well i'm back, and with another chapter! I have no idea when I will be updating any other story I feel as if this one has main priority at the moment... perhaps when I catch up to my HP story I will calm a bit and work on the others I have. oh well...hope you enjoy! -Jackie
Two and a half years later…
Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata took their normal spots in the front row. They were almost twelve now, and had only a half year left to graduate, and this would be the last year with Anko as their teacher. Naruto was sad by this, he liked having his mom teach them, because if they didn't understand she would explain it a different way for them. He didn't like the idea of a new teacher, and most of the class agreed with him. She had been promoted to jonin three months ago, but wanted to finish out the year before going on active duty or receiving a genin team. With a tiny sliver of hope, the trio wished they would have Kakashi or Anko as their jonin sensei.
"good morning students!" Anko shouted and the class shouted back. No one slept in her class, everyone was excited to learn, even Shikamaru whose family was known to be smart but lazy. After a year the girls realized that Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't give them the time of day unless they got serious with their ninja training. And now they would be able to talk to the boys and they would talk back. Anko began to teach them about certain jutsu and explain in full detail how to achieve it.
by this time and place the trio were neck and neck for rookie of the year. So they decided they would give titles to themselves when one of them achieved that award. They would have rookie of the year, female rookie of the year if Hinata didn't get rookie, and most unpredictable. Naruto secretly wanted the unpredictable, imagining his name in the bingo book as Naruto Uzumaki the most unpredictable ninja of the leaf. Yes, he liked this idea a lot.
The day progressed a little bit slower than it did normally. The lesson was about the previous hokages, so the class was a bit of a drag. Naruto began to carelessly doodle in his notebook, making it look like he was taking notes; Hinata though smacked his arm causing him to repay attention for a few minutes with a slight blush. Sasuke out of curiosity glanced at Naruto's notebook and saw a very detailed drawing of Hinata, looking forward to the teacher. The hair, face, everything. Sasuke snickered loud enough for only Naruto to hear, which Naruto looked at him confused.
Hinata was busy taking notes and glancing out the window at the leaves that slowly turned pink with blossoms. Spring was coming and soon, graduation. She sighed heavily when the class was dismissed for lunch. The fan girls swarmed the boys, asking if they could eat together. "of course, Hinata-Chan come on!" Naruto's sing song voice called her out of her head and she smiled before joining them.
A group of nine future genin sat around the tree with the rope swing and ate their lunch. Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sasuke, Naruto and Shino. There were a few girls Naruto and Sasuke never cared to learn their names, but they all laughed and ate together. "This was the way it should be with every class." A man with a scar across his nose stood next to Anko watching the kids eat. "well Iruka, I made sure that the girls weren't hell bent on being obsessed with boys, but good ninja, and had them all begin to work together." Iruka nodded his head. He was going to replace Anko at the end of the year. For right now he watched the younger students in the preschool. "your son is the glue it looks like." He held a little distaste but quickly gulped it down. He didn't hate Naruto but couldn't get himself to like him. Anko smiled. "he really is, and with Sasuke as his brother per say, those two together would be unstoppable, but without Hinata they would be utterly lost. She keeps them sane, and instead of tearing out each other's throats, she has them have a common goal." She paused for a moment to have Iruka guess. "to not get passed up by a girl." He laughed softly and looked out the window to see Hinata scolding them both for who knows what. "I thought I would never see the day, when an Uchiha and Hyuuga could get along so well." Anko scuffed. "I know I felt the same way. But they never showed distaste for each other when they played for the first time. The world is changing, and we'd be fools to not join it."
Later at the Namakazi estate the three friends were racing to see who could climb the tree the fastest. Their weights tripled so they could barley move. Sweat poured off their bodies, as gravity fought them. Anko stood at the bottom of the trees shouting at them making them move faster. "come on you lazy sons of bitches!" Naruto smirked and shouted back. "yes I am!" Anko laughed at her son's comment and had to agree.
they reached a third of the way when they finally couldn't take it and released the weight so they could walk back down. Leaving a kunai where they had stopped. "much better today guys." Anko commented when they sat down to eat. "with more of those insanity workouts Guy does, I'm sure you guys will do it no problem, then doing it on water, and then we double again. You guys will be like lightning. No one will be able to match your speed. Not even Guy's new student. Or…clone is a better word." The five shuttered. Kakashi was over tonight beings they were dating regularly now; he would eat every Tuesday with them. Well, basically every day.
the five after eating sat in the hot spring that was out back of the house. The girls on the one side and the boys on the other. The hot water felt great on the kid's sore muscles, and loved being able to do it after school and training each day. Kakashi for the sake of Hinata had made a fog screen, so the boys wouldn't try and look, not that they would, but it helped Naruto relax a bit.
Ko showed up right on time as always to pick up Hinata. She waved goodbye as always and would be back early the next morning for more training. The boys raced to bed, and fell asleep when they hit the pillow.
Normally they would wake up at dawn, stretch and do some warm ups before school. But this morning Naruto didn't walk down the stairs to meet them. Anko looked at Sasuke worried, before she walked up the stairs to see her son. He was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed on his lap and his hands pressed together. He was deathly still, and it caused her to worry. she tried to shake him, but he wouldn't open his eyes. His breath was even and steady, like he was asleep sitting up. Again Anko tried to shake him harder but he just wouldn't wake. "Naruto come on snap out of it!" she slapped his cheek, but his head stayed turned.
*in Naruto's mindscape*
Naruto was walking down a damp metal building with dripping water being heard from afar. He didn't like this place, he felt uneasy and wanted to get out. At the end of the hallway he had been walking, there stood an open room with tall barred doors. He paused looking up at the doors with interest. There on the lock was a paper with a seal on it. a red glow appeared behind the bars, and eyes filled with evil glared at him. "so, it's about time I met my warden" Naruto gulped and his hands shook. "who are you?" the shadow covered thing laughed. "you mortals call me the Kyuubi no Kitsune, but that is not my name." Naruto's eyes widened. "how? You are supposed to be dead!" the Kyuubi laughed again. "I was never dead, your hokage is the reason I can speak to you now, the reason I am trapped here." Naruto turned and sat, looking to the hall which he had arrived. "why am I not afraid of you? At first I was scared, but for some reason I do not fear you."
Naruto groaned as he woke, Anko had him in her arms then and sighed in relief as he stirred. "you gave me a good scare Gaki! I will get you back!" Naruto smiled briefly then pulled himself out of her arms. "why is the Kyuubi in my mind?" Anko paused opening her mouth to speak, only to close it. "Gaki… I don't really know. But there is one person who does." She lied. "the hokage, after class we can go see him." Naruto only nodded then began to strip of his night clothes, causing Anko to leave. Sasuke was worried about his friend as they walked into the school and sat next to Hinata like always. He was quiet and didn't really speak, was distant. Sasuke didn't like it, and tried multiple times to pull Naruto's attention back, but all failed. Hinata even jokingly kissed his cheek and he still didn't respond. Hinata and Sasuke had never seen him like this, if she had kissed his check at any other time he would have gone bright red. But it was like neither of them existed.
Anko dismissed the students early that day and took Naruto by the collar. "Gaki snap out of it, let's go." He only nodded and left with his mom, leaving the two very confused.
Sasuke and Hinata walked through the market trying to distract themselves. "what could possibly be so bothersome on Naruto's mind that he'd basically ignore us?" Sasuke shrugged. "this morning he was late waking up, didn't eat breakfast which for Naruto is a red flag in itself. Then Anko and Naruto leaving right after class… do you think Naruto is sick?" Hinata stopped walking a moment thinking. Being around the blonde for so many years now she was concerned. "but even when he has been sick, it's never like this. He never gets a cold or the flu. Its always like food poisoning or the time he accidently drank the bad milk and had stomach issues all day. This isn't good." they both agreed to find Anko and Naruto. They could ask her if he wouldn't talk to them. jumping from the roof tops they made great time back to the academy. Where they saw Iruka escorting the younger children back inside. "hey Iruka sensei!" Hinata waved at him. He smiled and walked towards them. "hey aren't you suppose to be in class?" they shook their head. "anko let us go early today, but we need to talk to her, did she give you any information where she might have needed to go?" Iruka touched his chin and thought a moment. "just to see the hokage but all the teachers do that. I'm sorry, maybe try the estate." He waved them off as he turned to join his students inside. "well the next best place is the hokage tower. Maybe we can catch her on her way out of a meeting."
They entered the base of the tower and saw Sakura walking towards them. "oh Sasuke-kun, Hinata-Chan! What are you doing here?" she tilted her head looking at the duo. "looking for Anko Sensei. Why are you here?" Hinata glanced at her with a hint of disgust. Yes she was getting better, and she was a Sasuke fan girl, but still you become a Naruto fan girl when you see the two boys together enough. "my father is in the civilian council. They had a meeting and my father wanted to take me for lunch beings we got out early today. I did see sensei; she was heading for the hokage's office with Naruto. Did he get in trouble or something?" Sasuke scowled when she started going off about what a ditz he could be. And Hinata had to place a hand on his shoulder to get him to calm down, which started a whole new ranting. "hey get your hands off of my Sasuke-kun!" with a single simple using only two knuckle jab, Sakura fell to the floor with a very irate Hinata glaring down at her. "LET. IT. GO!" a tick mark on her brow twitched. "SASUKE IS MY FRIEND! I DON'T EVEN THINK HE'S CUTE!" "hey…" "OH SHUT IT SASUKE. I LIKE NARUTO. NA-RU-TO! NOW CAN IT BILBOARD BROW!" Hinata never yelled at anyone but the boys, but damn she could get terrifying. Sasuke only smirked at Sakura and pretended to be hurt by Hinata's comment. "Hinata-Chan, you can't lie to Sakura like that, everyone knows we're a thing, and item." He waggled his brows and Hinata giggled at his sarcasm. Sakura began to bawl anime tears as the duo walked away laughing at her misfortune.