Chapter 3: Paradigm Shift

"Who founded Konoha?"

The morning had been slow, the hot sun beating down on the denizens of Konohagakure no Sato as the country's unforgiving climate defied the logic of the seasons. In a cosy flower shop its two occupants faired no better, their blond hair stuck to their respective brows as sweat slid down their skin.

"Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara." Naruto answered, dragging his forearm across his forehead.

"Uchiha Madara?" Ino questioned, brows furrowed in both confusion and frustration as she tried to combat the heat. The fan whirling besides could have been off and it would have served the same purpose, this has to be the hottest the village has ever been.

"Yeah," Naruto panted, "Y'know, Uchiha Madara. He founded the village with the Shodaime."

Ino was unfamiliar with the name. The history books never mentioned a specific Uchiha in regards to the village's formation, it was always attributed to the clan in general and Hashirama's efforts.

"How do you know this?" Naruto rolled his neck, from her position behind the counter she could see the sweat roll down his exposed back. He was lucky he could just discard his top, at the thought Ino craved for the sweet and cooling embrace of a cold swimming pool or any body of water at this point.

"I read it in a book that Jiji gave me," It was still so strange hearing Naruto talk about reading books, a part of her still clung to the perception that he was the deadlast that she's always known.

"Jiji?"

"Yeah, old man Hokage." He answered before taking a sip from his bottle of water. She watched as his throat bulged and rolled with each gulp he took, a stray streak escaping from the corner of his lips and down his jaw. The heat was getting to her.

"Naruto have some respect for the Hokage! You can't just go around calling him that."

Naruto seemed confused by her lecture, "But he doesn't mind, I've always called him that."

Her jaw hung open like a gaping fish. She couldn't think of many people who could get away with addressing such a powerful figure in such a casual way, but should she really be surprised? Naruto wasn't exactly the base model of conforming to societal norms.

"If you say so, but if you get into trouble I'll be there to tell you I told you so." He waved her off.

Her finger followed the smooth pages of her textbook, ever since opening and confirming inventory Ino has been keeping herself busy by testing Naruto's knowledge regarding the Shinobi world.

She had braced herself and prepared for the worst, but other two or three missed questions, Naruto was acing her game of trivia. She even pushed it a bit and circled around a few tactics, and once again he surprised her by getting them all right. Ino didn't want to be misunderstood, she was happy that Naruto was actually bright upstairs, but it all didn't add up. The kinds of things she was asking him were the same questions they typically received in tests and homework. He had said that he didn't understand them, but here he was contradicting himself.

"I thought you said you didn't understand any of this stuff." She said with a narrowed gaze watching every ripple his body made.

"I understand these stuff, but not the ones that Mizuki-sensei gives us." Her gaze of suspicion quickly morphed into one of curiosity and confusion.

Mizuki-sensei wasn't responsible for their academical work, he was concentrated on practicals such as sparring and the use of tools. So why was he giving Naruto homework? She didn't want to say anything just yet, this was something she wanted to discuss with her father.

"Right..." She sighed, flipping through more pages.

"Innnnnooo, it's so hooot!" He groaned, his lips captured in a childish pout while his eyes sparkled with the innocence of a puppy.

Ino rolled her eyes, "Well join the club, you big baby."

"You're the big baby." He shot back.

"I'm not the one whining!"

"You were whining all morning!"

They went back and forth, their conversation devolving into a spat over who was more immature between them. Engrossed in their debate they failed to notice the door open, Inoichi held back the urge to groan as he felt no difference between the heat outside and the one inside.

"Sorry to interrupt your lovers' quarrel you two," They both turned to glare at the older blond.

"We're not lovers!" They cried out in unison, but Inoichi wasn't convinced, he was young once.

"Keep telling yourselves that, anyway, I thought you would have liked some good news buuut, I could always just leave." He smirked as he turned to leave only to hear them call out to him.

"Oh, alright." He released the door's handle, "Since it's hotter an ox's ass-" The two academy students shared a look, "Don't question my words. As I was saying, because of the heat I don't see anyone coming in, and there's no orders for today. So, you kids can take the rest of the day off."

They cheered, Ino was close to collapsing at this point but her father had to be the thoughtful angel that he always ways.

"Oh, and Naruto don't worry about your payment, I'll sort that out for you okay?" Naruto nodded, but admittedly he had even forgotten about financial compensation. Ino's friendship was enough to keep him working, but who was he to turn down some quick cash?

"That's all, and Ino, don't stay out too late. I trust you two will stay out of trouble, but don't forget that it's a school night." They nodded and saluted the Yamanaka patriarch, having spoken his mind he bid them farewell and left.

Ino glaces over at the clock suspended above her. It was still early meaning they had a lot of time to kill, in fact they had only been in the shop for two hours as the clock struck noon.

"...So, wanna hang out?" Ino asked, he was the only person she could ask such a question with genuine interest.

"Can't say no to that." He pushed off from the crate he had been using as a seat, his ass was stiff but that was nothing compared to how dry his face felt despite the sweat and the moisturiser he had been using.

Ino went around back as she made sure everything was in place and secured, she returned with the shop's keys in hand.

"What should we do?"

Naruto cupped his chin and put on his figurative thinking cap. They needed something that wasn't physically taxing otherwise they would both topple over from heat exhaustion, and the Hokage monument was out of question he knew how hot those stones could be and being in the sun's direct path was not a good idea. His brows twitched and his eyes lit up.

"Got it! I know this place, it's like a private spring. I'm sure we can cool off there."

"A private spring you say?" Ino was now intrigued and invested, anything to beat this stupid heat.

"Yeah! You'll love it!"

"I hope so, now come on let's pass by my place first so I can grab something to wear." He nodded and they both exited the store, with Ino making sure to lock up before they took off.

It didn't take long for them to reach Ino's house, but Naruto immediately grew anxious as he saw not only Ino's mother sitting outside, but three other women as well. He trailed behind Ino hoping to go unnoticed, but all four women turned to face them as soon as they came into sight.

"Ino! You're home early." Her mother was the first to speak, the brown haired woman forgoing her usual elegant attire in favour of a green sundress.

"Hey mom, yeah dad let us off early." Ino then turned to face the three other woman.

"Hi, aunt Tamura, aunt Yoshino, and aunt Mebuki." The three women greeted her with pleasant smiles, however Kiku looked past Ino and shook her head amused by Naruto as he tried to make himself unnoticeable as possible.

"Don't be shy, Naruto, we don't bite."

A flustered Naruto scratched the back of his head as he stepped forward, "Hehe, sorry about that ma'am."

The women whispered amongst one another, giggling as they looked at the two blonds standing side to side. Ino patted Naruto's and grinned, "Hey, you stay here. I'll be back."

He froze, she wouldn't dare, but the look in her eyes told him otherwise. Before he could say anything Ino was already gone, her form engulfed by the house, leaving Naruto to interact with the four women.

"So tell me Naruto, has my daughter been treating you well while you two work?" Kiku asked, he didn't know why but he felt like he was walking into a trap.

"Yes, ma'am. Ino's great to work with." He answered a sincere smile stretching his lips and momentarily consuming his anxiety.

"See girls, Naruto here has to be the best thing that's happened to my Ino-chan, she's been more productive than she's ever been since they started mingling." Kiku giggled behind her glass of lemonade.

Naruto didn't know what to say, but he felt like he was agreeing to something completely out of his comprehension. The woman, Mebuki (Sakura's mother he believed) sighed wistfully, "If only my little girl could get over her silly crush on the Uchiha,"

Yoshino snorted, "At least your daughters do what they're told, I have to threaten Shikamaru and his father to actually get anything done around the house." Oh, and that was Shikamaru's mother evidently. She was quite pretty if Naruto gave his honest opinion, in fact he thought they all possessed beauty amongst them. Though he just hoped that Shikamaru would never catch him calling his mother that, it would undoubtedly make things awkward between them.

"Choji just needs a bit of a confidence boost that's all, once he gets that sorted he'll have all the ladies." The last of the four woman said, her voice deeper than the others but still soothing to hear. He wondered what his mother looked like, will he ever know?

"When can I be expecting grandkids, hmm Naruto-kun?"

Naruto didn't think it was possible for his face to get any hotter, but here was being proven wrong as his cheeks blistered.

"M-ma'am, Ino and I are just friends!"

They swooned at his meek response, but apparently they knew something that he didn't. Why were grown ups so weird? First it was Ayame, and then Ino's father, and now a legion of mothers were ganging up on him. He could only hope that Ino would spring to his rescue and whisk him away from the embarrassment.

"That's how it always starts." Yoshino chimed in.

The door opened once more and Naruto fought the urge to scurry over to Ino seeking her protection, but he held his ground until she joined his side.

"Okay mom, you can stop teasing him now." The gathered women whined as they were ripped of their source of entertainment.

"Come on, Naruto, let's get going," She tugged on is shirt, "I'll be home soon, mom."

Kiku waved the two away as they turned and left.

"Oh, to be young again." Mebuki sighed as she brushed her fingers against the early signs of wrinkles forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Don't be so drab Mebuki!"

Naruto had led her through the village in a journey filled with winding and twisting paths, at some point she was starting to think he didn't know where he was going but she refrained from voicing her concerns. They left the confines of the main districts and happened upon a part of the village that was meant to see construction, but the project wound up being put on hiatus.

"We're almost there." He reassured her as they crossed a large unfinished road. The silence was odd, it wasn't something Ino was used to, being a child of the hustle of bustle of the village square. There wasn't a soul in sight and the only other living things she saw was a stray cat prowling in the distance and the birds circling above.

As they reached the other end of the road, lush over growth concealed the otherside. She couldn't make out what the vines were climbing but she assumed it was a wall or a fence of some sort.

"Through here." Naruto crouched and untangled a mass of tall grass, revealing a beaten path no doubt creates repeated passage.

She was reluctant at first, fearing that her skin would fall prey to the insects roaming the overgrowth, but watching Naruto nonchalantly crawl and smack aside reeds gave her enough of a confidence boost to follow suit. The pair of blonds pushed through until they reached an opening big enough for them to slip through with relative ease.

"And we're here!" Naruto announced as he sprang to his feet and jogged forward. Ino hurried through the gap and out of the grass, running her palms against her skin just in case something had stuck to her.

Ino marvelled at the so called spring, she wasn't sure if she could even call it that but the place carried a picturesque quality to it. A large pool of clear water was the main attraction, surrounded by bleached stones of varying sizes. The pool connected to a stream that vanished through another opening, but the water was clean enough for Ino not to question the source.

Tall tress hung above them casting cool shadows with enough gaps in the canopy to allow for a modest amount of sunlight to illuminate the space. A red building sat in the background, it's structure long conquered by the untamed flora as it crawled up its walls.

"Wow, this is beautiful." She spun around taking in the sight with keen eyes.

"I know, right?" Naruto grinned, "And can you feel that?"

"It's not hot." She said in relieved voice. The calm air felt amazing against her sweat skin, just like turning the pillow over on a hot night. Ino could just happily collapse on the spot and soak in the cold feel of the cobbled stones beneath her.

"Bingo! I'm going to take a soak, last one to get in the water is a rotten egg!" Naruto laughed as he began to toss aside his clothes, leaving him in just his boxers.

"Hey no fair! I need to change first!" Ino glared as he cackled at her, leaping into the water with a big splash.

"Then change." Naruto said as if it was simple as just stripping.

"I'm a girl idiot, I need some privacy! Unless you want to see me nude!" A bird cried out in the distance as neither blond uttered a word.

"Don't answer that."

"Uhh, you can change in there." Naruto pointed towards the building. She looked in the direction of his finger and shuddered.

"In there?! Naruto! Do you want me to get killed or cursed?!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at her, "C'mon, Ino, there's nothing in there but a bunch of masks."

"Masks? Like ritual masks?" She asked a little unnerved, and Naruto shrugging his shoulders failed to make her feel better.

"I dunno, just weird masks. I've been in there several times and nothing's happened before." He pulled himself out of the water, body dripping wet.

"And besides I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."

She was hesitant, but he was right, Naruto wouldn't let anything happen to her.

A cautious Ino approached the building and slid the decrepit door open, coughing slightly as a cloud of dust engulfed her. The building faired better on the inside, but it was one sneeze away from collapsing. Pale streaks of light snuck in through small cracks in-between the wooden walls, illuminating a rack that sat in the middle of the room. Multiple masks were held in place and suspended on the rack, their porcelain visages staring at her with unmoving expressions. The whole thing felt ominous and Ino could not find the courage to not cling to the walls.

"No no no, I'm not changing in here!" She screamed, turning to leave only to bump into Naruto.

"It's not that bad." He said dismissively, the braver of the two blonds ventured forth and approached the rack.

"They're kinda neat." He muttered, despite having seen the masks many times before Naruto has never bothered to try one on. Something stopped him from even entertaining the idea, as if he had some sort of mental blockage.

"Boys." Ino huffed, "But still I'm not changing in here."

Naruto sighed, "Fine, you can change outside and I'll stay in here, deal?"

"Is there anyone else in the area?"

"Eh, there's a couple of Anbu, but they're too far away to actually see anything."

Ino still couldn't help but be impressed by Naruto's sensing ability. As long as he had it active it felt as if nothing could sneak up on or hide from him. But that raised the question.

"Why are Anbu here? Naruto are we even allowed to be here?"

He hummed at her, "Well they've never stopped me before."

She supposed that if that was the case then it was fine. Ino ultimately decided to just do as Naruto offered and change outside, slipping into a predictably purple swimsuit.

Naruto stepped out of the building just in time to see Ino jump into the water, leaving him to be a victim of her splash.

"I guess you're the rotten egg." She stuck her tongue out at him, much to his ire.

"That's not how that works!"

"Sore loser!" Naruto's lips fell into a frown, but twitched as he took a few steps before sprinting forward.

Ino stared at him before realising what he was planning, she tried to swim away but she was too late as his body crashed into the pool making a splash larger than hers. Ino's body swayed back and forth before coming to a stop, a scowl marring her face.

"That's how you make a splash."

"Congratulations, we're all cheering for you."

Naruto snorted as he pressed his back against the end of the pool, "Thank you my adoring fans."

Ino scooped a handful of water and tossed it at his face.

"And here I was about to call your suit cute, but now I won't."

Ino pouted as she waded through the water until her own back was against the stone surroundings opposite Naruto.

"Not as cute as your frog boxers." She smirked at him.

"They're toads!"

The hours dwindled and as the two academy students spent their day unwinding in their secret spot the sun would begin to see an end to its rotation. Orange beams filtered through the canopy casting an amber glow upon the water, and much to the two's disappointment it was time to go.

"Man, we've got class tomorrow." Naruto groaned as he slid his arms through the openings of his shirt's sleeves.

Ino shook her head but inwardly moaned alongside him. Iruka's lectures were boring and most of the week was going to be dedicated to theory and worst of all *history*. Graduation couldn't come soon enough, ten months is too far away for her.

"Let's hurry back home, I don't want to get in trouble with my dad."

"Your dad's so cool." She heard him say and she snorted, her dad had his moments but he could often be a pain in the ass.

"What does he do? I don't think ever seen him doing like Jonin stuff."

"Oh he's the head of the Kaisekihan, they deal with getting info from suspects using our clan technique."

"Coool!"

"Yeah I guess he's cool." She said with a soft smile.

--

"So...see you at school tomorrow?" Ino asked as she stood a few feet from her door.

"I dunno I was thinking of this epic prank-"

"Naruto!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking! I'll see you tomorrow." He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her and shifting awkwardly. Ino rolled her eyes as she returned the hug.

"Your hug sucks, but at least we're getting there."

"Errr, thanks."

"Just beat it, I'll see you in class, loser." She pulled her bottom lid down before rushing into the house and closing the door.

Naruto stood in place for a moment. Girls were weird, Ino was especially weird, but it was the kind of weird that he liked. The blond Jinchuriki turned and walked home with an unknowing smile on his face. Today was a good day.

Inside the Yamanaka residence, Ino found her father hunched over the counter, messaging his temple while swirling a glass of water in his other hand.

"Uhm, you okay dad?"

"Yeah, just had to dive into a few too many minds today." He answered beofe taking a large gulp from the glass.

"That sucks." Ino was still a novice to their clan's techniques and such she's only delved into a few minds mostly of fellow clan members out of practice. She's never had to intrude an unwilling mind since they were more difficult and had more variables to take into consideration.

Inoichi turned to fully face his daughter, he could see telltale signs of a day spent in water so he assume she was out swimming with Naruto.

"You had a good time with your friend?"

"Yeah! We found this neat swimming spot, kept us cool for the rest of the day!" She then cupped her chin in thought, "And I can't help but feel like you've left an impression on Naruto."

The older blonde quirked a brow of curiosity, "You say?"

"He thinks you're cool, and honestly I can see Naruto fitting into the Kaisekihan quite well."

Now Inoichi was intrigued. He didn't know much about the Jinchuriki's skillset, just that Naruto was shockingly good at stealth proven by his many pranks and that he was good at making pranks. He seemed more appropriate for something like a future Anbu if he dwelled on it long enough.

"So Naruto can see chakra." Inoichi was about to say something but Ino beat him to it, "Now before you say anything you have to understand that when I see chakra, I mean he can see it in the body. I don't know how it works but he's able to see and *feel* it, yesterday he was able to find Sasuke and detail exactly what he was doing."

Inoichi's eyes were wide, that was beyond simple sensory. He had never heard of such an ability, it sounded closer to a doujutsu than just an ordinary technique. He couldn't help but wonder if the Kyubi has anything to do with that.

"If he can feel chakra...that means he can determine a person's intentions." He could already envision it, Naruto could act as a screen to point out potential suspects, it would cut down the long and tedious process of elimination and having to jump into every mind.

"Whoa dad back off, he's my dumbass, get your own." Ino said with a scowl.

"But Ino! He would cut down my time at work."

"Nope, deal with it dad." Ino said with firmness in her tone, "But on the topic of Naruto, there's something fishy with him and the academy."

"Something fishy?"

"Mhm, Iruka-sensei is responsible for giving us written work so theory homework, exams, and assignments. Naruto told me he gets those things from Mizuki-sensei, but he's only supposed to provide us with practical work like sparring and weapon training. I think Naruto's getting the wrong stuff and that's why he's failing." It was something she had been thinking about the whole day, in fact it had been on her mind since she decided to start talking to Naruto.

He was not an idiot, far from it. There's no way that the Naruto that she hung out with was the same guy getting those abysmal scores on tests, he should at least be getting average pass marks.

Inoichi closed his eyes, he looked calm on the outside but internally he was trying to recall the face attached to the name, Mizuki. It took a bit but he eventually remembered the man, he was under suspicion after he returned from a mission gone wrong. Ino's theory would have sounded far-fetched if it was attached to anyone else, but knowing the lengths that people went to make Naruto's life a nightmare, he wouldn't be surprised if she hit the nail on the head.

"I'll talk to the Hokage about it and see if I can get an investigation launched." He smiled as he saw her face radiate with positivity.

"Thanks dad, you're the best! I'm going to go bath now."

"Ino," She looked over her shoulder, "I'm proud of you, not a lot of people would go this far for that kid. You're maturing."

"What can I say, I'm just that great."

"And you ruined it."

'I'm going to do it! I'm going to talk to him!'

"Hey Hinata, Sup?"

"Aaaaaah!"

Naruto watched as Hinata blitzed away from him and disappeared from his sight. The confused blond stood rooted on the spot, unsure of what to make out from the girl's strange behaviour. Has he said that girls were weird? Well they are.

Deciding that he wasn't going to get any answers just standing there, he pushed forward and entered the classroom. It was still sparse with students, a few cliques here and there discussing how their weekend went. Ino hadn't arrived which surprised him, but he spotted a familiar pineapple headed boy who did surprise him.

"You're here early." He commented as he claimed his seat in front of him.

Shikamaru groaned and raised his head slightly enough to peek his eyes through his arms, "It's my mom, she woke me up before even the sun rose."

He should have known.

"But you're here early too, let me guess, Ino?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, I just woke up on time I guess."

The Nara boy didn't know what transpired over the few days for Naruto and Ino to be best buddies all of sudden. The two barely interacted and now Naruto was suddenly on time for school, this was the work of a troublesome woman, the kind that his father warned him about.

The door clicked open and a familiar face walked in. Shikamaru expected Ino to claim the seat next to Sasuke, but she walked right past him and stood besides them.

"Good, you're here. I thought you would have bunked."

"Hey I told you I was joking about that."

"I couldn't be too sure, come on scoot over." She shooed him as she pressed her hip against his and scooted him aside.

"Troublesome girl." Shikamaru muttered trying to go back to sleep.

"Here." Ino fished out something from her bag, turning over with an envelope in hand.

"What's this?"

"Money, dad did say he'll sort you out." She said as she slid it over to him. Naruto held the envelope in his hands and it felt hefty, he had expected a couple of bills but this was a fair bit of payment.

"I'll make sure to pass by and thank him."

"There's more to come, you are an official employee of Yamanaka Flowers." Ino said with a large grin, one that grew wider as she saw the sparkles in his eyes.

"But before you get too happy about that money, I'm taking you shopping after class."

"Awww but I wanted ramen."

"No! We're getting you proper food and a some new clothes."

Naruto looked down at himself, his orange jumpsuit hanging off him, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing."

Even Shikamaru took precious time out of his sleep to send him a blank stare.

"I can list a whole book's worth of problems about that thing you're wearing. No, arguing."

He slumped in his seat, and Ino took that as a sign of defeat and a victory on her end. Finally she wouldn't have to see that garish jumpsuit every again.

Of course Ino's friendly attitude towards Naruto did not go unnoticed by the few students who were in early. Seeing the queen of popularity herself hanging out with the deadlast was enough to raise more than a few eyebrows, even the indifferent Uchiha Sasuke found it strange as he sent the occasional glance in their direction.

Not that he cared, whatever was going on between the two would not be his concern unless it somehow led to him gaining a substantial growth in power, which he doubted. As it stood Naruto to him was just a benchmark, other than Kiba, Naruto was the closest thing he had in terms of a good sparring partner. The blond may have lacked finesse, but his raw strength and aptitude to fighting was enough to make him an unpredictable powerhouse, one that managed to catch Sasuke off-guard several times.

He had potential.

"Cha! Leave Sasuke-kun alone Ino-pig-"

Sakura froze midway as she saw the seat next to Sasuke empty, her accusing finger pointing at nothing but air. Her rival and sworn enemy was not where she expected her to be, instead she was sitting next to that clown, Naruto.

"Good job, dumbass." Ino remarked.

Sure Ino had thought about taking the seat next to Sasuke when she first walked in, but sitting next to the Uchiha was kind of boring. Sasuke was cool and all, but he didn't really do much or say anything. He just sat there, brooding at everything. Not sitting next to him was the same as sitting next to him, nothing gained despite all that she's ventured.

She still wanted to help Naruto out, after all she did promise she would. And this way she could keep an eye open for any foul-play and confirm if his papers were being tempered with.

Sakura shuffled in awkward silence, she didn't have a comeback and anything she said would come off as petty. Keeping her mouth shut, she accepted her place next to Sasuke and as per usual, her greeting was met with silence.

The class soon filled up and both Iruka and Mizuki walked in.

"Good morning class, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend but I also hope you didn't forget about the homework I gave you." There were several groans.

"Now you all know this is to aid in your future as potential shinobi and kunoichi of this village. Take out your homework for me, I'll spend the first hour marking and then we'll resume with class."

Mizuki walked around collecting the homework, the man grinning as he approached Naruto's desk. Of course the boy didn't do it, he had given up after the fifth forged paper.

However, to his shock Naruto did in fact do the homework and as he glossed over it, those were not the questions he had given him. The man glowered as he reluctantly collected the paper, missing the stare that Ino sent his way.

A tall stack sat before Iruka, a few hadn't bothered and he expected Naruto to be in that batch, but the boy's paper was right there in full. He was curious, going as far as skipping the others and immediately jumping to mark the Uzumaki's sheet...and everything was correct.

He glanced over at the boy as he and Ino whispered to one another. That was strange, really strange.

The Sandaime Hokage was a tired old man. He had long accepted that his prime was beyond him, and he was in fact a relic in a new era. Unlike Oonoki, he did not wish to hold the helm of the village any longer, in fact he had left the position at one point in time, but the early and untimely demise of the Yondaime Hokage saw him take the reigns once more.

His eyes followed the curvature of the walls until they settled on a framed picture, that of a young blond man.

Minato was meant to lead Konoha into this new age, but life was never the one to make things easy.

"He looks so much like you." Hiruzen muttered, "But he acts so much like his mother," He chuckled lightly.

Young Naruto was an amalgam of his parents, possessing Kushina's temper and her mischief, while brandishing the dangerous wits of his father. He saw many great things for the boy, he just wished that the village could see what he saw.

He was broken out of his musings by a knock, and with a quick call of affirmation, the door opened.

The head of the Kaisekihan and the Yamanaka walked in.

"Inoichi, what do I owe the pleasure to on this fine morning?"

"Good morning Hokage-sama, it's about Naruto."

Hiruzen sighed, "What has he done now?"

Inoichi shook his head, "Nothing, I just wanted to share some things that I learned about the boy from my daughter, Ino."

"Oh," He gestured for the man to take a seat, "I'm always keen to learn more about our young Uzumaki."

"Ino raised some concerns about Naruto's academical performance. She believes he's being sabotaged by their secondary instructor, Mizuki."

The Hokage was familiar with that name, the man was still under suspicion for his odd story regarding his last mission. The elder Sarutobi stroked his beard, "What makes her say that?"

"According to her, Umino Iruka is responsible for their written work while Mizuki focuses on physical activities. However, in Naruto's case Mizuki has been distributing Naruto's theory assignments, which do not match the work that Iruka gives to the rest of the class."

Hiruzen's features hardened.

"I see. Neko." A feline masked Anbu with purple hair appeared.

"Please fetch Chunin instructor Mizuki from the academy and deliver him to Ibiki for me."

The Anbu nodded and was gone as quickly as she appeared.

"Mizuki will answer for his sabotage, your daughter has my thanks, Inoichi." The Hokage bowed his head, a motion that the Yamanaka leader mirrored.

"There's one more thing Hokage-sama. Ino also discovered that Naruto has a unique form of sensory unlike anything I've heard of before."

"Please do go on."

"It seems Naruto is able to not only see raw chakra, but also feel it. In an example she gave me, Naruto was able to locate the Uchiha Sasuke and detail exactly what he was doing."

Hiruzen quirked a brow, but chuckled. Naruto was full of surprises.

"I see, that sounds like the ability that Uzumaki Mito displayed."

"The Shodaime Hokage's wife had a similar ability?"

Hiruzen nodded, "Yes, I don't believe she ever provided a name for it but it allowed her to do exactly the same thing your daughter described. It's a powerful form of sensory unique to a few Uzumaki."

"So Naruto is a true Uzumaki then?"

"Yes, I didn't expect it to reappear in him, but it will serve as an excellent tool in his path."

"I suppose putting out a formal request to have him in the Kaisekihan is a no?"

The Hokage laughed, "I admire your attempt Inoichi, but that will be up to Naruto when he's ready."

"It was worth a shot."

"Young Naruto and your daughter are close?" Hiruzen asked, he didn't know Naruto to have friends, the boy despite his lively attitude was a loner from what he recalled.

"I don't know when exactly their friendship began, but they seem to be close."

The Hokage's lips twitched, "You just gave me an idea Inoichi. Do this old man a favour and keep an eye out on Naruto?"

"I'm curious to what this idea is Hokage-sama, but knowing you I'll probably not get an answer," Hiruzen smirked and Inoichi shook his head, "But I accept, I'm growing quite fond of the boy myself. I've already given him a permanent position at Yamanaka Flowers."

"And I thank you for that. If what I have in mind succeeds, we might just bear witness to a shift in our village's status quo.

His eyes veered towards the portrait of Minato once again, 'Your boy is going to be something else, Minato.'

End of Chapter 3

A/N: Okay so I lied, here's another chapter! I just couldn't keep it out of my head, whenever I try write something else I find myself just coming back to this. Again your support is amazing, yalls are great and keep inspiring to write for this story.

Okay so to answer some questions. This is their final year in the academy, Ino is 12 and Naruto is 14. I will be leaning a lot into Naruto's Uzumaki heritage in this, you'll see how as the story goes on but keep that in mind. We won't spend much time on their pre-Genin phase, this was just to set some grounds for their friendship and Naruto's subsequent progression.

As for the pairing I'm seeing more supporting the mono ship so I'll veer more towards that. I do have something in mind for Karin so that may eventually have its own fic, but Karin will still be present in this fic, she is family after all.

Anywho can't spend much writing here, once again thank you guys! Your support is always appreciated and hope to continue delivering an enjoyable story.

Ciao!