"You mean, this is ours?" it had been the first words out of both their mouths when they'd been brought to the shack. It was small, by Konoha standards. Two bedrooms, a single bath. The big difference between most civilian housing and it wasn't readily visible from outside, but once you got in, there was a door to a staircase that led down to a training room. Of course, all of that was almost a decade out of maintenance. The lock on the front door was broken, but still locked, meaning a failed entry attempt.
The windows were locked, this time with no one having tried to jimmy them open, and many of the floorboard creaked horribly as you put weight on them. The training room was full of cobwebs, and various rats among other things had chosen to make their home down there. The two boys saw this place, something that many might consider just tearing down and building it again, and they smiled. To them, this was a palace, a fortress that belonged to them alone, and they set about making their castle shine.
Naruto took the underground, Heero not wanting to get near the bugs, while Heero took care of more delicate operations, fixing a few shingles on the roof, and cleaning the cupboards and various utilities. Even better they found a machine downstairs to wash clothing, an automatic one, which the two, who remembered hours of that particular chore at the orphanage, usually when they got caught doing something, were grateful for.
All told, it took the pair the better part of a week to get the place back in order, but when they did, the place looked like a home again. The floors sparkled, the lights all turned on, save one in the bathroom that refused, and better yet, they'd found a library. Well, Heero thought it was a good thing, though Naruto felt the space could have been used for more training equipment.
"You just like to read because of that journal," complained Naruto once, not that Heero denied it. He had read his father's words many times, absorbing every iota of information, and this, the library his father had acquired, told him even more of the man. Most of the books were manuals for various techniques and jutsus, none of which the boy's could use yet due to Heero's low reserves, and Naruto's difficulties in limiting the amount of chakra he used. Others though, they were story books, tales that the young boy found fascinating as he read through them, wondering if his father had intended to read them to him.
It was two weeks after the pair had moved in that they had their first visitor. A girl visitor at that. Old, but not quite as old as the matron, she had stunning red eyes, and moved with the grace befitting a kunoichi, which instantly earned the two prospective ninja's respect. Her voice didn't hurt either, as she yelled at the two, telling them she was their new landlady. She would be checking up on them to make sure they were behaving in ways befitting Konoha, and more importantly, weren't slacking off.
She kept that promise too, coming by at least once a day after that, always insisting they have a bit of tea, made with fresh leaves, and with a single drop of honey in it, ready for her, a ritual they learned to respect after Naruto had slipped her some hot sauce instead of honey, and both of them had somehow ended up in the middle of town wearing dresses that had more frills than fabric.
She was fair, however, soon coming to view the boys with the warmth only a young woman could have with children. She taught them things, insisting on forcing Naruto to read, and getting them both to learn their numbers. More exciting though, she helped them with their training. Naruto's control made it hard for him to do more than basic exercises, but he was determined, she had to admit. Better, some exercises he excelled at.
When she'd revealed she was genjustu master, a true prodigy in the art of illusions, they'd begged until she'd started to teach them what she knew. Unfortunately, Naruto proved incapable of breaking illusions he was under, where Heero did it with ease. At least until she showed him a trick. Chakra pulse, a way to dispel any illusion, a strong burst of chakra to push away the enemy's. For most, it was a trick that left them gasping and vulnerable, for Naruto...
"Chakra Pulse!" had cried out the young boy, and then he let fly with the technique. His reserves were large, she'd known that, the kyuubi was after all, within him. But this was on a whole other level. Most pulses traveled maybe a meter, possibly two, from a jonin user. She'd heard tales of some who could take it up to ten, though it would nearly kill them. This boy, not trained yet in proper use, somehow got his to go almost a twenty, by her estimates, and only seemed winded. Heero's attempt wasn't bad either, able to gather the needed chakra easily, controling it ways most chunin would envy. The pair of them would be quite formidable when their coils developed to the point of allowing them to mold chakra for jutsu.
The pair impressed her over most of the year as well. Heero with his control, and desire to learn, and Naruto with his drive and determination. The former would look at a problem, and either solve it right away, or move on to something that would help him solve it, unlocking knowledge of a thousand small things while doing so. The latter was more direct. He would find one problem, usually the hardest he could, and hit his head against it until he beat it down. He used that approach with everything from math, to chakra control training. He even mastered tree climbing after a month of training on it.
The three of them became a unit, sometimes seen around town, but usually staying in the boys' home to work on something. People grew used to the sight of them, and it soon became common knowledge that Naruto would one day be among the most powerful Ninja of the Leaf, possibly in all the world. That gave an odd sense of pride to the people, knowing that one so young in their village could already grow so far. Heero meanwhile could almost always be seen walking on walls, and hanging from ceiling, until he collapsed from chakra exhaustion, showing the same talents his father had, making the people even prouder to know that the pair of them would be protecting the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Months passed, summer for the boys, turned to autumn, and then to winter, and finally, at long last, to spring. The leaves became bright green, and flowers bloomed. More importantly were the spring classes. And thus one day, a pair of young boys awoke, their heads swimming with ideas of what they would find inside the building on the far edge of town, and their bodies practically screaming to be allowed to show just what they could do. With the sun just peaking over the walls of the village, a trio of figures came in sight of the Academy, two bouncing with excitement, while a third just grinned at them.
"Alright you two, you know what I expect of you, right?" said the woman leaning down so her head was at their level.
"To do perfect in all our exams," began Naruto, this task having been given to him specifically.
"To not fight, or make trouble for anyone in the school," said Heero, smirking as he remembered some of the things Naruto had planned for them to do to the teachers, only to have their plans found and burned by Kurenai a few days ago.
"And most importantly, never forget there are those of us who care for you. Being a Ninja is hard work, but we of Konoha can carry any burden, if it's borne together," she finished, and the two smiled at her while nodding.
"Hai oneesama," they said together, giving her one last hug before the three turned back towards the school.
As they got closer, finding, as she had expected, a small group of around thirty students already waiting with their teachers, she began to study faces. There was a Hyuga in the class, a girl she thought was named Hinata. She stood proud and formal, snapping at a few of the others sitting around. Most of her ire seemed to be directed at a boy with a dog, who could only be one of the Inuzuka if he was a hair, who either ignored her, or responded in a pithy statement that got him smacked. Beside them sleeping beneath a tree was another boy, who wore his black hair like a pineapple above his head. It took her a moment to remember he was one of the Nara clan.
There were two other girls standing there as well, talking and chatting in the ways only young girls could. One had pink hair, the other blonde. The latter she recognized almost instantly, she stood just like her mother, a Yamanaka. The former was probably from a civilian line, as were most of the rest. It was nice though to see a clans borne chatting so friendly with someone who wasn't. Behind them was a boy who was big enough for any two of his classmates, his girth telling any who knew that he was Akmichi, one of those capable of becoming giants.
Off to the sides, each at opposite ends were two figures she hadn't expected. The first was an Aburame, that was made quite clear by his face concealing collared jacket, and those glasses covering his eyes. The other had to be an Uchiha. He wore their crest, and none but one of them would ever wear that, otherwise they would find themselves facing summary sentencing by one of the Uciha run military police squads. They were less than kind about such things, and no one was fool enough to oppose them.
The teachers drew her eyes next. The first was one she didn't recognize, at least not by sight. His eyes though, as he turned to face her, made his identity known. Only one member of the Hyuga's clan taught at the Academy. The other was Mizuki, a long time instructor at the Academy, one of her generations best teachers. He'd applied at the place almost as soon as he'd become a chuunin, and had, after some investigating, been given the position. She wasn't ever sure she liked that man, who always seemed to have some ulterior motive, but she decided to smile at him anyway as she brought the boys to the two men.
"Hello Hizashi, Mizuki," she said, bowing respectfully towards them. Her charges, looking at her, mimicked the motion perfectly, going only a few inches deeper to show more respect towards the two teachers.
"Ah, the lovely Genjutsu Mistress. I had heard you'd adopted a pair of young lads," said Hizashi with a rather disarming smile, crouching down so he was looking the two boys in the face.
"Hey! Oneesama didn't adopt us, we live on our own," declared the blonde boy loudly, and the silver haired one nodded.
"We live in my father's old house, so we can train and prepare for the life of Ninja," he explained.
"Oh really? Well then, looks like we've got some overachievers in this lot. Ms. Kurenai, would you care to stay? We were just about to assess this crop of students before we took them inside for classes," said Mizuki, and though he was trying to sound pleasant, something about his voice made it sound like he was sizing them up to be executed.
"I'm afraid not. My own work has been clamoring for my attention, and now that the boys will have someone else to deal with them, I must get back to it. Though I do hope to get a full report when I come back," she said, looking towards Hizashi, who nodded warmly at her. The kunochi then made a single hand sign, and vanished with a whooshing sound, leaving the boys waving their hands towards where they figured she'd vanished to.
"I really wish I could do that," commented the pineapple head, as he joined the two boys standing before the teachers.
"You will be able to someday, Shikamaru. For now, everyone, line up, and come here," said Mizuki, and the children, some faster than others, obeyed. Soon standing in a ragged looking group in front of the two instructors.
"It's time to assess your skills. Now I'm sure most of you know your letters and your numbers, right?" asked the group, and got a few nods, some stronger than others.
"Good, anyone who doesn't know those at least, will once we get you into class. For now though, we want to see how good you are at chakra molding. Some of you, I'm sure, can already preform a few basic techniques, but we, as teachers, need to see what we have to work with," he told them, motioning towards an open training area just behind the school, and then waving his hand so that the children would follow. They did so, some seeming excited by the prospect of showing off what they could do, others looking around nervously.
"Alright, who has a technique already learned?" he asked, and several hands shot up, Hizashi doing a quick count.
"You seven, step forward," he said at last, weeding using his byakugan to find those who had chakra reserves enough to do something without exhausting themselves.
"So, who would like to go first?" asked Mizuki, and Naruto instantly stepped forward.
"Okay, this is one Onee Kurenai taught me to deal with genjutsu," he declared, and then began to strain. The two teachers, having expected something related to that, were then surprised as, instead of doing hand seals, the boy just crouched. It took them only seconds to realize what was going on, as chakra visibly began to come out of the boy, like blue fire.
"Hinata! Byakugan off!" shouted Hizashi, turning his own eyes back to normal, and grateful to see his niece do the same, because a second later, Naruto released his technique.
"Chakra Pulse!" he shouted, and a wave of blue chakra swept over everyone present. The second it passed, Hizashi reactivated his byakugan, wanting to get a good read of it, but was startled as the glass like wall just kept going, reaching almost fifty meters before petering out. Expecting to turn back and find Naruto dead, he was surprised to see the boy only collapsed in a heap, breathing hard, and pouring sweat, but otherwise fine.
"Troublesome," was the first word to be heard, as Shikamaru seemed to recover fastest from what they saw. The two teachers meanwhile, looked at each other. Both had known Naruto contained the kyuubi, any adult Ninja of Konoha did, but this? This was a feat that they would never have expected of one so young, and worse, both knew he would be able to go farther.
"Excellent work, Naruto," said Mizuki as he recovered, smiling at the boy, "Of course, it goes without saying, anyone seen trying to copy the techniques we see today without an instructor helping is expelled."
That statement seemed to dampen some spirits, as the children, those able to already mold chakra if not use it in jutsus, had just seen a technique that was simple. Of course, none of them realized that a pulse going even a few inches from their bodies would probably kill them. Worse, Naruto recovered quickly, getting back on his feet and smiling at the crowd.
"Back to the class. Now, who wants to go next?" he asked, and the Nara boy stepped up, obviously wanting to get this over with. His technique was their clan specialty, where he stretched his shadow out to grab Hizashi, forcing the two of them to move to his body, before releasing him. Of course, his reasons for wanting to go quickly was revealed, as he went to the group already pestering Naruto, and added his own questions to it. This meant that Choji, who enlarged his fist to five times its normal size and cracked a training log, only got a few people watching him. He didn't seem to mind, as he went right back to munching on a bag of chips, while watching the others.
The Aburame boy went next, his bugs pouring out of his suit, and causing the training log Choji had cracked, was reduced to dust in a few seconds. It also, for some reason, caused Heero to give the boy a wide berth as he walked back towards the group of students. That left only Sasuke, Heero, and Hinata to show their stuff. After both boys begged off, Hinata called them both bakas and decided to demonstrate her clan's taijutsu, having her uncle step forward, and do a small series of katas with him, arms and legs moving into blurs as the two got into their grooves.
"Naruto, what do you think I should do?" asked Heero, as the demonstration of the two Hyugas went on.
"Just do that juggling trick you should nee-san last month. It impressed her, didn't it?"suggested the blonde, and Heero nodded thoughtfully, as he got back to where Sasuke was standing, just as the two white eyed fighters broke apart, bowing deeply towards Mizuki.
"Excellent, showing, both of you. Alright, who wants to go last, and who's up next?" asked the teacher, and Sasuke stepped backwards, indicating his desire to go last, while Heero stepped forward, and then looked around.
"Um, can we go to that stream over there?" he asked, pointing to a small stream that ran through the training ground for water type jutsu training. The two teachers, curious what the silver haired boy had planned, acquiesced, taking the whole group to the stream, and then staring with interest as the boy took off his shoes, and stepped into the water. Well, they had expected him to step into it, to show off some water jutsu. Instead he stepped on it, demonstrating a level of control that most genin would envy as he made his way to the middle of the stream.
"Now, deep breathe, focus, and..." as he spoke, he took in as much air as his lung would hold, and then did something that surprised the teachers. He splashed one foot through the water. It was a neat technique, infusing the sole of his foot with enough chakra that it went down into the liquid, without causing the other to lose its hold. More than that though, the splashed water sailed far higher than it should, arcing over his head, and then landing in his hand, forming into a sphere that he tossed between his hands.
"Incredible," said one of the two teachers, both surprised by the showing this year. Naruto's pulse, Choji's growth, Shino's bugs, Shikamaru's shadows, Hinata's byakugan, and now this. Better yet, the boy added a sphere to his juggling, without lose a drop to the first, then a third orb joined them, and finally a fourth, all going in a circle in front of the boy.
"Now do the colors thing!" shouted Naruto, the two teachers wondering what he was talking about. They only wondered for a moment though, as one of the orbs fell into Heero's right hand, the tips of his fingers brushing against it, leaving streaks of glowing white chakra in the liquid. When he tossed it aside, it was almost fully white, and the second reached the hand now, turning black as midnight as he infused chakra into that. Finally he added red, then blue to the other two, creating a spinning wheel of colored orbs in front of him, until he suddenly jerked at something, his body going ridged, and everything falling apart, him splashing down into the stream.
Instantly Mizuki reacted, holding out his arm to keep the students back, while Hizashi bolted forward, grabbing the boy, expecting to find him exhausted of chakra after the display. Instead he was reaching around behind his back, grabbing at something, that Hizashi finally plucked off him. One of the kikai insects, which he let return to Shino as he set Heero down. Instantly, the soaking wet boy, stopping on the ground hard enough that his steps could be heard, marched up to the Aburame boy, and held at his finger accusingly.
"Keep! Your bugs! Off me!" he declared, before stalking off towards a tree and walking up it like it was nothing, finally stopping on a wide branch and then dropped into a meditative stance upside down. The eyes of both the teachers, and Shino went from Heero, to Naruto, who grinned and scratched at the back of his head embarrassed.
"Yeah, Heero has this thing with bugs. He doesn't like them," said Naruto.
"At all!" shouted the boy in question, without even breaking his stance. The two teachers looked at each other, and then shook their heads. It was a quirk some people had they knew, but to have such a reaction, well, it was disappointing.
"Impressive. Most people cannot sense a kikai," said Shino, before returning to the rest of the group, a statement that the two adults realized was correct. Most people never even knew the bug was there, thanks to chakra and pheromones from the thing. Someone who could sense them like that might have some useful skills later.
"Alright, well now, Sasuke, you're next," said Hizashi. The Uchiha nodded, then walked a bit away from everyone, standing in the center of the training area. The two teachers watched as Sasuke, brother of Itachi, leaned back his head, held his fist to his mouth, and breathed into it. The chakra in his breath and on his skin sparked against each other, and within a heartbeat, a fireball, almost a good meter wide, sprouted in the air above him, sailing high, and then fizzling out. He held it for almost a full ten seconds before his chakra ran out, and he started to sway.
"Fantastic work, Sasuke," Mizuki said this while rushing to the boy's side, helping him stand up as he walked him back over to where the other kids were, letting him set down, and then coming to the front with Hizashi.
"I want to thank everyone who stepped forward today, and know that just because you weren't showing off today doesn't mean you won't ever get the chance to show your skills. Combat practice is once a week after all. Now then, all of you, follow me, and we'll take a break from showing off your physical skills, and get to work on the mental ones," as he finished, Hizashi heard the usual groans from the students. Most would come to welcome the rest that the classroom allowed, but for now, he took them into the Academy building, letting Mizuki run towards their shared office to send off some reports about the morning.
"Students, this will be the class you're assigned. Most of you will rotate with other teachers, but for many of you, this will be your sensei for the next few years. I hope you learn to respect him as much a the rest of the staff does, and remember. Goof off on him at your own risk, because this teacher sees everything," the byakugan user smirked at this, and opened the door to find the teacher in question just finishing sorting through the papers. He turned towards the door, his red eyes shining.
"Ah, Hizashi, I take it this is the group responsible for that pulse that just happened?" asked the young man, who looked barely a decade older than the students.
"Indeed. We're going to be submitting our report on this morning's activities to the Hokage later today. Would you like it if a copy found it's way onto your desk?" offered the man, as the students, seeing the pair of older men talk, began to file into their seats.
"That would be nice," he responded with a warm smirk, Hizashi then left the room, closing the door behind him, and leaving the students with their new teacher.
"Alright class, I think some of you in this room might know me," he said this while looking to towards the seat Sasuke had taken in the back. "But for those of you who don't, my name is Uchiha Itachi, and I'll be your teacher for the next few years, or at least until you die."