I do not own Naruto or Boruto; those manga's rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Ukyo Kodachi. Nor do I own or claim ownership of the world map created by Michael-Madlock. This story is just for fun and isn't part of the original properties. Please, enjoy.

Chapter 3: The Fourth Hokage's Legacy

"Boys, why did you do that to the Hokage Faces? I mean, you know how important they all were?" Iruka-sensei asked.

The Uzumaki twins sat on either side of Iruka at Ichiraku Ramen, eating dinner. Menma and Naruto had spent most of the day cleaning Hokage Rock, and Iruka knew they hadn't eaten.

"Mhmm, we sure do," Naruto said through a mouthful of ramen. He wore his orange outfit with goggles on his head.

"That bastard Fourth Hokage put that damned Demon Fox inside us," Menma said between mouthfuls of ramen. He wore a purple T-shirt and black pants.

"...He was your Father-"

"Exactly. He was our Dad. So why the hell did he curse us like this?" Menma asked the question that ate away at him every day.

"It's not a curse…" Naruto muttered.

"It sure as hell feels like it," Menma shook his head.

Teuchi peeked over his shoulder and continued preparing ramen.

"He had to protect the village, and he knew that you boys could tame the power of the Nine-Tails," Iruka explained.

"Everybody treats us like shit," Menma said, finishing his ramen. "They treat us like we are the Nine-Tails. They look at us as if we were the ones who wrecked the village and killed all those people."

"Those people are just afraid… They don't understand, and they don't know you." Iruka-sensei smiled, "Give anyone enough time with you, and you'll be fast friends."

"Whatever."

"Yeah… Anyway, you shouldn't be vandalizing Hokage Rock like that," Iruka said, and Menma stood up.

Naruto finished his ramen and said, "Thank you for the food, Iruka-sensei."

He nodded, "Of course."

"Goodnight, Teuchi," The twins said as they exited the ramen shop.

"Goodnight, boys!"

Walking down the street, Menma looked up at the stars and sighed. "Stupid Fourth Hokage… So what if he was our dad, he ruined our lives."

"Menma…" Naruto frowned as he looked at his brother.

"Don't you hate him? Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. I mean, I'm angry at him. He left us all alone."

"He cursed us with the Nine-Tails! We're supposed to feel better because he had faith in us? Just because we're his sons, we must bear this burden..!"

"I know! You don't have to tell me. I've been beaten up just as much as you have! They shoot me dirty looks and whisper behind my back…." Naruto stopped walking, "You are not alone, Menma!"

"The old man hardly told us anything about our parents. That ANBU guy stopped showing up. Even our Godfather has only made one appearance in our lives," Menma kept walking.

The duo continued down the streets until reaching their building. They ascended several flights of stairs before turning onto a walkway on the top floor. Grabbing his keys from his pocket, Naruto unlocked the door, and they entered the apartment.

Closing the door, Menma spotted an envelope on the floor. "Dammit, old man, how many times do we have to go through this?"

He picked up the envelope and walked to the kitchenette as he opened it. There was fifteen-thousand ryo in bills tucked inside, just like all the others. Opening a drawer in the kitchenette, he closed the envelope and tossed it in with the others.

"We need that money," Naruto stated.

"We agreed to use what we needed, and that's all. We don't need the Third's money," Menma said matter-of-factly.

"It's our money! As soon as it slides under the door, it's ours."

"It's dirty money..!"

"I'm going to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow," Naruto said and walked to his room, closing the door behind him.

"Naruto…"

Menma sat on the couch and thought about Lord Third. The old man visited them sometimes and ensured they received monthly income. Menma had grown to despise his visits and refused to use the money he sent them. However, they had to use some of it to survive. His thoughts then moved to Master Jiraiya, their Father's mentor.

"Pervy Sage said he'd take care of us and teach us the ways of shinobi. What a load of shit." He muttered to himself.

Menma stood up and walked to his bedroom. Naruto was right. They had an important day tomorrow. Smiling, he thought of the Academy and stripped off his clothes. Tomorrow will be their last day as students and their first as ninjas!

The following day, Naruto and Menma sat on opposite sides of a classroom at the Academy. Iruka held up a sheet of paper and said, "When I call your name, we'll head to the next classroom."

Naruto sat and waited as, one by one; the students disappeared from the classroom. He impatiently tapped his fingers on the desk, waiting for his name to be called. Menma's name was called, and he smiled at Naruto before leaving the room with Iruka.

A few minutes later, Iruka returned, "You're the last one, Naruto."

Following Iruka-sensei, he grinned and cracked his knuckles. They entered a vast classroom with a table with a single Konoha headband on it. Naruto gawked at the sight of the headband.

"Okay, Naruto, the test is on the Clone Jutsu," Iruka explained.

Naruto scoffed, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty clones appeared around him in thin wisps of smoke.

"Alright!"

"Believe it!"

"Oh yeah!"

The Narutos cheered, and Iruka screamed over them, "QUIET!"

"Whoa, calm down, Iruka-sensei," Naruto and his clones said in unison.

"I-I don't know what to say… The Shadow Clone Jutsu isn't what I asked you to do, but that's incredible..! Where did you learn that?"

The clones dispersed into wisps of white smoke, and Naruto chuckled, "I'll never tell."

"Naruto, you pass!" Iruka grabbed the headband off the table and handed it to him.

"You never doubted me, did you?" The two of them laughed.

They exited the classroom together as Naruto swapped his goggles for his headband, "This is so cool! I'm a ninja, believe it!"

Walking into another classroom, Naruto joined the other newly promoted Genin in celebrating their success, "Congratulations, everyone!" Iruka smiled.

"Holy crap, you passed?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as Naruto stood before the class.

Grinning, Naruto gave the classroom the finger and said, "You're damn right I passed! I'm gonna be the Hokage, believe it!"

Menma cheered and clapped.

"Alright, settle down." Iruka chuckled.

Naruto scanned the room and saw an empty seat next to Sakura. He smiled when he saw her and quickly walked over to sit beside her. "Oh, hey, Sakura."

She rolled her eyes, "Hi, Naruto."

"Pretty cool, we're ninjas, huh?" Naruto grinned.

"Yeah, I can't believe you passed the test," She said scornfully.

Oh, jeez, you don't have to be so mean…

"Alright, everyone, we made a list of three-person teams early just in case everybody passed the test. So listen for your names, okay?"

I hope I'm on a team with Sakura! Naruto smiled and waited through the first four teams until his name was called.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. You three are Team 7," Iruka nodded.

Yes! I'm on a team with Sakura! But… Naruto leaned forward and looked to the other side of Sakura, where Sasuke sat.

"Don't slow me down, loser," Sasuke muttered to Naruto.

Agh! I'm doomed…

Sakura excitedly got close to Sasuke and blushed.

"Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. You three are Team 8."

"Hm?" Naruto looked at the three members of Team 8. An annoying dog lover, a creepy bug boy, and a weird girl that hardly talks, he thought.

Naruto glared over at Sasuke as Iruka assigned the next team.

"Menma Uzumaki, Hiei Uchiha, and Kaede Sarutobi. You three are Team 9."

Naruto and Menma exchanged a glance.

"Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. You three are Team 10, the Ino-Shika-Cho," Iruka smiled.

"Aw, man!" Ino groaned.

"Your Jonin are here for an orientation as well," Iruka opened the classroom door, and seven Jonin entered the room.

One by one, the Jonin gathered their teams and left the classroom, leaving only the Genin of Team 7 and Iruka.

"Hey, what about us?!" Naruto stood and pointed at Iruka-sensei.

"Yeah, about that," Iruka chuckled awkwardly, "You guys will have to wait for your new sensei to arrive. He's running a little late."

"What?" Naruto groaned.

"It's not that big a deal, Naruto," Sakura stated.

"Whoever they are, they're a Jonin. You'd expect them to at least be punctual," Sasuke said monotonously.

"I have to go take care of some other students," Iruka-sensei said as he approached the classroom door, "Just sit tight."

I'll give him five minutes, maybe ten. If he's not here by then, he'll suffer consequences. Naruto looked at the eraser on the chalkboard and grinned.

Team 9 stood at the western training grounds beside the Hyuga Compound. The three Genin stood silent as their Jonin sat awkwardly on a tree stump.

"My name is Yamato, your Jonin sensei. I have been entrusted with your training and guidance throughout your journey as shinobi." Yamato said quietly. He wore a Konoha flak jacket over black clothes, and a happuri-style headband framed his face.

The three Genin remained silent. Man, I'm not suited for this.

"Why don't you guys introduce yourselves?" Yamato muttered.

"Sure. My name is Menma Uzumaki." The boy had shaggy jet-black hair, dark violet eyes, and pronounced whiskers on his cheeks. He wore a purple T-shirt and black pants.

"I'm Hiei Uchiha." Hiei had unkempt black hair, fair skin, and dark eyes. He wore a short-sleeve, high-collared T-shirt with the Uchiha Clan Emblem on the back, black pants, and a tanto strapped to the back of his right shoulder. A brown leather harness for the tanto ran across his chest and fastened over his shoulders.

Yamato nodded at the girl.

"My name is Kaede Sarutobi. I'm the Granddaughter of Lord Third," She smiled. She had fair skin, long black hair, and bright blue eyes. She wore a black long-sleeve shirt and a light purple apron-skirt over black shorts with red thigh-high stockings.

Yamato nodded, acknowledging their introductions. "Excellent. Together, we will forge a bond and grow stronger as a team. We will face physical and emotional challenges, but remember that teamwork and trust are the keys to overcoming them."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the young Genin. "As your sensei, I will guide you, teach you, and ensure you are well-prepared for the trials. But your determination, resilience, and dedication will shape you into the shinobi you aspire to be."

Kaede clapped. Stopping when the others didn't join her.

"Any questions?" Yamato asked.

"Yeah, you're Konohamaru's sister, right?" Menma asked the girl.

She nodded.

"My brother has been hanging out with him and his friends lately," Menma chuckled.

Kaede smiled, "Yeah, it's been nice and peaceful at home with Konohamaru out with Naruto."

"I meant any questions for me," Yamato sighed.

The three Genin remained silent.

"Alright, then. You're dismissed for the day," Yamato tried to smile at his students but succeeded only in creeping them out.

I've got to work on that smile…

"We'll meet back here tomorrow at eight in the morning. We'll go through a rigorous training session so I can scope out your abilities and see what you need to improve."

"See you tomorrow, Yamato-sensei!" Kaede waved as the three Genin walked away.

Why did I get roped into this?

When the classroom door opened, the chalkboard eraser that Naruto had set up fell onto their sensei's head. Naruto laughed, "Oh, man, I got you good! That's what you get for being late."

"I'm so sorry, sensei; I told him not to do it…" Sakura said nervously.

"My first impression of you guys is, well, you're idiots," The man said, much to the Genin's chagrin. The man's silver-gray hair seemed familiar somehow, but Naruto couldn't place his finger on it.

The man led the three students out of the classroom and down the corridors. They left the building and crossed the street to the library. Naruto looked around the library as their group climbed the steps to the roof.

Their sensei leaned against the railing on the roof while the Genin sat down on the stone steps. They stood there in silence for a few moments. This is awkward.

"Let's see. First off, let's have you guys introduce yourselves," Their sensei told them.

"Introduce ourselves… What should we say?" Sakura questioned.

"Your likes, dislikes, future dream, hobbies, things like that."

"Why don't you start so we can see how it goes?" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

"Me? My name's Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like telling you guys about my likes and dislikes.

"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura questioned.

"I've never really thought about my dream for the future… As for hobbies, I have many."

"All he really told us was his name…." Sakura muttered.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"Next is you guys," Kakashi said, crossing his arms, "Let's start with you."

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen, but I love Ichiraku Ramen! I hate the Fourth Hokage. My hobbies are eating and comparing ramen. And my dream for the future… I'm going to surpass every Hokage, become the greatest of them all, and show everyone that I'm more than some Demon Fox or the Hokage's son. Believe it!"

"Okay, next."

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like… I mean, who I like is…" She glanced at Sasuke. "My hobbies… My dream for the future…." She squealed excitedly.

"And your dislikes?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Naruto." She answered, causing the boy to groan.

"And lastly."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and kill a certain someone."

Jeez, he's not talking about me, is he?

"Okay then, that was fantastic," Kakashi nodded. "We'll meet at the Memorial Stone outside the village at five tomorrow morning."

"Five in the morning?!" Naruto sighed.

"Don't eat breakfast, or you may puke," Kakashi said, "I'll see you three in the morning."

The three Genin remained silent and watched as Kakashi turned around and leaped off the roof.

"What the heck?" Naruto shook his head.

Sasuke stood up and walked away.

"Hey, Sakura, you wanna go get some ramen?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked at Naruto. She made a face like she wanted to ask him something, but instead, she shook her head and stood up, "No, I'm alright."

"Oh, alright then," Naruto watched Sakura walk to the stairwell and disappear from view. Man, what am I doing wrong?

"Hiya!"

Naruto rolled to his left, and a hail of cardboard shurikens struck where he had been sitting. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon standing on the roof, grinning.

"Hey, how long have you guys been there?!"

Konohamaru chuckled, "The whole time, Boss! Pretty sneaky, huh?"

"Yeah, except for the part where you screamed and lost the element of surprise," Naruto stated.

Konohamaru rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I messed that one up," He and his friends laughed.

Naruto smiled slightly, "Do you guys wanna go to Ichiraku?"

"Yeah!" The three kids responded happily.

Naruto stood up and descended the steps with the three of them. He had befriended Konohamaru months ago, and his two little friends were a package deal with him. Naruto didn't mind the company; it was as if they were his younger siblings.

The four exited the library and walked south down the main street to Ichiraku Ramen. They sat on the four middle stools, and Ayame smiled widely, "Aw, look at your goggles! Just like Naruto."

Konohamaru laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, they're pretty cool, huh?"

"Uh-huh, it shows our resolve to be ninjas," Moegi explained.

"That's right," Udon said.

"Four bowls of Miso Chashu Pork Ramen," Naruto laughed.

"Coming right up, guys," Ayame said and got to work preparing their order.

If I can't eat breakfast, then I'll eat a really big dinner!

To Be Continued