, I thought it would be useless to tell other people!"

Sarutobi shook his head. "Naruto, why would you think that? You know that I and my ninja can help you, right? We would NEVER abandon you! If you had told us, we could have helped you!" Sarutobi noticed that Naruto looked crestfallen, and so, he said, "Besides, you saw what happened right now. When you came up to talk, everyone looked at you. I'll admit, some of them still have a problem trusting you, but most of them are on your side now. And you will always have your friends, as you yourself said." Naruto was trying to prevent himself from crying, but he failed, and so, he just cried and cried and cried.

Sarutobi managed to calm him down, and said, "Naruto, please, calm down. I know this is hard for you, but please, just tell me what happened." Naruto nodded, sniffling, and said, "Well, that man, Hyuuga Karela. . he saved me from the crowd by dragging me into the forest. He told me that YOU had ordered him to take me somewhere. Well, when he started taking me in the direction of the Hyuuga compound, I became suspicious. I mean, why would you want me taken there? So that they could watch me? Well, anyway, I was suspicious by that point, he said that we should take a rest. I thought that a rest would help me, as I could prepare a plan when I was relaxed, so I agreed, and went to sleep. About 15 minutes later, Hinata came. She wondered what was going on, so, she tried to wake me up. That's when the trouble started."

Naruto gulped. "The man who I was with, Hyuuga Karela, woke up right then. He saw Hinata, and he. . attacked her. I woke up right then. I saw that he had hit Hinata with a Jyuuken strike, and then, I. . I just felt. . . really angry. I don't know how, but this. . . . power. . . rose inside me. I felt it surge through me. It. . . . didn't feel like my regular chakra. It felt more. . . . malevolent. Like it belonged to something evil." Upon hearing these words, the Hokage immediately became serious. 'The Nine-Tails!', he thought. 'He unleashed it? No. He said that he only felt power surging through him. So, he presumably didn't release it. But, he tapped into it's power. Has it influenced him? It doesn't seem so, and yet. . . . . ' Sarutobi felt uneasy. He said, "Naruto. . . . would you mind coming to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up? In light of what has happened recently, I believe you need a more thorough examination." He saw that Naruto was starting to protest, and said, "Wait, wait! You will just have to stay there for an hour or two, and then you can leave. Is that okay with you?"

Naruto looked suspicious, but after some thought, he agreed. "Well. . . . okay. Fine. I'll go." He frowned, and asked, "Are you sure that it will only be up to two hours?" Sarutobi said, "Yes, Naruto." Naruto's face went back to it's usual carefree and happy expression, and he stood up with the Hokage. "Well, Naruto, I have to leave now. I'll see you at the hospital tomorrow then! How about. . . . 10:00 A.M.?", said Sarutobi. "That's fine.", said Naruto. Sarutobi then remembered something, and mentally hit himself. `Of course! I forgot. . . . . . . tomorrow is the day when they get out in squads! I can't make him miss that! But. . . . . there's no other time slot free at the hospital` He sighed. `Naruto, I'm sorry, but we can't do it tomorrow. We'll have to fix up some other time. You're going to be put in your squads tomorrow. It would be unfair of me to make you miss that." Naruto looked thrilled. `Yes!`, he thought. `I won't have to go to the hospital after all!`Sarutobi stood up, and said, `Well, Naruto, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight, then!`Naruto said, "Goodnight!", and left.

Naruto was walking home, and felt even more uneasy than when he had talked to Sarutobi. `I will have to talk to Hinata, and soon.`, he thought. `But I don't know when. And what should I say, anyway? What are you are supposed to say to someone after they say "I love you.", anyway?` He sighed. `Aaagh. . . . what am I going to do?` He had reached his home by now. He crawled into his bed, and went to sleep straight away.

The next morning. . . . . .

Naruto woke up. He felt relaxed, and was worried about nothing. That is, until he remembered that he had to talk to Hinata. He groaned. `What am I going to do?`, he thought. He got out of bed, and went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He then got some breakfast out of his fridge: old milk and bread. After he finished eating, he changed into his ninja outfit, and was about to head out, when he remembered something. 'That's right!', he thought. 'It's the day after the ceremony! We get into our squads today! What's the time?' He looked at his clock, and saw that it was 7:20. His eyes widened, and he flew out the door, slamming it behind him. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it!', he thought. 'It's already 7:20! We were supposed to meet at 7:25! Darn it!' He rushed to the Academy, and arrived, sweating and panting. As soon as he walked through the door, he was overwhelmed by the sight and sound.

Inside, he saw that a voluminous amount of people had gathered. He saw all of his friends there. They were clustered in groups. He walked up to the nearest group, and was delighted to see that Neji, Lee, Tenten, and most importantly, Hinata, were all there. "Hello!", he said. He was greeted with a chorus of "Hello!"s. Neji sighed, and began to speak. "Well, everyone, I'd better get going. My team and my sensei will be waiting for me. We were a year ahead of you at the Academy, remember?" He walked off, and everyone said, "Bye!".

Ino then asked, "Well, what are we going to do now? We'll be leaving to be put in our squads pretty soon." Everyone sighed. Right then, they heard Sarutobi's booming voice.

"Good morning, my friends!", he shouted, as every child and parent looked up at him. "Today is a very special day. . . . . it is the day where you can start calling yourself ninja!" Everyone cheered, and he went on, "You will now be put in squadrons. Cherish the people you are put with, as you will be spending most of your ninja career with them! You will get to know them, and in time, you will learn to fight as one! I hope that you will enjoy your new life as the defenders of this village. . . . . . . . Konoha's new ninja!" Everyone cheered, as they were lead away by their Jonin sensei's, whom Sarutobi assigned. (AN: The assigned squads will be the same as in the manga).

"The first squad is. . . . . . . Squad 10! Will Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru make their way to the stage please!", shouted Sarutobi. Ino excitedly leapt on to the stage, thinking, 'No! I'm not with Sasuke-kun! I just had to be put with the fatso and the lazybones of the class!'Shikamaru lazily walked up to the stage, while thinking, 'What a bore. This is so troublesome. Choji, I'm fine with, But Ino: I positively swear that she's a banshee! She yells so much! Why did it have to be her of all people?' Choji slowly ambled up to the stage, and thought, 'Yes! Shikamaru! Ino is probably going to be hard though! I mean, she screamed so much in class! (Sigh) (Munch) (Munch)'

"Alright!", shouted the Hokage. "Your Jonin sensei is. . . . . . . . . . . Sarutobi Asuma!" A man with short black spiked hair, a typical Jonin outfit, and a white sash with the kanji for "fire" marked on it. "Alright, old man," he said. "I'll take it from here." Turning to his students, he said, "I want you to meet me at the park in about. . . . . . . .5 minutes. I'll expect you there. Don't be late." With that, he leapt off the stage, and jumped away from the area through the trees. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, who were slightly stunned by the man's entrance and exit, walked off the stage, headed for the park.

Sarutobi then cleared his throat, which made everyone look at him. "Alright!", he said. "The next squad will be Squad 8! Will Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata please make their way to the stage!" Kiba rushed up to the stage, and stood there, looking around wildly, in a feral manner. He was wearing a brown shirt and shorts, with very short spiky, black, hair. Shino, unlike Kiba, calmly and coolly walked up to the stage, standing there looking mysterious, in his own quiet manner. He wore a long greenish-brown overcoat, with a hood that nearly obscured his face, black glasses that covered his eyes, and black hair that was almost as spiky as Kiba's. Hinata was the last on to the stage. She was very timid and shy, didn't speak at all, and stood there silently, eyes wide, looking around the crowd. She had dark blue hair, cut short, in a duck-tail, and she was wearing a beige fur jacket, with a fire symbol on one side and the symbol of the Hyuga's on the other side. She caught her father's eye, and cowered slightly, expecting his eyes to be harsh and unforgiving. However, when she looked at him, he was smiling at her, in a gentle way. She was shocked by this at first, but then, she smiled at him in return.

She stopped and turned to face the Hokage when he cleared his throat, loudly, as everyone else did. "Attention everyone! Now that you are here on the stage, I will tell you who is going to be your Jonin sensei. Your sensei will be. . . . . . ." They all looked at him in anticipation. "Yuhi Kurenai!" A woman with long, dark hair and red eyes and pale skin, who was wearing a white wraparound, with black stripes and a red bottom, walked onto the stage. "Okay, guys.", she said, "Follow me." She walked off the stage, and Hinata, Kiba, and Shino followed her.

"Alright!", shouted the Hokage. "The next squad will be. . . . . . Squad 7! Would Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke please make their way to the stage!" Upon hearing the name of the last member, most of the female genin in the crowd groaned. Many of them turned their eyes to Sakura, and were staring daggers at her while she walked up to the stage. Sakura tried not to smirk, but she wasn't able to hold it all in. She smiled, but inside, she was thinking, 'YES! I'm on a team with Sasuke-kun! Ha! Take that, Ino-Baka! Oh, and Naruto. Who cares about him, anyway? I'm with Sasuke! YIPPEE!' Sasuke walked up to the stage silently, as cool as ever. Naruto, strangely, did the same thing. Not saying anything, he made his way to the stage. Those who knew him were shocked. Teuchi thought, 'He's on a team with the girl he had a crush on throughout his years at the Academy, and he does nothing? He's not happy at all! Did something happen to him?' Naruto, who exuded a gloomy air instead of his normally bright and cheerful self, stood on the stage, gloomily taking the scene in. Sarutobi interrupted his thoughts by shouting, "Okay, now that everyone's here, I'll announce your Jonin sensei!" He paused. "Your sensei will be. . . . . . . .Hatake Kakashi!" A man with long, spiky silver hair, who was wearing a regular Jonin outfit, with a mask covering the lower half of his face, and his headband slanted so that it covered his left eye, jumped onto the stage. He said to Naruto and the others, "Okay. Follow me. We're going to be talking for a bit." He led them away from the stadium, as Naruto saw the Hokage calling the names of the next squad. He walked without really knowing where he was going, and when they arrived at their destination, a balcony on a building, he was surprised.

Kakashi sat down on one of the green benches, and said, "Right. First, we're going to get to know each other. I'll start, so that you can have an example of what you have to do." He stopped momentarily, then said, "My name is Hatake Kakashi, as you already know. I. . . really don't want to tell you what my likes and dislikes are.I don't really know about my dreams for the future. And. . . yeah I have lots of hobbies." He then said, "Well, you see, you say that. First, your name (obviously), then, your likes and dislikes, your dream for the future, and finally, your hobbies. Okay, who wants to go first?" He spotted the lethargic-looking Sasuke, and said, "Alright. You, in the black. Since you look so enthusiastic, let's have it." Sasuke sighed, still looking cool, and said, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike lots of things, but I don't really have any likes. I don't really have a dream: I have an ambition." He paused, and said, "My ambition is to resurrect my clan, and. . . . . . . to kill. . . . . a certain person." Sakura looked impressed with this, almost thrilled, while Naruto pouted. Kakashi then turned to Sakura. "Alright, Sakura, your turn." Sakura, who had been staring at Sasuke dreamily, gave a start, turned around, and said, "R-right, sensei. My name is Haruno Sakura. The person. . . I-I mean thing," she said hastily, "I like is . . . . well, nothing. My dream for the future is. . . ahh, nothing. As for hobbies. . . I-I don't know. " Kakashi looked at her for a while, wearing a bored expression that plainly said, "Of course." He then turned to Naruto, and asked him "Okay, you're last. Go ahead." Naruto, who was lively and vivacious as usual, said, "Alright! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen, but I LOVE the ramen that Iruka-sensei buys for me from Ichiraku's! I dislike waiting for the ramen to cook. My dream for the future. . . . IS TO SURPASS THE HOKAGE AND BECOME THE NEXT HOKAGE, SO THAT THE VILLAGE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE MY EXISTENCE! My hobbies. . . . . . well, I guess that they'd be pranks."

Kakashi thought, 'Quite an interesting group we have here. A genius, a loudmouth, and an enthusiast. Well let's see what I can make of this team'To his team, he said, "Well, everyone, now that we're introduced, you can go back to your homes. We will meet in Training Ground 7 tomorrow, and then. . . . .we'll see what you're made of." Sakura gulped, while Naruto looked excited, and Sasuke just looked as bored as ever. Kakashi left, jumping away, and Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke split up, each headed home.

Naruto headed home, thinking, This has been an exciting day. I bet things are going to get even more exciting tomorrow! Oh yeah, Kakashi sensei said not to eat anything for breakfast tomorrow when he left. Oh well. I guess I starve in the morning.' He had reached his home. He went inside, and after having milk and cookies and brushing his teeth, he went to sleep. He anticipated tomorrow with eagerness.

Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading this! I hope you liked it! Anyways, I hope you like the story. I am trying to stay as true as I can to the story, while still maintaining the element of "fan" in it, since this is a fanfiction, after all! Please read and review, and I hope you have a good day! Oh, before I forget. . . . . . HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I swear that the next chapter WILL be uploaded in at most two weeks from this one. I hope you like Naruto's growth, too. Anyways, see you next time, on Rise To The Top!