If you recognise it… I don't own it.
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"Naruto" – Yes this is a non-crossover.
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Start
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"Sakura!" Naruto sighed, "None of us can beat a jonin. We don't stand a chance. Or at least… not alone."
"Like I'd team up with you!" Sakura huffed.
"I'm suggesting a three way team up." Naruto countered, "We get Sasuke in on this deal. We get the bells. You and Sasuke keep them. I'll take the hit."
"You'd do that?" Sakura stared.
"I don't go back on my word," Naruto replied, "Believe it! Now, let's go get Sasuke. I have a plan that I think he'll enjoy."
Kakashi silently followed the pair as they hunted for Sasuke; a small smile decorating his face. It seemed that he might have to pass a team this year.
"I don't need help!" Sasuke snorted.
"So staying neck deep is part of your plan?" Naruto teased, a huge grin on his face, "Look, I don't like you. You don't like me. You get the bells. I take the hit."
"What's in it for you, dobe?" Sasuke frowned.
"I get to beat a jonin." Naruto replied. "Are you in? You'll like the plan."
"You won't keep the bells?" Sasuke pressed.
"I swear," Naruto nodded, "I swear on my ninja way. You get the bells. I'll be the sacrifice. I've failed the genin exam three times. I'm used to the consequences of failure."
"What's the plan?" Sasuke asked.
"First, we get you out of the hole you got yourself into." Naruto chuckled.
"Don't disrespect Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, bashing Naruto over the head.
"I'll respect him," Naruto countered, "When he respects me. Give me a hand."
Kakashi was laughing silently at the interaction. Naruto really seemed to understand teamwork, and was bringing the others around to his point of view. Well, not really. Naruto was just offering them everything they wanted at this point with very little cost on their part. When the plan was going to be discussed, Kakashi crept away, not wanting to give himself too much of an advantage.
When Naruto and his clones charged Kakashi a few minutes later, Kakashi initially thought that the teamwork had been abandoned. Naruto was acting just as he had at the beginning of the test. It was only when fireballs started raining down on the fighters that Kakashi knew they were working together, and put his book away. They were taking advantage of Naruto's ability to produce lots of expendable fighters. A rain of shuriken and kunai came from the opposite direction to the fire.
Kakashi felt, more than heard, the bells cut from his waist. He quickly spotted one of the Naruto's trying to back away, clutching the bells tightly. It was the work of a moment to hone in on the desperate boy. Kakashi's blows caused the boy to vanish into smoke, a clone. The bells dropped towards the ground, Kakashi caught them quickly, and reattached them to his belt.
Moments afterwards it seemed that Sakura finally lost her temper and threw a paper bomb attached to a kunai at the one sided brawl. Kakashi managed to Substitute out just in time. He would have taken Naruto with him, this may have been a fight, but no one was meant to get seriously hurt. The problem was identifying which of the many Narutos to grab. In the end all Kakashi could do was hope that Naruto would survive the encounter.
Kakashi looked around after the explosion, unable to spot any unconscious or injured bodies, so Naruto had survived, possibly because he hadn't been among the clones. A sound tactic and a smart one given his jutsu. Cautiously Kakashi stepped out into the clearing, but no attacks were launched. Had the would-be-genin given up already? Kakashi started to search for them.
They weren't hard to find. They were back at the posts, in front of the monument. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting on a post each, while Naruto sat in front of the last, leaning against it. What surprised Kakashi were the bells that dangled from Sasuke and Sakura's grasp. Automatically his hand went to where the bells were supposed to be, just as the clock rang for noon. His hand met two stones, hung on strings.
"Ninjutsu." Sasuke was smug.
"Genjutsu." Sakura smirked.
"Taijutsu." Naruto seemed pleased with himself as well.
"Well done," Kakashi acknowledged, "How did you do it?"
"Sakura put a genjutsu on two rocks," Naruto replied, "I cut the bells free and Substituted out with the bushin that held the rocks. You then attacked him. Once I knew you had the rocks in your possession, I threw the paper bomb in, to signal Sasuke that we'd succeeded. We came here, and I handed over the bells."
"Why would you give everything up?" Kakashi pressed, "Give up your dream."
"I'm not," Naruto shrugged, "I'm just giving up lunch. Teams pass or fail as teams. Not as individuals."
"What makes you say that?" Kakashi had to suppress his grin. Naruto had more brains that he had been given credit for.
"Ino-Shika-Cho." Naruto answered, "A team of three. Always a team of three. Three genin. One jonin. The way it's always been. And even if it wasn't. I'll just retake the year. Done it before. I can do it again. A stumbling block. Not a problem. And anyway, I beat a jonin. Believe it!" the smile that spread across Naruto's face was blinding.
"Sasuke and Sakura," Kakashi looked at the pair, who were not supporting their self-sacrificing team-mate, "You pass." The pair looked smugly at each other. "Naruto," the boy fixed his eyes on the single visible eye of his sensei, "You pass as well!"
"What?!" Sasuke and Sakura yelled.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. This is true. But, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi declared, turning to face the memorial stone, "This stone commemorates all those ninja who have died as heroes in the service of Konoha. We work as one."
"But Naruto didn't get a bell." Sakura protested.
"True," Kakashi nodded, "But he understood the test the most. He got you to work together, as one. He chose to 'take the hit'. He gave up on his dream, for the good of the team. Sakura, you only agreed to be closer to Sasuke, and you ignored Naruto when you could have helped him. Sasuke, you were determined to work alone, until Naruto pointed out the problem; you believe that everyone is beneath you. Naruto is closer than any of you to being a true ninja. However you worked as a team. So you pass. Meet me back here, tomorrow, at six o'clock."
Kakashi Body Flickered away in a puff of smoke. His new students each turned to walk away. Naruto rushing off to his usual ramen stand for lunch.
Normally Kakashi would have stayed around to talk to the genin for longer, or at least that was what was expected. He hadn't exactly been in this position before; unless you counted the time he was a chunin in a genin team. Instead Kakashi decided to do a little investigation into his team. What he had down on paper didn't quite match the students he had faced. Sakura and Sasuke seemed less than their marks, while Naruto seemed more. It didn't take long to hunt down Iruka.
"Iruka." Kakashi stated as he appeared next to the chunin.
"Kakashi," Iruka nodded in acknowledgement, "What brings you here?"
"My team." Kakashi answered.
"Did Naruto pass?" Iruka asked quickly.
"They all did." Kakashi replied, "But I find myself confused."
"Naruto's not what you thought?" Iruka smirked slightly.
"Not at all," Kakashi agreed, "None of them are. A loudmouth. An avenger. A fan-girl. That's not what their marks say. But they're not what first impressions say either. Naruto figured out the teamwork necessary. Then bribed the others. That's not what my initial assessment was."
"He's smart." Iruka was as proud as any father would be.
"He's the dead last." Kakashi countered.
"Not book smart," Iruka shrugged, "He's street smart. Shinobi smart. The teamwork comes from being really close friends with Shikamaru and Choji."
"The Nara clan and the Akimichi clan." Kakashi realized, "Part of the Ino-Shika-Cho team. That explains his understanding of teamwork."
"Yes," Iruka grinned, "He's actually quite smart. Top of his class in stealth, traps, evasion and navigation."
"Why don't his marks reflect that?" Kakashi pressed.
"All of those," Iruka sighed, "Are pass or fail exams. And count little towards the overall mark. He's a good strategist, too. Just unpredictable. If he suggests a plan, it'll work. Just won't be the normal one. He has a knack that I've never seen fail, if the plan is followed. Somehow he manages to put together the one plan among thousands that will disrupt the opposition's plan, in just the right way to take advantage of it."
"That is unusual." Kakashi remarked, "That should be in his records."
"Doesn't help if the marker is biased." Iruka muttered, "A few members of Naruto's 'squad' in that test deliberately disobeyed orders, so the plan failed."
"Start at the beginning." Kakashi instructed, "I want to know exactly what I've got."
"I'll start with Sakura." Iruka agreed, not surprised that he was having to go through this, it happened every year, with at least one team. "First in her family. Good chakra control, but small reserves. Weak taijutsu, but knows handsigns for a lot of ninjutsu techniques. She just doesn't perform them. Doesn't have the chakra and never tried to. In reality a book ninja. She has a major crush on Sasuke, and has done for many years. That crush has pushed her to learn as much as she can to impress Sasuke, so it's done her some good. However she's dismissive of anyone she sees as inferior to herself or Sasuke. A good dose of reality will sort her out. At least I hope so.
"Sasuke… Well, he's avenger. That's obvious. He really closed up after The Massacre. He wasn't particularly outgoing before. But what little socialising he did stopped completely. He used to be quite sunny, if you could get him to open up. He devoted himself to the practical aspects of the Academy. Didn't fall behind on his book work… but there wasn't the same determination. He sees everyone else as beneath him. Don't let him make battle-plans. His team-mates always end up as meat shields. The one time he completed his mission with all of his team, was because Naruto started to improvise in the middle of the plan. If Sasuke can learn to trust, and get past his desire for revenge, he'll be a good ninja. I put him with Naruto for that reason.
"Naruto. He's loyal. Not many friends, but he's friendly to all. He's protective of those he cares about. After me, there are only three others: the Hokage, Shikamaru and Choji. He's not good at book-work. Couldn't spot a genjutsu if his life depended on it. His taijutsu is spotty. His ninjutsu the same. He can make traps that even jonin have trouble spotting. His stealth is ANBU level. His stamina is off the charts. His chakra control is appalling, but his reserves are huge. He doesn't know how to quit. He has got a brain; the trick is in getting him to use it. It kicks in automatically in a fight, just not before. With Shikamaru and Choji it's an amazing team. I'm only sorry I had to break it up. Get him to use his brain, and he'll be great. He's protective and loyal. He'll die for those he cares for. Right now, there's only four of us."
"Why did you split them up?" Kakashi pressed.
"Because then I'd have to split the Ino-Shika-Cho group." Iruka shrugged, "Politically I'm not allowed to do that. Wish I could have. Did you hear about the Kumo attack on Hyuuga Hinata?"
"When she was three, yes." Kakashi was surprised at the question.
"Not that one," Iruka smiled secretively, "There was a second one. When she was eleven."
"No." Kakashi shook his head, "What happened?"
"Well…" Iruka grinned, pride audible in his voice.
*Flashback*
In the Academy the final year was made up of more practical tests. Book work was decreased in return for aspects of shinobi life that would be more beneficial to perfect. This culminated in the big event of the student's year, second only to graduation, the camp-out. Of course, being ninjas-in-training it couldn't be an ordinary camp-out. The students camped in teams of three. Over three days and two nights, they spent time in the forest outside of Konoha walls. During the first day the children were expected to fortify their position. Over the next two, they had to located the other camps and steal the team flags, while protecting their own. Only taijutsu and blunted weapons were allowed, to prevent serious injuries.
Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji had immediately clubbed together for the exercise. Iruka had been so glad that a team of three had formed so easily that he let them stay together. Meanwhile he spent a long time sorting out fights as the entire 'Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club' tried to get into his squad.
Once left at their camp site, Naruto had immediately started to fortify it. Choji and Shikamaru leant their aid when they could, but mainly stood back and let the blond whirlwind sort everything out. They raised eyebrows slightly when Naruto dashed off for about an hour, before returning with planks.
"What are those for?" Choji frowned.
"I was thinking," Naruto smiled, "If we sleep on the ground, we're obvious targets. So I'm building a tree house!"
"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed, "Where did you get the planks from?"
"Stashed them here last week." Naruto shrugged, "There's an old abandoned place. Lots of planks just lying around." Then Naruto smirked, "I'm going to booby-trap this clearing, until ANBU can't get in!"
"Then how will we?" Shikamaru pressed.
"Got it sorted!" Naruto replied, "I'll get the ground set up, then you two can sort out the camp. And Shikamaru can get that big brain of his working to work out how we're going to do this!"
"Troublesome." Shikamaru groaned slightly. The other two boys knew that it was only a front. They all knew each others habits; Shikamaru would complain about work all the time, but he'd do it, if they asked him to.
By the time nightfall came, Naruto had booby trapped the clearing to his satisfaction. None of the wires or other traps were visible, in fact the only things visible in the clearing was a tent, a burnt out camp-fire and a decoy flag. The three boys were positioned on a platform about five metres back from the edge of the clearing. Choji and Shikamaru had rigged their second tent as a covering and laid out blankets. Choji had even gotten a small fire to burn in a saucepan, which meant they could have hot food. Shikamaru had a plan, which he carefully explained to the others.
"We're allowed to start hunting for other teams tomorrow," Shikamaru pointed out, "Some people will start directly after midnight. So at midnight we'll wake up and stay on guard for an hour, after that we'll do shifts, until four. At four, Naruto is to go and scout for the locations of the other teams. Don't fight them. Just find out where they are. I want to know where all ten groups are, and where the teachers are camped out."
"Do we have a map?" Naruto asked, "It'd be easier to mark."
"Could get captured." Choji pointed out.
"Choji's right," Shikamaru replied, "It's a drag, but you're going to have to memorise it. Once we've gotten the information, we'll start work in the twilight and through the night. Third day we hole up. We don't come out until we have to report to the teachers."
"Right!." Naruto shrugged, "We'll win this. Believe it!"
"Calm down, Kid." Shikamaru sighed, "Get some sleep. You're going to need it."
"Yeah," Choji agreed, "You're the fast one, remember? You're our Scout."
"Shikamaru's the brains." Naruto beamed, "And you're the muscle. Our powerhouse."
"You're a brat." Shikamaru smiled slightly. "Go to sleep."
"I'm with Shikamaru." Choji pushed Naruto over, so that he lay on the blankets. "You've got a lot to do tonight, Kid."
Naruto gave up, he knew he couldn't fight his friends, and so lay down to get some sleep. Choji and Shikamaru looked at each other, smiles on their faces.
"It's a drag," Shikamaru stated, after Naruto had fallen asleep. "But I'll set the alarm."
"It's kinda fun though," Choji opened another crisp packed, "Makes me wish that we could be on a team with Naruto."
"Never going to happen, Choji." Shikamaru sighed, "We're going to be stuck with Ino. Our dads would never allow anything else."
"I know." Choji shrugged, "But it would have been fun."
"Sleep now." Shikamaru instructed, "Talk later. Night Choji."
"Night Shikamaru." Choji whispered back.
All three woke up with little prompting when the alarm went off. For about an hour they sat on watch, talking quietly about nothing in particular. Slowly noise started to reach their ears.
"That's too large for one of our year." Shikamaru frowned.
"Something's wrong." Naruto announced. The other two boys nodded, knowing that Naruto had a keen sense of when trouble was coming, if he paid attention to it.
"Why doesn't Naruto go take a look?" Choji suggested, "I mean, he's our scout."
"Alright." Shikamaru nodded, "But Kid, be careful. You find out what's going on, and then you come back here. No heroics."
"Trust me, lazy bones." Naruto retorted, "I won't do anything."
"Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" Shikamaru moaned, as Naruto scuttled off between the trees.
"He'll be careful." Choji tipped out the last of his packet of crisps.
"The Kid doesn't know how to be careful." Shikamaru countered.
Naruto moved like a shadow, barely making a sound. Despite his bright choice in colours, he was very stealthy when he wanted to be. He quickly narrowed in on the noise, which was starting to sound more and more like a muffled scream.
"Shut up, brat!" Naruto's ears pricked at the voice. It was an adult's, but not one of the teachers. It was definitely male, but there was a trace of an accent that Naruto couldn't place. That immediately eliminated Sand and Grass; he'd been hiding in the Hokage Tower when representatives from there had arrived to discuss treaties about three years ago.
Peering through the leaves, Naruto could see two adult ninjas, one holding a struggling child. The other was putting out a small fire that had been burning cheerfully in the darkness. Naruto wondered for a moment where the other two kids were, before dismissing the thought. He couldn't get a good look at the ninjas' hitai-ates, so he couldn't work out their allegiance. On the other hand, their flack jackets looked familiar, so it was an established village.
"Why didn't you kill the brats?" the first demanded, "They'll raise the alarm."
"Look," the second ninja growled, "All we need is the Hyuuga brat. Killing the others would be a waste of time. They're already lost."
Naruto frowned from his position in the branches. If they were after the Hyuuga, that meant they were after Hinata. Now Naruto didn't know the girl all that well, but she'd never hit him, never hurt him and never insulted him. In Naruto's world, that meant she was better than a lot of people. Added to that, she was part of Konoha. All of that added up to one thing, he had to help her.
His blunted kunai flew through the air, hitting the first shinobi on the forehead (Naruto had been aiming for his chest, but he'd take this). The blow rattled the ninja to the extent that he released his hold on Hinata. Hinata didn't waste any time and ran for the bushes on the outskirts of the clearing. The second man tried to go after her, but a short flurry of shuriken slowed him enough for Hinata to get to cover.
Once she was clear, Naruto followed her, before dropping down next to her.
"Come on!" Naruto grabbed her wrist, "Let's get out of here."
Naruto pulled her after him, weaving through the trees, aiming towards his camp. He stopped about fifteen metres back from the clearing. Releasing Hinata, he scrambled up a specific tree, motioning Hinata to follow him.
"Step where I step." Naruto whispered into her ear. In the darkness Hinata blushed.
"H…H…Hai." She managed to stammer out.
Naruto moved lightly over branches. Hinata followed using her Byakugan to see in the darkness. She could tell that Naruto was moving slower than normal, so that she could keep up.
"What's going on, Naruto?" Choji asked, as Naruto pulled himself onto the platform. "Why's she here?" Hinata followed closely behind.
"Foreign shinobi." Naruto replied, "After Hinata. I thought she'd be safer here."
"She'd be safer in the village." Shikamaru sighed, "But you wouldn't have made it. How troublesome. Did they see you, Naruto?"
"No." Naruto shook his head, "I made sure of that. And we lost them on the way here."
"You're our scout." Shikamaru declared, "You're the fastest. Go to the village and tell them. We'll guard Hinata."
"Shouldn't I find the teachers?" Naruto frowned.
"We don't know where they are," Shikamaru countered, "Or how many of the enemy there are. We tell the village. Go!"
Naruto stopped all arguments, and almost tore out of the camp. Leaping from tree to tree like some kind of demented squirrel.
"It'll be alright." Choji declared around a mouthful of crisps, "Naruto's fast. He'll get back to the village, no trouble."
"It's a drag," Shikamaru sighed, "But he'll make it."
"H…He saved me." Hinata stammered.
"That's Naruto." Choji grinned. "Could never leave someone in trouble."
"W…Will N…Naruto-kun be safe?" Hinata looked at the pair wide-eyed.
"No one can catch the Kid," Choji reassured her, "Not even ANBU."
"W…Will we be safe?" Hinata asked.
"The Kid booby-trapped the area." Shikamaru shrugged, "I wouldn't want to go near it."
Naruto skidded to a halt just inside the village walls. Banging on the desk of the gate-guards, he managed to jolt the two shinobi dozing behind it awake.
"What's going on?" the older of the two glared at Naruto, "Why are you here?"
"Strangers in the forest." Naruto declared, "After Hyuuga Hinata. Shinobi. Two spotted. Wearing chunin vests."
"You sure, brat?" the younger demanded.
"Yeah, I'm sure!" Naruto answered, "Shikamaru sent me!"
"Where are your teachers?"
"Dunno!" Naruto shrugged, "Shikamaru sent me here. Said it would take too long to find the teachers."
"The Uchiha is out there!" one looked at the other, "Are they after anyone else?"
"Dunno!" Naruto raised his arms, "Shikamaru sent me here."
"Alert the chunin and jonin." The more senior instructed. "We need to make sure the children are okay."
Naruto stood next to the desk as a crowd of jonin and chunin flooded the area, dotted with the occasional ANBU.
"What do we know?"
"Who gave the alarm?"
"What's going on?"
"Strangers?"
"Sharingan?"
"Byakkygan?"
Naruto could only catch half sentences and odd words in the babble. However he stayed in his position, knowing that he'd be questioned again.
"It's pointless getting anything out of the demon," this statement was louder than the rest, "All he keeps on saying is that Shikamaru sent him."
"Shikamaru?" a booming voice carried clearly, "Let me try."
Naruto found himself looking up and up at a man that towered over him.
"You're Choji's dad." Naruto realized.
"That's right," Chouza nodded, kneeling down so that Naruto didn't strain his neck. "Now, Naruto, could you give us a full report? I know you know the correct format."
"Just tell us what you know, kid." Shikaku stood just to the left of his old friend; Inoichi stood on Chouza's right.
Naruto closed his eyes, and stood at attention.
"At oh-nine-hundred the final year class of the Academy left the walls of Konoha for training ground forty one. Once there we split into our pre-designated teams of three. My team consisted of Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. We proceeded to our assigned camp. We fortified the area, and then went to sleep. Our plan was to wake up at midnight when the exercise officially began. From there the plan was to take shifts throughout the day, while I scouted during the dawn hours for the locations of the other teams. During twilight we intended to capture the opposing teams' flags.
"At midnight we all awoke. At about quarter past we heard noises that did not sound like our friends. Shikamaru, acting as our leader, sent me out to scout. I located the source of the noise. There were two foreign shinobi in a clearing. One was putting out a fire, while another restrained a classmate. The shinobi stated that they had been sent after a Hyuuga and that they'd only chased off her team-mates. Throwing a kunai, I managed to get the shinobi to release his hold on the person I assumed was Hyuuga Hinata.
"My assumption was correct, and she managed to escape into the forest. I took her back to my team-mates. Shikamaru, then, sent me here to deliver the message. We do not know the location or the well-being of the teachers. We do not know the number of foreign shinobi present. We do not know their complete goals. We do not know their allegiance. However they are not from Grass or Sand as their accents do not match these countries. They wear flak jackets and head-bands. Both were untouched. Flack jackets ran past their waists and had a sash. Only one pocket was visible on the front. I could not see the symbol on the head-bands.
"As of when I left, Hinata was in the protection of Choji and Shikamaru. Their location was unknown by the enemy and heavily trapped. Report end."
Most of the shinobi were blinking at this report. They had not expected a report to be so clear and concise from a child.
"Could you lead us to your camp?" Chouza asked.
"Sure thing!" Naruto responded cheerily.
"We'll go." Two ANBU stepped forward.
"It's our kids." Chouza countered.
"They're troublesome," Shikaku sighed, "But they know us. They don't know you."
"We need to get the Hyuuga to safety as quickly as possible." The cat-masked one declared. "You're a combat team. We'll do retrieval."
"I'm not sure we should take the kid though." The squirrel-masked ninja seemed to be frowning. "He's only a child."
"He's faster than most." Shikaku countered, "And he knows the route. It's a drag, but think of him as a guide. You'll get it done quicker with him. The rest of us will find the other children and deal with the intruders."
"Alright." The pair nodded.
"Come on, Squirrel-san, Cat-san!" Naruto beamed, "Follow me!"
Naruto took to the tree-tops like he had been born there. The two ANBU were barely a heart-beat behind. Both were slightly surprised at the fact that Naruto moved like a silent wraith through the woods. They were hard pressed to keep the same level of noiselessness.
After a mad dash, Naruto suddenly stopped. The ANBU pair landed lightly next to him.
"Step where I step." Naruto instructed.
"You trapped the branches?" Cat stared.
"I trapped everything." Naruto beamed.
"We'll follow your lead, kid." Squirrel muttered. "Carry on."
Naruto moved lightly from branch to branch. Then he walked almost the full length of one branch to step onto another, crossing over part of the clearing.
"We can't go along that." Cat murmured, "It'll break."
"Kid," Squirrel called gently, "Is there another way?"
"Not unless you want to go the long way round." Naruto replied, "I wanted the camp to be safe."
"Right," Squirrel nodded, "Hold on tight, Cat." He flashed through a few hand-seals, before slapping his hands down on the branch, "Wood Release: Extending Branches." Cat was forced to use chakra to stay on the branch as it thickened and extended.
"Cool!" Naruto breathed. Squirrel and Cat were able to easily walk across to Naruto's position.
"How much further?" Cat asked.
"Not much." Naruto scuttled up two branches, before disappearing from sight.
"Okay," Cat stared, her confusion audible, "Where did he go?"
"He's still in the tree." Squirrel replied, a little awe in his voice, "There's a hidden platform. Clever kids. The camp in the clearing is a fake."
"Let's go then." Cat agreed, "The quicker we get them back to the village the better."
The pair managed to climb into the small camp that the children had created. However the found they couldn't move from their crouched positions. Choji was holding a kunai defensively; while Hinata held a torch behind Shikamaru. Naruto was kneeling just to one side of the ANBU.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu success." Shikamaru smirked slightly, "Naruto, report!"
"Following your instructions I made my way to the village," Naruto had closed his eyes again. Despite the fact that he was kneeling on blankets, he managed to give the impression that he was at attention, "Once there I alerted the desk of the situation. All available chunin and jonin were summoned. I reported to the head of the Akimichi clan, at his request. Also present were the heads of the Nara and Yamanaka clans. Squirrel-san and Cat-san decided that they were best suited to the retrieval of the heir of the Hyuuga clan. I lead them here. Squirrel-san used a jutsu to strengthen the braches so that they could get here. Report end."
"Are you certain that it wasn't a genjutsu, Kid?" Shikamaru pressed.
"Not unless they know a lot about the village." Naruto replied, "There are some things you can't fake."
"True." Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, I'll trust 'em. But first… Choji!"
"Release!" Choji attempted to dispel any genjutsu in the surrounding area.
Nothing changed. Shikamaru released his hold on the two ANBU.
"Paranoid, aren't you?" Cat muttered.
"It's a drag," Shikamaru shrugged, "But we've got to protect ourselves."
"I'll take the Hyuuga." Cat stated. "You bring the boys."
"Alright." Squirrel nodded. "Grab only what you need to get back to the village."
Choji and Shikamaru pulled small rucksacks onto their backs, which contained barely anything. Naruto, well used to having to abandon stuff, decided not to burden himself. Hinata had a firm hold on the torch.
"Here." Naruto handed her a spare kunai, "Take this."
"N…N…Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered, going bright red.
"You left all your stuff at your camp," Naruto shrugged, "You need something."
"Get on my back." Cat instructed, "I'll make better time that way."
The boys watched as Cat and Hinata disappeared from sight.
"What's up with Hinata?" Naruto frowned, "She went all red. She's not sick is she?"
"Is he serious?" Squirrel stared.
"Man, it's a drag," Shikamaru sighed, "But he doesn't get it."
"And we're not telling." Choji opened a packet of crisps.
"Get what?" Naruto asked, leading the way through the trees.
"Man, Kid." Shikamaru smiled slightly, "Sometimes you can be so blind. Don't ever change."
"What'd I miss?" Naruto was completely confused.
"Keep the noise down." Squirrel directed.
As they moved through the trees, Shikamaru noted Naruto's unusual style of jumping. Unlike normal tree-leapers, Naruto's hands touched nearly every branch he landed on. It was more of a squat than anything else. Shikamaru's brain logged the anomaly and stored it. Ever since he'd made friends with the orphan, he'd noted strange things about him and how he was treated. Shikamaru didn't like people being mean to his friends, but knew that he couldn't counter it, if he didn't know why. The problem was that no one would tell him. So, he had decided to figure it out himself. Choji was also helping out, feeding what information he could gather to Shikamaru. So far they'd managed to avoid informing Naruto of their investigation.
Shikamaru had originally thought that Naruto was oblivious to the hatred sent at him. However after watching him and knowing him for a while, Shikamaru had reached the truth. To Naruto the treatment he received was normal. That fact had riled the normally placid Choji up, and underneath Shikamaru's calm façade, he was seething. The pair had a tally chart hidden away. Every insult, every blow, every injury done to their friend that they had seen was marked on it, and identified the perpetrator. When the time came, all would be avenged.
It didn't take the group of four long to reach the village, even with the slightly slower pace required for Shikamaru and Choji to keep up. Once in the village, they were left in a small courtyard, milling around. Hinata was being guarded by Cat and an older Hyuuga, who wasn't her father. Shikamaru realized that all of the students were being brought here, to be accounted for, before they would be allowed home. In a way it made sense, most of the parents were searching for the intruders and most importantly the children still outside.
By the time Iruka, Mizuki and the other three teachers were brought back, there was a veritable crowd of students in the courtyard. Instinctively Iruka started to count heads, only to reach twenty seven. He frowned slightly, but noticed that parents were arriving to take their children home. As all had apparently been accounted for, that was fine.
It was only when Chouza announced that he couldn't find Choji that Iruka started assigning names to the heads he could see.
"Choji, Shikamaru, Naruto." Iruka sighed, "One moment, Chouza." Iruka turned and leapt to the roof-tops.
"A-hem?" Iruka coughed from behind the boys when he found them.
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto chirped cheerfully. All three boys were on a roof-top overlooking the gate. They were ideally positioned to watch all the people coming and going.
"Shikamaru, Choji," Iruka looked at the trio, "Your fathers are looking for you."
"It ain't their fault!" Naruto leapt to his friends' defence, "I wanted to see everyone brought back! They only came to keep me outta trouble."
"Let's go." Iruka smiled slightly, "I'm not mad at you. But you worried quite a few people."
"What a drag." Shikamaru stood up, followed swiftly by Choji. Naruto almost leapt to his feet.
Carefully corralling them, Iruka quickly managed to return them to the courtyard. Naruto watched sadly as all his classmates were swept up in hugs by their parents. He looked up at Iruka with surprise, when Iruka gently placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, squeezing it slightly in a pseudo-hug.
"I can't just send you home tonight," Iruka looked down, "You can sleep at mine tonight."
"Really, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto's eyes were sparkling in the darkness.
"Actually…" Chouza stepped forward, "I was wondering if Naruto could come over to mine. I'm planning on letting Choji and Shikamaru camp on the living room floor."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes were almost out of his head at this.
"Wouldn't be the same without the whole team." Choji nodded.
"Can I, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto pleaded, "Please?"
"Look after him." Iruka laughed lightly.
"I will." Chouza clapped a hand on Iruka's shoulder, "Don't worry. Not all of us misunderstand. We know the difference."
Iruka looked at where Naruto was bouncing around a relaxed Shikamaru and a grinning Choji. He smiled slightly, as he always did when he saw Naruto happy.
"I know." Iruka sighed, "Just so many people don't."
"We'll look after your son." Chouza declared.
"What?" Iruka did a double-take.
"It's a drag," Shikaku put in, "But he's effectively your son."
"Come round sometime," Chouza instructed, "We'll talk."
Iruka watched as Chouza and Shikaku lead the three boys away. Shikamaru was in his customary slouch, which was mimicking his father. Choji moved steadily, munching on a handful of crisps. Naruto bounced around the group, his mouth running at a mile a minute. As they passed through the crowds, Naruto was the only one who seemed to be oblivious to the looks he was getting.
"You're not alone, Kid." Iruka used Naruto's nickname, "You're not alone. I swear it. You will never be alone again."
*End Flashback*
"I had to fetch Naruto from the Akimichi's the next day," Iruka smirked, "He was needed to disable his traps. By the time, we called him in, there were two jonin, a chunin and a Kumo invader tied up in them. The final tally of Kumos was four. The one in Naruto's traps stayed there all night. As had one of the jonin. Turns out they blundered in there, while chasing each other."
"You're joking." Kakashi stared.
"Nope!" Iruka almost boasted, "We couldn't even figure out where to start! We'd have got it eventually, I'm sure. But it was easier to get Naruto to take everything down."
"Then I've got a problem." Kakashi sighed.
"What is it?" Iruka blinked.
"I've been given very strict instructions," Kakashi replied, "Basically I'm to devote my time to Sasuke's development. I'm allowed to give Sakura scrolls. But I'm to neglect Naruto."
"Who told you that?" Iruka started to get angry.
"I can't tell you," Kakashi replied, "If I do, there's a price. If I don't obey there's a price. And it won't be me paying."
"Huh?" Iruka frowned.
"If I don't do as they say," Kakashi explained, "Naruto will have an 'accident'. If the Hokage finds out… I don't want to neglect any of my students. It's not right."
"I have an idea," Iruka was cautious, "It shouldn't break any of the conditions you've been given, so Naruto should be alright. But you can't know about it. Plausible deniability."
"I'll trust you." Kakashi stated after a pause, "Just be careful. These are powerful people. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
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This one came into being when I wondered what would happen if Naruto was close friends with Shikamaru and Choji… But not on the same team as them.
I think Naruto would end up hanging out with them a lot, when he's not with his team… But I'm not sure. Would be interesting to see where it went from here.
And no, Naruto's intelligence isn't much higher than it was… He only knows more about teamwork, because I can see the older Ino-Shika-Cho team drumming the idea into their kids' heads, and thus getting it passed onto Naruto.
Thank you for reading this.