Eternal Legends: Konoha's Transcendent Ninja

Chapter Eleven: Genesis to Transcendence

What's good everyone? Welcome to the eleventh installment of Eternal Legends! I have to say, I was very, very pleased at the reception of last chapter. It was eight months since you last saw the Golden trio and I feared I might have disappointed some. But, here we are. :D

Hard to believe in one month and some change this story will have been on the site for approximately two years. Damn, does time sure fly.

Notable reviewers since last update: VLS, Darkness-Over-Evil, King of Konoha, Blade-Phoenix14, .51, DeidaraHoshika, platypuslover, and gman7. All gave me some ideas, even if you didn't know it. ;)

It seems people are a bit divided on the poll both in reviews and privately sent messages and it will continue to be that way it seems. So I've come up with a compromise. Every three chapters I will give you a monster update, while the rest will be "moderate" size. So, since this will be the third moderately sized chapter, chapter twelve will be effing huge. Chapters thirteen and fourteen will be moderately sized and so on so forth. Sound fair enough? Let me know what you think in addition to your review. :D

Further note: Rating is back to Mature. I gathered all the available data I needed to confirm or deny my litmus test. I'll tell you what it was…eventually. Just not right now.

Time to update the disclaimer:

Full Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, ViZ media, and all other related companies. I make no claim of any characters from the manga and anime and own all OCs that may appear from time to time. I also make no claim of elements used from certain video games such as Ninja Gaiden, Call of Duty, Uncharted, Warhawk/Starhawk, Halo, Killzone, God of War and Resistance which are under the copyright ownership of Team Ninja, Infinity Ward, Naughty Dog, Incognito, 343 Studios, Guerilla Games, Sony Santa Monica, and Insomniac as well as the publishing rights of Tecmo, Activision, Microsoft Game Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment America/Europe, respectively.

(To allay any concern: Why all these are there will make sense in the future, don't worry about it being game breaking or story breaking; rather, as these are mostly just certain characters and story elements both big, small, obvious, subtle and the like, rather than a full blown multi-series/genre crossover. Even if it's extremely small like a weapon or even being loosely based, I still want to cover all my bases, in case shit goes down. I'm the type of person who takes precaution even when it's not needed. Just who I am.)

(-x.0.0.x-)

(Training Ground Thirty-Three, Three years later, 0645 hours)

Training Ground Thirty-Three was one of the more secluded training areas in the Leaf village and, hence its name, the thirty-third built since the early days of the village's existence. Since it was one of the more recently built training environments, it was much more unique in its design and layout. It consisted of a combination of simulated desert, forest, and mountain terrain along with a lake that was four times the size of the lake in the Uchiha clan's estate and twice as deep. The only reason it didn't have an arctic simulation was simply due to how difficult and expensive such an environment would be to maintain along with the rest of the three.

Today, however, the area looked practically unrecognizable. Trees were snapped at their bases, the ground was scorched with obvious remnants of Katon jutsu; the rocky terrain littered with slash marks and craters that bottomed out at nearly fifteen feet deep and ten feet wide. Some of the hills themselves seem to be split completely in half—some in a clear and precise manner and others in a more rugged way.

All in all, it looked as if the Shinigami himself had come from the depths of Hell and waged war in the mortal plane.

Standing in the median of the devastated training ground was a prepubescent male holding a katana in his hand in a familiar stance: knees bent, shoulder length apart, with his guard inward above his chest with the blade outward and his right elbow sticking out.

The youth wore black sandals, with white bandages around his shins, all black slightly baggy pants with outward, orange stripes on either pant leg. A thin tight-fitting orange short sleeve undershirt came out of the sleeveless, semi-loose black shirt. To complete the outfit, a non-metal headband that adorned his forehead came down to the center of his back as well as having a sheath for his sword on his backside. The youth had spiky blond hair, like in his younger days, but the most drastic difference was that he had bangs on both sides of his face that met down about halfway, towards his cheek. The bangs were not as long as his father's, which was still unknown to him of course, but close enough where a fair comparison could've been made. The blond stood at a height of five feet and three inches, which was pretty impressive for someone his age.

Indeed, Uzumaki Naruto had grown physically, mentally, and as a shinobi. His eyes were closed as he listened in as hard as he could for any sudden movements. He didn't bother using the Chakra Hankyouteii, as he wanted to rely on his natural instincts, reflexes and raw skill.

Speaking of his reflexes, they had grown considerably sharper over the past three years, both in part due to his training and in another in natural augmentation. He was reacting to things on a superhuman level—even by shinobi standards, mind you—sometimes both consciously and subconsciously. If his body thought he was in any sort of danger, it would, quite literally, start moving on its own and seek to neutralize the threat almost instantaneously.

It was unnerving and a bit annoying to say the least, for the jinchuuriki. Sometimes, he could control it just fine relatively speaking and on certain days it would feel as if his entire system went haywire and his entire body felt like it lit aflame from the inside as he started reacting to the most mundane of things beyond his control, such as: catching a fly as it tried to zoom past his friends and mother minding its own business, a need to constantly test his skills at dodging just so his body could feel an adrenaline rush as if it needed one to justify having his nerves feel on fire, gripping their hands almost instantly when he felt as if he was about to be touched, and other numerous, miscellaneous factors. It was during these times where he'd be bedridden, in excruciating amounts of pain as he could barely function.

Asking the fox just what the hell was happening to his body gave him no real answers, but the vulpine biju did have a theory. He suspected that his neural dendrites were being super-conductively fibered by an unknown process throughout the entirety of his central nervous system. Therefore, his reflexes, according to the fox's rough estimate, were increased nearly three hundred percent faster than normal humans and it was likely that the number went even higher in combat situations when his adrenaline started running extremely high. He asked his mom about it and she agreed with the nine-tailed vulpine as it made the most sense to her. He had accepted that as the logical conclusion.

However, it wasn't all bad, as Naruto's unique abilities came with some rather positive side effects that even Mikoto didn't see coming, though, in hindsight, she probably should have. His eyesight, memory, and knack for tactics and strategy received a sharp boost. Naruto already had perfect eyesight, but now it was beyond the above-standard twenty-ten. Now, it was still twenty-ten in terms of distance of object relative to his position, but he didn't have any of the blind spots the human eye had that were filled in by the human brain, nor did it ever lose focus. In normal humans, if they looked at an object at an extreme proximity, the object would begin to blur as they eye focused more on the background than the foreground, aka the object. This wasn't the case at all for Naruto. An object that was even mere centimeters away from his eyes would always remain in perfect focus and clarity. It was akin to taking a picture with a high-end, expensive digital camera and seeing all the details even when you zoomed in. He could practically see the interwoven threads in his mother's jounin vest if he focused his sight hard enough.

As far as his memory capabilities went, Naruto could honest-to-the-gods say he had a genuine eidetic memory on par with his best friend using his Sharingan. He could glance at a piece of intelligence, for a few seconds at best, destroy it, and was able to picture and recall the information with absolutely flawless detail and precision at a moment's notice, even days after it was destroyed and he never even consciously thought about the piece of intel. In truth, the only advantage Sasuke had over him with his Sharingan was the inherent, precognitive function that allowed him to read the moves of his opponents with better accuracy. That, and Sasuke hadn't unlocked the third tomoe on his Sharingan to give him such an advantage. So, on that front, they were about dead even.

The last of his fortunate side effects were his increased reliance on analysis and fighting cognitively…

'Okay…we've been at this for at least a half-hour, taking turns at being double-teamed by the other two. It's my turn, now,' Naruto thought to himself as he assessed the situation in his mind, while keeping his senses sharp for any premature attack. 'I could use the Hankyouteii to locate them and attack with brute force,' the bewhiskered Jinchuuriki briefly considered before dismissing it almost outright. 'No…that'd be too obvious. They'd sense me tracking them and adjust their attack plan, taking advantage of such an obvious ploy and frontal assault. Granted, I'm practically a codifier of successful frontal assaults, but I'm cautious and plan ahead before I do. I know that…and so do they. Now...if I were Sasuke or Sakura-chan…what would I do, knowing how all of this wou—of course!' Bewilderment dawned upon his features as he suddenly opened his eyes.

A barrage of fireballs rained down on his position at high speeds, to which Naruto clucked his teeth and dashed out of the way in a single linear direction to the left, leaving a very distinct bluish blur in his wake, and he dodged them all effortlessly as they scorched the earth into nothingness.

Sasuke smirked as he landed in front of the blond about twenty meters away, with his double-bladed kusarigama in his hands. Like his bewhiskered best friend, he, too, had changed considerably over the last three years. His raven-colored hair was longer, and he wore a short-sleeved black shirt with his family's crest on his back with a grey long-sleeved shirt, with khaki cargo shorts with pockets on each thigh, a belt that had a pouch on the right side, along with a kunai holster on his right leg. He was five feet and one inch, shorter than Naruto by a noticeable margin. His weapon had changed, too. The Uchiha scion had asked Muramasa to upgrade it, over a year ago. Now instead of one sickle and chain, he had two sickles that were double-bladed for quadruple the devastation.

"You've gotten pretty damn good at that technique you created, Naruto," Sasuke praised as he spun his kusarigama like helicopters. He had his Sharingan flared and leering cautiously at him.

Naruto returned his grin. "Damn right. Ibitsuyumi (Distorted Step) is pretty damn good for dodging and closing distances," the blond began before he used his created technique to dash forward to appear behind the Uchiha, "just like this!" Naruto attempted for a speedy slash at Sasuke's back, which, surprising the blond, actually connected. His eyes immediately went wide, knowing something was off.

The blond's suspicions proved correct when 'Sasuke' turned into a pile of cherry blossom petals. His eyes widened completely. 'Genjutsu and Substitution all in one!' he alarmingly dissected, as he sheathed his katana and did the Tiger Seal. "Kai!" he shouted and the cherry blossoms vanished soon thereafter.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" he heard a familiar voice behind him. Knowing what that jutsu would do to him, he used Ibitsuyumi on pure reflex alone into a random direction.

"Wrong move, Naruto-kun!" he heard that same voice from behind again. The blond ninja's eyes widened again, as he turned around only to see Sakura right in the general area he had flashed toward! She didn't even give him a chance to dodge as she unleashed the full fury of her technique the very nanosecond he turned around to face her.

Caught completely and utterly off guard, the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox was shot completely backward, toward the lake in a moderate amount of pain due to the nature of the water technique, itself, and Sakura's affinity for it. He back-flipped and skidded across the water, before stopping and standing completely still on top of it. His two friends appeared in front of him, the twelve-year-olds standing afloat as well.

"Damn! How did you know where I'd be after I used my technique, Sakura-chan? Hell, even I didn't know. My body reacted on its own," he admitted with a twinge of annoyance at not having complete control over his own impulses.

Sakura smiled at the blond. Like the other two, she had changed as well. Her hair was cut short to medium length that came down to her shoulders. She was tall, five feet even to be precise (taller than even Ino), and had a very lean athletic build, which clearly showed where her priorities were, unlike the vast majority of the females in her class. She wore blue sandals, brown pants that stopped below her knees, a kunai holster on her right thigh, and a maroon-colored semi-long-sleeved shirt. Not one to forget her favorite color, she had a pink sash around her waist that was comparable in size to the sashes worn by the Shugonin Jūnishi (Twelve Gentlemen Guardian Ninja) that protected the Fire Daimyo. Her staff was in her sheath, still on her lower backside horizontally. It wasn't drawn because she had no use for it at the moment.

"I didn't, really," she uttered, which surprised both Sasuke and Naruto—well, more so the latter. "I made a genjutsu for you to hear me call the attack in one area and simply took a gamble that your body would react on its own and move you to a spot by the lake and lo and behold! I hit the jackpot!" She grinned. "You're not the only one who has luck on your side, Naruto-kun," she sweetly chimed with a sly grin.

'I see. So, she's taking advantage of my body's involuntary reactions,' Naruto analyzed and reflected within his head. 'Damn it! It's both a blessing and a curse for someone who knows me well. Then again, she's been training with me for the past four years, so it's hard not to pick up on my idiosyncrasies, and she, for a lack of a better word, guessed where my Ibitsuyumi would take me. But, even still, it doesn't make it any less annoying. Undoubtedly, there are shinobi out there who could probably see the slight differences in my reaction time whether it is conscious or subconscious, and adjust their tactics accordingly…' Ever since he had completed the creation of Ibitsuyumi a year ago, his neurons and synapses had started to use the high-speed movement technique as a subconscious defense mechanism to dodge incoming attacks where it knew Naruto wouldn't have enough time to make a conscious decision on what to do within the time frame of being hit. It was almost as if Naruto's entire neural network was, quite literally, sapient and alive.

"Oh, really, Sakura-chan?" Naruto inquired getting into a Taijutsu stance, which the others mirrored, although with minor differences to suit their own particular style and personal taste.

"Yeah, really," she smugly replied with a smirk. Naruto spread through hand seals quickly, but Sasuke's Sharingan showed exactly what seals were being used.

"Sakura! A wall, now!" Sasuke cried as he spun his kusarigama and aimed it at his cerulean-eyed friend. Sakura didn't need to be told twice, trusting the raven haired Uchiha's judgment call.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" Naruto called out, blowing a massive gust of wind in a tunnel shape, blowing the blades of Sasuke's weapon back toward him and slightly parting the lake as it sped through toward the two shinobi.

The rosette-haired kunoichi was already making seals for a defensive technique. "Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)!" A small cylinder-shaped fortress of water surrounded both her and Sasuke, protecting them from Naruto's attack, if only barely. The blond had put a considerable amount of chakra into the attack and the gales didn't seem to let up in their onslaught.

"Damn. When did he learn how to use this technique to this level of proficiency?" Sakura wondered aloud as she struggled to hold her Suiton technique. Naruto's wind jutsu violently rocked the waves beneath their feet, and they fought hard to stay afloat, constantly adjusting the output of chakra beneath their feet to properly stay on top of the water's surface.

Sasuke grimaced, putting his weapon away. "I'm not too sure." It was time to go to work. "All right, new plan of attack. I'm going to prepare a Katon jutsu, but you need to let the wall down exactly when I tell you to. Okay?"

She nodded. "Just whatever you do, do it fast, because we're going to be blown away if you fail!" she reminded him over the train-like roar.

He grunted, but said nothing further. He took a deep breath and went through the seals preparing the necessary chakra.

His onyx eyes made contact with her jade. "Now!" he roared, as she let the barrier down and he sent his fury. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)!" A large fireball erupted from his mouth with tremendous force. Now that he was older and much more skilled, this conflagration was double the size of what it used to be when his mother first taught him the technique three years ago. Adding to the fact that it had a completely one-sided duel with a Fuuton technique…well…Naruto was in for a world of hurt if it connected.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, Naruto would never find out as before the wind-enhanced fireball could hit him, a fifty-foot wall of water that canceled out the technique(s) utterly stopped it. All three of the shinobi eyes went completely wide as the wall destroyed without waving back down, making it 'rain,' so to speak, on them for a about thirty seconds.

"Just what the hell do you three think you're doing?" came the voice of an all too familiar female. Mikoto 'uncloaked' herself after using her Meisaigakure no Jutsu (Chameleon Technique), her arms crossed with a frown marring her facial features. She hadn't changed much, if at all. She still looked essentially the same and wore her jounin vest and Konoha shinobi standard gear. The Uchiha matriarch was standing on top of the water just like the rest of the trio.

'Damn…I didn't even sense her. That technique is something else,' Naruto thought in awe and wonder. "Well, kaa-san, graduation exams were today and we just thought we'd get a bit of a warm-up," he sheepishly explained, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Her eye twitched. "A warm-up! You call nearly destroying the entire training ground a warm-up? Had I not known any better, I thought this place would be remnants of a battle from a Shinobi World War!" she chastised in irritation.

"Heh…guess we did get a little carried away," Sasuke confessed, sharing Naruto's nervous demeanor.

"Yeah, a bit too carried away," Mikoto grunted with a sigh, before softening a bit. This action caused the Golden Trio to visibly relax. "It's nearly 0700 in the morning and you guys are out here training as if you were in the Forest of Death! Not to mention that the genin exams are today in the next two hours!" She critically eyed the three children before her in the midst of her scolding.

"Oh, come on, kaa-san!" Naruto pleaded. "You and I know damn well we could've passed the genin exam a long time ago had you not ordered us to stay the whole four years," he pointed out. His dark- and jade-eyed friends nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Even with some of the reforms, the academy is still pretty much a complete joke."

"A fair point you make, Naruto-kun," Mikoto conceded, "but, that being said, was it really necessary to wreck the whole training ground? I understand you three are at the level of a Tokubetsu Jounin, but for the love of the gods, show some restraint. Understand?"

They all sighed and simply bobbed their heads, not really in the mood to argue, anymore. She returned the gesture and motioned for them to follow her as she walked back toward the shoreline. Naruto spun his katana and sheathed it on his back. Sasuke folded the blades of his dual-bladed kusarigama inward and put it away, too.

Naruto had to whistle at all the destruction they caused. "Heh, I wonder…Do we have insurance?" he jokingly asked, earning chuckles from his friends and a withering glare from his surrogate mother.

"All right, you three need to head back toward the estate so you can shower and have a proper breakfast. You'd better pray that you all have enough chakra to pass the exam," Mikoto sternly intoned, still firmly in what the three assassins had dubbed 'mom mode.'

"Come on, Kaa-san!" Sasuke protested, groaning. "You're doing it again!"

The Uchiha widow sighed and shook her head, before smiling. "Sorry…you guys know that, no matter how strong or grown up you get, I'll always be your mother. I don't care if you're fifty, and I'm in my nineties."

They gave a grateful smile as they all gave her a group hug, catching her slightly off guard and she nearly lost her footing. "Hey, you guys! I don't mind the embrace, but you guys are near my height now," she reminded them, laughing a bit.

"Hey! I got a half-inch on you at least, kaa-san!" the tallest of the triad mock-protested. She gave him a grin and kissed his forehead affectionately, much to his embarrassment.

"Hey! Don't do that!" he pouted, protruding his lower lip out. That only earned him a giggle from his mother and snickers from the other two. Granted, she did it to Sasuke, too, on occasion, but Naruto was twice as more likely to be on the receiving end.

With a final laugh, she let go of the three. "All right, you guys, do what you need to do around the village. I should have breakfast ready in about an hour, m'kay?"

"We'll be back home in an hour, promise," Sakura promised with a thumbs up. Mikoto gave the three a final wave before vanishing in a puff of white smoke.

Naruto sighed the moment she left. "Ugh, I love the woman to death, but man, can she be overprotective at times."

"That's our kaa-san for you, Naruto-kun," Sakura sweetly chimed as she began to walk with her two best friends on either side of her.

"I suppose so," he reluctantly agreed with another sigh.

"Heh, look on the bright side," Sasuke noted. "Today, we'll finally be official genin of Konoha and go on real missions. Time to put all the skills kaa-san has taught us to the test." He then surveyed the damaged training ground. His astonishment reflected in the low whistle that soon followed. A bunch of twelve-year-olds had managed to do this? Granted, this was Naruto, and Sakura and his doing, but even still, the amount of collateral damage they made was the last thing on his mind as they were doing an intense 'warm-up.'

"Heh, got to agree with you there," Naruto concurred. "One thing I'm glad we really won't have to worry about is, due to reforms, we won't run into the problem of idiotic team placements that make no logical sense."

"Ugh, don't fucking remind me," Sakura spat in disgust. Swearing became a much bigger habit now than it was when she was nine. Granted, her mouth was nowhere near to the potty as her two companions, but it was still a noteworthy subtle change in her personality over the past three years. "Whose bright idea was it to think that having the worst student paired with the best student was ideal and in no shape or form would immediately and totally backfire? That's asinine on so many levels, it's ridiculous."

They headed out toward the village, still talking amongst themselves. "Yeah, no doubt about it, that was a much needed improvement, along with other things such as longer Taijutsu period sessions, advanced survival training, extensive topography lessons…Heh, if I didn't know any better, I'd say they were preparing us for—" Sasuke started to say jokingly before he was interrupted by Naruto.

"War," Naruto interjected, his voice cold, calculating, and his eyes narrowed a bit. The Uchiha heir and the rosette-haired girl picked up on this immediately and got serious. Their jinchuuriki friend was in one of 'those' moods.

"What's going on in your head, Naruto-kun?" Sakura grimly asked, all pretenses and joking casted away in an instant.

"Everything's now starting to become a bit clearer. The announcement by Iruka-sensei of changes at the academy, our new subject matter, and new tactics," he calmly stated as the gears started turning rapidly in his head. The blue-eyed preteen closed his eyes and placed his right index and middle fingers on his forehead together. Both his friends knew exactly what that meant. Naruto was accessing his eidetic memory from three years ago to piece everything together.

"February…four days after kaa-san gets out of the hospital…she's fine…We continue to go back to the academy while she's bedridden," Naruto recited his memory in perfect detail, with bits and pieces to his friends as a way to somewhat get to the point. His eyes were still closed as if he were watching a movie in his head and he was using a 'skip' or 'fast forward' remote on his brain to get to the important details within the confines of his memories.

"Iruka-sensei comes toward us in the morning…tells us Hokage-sama has a few changes for the state of the academy...the class seemingly is uncaring, but there's an undercurrent of interest. Initially, we aren't that suspicious due to the reforms being things we had already been taught months earlier."

Naruto clenched his shuteyes even harder, as if he was struggling to look for any hidden clues. "Something doesn't add up in my mind...I decide to do my own investigating…I go to the library...there's a news scroll that captures my eye immediately…the headline reads: Revolution in Kumogakure: Hidden Cloud under new Leadership…I take it and read the article within."

He trailed off as he strained his mind. Sakura frowned a bit and gently walked toward him and soothed him by touching his hand that was on his forehead. "Then, what, Naruto-kun? What did it say, exactly?" she asked, knowing that Naruto could, quite literally, recite an entire chapter of a novel he'd read, with perfect accuracy, down to the adverbs, articles, and adjectives used in the individual sentences. This should be no different.

A small vein appeared on the side of his forehead as he struggled to remember. "Something…Ultranationalists…taking over….Raikage dead…Jinchuuriki….K.I.A…Aisu…Isolation…ideology…inauguration speech…bow before them…endured tyranny…ugh!" Naruto groaned out as he held his head in frustration in a slight headache that was forming. "Damn it, why can't I remember?" he growled in contempt.

"Relax kid," the Kyuubi allayed in his head. "Your eidetic memory probably wasn't as developed back then as it is now. You sure as hell aren't going to remember with such detailed accuracy, when at the time when said details happened, your brain wasn't processing the information and storing it in a huge databank to recall and analyze at a moment's notice. You only discovered it a year ago. The fact that you can remember even some of what you read is a miracle in and of itself."

Calming down a bit, Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Naruto agreed, disappointment laced within his voice.

"Talking to the fox again?" Sasuke dully deduced, as if it was the most normal thing in the world for a guy to speak to a giant fifteen-story-tall Nine-Tailed Fox trapped permanently in his gut.

"Got it in one," Naruto admitted.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know how you do it. Talk to him aloud when you're around us or Kaa-san, but out in public, you two could be having a philosophical debate mentally for all we know, and we'd be none the wiser."

"It's 'cause I'm just that awesome, Sakura-chan," he retorted with a sly, foxy grin. She rolled her eyes playfully and poked him in the chest.

"Well, why don't you be 'Mr. Awesome,' and pick up some milk on the way back. I noticed we were out this morning when I went to the fridge for some yogurt."

He grunted, hating being the designated errand boy. "Ugh, fine, Sakura-chan. I will. I need to look into something, anyhow. I'll see you guys at breakfast, okay?"

"Just don't get lost on your way back," Sasuke smirked, obviously referencing an incident from the past.

"Shut the fuck up, Sasuke," Naruto indignantly replied, that particular incident being a sore spot. He only grinned in return, which Naruto simply scowled and flickered away courtesy of the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).

Shaking her head she turned to the Uchiha. "You're never going to let him live that one down, are you?"

"Not a fucking chance." Short. Simple. Direct answer.

She rolled her eyes. She would never understand boys and their damned prides. "Come on. Let's get back. "

"Right," Sasuke agreed before they, too, vanished from the training ground using the same jutsu Naruto used seconds earlier.

(-x.0.0.x-)

(Uchiha Estate, One hour later)

Both the pink-haired Haruno and Uchiha both sat down at the kitchen table freshly showered and with a clean set of clothes. They realized they smelt pretty badly after their intense training session this morning and each opted to shower the moment they got to the house. Considering how huge the estate was and how many people had once lived here three years ago, there were plenty of bathrooms to choose, where the two could have the privacy they desired.

Mikoto set a plate of rice balls in front of both of them and frowned. "Where's Naruto-kun?" she inquired, crossing her arms—her standard trademark, clearly not happy at her son not being punctual, a critical skill in their systematic world of assassins and mercenaries-by-another-name.

Sakura shook her head, taking a polite bite of her onigiri. "I'm not sure, kaa-san. He said he had to look into something in the village and I told him to pick up some milk from the dairy," she replied, shrugging. "I'm not sure what could be taking him so long, unless he's preoccupied with whatever he needed to look into."

Mikoto sat down with her two students-turned-surrogate-children, clearly interested. "Is that so?" she asked semi-rhetorically. "Any idea of what he was trying to look into?"

"Well, we were jokingly talking about the reforms the academy made a couple years ago and I said a sentence that triggered Naruto's eidetic memory," Sasuke explained. "However, he couldn't remember it all; presumably because it was too far back before he gained the ability a year ago. At least, that's what I'm guessing. I'm sure the Kyuubi told him that, too."

Mikoto sighed. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to the fact that my son talks regularly with a giant fox. One that attacked the village, at that."

"Hey, he and Naruto-kun have a pretty complex relationship. Nearly went ballistic on us, when we called him an 'it…'" Sakura shuddered at that particular memory. That was a particular pet peeve for him and it pissed off the blond to no end.

Mikoto heaved a long sigh. "I guess you're right. It still seems weird to me, even three years after the fact." A pensive silence permeated the room as the three said nothing and ate slowly without uttering a single word for the next five minutes or so. All three of them perked up simultaneously, sensing a familiar chakra signature and an audible noise that the door in the other room had opened.

"So, now he shows up. Finally," Mikoto huffed, crossing her arms for the umpteenth time.

'Strange…why's Naruto-kun using the front door? He usually just uses either Shunshin or Ibitsuyumi to flicker or dash in here?' Sakura thought in wonder.

She soon got her answer. Naruto walked through the doorway, his eyes practically glued to a news scroll. Judging by its appearance, it had to be a few years old at least. He had it held in a certain way where he could hold it in one hand, read a significant amount of information, and hold a full-gallon carton of fresh milk in the other hand.

"Hey, kaa-san, Sakura-chan, Sasuke," he greeted, walking past them completely to the fridge, not even glancing at them a single time. Opening the refrigerator, he unceremoniously tossed the carton in it, knowing it'd be fine. He sat down at the table and unraveled the scroll even further to spread across his lap, ignoring the stares he received from his surrogate family.

"Um…Naruto?" Sasuke asked a bit cautiously, not sure how to react to the jinchuuriki's odd behavior. "You okay, bro?"

Naruto looked up in slight confusion, before his mind finally processed what he just said. "Oh, yeah, I am," he assured, before looking down again, scratching his chin in wonder his eyes running across the page at lightning speeds. "This article, though…it intrigues me." He turned to Mikoto. "Kaa-san…what do you know about the Cloud Village's Ultranationalist Party?" he asked in wonder. "Because based on this news article, the reforms at the academy, increased lessons on topography of mountainous regions and how to fight in them, it seems to me that Hokage-sama is making subtle changes to prepare us for a future conflict with Kumogakure."

Mikoto looked at him seriously as she sat her tea down. "I see. So you've finally figured it out."

"Figured it out? You mean…you knew?" Naruto stood at a loss for words. Sasuke and Sakura preferred to stay silent, not knowing enough information to make a firm statement one way or the other.

"Well, I can't say I know for sure, seeing as how I didn't hear it from the horse's mouth. That being said, when I heard about it, I quickly put two and two together. I didn't tell you all at the time because I felt it was irrelevant and wanted you to figure it out on your own. Which you did," she added with a smile.

"I see. Did you read up on any of the details regarding the coup d'état that overthrew the Killer Dynasty?" Naruto inquired to his mother, hoping she could fill in some gaps.

"No, I didn't. Like I said, I wasn't really interested in the finer details. For one, I was recovering in the hospital at the time, and two…I had you three to focus on. You all take priority even if we have a bunch of genocidal, warmongering sociopaths running a major hidden village."

"Genocidal?" Sakura asked.

"Warmongering?" Sasuke blinked for good measure, too.

"She's referring to the Ultranationalist party. They're known to be the extreme of the extreme, and are considered the most brutal organization on the continent. They idolize the Shodai Raikage and his idea of conquest and natural-born citizens of Kumogakure being superior to everyone else and as such, they believe they hold a manifest destiny belief of spreading their culture and way of life to the rest of us. The party is highly militaristic in tone and some would compare it to Europa, the continent west of the Elemental Nations. The populace seemingly sided with them, and they overthrew the Raikage in a coup three years ago," Naruto explained from what he knew and studied.

"Wow," Sasuke whistled. "These guys sound like real trouble. I mean to overthrow the Killer Dynasty? They'd have to have some seriously powerful shinobi to pull that off." The Sandaime Raikage and Yondaime Raikage were truly powerful shinobi that even his clan once respected, even in spite of their arrogance.

Mikoto nodded. "Seems Hideyoshi was more powerful than I gave him credit for. I thought that fool's dream to be Raikage and conquer Kumo was a lost cause."

Naruto's cerulean eyes narrowed a bit. "Hideyoshi? That's not the name of the current Raikage, kaa-san," he pointed out, crossing his arms.

Mikoto blinked several times in confusion. "Wait…what? How the hell not? He's leaded those monsters for the past twenty years or so…how the hell is he not the Raikage? A figure head in his place?" Although the latter question was pretty farfetched in hindsight, it was the only logical conclusion that she could come to.

"No, it just says that the ascended Godaime Raikage's name was…" he began before double checking the article again, just in case he misread something. "Aisu…"

Upon hearing that name, Mikoto froze completely on the spot as her hands started to sweat, a sight that only her blond son's razor sharp vision could actually see.

"Wh-wha-t…did you say?" Mikoto stuttered, as her heart began beating rapidly.

"Aisu," Naruto repeated a bit slowly, his eyes narrowing a bit. Mikoto frowned a bit and detachedly looked off into space. Her three surrogate children looked at each other with worry tracing their features.

"Kaa-san…is something wrong?" Sasuke quietly asked, not knowing what to think.

The Uchiha matriarch said nothing for a few seconds, before standing up. "No. Nothing's wrong," she lied, which wasn't lost on the trio at all. "I just need to get some fresh air. Finish your breakfast and head on to the academy. I need to be alone for a bit." Her tone brooked no room for arguing. The three of them were smart enough to not press her on the issue and let it be. Mikoto walked outside to the estate's courtyard without another word.

The golden trio looked at each other. "Later?" Sakura asked.

"Later," the other two confirmed with a nod.

'Man, that was weird…just hearing that guy's name sent kaa-san in a bad mood. Really think the guy's that bad if just hearing what he's called causes her to not want to be in the same room again, Fox?' Naruto asked his vulpine tenant via telepathic link.

"No…I think it goes much deeper than that. Something's definitely off here, though. That much, I can assure you. I wouldn't worry about it for now. You have an exam you need to pass."

Naruto smiled. 'All right, all right. Fine. I won't worry about it. By the way, as a way to celebrate when I graduate, I'll find a fox so you can stretch your legs,' he promised.

'Thank the fucking GODS! Holy shit, I know it's only been two weeks since I last got out, but you have no idea what it feels like to be stuck behind a cage…in a sewer," the monster biju groaned.

Naruto shook his head and gulfed down two rice balls. "Ah, man! That hit the spot!" He patted his stomach in satisfaction that his appetite had been sustained. "Last one to the academy is a rotten egg!" Naruto exclaimed without warning with a mischievous grin, before vanishing using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Ugh! Naruto-kun! You fucking cheater!" Sakura shrieked out before running out the door as she made a ram seal and she vanished in a small whirlwind of cherry blossom petals.

Sasuke shook his head. Naruto was going to win, head start or not. Ironically, despite how competitive they were, he knew that Naruto was going to win contests of speed ten out of ten times, guaranteed. The blonde was leagues faster than the two of them combined. Adding in his mysterious bloodline, it only further cemented how much a lost cause it was. Sakura, however, still always tried, even as futile as it was. With a shake of his head again, he sucked his teeth and casually walked out of the door and jumped to the rooftops, preferring to head there in a more classic, and 'good ol' days' way.

(Uchiha Estate Courtyard)

A shaken Mikoto sluggishly made her way in the courtyard toward…somewhere. She honestly didn't know or couldn't care less where her body directed her. All that was repeating was that name in her head…

Aisu….Aisu…..Aisu…Aisu.

A tear fell down her right cheek. "There's just no way it can be you…." Mikoto solemnly reflected as her heart clenched in hurt and regret. She collapsed to her knees. "There's just no way…it has to be a coincidence…" She tried to convince herself. It had to be! Names, like anything, were common, right? But, somehow, deep within her heart, Mikoto knew there was no mistaking it.

"It can't be...it just can't!" Mikoto screamed to the heavens, breathing in and out while her body shuddered. "They told me you died….Aisu-kun," she uttered the name with the unmistakable tone…of forlorn fondness.

(-x.0.0.x-)

(Konoha Ninja Academy, 0900 hours)

The Konoha Academy was buzzing with activity as students from all four grade levels were excited as they were entering the coveted school.

Naruto appeared in a flash, a bluish blur in his wake, nearby a less crowded area in the Academy. The reasoning was, even now, the trio wanted to mask just how massive the gap was between them and everyone else in their graduating class. Although he somehow suspected that the Hokage knew, he didn't want them to know he had created a technique all on his own. It would've caused too much questioning and unneeded bullshit that the blond most definitely did not want to put up with. Besides, they hadn't graduated, yet, and their mother's rule of 'No showing advanced techniques' still technically applied. After they received their headbands, everything after that was fair game.

Naruto grinned as he saw a flourishing whirlwind of cherry blossom petals swirl in a circular dome shape about three meters away from him. The tornado-like petal storm stopped to reveal a pink-haired kunoichi who looked severely irritated and annoyed.

"Love your unique Shunshin no Jutsu, Sakura-chan. The swirling effect with the petals is pretty kickass," Naruto complimented with a smirk, both in genuine admiration and in an attempt to calm the Haruno.

While she was secretly flattered that Naruto praised her unique form of the Body Flicker technique—also known as the Hanachiri Shunshin (Flower-Dispersing Body Flicker), she was still highly annoyed, and by the gods, she was going to let the blond know it!

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Naruto-kun," Sakura intoned, her voice traced with irritation. "You clearly got a head start!" She pouted, crossing her arms as if she were saying, 'What do you have to say for yourself?'

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You really think if it were opposite, that it would've made a difference?" Naruto retorted. To outside parties, it would've sounded arrogant, but Sakura knew better. The blond was simply stating undeniable facts. He would've won regardless or not if Sakura had started first or they had started at the same time.

Sakura sighed in defeat. "I guess not," she conceded with a grumble. "But hell, it can't hurt to try, can it?" All she got was a simple shrug from the leader of the Golden Trio.

"By the way, where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he scanned around for him.

"Right here," a familiar voice called out before dropping down in front of them. "I took the classic way here."

"Jumping on the rooftops?" Naruto deduced, with a raised eyebrow. "Why? You know you can get here much faster than that, by alternate methods."

"Yeeeeah, but still, I didn't want to get here too early. Beats being bugged by our fan girls," Sasuke shuddered.

Sakura moaned. "Ugh. I can't stand them. Even after I put them in their place, they seem to not want to back down, thinking I'm out to 'steal' you guys from them." The two boys were completely silent and expressionless, choosing not to comment one way or the other.

"Let's go inside," Naruto suggested, effectively ignoring what Sakura said. Sasuke gave a verbally concurred agreement with his blond friend, and the duo left their only female friend very confused.

'Uh…what just happened?' A perplexed Sakura thought to herself in worry. 'Is it just me or do those two avoid talking about their fan girls' jealousy of me…?' This wasn't the first time this had happened, and each time, Sakura grew more suspicious of their conspicuous behavior. She didn't know what exactly the central reasoning behind it was, but she did know one thing: she, herself, had something to do with it.

For all her intelligence, even Sakura should've seen something that was so utterly simple and obvious.

(Inside)

The entirety of the classes was abuzz with activity. Seeing as this was graduation day, the instructors were far more lenient with what they allowed the inexperienced assassins to do on a whim. The reforms and changes to the curriculum had installed more discipline, yes, but at their core, they were still were children who liked to have a good time.

"Yo, Sasuke, Naruto!" Kiba, the Inuzuka clan heir, grinned, greeting the Uchiha and Uzumaki. Like all of the members of the canine-based clan, he had his dog with him at all times, the bleached-colored Akamaru perking on top of his head. Although still a bit hotheaded like the early days of the academy, he had mellowed out somewhat.

"What's up, Kiba, Akamaru?" Naruto returned the greeting, while Sasuke just nodded.

"Just ready to take this exam and start being a real shinobi and going on real missions!" the Inuzuka heir happily exclaimed, gusto coating every word that rolled out.

"How do you think we feel? We've been ready to leave for four years!" Sasuke replied indignantly. Kiba almost assuredly thought he was exaggerating; however, he really wasn't. They could've been genin three years ago, had it not been for Mikoto forcing them to stay all four years.

"Heh," Naruto huffed, a bit bemused by Sasuke's clear irritation at having to wait. He accepted and stopped caring about it a long time ago. In fact, he actually kind of liked it. If they had graduated early, he'd had no doubt that he'd still be in the process of creating Ibitsuyumi. "I wonder who'll be top grad." Naruto absentmindedly wondered aloud, a bit more to himself than anyone else.

"Oh, can it, Naruto. Everyone knows it's going to be you, Sasuke, or Sakura," came the dry and snarky reply from Shikamaru. Naruto turned to him, who looked at him with a bored expression as he was sitting by Chouji, a portly fellow who munched on some potato chips.

"Come on, Shikamaru. Everyone knows that if you tried, your scores could be as high, if not higher than ours," he countered.

Shikamaru grunted. "That'd be far too troublesome," he lazily retorted, his eyes cast down in a drag. His eyes then turned to Naruto with half-seriousness. "Besides…we know you three are simply holding back," he told him, barely above a whisper. Naruto raised an eyebrow before the Nara explained. "I'm not stupid, you all are holding back and you don't want everyone to know it, just yet. Hell, I bet you guys could beat our instructors if need be."

The two boys nodded, silently. It was true. They had surpassed Iruka and his other instructors long ago. He was almost positive they didn't suspect a thing, as they never, ever used any elemental ninjutsu in the presence of others outside of their family. As far they knew, they were simply exceptionally talented students not seen since the likes of the Yondaime Hokage, the White Fang, and the Sannin.

"There you guys are," Sakura huffed out as she lagged from the rear, interrupting whatever reply either male was going to say. "Guys kind of just…left me," she resentfully added.

"Oi…sorry, Sakura." Sasuke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. She shook her head and took a seat, as did the two of them beside her. The three best friends enjoyed the comfortable silence among them, waiting patiently for their head instructor to arrive.

They didn't have to wait long. Before they knew it, the dolphin-named instructor had opened the door to the class and crossed the threshold. Within five seconds the class had quieted down into total silence and gave him their undivided attention.

Iruka smiled and nodded approvingly. 'Wow, these kids sure have come a long way since we started. Such discipline. Hokage-sama's reforms couldn't have come at a better time. The changes are like day and night!' He shook his head a bit, before he got too lost in his thoughts.

The head instructor cleared his throat before he began. "First off, I'd like to congratulate you all on making it this far. Although you haven't graduated yet, this kind of field isn't for the lighthearted or the faint. Not everyone can be a shinobi. Even with the reforms made by Hokage-sama to increase standards all around, you still stuck through it through thick and thin."

Naruto had to inwardly snort. 'Please. This was nothing compared to what kaa-san put us through. All three of us could likely solo the entire class at the same time and assuredly completely stomp them if we could work as a team.'

"Is that a bit of arrogance I hear in your head, kid?" the Fox snickered, bemusement lining his voice.

Naruto snorted a bit. 'You and I both know it's the truth.'

The Fox shook his head. "That may be true, but you still have a long way to go. You can't get complacent and think it's going to stay that way forever. I've seen this side of you kid, and frankly, I don't like it. In some ways you're honestly starting to remind me of the Uchiha clan."

Even though the blonde couldn't see him, he could practically feel the frown the fox would have if he could. He sighed. 'All right…I get it. I won't get complacent. I'll simply train to make sure I'm the strongest shinobi I can be!"

The Kyuubi smirked. "Much better."

"So, now, we'll call your name and you'll be proceeded into the back room where you'll take your graduation test and receive your official Konoha headband!" Iruka beamed proudly at the thirty-plus individuals in the room. He then grinned. "So who's going to go first?"

Half of the students in the entire room raised their hands, eager to graduate and get the hell out of the academy. The Golden Triad, however, surprisingly didn't.

"I'm showing off," Naruto declared randomly. "I'm graduating and this guy is not going to give a single fuck this day. I've held back long enough."

"Uh huh," Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes and leaning back in her seat. "Just don't do anything too flashy."

Sasuke shrugged. "Meh, do what you want. I don't care as long as I pass with honors. We're probably going to have to share the Rookie of the Year spot, anyhow."

Naruto agreed. "Probably. But for now…we wait."

The tallest of the trio closed his eyes as he began to meditate and practice using the Chakra Hankyouteii. Although he, like the other two, had extremely high proficiency with it, practice never hurt anyone. It kept his skills as a sensor sharp. One-by-one, he could feel the fluctuations of chakra, as young students officially became full-fledged shinobi.

Finally, he heard his name get called. "Well, I guess that's me," Naruto grinned as he hopped out of his seat.

"Wait, Naruto-kun," Sakura called out to him before he went down the steps. He turned back to her with a raised brow.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" the blonde inquired. She smiled at him and moved closer to him. She brought her lips to the side of his face for a quick peck on his cheek. Naruto's eyes widened a bit in sheer surprise and shock. His cheeks turned bright pink as some in the class had their jaws on the floor.

"That was for luck," she grinned slyly at him.

"I…I…th-thanks…" he stuttered out still completely stunned by what his rosette-haired friend had done. He rubbed his cheeks as he walked down towards the backroom where the exam was being handed.

Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke who was giving her an emotionless stare. She flinched a bit, seeing the look in his eyes. He wasn't just angry, he was completely furious.

"Why did you do that, Sakura?" he practically spat, biting back the venom he wanted to spew out at the twelve-year-old girl.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "It's just like I said, it was for good luck, Sasuke-kun," she defended. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

He clenched his fists under the table, trying his best to calm down. "It's nothing, Sakura," he scowled in barely hidden contempt, turning away from her.

"Sasuke-kun, look at me," she commanded, which was ignored. Sakura grunted in annoyance and gently turned his head toward her, soothing his cheeks. His eyes were hardened, but had a noticeable layer of softness in them, causing her to smile. Guess he wasn't as angry as she thought.

"Please, don't be mad at me, Sasuke-kun," she pleaded, staring directly in his onyx orbs. "I know that was out of the blue, but, if it makes you feel better." She kissed his cheek as well. "That was for your luck and so you'd feel better."

The Uchiha almost turned a brighter red than even Naruto. A slow smile crept on his face, his mood instantly turning better.

"…Thanks, Sakura," he thanked.

She only grinned back at him.

(Inside the testing room)

Unaware of the transgression that occurred on the outside with his two friends, Naruto entered the room with an air of complete confidence in his abilities. Walking in the center of the room; Iruka and his blue-haired assistant Mizuki were sitting behind a desk.

"Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei," Naruto acknowledged with a curt nod, which was returned by both senior instructors.

Iruka cleared his throat. "Well, Naruto, looks like this is finally it, eh?"

"Yep," Naruto agreed, grinning. "So…what's our final exam, sensei?" he finally asked, staring at the brunette intently. Iruka gave a half-smile, half-smirk. Naruto's razor-sharp vision caught the gesture. The blonde only raised a brow ever so slightly to indicate that he had his interest piqued.

"Well, Naruto, it's actually quite simple," Iruka admitted. "You simply have to perform the Academy jutsu in a manner we deem proficient," he explained to a gapping blonde.

"...You're kidding me right? That's it? Four years and that's our exam?" Naruto had barely bit back his complete disgust. So much for reforms.

Mizuki actually smirked. "Don't be so sure, Naruto. There's always more to everything than meets the eye," he cryptically remarked.

The Uzumaki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, as his tactical mind started to analyze what the blue-haired instructor just uttered. 'More to it than meets the eye? Does that mean there's another part of the test we don't know about? No, that can't be right. Everyone that went before me passed the exam. Granted, if they couldn't do these three jutsu by now, they should've washed out a long time ago. Surely with all the reforms they wouldn't make it this easy on graduation day. I mean this exam would basically guarantee that everyone who stepped foot in this room would pass and then-,' Naruto's thoughts were cut off as realization dawned on him like the bright and early sun. 'That's it! It isn't the real test! The real test comes with our sensei!'

Naruto then smirked a bit. "I see, Mizuki-sensei," he replied giving them a knowing look with a twinge of smug.

Iruka smiled. 'So you figured it out, eh, Naruto? Heh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're one of a kind, kid,' the chuunin thought before speaking yet again. "I don't mean to rush you, Naruto, but we do have others waiting," he reminded him.

The jinchuuriki gave a fox like grin. "Okay, Iruka-sensei, but do you mind if I do all three techniques at once?" he innocently asked.

Iruka raised both his eyebrows and turned to Mizuki. The blue-haired instructor simply shrugged, indicating he didn't care. "Um…sure," he approved, not knowing where the blond was going with this.

Naruto smirked before he held the index and middle fingers of both hands in a cross shaped position. Both chunin's eyes widened, as realization dawned on them what jutsu the blonde was about to do.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Technique!)" Naruto cried, as a perfect replica of himself appeared a few meters beside him in a plume of white smoke. Not even wasting a single second, the blonde did the Tiger Seal. "Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)," he cried out again, turning into a flawless version of the dolphin-named instructor. Naruto's doppelganger, mimicking the ultra-fast reflexes and reaction speed of the original, reached into the holsters on his legs to throw a plethora of shuriken and kunai at the transformed ninja. They hit dead on target, 'Naruto's' body going limb, and vanishing to reveal a log instead with all the weapons embedded into its bark. All of this happened in the timespan of approximately 3.45 seconds.

The log vanished in plume of smoke, leaving a smirking Naruto in its steed. "So…do I pass?" he rhetorically quipped. The jaws of both instructors were on the floor.

"Um…o-of co-course," Iruka stuttered out, his mind still barely registering what he saw. 'He can perform the Kage Bunshin jutsu! His precision, timing, and execution were completely flawless. Just what the hell have you been teaching him, Mikoto-san?' he inwardly queried with a gulp. "Here you go, Naruto," Iruka smiled before tossing him a hitai-ate or headband. Naruto caught it with utter ease and returned the smile. "One hundred points. Perfect score." The blonde had to grin at that.

"Thank you both, Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei. It was an honor," he declared with a formal bow. Iruka, and surprisingly, Mizuki returned the gesture. Well, as best as one could while sitting.

"Congratulations on becoming an official genin of the Hidden Leaf," the brunette instructor congratulated. Naruto put the hitai-ate on his forehead, replacing the headband already on that region of his face. They had to admit; it looked damn good on the jinchuuriki.

"Be here tomorrow morning, same time for Jounin assignments," Mizuki ordered. Naruto nodded cordially and left the room with a huge smile on his face.

Sakura immediately tackled him in hug almost making him lose his footing. "You're officially a ninja, Naruto-kun!" she squealed with joy. Naruto laughed heartily and returned the pink-haired girl's embrace.

"You knew I'd pass," he pointed out letting her go.

She grinned at him. "I know," she admitted. "But still, you're a genin now!"

"Heh, I guess I am, huh?" he huffed out, with a small chuckle.

"What's the exam?" Sasuke asked walking towards the two. He gave a silent nod to his best friend turned brother. It was the Uchiha scion's way of congratulating him.

"It's ridiculously easy, but there's more to it than meets the eye," he intoned in the same manner Mizuki did. They both gave him confused stares before he waved them off. "You'll see when you take it, I promise," he assured. They looked at each other before shrugging in acceptance.

The beamed expression Naruto had on his face simply wouldn't go away. He couldn't wait till he got home to show his mother.

(-x.0.0.x-)

(Hokage's Tower, 1015 hours)

"Impressive, isn't he?" Hiruzen smirked a bit as he blew out a puff of smoke from his nostrils. The Third Fire Shadow had taken upon himself to watch the genin exams using his crystal ball. Foremost, it was to see the fruits of the reforms he had decreed three years earlier, and secondarily it was to see how well the 'Golden Trio' had progressed in strength.

"I'd have to agree, Hokage-sama," came the voice of the man in front of the Hokage. He was tall, lean, and built male with silver hair that seemed to defy gravity. The man wore standard Konoha shinobi gear, but the most noteworthy was his hitai-ate covered his left eye, similar to an eye patch used by pirates around the world. "Naruto sure is impressive. He sure has grown from the last time I saw him. Hard to believe this kid used to be a notorious prankster."

"The boy sure has mellowed out, quite a bit, Kakashi," Hiruzen noted, dismissing the image in his crystal ball with a wave of his hand, effectively, spying on the academy no more.

"I can see that, Hokage-sama," the newly named Kakashi, agreed. "I'm guessing you're putting him and his companions on the same team?"

Hiruzen set his pipe down and nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Ordinarily, they likely would've been placed on separate teams due to how…" Hiruzen grimaced a bit. "…'unbalanced' it would be for the top three students to be on the same genin squad."

"Hindsight's kicking in, sir?" Kakashi quipped humorously. The Hokage grunted, not amused.

"It has," he confirmed. "I was foolish to think that pairing students off in a brusque way could backfire in a plethora of ways. Particularly, the tradition of pairing the worst ranked student with the rookie of the year."

Kakashi gave a subtle, sidelong look as his eye held some form of desolation. He knew how that was all too well.

"Besides, I couldn't, in good conscience, separate the three anyway. They work well together."

"We'll see," Kakashi spoke with his arbitrary skepticism. "Tomorrow will be their true test. I'll get to see how good the 'Golden Trio' really are."

Hiruzen refused to smirk, as he feared he would've busted into uncontrollable laughter. 'You have absolutely no idea, Kakashi. You're in for one hell of a surprise tomorrow,' he thought amused. "You will. I have no doubt they'll pass, but with you as their sensei, who knows?" the Hokage shrugged. He inwardly smirked, deviously. The Sandaime knew they'd pass the bell test with flying colors tomorrow without a single doubt in his mind, even in spite of Kakashi. However, he just needed say the right words for Jounin to let his guard down and underestimate the three. It was the Hokage's subtle way of punishing him for being tardy in the past. It was an opportunity he just couldn't pass up.

The cyclopean Jounin nodded and bowed. Hiruzen was about to dismiss him before he heard a knock on the door to enter his office. Kakashi started to make his way towards the door after the Sarutobi clan head gave him a curt nod of dismissal.

"Come in," he permitted as the door opened to reveal Mikoto Uchiha with a yellow newscroll in her hand. Her expression was neutral, but the two seasoned veterans could see the seething rage behind her eyes and the tight clenching of the scroll.

"Mikoto-san," Kakashi greeted formally to the widow, bobbing his head towards her in respect. She returned the gesture out of politeness, but her eyes were still cold as a glacier and she was leering at the Hokage with the venom of a cobra.

Figuring now was a good time for him to exit stage left, the Copy Ninja crossed the threshold of the office and shut the door behind him.

"Mikoto-chan," Hiruzen began, interlocking his fingers and resting his elbows on his desk. He was well aware of the waves of anger and subtle killer intent coming off of her, but chose not to comment in favor of a neutral and professional tone. Somehow, he knew that probably wouldn't last long, if at all. "What brings you here?"

"What brings me, here you ask?" she laughed sarcastically, causing Hiruzen to frown. "What brings me here?" she shouted, not even trying to hide her ire. She skillfully tossed the newscroll in such a way that it opened up across the entire length of his desk. "Explain that to me, Hokage-sama!"

Although a bit confused by her sudden and, truthfully, out-of-nowhere, outburst the Fire Shadow looked down at the headline and his eyes went wide.

"Mikoto-chan I-" he tried to explain before he was cut off.

"You lied to me!" she accused, her fists clenched so tightly that Hiruzen thought they might bleed. "All those nights I was depressed. Where I couldn't sleep, feeling guilty because I couldn't do a goddamn thing and then lo and behold I find out this!" Mikoto quite frankly didn't care that she was openly disrespecting a legendary shinobi. Considering the magnitude of what the Sarutobi clan head had done, it was the last thing on her mind.

Hiruzen gave a downcasted look. "I'm sorry, Mikoto-chan," he told her genuinely. "I never wanted this to happen. I've always did the best for Konoha and…" he trailed off, not sure where to go from there.

"You call practically erasing someone from the village as if they never existed the best thing for Konoha!" she roared. "Aisu-kun was-"

He slammed his fist on his desk in fury, fighting fire with fire. "I know what the hell Aisu was! But I didn't have a choice after what he did!"

Mikoto's eyes narrowed. "Need I remind you, Hokage-sama, that YOU are partly responsible for how he turned out the way he did, YOU were the one who was supposed to be the light when he was always constantly being overshadowed and YOU abandoned him when he needed you the most," she retorted, making emphasis on the fact that they were his mistakes.

He couldn't deny any of those facts, but truthfully, it wasn't his entire fault. "I was in a near uncompromising situation, Mikoto…I did what I had to do," he reasoned, although, inwardly he wasn't so sure himself.

"So, why did you tell me that he died then after that incident?" she asked the million ryou question. "I loved him, Hokage-sama!" By now, she was inhaling deeply as tears fell down her eyes as memories of her one-sided affection for the brunette shinobi resurfaced in her mind.

"I know…" Hiruzen admitted. "I didn't know what to do. He ran away…and considering what he was, I couldn't let his betrayal tarnish the village's name."

"So you told me he died and went out of your way to erase traces of his existence from the village?" Mikoto couldn't just help but to laugh at the situation. "Wow…and let me guess, you had help from the Yamanaka clan too, huh?"

His silent told her all that she needed to know and she shook her head. "And look where it gets you, twenty years later, Hokage-sama. Aisu-kun has changed completely, partly due to you and his family and now he's the leader of the most brutal organization in the entire continent. Funny, you always told Aisu-kun that he'd be destined to change the world. The things you've done, Hokage-sama…I honestly am not sure how you even live with yourself. First, Aisu-kun, then Orochimaru, and now this." It was a low blow, and she knew it, but the Fire Shadow needed to be hammered in of just how monumental his sins were.

'You have absolutely no idea, Mikoto-chan,' he thought bitterly and solemnly.

She turned away from him in disgust. "Don't get me wrong, Hokage-sama, I respect your rank and will continue to fight for the village as I always have, but what you did was disgraceful and I don't care if you're the Hokage or not, it's the honest-to-the-gods truth."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," she told him, allaying him of his concern. "Because the truth will come out and I guarantee it will be from Aisu-kun himself. You already have enough to deal with, so I'll spare you that much," she said bitterly, before narrowing her eyes again. "But…you will tell me the entire truth one day. When I mean the entire truth, I mean everything! The background details, secrets, threads that were woven before it happened. All of it." It wasn't a request. It was an outright demand.

"I will," Hiruzen promised, without hesitation. If this was any other person, he would've outright refused and rebuked them for making a demand of that magnitude about an S-class secret that even Danzo himself was completely unaware of. In some twisted sort of way, he was indirectly responsible for breaking her heart twice. He owed the Uchiha too much to refuse.

Mikoto breathed out with a sigh and nodded in thanks. She bowed respectfully and then dismissed herself from the room.

'Orchimaru…Itachi…Aisu…truly you three are a monument to all of my sins,' The wizened Hokage thought in a defeated manner. He pulled back the drawer to his left, yet again. It was a bottle of sake that was completely full. Hiruzen didn't waste a single second gulping down its contents to take his desires away.

(-x.0.0.x-)

(Hokage Monument, 1200 hours)

On top of the famed monument that had the faces of all its leaders carved into the mountainside, stood a lone figure. A red robe with a hood covered gold and black armor plating that held together by two belts. A golden mouthpiece for the bottom portion of his face was covered and a white opera mask the top. His aqua blue eyes pierced through the eyelids of the mask.

"So…after finally travelling for so long, I finally reach the perpetuated Village Hidden in the Leaves," he intoned sadistically. His style of voice had a synthetic tone to it, almost as if he were a machine that had a voice echoed, slightly. "I must say, I'm not impressed," he remarked indignantly, crossing his arms.

He walked back toward the base of the mountain as a dark aura surrounded him and blood red patterns started to appear on his plated arm. He did several hand motions before calling out, "Renkinjutsu: Tenteikūra (Alchemic Art: Heavenly Void Net)," he called out as a square shaped form of energy appeared before him.

Inside the square, the same bald headed man in a white suit, he had spoken too after the coup in the Hidden Cloud appeared, although, obviously, he wasn't physically there, it was just a projection.

"Ah, my Regent. You've finally made it to the Elemental Nations, I see," the man observed.

"Of course, Ashtear. These…shinobi are more primitive than even I thought," the masked man spat in disgust and contempt.

"Of course, they wouldn't have the technological wonders of those of western civilization," Ashtear replied. "Though I must say, I'm impressed that the Tenteikūra could reach me, even though I'm thousands of miles away."

The masked man's eyes narrowed. "I'm an Alchemic master, you fool. Don't forget where your place is on the totem pole, Ashtear," he warned, dangerously.

"I apologize, my Regent," he apologized fearfully. The Regent of the Mask simply snarled, neither denying nor accepting the apology.

"How goes the construction of the Daedalus?" he inquired, changing the subject completely.

"It's progressing smoothly as it can. It's an enormous investment, along with building its sister ships, Atlas and Olympus," Ashtear replied. "For now, though, we can't send many more of our troops safely pass the frontier regions that separate Europa and the Elemental Nations. Even with our advanced technology and knowledge of Alchemy, the geological structures and climate is too unstable for us to send massive amounts of our men and materiel without heavy losses. You'll have to make due with a few hundred at a time, if that every three months, two at best."

The masked man nodded, having expecting this. "Very well. I shall make due with the men that I brought with me. They'll be enough. We have at least three years before Aisu starts his little war."

"What will you do in the meantime?"

"I told you that Naruto would be the catalyst as we make our existence known to the world." Although his face was covered, the bald alchemist just knew that he was smirking. "But first…I need to visit a certain snake. He has something I need and I will get it. With or without his cooperation."

Ashtear smiled deviously. "I understand, my Regent."

"I'll check back in for a progress update within the week. For now, continue the construction of those ships as planned." Without even saying a farewell, the masked-man cut off the connection towards the western continent.

He looked back towards the village with a vicious smile behind his mask. Soon, this village along with the rest of these primitive animals would feel the entire wrath of the Lords of Alchemy. Turning on his heel, he surrounded himself in a shadowy aura and vanished from sight.

Not a single individual would have ever known he was there.

(END)

And we finally come to a close. So it seems new players are stepping in to take the ninja world by storm, and they're not even from the same continent? It also seems that Hiruzen's sins are coming to a head as it's revealed that he indirectly had a hand in Aisu's descent into darkness.

So, now, I'm going to have a quick Q&A, both to clear up some misconceptions and questions that I constantly get.

Q: How do you properly pronounce Aisu and Obano's names?
A: Aisu is pronounced A(as in the English letter in the alphabet)-Sue. A-Sue. It's NOT 'eye-sue'. Oh-bahn-yo.

Q: Why is Aisu genuinely affectionate to Ayasaki, yet cold-blooded and manipulative towards almost everyone else?

A: You'll know when I reveal his entire backstory, which won't be for a while. There's a huge reason of why he turned out "evil". And I only say "evil" as it's going to be from a certain point-of-view where it'll be up to your interpretation of whether or not he's justified in his hatred.

Q: How strong is Team 7, currently?

A: Let's put it this way. They'd completely stomp any of the genin in the village, save for, maybe, Team Gai and even then, that's doubtful.

Q: Don't you think they might be a bit powerful as of now?

A: Maybe, maybe not. The thing is, though, the title of this story is "Konoha's Transcendent Ninja". I wouldn't be doing them justice if I were just going to just keep them a notch above everyone else. That's stupid as hell to me. Considering they have a lot of future enemies right now that would absolutely crush them utterly without even breaking a sweat, I'd say their strength as of now is more than justified after I spent 10 chapters of building them up. Most authors simply due time skips and leave it at that, but I didn't.

Q: Do Naruto and Sakura have a crush on Sakura?
A: You fucking tell me.

Q: Why'd you go back on your word when you said Naruto wasn't going to get a bloodline?
A: That was chapter one, and remember that was released almost two years ago and I didn't update till a year later. By then I had already had some fresh new ideas. Here's a fun fact: Mikoto originally was supposed to die like the rest of the Uchiha and Kumo was going to be glossed over in the background instead of going fully detailed. I simply changed my mind. Deal with it.

Q: What about Tetsuya?

A: I haven't forgotten about him. He WILL get his due trust me. Don't think for a second that that subplot has been dropped.

Q: Does Hiruzen know about Sakura's abuse?

A: No. He doesn't. If he did he would've killed Tetsuya. Which is why only Team 7 and Mikoto know about it. She's going to kill him. Telling the Hokage would rob her of that honor.

Q: How did the Regent sneak into the village undetected?

A: He is an Alchemy Master. They use chakra as a primary means of detection. It's an unknown unknown. Put two and two together.

Q: Where does Western Continent, a.k.a Europa, fit in in terms of technology compared to us in the real world?

A: Depends on what the object in question is a some of it's from different time periods for us. In general though, I'd say the majority of their tech is the equivalent of the US in the later 1940s, early 1950s.

Q: Wouldn't that be one-sided in favor of Europa and the alchemists when they face the shinobi?

A: Ha! Not even close. You'll see how it plays out in due time. It's going to be absolutely brutal for both sides. Have a little faith.

Q: Why would LOA (Lord's of Alchemy), help Aisu when they seemingly hate ninjutsu?
A: There's a reason. I'm simply not going to tell you, until I reveal it. It's just that simple.

Q: Is Alchemy here, similar to Fullmetal Alchemist?

A: Yep. But there are certain branches of it that completely contradict the lore in FMA.

Q: Is there a reference I can use to get a clearer picture of Naruto's invented jutsu?

A: Why, yes. If you played inFamous on the Playstation 3, and got to the final battle with Kessler, that's essentially what Naruto is doing when he's using Ibitsuyumi.

Now for something completely new: A jutsu/Romanji guide!

Hanachiri Shunshin (Flower-Dispersing Body Flicker): A unique B-rank form of the Shunshin no Jutsu, created by Sakura Haruno. In principle it works the exact same way as the original technique, but instead of a flicker or a puff of smoke, she leaves a swirling storm of cherry blossoms in her wake.

Ibitsuyumi (Distorted Step): B-Rank technique created by Naruto. By propelling a vast, controlled burst of chakra beneath his feet, Naruto turns it frictionless and propels himself forward at high-speeds, leaving a bluish blur in his wake.

All right, that's it for now. Please! Leave a review of what you thought. They only help motivate me. :D

Until next time!

-Arashi.