Wow. I only started this story at the beginning of the month and it all ready has more story alerts and favorites than double of that of my other stories. In just a short amount of time, this has become my most popular story.

Just to let everyone know, I'm only going to stick with the true canon in only a few scenes. Some parts are originally created. However, if another author had used them in their story, I apologize for using their moments.

I only hope I can continue to earn everyone's respect.

A continuous ringing in his ears finally woke Naruto from his sleep. His hand rose from beneath the covers and reached blindly for the accursed object. When he finally grabbed his alarm clock, he chucked it against the wall, where it shut off immediately.

Naruto groaned and pulled the covers from his head. He sat up, stretched, and made his made way to the bathroom. He performed the morning-male ritual of scratching himself and taking a long time in front of the toilet. After a shower, he went into the kitchen, made himself some breakfast, and got ready for his genin finals at the academy today.

He dressed in his usual jumpsuit. The color was originally red, but time had faded it to orange. The boy bought it cheap at a hand-me-down sale at one of open-markets. It was one of the reasons why Teuchi and Ayame wanted to take him clothes shopping. They didn't want him to dress like this.

Naruto then put on a pair of goggles he got as a birthday present. It is originally a gag gift, due to an incident a few years ago when he was in the kitchen, experimenting with ingredients to create a new flavor. The whole thing blew up in his face. The Ichiraku's thought it was hilarious and bought him the goggles to give him a mad, scientist look when experimenting. But he carried it with him at all times.

He then strapped on his sandals, shuriken holder, and orange wristbands. Unlike his clothes and pretty much anything else he owned, these were brand new. They were gifts from his friends when he started his final year at the academy. When his friends saw the state of his equipment, they all pooled their money together and bought him new ones as a good luck gift.

Naruto finished getting dressed and walked out of his apartment. He locked his door and smiled.

"Look out, world. Naruto Uzumaki is coming for ya!" He ran down the stairs and towards the stand.

As Naruto neared the ramen stand, he spotted his friends waiting inside.

"Yo, Naruto!" Choji yelled as he spotted his friend running towards the stand. The chubby ninja was munching on a bag of chips. "Dad told me to tell you he liked the Akimichi swirls on the First's face yesterday." That made the group chuckle.

"Hmph....Good morning" Shikamaru grumbled with a small smile.

"G-good morning, sempai," Hinata said with a grin.

"Good morning, guys!" Naruto yelled. "You guys ready to become ninja's?"

Choji was the only one who cheered with him, while Shikimaru chuckled and Hinata giggled.

"Naruto, it's eight in the morning," Shikamaru muttered. "Can't you keep it down at least until noon?"

"Nope!" Naruto cheered. "Today's going to be my first step to becoming Hokage!"

"You've got to pass first," said a voice behind the counter. Teuchi and Ayame came out from the back room carrying the ingredients to start the day off.

"You don't think we can pass, pops?" Naruto asked in a mock-hurt voice.

"I have no doubt in my mine that you four can pass," said Teuchi with a grin. "In fact, when you do, we'll have a party here tonight celebrating your graduation. All the ramen you can eat instead of one free bowl!"

Choji roared with delight and fire in his eyes. Shikamara muttered 'troublesome' and tried to calm his friend down. Hinata just giggled at Choji's antics.

Naruto, however, frowned. He remembered seeing Teuchi's balance book last night and all the red marks in it. He wasn't that great at math, but he know that Teuchi was becoming in debt to his landlord and getting loans from the bank just to pay for more ingredients. If it kept up, he'll have to close the shop within two months.

"Naru-kun, is something wrong?" Ayame asked.

"Huh..wah?"

"Dad mentioned free ramen and you were frowning? Is something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head and put a fake smile. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with free ramen."

Teuchi let out a breath. "Good. I was beginning to wonder if someone replaced Naruto with a spy."

"Hey!" yelled Naruto, insulted.

Everyone laughed. Then Teuchi looked at his clock on the wall. "You kids better get going, class will be starting soon."

"Gotcha," said Choji as finished his bag of barbeque chips. He jumped off the stool and began to walk towards the academy. Shikamaru stifled a yawn and followed. Hinata slid off the stool, bowed to the Ichiraku's and followed Shikamaru. Naruto was about to leave himself when something grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see that Ayame had gone around the counter to see him.

"Good luck today, Naru-kun," she said as she hugged him. Teuchi had 'mysteriously' gone back into the back room.

"Thanks, Aya-chan. I'll be sure to make you and pops proud today."

Ayame bent down slightly and kissed Naruto's forehead. "There. Another good luck charm. With two, you can't fail."

Naruto grinned. "I won't fail. Believe it!" He turned and shot down the street to catch up with his friends.

Naruto and his friends were sitting in the desks at the front of the class. While they waited for their teachers to arrive, Naruto and Hinata were discussing what they were going to be tested on along with Choji, who munched on another bag of chips. Shikamaru..well.....was catching up on his sleep.

Everyone quieted down when Iruka and Mizuki walked in.

"Alright class. Today is the day," Iruka announced. "We've already tested your field ninja skills throughout the semester and everyone here has passed. Now, me and Mizuki will be testing your ninjutsu abilities, one-on-one."

Naruto nodded, anxious to begin his test. After being absent for the last two, he couldn't wait to get started. He knew he could take whatever his teachers could give him.

"When we call your name, you will proceed into the next room and perform your ninjutsu techniques there in front of your teachers. Remember, you must perform the three basic ninjutsu techniques: A henge transformation, a substitution jutsu and finally, a clone jutsu. Good luck. First up, Shino Aburame."

A tall boy with a high-collar jacket, sunglasses and spiked hair silently stood up and made his way down the steps to his teacher. Naruto knew Shino was going to pass. As a heir to his clan, Shino was taught his clan's more advance jutsus. He an above average taijutsu fighter and could perform the basic ninjutsu. His main weapons were his family's kikia bugs, chakra-eating insects the live in the boy's body like a hive.

Naruto never had any problems with Shino, but never took the time the talk with the boy either. Maybe when this was over, he could say congratulations.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Shino walked back into the classroom with his new leaf headband around his forehead.

"Great job, Shino," Naruto said as he walked passed him and his friends.

Shino paused for a moment before nodding. "Thank you. Good luck on your test as well."

Naruto smiled and waited for the next name to be called, which happened to be Choji.

"Remember Choji, all the ramen you can eat if you pass," Naruto mentioned.

"I know," Choji said with fire in his eyes. "The power of food will always prevail!" Naruto and Hinata just laughed as he scared the daylights out of Iruka. A few minutes later, Choji came out with his headband around his head. This got him pats on the backs from the boys and a hug from Hinata.

Next was Sakura Haruno. When her name was called, all she did was jump up and proclaim that true love will concur all. Then she rubbed it in all the girl's faces that a certain boy will be hers.

Frankly, Naruto couldn't understand why someone like her could be a ninja. Sure, she had book smarts, but it took more than that to become an excellent kunoichi.

In fact, a lot of girls in the class were focused on only impressing their love interests instead of actually learning. Except Hinata, of course.

It just proved that destiny must be up to something when the pink-haired girl walked back into the classroom with her headband tied where her ribbon used to be and a smug look on her face.

Next was Hinata Hyuga, who froze when her name was called. Her friends were trying to help with her confidence problems and she was getting better, but their were times when she would hesitate in believing in her abilities. It wasn't helpful that her family didn't care about her either.

Naruto, however, put a hand on her shoulder and told her to give it her best shot. Choji encouraged her as well while Shikamaru lifted his head up just enough to wish her luck. With that, Hinata took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

Even though he tried to be strong for her, he couldn't help but bite his lip and tap his fingers on the desk. But that changed when Hinata walked back in with her headband around her neck and a smile on her face. Naruto got up and gave her a quick hug, then returned to his seat. He never noticed the blush on her face.

Next was Kiba Inuzuka. The boy with the fur-lined hoodie jumped up and howled in anticipation. While some people had book smarts, Kiba had the athletic ability to make a great ninja. He was brash and wild in his techniques, but could think and strategize like any ninja.

A member of the Inuzuka clan, he was capable of using a specially-trained ninja hound called a ninken. His was a young pup with white fur named Akamaru. They duo dominated the training spars, only behind Sasuke Uchiha. And apparently only Kiba could understand him because the two would hold conversations when no one would have any idea what they were talking about.

It was no surprise when he came back in with his new headband and a smirk

The were a few more students who passed during that time, but Naruto didn't know them well enough to really care. It wasn't until Iruka reached Shikamaru that he finally paid attention to the roll call. Naruto had to wake up the lazy genius for his turn. The boy got up and followed Iruka out of the room, muttering troublesome the entire way.

Naruto wasn't worried about Shikamaru. Even though he didn't show it in class, Shikamaru had more talent than pretty much anyone in the class, possibly in Sasuke. The problem was that Shikamaru didn't really care.

Naruto was surprised when the boy came back with the headband tied around his arm. When he rose an eyebrow at the boy, he just shrugged.

"Too troublesome to tie around my head," was the only thing Shikamaru said as he laid his head back down on the desk.

"Everything's too troublesome for you," Naruto said, causing everyone around him to laugh.

There was another batch of students that went next that Naruto didn't know either because they treated him like everyone else or didn't even bother. But each one recieved their mark as well.

Then came the kid was marked as the best in the class. When Sasuke Uchiha's name was called, all the girls in the class wished him good luck. He just ignored them and made his way to the next room. It surprised no one when he came out with his headband around his head.

"Show-off," Naruto muttered.

Hinata giggled. "You're not mad because he's the top in his class, are you?"

"No. It's that he's got the power to get any girl in the class, and yet, he just scoffs it off like he's king of the world. Why if I had that power, I-"

"You what, senpai?" Hinata said with a hint of anger.

"I..uh...donate it to charity?" he said meekly.

Hinata punched him in the shoulder. "Pig."

"Naruto Uzumaki," said Iruka to the class.

Naruto took a deep breath and stood up, barely hearing the wishes of luck from his friend. He followed Iruka towards the testing room and inside.

It was about the size of a regular classroom with only a desk on one side of the room. Mizuki was already sitting down at one of the chairs while Iruka took the other one.

"Okay, Naruto, take a few breaths and begin whenever you are ready. The first jutsu I want you to perform is the Transformation jutsu. I want you to henge into someone beside me or Mizuki." Then he scowled. "And your you-know-what henge is forbidden."

Naruto nodded and put his hands together in the ram seal. He channeled his chakra throughout his body, thought of his subject and focused.

"Transform," he called out. Naruto was surrounded in a puff of smoke, which reavealed to be a perfect henge of the Third Hokage in his robes and hat, pipe included in his mouth.

"Very good, Naruto," said Iruka while Mizuki just nodded. "Nice you see you finally get it down after what happened a few years ago."

"Thanks for reminding me, Iruka-sensei," Naruto mumbled.

"Next." Iruka sat up and put his chair in the middle of the floor. "I want you to perform the Substitution jutsu with this chair."

Naruto nodded and prepared his chakra. This jutsu was one of his favorites since he used quite often when running away from teachers and chunin who were trying to catch him after one of his pranks. It was real funny when he switched with a chair, log or even a person just for his pursuers to crash into it.

So Naruto focused his his chakra into a thin string, invisible except to the Hyuga, and connected it to the chair. He then flared his chakra, causing the two to be enveloped in smoke. When it cleared, Naruto and chair had switched places.

"Excellent, Naruto. That's two out of three," said Iruka. Mizuki nodded and made another check on his clipboard. "Now, for the final test. I need you make at least three clone jutsus."

This is where Naruto began to get nervous. For all of his time, he couldn't make a perfect clone jutsu. During his first years in the academy, he couldn't even perform at all. As time went by, he began to get better at the jutsu, but each clone would either disrupt as soon as it appeared or would be very haggard and sick-looking.

However, when Naruto learned about the tree-walking exercise, he saw little improvement in his clones. They still looked feeble, but at least they could stand on their own two feet. When he mastered that exercise and began using the water exercise, he tried again. And once again, he saw improvement.

But it still wasn't perfect.

"Naruto?" Iruka asked.

Naruto snapped out of his stupor and grinned. "Sorry sensei. Just thinking about a strategy."

"Hurry up please. We still have other students to test," Mizuki said.

"He's right Naruto. Cast your jutsu now," agreed Iruka.

Naruto nodded and prepared his chakra. Remember his lesson long ago, he tried to channel the least amount of chakra as he could. So small, that he only had to think about channeling his chakra. And instead of three, he had to think more.

He hasn't tested this theory yet, so he was taking a gamble.

"Clone jutsu!" he yelled. The room was enveloped in smoke and Naruto closed his eyes, hoping, praying that his theory worked. He kept his eyes close for nearly ten seconds before Iruka finally said something.

"Uh, Naruto? I said you had to make at least three. You didn't have to make twenty."

Naruto opened his eyes, only see two clones blocking his vision to his senseis. He looked to find himself surrounded by clones. Each one was an exact replica of himself and stood straight ahead at the wall. They looked perfect.

But then Naruto saw one of them grimace and buckle slightly. Maybe they weren't perfect just yet, but it was better than nothing. He dispelled his clones before any of the other ones showed signs of fatigue and give Iruka a reason to fail him.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," smiled Naruto as the smoke disappeared. He could feel a swell of happiness rising within him like a balloon. Now, he was an official genin.

Iruka handed him his new headband. Naruto took and just took a second to gaze at it. The Konoha's leaf symbol was carved onto a polished metal plate that was sewn into a dark, blue bandana.

Naruto took off his googles and wrapped his new headband around his head. He saw Iruka give him a smile as they walked out of the room.

The moment his friends saw him with his newest addition, all three of them gave him a smiled. Shikamaru actually stood awake long enough to see Naruto with his headband, only to lay back down to sleep, although he had a grin on his face. Hinata sprang up from her seat and gave her sempai a tight hug that nearly cut off his circulation. After she was done, Choji got around and put him in a headlock will giving him a noogie.

"Told you were going to do it!," yelled Choji while he dug his knuckle into Naruto's head.

"Believe it!" Naruto yelled as he tried to escape Choji's lock.

"All right, settle down," Iruka said. "We still have a few more students to test so please, return to your seats."

The adrenaline coursing through Naruto's veins was enough to make him feel like he could take on an army of ninja, but he sat down. His foot kept tapping against the ground as each student went to the back and earned their headbands.

Finally, the last student tested walked out of the room. Ino Yamanaka came with a huge smirk aimed at Sakura and for some reason, had tied her headband around her waist. Naruto believed she did only to prove how skinny she was. He always took her for one of those girls that only cared about what she looked like instead of how she looked.

Iruka and Mizuki walked out the room with her and stood before the class.

"Congratulations, graduates. You have all earned to the right to be called ninjas of the Leaf. You've become warriors to the village and it's Hokage. Remember, you're adults now and as such, have hopefully matured enough to know that your life is going to be on line everyday," lectured Iruka.

"As ninjas, you must be prepared to face obstacle, no matter how impossible or dangerous," continued Mizuki. "You never know when the village will call your service. One day, you might be training. The next, you may be facing an invasion, an army, or even demon."

The whole class shuddered. Each one had heard the story about when the Nine-tailed demon fox attacked Konoha thirteen years ago. For no reason, the giant demon, one who could flatten mountains and create tidal waves, all by just waving its tails, appeared outside the village of Konoha. It tried to attack the village, but was held at the gates by Konoha ninjas. The fox proved to be too strong, killing dozens of ninjas.

But what when all hope seemed lost, the Fourth Hokage face the demon in mortal combat. No one knows how, but the Fourth was able to defeat the creature.

However, it cost the man his life.

Naruto had always wanted to be like that. To face hell itself for the sake of protecting all of those he loved. The Fourth Hokage had been considered the greatest ninja that the world had ever seen and one that the world might not see again.

That's what Naruto wanted to be. The most powerful Hokage in the world, just like the Fourth.

"Now," Iruka said, breaking Naruto from his trance. "We'll continue this next week when we put you in teams with you jonin teachers. Right now, I believe your parent's are waiting outside to wish you congratulations."

The new genins cheered and got up to meet their parents. All except one, who slowly got up and followed his classmates out. In the hallway, the class turned left to go out the front while Naruto turned left to head out the back.

Naruto's plan was to just head to Ichiraku's and wait for his friends to get done celebrating with their families. He doubt he could handle the whispers of the villagers as he walked past them.

But he barely took two steps before a hand grabbed his shoulder. Naruto turned around to find Iruka with a confused look.

"Where are you going?" asked his teacher.

"You said everyone's families are waiting for them outside," said Naruto glumly. "I don't exactly belong out there."

Iruka put a hand on his brother's shoulder, causing the blonde to look up.

"But I think you'll find something just as good waiting for you out there."

Naruto frowned, but turned around and headed back towards his classmates. He curious about what Iruka meant.

A man was hoping across the rooftops to his previously planned location to lay his trap.

Plan 'B', it is.

Naruto walked out the front doors to see a crowd of parents praising their children for their accomplishments. He could feel his chest tighten in pain and jealousy at the love between family. It was the one thing he wanted, yet he had no one to share it with.

Choji was standing with his parents, who were standing with the Nara and Yamanaka clans as well. Shikamaru was yawning while being berated by his mother for being lazy. His father, Shikaku, just stood by and watched a smirk. Inoichi, Ino's dad, was talking with his wife while Ino, their daughter, was missing. When the three clan leaders saw him, they waved.

Naruto grinned and waved back. He always liked them. Since he was friends with their children, they treated him like anybody else.

Shino was holding a quiet conversation with his parents, while Naruto noticed that his family was given a wide berth. It ticked him off that people were avoiding them just because of their jutsu styles. Personally, he saw nothing wrong with their clan's styles. They were normal like any other family.

Kiba was boasting loudly about his tests being a walk in the park while his sister, Hana smacked him in the back of the head. His mom, Tsume, was laughing at her pups antics and told Kiba that she would show him a new jutsu as a graduation present.

Hinata was blushing slightly as she spoke with her father, Hiashi. He was wishing her congratulations, but then starting telling her that she might begin to show improvements once she was sorted onto a team. Naruto saw Hinata's face fell at that.

Naruto almost growled. He and his friends spent nearly a year trying to get her confidence up and her father berates her. It really ticked him off.

Since Sasuke was the only member of his clan left, he didn't have anybody to wish him congratulations. Well, except the girls who had a crush on him. In fact, they were still saying how cool he was as he tried to return back to his family's compound. Several girls trailed behind, including Sakura and the missing Ino.

He shook his head and continued to walk out of the school yard. But he felt himself cringe at the words of others as he walked by.

"There he goes.....

"He actually passed?"

"...isn't that the freak.."

"...monster's a genin now.."

With each insult, he could feel himself sink lower and lower into a depressed state. He thought that if he could prove himself to be a graduate, he would begin to earn respect. But that didn't seem to be the case.

Right now, he just wanted to get to the ramen stand. He hurried forward to the gate, almost home-free, when someone called out his name.

"Over here, Naruto," a soft voice called out.

The boy turned to see his three favorite people waiting under a tree. Ayame, Teuchi, and the Third Hokage.

Naruto smiled and hurried over to his friends. "You actually came?"

The Third chuckled and engulfed the boy in a hug. "Of course. You didn't think I was going to miss my favorite gaki's graduation, did you?"

Naruto laughed, his spirit beginning to lift. "Thanks, Jiji. It's only natural that you would show up to see the next Hokage graduate."

The group laughed. Teuchi stepped forward and flicked his finger at Naruto's headband. "I've always wanted to see that on your head. Now, I think my goals in life are now complete."

"You cant mean that, pops. You still have to wait until I become Hokage."

"That I do," chuckled Teuchi.

Ayame then came forward and wrapped Naruto in a tight hug. "There was no doubt in my mind that you were going to pass," Ayame whispered to him.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and smirked shyly. "Well, with all the luck you gave me, how could I not."

Ayame giggled and blushed. Teuchi caught this and smirked.

"Is there something I should know about," he teased.

Both kids blushed and both shook their heads. Teuchi and Sarutobi chuckled at their obvious care for one another, even if they won't admit it.

The Third stopped first and turned towards the gate. "Well, I better get back to the tower. I still need to finish my work."

"You'll be back at the stand later for ramen, right?" Teuchi asked his friend.

"If I can, I'll try." The Third walked to the gate, but then turned to Naruto. "Can you walk with me?"

"Sure, Jiji," said Naruto. He turned to his friends. "I'll see you back at the stand."

"See you later, Naru-kun."

"Later, squirt!"

Naruto turned and hurried to catch up with the Third. As he left, Naruto's friends walked up to the Ichirakus.

"Were is senpai going?" asked Hinata.

"The Hokage wanted to speak with him. He'll meet with us back at the stand later," said Ayame.

"What a drag," Shikamaru complained. "Now we've got to wait on him."

"Come on, kids," Teuchi said. "I'll serve you a couple of snacks before he gets back."

"Yes!" Choji cheered. "Food!"

The five walked out of the school yard and into the streets. They were about to turn towards the stand when Ayame broke off and went into the other direction.

"I'm going to go buy some ice cream for you guys as dessert. Any special flavor you want?"

"Vanilla, please," said Hinata.

"Me, too," said Choji.

"Hmph. Sound's good, too," said Shikamaru.

"Bring me back a pint of mint, Ayame," said Teuchi.

"Sure thing, dad." Ayame began walking to the grocery store for ice cream.

"What makes a ninja strong, Naruto?" The Third asked the blond. The two made it to the tower a few minutes earlier and were now standing on top of the tower, watching the sunset. The two usually did this at least once a week, whenever they weren't at the ramen stand. Naruto usually came after school to learn more about what it meant to be Hokage.

"A strong shinobi? What kind of question is that? It's obvious that a shinobi needs strong jutsu in order to be strong. Only the fastest, strongest and most intelligent ninja become the greatest."

The Third chuckled. "Well, you almost right."

Naruto looked up at the old man with a raised eyebrow. "Almost?"

"It's true a ninja needs those three qualities to be strong, but your missing the most important quality of all. And believe it or not, you posses the quality more than any of your classmates."

"Really? What is it, Jiji?"

"The Will of Fire."

Naruto frowned. "The Will of Fire?"

The Third smiled at the confused boy. "Yes. Tell me Naruto, is there anybody that you would give your life to protect? A person you will fight with your last breath, the last ounce of your strength, to protect?"

Naruto thought for only a second before he answered. "Of course. Ayame, Teuchi, Iruka, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, and you, Jiji. You're my family and I will do all I can to see everyone I care about safe."

Sarutobi felt his heart swell at Naruto's words. "That Naruto is the Will of Fire. The heart and spirit to protect those who you care about. That's what the village means and they true meaning of being a shinobi."

"What about you, Jiji? What defines your Will of Fire?"

The Sandaime smiled and gazed out over the village. "My will is to protect everyone in this village. Each man, woman, and child is like a family member to me and it's my duty to protect them. With my strength, heart, spirit, and will, I'll protect each villager with my life. That's what it means to be a shinobi. That's what it means to be Hokage."

Naruto gazed in awe at the man he considered to be a grandfather. It just wasn't him, it was the whole village he cared about.

"I think I understand," said Naruto.

But do I? Do I have the will to protect each villager who despise me with all their hearts?

"I'm glad to here that, Naruto. Because tomorrow, I have a gift for you."

"A gift?"

"Yes. I was promised to give a gift when you turned into a genin. A gift from your parents."

Naruto felt himself stiffen. His parents? "You knew my parents, Jiji?"

The Sandaime sighed and gazed at the boy with sad eyes. "I know it's a bit of a shock, but yes, I did now your parents. I'm afraid due to certain circumstances, they had to be remained a secret from you. They were powerful and made a lot of enemies in different countries. If they knew you existed, you might not have lived to see today."

Naruto didn't say anything. He was still in shock. He always thought that his parent's just perished during the Kyubi attack, seeing he was born on the day it happened. He never thought about asking anyone about his parents.

He felt the Sandaime put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I kept this from you. But when you find out tomorrow, you'll understand why I kept it from you."

"Okay, Jiji," Naruto said with some sadness in his voice.

"Naruto, are you going to be ok?" the Third asked with sorrow.

To be honest, Naruto felt a little betrayed. The Hokage knew all this time who his parents were but didn't bother to tell him. But he knew the Third had a good reason for not telling him. And if it was his parent's wish that he wouldn't know about them until he became a genin, there must be a good reason.

Naruto smiled. "I'll be fine, Jiji. In fact, I can't wait to find out about them! I'll see you bright and earlier tomorrow morning!"

The Sandaime was shocked about Naruto's sudden switch from depressed to happy. But he smiled.

"Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow then! Sorry, but with as much paperwork as I got, there is no way I'm going to be able to get some ramen with you and your friends tonight."

"It's alright. Good-bye!" Naruto jumped from the building and ran down the side, using his tree-walking experience to stick to the wall. When he reached the ground, he made a beeline for the stand.

The Third watched the boy's progress with a smile. When he was out of sight, the smile disappeared.

I just hope you can handle the truth, Naruto.

Ayame smiled brightly as she walked back to the stand with vanilla, mint, and Naruto's favorite, chocolate ice cream. The sun was about to go down and everybody was closing their shops. She had to hurry if she was going to make it back.

Since her mother passed away, she's been pretty much in charge of the woman needed around the house. She did the grocery shopping, the cleaning out of the house, and took care of her dad. Her mother's death affected him the most. For nearly three months, her father kept the ramen stand closed and spent all of his time in a depressed state. Only when Ayame threatened to move out, at age ten, did Teuchi do something.

Then, a week after they reopened stand, a small blonde changed their lives. Seeing him in a defenseless state, brought her father out of his depression and back to reality. Ever since Naruto came into their lives, the Ichiraku's have become a family once again.

Seeing how Naruto brought her father back, she immediately knew that he was something special. He did what he could to help around the stand and sometimes around their house. Naruto, besides being a ninja, was handy when it came to plumbing, electrical wiring, and other fix-it at home talents. Ayame thought it something to do with him living on his own.

And the fact Naruto never gave up, either in his studies or training, added to the list of his impressive abilities. He never backed down, never attacked anyone without cause, and always tried his hardest.

But nevertheless, she always thought the boy was more of a man than anybody else she knew. And that's why she would always love him.

She smiled at the thought of the blonde as she turned the corner of a street. She was less than a few blocks away from the stand when it happened.

Two arms wrapped around her waist. They knocked the bag from her hands. She tried to scream, but her captor had already shushined away. It happened so fast no one even heard her make a sound.

Naruto rushed through street towards the stand. He could feel his stomach growling in anticipation of another good meal. Even the glares the villagers around him would not put him into a bad mood.

Ever since he left the tower, he kept wondering what his parents were like. The Third had told him the pair were very strong ninjas.

Maybe he'll have a picture of them.

When Naruto was a little kid, when the villagers treated him like an outcast, he prayed every night that his parents would come and help him. He wanted to be a normal kid, with a mom and dad, friends, and a nice home to live. Instead, he lived alone and was treated like a monster.

But when he met the Ichiraku's, his pain began to fade. Then, when he met Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata and Iruka he forgot about being lonely. But always wondered who his parents were.

By this time tomorrow, he was going to learn who his parents were. He picked up the pace to tell his friends the good news.

He rounded the corner and felt his foot hit something hard and...cold?

Naruto stopped and looked at the ground. There was a white sack with what looked liked a gallon of vanilla ice cream, a pint of mint, and half a gallon of chocolate. He picked up the pint and noticed it was still cold and had hardly softened.

Who would leave ice cream in the middle of......wait, Hinata's favorite flavor is vanilla. Pops's is mint, and mine and Ayame's is chocolate.

Naruto looked around the area, trying to find out what happened. In seconds, he found two small, female size footprints in the dirt. Naruto took a breath. He trained in the academy to focus his senses and he could smell a slight hint of the strawberry-scented shampoo Ayame washed her hair with.

"Was Ayame-"

A faint whistling rung in his hears. He recognized it and ducked. There was a solid thunk in the garden wall above his head. Naruto stood to see a kunai embedded in the wall, just a few inches above his head. On closer inspection, he saw a note attached to it.

He yanked the kunai out of the wall and unwrapped the message. With each word he read, he felt his blood boil.

Demon, I have your girlfriend. If you want her to live, steal the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office tonight and bring to the training grounds you spend your time at. You have one hour after the sun sets. Inform anybody about this and I'll send youf girlfriend back to you a piece at a time.

Naruto's hands shook as he finished. One of the few people he cared about most in his life had been taken. Whoever this person was, they were going to pay, with full interest. Because now, Naruto knew this was the time his Will of Fire was going to burn.

He crumbled the note and looked the west. The sun wouldn't be down for at least another half hour.

He didn't have much time. And it was the perfect time to test out his new jutsu he didn't get to show Iruka.

Sarutobi had just sent the ANBU guards home, assuring them he would be okay. There had not been an attack on his life for nearly ten years. And frankly, he was tired of the guards watching him constantly as he did his work.

He got down with his latest stack of paperwork and was beginning to work on his final stack for the evening. If he hurried, he might catch the kids and Teuchi for one bowl before they went to sleep.

A thump outside of his door made him hesitate. He thought he was the only one in the building after the guards left

The Third stood up and walked to the door, kunai in his hand. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned. Just as the door swung open into the hallway, Sarutobi felt a familiar presence of chakra and relaxed.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" asked the Third as he fully opened the door.

"Ninja Art: Noodle bind jutsu!"

The Third felt something hit against his chest, then wrap around his body. His arms were pinned to his sides. Then, another around his knees and his feet. The force caused him to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

The Hokage struggled against the bonds, shocked that Naruto would attack him and the durability of whatever he was tied up with. If it was ropes or even chains, he would have been out in an instant and prepared to fight. But whatever this substance was, it was strong, tight and only bound more tightly the more he struggled.

"Sorry, Jiji," said Naruto as he stood of the fallen man. Sarutobi looked up from the floor to see the boy with a small hint of anger, but it was mostly filled with remorse and fear.

"What are you-?" the Third started when something hit him in the mouth. It covered it completely and immediately sealed his ability to talk. It was exactly like the stuff he was trapped in. He then caught a whiff of it under his nose and his eyes widened in shock when he recognized it.

Noodle dough?

"It's my newest technique. I just made it about a month ago when I screwed up a batch of noodles," Naruto explained. "The dough was really thick and strong, but I couldn't do anything with it. Just for kicks, I kneaded my chakra with it to see if it would loosen up, but it didn't work. Then, some jerk came by the stand and started bad mouthing me. I got mad and threw the dough at him. What happened to him is just what happened to you."

Sarutobi was shocked that the boy would come up with such an unusual jutsu. Despite the situation, he felt a surge of pride at Naruto.

You really are an unpredictable ninja.

Naruto stepped over the fallen lord and made his way to the cabinets. Sarutobi tried to turn over and see what he was doing, but Naruto was done quickly and was back in the Hokage's vision. When the Third saw what he was holding, he struggled harder against the bonds.

"I'm sorry, Jiji but Ayame's been kidnapped." The Hokage immediately stopped and looked up at Naruto with shocked eyes. "I know. Her captor ransomed her for this scroll. If I don't give it, she will die."

Naruto recognized the look in the Third's eyes as he struggled once again. He wanted to help.

"Sorry, old man, but if I tell anyone she'll die anyway." Naruto turned and headed out the door. He stopped before he fully exited. "The dough will harden and crumble in a couple of hours. It does when the chakra I put into runs out. If I'm not back before that time, you might want to send someone after me. They're at my training field."

Naruto looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Thank you for everything you've done, Lord Hokage." Then disappeared.

Sarutobi, despite Naruto's warning, continued to struggle against the dough, but realized the boy was right. It was impossible.

However, Sarutobi was more afraid of what Naruto might discover what was in the scroll than it falling into the wrong hands.

I hope you can forgive me when you read the scroll, Naruto.

Iruka was finishing his reports about his new graduates and prepared to send them to the Hokage tomorrow. The forms were a detailed summary about each genin's skills and suggestion about who they should be paired with when teams were decided.

He put his forms into a folder and got ready to his students at Ichiraku's. As Naruto's brother, it was his duty to embarrass him in front of his friends and ultimately, have a fun time. He was also going to give Naruto his graduation present.

Iruka smiled. Naruto was like him in so many ways it was scary. When his parent's perished thirteen years ago, Iruka spent most his time being a class clown and pull pranks on the villagers. He did it mainly to be noticed, since his parent's were gone and he didn't have any friends.

He mainly became a teacher so he would never see any student alone and friendless. He knew the pain of being alone and how dark and cold it could be. He made a promise that he would never let a student go through that. Ever.

For years, Iruka never noticed a student like that. Each one had a family to love and friends to spend time with. But then Naruto came along.

Iruka spent every moment a teacher could with the boy. He saw the loneliness in the boy's eyes and the shakiness of his skills as ninja.

So Iruka decided to become his friend. At first, he may have been a little strict and mean, but eventually, the boy opened up to him and the two became friends. Iruka would visit Naruto and his friends at the ramen stand after class and Naruto would ask for training tips on the weekends.

Through the years, Iruka never blamed Naruto for the death of his parents. Though he knew what Naruto held, he knew the boy was never a demon.

A banging on the door broke Iruka from his thoughts. He hurried and opened it to find Mizuki, breathless.

"Mizuki? What's wrong?"

"It's Naruto. He's stolen the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office a few minutes ago."

Iruka felt disbelief at Mizuki's words. There had to be some mistake. Naruto would never do that.

"You need to go meet the other chunins at the Hokage tower," Mizuki said.

Iruka nodded dumbly, then took off.

Naruto stood impatiently next to the abandoned cabin that was in his training field, waiting for Ayame's captor. He kept praying that he was making the right decision by coming alone. He came early and had about 30 minutes left before the deadline was up.

But he would not risk Ayame's life like that. Even if it meant he had to die.

He kept staring at the scroll that was propped up against the wall, glaring at it like it was the scroll's fault he was in this situation. All of this trouble just for a few jutsus written on a piece of paper. Curiosity getting the better of him, he grabbed the scroll and plopped down the read it.

Just what's so Forbidden about this scroll anyway?

Naruto gently snapped the bind that held the old scroll together and unrolled it. He read the first few lines and raised an eyebrow.

Shadow Clone jutsu....?

Iruka arrived at the tower to see all of the lights were still turned off and the rooms completely empty. There were no chunins or even Anbu stationed anywhere in the building. As he made his way to the Hokage's room, his confusion grew.

Shouldn't there be other chunins here? After all, the Forbidden Jutsu scroll is the most important item in the village. If any enemy ninja got their hands on it, they could destroy the Hidden Leaf.

He turned around a corner in the hallway and spotted the door open to the Hokage's room. And on the floor, bound, was the Hokage.

Iruka hurried forward and dropped onto the ground beside the Hokage. He saw that he was bound and gagged by some unknown material. He grabbed the substance around the Third's mouth and pulled. It didn't budge.

The Third shook his head, groaning in pain. Iruka apologized and looked at the gag. Then tried again. When he touched it, he felt a tiny bit of chakra flare around it.

Getting the idea, Iruka pushed the chakra into his hands and tried once more to remove the gag. It began to pull off, but not before taking a few pieces of the Third's whiskers and skin.

Sarutobi spitted and coughed, trying to get the junk out of his mouth. Then glared at Iruka. "Next time, why don't you just rip my lips off?"

"Sorry Lord Hokage," apologized Iruka. Then looked at the gag. "What is this stuff?"

"Don't ask," snapped the Third. "Listen, Naruto-"

"I know, he stole the Forbidden Scroll. Mizuki told me the chunins were being organized to track him down."

The Hokage frowned. "Mizuki told you that?"

"Yes. Why, what's wrong?"

"Naruto stole the scroll because Ayame was kidnapped and held as a hostage for the scroll."

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise. That's why he stole it?

"The question now is how Mizuki found out when I had not seen him since this morning?" asked the Hokage.

Iruka and Sarutobi were silent for a few seconds before their eyes both widened in shock.

"Forget about me! Get to his training grounds!"

"Right!"

Naruto smiled as his latest technique dispelled in several puffs of smoke. In just a matter of minutes, he had already mastered a high-rank jutsu. He didn't know how, but be was able to summon several solid clones in just a few easy steps. The scroll said to be careful with this jutsu because of the amount of chakra it used. But Naruto didn't have that problem. Even after summoning several clones, he still felt fresh.

He turned back to the scroll and read about the next jutsu on the list. He gazed at the title. A title with no text below it. It was just an empty space.

Rasengan.

He tried to unroll the scroll more and yelped when he cut his finger on the paper. He brought the finger to his mouth to seal it when a drop fell onto an ink symbol underneath the title.

The symbol immediately turned blue and began to glow. Next, the ink seemed to crawl over the text and form kanji symbols. Naruto gazed in wonder at what was going on. It took a few minutes for the script to stop. When it did, Naruto saw that it wasn't a jutsu, but a letter.

A letter to him.

Curious, he read.

To Naruto Uzumaki,

If you're reading this, then you have reached the ninja status of a genin. It was my wish for you to discover who your parent's were when you reached a more mature status. Hopefully, your godfather didn't spoil the secret and told you who I was.

You see, my name is Minato Namikaze, Yellow Flash of Konoha, and the Fourth Hokage.

Yes, I'm your father. I wish I could tell you more, but time is short. As of right now, the Nine-Tailed Demon, Kyubi no Kitsune, is on its way to the village. The shinobi forces are on the move to prevent it from entering the city. As of right now, your godfather and I are working on a way to seal it away forever. I'm afraid the only option was to seal it in a newborn whose chakra paths have not fully been opened. It's the only way for the child to survive. Sarutobi-sensei offered himself to be the either the container or caster of the jutsu, so that my life and yours would be spared, but I didn't believe it would be a success.

I have chosen you to be the container for the fox, for I believe you are the only one who can harness its power. I cannot ask anyone else to give up their child for this cause.

I can only hope you can forgive me for what I've done to you. My final wish will be that the village will see you as hero. But the life a jinchuriku is never a happy one.

I offer my deepest regrets. My only wish was that there was another option.

Your father, now and forever,

Minato Namikaze.

Naruto felt like a hole had just appeared inside him, sucking out all feeling he had. Any emotion he had left was sorrow, disbelief, and horror.

But most especially: Anger.

His father, his own flesh and blood, had sealed a demon inside his soul with full knowledge of the consequences that would pursue.

At first, Naruto didn't believe the letter. There was no way in hell that his father was the previous Hokage and he never had a monster sealed within him. The letter said something about a godfather, a man Naruto had never met or heard of.

But then, Naruto would remember the treatment he received from the villagers. The whispers of 'monster' and his treatment as an outcast. It all made sense now.

Then there was the fact he was born on October 10, the day the Kyubi attacked Konoha. He merely thought it was just a coincidence, but now the truth was right in front of him.

He really wasn't a demon.

Was he?

Well, there you go. Chapter 3, one of the longest chapter I had ever written, and yet, wrote in such a small amount of time.

The next chapter will feature Naruto's battle with Mizuki, meeting Konohamaru, and team selections.

The question is, should I stick to the canon and have the kids paired up like they are in the manga/anime or should I shake things up?

I would really like to see Naruto paired up with a new sensei, one that hasn't had much publicity in the mangas, like Hayate, Tsume, Genma or Raido. These four are Tokubetsu Jonin. Or maybe throw in one of the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio as a sensei.

Oh, remember in the story were Iruka suggested Naruto get a instrument to help with his hand signs. Any suggestions?

I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as I can. Hope you have enjoyed this chapter.