Naruto: Konoha's Arrancar Shinobi
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach; if I did I wouldn't be poor, and I would have legions of fans outside my home.
"I'm Batman" Regular Speech
"I'm Batman" Inner Thought
"I'm Batman" Jutsu/ technique
"I'm Batman" Demonic Speech
Chapter 3: Confrontations
Last time:
Naruto's expression darkened considerably at this, the mere mention of the man who ruined his life, sent liquid hot anger coursing threw his veins. The same man, who was too weak to prevent him from being trained into Konoha's loyal little attack dog. Unknown to Naruto, but easily visible to Neko and Iruka, he changed forms once again during his mental dilemma. Both Iruka and Neko shared a look with each other for a brief second, as if to ask "Do you know what's happening?" Naruto opened his eyes, which could be compared to a cold, empty void, and nodded to Neko. Without saying a word, Iruka and Naruto placed one hand on each of Neko's shoulders. Nodding to herself, Neko then formed a ram seal and with a muttered "Shunshin no Jutsu" they were gone.
(Konoha Academy: Hokage's Office)
Sarutobi Hiruzen was many things. He was a man who had lived a long and adventurous life, during which he had accomplished many things that made him who he was. From the moment he was born, Hiruzen was praised a prodigy amongst his clan members. He, along with his teammates, had the distinct honor of having their sensei the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama. During the First Great Shinobi War, he was personally named the Sandaime Hokage by his sensei. Who sacrificed himself by fighting the Kinkaku Force alone, so that he and his team could escape with their lives.
Accepting the responsibility, Hiruzen eventually led Konoha to victory in all Three Great Shinobi Wars. He was one of very few individuals who could say that they survived all three Great Shinobi Wars. During said wars he earned his epithets as The Professor and the Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi). Before the Second Great Shinobi War, he received a gennin team. A team that would eventually be known throughout the Elemental Nations, thanks to Sanshōuo no Hanzō (Hanzō of the Salamander), as the Densetsu no Sannin.
In his later years, he married the love of his life Biwako and together they made two amazing children that he loved with all his heart. One of whom would give him a grandchild by the name of Konohamaru years later. When he named his successor, he thought his tenure as Hokage would finally end. However fate seemed to disagree with him on that one. Thirteen years ago the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the village, in the process it killed hundreds in not thousands on shinobi and civilian alike. One of whom, he found out early on, was his beautiful wife Biwako. Despite the villages best efforts, nothing they did slowed the creature down. It was only thanks to the efforts of his successor, Namikaze Minato, that defeated the beast, but at a horrible cost. He offered his soul to the Shinigami (Death God) to seal the rampaging bijou into his newborn son, Naruto.
With little to no time to grief for his dead wife, Hiruzen was thrown back into the Hokage position. Almost immediately he was called into an emergency council meeting, a meeting that he would never forget. For it was at this meeting, that he made, arguably, the biggest mistake of his Hokage tenure. The decision he made that night would forever haunt him as possibly his greatest failure, right besides not killing his wayward student Orochimaru.
It wouldn't be until five years later, that Hiruzen would see first hand the consequences of his decision. From that day onwards, Hiruzen tried desperately to correct his mistake and make Naruto's life better. It worked slightly for a couple of years, but in the end it would all be for nothing.
Yes. Sarutobi Hiruzen was many things, but at this moment he wasn't the proud father, the legendary Hokage, the professor. No, right now he was nothing but a regretful old man who had live with the consequences of what he had done.
"Hokage-sama, Neko has just arrived with Uzumaki-san and Umino-san" an Inu masked ANBU said, as he kneeled to the side of Hiruzen with his head down. "Thank you Inu, dismissed" Hiruzen replied with a sigh at the end, not even sparing a look at Inu, who nodded briefly before seemingly disappearing. 'What I wouldn't give to back and fix this' Hiruzen thought to himself, mentally recounting every failure he had in regard to Naruto's wellbeing.
Hiruzen slumped into his chair, before turning his chair around and observed his village intently. He observed the peaceful night life of the village, the street lamps illuminating the village, ANBU operatives making their nightly rounds. His thoughts turned to the villagers sleeping soundly, a small warmth filling his chest for a moment. His gaze shifted from that of the village itself, to that of the Hokage Monument on his left. The small smile that was on Hiruzen's face quickly morphed into a deep frown, as the warmth in his chest was replaced with a cold, emptiness in his soul.
'Minato…I'm sorry! The village has spit on your sacrifice; even now they disgrace your legacy. This village has failed you…I…I failed you. You trusted us to protect Naruto, to treat him like the hero he is and instead they alienate and loathe him. I can only beg for you and Kushina's forgiveness in the afterlife.' Hiruzen thought despairingly, years of repressed guilt and regret billowing up to the surface of his mind. Forcibly tearing his gaze away, Hiruzen quickly spun his chain around, so that his back was facing the Hokage Monument. Shaking his head, Hiruzen desperately tried to banish his depressing thoughts from his head, to not much avail. Hiruzen fixed his gaze on the door to his office, waiting for Naruto to show up, knowing that this meeting was a long time in the making.
He didn't have to wait long, as out of nowhere as the door to his office was kicked down. As his door all but exploded in a shower of splinters, Hiruzen gripped an emergency kunai from under desk, preparing for the worst. His personal ANBU bodyguards were in front of his desk in less than a second, their swords drawn and ready to use. Out of the wreckage of what used to be his door, came an emotionless looking Naruto, who disregarded the ANBU pointing their swords at him, as he walked calmly towards his desk.
"Stay where you are or we will kill you" Inu said sternly as he and his fellow ANBU, had their swords mere centimeters from Naruto's neck. Naruto didn't even acknowledge Inu's threat, no, all he did was stare directly into Hiruzen's eyes. A tense silence fell over the office; no one dared break it for any reason. The atmosphere was thick with tension, so much so that you couldn't even cut it with a kunai.
The tension was finally broken by Hiruzen, who closed his eyes and lowering his head with a depressed sigh. Gathering up his courage and pushing down his regret, Hiruzen raised his head and looked at Naruto. "Hello Naruto-kun" Hiruzen said after swallowing the lump in his throat and putting away the emergency kunai. A shiver went up Hiruzen's spine as he locked eyes with Naruto once more. To him, Naruto's eyes were two sapphire voids, endless and cold like an abyss. But what truly shocked Hiruzen was the sheer amount rage that was hidden behind the cold voids.
"Sarutobi...we need to talk" Naruto replied, his tone cold and emotionless, causing Sarutobi's eyes to widen slightly at just how cold his tone was.
(Three Minutes Earlier)
The streets of Konoha were quiet; there wasn't a single person awake at that moment, aside from the ANBU patrolling the rooftops. The fireflies and moths danced about in the air, seemingly ignorant of the world around them as they flew where the wind took them. This serene atmosphere was broken, at least for a brief moment, by a whirlwind of leaves appearing, almost out of nowhere, in front of the Hokage mansion. In mere moments, the whirlwind died down into nothingness, revealing Neko, Iruka and a slightly dizzy Naruto.
"Don't worry Uzumaki-san; everyone is a little dizzy after experiencing the Shunshin no Jutsu for the first time" Neko said, a hint of amusement evident in her voice, as she looked down at the, no longer wobbling Naruto. Naruto glared at her slightly, before he shook his head and moved on. Iruka was about to comment, when he suddenly let out a pained groan as he clutched his sore ribs.
"Alright Umino-san, I let you make sure that Uzumaki-san was safe, but now your going to the hospital to rest" Neko said in a no nonsense tone, her hands firmly planted on her hips. Iruka looked ready to argue, but, what felt like, a stern glare from Neko destroyed any protest Iruka might have had.
"Naruto…team placements are in a week, I expect you to be there on time" Iruka said, turning to Naruto, who nodded in return to Iruka's carefully worded request. Iruka quickly gave Naruto a brief pat on the shoulder, before nodding to Neko that he was ready.
"Uzumaki-san, I have to take Umino-san to the hospital, go on ahead and Hokage-sama your report, I'll be there shortly" Neko said, before she placed her hand on Iruka's shoulder and with a quick hand sign, they disappeared.
Naruto stared at the spot where they disappeared from, for a second before turning the opposite way and made his way up the stairs of the Hokage Mansion. 'Sarutobi' Naruto thought disdainfully, with each step he took, he only got angrier and angrier. Naruto's mind constantly replayed the memories his dobe self had of Sarutobi, every laugh, every smile, and every single minute he spent with the old bastard. Sarutobi had been lying to his face, for all those years, mocking him by pretending to be grandfatherly after what he had done. With each memory Naruto's breathing and heart rate only got faster and faster as rage poured threw his veins. His heart seemed to be beating a hundred miles an hour, like an Akamichi running a 10 mile marathon. By the time Naruto reached the top of the stairs, he was seething, though it was hard to tell seeing as how his face barely showed any hint of emotion.
Naruto stopped momentarily when he saw the door to Sarutobi's office, his face a picture perfect mask of deep concentration. Naruto stared at the door for several moments, before closing his eyes and blocked the world out. The world around him was nothing but a soothing blackness, as he basked in the somehow comforting void. Naruto took deep breaths in and out, as he listened to his incredibly fast beating heart. The constant beating filled his ears, until it was the only sound he could hear. With each passing breath, his heart beat began to lower and lower. The overpowering fury that temporarily overtook him was slowly dimming, not going away but not overtaking his senses. When his heart beat returned to normal, Naruto exhaled one last time as his slowly opened his eyes, the black void fading away until he was back in the real world.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto channeled the rage that was still coursing threw his veins, and decided to take a page out of Grimmjow's book. Not wasting anytime, Naruto lifted his leg to about his waist and thrust his leg forward towards the wooden obstacle. The moment Naruto's foot made contact with the door, it all but exploded outwards into Sarutobi's office, putting up as little resistance as a toothpick. As splinters and chunks of the, now demolished, door flew into the office like shrapnel, Naruto calmly strode in.
He briefly looked at the ANBU operatives guarding Sarutobi, all of whom were pointing their swords at his throat, before turning his gaze back to the man who had ruined his life. With each step Naruto took, the harder it was for him to squash the urge to behead Sarutobi then and there.
"Stay where you are or we will kill you" an Inu masked ANBU with black hair demanded angrily, Naruto had to resist the urge to roll his eyes or scoff at the fool. Ignoring the dog masked ANBU, Naruto stopped when he finally was standing directly in front of Sarutobi's desk. Naruto didn't even acknowledge the blades poised to pierce is neck and kill him should he even blink the wrong way. No, instead he ignored the ANBU entirely and focused entirely on Sarutobi, whom he had locked eyes with in a stare down.
'Pitiful' Naruto thought to himself, as he maintained eye contact with the bastard who called himself a Kage. Ha, to Naruto, at that moment, Sarutobi didn't look like the wise and powerful Sandaime Hokage but instead a pathetic old man who had given up a long time ago. Finally after what felt like hours of intense staring, Sarutobi lowered his head and released a depressed sigh from his mouth.
"Sarutobi…we need to talk" Naruto replied curtly, somewhat taking pleasure in the shocked expression on Sarutobi's face.
(Present Time)
"Naruto-kun…what…what happened to you? Why do you look like this?" Hiruzen asked almost hesitantly, as he subtly signaled his ANBU bodyguards to stand down. Begrudgingly, they nodded their heads and disappeared back into the shadows, ready to defend their leader at a moment's notice. Hiruzen sat there intently watching Naruto, who hadn't answered his question, opting to simply glare at him.
"…why?" Naruto growled out, completely ignoring Hiruzen's question, as he lowered his head slightly, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. Naruto clenched his fists tightly, his body starting to shake from the anger that was building again. Unknown to him, his hair was starting to regain its normal radiant color, as well as his skin becoming tanner by the second.
"Na-Naruto, I…" Hiruzen sputtered out, a look of shock adorning his face as he observed Naruto changing before his eyes.
"WHY DID YOU BETRAY ME?" Naruto yelled in Hiruzen's face, his body leaned forward, his own face a mask of fury that no one had ever seen. Naruto's hands slammed onto the face of the desk with tremendous force, so much so that the legs almost buckled under the strain. Cracks spread from where Naruto's hands impacted the desk, when Naruto removed his hands later, it would reveal that his hands left indentions it the wood.
Instantly the ANBU that were hidden in the office sprang into action, their swords poised to kill Naruto. Unlike last time, Naruto did acknowledge the ANBU's swords tickling his throat. Taking several deep breaths threw his nose; Naruto removed his hands from Hiruzen's desk and leaned back into an upright position. Though he was still glaring at Hiruzen with every bit of hate he could muster. Hiruzen could only gape in shock, having never seen such fury ever come from one person outside of the battlefield.
"Naruto…I'm sorry. I am so sorry for what I did to you; you have every right to hate me. But you have to understand, I was under so much pressure that night with everything that was going on. From Minato's death to all of the causality reports, I had no time to clear my head. When they called me into the council meeting, it was chaos; one side calling for your death, the other pinning to adopt or train you and keep you safe.
Neither side was willing to budge in the slightest; I couldn't keep them under control. When a third option was presented I immediately took it without thinking. The Civilian Council stood behind it, and even some of the Shinobi Council accepted it, a good portion argued against it. The majority won out, and…you know the rest. I didn't want to seal your memories, but the elders and the Civilian Council believed you were too unstable at the time to be trusted with that much power. Especially after the incident with your sensei, they feared you were a ticking time bomb. Naruto, I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive this foolish old man." Hiruzen said pleadingly, praying to Kami that Naruto would some how forgive him after everything that has happened. Deep in his heart he knew that he didn't deserve forgiveness, but he tried no the less.
Naruto stared at Hiruzen for a brief moment, his face torn between anger and astonishment. "You're…sorry?" Naruto growled out between his grit teeth, as he started to, unknowingly, release a massive amount of KI (Killing Intent) and spiritual pressure, a mixture he would later in life dub KP (Killing Pressure). Almost immediately, Hiruzen and his ANBU body guards felt an ungodly amount of pressure on their bodies.
"You had me be raised as a weapon, trained day in and day out to be the best I could be. Then a couple years later, you have my abilities sealed, effectively leaving me defenseless against the idiotic sheep that call themselves villagers. All because a group of whiny, power hungry CIVILIANS thought I was unstable. You essentially threw me to the wolves of the village, defenseless as they beat and abused me for years. While you yourself did nothing, the most you did was give them a slap on the wrist and say "NO", only for them go back and do it again. After everything you've done to me, all you can say is you're sorry?" Naruto yelled out in outrage, the pressure in the room increasing two fold.
The ANBU holding that were their blades to Naruto's neck, started buckling under the pressure, as they were barely able to hold their swords. Their knees were shaking, threatening to give out, as they struggled to remain upright. Their entire bodies shook from exertion, every muscle in their bodies was being used to keep them upright. 'What is this…pressure?' Inu thought to himself, as he grinded his teeth behind his porcelain mask.
In a flash of sliver, Naruto's katana was about a couple of centimeters from Hiruzen's throat. Hiruzen, to his credit, didn't show any fear or nervousness as Naruto's blade tickled his throat. Hiruzen glanced at the blade poised to slit his throat, and then back at Naruto who glared at him with such fiery rage.
"Where is the real Sarutobi Hiruzen?" Naruto asked angrily, as he unconsciously increased the pressure in the office. Naruto clutched his katana's handle until his knuckles turned white, as he moved his blade closer to Hiruzen's neck. The ANBU around them could no longer handle immense pressure on their bodies, with a grunt they all fell to one knee as their swords clattered uselessly to the ground.
"Wha-…what are you talking about Naruto-kun? I'm right here" Hiruzen replied, a look of utter confusion on his face, careful not to move too much, lest he cut himself on Naruto's blade.
"Bullshit! There is no way in hell you are the real Sarutobi Hiruzen, I refuse to accept that someone as pathetic as you could be the Shinobi no Kami. Sarutobi Hiruzen is supposed to be the pinnacle of what a shinobi should be, what they should strive to be. I don't see that in you, all I see is a pathetic old man trying to deny his failures. Like I said! Where. Is. Sarutobi. Hiruzen?" Naruto yelled, as he looked deep into Hiruzen's eyes, as if he was trying look into his soul trying to find the answer. This went of for a few moments, before Naruto removed his blade from Hiruzen's throat and sheathed it with a look of disgust on his face. Taking a deep breath, Naruto stopped exuding KP in the office, getting relieved sighs from everyone but him. The ANBU immediately grabbed their blades from the floor, their blades pointed once more towards Naruto.
Naruto sighed to himself, shaking his head in both anger and disappointment at what Sarutobi had become. Naruto spun on his heel, as he tried to make his way out of Hiruzen's office, only to be blocked by an irate Inu.
"Put your weapon down on the ground and your hands behind your head" Inu growled out, furious that he was helpless to protect his leader and that he, and his team, were taken out by Naruto who didn't even lift a finger. Naruto just narrowed his eyes at this, his hand grasping his katana, ready to fight.
"Inu stand down" Hiruzen said, surprising everyone in the office at his command, none more so than Inu. Hiruzen's face was a mix of exhausted and defeat, but his tone, while tired, held a good amount of force behind it.
"Hokage-sama you can't be serious! He's threatened your life twice now, and you want us to let him go" Inu sputtered out, completely flabbergasted by Hiruzen's order as it went against every rational thing ANBU were taught. 'This can't be happening' Inu thought in disbelief, as he saw no sign in Hiruzen's face say otherwise. With an enormous amount of hesitation, Inu gradually lowered his sword, his fellow ANBU doing the same, as they moved out of Naruto's way.
Naruto didn't even spare Hiruzen a glance backwards; he simply walked forward towards the broken remnants of the door. However, before he could cross the threshold out of the office, Naruto stopped in his track when he heard Hiruzen asking him to wait.
"Naruto-kun wait a moment…there's something I need to know. If you hate the village so much, then why did you accept Iruka's hitai-ate knowing fully what it meant?" Hiruzen asked curiously, as he looked at both Naruto and the hitai-ate current wrapped around his head, obscuring his forehead from view.
Naruto lowered his head for a moment, and unseen to Hiruzen, had a look of deep concentration as he tried to rationalize it himself. Naruto reached behind his head and quickly untied his hitai-ate, allowing his bangs to once again cover his eyes slightly. Naruto stared at the headband currently grasped firmly in his hand, a plethora of thoughts and feelings flying around in his head. Naruto observed his reflection in the metal headband; as if it held the answers he was looking for. After about a minute of doing this, Naruto closed his eyes, his face scrunched up in thought. Opening his eyes moments later, Naruto's expression shifted from that of intense concentration to that of steely determination.
"I accepted his hitai-ate for one simple reason Sarutobi. When Iruka gave me his headband, he gave something far more valuable. He gave me his trust, something you and the councils apparently didn't! He acknowledged that I was an adult, worthy of defending Konoha, no matter how much pain it has caused me. I'll be honest here Sarutobi, I don't hate this village, the principles it was founded on were admirable, naïve, but admirable. No, I hate the corrupt and arrogant bastards that make up a significant portion of the population. It's only because of Iruka and a few other good people in the village that I don't leave this hellhole" Naruto said as he looked behind him at the, now, shocked Sarutobi, who took all this in with shame. Grabbing both ends of his headband, Naruto quickly retied to his head with a sharp tug.
Naruto was about to leave once more, his foot already halfway through the doorway, when he stopped and addressed Hiruzen one last time. "Let me be abundantly clear Sarutobi, while I may protect this village I will not be the villager's punching bag any longer. If they try to attack me, I will not hesitate in the slightest to cut down in an instant. Knowing these bastards like I do, they WILL try to attack me; it's only a matter of time."
"Make no mistake, there will be blood and it will be the blood of the ignorant and the corrupt. It will flow like a river through this village, washing away the trash that infests Konoha. This is my only warning Sarutobi, get this village under control or I will" Naruto said darkly, as he grasped his katana firmly in his hand. With that said and done, Naruto walked forward, stepping over the chunks of the destroyed door, the sound of wood crunching accompanied every step Naruto took until he crossed the doorway.
Hiruzen slumped back into his chair, a tired and depressed sigh escaping his lips as Naruto's words throughout the right echoed in his head. 'I'm getting too old for this…Naruto I will make up for my past mistakes' Hiruzen thought to himself, feeling all sixty nine years of his long life piling up on him. His inner monologue/moping was put on hold by the arrival of Neko, who appeared in the middle of the office in a puff of smoke.
"Sorry I'm late Hokage-sama, I had to take Umino-san to the hospital due to his injuries" Neko said her head down, as he lowered herself onto one knee with one hand on the ground and the other grasping his bent knee.
However, when she didn't hear Hokage-sama respond, she looked up from her place on the floor. Looking around the office she found a…unusual sight, a depressed Hokage, and irate Inu and fragments of a destroyed door. Seeing all this, Neko said, quite possibly the biggest understatement of the century "Did I miss something?"
(The Next Day: Konoha Academy-Administration Office)
"This is…interesting" Hiruzen muttered out to himself, as he glanced over three pages that made up Naruto's shinobi profile. Each one however, had a different picture on it of Naruto on it. The first one of them had a slightly smirking Naruto on it that was flipping off the camera. The second featured an emotionless looking Naruto and the last one was an extreme close up of Naru smiling and holding up a peace sign. Hiruzen rubbed his head at this development, feeling a small headache forming as he tried to come up with some explanation for Naruto's transformations.
"Hm, you need to get a better photographer Sarutobi, it took almost an hour and a half just to get my picture taken. When I ever I tried sitting down for a picture, he would ask if I was fucking with him. Demented old bastard, I still don't know what the hell he's talking about!" Naruto said somewhat agitated, muttering the last part to himself, as he leaned back into his chair while glaring slightly at Hiruzen the entire time. Naruto closed his eyes momentarily, as he rubbed them slightly to alleviate the small ache that came from them, having not had the most restful of nights. As evidenced by the small, dark circles under his eyes and a yawn escaping his mouth.
"Yes, I recall Genzo mentioning something like that; however you'll have to retake the picture Naruto. We cannot have something this vulgar on your shinobi registration" Hiruzen replied, as he took a long drag from his pipe while showing Naruto the first photo, recalling Genzo's…colorful complaints concerning Naruto. According to Genzo, almost every time he attempted to take Naruto's photo, he would change forms at random. Hell, when he changed into Naru, it took Genzo about an hour to keep him still long enough to even get a picture. By the time he was done taking Naruto's pictures, Genzo was ready rip his remaining hair out of his balding head and throttle him.
"There is no way in hell I'm taking that picture again Sarutobi, I wasted enough time, that I could have been using to train by the way, on that stupid picture" Naruto growled out, as he stared Sarutobi dead in the eye, who matched his stare after a moment of hesitation. Naruto was about to argue with Sarutobi some more, when a devious idea popped into his head. 'Oh yes, that will do nicely. Who would have thought that my dobe self would ever contribute something of value' Naruto thought to himself, as a smirk made its way onto his face, a smirk that put Hiruzen on edge.
"Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)" (1) Naruto said quietly, before he was engulfed briefly in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke started to dissipate, instead of the white clad shinobi he was talking to, Hiruzen was greeted to a much better sight. In Naruto's place was a beautiful young woman…who just happened to be nude. She was stunning; she had long, spiky blonde hair tied into two pigtails atop of her head. She had deep, seductive, yet somehow innocent, blue eyes, a cute button nose and a small mouth, all framed by her heart shaped face. She had a perfect hourglass figure, accentuated by a thin waist and big breasts, though he could only speculate seeing as how mists of smoke obscured her best features. And plastered on her cheeks were Naruto's whisker marks; however Hiruzen wasn't paying attention to those. No, his attention was drawn downwards.
"You wouldn't make me retake that silly old picture, would you Sarutobi" 'Naruko' said mischievously, with a hint of sexiness, as she winked 'her' eye at him with a small giggle.
Hiruzen looked on, his face expressionless for a brief moment as he blinked a couple times as if to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. After about 10 seconds of staring at 'Naruko', blood erupted from Hiruzen's nose. The force of his nosebleed threw him backwards onto the floor, where he temporally lost consciousness.
'Crude, slightly sexist, and highly effectual, overall not bad' Naruto thought to himself as he transformed back into his normal appearance. Before he could take any pride in taking down a Kage in one move, Naruto felt an enormous amount of pain coming from his forehead.
'Naruto…you will not be using that jutsu ever again, do I make myself clear?' a stern voice echoed in his head, one that Naruto was instantly familiar with.
'Harribel…is that you?' Naruto asked mentally, as his pain was reduced slightly, allowing him to think clearly.
'Yes it is, but that's not the point. You are forbidden from using that technique ever again, it is unbecoming of our vessel to use such perverted techniques. If I catch you using that move again…there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?' Harribel lectured sternly, as if daring him from talking back to her, so much so that he could practically see her glare.
'Alright, alright …I won't use that technique ever again' Naruto said in pain/fear, having enough wisdom not to argue with a woman who could crush you with no effort on her part. Feeling the pressure/pain fade from his forehead, Naruto took a sigh of relief at having prevented from feeling more of Harribel's wrath.
Despite getting a lecture from of his tenants in his head, Naruto smirked to himself as he looked at the unconscious and slightly twitching Sarutobi. However, Naruto's fun had to come to an end, seeing as how Hiruzen started stirring before groggily opening his eyes. After cleaning himself off, Hiruzen once again sat upright in his chair as he glanced at the slightly, smug Naruto, who just smirked at him.
"So that was your patented Oiroke no Jutsu, very tricky…too tricky, I'm going to have list that as an S-rank forbidden jutsu" Hiruzen muttered out, as he cleaned the remained of the blood off his face. "As I was saying Naruto, I cannot accept this picture of you, it's much too vulgar. This photo is supposed to help out forces identify you, and if I didn't know who you were, just going by this picture, I would think you were nothing more than an arrogant punk" Hiruzen said, surprisingly forceful, which actually shocked Naruto a bit.
'Hm, he's not as spineless as I thought he was! Maybe there is hope for you yet Sarutobi' Naruto thought to himself, his respect for Hiruzen going up by the barest minimum, filing the development away for later Naruto decided he had spent enough time in the office for one day. "Fine I'll retake the fucking picture, now are we done here? I have training I have to get back to" Naruto said impatiently, as he sat upright, his hands now firmly planted in is jacket pockets. Before Hiruzen could reply, the door of the office was thrown open by…a small child.
(Moments Earlier)
Unknown to occupants of the room, a shadowed figure slid the door open slightly, just enough to peer into the room, watching intently for the time to strike. 'Wait for it, wait for it' the figure thought to himself, his grip subconsciously tightening around the shuriken in his hand.
'This is it, I'm gonna defeat him this time' the figure thought to himself, as he recalled his numerous failed attempts to defeat his greatest foe. Time after time, he failed to take out his target, but not this time. Oh no, this time he was going do to it, he was going to kill his target and finally realize his dream. Pumping himself up, the figure took several quick breaths. With his adrenaline high and his opportunity presented, the figure threw the door open.
(Present Time)
"Jii-san, I challenge you! I'm going to defeat you and become the Godaime Hokage! "the small boy yelled, as he ran towards Hiruzen, one or two shuriken firmly grasped in his right hand. The small boy held his glare firmly on Hiruzen, his face a mask of pure determination. His muscles, what little he had, were tensed and ready to strike at a moments notice. 'Almost there' the young boy thought to himself, each footstep getting him closer and closer to his goal. The sound of his breathing and that of his sandals against the hard wood floor filled his ears.
However, just as he was about to throw the shuriken in his hand, just as he was about to finally accomplish his goal…he tripped. He tripped hard, if the loud smack of flesh against wood, and the child in question clutching his face while moaning in pain were any indication.
'Is this gaki serious?' Naruto thought to himself, an indigent look made its way onto Naruto's face as he watched the little boy writhe in pain on the ground.
'Great, now my grandson has been added into the mix. As if my headache wasn't bad enough already' Hiruzen thought, as he too watched as his poor, foolish grandson writhe on the floor. Hiruzen briefly looked up when he heard footsteps running down the hall, only for it to be his grandson's tutor, Ebisu. Who, gaped in shock at seeing the small child lying on the ground clutching his face.
"Ow, something tripped me" the small boy whined as he rubbed his aching forehead, while looking around for the object that he tripped over.
"Are you okay Honorable-Grandson? And by the way, there is nothing in this room that you could have tripped on, it's relatively flat" Ebisu said frantically at first then with a more subdued and natural tone.
'Who is this kid' Naruto thought to himself, before his features involuntarily changed into that of his emotionless form. His eyes darkened, his hair skin paled and his hair lost its luster and fell downwards.
'That…that boy, the Kyuubi…of course, after all he's the lowest form of scum' Ebisu thought to himself with a smirk, as he finally took notice of Naruto's prescience in the room, thanks to following the small child's gaze.
"You, you're the one who tripped me aren't you" the small child yelled at Naruto, while pointing his finger at Naruto's face. For the first time since the child entered the room, Naruto finally got a good look at the rude little bastard.
From what he could gather, he was about eight or nine year's old, standing at about 4'1". He had short spiky hair, which was obscured by a hideous grey helmet with an orange frowny face on the right hand side and a red circle on the left, leaving a small hole for his hair to stick out. He had black eyes, and from what he could see when he yelled at him, a small chip in one of his teeth. He was wearing yellow t-shirt with a large red Konoha symbol in the middle of it. He wore grey shorts and adorning his feet were blue shinobi sandals. The thing that made him stick out though, was the ridiculously long blue scarf around his neck, which almost reached the ground.
"Hm, baka…how could have I possibly tripped you? I was five feet away from you when you fell flat your face. No, you tripped over your own two feet like a brain dead mongrel" Naruto said coldly, as he gripped the child's scarf tightly in his hand while standing up, forcing him to look Naruto dead in the eyes. Said child, glared at Naruto the best he could, his teeth clenched, though he did wither slightly under Naruto's intense, cold gaze.
"Hey, take your filthy hands off the Honorable Grandson this instant. Don't you know who he is, he is the grandson of our honorable Sandaime Hokage" Ebisu yelled angrily, getting Naruto's attention, who still had a firm grasp on the child's scarf.
This also allowed Naruto a good look at the smug looking prick. He was a somewhat, skinny man standing at about 5'9". He wore a pair of dark, circular sunglasses which completely obscured his eyes from view. On his head, he wore his hitai-ate like a bandana, only allowing a few strands of his black hair to be seen. He wore the standard Konoha jonin uniform, only without the signature flak jacket.
If Naruto was shocked by the revelation, he didn't show it at all, instead he kept the same expressionless stare as he looked from Ebisu to the struggling child he was holding.
'That stopped him…he's just like everyone else. Now that he knows who I am, he won't dare lay a finger on me' the child thought to himself, as he weakly tried to match Naruto's cold stare. "What's the matter tough guy? I thought you were going punch me, huh, or did you chicken out because the Sandaime Hokage is my Jii-chan" the child taunted, a small amount of arrogance filling his tone as he glared at Naruto.
"Arrogant child…I don't care if Sarutobi was your Obaa-san, I will not be talked down to by some pathetic wretch" Naruto said coldly, before punching the brat on the head as softly as he could, which was still pretty hard in comparison to a normal person.
'This guy…he's different from the others' the child thought to himself, as he fell towards to ground face first. Finally he hit the ground and before he knew it, he was out like a light as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"This is not looking good" Hiruzen muttered to himself, as he closed his eyes, trying to prevent his headache from growing, almost completely ignoring the gaping Ebisu.
"I'm done here Sarutobi, I'll retake the picture later, but right now I'm going back to training" Naruto exclaimed before stepping over the unconscious child and walking out the door, not even waiting for Hiruzen to respond.
(10 Minutes Later: Naruto's Location)
'Does that little bastard really think he's being stealthy? Heh probably came to make me apologize or something stupid like that' Naruto thought to himself, having transformed once again, with his hands firmly placed in his pockets, seemingly ignoring the small child trying, and failing to stealthily stalk him. 'This kid is getting on my nerves' Naruto thought to himself, as he stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the street and turned around to face his wannabe stalker. Who, at seeing Naruto turn around, wrapped a sheet around his body, attempting to use the Kakuremino no Jutsu (Cloak of Invisibility Technique), trying to make it look like a large rock.
'You have got to be kidding me' Naruto thought to himself in disbelief, as he observed possibly to worst attempt at stealth he had ever seen. Not only did the 'rock' look totally out of place on the flat rocky road, but the gaki's feet were completely visible. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes and rip off the kid's 'disguise', Naruto simply shook his head and walked on.
'He's getting away' The child thought, as he practically tore the sheet covering him, as he 'stealthily' chased after Naruto. He took great care into making sure each step was as quiet as possible, as to not alert his target. With his scarf billowing behind him, the small child jogged slightly about ten feet away from the seemingly ignorant Naruto.
'Alright…enough is enough' Naruto thought to himself, having gotten sick of being stalked by a little kid. "I know your stalking me you little bastard, so quit following me" Naruto exclaimed angrily, as he turned around to face the brat stalking him, who tied to blend in with the fence around him by using another Kakuremino no Jutsu. Only for him to be holding the sheet the wrong way, allowing him to be easily seen with anyone with half a brain cell.
"That disguise is so obvious it's pitiful" Naruto said with an annoyed edge to his voice, at seeing that the little brat was still holding up the sheet, as if he wasn't holding it the wrong way.
This went on for a few more seconds before Naruto could hear muffled laughing coming from underneath the sheet. "So, you saw through my disguise, huh? I guess the rumors about you are true, you're pretty good. Though you're taller than what people said you would be. But that doesn't matter; from now on I'll be your apprentice and you'll be my sensei" the small boy said happily and full of confidence after he removed the sheet from his body.
"…What?" Naruto said in disbelief and slight anger, at the mere implication that this brat could force him to teach the little bastard.
"And after that you gotta teach me the Oiroke no Jutsu thing that you used to beat Hokage-jiji!" the boy yelled excitably, his mind instantly going threw numerous fantasies of him beating his Jii-san with just one move and being proclaimed as the next Hokage.
"Stop right there kid, let me make two things perfectly clear to you. Firstly, you are not, nor will you ever be, my apprentice, I refuse to teach some spoiled little brat like yourself. Secondly, even if I did accept you as my apprentice, and that is a big if, there is no way I am ever teaching anybody the Oiroke no Jutsu. It is a completely insulting, although effective, technique that I will never be using again. Hell, even I'm still trying to figure out what possessed me to use that technique in the first place. Now leave me alone kid!" Naruto growled out to the small child, who looked more and more upset/indigent as he went. Just as he was about to walk off and resume his long delayed training for that day, he felt something suddenly attach itself to his leg.
"Please Naruto-Bosu (Boss), teach me your ways. PLEASE, please, please, please" the boy cried in desperation, as he clutched Naruto's leg by wrapping his arms and legs around the limb itself. This of course got the attention villagers around them, who whispered and talked amongst themselves about how the "demon" was harassing the Honorable Grandson. Deciding to ignore the ignorant sheep that inhabited the village, Naruto continued on forward, the small child still pleading while clutching his leg. This went on for about seven minutes before Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and sighed.
"Gaki if I teach you something, will you leave me alone?" Naruto said in a tired tone, finally giving in and 'biting the bullet' so to speak. 'I'm going to regret this decision in the future' Naruto thought to himself, as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, knowing that this was bite him in the ass later.
"You will…thank you, thank you thank you" the child said gleefully, as he finally let go of Naruto's leg only to start jumping with joy. 'This is it, my first step towards becoming the Godaime Hokage' the boy mentally cheered, a huge grin making its way onto his face, one that only seemed to get bigger.
"Just shut up and follow me, I want to get this over with" Naruto muttered irritably, before he grabbed the back of the kid's shirt and push him forwards. After a few minutes of walking, the kid walking by his side could no longer hold his tongue.
"Hey Bosu, what' a gonna teach me? Oh, are you going to teach how to breathe fire? Walk on walls? Become invisible? Common tell me…PLEASE" the boy cried desperately, itching to get started with his new training.
"Tell me something kid, what'd you know about the Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)?" Naruto replied, getting a confused, yet disappointed look from the kid by his side.
(Meanwhile: With Ebisu)
"Naruto…what has that monster done with the Honorable Grandson? What is his dastardly plan? Where have they gone? Why can't I find them? I am an elite jonin, the highest level of shinobi as well as an elite trainer of future Hokages. Any parasitic vermin that dares latch themselves onto my ward…with be squashed" Ebisu muttered to himself angrily, as he crotched on the roof of a tall building, searching high and low for any sight of his missing ward. And with a simple use of his smokeless or leafless Shunshin, he was gone.
(45 Minutes Later: Random Training Ground: Naruto's Location)
"Answer me this, why do you fixate on defeating Sarutobi so much?" Naruto asked in a dull monotone, once again changing into his emotionless form, as he casually took a sip from a recently acquired soda. This got a shocked reaction of the boy, having never expected his 'Bosu' to ask him that,
"My Jii-chan named me Konohamaru after the old name of the village, so everyone should remember my name easier. But nobody calls me by my real name, not one person in the entire village. That's because when they look at me, they don't really see me but as the Honorable Grandson of the Sandaime Hokage. Nobody knows who I am!" Konohamaru replied sadly, a mental image of his grandfather overshadowing him.
"I can stand it anymore, it's like I'm invisible to them…like I don't even exist. I hate it so much, that's why I have to become the Hokage now, that way people know who I am" Konohamaru continued angrily, as he clutched his fists tightly, wishing to Kami that people would just call him by his name.
Naruto starred at Konohamaru for a brief time, unintentionally having flashbacks to that of his dobe self's proclamations of becoming Hokage and that of his sensei's teachings.
"That is one the most idiotic things I have ever heard" Naruto said coldly as he looked at the ground, completely ignoring the shocked/indigent look on Konohamaru's face. "Do you really expect people accept a little punk you as their Hokage? You can't become a Kage in a day or two, it's impossible and foolish to think so" Naruto continued before he was interrupted by Konohamaru yelling "WHAT".
"You keep yelling about becoming the Godaime Hokage and yet you know nothing about what it really means to be a Kage. To be Hokage means to have to train yourself for years on end, practicing everything you know to perfection, until you are smarter, stronger and faster than anyone else. A Hokage has to be greatest warrior in their village, to ensure that they can protect the people care about. You'll have to face countless enemies who want nothing more than your head a pike, just for the hell of it. You will be forced to endure personal pain and situations that would that would break a weaker man, and still find the strength to keep going" Naruto said completely seriously, looking Konohamaru dead in the eye, hoping to truly emphasize how serious he was. Konohamaru gulped at this revelation, not knowing how tough the road he was on truly was.
Before Konohamaru could respond to Naruto's insight into the harsh reality of becoming Hokage they were interrupted by the untimely arrival of Ebisu. "I finally found you two!" Ebisu said loudly, getting the attention of Naruto and Konohamaru, who stood up and turned around to face him.
'The Kyuubi' Ebisu thought bitterly, as he glared as hard as he could at Naruto from behind his circular shades.
'So…he is another member of the ignorant sheep that invest the village' Naruto though to himself as he felt Ebisu's glare, as well as KI, on him. Naruto had to resist the urge to put a Bala through Ebisu's head, the moment he felt the KI on him.
"So Honorable Grandson, are you ready to put this farce to rest and go home?" Ebisu asked condescendingly, as jumped down from a tall branch onto the ground below before walking towards Konohamaru.
"No way, I'm finally learning useful stuff to beat Jii-chan and take his title of Hokage. Now don't get in my way" Konohamaru yelled back in response, his fists clutched together and a look of irritation on his face.
"Please, a Hokage isn't just an incredible fighter; he must know finesse, honor, wisdom, and know at least a thousand jutsu. You don't even know one single jutsu" Ebisu replied somewhat mockingly towards the end, cementing Naruto perception of his as a jackass.
"HENGE" Konohamaru yelled out, after he grit his teeth momentarily at hearing Ebisu talk down at him, before he was enveloped in a white cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, both Ebisu and, a lesser extent Naruto gaped at what they saw.
In place of Konohamaru was a beautiful brunette woman standing at about 5'8" in height. She wore an incredibly form fitting blue kimono that accentuated her curves in the right places. It also exposed an incredible amount of cleavage of her impressive breasts. "Hi there, do you like my technique?" the brunette asked somewhat sexily, as she winked at Ebisu before disappearing in place of Konohamaru. "Hey, he isn't defeated" Konohamaru whined pitifully at seeing Ebisu still conscious, let alone standing.
'He took what I taught him about the Henge no Jutsu and twisted it into a watered down version of the Oiroke no Jutsu (2). I don't whether to be furious or proud' Naruto thought to himself, mentally torn between hitting the brat on the head or patting him on the shoulder.
Wha…WHAT KIND OF SCANDALOUS TECHNIQUE IS THAT! Such a vulgar technique will never influence, let alone defeat me, I am far above it" Ebisu yelled out in shock/disbelief at seeing the Honorable Grandson use such…filth. He quickly snapped out of his stupor, before he walked toward Konohamaru, subconsciously pushing up his glasses with his middle finger.
"Honorable Grandson stop this foolishness immediately" Ebisu cried out as he desperately pulled on Konohamaru's scarf in an effort to make him move. "Naruto is turning you into a pathetic delinquent like him. Only my special training can I put you on the fast track to becoming a Hokage" Ebisu continued, as he pulled harder on Konohamaru's scarf, only for him to dig his feet into the ground and stand firm.
"Leave me alone" Konohamaru yelled in defiance, trying desperately to escape Ebisu's grasp. A loud of cry of Bala interrupted their struggle, before the tree about ten feet away from Ebisu exploded into a flurry of splinters. Ebisu let go Konohamaru's scarf out of shock, as he and Konohamaru gaped at the now destroyed tree before turning to face Naruto.
"I'm only going to say this once you arrogant piece of trash…leave NOW" Naruto said coldly, as his still steaming fist was held in front of his face as it slowly was surrounded by a reddish aura.
"Whoa…that was unreal" Konohamaru gapped in amazement, completely astounded that Naruto could perform such a move.
"Hm, I'm not impressed. I'm a jonin after all, an elite shinobi warrior, not some pathetic lightweight like Mizuki. Watch how a real shinobi deals with an upstart" Ebisu said confidently, as he quickly shook off any amount of surprise at what Naruto had done.
(Meanwhile: Konoha Academy: Hokage's Office)
'This is either end very well or very poorly' Hiruzen thought to himself as he observed Naruto and the others using his crystal ball.
(Back with Naruto)
Naruto clenched his fists as he saw Ebisu walk towards him, a smug smile on his face as if he had already won. 'I'm going to enjoy beating the smug look off his face, probably more than I should' Naruto thought to himself, as he grasped his katana firmly, ready to cut down Ebisu if had to.
"Ready" Ebisu said snidely, while crossing his arms in front of him with his index and middle fingers extended, ready to perform a jutsu in a split second. 'It's about time someone put this trash in his place' Ebisu thought to himself, ready to beat Naruto into the ground and prove to the Honorable Grandson that his way was right.
The two combatants glared at each other, both unwilling to drop their gaze lest it be considered a defeat. Their bodies were tensed, ready to react in a second to anything the other might do. Time seemed to crawl to a stop for Naruto and Ebisu, as they waited for the other to make to slightest gesture, so they could attack. However, just as Naruto was about to initiate his attack on Ebisu, he was enveloped by a large cloud of orange smoke.
"What manner of trickery is this?" Ebisu said, his eyes watching the smoke cloud intensely, waiting for Naruto to make his move. When the smoke cleared Ebisu gapped at what he saw, instead of an emotionless Naruto staring him down, he was greeted by a happy looking Naru.
"Hi" Naru exclaimed happily, his tail wagging at full force as he waved to, the now, gaping Konohamaru and Ebisu.
Ebisu could only watch on in shock, his puny mind trying to piece together Naruto's strategy. 'What is he planning? What purpose does it serve him to Henge into a small child? You are an elite jonin, you should be able to figure out the strategy of a delinquent such as him' Ebisu thought to himself, as he observed, with rapt attention, Naru, who was currently observing the birds flying over head with child like glee. 'How dare this petulant punk ignore me?' Ebisu thought angrily, as every passing second only served to piss him off further the more thought about Naru. Ebisu was about to flip his shit and yell at Naru he took a deep breath and collected himself. 'Calm down, I am better than him. I am an elite jonin, he his nothing but vermin compared to me; I cannot allow the trash to get the better of me. Ah ha, so that was your plan, get me to lose my composure so you could get the upper hand' Ebisu thought to himself, before mentally patting himself on the back for figuring out Naruto's 'plan'.
"Very clever Naruto, your plan was almost successful, if I had been anyone else it would have succeeded. But alas, I am your opponent and as an elite I would never fall for such underhanded and obvious tricks such as that" Ebisu gloated, his voice so full of pride and arrogance it put Sasuke to shame.
The moment Ebisu started flapping his gums, he got Naru's attention, who simply stared at him with a blank look on his face and his head tilted to the side. "Hey you're the mean man who twying to take Saru-chan away" Naru said accusingly, as he pointed a finger at Ebisu, completely ignoring the outraged looking Konohamaru at being called "Saru-chan".
"Drop this pointless charade, it isn't going to work on me" Ebisu said with a slight edge to his voice, as he used all of his mental discipline to stay calm.
"Imma deck you in the schnoz" Naru said happily, as held up his fist, as if for emphasis, with wide smile on his face. Naru let out a small excited giggle at what was to come next, his tail wagging happily behind him.
This of course got a confused reaction out of Ebisu, having never heard anybody use that terminology before in his life. "Wha-?" Ebisu tried to say before his face was made acquainted with Naru's fist. Before Ebisu could even fathom what happened, he was suddenly sent flying by the force of Naru's blow until he was out of sight.
"BYE GRUMPY-SAN" Naru yelled at the sky, and waved at Ebisu's falling form in the distance. Within moments of Naru finally stopped waving, he was once again enveloped in a cloud of orange smoke, which dissipated to Naruto with a wide smirk on his face.
"Oh man, I couldn't even beat that snobby tutor of mine and you do it with one punch. I still want to be Hokage so bad but I keep messing up, why can't I do it?" Konohamaru whined, after getting over the initial shock at seeing Naruto beat Ebisu so easily.
"So even after everything I told you about becoming a Kage, you still want to go threw with it despite the sweat, blood and tears it'll take to get there. Let me tell you this, there is no easy way to become Hokage. You're going to get knocked constantly; you'll face hardships along the way. Take me for example; I've been ostracized by the bastards of the village, treated like I'm a demon made flesh. Yet, I still find the strength to go on, because no matter to do me, I have people who depend on me. That is the most important thing about being a Kage, you have to be someone that people not only look up to but can depend on them during tough times" Naruto said with absolute conviction in his voice, as he mentally flashed threw the people that believe in him.
Konohamaru could only look at Naruto with awe at that moment, with the leaves floating and his jacket flapping in the wind, Naruto never looked cooler to him. '. A Hokage has to be greatest warrior in their village, to ensure that they can protect the people care about' Naruto's words rung in Konohamaru's head, as a realization formed in his mind.
"Who do you think you are, giving me all these lectures and stuff like that? That's it, I'm no longer your apprentice, from now on were rivals. One day I'm going to defeat you in battle, after all a Hokage has to be the strongest warrior in the village, right" Konohamaru said with false anger in his voice at first, as he turned his back to Naruto, before it morphed into a wide grin.
"Heh, I couldn't be your trainer even if I wanted to gaki. For you see, starting tomorrow I start active service as a shinobi of Konoha. But what the hell, I'll accept your challenge. How 'bout this, if you manage to beat me someday, I'll coronate you as the Hokage myself. Until then, I want you train your ass off, because I want you to be at your absolute best when we fight…Sarutobi Konohamaru" Naruto said with a grin on his face as well, before walking off and waving goodbye to Konohamaru.
'I won't let you down, I'll become the greatest shinobi ever' Konohamaru thought to himself with conviction, as he saluted Naruto.
Well that's it for this chapter people, I hope you enjoyed it. I was originally going to have the chapter also encompass the bell test as well as an Omake, but this chapter was running a little long so I decided to end it here. Now let me clarify some things that might have confused some people
(1)- Let me make this clear, when Naruto was reborn into what he is now he assimilated personality traits from both the Espada and Kyuubi…and his dobe self. I chose to do this because I find it ridiculous in some stories where his memories are sealed; afterwards they remove almost all traces of canon Naruto. To me that doesn't make sense, since that dobe personality is still apart of his brain. Unlocking old memories wouldn't destroy that personality, it would alter it. So occasionally he will act like his dobe self, let me repeat that for some people, OCCASIONALLY. Not that often, just for comic relief and what not.
(2)- Yes I had Konohamaru somewhat recreate the Oiroke no Jutsu even though Naruto didn't actually teach him it. My reasoning is this; the Sexy Jutsu is an advanced and perverted version of the Transformation Jutsu. So it stands to reason that if you learn the Transformation jutsu you can learn the Sexy Jutsu. As for how he came up with it, well I really didn't want to write in the training sequence, so just imagine Naruto showing Konohamaru how to transform into a random woman. Then Konohamaru just expanded on it, yes I know that's lazy writing but I don't care right now. Also I made Konohamaru a little smarter in the story, I felt like as Hiruzen's grandson he should be a little smarter.
Stay tuned people for next time we get into team placements and the bell test. Questions will asked, teams will be formed, and shenanigans will be had. Now if you will excuse me, I have to try not to panic about starting college in a week.