Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 13

Settling In

Naruto plucked a rice ball wrapped in nori from the box in his lap and chewed it happily. It was lunch time and he was once again seated on top of one of the three posts in TG 7. It was fast becoming his favorite place to sit. His teammates were seated around the other posts, also eating. Hisa had taken to packing him bento in the mornings, for which he was very grateful. He'd go broke pretty quick if he ate out with Bushy Brows all the time.

He popped another rice ball in his mouth and cast a glance around the area. The river sparkled in the sun's light, and the breeze tossed the tops of the trees. The small Konoha flag behind the posts fluttered.

Naruto tilted his head. He'd been meaning to ask...

"Ne, Sensei, what's that?" he asked, pointing with his chopsticks.

"It's a flag, Naruto," Kakashi replied from his seat against a tree trunk, not glancing up from his book. He'd spent all of lunch reading, which disappointed the young blonde. He'd hoped to see the jonin's face while he ate.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I know that. What's it there for?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Go look."

Naruto huffed, but jumped down from the post. He set his lunch on the ground and headed into the trees, following a sort of path that wound through some bushes until it reached a small opening.

The flagpole stood at the far edge, with a white, square stone at its base. As Naruto got closer, he could see lines of names, filling part of the front and one side of the stone. He knelt and traced a few with his fingers.

...Mitsukuni Oya...Aburame Sho...

He felt Kakashi come up behind him, followed by Sasuke and Sakura. "Who are these people?" he asked.

"The greatest heroes of Konoha," his teacher replied, voice unusually serious.

...Kondo Nana...Uchiha Obito...

Naruto opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He wanted to be a hero too, but the way Kakashi was acting told him these ninja didn't just complete important missions or kill dangerous enemies to earn their spot on the stone.

"What did they do?" he finally asked.

It was Sakura who answered. "They died in the line of duty," she said solemnly.

...Takahashi Akihiro...Shimizu Chika...

"Several of these memorial stones are scattered around the village, at the main training grounds and the cemetery," the kunoichi continued. "So we will never forget our comrades and what it is we are fighting for."

Naruto continued to trace the names for a few moments before he decided.

...Inuzuka Rin...Umino Madoka...

"I'd like my name up here someday," he said. Silence from behind him. He turned to look at his new teammates. Sakura looked surprised, and Kakashi and Sasuke were practically boring holes in his head with the weight of their gazes. He blinked a few times. "What? Everyone dies. So why not want to die protecting my home?" He smiled. "And it'd be nice to be remembered as a hero."

More silence. He stood and stretched. "Thanks, Sensei, for showing me this." He glanced at the sun's position. "Ah! Lunch is almost over! And I'm not finished!" He took off back to the posts, leaving three ninja staring after him.

Ino shut the cabinet door with a click. She glanced over the rest of the kitchen from her place on the floor, feeling satisfied. The last of the supplies for Naruto's new apartment were now put away, and the room was looking good.

Naruto hadn't been joking when he'd told her he didn't have much stuff. All of his worldly possessions were sealed away in six storage scrolls that he carried in a small brown pack. Most of it was clothing, ninja supplies, and camping gear. He only had a handful of more personal items: a few pictures and posters, a few souvenirs from places like Tsuki no Kuni and Tanzaku Gai, and a book.

The book caught her attention when Naruto unsealed it, because the cover was worn and the pages were dog-eared, like it was read often. When she asked about it, he smiled, said it was something his mother gave him, and placed it carefully on the cupboard next to his bed. Its title was "Tales of a Gutsy Ninja."

It had been obvious to Ino from the beginning that they would need to go shopping. When she mentioned it to Naruto, he looked confused. She explained about his lack of linens and dishes and cleaning supplies. He said he didn't need that stuff, except maybe the cleaning supplies. She dragged him to the nearest shopping district anyway. She was not going to let him use his sleeping bag and his camping pot and call it good.

And, much to her surprise, shopping with Naruto had been fun. In the beginning, she'd felt obligated to help Naruto because she felt guilty. Now, she realized she liked spending time with her fellow blonde. Sure, he could be loud and obnoxious, but he was one of the nicest, friendliest people she'd ever met.

Ino chewed on her lip, thinking again of what she'd seen in his mind. She couldn't figure out why he thought so poorly of himself. She could only assume it had to do with whatever bad experiences he'd had, and she wouldn't find out about those unless he told her. She wanted him to. She wanted to help him improve his view of himself. After all, what are friends for?

Naruto came into the kitchen just then. "Hey! I'm done in the bedroom..." He trailed off at the serious expression on her face. "Ino-chan? What's wrong?"

She shook her head a little. "Nothing, I just..." She might as well be straightforward. Subtlety was lost on Naruto. "I was just thinking, about what I saw in your mind."

She didn't miss the stiffening of his shoulders, but he said nothing.

"I don't understand it. I don't understand why you see yourself as some sort of scary monster." She paused. The tension in his frame increased. "Because you aren't." He blinked and bit his lip. "But there has to be some reason you think you are. Whatever that reason is, if you ever need to talk about it, I'll listen." She smiled at him.

And it took him a minute, his expression hard to decipher, but he smiled back. "Thanks," he said, softly.

She nodded.

"Ne, Ino-chan?" Naruto said after a few moments, looking thoughtful.

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna train together sometime? I'm not the only person with shields out there, ya' know." He tapped his temple and grinned.

She grinned back. "I'd like that." She lifted her hands. "Now, help me up." She didn't need any help, and they both knew it, but that wasn't the point.

Naruto's smile widened and he stepped forward. There was no flinch or hesitation on her part, this time, when his warm hands closed over hers. He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion and she squeezed his hands a little before dropping them.

"Let me show you where I put everything..."

Naruto looked around curiously as he entered the Academy grounds. Having never had the experience, he found it strange that there was actually a school for ninja. But his father wanted him to learn more about the history and laws of Konoha, and had arranged for a teacher here to tutor him now that the taijutsu scroll was done.

Jiraiya had tried to teach him some of that stuff, but Naruto hadn't really cared about most of it at the time. He was interested in getting stronger so his father would accept him. The stuff he had wanted to know, Jiraiya wouldn't say much about, and Naruto didn't want to press too hard for fear of raising suspicions. But now that he had a tutor...maybe he could get the information he needed.

Classes had not let out for the day yet, so he loitered in the yard, scuffing at the dirt, hands in his pockets. He found himself under a tree with a lone swing dangling from it. He gave a little smile, sat down, and pushed off with his feet.

He had always liked to swing; it gave him a sense of freedom. His mother never let him do such frivolous things, though, so he'd only watched jealously from the side as other kids played, being pushed by parents or older siblings. Once he was on his own, he did it all the time. He found it to be a pleasant distraction from his loneliness, and he could almost convince himself he didn't care that his mother was gone.

A rush of loud voices caught his attention, and he realized school was over as a flood of children came pouring out of the Academy building. He stood, hands in pockets again, and ambled over to the door. He wasn't paying a whole lot of attention, wondering what his new teacher would be like, so he didn't really notice the stares from the kids until he heard a loud squeal right in front of him. "Sugoi! So pretty!"

He halted and looked down, to find two children blocking his path. He blinked. "Uhhh...hi?"

More squealing, from a young girl with hazel eyes and light brown hair tied up in pigtails. She yelled, "Hi, Pretty!"

Naruto blinked again. Pretty?

Before he could say anything, a hand tugged at his sleeve. He looked towards the other child; a black-haired boy with gray eyes, pale skin, and a large Uchiha crest on the front of his T-shirt. "Is the Hokage your dad? 'Cause you look just like him."

"Aa! You have pretty hair and pretty eyes, like Yondy-sama!" the pigtailed girl added.

Naruto's mouth dropped open. These brats were maybe seven or eight years old, and they'd asked him that? No one else had the entire time he'd been in the village! Now he was going to have to lie, and he never liked that.

But he was saved when another voice called from across the yard. "Kouta! Etsuko-chan!"

Naruto turned towards the sound, while the boy-Kouta, apparently-waved excitedly at the newcomer. He had the same coloring as Kouta, but was obviously older. He wore a hitai ite and a dark shirt with Uchiha crests lining the long sleeves. He stalked up to the small group and crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "What are you doing?"

Kouta pointed excitedly at Naruto. "Don't you think he looks like Yondy-sama? He could be his son, ne?"

The newcomer regarded Naruto coolly for a moment. Then, he smacked the younger boy in the head. "Baka," he said. "If he was related to Yondaime-sama, he would have said so."

"Hey!" Kouta rubbed his head and scowled at his elder. "You didn't have to hit me," he said sulkily. "Besides, maybe he hasn't said anything 'cause it's a secret!"

"If it is, he can't tell you, can he?" the older Uchiha replied.

The younger boy opened his mouth to retort, but hesitated. He frowned. "Oh."

The older boy sighed in a very put-out manner.

The girl giggled and pointed at Naruto's face. "'Sides. He has whiskers and Yondy-sama doesn't." She said it with a certain finality, as if that settled the matter. She tilted her head in a ridiculously cute fashion. "Why do you have whiskers? Are you a cat?" She giggled again.

Naruto shook his head a little and grinned to hide his utter bemusement. "Uh, no, not a cat. They're just birthmarks."

The older Uchiha rolled his eyes at the girl. "Honestly, Etsuko-chan." He recrossed his arms in front of his chest and looked pointedly at Naruto again. "I've never seen you before."

Naruto chuckled at the boy's attitude. It reminded him of Sasuke; it must run in the family. "I'm a new chuunin here."

"Hn." The boy evaluated him a moment more, then gave a stiff bow. "I am Uchiha Isamu. This is my brother, Uchiha Kouta." The younger boy grinned and bowed. "And his friend, Shimizu Etsuko." The girl bowed, giggling the whole time.

Naruto bowed slightly in return. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Isamu replied gravely. "What brings you to the Academy, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto grinned. "Just Naruto is fine, Isamu-kun," he said, ignoring the way the Uchiha bristled a little at the familiar address. "I'm looking for Umino Iruka."

Kouta and Etsuko lit up like little beacons.

"Oh!" Etsuko exclaimed. "Iruka-sensei is our teacher! We can take you to him!" She grabbed Naruto's hand and started tugging.

"Yeah!" Kouta agreed and grabbed Naruto's other hand.

"Kouta," Isamu said exasperatedly. "We have to get home. Kaa-san is waiting for us."

"Aww, come on, nii-san," Kouta whined, turning to his brother with a pout. "It won't take long! Besides, we have to help a comrade in need, ne?"

"I'm sure Uzumaki-san can find his own way perfectly well," the older Uchiha replied, through slightly gritted teeth.

"But it'll be easier if we show him! Please?"

"Yeah, please?" Etsuko added her own plea, accompanied by large puppy-dog eyes.

Isamu turned his head away. "Fine."

"Thanks nii-san!" Kouta tugged on Naruto's hand again. "Come on, Naruto-san!"

And the blonde let himself be pulled into the building.

Umino Iruka turned out to be a kind-faced chuunin with brown hair pulled into a spiky ponytail on top of his head and brown eyes that reminded Naruto of the liquid chocolate he'd once seen pouring out of a fountain in the window of a confectionary.

He liked the man immediately.

After their introductions, and after Isamu finally got Kouta and Etsuko away, Iruka smiled warmly at the younger chuunin and said, "Yondaime-sama tells me you are a hands-on learner, Naruto-kun."

Naruto just nodded, not really sure what that meant. But it sounded apt, and if his father had said it, it must be true.

"Unfortunately, history and law aren't necessarily hands-on types of subjects, but we'll do the best we can, alright?"

Naruto nodded again.

Iruka handed him a small scroll. Inside, he found a neatly written schedule. "This is my outline for our time together," Iruka explained. "Obviously, it is subject to change depending on how quickly you learn the material and your mission load."

Naruto scanned the contents and perked up a little. Iruka had planned several trips to cool-sounding places like the Mission Office and the Hokage Archive, which meant he wouldn't be stuck in a classroom the whole time.

But then he frowned. "Iruka-sensei? What's this?" He tapped at a spot on the scroll that read 'Essay: True or False: The outcome of the Second Great Shinobi War led directly to the Third Great Shinobi War. Support your position in 500 words or less.'

Iruka chuckled. "That's your homework, Naruto-kun." He ignored Naruto's gasp of horror. "I have listed all your assignments in the schedule."

Naruto slumped down in his chair and stared despondently at the scroll. He had to give up more valuable training time to do work at home? Even worse, this extra work seemed to consist of writing and-he looked at the schedule again-reading!

But Iruka only smiled at him in a knowing way, hands on his hips. "It may seem like a lot, but I won't ask you do the work without rewarding you for it." He paused, making sure he had the blonde's attention. "If you complete your assignments to my satisfaction, I'll treat you to ramen."

Naruto sat straight up in his chair and gave his new favorite teacher a brilliant smile. "Yosh!" he declared. "I'll do it, Iruka-sensei!" he exclaimed. "I'll write the best-" he glanced down at the scroll to remind himself of the unfamiliar word "-essays you've ever seen!"

Iruka laughed at the sudden enthusiasm and nodded. "Aright, Naruto-kun." He sat in one of the chairs next to the blonde. "Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about the time before the Hidden Villages existed..."

The attack came the next day.

Naruto sat in his father's office, waiting for the Hokage to finish his paperwork before they had dinner. He was perched on the couch next to the wall, engrossed in his first assignment-a book about the founders of Konoha-when he caught an unfamiliar heartbeat approaching rapidly. He raised his head and stared at the wall, his eyes tracking the heartbeat's progress in the hall outside. It seemed...young.

His father had noticed his movement. "Naruto?" he questioned.

"Someone's coming," the teen said.

The Hokage slid his gaze to the door and a moment later it burst open. A figure darted into the room, brandishing a kunai. "Fight me, Yellow Flash!" it cried as it sprinted for the desk.

Naruto acted on instinct. He'd risen to his feet as soon as the door was flung open, the book falling, forgotten, to the floor with a thunk. In the next instant he disappeared from his spot by the couch, moving in a blur to place himself between his father and the attacker, although he left the Hokage a clear line of sight to the figure. With a flick of his wrist, the kunai hidden under his sleeve popped into his right hand and he settled into a defensive crouch.

It didn't matter that his father's only reaction was to sigh and shake his head, or that the ANBU guarding the room hadn't made any move to stop the person. It didn't matter that Naruto himself didn't think the figure posed much of a threat. All that mattered was that someone was attacking the Hokage. And he would not allow it.

His assessment of the threat proved correct a moment later when, about halfway into the room, the attacker tripped on his ridiculously long scarf and fell over.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, doing his best not to laugh, and rose out of his crouch, although he kept the kunai in his hand. The blonde studied the attacker as he picked himself up off the floor. The boy was probably 11 or 12 and had dark spiky hair that stuck straight up off his head and dark eyes. His cheeks were an unusually deep shade of red, and Naruto wondered for a moment if he was ill. He wore a tan coat with a dark brown strip running down the front and dark pants. The strange scarf was a dull green-blue. Naruto narrowed his eyes a little at the Leaf hitai ite tied around the boy's forehead. He was most likely a gennin, but what gennin would actually challenge the Hokage?

The boy spoke. "Who set that trap?" he demanded. Dark eyes swept around the room and settled on the young blonde in front of the desk. "It was you wasn't it?" he said, pointing an accusatory finger at Naruto.

Naruto couldn't hold it in this time and he burst out laughing. "Baka! What trap? You tripped on your scarf. I had nothing to do with it."

The gennin in front of him snarled a little and clenched his fists. "Don't laugh at me," he hissed.

Naruto shrugged. "Don't do funny things," he replied, grinning.

"Who are you?" the gennin asked, still sounding angry.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde said, with a little bow. "Although, it is customary to introduce yourself first when speaking to your elders. And betters."

The gennin made an angry sound in his throat. "Stand aside, Uzumaki-san," he said.

Naruto shook his head a little. Was he serious? "No."

"Then I'll have to go through you!" The gennin sprang forward again.

Naruto sighed. He didn't know who this kid was, but he needed to be taught a lesson. He quickly shifted the kunai to his left hand and grabbed the boy's wrist with his right hand, easily evading the kunai the kid tried to stab him with. He spun on his right foot, using the gennin's own momentum to shove him-lightly-into the Hokage's desk. The gennin let out a surprised oof as the air was driven from his lungs and he doubled over, almost hitting his head on the wood. While he was still too shocked to move, Naruto completed his spin, planting his left foot on the other side of the boy's legs and easily twisting the boy's right arm up behind him. He quickly changed his grip before the kid could react and pointed the kid's own kunai, still in his hand, at the back of his neck. Naruto hooked his left arm around the gennin's shoulder and brought his kunai up to the boy's throat. The kid was effectively trapped. He struggled a little, and Naruto let him, until his struggles brought him into contact with one of the kunai. He froze at the feel of the cold metal against his skin.

"Now, gennin-chan," Naruto said, smirking at the angry huff he heard from the boy. "Well, you never gave me a name, so what else should I call you?"

"Konohamaru," the boy mumbled.

"That's better. Now, what are you doing attacking the Hokage?"

"I will be the Hokage! Everyone will have to acknowledge me then!"

Naruto blinked at the boy in his grasp. "You are attacking Hokage-sama because you want to be the Hokage? That's ridiculous!"

"No it isn't!"

"Of course it is!" Naruto replied, a little more harshly. This kid needed a serious attitude adjustment. "Never once has the title of Hokage passed to someone because they defeated the previous Hokage in battle. Every single Hokage got the title because they were chosen to be the successor. They earned the right to that title by being the strongest and the best."

"Exactly!" Konohamaru cried. "If I defeat Yondaime-sama, then I prove I am the best ninja in the village! They'll have to make me Hokage!"

Naruto shook his head. The founders had very strong opinions on what exactly the Hokage position entailed. He'd just read about it. "No, no, no. You don't prove you're the best by beating the Hokage in a fight. You prove you're the best by working hard for the Hokage. By becoming strong so you can protect the village. Then you earn the right to be the Hokage." He sighed. "Besides, how could you possibly beat Hokage-sama as you are now? You can't even beat me, and I'm just a chuunin. You obviously have a long way to go, Konohamaru-chan."

"Don't call me chan!" the gennin said. Naruto chuckled. It was too easy to rile the boy up. It reminded him of...himself.

"I'll stop calling you that when you stop acting like a little kid," he said, seriously. "You are a gennin of the Leaf. Act like it. And the first thing you should do is apologize to Hokage-sama."

A brief pause. "What?" Konohamaru said. He apparently wasn't expecting that.

Naruto sighed again. "Attacking Hokage-sama is not only silly, it's incredibly disrespectful. And treasonous. He could have you punished. Apologize."

Konohamaru spluttered a little.

"I'm not letting you go until you apologize," Naruto said.

Konohamaru was silent for a few moments, then mumbled something, his eyes on the desk.

"I don't think Hokage-sama heard you," Naruto admonished.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama!" Konohamaru said loudly.

The Hokage had been watching the proceedings with surprise at first, but that had quickly been replaced by amusement. Before he had a chance to respond, though, a voice called out from the open doorway.

"Honorable grandson!"

Naruto turned his head to see a man dressed in black shinobi garb with a black bandana on his head and round sunglasses. The man was staring at the tableau before him in shock.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" the strange ninja spluttered.

"It's fine, Ebisu-san," the Hokage said smoothly. "Konohamaru-kun was just apologizing for his behavior." Ebisu's eyebrows rose out from behind his glasses while the Hokage refocused on the boy before him. "Apology accepted."

His father gave a little nod, and Naruto released the boy he was holding, stepped away, and slid his kunai back under his sleeve. Konohamaru moved away from the desk too, rubbing his arm and scowling fiercely.

"I've never seen you before," he said sulkily to Naruto.

"I'm a new chuunin," the young blonde replied. He tilted his head. "Honorable grandson?"

Konohamaru scowled again, but it was Ebisu that answered.

"Konohamaru-kun is the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, the great Sarutobi Hiruzen, who gave his life to protect this village from the Demon Fox," he said reverently. "You would do well to show him the respect he deserves!"

Naruto turned wide eyes on the boy next to him. This? This is Sandaime-sama's grandson? Oh…

Konohamaru hmphed and crossed his arms over his chest. "What? Afraid of me now?" Then he lowered his voice. "You're just like all the others," he mumbled, more to himself than Naruto.

But of course, Naruto still heard him. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Baka," he said and smacked Konohamaru in the back of his head. "Like I care about that!"

Ebisu stared. Konohamaru stared. The Hokage laughed. Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and cocked an eyebrow at the young gennin.

"Alright, Ebisu-san, please take Konohamaru-kun back to whatever he was doing before this little visit. I have paperwork to finish."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the jonin said, still sounding somewhat stunned. He crossed to the young ninja, grabbed him by the arm, and half-dragged him out the door. Konohamaru kept staring at Naruto the entire time, eyes wide in surprise.

Naruto waved to him as he left. The young blonde grinned and went back to the couch. He picked the book up from the floor, found his place again and began reading. But after a few moments, he looked up. His father was staring at him, a bemused smile on his face. "Did you need something, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

The Yondaime only shook his head and went back to his paperwork.

Two days later, Konohamaru stood hidden behind the trunk of a tree, watching the new ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, train. The chuunin had been on his mind constantly since they'd met. The minute Ebisu-sensei had let his team go yesterday, he had made a beeline for the Tower. It wasn't too hard to get Hisa to talk to him, and he'd found out quite a bit about the young blonde. He learned that Uzumaki had just moved from the Tower to an apartment, that he usually trained first thing in the morning, and that the Hokage seemed quite pleased with him thus far. A conversation with the gate guards had been less fruitful, but they'd still told him in awed and shocked voices that Uzumaki sometimes met Rock Lee for his morning training. Konohamaru thought they were joking, but they assured him it was the truth. Other ninja proved to be even less helpful, most not having heard of him at all. But he'd hit a jackpot with his Uncle Asuma. The jonin had seemed amused when Konohamaru told him what happened in the Hokage's office, and he'd been more than willing to discuss the new ninja. Uzumaki had apparently trained with his uncle's team for an entire week. The chuunin had wind chakra, like Asuma and the Hokage, and he knew a really cool forbidden jutsu.

Konohamaru had the next day off, so it was with all this information in mind that he set himself the mission of following one Uzumaki Naruto.

He'd assumed the chuunin would stick to his routine, so he stationed himself at the apartment building very early. When the blonde ninja emerged, Konohamaru followed him to the training area. He was alone; Konohamaru was only thankful this was not one of the mornings he trained with Lee.

The gennin had hoped to see the forbidden jutsu his uncle talked about, and he wasn't disappointed. After warming up, the blonde placed his hands in an unfamiliar seal, like a cross, and murmured something. A clone popped into existence, but it wasn't an ordinary clone. It was solid. Konohamaru had never seen anything like it, although Ebisu-sensei had mentioned solid clones from time to time. Usually they were made of things like water or earth. He didn't know what this one was made of.

The two Uzumakis then began to spar. They started with taijutsu. Naruto went through three clones and then switched to kenjutsu. Not many ninja in Konoha used katanas, so Konohamaru had never really seen that style of fighting before. He was totally blown away.

Uzumamki dispatched his clone with a nasty-seeming slice to the gut and paused. He slid his sword back into its sheath and pulled a water bottle from one of his pouches. Konohamaru wondered if he should say something, when the older teen spoke.

"You can come on out, Konohamaru-chan."

The gennin froze momentarily, but then stepped proudly out from behind the tree. "So, you could sense my presence. The rumors of your prowess are not exaggerated."

The older ninja rolled his eyes a little at the theatrics, but he grinned. "What'cha doin' here, Konohamaru-chan?" He didn't sound annoyed or angry, just curious.

Konohamaru had originally followed the new ninja simply to learn more about him, but since watching the blonde train, he had a new goal. "Can I see your sword?" he blurted out.

Naruto blinked at him in surprise, but then shrugged. "Sure. Come here."

Konohamaru eagerly dashed over. The blonde pulled the sword from his back and held it out to the younger ninja, the blade parallel to the ground. "Just be careful."

The dark-haired boy nodded and grasped the weapon. He examined it closely, running one finger lightly over the hilt. It had black threads tightly wrapped around it in a way that left several small, diamond-shaped openings running down its length. The openings were black too, but had a different texture than the threads. "Naruto-san, what's this?" he asked, indicating the openings.

"Samegawa," he replied. "Shark skin." He pointed to the threads. "This is the tsuka-ito. This is a practice sword, so it's just made of cotton. On my other sword it's silk." He took a drink of water, then continued. "This is the tsuba," he pointed to the round metal guard below the hilt, "and this is the habaki." He indicated another metal piece between the tsuba and the blade. Both were plain and unadorned. He chuckled. "There's various parts of the blade too, but you probably don't care too much about that."

Actually, Konohamaru was interested, but he was distracted by something Naruto had said. "Other sword?"

Naruto grinned. "Aa." He tucked his water bottle away and pulled up the sleeve on his left arm. Then he turned the underside of his wrist towards Konohamaru. "See that?"

The gennin nodded, wide-eyed. An intricate seal was tattooed on the older teen's skin just above the edge of his glove.

"It's a storage seal. I just have to channel a little chakra…" he trailed off and suddenly, with a poof and a small cloud of smoke, another katana appeared in the air above his wrist. Naruto caught it with a deft motion before it could fall to the ground. It made a slight ringing sound as he did. Konohamaru stared. Sugoi!

Naruto chuckled at his expression. "I'll take that one," he started, snagging his practice sword from Konohamaru's unresisting hand and sheathing it again in a swift motion. "You take this one." He handed the second katana to the gennin.

It was beautiful. The sheath was black and had red cord wound around it several times near the top. The tsuka-ito was black on this one too, but the samegawa was red. The tsuba was decorated with nine red spirals arranged in a circle. Unlike the familiar Konoha swirls, the outside ends of these straightened out somewhat. The straighter ends pointed inwards, towards the sword itself. The swirls were similar to the design Naruto had on the back of his shirt, or the Fire Country symbols Konohamaru saw around the village from time to time. He thought he'd seen something like it somewhere else too, but he couldn't remember where, so he went back to examining the katana. The habaki had a design on it too; it looked kind of like the kanji Konohamaru was used to, but it was different enough that he couldn't read it.

"Is this writing, Naruto-san?" he asked. The blonde nodded. "What language is it?"

"My mother's language." He hesitated slightly. "It says 'blood'. The other side says 'fire'."

"Oh." The younger boy turned the sword carefully in his hands and examined the writing on the other side. The ringing came again as he did, and his eyes were drawn to the source of the sound. A small silver bell was attached to the very end of the hilt by a red cord. He fingered it gently. "What's this?"

Naruto smiled. "Hokage-sama gave me a test before I could become a ninja here." He nodded at the bell. "I had to get that from him."

Konohamaru gaped. "And you did?" he squeaked, his voice several tones higher than normal in his surprise.

"Aa," the blonde replied, the smile never leaving his face.

Konohamaru was stunned. This ninja, this ninja had gotten a bell from Hokage-sama! Had done what Konohamaru had never managed to do…

"You…you beat Hokage-sama?"

Naruto snorted. "Don't get so excited, Konohamaru-chan. It's not like he was using his full strength. The point of the fight wasn't to beat me, but to see my skill. If he'd wanted to, he could have finished me in an instant. But that wouldn't have given him an idea of my abilities, would it?"

Konohamaru shook his head reluctantly. "But still!" He watched the blonde for a moment or two, before making up his mind. This ninja was waaaay cooler than Ebisu. "I want you to teach me! I'll be your disciple! Ok, Chief?"

Naruto just stood, a look of surprise on his face. "Huh?" He blinked a couple times. "Ch-Chief?"

Konohamaru nodded vigorously. "Yeah! You can teach me all the jutsu you used to defeat Hokage-sama!"

Naruto chuckled. "So that's it…" he muttered. "Don't you already have a teacher?"

Konohamaru shrugged. "Four-eyes-sensei? He's been tutoring me since the Academy, and he's ok, I guess. He always says he's an 'elite teacher' and his way is the shortest path to being Hokage, but all he does is go on about the 'Eight Principles of the Shinobi' and stuff like that. He doesn't know cool jutsu like you do!"

"I'll bet he does. He's not a special jonin for nothing," the blonde replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He eyed Konohamaru with a piercing gaze. The gennin suddenly felt a little uncomfortable under that stare. "Why do you want to be Hokage so badly, anyway?"

Konohamaru opened his mouth to give his standard answer about 'acknowledgement', but closed it again, thinking hard. What did he really mean by that? He had the feeling that this ninja, with his intense eyes, would know if what he said was true or not.

"My name…is Konohamaru, right?" he started slowly. "I was named after the village. It was a name my grandfather liked…said it would bring the bearer luck." He snorted a little. "Everyone in the village knows that's my name. But no one ever calls me that. It's always just 'honorable grandson'." His gaze turned fierce. "No one ever sees me for who I am, just who I'm related to!" His voice rose. "I hate it!" He paused and continued in a quieter tone. "But if I'm Hokage, they'll have to see me, they'll have to acknowledge who I am." He sniffed. "And the sooner the better."

Silence. A slight breeze stirred the branches and rustled the leaves of the trees around them.

Naruto was watching the boy in front of him with an odd expression on his face. Konohamaru couldn't place it, but he seemed almost…sad. Then the expression disappeared and was replaced by a smirk.

"Yare, yare. You'll never be Hokage with an attitude like that."

"Huh?" Konohamaru gaped at him.

Naruto shrugged. "That just seems like a selfish reason to be Hokage, is all. I don't think Yondaime-sama, or Sandaime-sama, became Hokage to get acknowledgement. I think they did it because they love this village and want to protect it. That's what it really means to be Hokage."

Konohamaru stared.

"Besides," the blonde continued, taking his katana back and resealing it, "this village is full of strong ninja. If you're going to be the strongest of all, if you're going to even think of stepping into Yondaime-sama's shoes, you need to work really hard, for a long time. I've worked my ass off for my entire life, and I'm just a chuunin." That piercing gaze turned to the Sarutobi again, pinning him to the spot. "Do you understand, Konohamaru-chan? There is no 'shortest path.' And there is no time to waste on stupid attacks."

Konohamaru ducked his head. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't, because he knew the blonde was right. The Yondaime had been putting up with his attacks since the Academy, even though they were dumb. He could have had Konohamaru punished, at any time, but he never did. Konohamaru didn't know why that was, but he knew he could repay that kindness. He could show the Hokage, and the blonde in front of him, that he wasn't a little kid anymore.

He lifted his head and looked Naruto right in the eyes. "I understand," he said firmly.

And suddenly, Naruto was grinning at him, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. It was as though the past few moments hadn't happened at all.

"I don't have to meet my team for another hour, so how about I show you my own original technique? I used it against Jiraiya-sensei, and he was so impressed, he agreed to take me as his student."

"One of the Sannin?" Konohamaru squeaked, forgetting his seriousness in the face of a technique so amazing, it impressed a member of the Legendary Three. "Sugoi! Teach me!"

Naruto smirked. "Ok. I call it Orioke no Jutsu…"

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

Sasuke resisted the urge to massage his temples in the hopes of easing the headache that was rapidly forming there. Why had he used a katon jutsu again? Oh, right. Because all his long-range raiton jutsus were basically useless against the blonde. But as soon as the fire left his mouth, Naruto lost all interest in their spar. Instead, he'd started begging Sasuke to help him with his own fire manipulation.

"I'll bring you tomatoes."

Sasuke hesitated for a fraction of a second, before realizing that he was actually contemplating the offer. "NO!" He didn't want to deal with teaching his annoying teammate anything, even for his favorite food. How had Naruto known that anyway?

"C'mon Sasuke!"

"No."

Naruto huffed and looked away and Sasuke smirked. But then the blonde looked back at him with a sly expression and Sasuke was instantly on guard. That look couldn't be good.

"I'll keep bugging you, every day, until you agree." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke caved. "Fine," he muttered, looking away from his teammate as the blonde gave a loud shout of triumph. He could resist begging and bribing, but not torture. "Show me what you can do."

Naruto stopped cheering and blinked at him. "Now?"

"Yes, now. Dobe." Sasuke smirked again. He'd agreed, so he might as well make the best of it. And Kakashi was still busy teaching Sakura that earth jutsu.

Naruto scowled at him. "Jerk! Don't call me that!" But then his face turned serious and he lifted his right hand, palm up, to about chest height. "I can't do much," he said. "Just this..." And suddenly a small flame appeared, hovering over his palm. The blonde bounced it in his hand, as though it were a ball, then tossed it to his other palm. "It's not good for much, except lighting campfires." He sighed and clenched his hand in a fist, extinguishing the fire.

Sasuke fought to keep his face blank. The Uchiha had never seen anything like that before, but he was already thinking of the possibilities.

"And I can do this..." Naruto pulled his hand to his lips and inhaled. Sasuke could only stare, because it looked like the Goukakyuu, but...

Naruto exhaled and blew out what was unmistakably a fireball.

...how the hell had he done that without hand seals? Admittedly, it was much smaller and weaker than Sasuke's, but he couldn't deny it was a fireball produced without hand seals. Even Itachi couldn't do that.

Naruto sighed again, oblivious to the way he was shocking his teammate to the core. "But that's about it. My mother can do really amazing things with fire, but I never got the hang of it."

"It would help if you used the seals," Sasuke said, using sarcasm to mask his astonishment.

Naruto didn't seem to notice. He nodded enthusiastically. "Aa! That's what I thought, too! So, can you show me?"

Sasuke gave in to his impulse and rubbed his temples. Then, he looked back at the eager face of his new teammate and found himself speaking. "Most katon utilize the tora sign..."

The Hokage hummed thoughtfully as he read Kakashi's report on his new team. Of course, Minato had already heard Naruto's opinion on the subject, but his student's account was much more comprehensive and professional than his son's.

"...Individual abilities are in line with expectations and above the level of many of their peers. I have begun teaching Sakura suiton, since it's her primary element, and doton, to complement the boys' affinities. She learns quickly, as expected given her excellent chakra control and intelligence.

"Their real weakness is teamwork, also as expected. Their mission approaches are very different. Naruto tends to charge in without thinking a situation through, although his ability to create innovative plans on the fly is impressive."

Minato thought of the test he gave his son and grinned. That was an understatement.

"Sasuke plans things out ahead of time and doesn't think as creatively. Sakura always sides with Sasuke, even when she might have a dissenting opinion. This makes Naruto feel left out and defensive. He, in turn, sometimes goes ahead with his ideas in the middle of the exercise, if he feels they would work better, leaving his teammates scrambling to catch up. This annoys Sasuke and angers Sakura, even if the changes work. However, it could be dangerous on a real mission."

Well, that was certainly true. It sounded like Team Kakashi needed to communicate better. Perhaps radios...and a little more trust. Minato sighed. The first was easy. The second was not.

"Individual attitudes are not conducive to good teamwork. Sasuke is distant as usual..."

Minato snorted a little. Naruto had complained that the Uchiha was 'just like Neji-a total jerk,' and asked if all geniuses were that way. Minato had wondered if maybe he should describe what Kakashi used to be like, but decided against it. He'd only assured his son that things could change.

"...and Sakura is still as infatuated with Sasuke as when they were younger. She doesn't stalk him like she used to, though, nor does she ask him for a date every practice."

Minato chuckled. Thank kami for small miracles.

"Naruto has asked them to join him for ramen every day, and Sasuke has refused each time. Sakura has accepted once, I think more to get Naruto to stop bothering her than because she actually wanted to go. However, she did seem to enjoy herself, judging by her comments the next day."

That was good to hear, since Naruto had had a great time. He hadn't stopped talking about it when Minato had joined him for training later that same evening.

"Sasuke pretended to not pay attention, but he was interested in the conversation."

Heh. Minato just bet he was. The Uchiha never went into the village if he could help it, and he rarely interacted with anyone other than his brother and Kakashi. Hopefully, spending time with Sakura and Naruto would help get him out of his cold shell.

"Changes in these attitudes will take time and training can only do so much. However, Sasuke has agreed to work with Naruto on his fire manipulation, which is a step in the right direction."

Minato had been surprised, but extremely happy, when Naruto told him about that.

"This opens up the possibility for more sharing amongst the teammates, i.e. Sakura working with Naruto on genjutsu (see Note), and both boys working with Sakura on taijutsu and ninjutsu."

Minato's eyes traveled to the note at the bottom of the page.

"What is your plan regarding the Sharingan?"

Hmmm...yes. Kurenai had suggested testing Naruto's interesting ability to resist genjutsu against the Sharingan. It would be a good idea to do it sooner rather than later. And not just because it was probably only a matter of time before Sasuke used it on his teammate. He would speak with Kakashi and Itachi.

"In conclusion, Naruto is well-versed in most of the team formations now, and they all are used to working with each other. Recommend simple C-rank missions in or near the village to gain experience and build team bonds."

Minato set the report down and smiled. He was glad Kakashi felt they were ready, because he actually had the perfect mission in mind.

Three figures dashed through the trees that surrounded Konohagakure. To the untrained eye, they appeared as blurs, their passage marked only by a momentary shift in shadows or the faint rustle of leaves.

"Targets approaching. Twenty meters."

The scratchy voice crackled from the earpieces all three figures wore, which were attached to the radios around their necks.

A fourth figure, following some distance behind them, replied. "Acknowledged. Take positions."

The three figures split away from each other with practiced precision. A few moments later, the radios crackled again.

"Ready one."

"Ready two."

"Ready three. Are we gonna do this or what?"

A faint chuckle. "All right. Go!"

And the figures sprang into action.

Yori peered at the surrounding trees anxiously. He could swear...

He poked his partner, Daiki. "Someone's watching us."

The larger man was crouched on the ground, pawing through a pack. He scoffed without looking up. "Come on. You're just being paranoid."

Yori shook his head, brown hair falling into his eyes. "I'm telling you-"

The other man cut him off. "Just knock it off, ok? We got a good haul today. I told you ninja villages had a lot of money."

Yori sighed. "Maybe, but it's not worth the risk. Ninja are dangerous."

"You complain like my grandma," Daiki muttered. "We haven't been caught, have we?"

Yori bit his lip. That was true, but still...

His partner continued. "So stop worrying, everything's fine."

No sooner had the words left his lips then everything stopped being fine. Very quickly.

Something blurred at the edge of Yori's vision and before he could even turn his head to look, he felt cold metal pressed to his throat. "Move and I kill you," an equally cold voice sounded in his ear.

Daiki wasn't faring any better. A young man had materialized, seemingly out of thin air, behind him. It wasn't until his partner slumped forward to the ground that Yori realized the person had rendered him unconscious with a motion too fast for his civilian eyes to see.

Yori was panicking, though he was still to shocked to move. He couldn't see his captor, but the one that had knocked Daiki out was visible. He had bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a drab green vest that sported the symbol of Konoha's police force-a shuriken with the Konoha leaf in front of it. And he had a Leaf hitai ite on his forehead. If it hadn't already been completely obvious, it was now.

Ninja.

Damn it, he hated being right sometimes.

A third figure appeared in front of him, a young woman with the same green vest, holding some sort of cord.

The cold voice spoke again. "Lift your hands. If you try anything..." The metal pressed harder into his neck, leaving no doubt as to the nature of the threat.

Yori did as he was told, letting the pink-haired woman bind his wrists tightly. He knew he couldn't win against ninja. He was a civilian thief, not a professional killer.

When she was done with him, she bound Daiki in a similar manner.

"Nod if you are Sato Yori," the cold voice demanded. The thief gave a small nod, not wishing to give the voice a reason to slit his throat. "And the other is Nakamura Daiki." Another small nod. The voice grunted.

The female ninja was examining the contents of their pack. She looked up at the other two and smiled. "Looks like it's all here," she said.

"Great!" the blonde replied with a dazzling smile of his own.

The pressure on Yori's neck eased, though the weapon wasn't lowered from its threatening position. He dared to turn his head, just enough to see his captor. The ninja was dark-haired and dark-eyed and wore a vest like the other two. His, though, sported an uchiwa fan in addition to the leaf outline. Yori's eyes widened. You couldn't spend any length of time in Konoha without knowing what that symbol meant.

The Uchiha lifted his free hand to a collar on his neck and spoke. "Targets captured."

He apparently got some sort of reply that Yori couldn't hear because he nodded and looked back over to the other three. "Let's go."

And then Yori felt a different sort of pressure in his neck, and he slid into darkness.

Naruto thankfully dropped his burden on the floor of the cell, not really caring if the man got a few bruises from the rough treatment. Bruises weren't a big deal, and the guy was heavy. But stupid Sasuke had taken the lighter of the two and made a few scathing remarks about Naruto's strength, so of course the blonde couldn't complain too much.

Anyways, the job was done now; another successful mission for Team Kakashi! He exited the cell, closing the door behind him and making sure it locked. They had been working for the police department for almost a week, and it was fun. He finally got to utilize the skills he'd worked so hard for and do something useful for his father. Watching Sasuke's older brother annoy the hell out of him was just icing on the cake.

The night before they started this mission, the Hokage had explained how the Uchiha had been policing Konoha for a long time and the Clan Head-currently Itachi-was the one in charge. But of course, since the Rebellion, there weren't enough Uchiha to staff it anymore, so other ninja did. Some were assigned permanently, and others rotated through. Most of the ninja in the village had worked on the police force at some point or other.

Team Kakashi's duties consisted of chasing down law-breakers and patrolling the village. That was Naruto's favorite part, strolling the streets, talking to people, keeping the peace. Sakura usually walked with him, but Sasuke always elected to stay on the rooftops. He said it was to have a better vantage point so no criminals escaped. It made sense, but Naruto still didn't like it. Sasuke always did that-separated himself from others, including his teammates. How was Naruto supposed to get close if Sasuke wouldn't let him?

He sighed as he left the building with Sasuke and Sakura, walking into the bright sunlight where Kakashi was waiting for them.

The jonin's eye crinkled up. "Good job team!" he exclaimed. "That's all for today. As you know, tomorrow is a rest day because of the festival. Sasuke, Naruto, I'll see you in the morning. Ja ne!" And he was gone in a swirl of leaves.

Right. Naruto had forgotten about that. Tomorrow was October 10th.

Author's Note:

I apologize for my lateness. Thank you to everyone who read this anyway.

I would like to point out that the term 'Yondy-sama' is not mine. I lifted it unabashedly from an excellent fic called "Seal Shatter." Go read it.