Naruto Sighed as he listened to Iruka name off the teams. There was an extra genin this year, and the solution was handed to them on a silver platter, seeing as a member of team nine from the year prior, quit the shinobi lifestyle. Something about his flames of youth being unable to handle the other twos, or something like that.

No one understood the deeper meaning behind it.

But for the current class, the students were being separated into teams, and currently, three were hoping beyond hope that things work out for them. Iruka was reaching team seven, calling off Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba. Team eight, consisted of Hinata, Ino, and Tenten, while team ten, was Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino. Apparently, Naruto was selected to replace the quitter on team nine.

Sasuke had heard and understood the reason for why someone quit the team and felt that he dodged a bullet there. If the teacher was so bad, he managed to make someone quit the shinobi lifestyle, he was not a teacher he wanted. Naruto was cool having to be placed there and was curious as to what his team would be like.

Hinata, Ino, and Tenten each understood why they were selected to be on team eight together. They were practically trained together throughout their entire schooling. Eventually, Paige was discovered helping them, and was forced to talk with Hiruzen. Paige had to explain the whole reincarnation thing between the three girls and her sisters and was even forced to show the book of shadows to the man.

They had been called in to demonstrate the powers Paige claimed to have given them, and after the demonstration, Hiruzen allowed Paige to continue teaching the three about their past lives. Paige wound up explaining the role of a white lighter, and what she was supposed to do for the three girls. Hiruzen, after a quick scan from Inoichi, allowed her to continue her work, and even helped her with an identity.

So, Paige was an official member of the village, which meant a little more freedom with communications, but more limits to what she could actually do, seeing as she now had to follow laws and report her entrance and exits to a nearby shinobi, or she would be considered a spy and executed on the spot.

Paige had, with permission, given Hiruzen a couple books on what white lighters do and their purpose in the grand scheme of things, the elders even seeing this as an opportunity to integrate themselves back into human society. Almost makes them consider thanking Cole.

Almost.

They didn't feel Hiruzen would have to worry too much about Paige's mission, but they did mention that she had to find and eliminate a rouge demon that was far too powerful to risk him gaining freedom. And Paige was their agent that was needed to gift and guide the three current incarnations of the charmed ones with the ability to harness the form of power needed to eliminate Cole once and for all.

Hiruzen, understood and allowed Paige to continue to aid his shinobi in becoming stronger, and would allow her to recruit the three to help her fight the enemy that was haunting his people. But he also made them play by his rules. Hiruzen and his shinobi were powerful enough to eliminate the elders with ease, and they knew it, but they also didn't have the methods to isolate, contain, and/or eliminate this Cole, demon. So, Hiruzen would work with these elders. They were at least better conversationalist than the council he had to deal with.

And so, the days go. Team Charmed, which was something started by Anko while she was there and learned the title for the three girls, and so teasingly named them team charm instead of using their proper team number. Anko would on occasion pop up and help Kurunei out when she felt like it, mostly because she had free time.

And Paige wound up allowing the jounin instructor look through the BoS, while the three girls did. They found a couple of spells that would be helpful around the house, or even fun to use in general, until Paige warned them about using magic for personal gain, telling them the story behind her first experience with it. She had made a guy the focus of ogling, so the magical backlash did the same to her, by giving her humongous breasts.

Ino and Anko immediately laughed, before Ino suggested Hinata try to get the same backlash, so she could lure Naruto to her with her new "curse". Anko was all aboard for that idea, giving out names that she could cast Paige's spell on.

Because even though the author said in an earlier chapter this was going to be about the girls, it's now going to move back and forth, like you all suspected. Naruto was also having a somewhat easy time getting along with his own team, and even learned a bit about the splashes Paige was creating.

Something that shocked Might Gai, was during one of the training sessions, right after Neji wound up explaining his family curse to Naruto, mostly because Naruto friendly ribbed the boy about being a prince in a prestigious clan. Neji wanted him to stop, so he explained the situation there.

Naruto explained his own curse to the two boys. He also made sure they knew how the seal actually functioned, having learned himself from the Kyubi. His team also learned that if they impressed the fox, he might even be allowed to tell them his name. Neji stopped being so dismissive of the boy, while Lee spoke highly of his flames of youth. Gai had shouted loudly and proudly of how youthful his students were, to except everyone no matter the curse placed upon them.

Might Gai was apparently proud to teach and guide his three students, each having a curse their own they needed to overcome, and as Naruto could freely talk about his problem, he also wound up, eventually, mentioning the other three in his head. His team, after Neji and Lee worked through the awkwardness, Neji being the first during a mission, teased Naruto about just having guys on his brain.

It was honestly during a rather long and boring mission, one cannon Naruto could have used the shadow clones to speed up, but because he had Cole teaching him, he can create illusions that allowed him to pass the exams. The rest he had down without Cole, but he technically cheated with having help from his inner demons. Which he also confessed to his team about when Neji was confused over how he didn't use chakra with his clone technique.

Gai would have shouted about how his flames of youth being dimmed, if he hadn't explained his issues with controlling his chakra with his demon. Techniques were like shot glasses, and your chakra was like a container of liquid. Your level of control dictated how much of a spout you had to control the amount of drink you placed in the glass, but his container was a full punch bowl, and he was unable to create a spout strong enough to control it all. Which actually ruins the normal clone technique. His team liked that form of analogy for their chakra, and everyone now knew he had the opposite problem to Lee.

Though something that honestly brought the guys up short, was when Naruto managed to learn how to filter Kurama's chakra through him and allow Lee a chance to use actual jutsu properly. Lee had never been more ecstatic about receiving a gift on his birthday before. Of course, none of them but Neji, who used his byakugan, realized that Naruto doing that, had started Lee on a form of medication to fix his problem.

It didn't happen very often, and it would have even gone unnoticed if not for Neji noticing, but Naruto's regenerative aspects within his chakra, amplified by Kurama's, actually started to fix what was wrong with Lee. Lee still followed in Gai's footsteps but was ecstatic and so happy to be able to actually use techniques. His first one was the henge, though he only managed to hide his eyebrows as rocks. But it was a start.

Gai had taken them out to eat that day, and all three boys were actually in such a good mood, when team charmed walked in after a long day of D-ranks, Neji was even cordial and polite to Hinata, somewhat scaring the girl. Though she had given him a hug, taking advantage of his good mood, having missed how nice her cousin was to her before the whole fiasco with their fathers.

Neji had never realized how Hinata was affected by his cold attitude towards her, until he hugged her as she cried into his shoulder that day, telling how much she missed him. Gai had invited the ladies to join them, and Neji, with as scattered as his mind was, wound up putting Hinata between him and Naruto.

While some of them there were slightly confused why Neji and Hinata hugging was such a big deal, or why the hug made Neji sit there looking a little lost in his own head, the rest of the girls each gave her a thumbs up when she got to sit next to Naruto. Which was something the boy enjoyed as well, seeing as he made sure to order something different than Hinata, and even offered her to try it, leading to Naruto feeding Hinata off his own fork that he had been using. Seeing as Naruto was in the corner, Hinata was the only one he could offer to try it, and no one wanted to ruin the adorable moment anyway.

However, things will still move onward. Gai had done his job, reporting to Hiruzen about Naruto's extra guests, and the man found it humorous that his man found and assessed the demon threat before the elder's agent did. Though Hiruzen knew the girl was spot on but limited in interacting with the boy. Though recently, with the two teams hanging out a little more, seeing as three members were connected, Hinata and Neji were actually fixing their relationship, seeing as Neji's heart was being melted by his teammates pulling him into relaxing. Apparently, being shown how your curse could be worse, by pairing the boy up with Naruto, the boy trusting in Neji enough to explain his own curse, the two wound up bonding and on a level, they were able to help one another.

Neji was able to see how much worse things could be and had a friend that had a cursed seal forced upon him. Neji needed the confidant more than any of them realized, especially after the first couple walks through town as a team returning from a simple mission, not to mention how the clients all glared at Naruto. Neji spent a day with Naruto, saw how much glares and looks of disgust he received. When he reached home, he took care to take in the looks his fellow branch members gave him, the support and kindness he had before taken for granted, really changed the boy's perspective on things.

Team nine were doing a load better as they convened for their team meetings, eventually going from Neji silently brooding, Lee silently training, and Naruto silent on just the outside. To Lee teasing Neji of how his flames were beginning to outshine him, before Neji would join him in a light standing spar, all the while, Naruto was speaking for four voices in his head as they commented on random things.

Naruto did join them once in a while, but the boy's true skill lied in his magical abilities, and so, he was the ranged support. And eventually, Naruto was able to use his powers that required love. He learned to love the goofball that is Lee, and even the smartass Neji, and was able to heal them up after their spars, showing his full potential as their support. Blink in, grab them, blink out, and heal them. Especially after Gai got Naruto permission to learn the shadow clone technique.

The most useful thing to come from that, was when Naruto was able to place one of the guys in one and allow it to use magic. Naruto could use all their magical powers, but he was only able to do that because he had the souls of Cole and Leo. Seeing as Kurama was sealed within him, and Coop was his past life, Naruto and all his clones could use those powers, though Naruto couldn't duplicate his ring, making that power useless to his clones.

However, Leo and Cole were different stories. Because they were just within his seal, but not bound to him, he could allow them to enter a different clone, though it somehow changed the color of his shirt from pink to white or black depending on who entered it. But that clone could use the powers of the guy that was within the clone. If both entered, that would leave Naruto without ranged attacks, but it allowed him a realm of versatility. Naruto would just be limited to how much he should split his guardian spirits until he could defend himself properly, seeing as if his souls left him, he would be completely useless other than the shadow clones.

So, Naruto got some training in ranged support, and even learned his nature was wind, a rare chakra type in Konoha. But Gai came through on several books and even some training tips of his own. Naruto was unable to really practice against his teammates, seeing as if he screwed up, he would slice them in half, so he was still not sparring with them as much as they sparred with each other.

But the days go on as they say, and because Kakashi lacked a certain loudmouth on his team, and his current loudmouth was taught how to behave properly by his mother, giving him a slight hatred for spray bottles, and Sakura just enjoyed spending time with Sasuke, who had more restraint and lasted longer before exploding and demanding a proper mission.

Kurunei had been in the right place and the right time to receive a certain mission to Wave.

A couple days later, Naruto went to the Hokage to request to give the girls backup, and though confused, because he knew how the elders worked, Hiruzen got to learn that Leo, who resided in Naruto, could feel Piper's cry for help and started to beg Naruto to convince his Hokage to let him go help. Cole and Coop were also in support, feeling the fear in Phoebe. So, Naruto and the rest of team nine were ready, having grabbed their emergency mission supplies that Gai convinced them to make, and instead of running to catch up, Naruto, used his powers to teleport them.

Right into a fight against the A-rank threat Zabuza.

The man had honestly been toying with the girls, the man being too powerful for Ino to freeze like the demon brothers and was able to summon water clones that while she could freeze, were pointless to freeze because they just dispelled and reformed. Hinata had saved everyone from being sliced in half with a premonition. But like with Ino, Tenten was having trouble moving things that were useful enough to protect them.

Paige had been doing her best to help, orbing them around to keep Zabuza from just killing them, but Kurunei was not in a good position here. Zabuza was a powerful kenjutsu expert, and a jounin of greater skill than herself, there was a reason why he had the guts to attack the Mizukage after all. Even being skilled enough to escape the fallout of failing.

Zabuza was skilled enough that her illusions were merely slowing him down, so she couldn't truly be blamed for letting out a sigh of honest relief when she heard those dreaded words, "Dynamic Entry!"

Kurunei was going to plant a kiss on Gai for the save here, as his students each went and aided her own. Gai was able to give Zabuza a surprise kick that launched him through a tree and across the lake, before he planted right into another. He was out cold after that, so Haku could be excused for extracting him. No one could stay conscious after a solid boot to the head from Might Gai after all.

Though suspicious of the hunter's actions, the teams chose to assess the damage to their members. So, the teams guided Tazuna the rest of the way home, where Naruto requested a word with his team. Kurunei insisted she join, which Naruto shrugged.

Naruto looked between those with him and the house, making sure no one was in position to read him as he talked. "Kurunei, you will need a short background info before I speak what I want to say. Since Paige is with you, I am going on the assumption that you are aware of the whole reincarnation deal with them all." She nodded. "Well, the same is going on with me. Paige is looking for Cole, right?" Nod. "Well, he as well as Leo are in my head and guiding me through life. And because of them, I also have my past life as Coop in my head."

Kurunei frowned, noticing the looks of confusion worn by her fellow instructor and his other students, she decided to wait. "Normally, because the Hokage already knows about all this, there would be no reason to bring this up, however, because my teammates know about Coop, I wanted to ask they not mention him at all to team eight."

Gai placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Coop has been a rather youthful influence my boy, why would you desire to hide his existence now?"

Naruto frowned. "Coop and Phoebe are soulmates. In their past lives they were wedded and found one another each life since. Hinata has a crush on me, and her knowing that I am coop's reincarnation, while she is Phoebe's, may lead to confusing and/or conflicting emotions rising up. She needs to decide her feelings and rally her courage on her own terms, not feel obligated and pressured into things."

Kurunei smiled. "Her crush on you, you know about it. Yet here you are, not taking advantage of knowing she is your soulmate."

Naruto smiled as he began to look a little nervous. "Not to mention I also have Ino's soulmate within my head as well."

Yeah, that makes a lot of things awkward for the three. Naruto on a technicality, could be seen as both Ino's and Hinata's soulmate, or he could be seen as someone that is holding Ino's hostage, blocking her from finding her destined one.

Kurunei frowned over all this, these elder guys were getting to be more trouble than they were worth, because they just assume Cole had bad intentions, so they sent someone to murder him, and when that plan fails, they send another girl to recruit three kids to battle a centuries old demon and hope they succeed where the first guy failed. Something was making Kurunei ask how often those guys thought through these plans.

So, with the explanation given, they rejoined the others in Tazuna's house, where Naruto had to give another explanation as to how he knew the girls were in trouble. So, he had to tell them about at least Leo and Cole, both of who were guiding him, with Leo letting Cole do the bulk of the job. Naruto had to explain that Cole wanted to pass on and be judged, so he tried to guide Naruto and help him through life, Leo chipped in with some advice if Cole didn't see something or just had less experience in the thing.

Paige stared in shock as she was informed that Cole and Leo both warned Naruto about the girls having trouble, so Naruto went and requested for his team to give them back up. They had no real information, other than they were in trouble, so Naruto convinced the Hokage to send his team, Gai being an elite Jounin, one of the best, aided in Naruto's argument to allow them to join the mission.

Paige pouted over the all male team rescuing them. "Well, as someone that lived in a family where the girls were the badass heroes, I do feel slightly disappointed in myself for needing the rescue. But if you know about Cole, and Leo is helping you, they must have warned you about me, and told you about the charmed ones. What is all that about, why have you all been hiding from me?"

Naruto scoffed. "Your goal is to murder me." Before Paige could argue her innocence towards the accusation, Naruto continued. "Your mission is obviously to get rid of Cole, but he connected with the Kyubi, and when Leo grabbed him, he extended that connection to him as well. Removing any of the three will cause my death, because the three are connected, and removing one will remove the others."

Hinata was nervous as she stepped closer to Naruto, Ino and Tenten fidgeted over the information. Paige looked a little concerned, and slightly nervous as Naruto's team and even Kurunei stood in front of the boy to protect him from her if need be. Naruto decided to give a bit more info. "Leo and Cole are both spirits sealed within me, but upon my death they will follow my soul as it moves to the next plane, which is what Cole wants, to be judged and hopefully end his permanent purgatory. The kyubi will just reform after some time, so I hope you also have a new sacrifice for when he comes back."

Paige pouted. "I get it, no need to gang up on me. I will tell my bosses they need to chill out, though they hardly ever really listen to me. Piper once mentioned how Cole helped her out during one of her own issues. If he hadn't, she may have actually died during a time we needed her, but that doesn't mean it wasn't scary hearing about Cole gaining enough power to interact with the world once more, we were all a bit scared. Cole has never been an enemy we could properly beat, and we never technically did anyway. If Cole came back in this day and age, everyone was screwed."

Cole was smirking so much, it actually pulled Naruto's lips into one, causing the boy to roll his eyes as he shook his head. "Suck his ego off anymore and we might begin to question things about you."

Paige's pout gained a glare as she huffed at the boy. Ino and Tenten both giggled at Paige's plight.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=End=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Alright, I understand that this is completely under my usual goal, but I figured I would end it here, and give this chapter to you guys, because after a recent snowstorm taking out my power while I was working on my stories caused an error in my usb that holds my stories and I lost a lot of work on everything, so I have to rework the latest chapters to everything.

All besides my Many Trees story, that is placed on the Google Docs, I lost a full chapter and had to double check everything and see what I have and restore my personal archive. I had to also work around a corrupted file or two. I am just happy there are websites with free sample programs that restore stuff like this. But I couldn't get everything, because they are not free beyond a small free sample.

So I was able to recover a little, but not a lot.