Sorry for the delay in updating, but life has been interesting.. Moved to Montana :D and I hope you like how this is working out.. Reviews are appreciated and so are suggestions. :D

Several weeks had passed since the Hokage had enrolled Naruto into the Academy, and things were quiet. Eerily so, in many of the villagers opinions. Our small blond had moved all of his things to the hidden cave, and had started staying out of the Shinobi districts when he needed to shop for anything. After he learned the Henge technique he started moving about the village with out any problems, as long as he stayed away from other ninja.

But now he was sitting in the back of the classroom, surrounded by others that were hoping to become ninja. Many were the heirs of clans, which thanks to the history scrolls in his cave he had started to learn about. Naruto was also not the dead last of his class, instead he was sitting happily in the middle. Since he had an small start ahead of some of them, he was among the top five in chakra control.

"Alright, today we are going to start discussing the different ways Ninja can use chakra." Their Sensei said as he moved in front of his desk. "There are jutsu which can be broken into Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Some weapon styles, and unarmed styles."

Naruto was listening though he had already read this several times, he was mentally adding in elemental manipulation and medical jutsu. It was this bit of fore knowledge that allowed him to stay in the middle of the class. Since he noticed that his test were covered in a genjutsu, he really didn't know how but he could just smell it. Since then he just would push chakra into them right when he got them.

" In order to graduate, you must be able to use three jutsu, the Henge, the substitution and a Clone. You must also be able to use either your clan or the academy fighting style, and have a thrown weapons accuracy of 6/10 ." The chunnin spoke as he looked at them all.

Classes when like this for quite a while, most of which Naruto didn't pay much attention to. The words of not being treated fairly always in the back of his mind. Which was why he was constantly practicing either in his cave or in the woods surrounding the entrance. The only two people to know of his training was the Hokage and a purple haired ANBU who kept to herself out in the woods.

The Hokage had given her a small mission to ensure that the larger animals stayed away from that area, and she would have done it for free because she could sympathize with Naruto, but she would never say that to anyone.

She sat an watched as he worked, with his shuriken and kunai, the unfortunate side affect of this action was that Anko was a perfectionist, at least in the arts of killing. It didn't take her to many days of watching this before she jumped from the tree and landed behind the boy.

Naruto continued doing his training, "I knew you were there."

She stopped as she was about to surprise him. "What do you mean you knew I was there gaki?"

"I could smell you, Saki, dango, and I could smell snakes," He turned to look up at her with his blue eyes. " But I could also smell Jiji on you."

She took off her mask to look at the boy she had been watching, the fact he could smell all of that, and that he wasn't to afraid of her had her amused. Any one else in the village would have called her snake bitch, or shunned her. The fact he called the Hokage old man like she did amused her. " So what are you going to do about it?"

He smirked in a fox like manner, " I already have... You came down. Now what are you going to do about that?"

She ran the last few days through her mind, he had been spending more time out side since she had started showing up. Always putting him self in her view when he practiced. " You wanted me to watch you," She said softly.

He just smiled, "Yup now that you're here you can help me train."

She looked at him as a vicious grin crept onto her lips. "You got a deal Gaki, but we do things my way."

Naruto smirked, and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright so what are we going to do Sempai?"

Anko smiled, "Speed, Stamina, tracking, and working on your weapons accuracy for starters. If you survive that, well I might start teaching you Assassin techniques. You've got the abilities for it if you could smell me out."

With the silent agreement from the blond both began working on his skills, and as an old man watched through his crystal ball had hoped maybe find another reason to stay in and fight for this village.

~Three years later~

Much time had passed since Naruto and Anko had their first initial meeting. To those in the village life moved on, and many found other reasons to blame their misfortune on. With Naruto no longer a present feature in their lives their scapegoat for their hatred, their failures, their misery many had to cope and move on.

The blond had become a ghost to the village outside of being seen in the academy, and occasionally in the Hokage's office. Many people were pleased, the freshest wound of the village was now that of the Uchiha massacre, leaving only one boy of the once prestigious clan alive. This was a blessing and a curse to the village and a certain blond within it.

The young boy was now up to Anko's standards, which to most might have been overly trained. He was now probably the only one that could lead her on a chase, with his natural kitsune ability he was quick, agile, and overly deceptive and intelligent. Add into that mix she trained him in the silent killing arts, and discovered his affinity to water she had been pushing him harder than ever to prepare him for the inevitability of graduating and being stuck on a team that would shun him, a Sensei that wouldn't train him.

His list of techniques had grown greatly, between Anko and his own study of the scrolls that were left in the cave. Take away the experience and age of Anko, and in her mind Naruto was on her level, not something she would brag about just yet but was proud of the boy she had started to see as a brother.

"Alright Gaki, your exam is today. And if you pass you're going to be put with Kakashi." She half-spit half swooned at the name. " He's lazy, always late, and a pervert."

Naruto shook his head, "There's something else isn't there?"

Anko nodded, "Yea gaki, the council wants him to train the Uchiha because he's got one of their eyes. Which means they want him to ignore you, and possibly the third on the team."

"And seeing as how I don't have any friends really in the academy, and don't know them all that well I might get shafted and left to my own devices?"

"Exactly, remember when I taught you the shadow clone?" Naruto nodded to her question, " Well anything that clone learns you learn. Any chakra training it does gets transferred back to you. That means all the physical stuff has to be done by you. I'm sure you can think of how this will help you."

With that said she gave him an ever rare show of real emotion, and pulled him into a gentle hug.

It was a few hours later at the academy, that Naruto was sitting in his seat watching others either move in confidently or nervously. It wasn't until Shikamaru walked in that someone seemed as bored and not caring as he did about this.

True he may not have talked much with others or made friends with them, but that didn't mean he wasn't informed and aware of them. The spying lessons from Anko were put to use studying his classmates and learning about them. Since it was within the village, she considered a hundred percent of the information a pass on her tests, since it would be much harder outside that if he could do this within the village he should be able to get at least half outside, and that was enough to make a plan on .

Iruka began calling the students in one by one for the exams, eventually it became Naruto's turn. Walking into the room there was Iruka and Mizuki, the two instructors for his class sitting at a table. " Alright Naruto, in order to pass you must use the Henge, the Substitution and a clone technique." Iruka listed them off, "Then we will test your accuracy and a short written exam. You may choose which order you want to take them in."

Naruto thought it over, before he spoke up. "Written, accuracy and jutsu."

Iruka pulled a paper from his desk and handed to Naruto, which as usual pushed chakra into it to dispell and genjutsu before he looked down at it and began writing all the answers, and going in depth in his reasons. It took him only a few minutes to finish it before he handed it back in.

Iruka looked it over and read everything raising an eyebrow as he read the answers. Seeing that this was a level of understanding above that of a gennin, but then he had always felt that Naruto was hiding his true level of skill. "Perfect score, and I will allot a bonus score for the depth of your answers."

"Now, accuracy, there are ten visible targets and five bonus targets hidden in the room you may begin when..."

"Uhm Sensei I already finished." He laughed a little.

To both the sensei's questioning looks, he pointed to the targets, each with on Kunai and on shuriken placed in the center. Iruka stood up and walked around to look at all of them, and even at the 'hidden' ones to find the same perfectionist placement. The technique for the throw he noticed belonged to only a handful of chunnin and jounin that he knew, and he didn't think any of them would have taught the boy, but observation might have been enough.

"Perfect score, and bonus points again Naruto, " Iruka was hiding his surprise well while it seemed that Mizuki was quietly fuming. "Now for the final portion would you please demonstrate the three jutsu."

Naruto sealessly henged into the Hokage, it was uncommon knowledge that reapeated usage of certain jutsu would lead to being able to mold the chakra with out the aid of seals. The henge being the first and up to know most overused jutsu he had mastered that level. While henged, he substituted with Mizkuki, before he created a clone.

He had been aware that it was Mizuki trying to sabotage everything he did in the academy, the mans scent and the scent of his chakra was always noticed when things went poorly in the classes. So he had taken this route to disorient the man to complete his test. Little did he know that human substitution was one of the hardest things to do, especially for a child.

Iruka held his thoughts in as he noted all of this in Naruto's file before he looked up and smiled, "Well done Naruto, you've passed." He pulled a headband from inside the desk drawer and handed it to Naruto.

Mizuki snapped, "You can't be serious.. You.. You're going to pass this monster!" The kunai appearing out of his pocket, just as the room filled with mist.

"Harm Iruka-sensei and I will insure your death," The voice of Naruto echoed through the room, as he moved. This was one of the first water techniques that Anko had taught him, along with the silent killing methods. Moving silently along the walls Naruto was weaving ninja wire around Mizuki, before he slowed down and stood right in front of the man. "Resistance is Futile." As he dispelled the mist, to reveal himself holding the end of some wires, that he pulled on causing the snare of them to trap and tie up the Older Chunnin, the final bit he pushed his chakra into the wires, strengthening them.

Iruka stood there, trying to figure out what had happened, when several ANBU appeared in the room. " Iruka-san, Uzamaki-san, thank you for your assistance, we will take him from here." The masked ANBU grabbed the bound man and vanished back out the window.

"Naruto, meet come back tomorrow at noon to meet your team and your sensei." Iruka was stunned as he walked out the door to go meet with the Hokage to discuss the graduates and the teams.

~Hokage's Office~

Sarutobi was sitting at his desk reviewing who knows what, paper work was the devil and there was no way to truly win it over. When Iruka walked in carrying a stack of folders, inside were his reports and reasonings on his students. "Hokage-sama I've brought the graduates folders."

The elder hokage looked up and motioned to the seat in front of his desk, "Alright, I have the Jounin's requests, but I would like to hear your assessments and team designs."

Iruka took the offered seat and pulled a sheet of paper out with his ideas for teams and handed it to the Hokage.

Hyuuga

Inazuka

Aburame

Toshi

Haru

Dosu

Uchiha

Haruno

Nara

Yamanaka

Akamichi

Uzamaki

Oro

Harachi

Hornimaru

The Hokage read over the list, "I see you decided the First and dead last team took precedence over the Ino-Shika-Cho combination this year?"

Iruka nodded, "It's not that I thought that, it's more that I couldn't place Naruto with Sasuke." He paused, "their personalities, and from what I can tell skills would clash completely."

Leaning forward, "Tell me what you know of Naruto's skills?"

Iruka clearing his throat, "From his class performance he should have been in the middle with the exception of his control, it's well beyond any of the students." He fidgeted in his seat, "Though with his demonstration during the graduation exam.. His understanding and written test place him above everyone, his accuracy again was perfect scoring, and even his justu skills. He performed the henge with out seals, and has knowledge of water jutsu already."

The hokage nodded, "Given who his parents were that doesn't surprise me, as well as he does have access to his mother's Clan scrolls."

"Her Clan scrolls?"

"Yes his mother was from the Uzamaki clan, from Whirlpool. They were allies to our village before their destruction. She brought much with her when she came here. But as a female she couldn't found her clan. Naruto will be able to in time, Though as to who his parents are he hasn't been informed. Since certain laws prevent that until he's of age."

"I see, so that is what he's been disappearing to do then?"

"Yes, but I have had him observed so that I am aware of what he is delving into. According to their assessments he would be at chunnin level, though he does not meet the requirements of missions and experience." Pulling out his pipe with a light he took a drag from it. "I'm going to put Naruto on Team 7 with Kakashi, Sasuke and the Haruno girl." Holding his hand up to forestall any rebuttal. "Because that was Kakashi's request for training Sasuke. There are reasons that I can't go into because of certain things but it's for the best."