AN: Sorry for not updating chapter 3 when I was supposed to. I got caught up with a lot of things and just didn't have any time. Also, thanks to everyone who favorited/followed! Means a lot! Furthermore, I won't have a lot of flashbacks, and if I do, it'll only be to explain something that happened in the past that's relevant to the present. I feel as though a lot of Naruto fanfic authors uselessly place flashbacks that take away from the vibe of the story. I am also firmly sticking with the fem. Haku pairing. During there relationship, there WILL be break ups, arguments, and frankly, they'll have other 'partners'. I've read tons of fanfics, and they all seem to have Hinata as the girlfriend (or harem whatever) that just idolizes Naruto inserting cute moments here and there. That's not a relationship, a relationship is a buildup of intimate feelings with mutal respect and love. Shout out to the author Iron Monkey Fist. His story "Kumogakure Ninja" is the inspiration I got to make a fanfiction. Enough rambling! On to Chapter 3 and 4! Yes, it's a double upload. I know it seems slow, but just bear with me. Chapter 4 will be mostly fighting.
Chapter 3: Time skip and the start of the Genin Trials!
7 Years Later
It has been seven years. Seven years of constant training, studying, and honestly, eating (ramen). Naruto had been promised seven years to take care of whatever he felt he needed to do, and through sheer determination, his hard work paid off.
"Damn, seven years really flew by. The graduation ceremony and team placings are supposed to held at the Academy tomorrow. Shit, I can't wait to see who my new teammates are hehe.", said Naruto, chuckling slightly while laying down in the middle of his training ground.
"Kid, get your ass in gear, Hiruzen's expecting you to meet him at his office remember?" huffed Goku.
"Yeah yeah, I'm going". And with a poof of smoke, he shunshined to the Hokage's office.
Hokage Tower.
The Sandaime Hokage had been looking out his huge window Konoha with a peaceful mindset. Over the years, he enjoyed his time with Naruto and practically raised the boy, teaching him in place of an academy instructor. The boy was truly gifted. While he showed no interest in the academical field, he was able to answer and strategize accordingly using methods only suitable for a prankster like himself. The only that worried him however, was the Naruto's specific temper. When he was stuck or clueless on a certain topic, he became angry. As he matured, he gained a better grasp on his emotions, constantly trying to be at peace. He concluded that the reason for this was his repressed hate. When younger, he actually had a target for his anger, the villagers. With forgiving everyone's wrong doings to him, Naruto's rage had no where to go, so in turn it hid itself. Point is, when he's mad, he's mad.
"Jiji! I'm here! You said you wanted to meet me?", cheerfully asked Naruto.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sarutobi grinned at his surrogate grandson. "Yes Naruto. I called you here because, as you know, the graduation ceremony and team placings are to take place tomorrow at 8am sharp. In these past years, you have individually been taught by me. Since you haven't been an attending student at the academy, I believe it is my duty to have you graduate now. However, you are to report to the building when the ceremony is over, so you can participate in the placings of the teams"
Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. The Hokage was probably the person he respected the most. He'd wake up early with Naruto just to have an hour of basic teachings. He didn't need some fancy celebration, all he wanted was an acknowledgement from his 'Jiji' as a full fledged ninja. Bubbling with confidence, he jumped on top of the Hokage's desk with a thumbs up pointed to the air.
"I am now Uzumaki Naruto...A KONOHA SHINOBI DATTEBAYO!"
Sarutobi just sweat-dropped at this. "Naruto, I know how quick you want this to go, but I do plan on making this somewhat traditional. You two can come in now!"
The door flung open revealing the only other people he considered family, Teuchi ji-san and Ayame nee-chan. At the sight of the two dressed in formal attire with smiles that showed how proud of Naruto they were, the young Uzumaki could not help but bawl. Never had he felt so loved. If the Hokage was his surrogate grandfather, then Teuchi and Ayame were considered surrogate family members as well. It was a touching moment.
As much as he didn't want to break up Naruto's longing embrace with the Ichiraku owner and his daughter, he could not wait any longer to give to Naruto what he had always wanted to give. "Naruto, come here, the ceremony's not done.".
"Oh, right! My headband!", exclaimed Naruto, while rubbing the back of his neck.
Clearing his voice, Sarutobi spoke, "As the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, it is my supreme honor to present Uzumaki Naruto with the title of 'Genin of Konoha'!.", and with that, Sarutobi pulled out a Leaf headband. This headband was quite different than the standard one he would've recieved at the academy, this one was a slate, metallic shade of silver. The cloth when tied around his head reached all the way down to his lower back. Suffice to say that Naruto was in love with it immediately.
"One more thing Naruto. Do you remember at the very beginning of your sessions with me, you asked me for new clothes? Well, I have them". The Sandaime pulled out a thick, solid box and asked Naruto to open in it. The anticipation of new clothes had been an extremely unfamiliar thing to him, an unfamiliar thing that he looked forward too probably the most. Teuchi and Ayame just smiled at Naruto, glad that he was doing well, one step closer to his dream.
"Jiji...this is...I don't even know what to say, but...thank-"
"Say no more Naruto, just go and change.". Naruto, with speed that would rival his father, threw off his training clothes and put his new ones on.
Naruto now wore his slate grey shinobi headband, along with a (blacker than his hair) Chinese Martial Arts style gi with his sleeves rolled up to his mid forearm, revealing the white interior of the gi. He also now wore shinobi style pants that matched the color of his headband (kunai pouch strapped to his right thigh, second puch located on back left hip), but with a darker hue. His pants were wrapped in white gauze at the shins. To complete the outfit, he wore black shinobi sandles. All three adults just looked at Naruto with awe. The boy, who never had a pair of shoes in his life who only wore rags as clothes, now stood before them looking like a true shinobi, one who radiated warmth and strength. Naruto walked over to a body mirror and gave himself an 'up and down'. He couldn't help but think to himself, 'Damn, I look good'. No longer were his piercing red eyes filed with sadness, but now filled with confidence.
Finally, he spoke. "Jiji, Teuchi Ji-san, Ayame nee-chan...thank you. With the bottom of my heart. If it weren't for you three, I probably would've ended up killing myself. I promise to protect the village with my life, and become someone worth the title of 'Hokage' someday dattebayo!" He gave one of his trademark grins and thumbs up. Then they proceeded to engage in a group hug around the boy.
"Fuck, stop it! I'm suffocating! NOOOOOOO", Naruto escaped the embarrassing hug and jumped out the window, shattering it into a million pieces. "Hehe, thanks again for everything you guys!", yelled Naruto as he was free falling from the tower. "I'll make you all proud. I'll stop by for some ramen soon!"
While a tick mark formed on the Hokage's forehead, he just chuckled as Teuchi put a hand on his childhood friends shoulder.
"He's grown Hiruzen."
"Yeah..."
'Good luck, Naruto-kun"
Landing gracefully on a rooftop below, Naruto sped off back towards his place, he couldn't wait for tomorrow. New strength, new gear, a new era.
"Oi Naruto, when we get back, get some rest, you have to be up early tomorrow so you should rest. You earned it kid."
Naruto just grunted in agreement to the suggestion.
Next Day-Konoha Academy.
"Congratulations to everyone who has earned the right to be called 'Genin'. No longer are we student and teacher, we are now equals in the standings of shinobi. Rank should mean nothing to you and the burning passion of the Will of Fire, and your desire to protect this village.". The man stood in front of the classroom with the prestige of a sensei. His name was Umino Iruka, chunin of Konoha. "Before I place you in your teams, we have someone very special I'd like for you to get acquainted with. He will be apart of your graduating class."
The students of his class were confused. They weren't given any sort of news of a new classmate, especially since they had just been pronounced Genin. Whispered voices could be heard throughout the classroom when a kunoichi with pink hair decided to speak up. "Ano, Iruka-sensei, what do you mean by a new classmate? We haven't had any new students since the beginning of the year!"
"I was getting to that Sakura. As I was saying, this student has been independently studying the necessary material to graduate. Usually, this is not allowed, but it has been overlooked since the one overseeing his studies was none other than our Hokage."
"EHHHHHH?!", chorused a unison of students. Even one bored Uchiha and a sleeping Nara directed their attention to their sensei.
"Exactly. So without further ado, I present to you *points toward door on the left* ...Uzumaki Naruto!".
There was no one standing in the doorway which in turn made the students sweat-drop. However, as soon as the Nara was about to put his head down, the giant window towards the front- right of the classroom had shattered, with a black clothed figure coming out of the debris.
"YOSHA. Yo everybody, the names Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto Dattebayo!", Naruto proceeded to flash his trade mark thumbs up. The class had sweat-dropped again excluding one Sasuske Uchiha. The Uchiha saw not a bumbling idiot, but an outspoken powerhouse. He could just feel the strength radiating from his body. Naruto was about to comment on the Uchiha's expression when a book the size of his head smacked down onto him. It was Iruka.
"YOU IDIOT. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT'LL COST TO REPAIR THE WINDOW?!", the man's big headed jutsu was remarkable. All Naruto could do was rub his head while glaring at Iruka comically. " *Sigh* I would've thought that spending so much time with Hokage-sama would at least engrave some manners into you. Go take your seat. Naruto did as he was told mumbling something about scary scar-faces. Naruto chose his seat which happened to be next to a boy with a dog resting on his head.
"Yo. Name's Naruto, yours?"
"Inuzuka Kiba and this is Akamaru." Akamaru had barked in introduction. "You know, you've got some serious balls to bust through the window like that, I don't know if I should see you as a genius or a complete idiot."
Naruto kicked back in his seat and grinned, soaking in the plausible compliment. "Just wait till you see me in action."
Across from him, Sasuke could be seen looking at Naruto, trying to gauge his strength. 'He's strong...I can feel it.'
Throughout all of this, Iruka had already called out Teams 1-6.
"Team 7 will be consisted of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke.". When Iruka listed the team, the remaining students just stared in amazement. The top kunoichi, the number one rookie, and the 'x' factor shinobi, said to be trained by the Hokage himself.
"Team 8..." AN: The rest of the teams remain the same as in canon.
"All right everyone, listen up. Your jounin sensei will be here to pick you up in approx. 15-20 min. I have to report to Hokage-sama about the team files. You're own your own now.", Iruka said as he shunshined away.
While tension could be felt, it wasn't all bad as Naruto was quick to strike up conversation with his new friends, namely Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. Naruto had been quick to observe and analyze his new classmates. Kiba was loud and boistrous, the blond and the pinkette were typical fan-girls, the Uchiha was troubled, yet strong. Shikamaru was lazy but smart, the Hyuga as he recognized, was immensely shy and kept twiddling with were fingers next to a guy he saw to be apart of the Aburame clan. Naruto had planned to be friends with all of them, one way or another.
One by one, the teams had been picked up by their new senseis, all but one Team 7. It had been almost two hours since they had been alone. It was awkward to say the least. Sakura had been drooling over Sasuke, Sasuke just sat there annoyed, and Naruto had grown tired of waiting.
He suddenly shouted, "IF THIS PRICK DOESN'T SHOW WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES, KAMI HELP ME I'M GONNA-". He was cut short by the presence of a jounin, one with gravity defying silver hair and one eye...
"Yo. Sorry to keep you waiting everyone, I was-" he couldn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by Naruto's voice.
"IT'S YOU", the finger Naruto had been pointing had started to shake. His teammates were confused. Did the new guy know the sensei?
The jounin, knowing what the boy was referring to just put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Let's talk later.". He got a nod in response.
"Yoshi!", he said with an eye-smile, "Meet me on the roof and we'll introduce ourselves.". The jounin poofed into thin air.
"Hey new guy, you know the sensei?", asked the pinkette.
"None of you business.", Naruto kindly replied. This just made a thicker than usual tick mark appear on her forehead, along with an eye twitch.
The three all walked up the stairs to meet with their new sensei. Sasuke was that much more curious in what his fellow black haired teammate would bring to the table. They all arrived at the rooftop and began giving introductions. It went along as expected, until Kakashi had brought upon news of the "real" Genin exam. With the real test of a 66% chance fail rate beginning tomorrow at 6am, they were told to arrive without breakfast. After Kakashi had shunshin'd away, the three genin all split up agreeing to meet tomorrow. The four members of Team 7 all split with different thoughts of their newly formed group.
'Oh boy, a fan girl, the lone survivor of the Uchiha, and Konoha's jinchuuriki. This will be interesting to say the least'
'Seems like a solid team. Sasuke seems to be able to hold his own, I know Kakashi-sensei's is leagues ahead of us, it's just Sakura, she's kind of annoying. I just hope these guys aren't stupid enough to actually come take an exam on an empty stomach.'
'Sasuke-kun's on my team! IN YOUR FACE INO-PIG'
'Uzumaki Naruto, just how strong are you..."
Next Day
Sunrise had been peaking for the past ten minutes. The 6am breeze felt nice against his skin while jumping through the rooftops. He had a feeling that his sensei wasn't the most punctual so he took his time getting to the rendezvous point. When he got there he saw his two teammates looking tired, but most of all, hungry. Goku had also told Naruto it's likely to be a test where it's all or nothing. Either they all failed, or they all passed.
"You guys actually skipped eating?", asked a confused Naruto
"Well duh, Kakashi sensei told us not to!", stated Sakura.
'This girl's hopeless...'
3 hours later
"Yo mina! Sorry I'm a tad tardy, there was this black cat and-". It was now 9 o clock and the three genin had grown extremely tired of waiting. Equipped with angry yet comical expressions Naruto and Sakura yelled, "YOU LIAR". Sasuke would've mentally cursed his two teammates for being annoying, but even the 'cool' have their limits, so he silently agreed with them. Kakashi just rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled with a tinge of guilt. The team now made their way onto an open training ground with an small trees surrounding. Interestingly enough, there were three totems beside each other, which is where Kakashi had put his clock on top of.
Pulling out two bells, the jounin started to speak, "Your exam is to take these bells away from me. You have until noon. If you fail to do so, at least one of you will be tied to a totem. If you don't succeed now, you'll have another chance at night, but that's it. Do you understand?"
"But sensei, there's three of us and only two bells!"
'Jeez, does this girl even use her head? I thought she was supposed to be the smart one...'. Naruto had looked at her in annoyance.
Kakashi did nothing but smile. He was going to actually try and have a little fun with his team.
AN: I feel as though a lot of you won't stay with my story because of the lack of action three chapters in. I PROMISE YOU, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF ACTION. I've had this idea in my head so long and the last thing I want to do is rush it. Chapter 4 will be the start of the action, and you'll see to some extent of Naruto's new abilities. Chapter 4 will be up about two hours after Chapter 3.