AN: Yo! Chapter 3 out now! Ahm, I... Like I always do when I write new stories, I've lost interest and got an idea for something new. Suffice to say I think I'll shelve this story. It's also poorly written compared to what I feel I can do, but I reckoned I'd release the already finished chapter at the very least.

And now that I think about it, all 3 could actually have been one full chapter in itself, but... meh. Oh well, enjoy!

Chapter 3:

Talks and Secrets

Naruto sits on the floor in front of the Hokage, who looks down on him with a wise, yet uncanny gaze. "Naruto. You already know what I'm about to say, don't you? If my guess is right, it was the Kyuubi who taught you those two abilities, no?" Naruto confirms it by nodding his head slightly. "As I thought. I hope she is doing well. She used to be the guardian of Konoha, and the reason why the Fire Country was always regarded as the strongest one."

'May I talk to him for a bit, Naruto?' Naruto's whiskers grow a darker shade and his pupils change from his icy blue to crimson with slitted pupils. "Greetings, Hiruzen. I'm sorry we didn't get to speak earlier, I've been a little busy training Naruto-kun here."

Smiling, the Third can only nod. "Ah yes, you always did love to teach. Please, forgive Konoha for the treatment these past years. Most people wouldn't bear standing the truth, and without any proof to back it up, we cannot just very well say "Madara did it" and expect it to be generally accepted. I have to agree with the Council there, it would only cause panic and distress. At the very least, we did find a method for you to continue living, Danzo really wanted to see you dead."

Naruto/Kyuubi smiles and sadness flickers across their face. "I'm ashamed that I fell so easily to his genjutsu. Twice, although I think he might have always had me in his control since the first time. But thanks to the Yondaime I'm finally free of it. And knowing the trick he uses, I'll never fall for it again. Nor will I let Naruto fall for it, either."

"Thank you, Kyuubi-chan. I ask that you please take care of him, then. Naruto, the other thing I wanted to speak to you about, is your family, more specifically, your father's legacy." Naruto's whiskers vanish, or at least become less pronounced again, forming the three thin lines across each cheek. "My family? My father?" Sarutobi smiles warmly and nods. "Seeing as you're such a skilled student, I would like to present you with a couple of challenges. I have been called The Professor by many people, do you know why?" Naruto shakes his head no.

"It's because I know most things there is to know about shinobi techniques, jutsu and otherwise. Your father left a couple of jutsu that I will grant to you for you to train in. I will find the scrolls he left behind, write down a few pointers I think might help you about them, and I would like you to return here tomorrow to pick them up. And not only his scrolls, but seeing your... unprecedented skills, I'll throw in a few others, too. Just listen to what Kyuubi has to say, alright?" Naruto smiles and bows. "Hai, thank you, ojii-san!"

"Now then, speaking of which, do you wish to know who your father was? Although you might have a suspicion already I guess." Mulling the question for a moment, Naruto nods. "Please, if you could tell me more about him, I would appreciate it. But even more important I think, do you know if I have any other family?"

**********************************

A while later Naruto could be seen leaving the Hokage mansion deep in thought. At this point in time, Naruto was sufficiently skilled in mindscape-wandering that he could do it while doing stuff awake, thus earning his mind a little bit of rest at the same time as doing mundane tasks such as walking or cooking.

'Do you know what he has in mind, Kyuubi-sensei?' Naruto thought, speaking mentally with his teacher. 'No, not really. Although I do remember the Fourth using some strange jutsu when we fought, something other than the jutsu to seal me within you. Some kind of teleport or something.' Naruto mulled this over and, although proficient at minscaping and doing other things at the same time, he didn't realize where he was going until he suddenly crashed into the girl he least expect to see, Hyuuga Hinata, ending in them landing on the ground in a rather compromising position.

"Ite..." Naruto mutters and looks down at the girl under him, who immediately blushes and looks away. "Ah! I'm so sorry! Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" He quickly sits up and moves off of her, helping her to sit as well. "I-I'm alright, thank you..." The timid girl looks away shyly. 'Hoo... Look who's in love here now.' The Kyuubi's voice is filled with mirth as its statement hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. "Uhm... Hinata, would you, like to go some place with me? I mean, it's the least I could do to repay you for crashing into you like that. Please? I was going for lunch now anyway." Hinata looks on the verge of fainting, but manages to nod.

' Wai wai! Naruto asked me out on a date! I'm so happy I could dance! But what's this feeling, it's like I'm floating on the air-' "IIIIIIIIK!" Naruto had picked Hinata up bridal style while she daydreamt and was now jumping through the air towards his favorite place to eat, Ichiraku's Ramen. Hinata clutched around Naruto's neck and hugged his chest, letting him carry her and feeling happier than she had ever felt in her life. 'Smooth work, kid.' Naruto grinned a little.

Hinata had liked Naruto for a very long while, as long as she could remember. He had an aura of determination around him, always managing to get things right and never giving up on a task he had set. Hinata admired Naruto for this, and was slowly realizing she was falling in love with the boy despite being so young, and it was a feeling she didn't want to lose or ignore. She hugged him tighter.

**********************************

"Yo, old man! Two ramen, please." Naruto announced as he entered his all-time favorite place to eat, and the only place where he always could be judged completely free of being seen as a monster. He sat down on one of the stools and motioned for Hinata to sit at the one to his side. "I hope you don't mind ramen, Hinata-chan." He asked, a hint of concern in his voice. "It's my favorite type of food, I just wanted to share the experience with you." He grinned, smiling at her.

"T-that's ok, Naruto-kun. Ramen is alright." She smiled back, trying really hard to calm herself; she was barely able to sit still as happy and eager as she was. All she could think about was jumping around, singing and giggling. But she kept herself under control.

As the ramen was delivered, both exclaim an eager "Itadakimasu" before starting to eat, Naruto showing great ability in not swallowing down the food, bowl and all, like he'd do if he were alone. "So, Hinata-chan. Congratulations looks like you also passed." Naruto said, referring to the Hitai-ite she had resting around her neck. "Oh, yes. Thank you, Naruto-kun." Her stuttering seemed to have vanished as Hinata slowly managed to control herself. It's not a dream; you're actually sitting with Naruto-kun. Calm down girl, he won't disappear.

"But you really surprised us all, Naruto-kun. I've never even heard of that ability you used." she said, and Naruto did his trademark grin. "I made it on my own. It's very tricky, actually. If you do the molding of chakra wrong, I don't even know what could happen. Luckily I've had to practice it for years now due to a..." Naruto suddenly clamped his hands in front of his mouth, mentally scolding himself for saying too much.

"Due to what, Naruto-kun?" Hinata cast him a curious glance. "Uh, nothing, nothing! No particular reason, just wanted to impress the class a little." Hinata nodded, although she knew he was lying, but she doesn't push it. It's Naruto-kun's secret. I shouldn't ask him if he doesn't want to share. "Thanks for the food, Naruto-kun. I'll see you in school tomorrow, ne?" she smiled cutely at him, before putting her chopsticks down on her bowl and leaving. Naruto nodded and did the same, walking in the opposite direction towards his home, satisfied and happy.

What he didn't notice was the Hyuuga girl following him, curiosity having overtaken her as she sneaks from hiding spot to hiding spot. As Naruto came home and locked the door, he quickly dispelled his Henshin, sitting down on the bed and exhaling. "By Kami this day was tiresome. So many jutsu thrown around, a normal girl would've cracked under all that pressure." She pouted and threw herself back onto the bed. What's wrong, Naruto-chan? Can't handle it? Kyuubi's voice giggles, full of mirth. "What the hell are ya talkin' about, old hag? 'Course I can handle it, just watch me! It aint nothing this girl can't take on!"

Outside, across from Naruto's home, a slightly shocked Hyuuga watched, through use or abuse, depending on how you see it, of her Byakugan, as her Naruto-kun's chakra pathways suddendly swapped and changed and became the female Naruto, and wondered silently if Naruto was a hentai, or a girl. Either way she really wanted to find out. Little did she know what future had in store for her and the rest of Konoha's newest genins.

**********************************

The next day, Hinata showed up in the classroom on time, only to see that Naruto was not there. She, and the rest of her class, was perplexed. Only a couple of moments later did she notice Iruka-sensei also wasn't present. Sitting down, she thought they might only have been just around the corner; it wasn't unusual for people to be late to class sometimes.

She wasn't that wrong in her assumption either. Two classrooms away sat Naruto, Iruka and the Third, and they were discussing. "Naruto, are you certain about this?" Hiruzen asked, looking at the pig-tailed blonde in front of him. She was wearing an orange spaghetti-strap top and a green skirt that reached halfway to her knees. At the question, she nodded eagerly. "I'm a girl, thanks to the Kyuubi. I don't want to hide that anymore. They don't have to know –why- I'm a girl, after my show yesterday I'm pretty sure they wonder how I knew that skill anyway. That me and Kyuubi-sensei think will stop most from poking too deep if I just give a shallow explanation.

Iruka looked at the Third, who looked back at him. "Well, I don't really mind. But this does change my team set-up a little bit. I might even go as far as to create some… unorthodox team numbers." Sarutobi nods slightly, and thinks over it. "Hmm… Naruto-chan, can you guarantee me this isn't some kind of prank? Although I do find it hard coming from you to do a prank, I reckon." Naruto nods. "Hai, Hokage-sama. This isn't a prank. The past three years I have been going through changes, this is how I really look. You have my word."

"Very well, Naruto-chan, from here-on, will you carry the name Namikaze Naruto, and acknowledge you are the daughter of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina?" Naruto bows her head. "Hai, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi sighs, and nods. "Very well then, from now you are officially Namikaze Naruto, a kunoichi of Konohagakure and daughter to the Fourth hokage. Could you please carry your disguise for a little while longer, so we can explain to your class?" "Hai."

The door to the classroom slid open, and the quiet murmurs among its students died down. In came Iruka-sensei first, followed by Naruto who looked quite interested in the floorboards, followed by the Third, much to everyone's surprise. They all walked up to the podium in front of the class. "Everyone, might I have your attention?" Akamaru barked as he picked up the strange scent from the three newly arrived, and Kiba patted him. "I know, something's up, Akamaru. Let's just listen for now, eh?"

The rest of the class focuses all attention at the three arrivals, too. "What's wrong, sensei?" Choji asks, looking up from his bag of chips for once. Iruka smiles out to his class. "I regret to inform you that Uzumaki Naruto will not become a genin with the rest of you." The entire class suddenly seems dead, frozen. Naruto shifts uneasily on his/her feet, and that movement alone sounds as loud as thunder. 3, 2, 1… "EEEEEEEEEHHH!!!?!?!?!!???"

The entire class goes mental. "What do you mean he won't graduate!?"

"Naruto won't become genin, why??"

"Is this a joke, Sensei?"

"Why, Naruto?"

"How can this be true?!"

The entire class begins asking questions all at once, a cacophony of sounds, a barrage of curious looks and words. It takes two minutes before the class calms down to a decent level, despite Iruka's desperate efforts to calm them, or maybe because of it, it only took that short time. "Everyone, please, calm down. Let us explain. I said, Uzumaki won't be graduating. That isn't to say the person next to me will not." The entire class goes silent again, blinking in curiosity.

"Sensei, I don't get it!" Haruno Sakura says, her hand high in the air. "What do you mean, will Naruto still be a genin or not?" Iruka smiles. "We'll explain everything, sit down and listen. Sarutobi?" The third nods and walks up to the podium. "As you all know, the Fourth, my successor, died fighting the Kyuubi twelve years ago. What you probably do not know is that before he died, he had a daughter with his wife Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina, to be exact. However, due to the nature of who this child was, we were forced to send her into hiding, and the best place to hide something precious would obviously be in plain sight, which we did. Using a Kin-jutsu known only to the Hokage, Namikaze Naruto was changed into Uzumaki Naruto, and her gender too. Naruto?"

Naruto nodded and released her Henshin, going from the somewhat mangy-looking boy-genius to what could've been his female twin. Hair changed from spiky and somewhat shabby to silky smooth and split into pigtails on either side, framing her face. She grew an inch or so, and her clothes went from sweater and pants to top and skirt that while revealing was quite acceptable, nothing worse than what Ino was wearing to be sure.

The class looked ready to pass out from overload. Kiba whistled, Shino… who knows, Sasuke ogled her before reeling himself in and looking nonchalant again, Shikamaru muttered something under his breath ("troublesome"), and the rest of the class also showed a bunch of unique reactions from curiosity to approval to annoyance to happiness. (Hinata, glad he wasn't a pervert.)