AN: The next chapter for Mind of the Ten Tails, finally I was able to get to it and I am sorry that it has taken me so long everyone. With my other two stories on this sight, and the one I have on YouTube, AND I have had to deal with life I have just had trouble getting to it. So, please forgive and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Let's get to it!

Chapter 3:

Enter the Academy

(Naruto's Apartment)

The silver haired boy jolted from his bed as he breathed heavily, slightly sweaty. Looking around, he took notice that he was back in his room, which was revealed better than last night due to the sunlight pouring in from the window. Changing his gaze downward, he realized that he was still in clothing from the previous day.

'When did I get to bed?' Naruto questioned as he couldn't remember going to bed at all.

"That's because you didn't young lord," the voice of Shinju suddenly sounded, making Naruto jump from the surprise. 'Don't be alarmed, it's just me, Shinju, talking through our new link that was created last night. As for the bed, you didn't go to bed on your own will. While you spoke to us, primarily Juubi, I took control of your body, so you wouldn't be sleeping on the floor."

"Ok that makes sense," Naruto began before his eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, you can take over my body!?"

"Relax young lord, it's not like you're thinking," Juubi spoke up. "We can indeed control your body, but only under two instances. The first is if you give us permission to do so. The second condition is if your body is vacant and if you have no defense to keep us out, like being unconscious inexpediently. The second option is what took place here."

Naruto nodded his head as he stood up and looked at his reflection. His silver hair looked like a slight mess while his shirt was a wrinkled mess.

'I should probably start heading to this Academy since I have no idea where it is,' Naruto thought before another memory flashed through his mind.

This memory depicted the Hokage Tower and a familiar road. He saw a silhouette of a young child running down the path before ending up at another building. This was a wide building that showed plenty of other small silhouettes walking into the building with the words 'Ninja Academy' headlining it.

Blinking, Naruto shook his head before tilting it to ease the slight annoyance. "Well that was a lot of help. Let's get going then, so I am not late on my first day."

Walking towards his door, he paused as he sensed two other chakra signatures on the other side. Checking to see if it was safe, he realized that he recognized the visitors.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of s smiling Kushina and Naruko.

"Good morning NarutoË—kun," Naruko greeted happily with a small wave. "We came to show you to the academy since mom remembered that we forgot to tell you how to get there."

Naruto nodded his head as he smiled back and thanked the two girls for helping him, not that he needed it. He walked out as he turned and locked the door to his apartment. "Let's go."

"Hold on young man, aren't you wearing the same thing that you wore yesterday?" Kushina asked him. Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he nodded in confirmation. "Did you even wash up?!"

Realizing where she was going with this, Naruto shook his head. "Lady Kushina, I do not have any other clothing besides what I am wearing right now. I also have yet to receive the money that your husband mentioned, so I don't have any money to get new clothes. Also, my travel here was very long and tiring, so I fell asleep the moment I got home. Also, I realized I have no idea how to get to the academy, nor what time it even starts. So, I had to rush myself to get there on time."

"Well lucky for you that the academy doesn't start for another hour and we are only about fifteen minutes away by walk; so, you have enough time to shower," Naruko said.

"Then why are you both here so early if we have so much time left?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I like to get there early to hang with Hinata-chan and my other friends," Naruko replied with a grin.

"So, go ahead Naruto-kun," Kushina said with a motherly smile. "Take a quick shower and we will need head to the academy afterwards."

Naruto nodded as unlocked the door and entered, inviting the two girls inside. "The couch isn't the best, but please make yourselves comfortable. I should not be too long." He left to his room as the two Uzumaki girls sat down, going there is soap already in the bathroom for him to use.

"Naruto-kun sure is strange," Naruko said as she gazed around the living room. "I mean he is really young to be traveling by himself. He also moves sort of like the seniors as the academy, but much more skilled. Its very similar to the chunin's of the village's movements."

'Naruko, you always were observant,' Kushina thought with a proud smile before turning her gaze to the direction Naruto went. She heard the shower begin. 'Naruto seems to be a warrior in his own way, with how his arms always pause for the briefest of moments by his weapons or where they should be at. His breathing is low and quiet while gaze seems to always be analyzing. Not to mention that his steps are quiet and short, as if stealth was a must for him. Minato was right, we may need to keep an eye on him in case he is a threat.'

Minato, while kind, was no fool at all. They couldn't just screen a child as young as Naruto was without just cause, the backlash could be bad. The issue, they couldn't ignore a child possessing as much chakra as he did just enter their village. A highly fortified village and this kid was able to enter without being checked very easily. The Chunin that guarded the gate were passed out and seemed to be caught in genjutsu when they were checked on.

None of that added up as a child that young should not have been able to do that. Right now, the village was in a subtle lockdown as other shinobi discreetly looked around for any unknown faces or anything out of place. Iruka ad Mizuki were informed to keep a close eye on Naruto and report anything suspicious.

Speaking of the young man, he walked down the stairs in the same attire as before. His hair was smoothed out except for the slight spike at the forehead. His clothing, while still wrinkled, was slightly smoothed out.

"Shall we go?" he greeted, as the girls nodded and they all left.

As they walked to the academy, Naruko and Naruto talked about different things. She told him great training areas, pointed out restaurants with delicious foods or strand with great sweets, and amazing areas to just relax and lounge around. Basically, anything she could talk about as they walked past.

Naruto nodded his head at all the things Naruko talked about, surprised that he could even keep up. Here will space out here and there due to a memory, but other than that he paid close attention.

Sensing eyes on him, Naruto discreetly looked left and saw an ANBU member look at him from an alley before disappearing. He looked around and noticed that there were more shinobi out and about than yesterday, each one more armed than he can remember.

'It's like they are preparing for trouble,' he thought to himself. 'But why do they keep looking directly at me before looking away?'

"I may have an idea," he heard Juubi replied. "But we will talk about that later. By they way, the girl just asked where you are from."

Naruto returned his attention to Naruko as he smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry, I kind of spaced out there for a moment. To answer you, I don't know to be honest."

The young blonde girl looked confused by Naruto's answer. "How can you not be sure where you are from?"

"Well, I can't remember too much past of when I woke up by a few trees. Considering the fresh blood and pain on my head, I guess I have amnesia from what an old man told me. So, I can't remember what caused me to be hurt so badly."

"Oh, that must have been so scary for you, Naruto-kun," Naruko replied with a sad frown. "Well, I'm happy you made it safely here. What made you come to Konoha anyway?"

"The old man who helped me, told me about the villages," he lied as he figured he should be careful about revealing too much information. "Konoha was just the closest choice for me to go to."

Naruko and Kushina nodded as that made enough sense. "But who taught you to unlock your chakra?" Kushina asked as she tried to dig for some information from the sliver haired boy.

"The old man did actually," he replied. "Well, at least he gave me a few basic instructions and an old scroll he had with instructions on it. I wanted to be a ninja after hearing about the villages, so he helped out."

Kushina paid close attention to his answers, trying to detect any lies he may be telling. She was satisfied when she could fin any as his answers all made sense as well. So far, he just seemed to be a talented young man with a lot of potential.

"Well kids we are here," Kushina said as she looked forward and saw that she was right. The academy, while not big, was extremely wide with a lot of open space for sparing. Different areas were meant for different training exercises. The two gate doors were open as kids walked in, both alone or in groups.

"I hope you both have a wonderful day and I'll be back to pick you both up after school." This got a confused look from the young Otsusuki, unsure of why she would pick him up too since he now knew how to get home from here. "Yes, you too young man. We will be going shopping to make sure you have your basic needs like food, water, and new clothes. And I'll pay for it this time, so don't worry about it."

Naruto's eyes widened at the kind offer of the Uzumaki woman, unsure of why she would do that. "Not that I'm unthankful, but why? You don't have to do that for me."

"Nonsense Naruto-kun," Kushina waved it off happily. "I don't mind it at all, its no trouble at all. I personally know how tough it can be in a new, unfamiliar village while also being an orphan. So, think of it as me helping a kindred spirit. Plus, I can't leave you out all alone without trying to help you out. I could never forgive myself if did." 'And I could spend more time with you and find out if your safe or not.'

While it was true that she is helping Naruto out of the kindness of her heart, she is still a shinobi on a mission. She still must make sure that the silver haired boy before her was not a liability to the village or a danger to her family.

"Thank you so much Lady Kushina," Naruto thanked her with a bright and warm smile, surprising Naruko at the warmth behind it and making her blush slightly.

"Ok, bye mom," Naruko replied as she grabbed Naruto's hand. "Let's go Naruto-kun! I want to show you my friends!" she pulled the young man along, both running into the building.

The wife of the Hokage disappeared and reappeared on a rooftop a few feet away from the academy. The smile she had on her face was gone as a more serious gaze took its place. She continued to look at the academy as she spoke. "So, anything to report?"

Appearing in a swirl of wind and leaves beside her, a young man with short blue hair made his way to his knees. He wore the traditional ANBU uniform attire, his mask being that of an Otter. He also used the standard tanto on his left shoulder blade.

"No ma'am," he responded. "His apartment was checked, but everything seems to be clean. According to Beaver, he held no ill intentions when he spoke to you all, nor did he seem to be lying."

Kushina nodded her head as she heard what she herself could confirm. "Any possibilities that he could be a sleeper?"

Sleeper agents were always some of the biggest worries for a shinobi village. Not even the agent themselves know that they are being controlled to hurt others, usually. All it takes to activate a sleeper would be a remote trigger, a phrase, or even a word. Plus, the motive of a sleeper agent is unknown until the last minute.

"That is still a possibility, Lady Kushina," Otter answered blankly. "We are still looking into everything. Hokage-sama has already been informed."

Kushina nodded as she thought over her next plan. "Gather two more ANBU with you Otter. We are going to search Naruto-kun's apartment for any issues."

The ANBU nodded before vanishing in a swirl of leaves to carry out his orders. Kushina gave one last look to the academy before she too vanished in a swirl of water.

(At the Academy)

As Naruko and Naruto walked together, the young man took notice of a lot of kids were looking there way. Some looks were curious, others were jealous, and others were confused.

'Why do some of them look angry at me?' Naruto thought confused as he saw a lot of the guys glaring at his direction. 'Did I do something to anger them?'

"Don't worry about them young lord," he heard Juubi say in disgust. "It's just the pathetic trying to intimidate the strong. You pretty much entered their 'domain' so they are trying to make you fear them out of some misguided pride. Pride, such a dangerous and blinding emotion. Making the weak-minded fools do the foolish of things if they feel it is being damaged."

"Aren't you proud of your own strength, Juubi?" Shinju asked, getting a growl of anger in response.

"How dare you compare me to these foolish children, Shinju!" Juubi growled out. "Being proud is fine, but you need to have a strong mind, so you're not blinded by it, like most of these humans act from the memories that we have collected. I'm proud in both my strength, and the young lord's as a result, and power but I do not let it blind me from the world around me!"

Naruto ignored the two as they began to argue and returned his attention to Naruko, who stopped walking and was looking at him, with concern.

He quickly gave her a warm smile at her worry. "Sorry about that, just a bit nervous. Being the new guy in a new place and all that," he lied trying to ease her worry.

He supposed it worked as she gave him a smile so bright that the Sun looked pale in comparison. "No need to worry Naruto-kun! You have me here to help you, so you won't be alone or without a friend. Plus, my friends are cool, so they will be your friends too." She said this with her infectious smile that he couldn't but to return it and nod.

'She is a really nice person,' he thought as they entered a large classroom with several different rows. He took note that there were students already there, talking in different groups. Looking around, he noticed the same girl from yesterday sitting alone nervously.

"Hinata-chan! Good morning!" Naruko yelled out happily as she waved to the shy Hyuga.

Hinata raised her head before she smiled happily and returned the wave, albeit more shyly.

"Good morning to you too, Naruko-chan," she replied before she was hugged by the young Uzumaki girl.

Naruko grinned before pointing behind her. "You remember Naruto-kun from, yesterday right?" she asked getting a nod from her friend.

"Good morning Naruto-san," she greeted shyly, bowing quickly so she can avoid looking into his eyes. Naruko being her best friend had helped curb her shy nature. She is still shy when she is meeting new people, but at least she doesn't stutter as bad as before.

"Good morning to you too, Hinata-san," Naruto greeted back as he returned the bow.

"How pathetic! Don't bow to such a weakling like that! It is beneath someone like us!" roared Juubi in his mind, obvious disgust in his voice.

"Calm down Juubi, she is still young," Shinju replied with a calming tone. "She has time to grow and mature before she can unleash her true potential."

"Yeah, the potential to waste my time," Juubi replied angrily as he heard him growl. "Kid don't waste your time hanging around this weakling! She will only hold us back!"

"Don't listen to him, young lord," Shinju replied in an exhausted tone. "No one starts off powerful, we all grow into it. She will be a strong ally in the coming future. A friendship with her will be worth it when the time comes. "

Naruto nodded, agreeing with the powerful tree. Plus, it didn't hurt that he found the Hyuga girl to be cute and having a soothing voice along with being close friends with Naruko.

"I hope you are doing well today Hinata-san," Naruto said with a soft smile, getting the Hyuga girl to blush and nod.

Before anything could be said, they heard a loud holler from behind them as another boy burst into the room. A small dog right behind him.

The boy was on the slightly short side with wild spikey hair. He was about a good head shorter than Naruto. He wore a light brown, V-neck shirt with light beige shorts. He had the traditional, blue shinobi sandals that went past his ankles. He had fangs and claws, instead of teeth and nails. He possessed slit pupils. He had two red triangles on each of his cheeks.

The dog behind him was a light beige with the long, floppy ears. The outside center of the ears was a brown color. The puppy was small, barely reaching the young man's ankles.

"Oh yeah Akamaru, looks like I win this one!" the wild boy yelled as the dog barked in response. "No boy, all-is-fair remember! Not my fault you didn't jump over the trash can in time!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, not recognizing the young man. He paused for a second as another memory of a smaller version of the young man, but no dog entered his mind. It showed him playing with other people and dogs while grinning happily.

Noticing Naruto looking at Kiba, Naruko nodded. "Oh, that's Kiba Inuzuka, the heir to the Inuzuka clan. They are a clan that specialize in the use of taijutsu and the raising of Nin-Dogs. He's a good guy, even if he can be a bit arrogant and annoying at times."

Naruto nodded his head, noticing he had a decent amount of chakra for his age, something that made Juubi scoff at. Ignoring this, he watched as Kiba took his seat near the back, his dog in his arms.

The next thing that caught Naruto's attention was two more young men that entered slowly. The first boy had a spikey ponytail. He wore a grey shirt with blue cuffs. On the front was a strange symbol that kind of reminded Naruto of a wave. He wore blue shorts and blue shinobi sandals. He also looked like he rather be anywhere but here as he gazed forward in a tired manner. He was also a head shorter than Naruto himself.

The next boy was eating a bag of chips as he walked in behind the first boy and he had much more enthusiasm. He wore a light green, long sleeved shirt with blue overalls. He was a heavy-set boy with faded swirls on his chubby cheeks. He also had blue shinobi sandals while being as tall as the first boy.

The two didn't talk as they just walked in and sat near the window.

"Oh, the boy with the spikey ponytail is Shikimaru Nara and the heir to the Nara clan," Naruko explained as she sat next to Hinata. "The clan is known for using shadow techniques and they are really smart, though don't really like doing much of anything. Next to him is his best friend, Choji Akimichi and the heir to the Akimichi clan. He is really sweet, though he gets picked on because of his weight sometimes."

"What are they known for?" Naruto asked curiously. Naruko shrugged since she doesn't play with them much, so she didn't know much about the clan.

"The Akimichi clan are known for body based jutsu's and having high amounts of chakra. It's part of the reason that they weigh so much, it adds to their skills and chakra," Hinata answered. Her clan is very strict, so she had to know how the other clans worked at young age. Also, being the heir made it more expected.

Naruto nodded as he listened and agreed that Choji had a high amount of chakra. No where near his amount or Naruko's amount, but a decent amount. He quietly sat next to Naruko as he watched her talk with Hinata, sometimes being brought into the conversation.

An hour later, the class was filled with other students. Some spoke to Naruko and others didn't. Even he was noticed by a few students and greeted by some giggling girls and a few interested boys.

Soon a man walked in with spikey brown hair that was in a ponytail like Shikimaru. He had dark eyes and a scar that ran across his nose. He had the usual flak jacket of a jonin, blue shinobi sandals and the Konoha headband.

"Good morning everyone," the man greeted as he walked to the teachers desk. "Mizuki had something to attend to, so he won't be joining us. Today we are going to go through the usual taijutsu forms that I told you all to practice last week. Then after we will be doing weapon practice, both throwing and close range. After, we will break for lunch and then we will return inside for chakra theory and shinobi history studies. Remember that the academy jutsu's will be tested on in two days." He picked up his clipboard as he looked at his students. "Alright, pay attention while I do roll call. Aeishi Takamaru."

The teacher, that Naruto learned was named Iruka Umino from Hinata, began calling out names. He payed close attention so he could label the names with faces. The only ones that interested him so far were clan heirs and a few civilians. Ino Yamanaka, heir of the Yamanaka clan; Atsuki Anaru, a civilian that seemed to have a strong build, Hinata herself along with a branch member of her clan named Hinarou Hyuga.

Soon Naruko answered with an excited "Here sensei!" When her name was called, causing the teacher to chuckle.

"Next is Naruto Otsusuki," Iruka called. 'Must be the new student I heard about from Hokage-sama.'

Naruto stood up, getting everyone's attention. Some were surprised due to his appearance being very different from others they have seen.

"Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you all," Naruto greeted with a small smile. "I have the note that Hokage-sama gave to me to give you, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nodded as he checked off his name. "It's nice to meet you too Naruto and we will see your skills later that way we can see what you need to work on. Also, I'll take the note from you when we go outside." Naruto nodded as he retook his seat and Iruka continued.

Other names that caught his attention were the Uchiha twins, Sasuke and Satsuki. They both come from a famous clan known as the Uchiha clan and like with Hinata and Naruko, he felt a connection to them. He will have to aske Juubi and Shinju about that later.

He also took note of a blonde girl named Ino Yamanaka, which confused him greatly. She wasn't anything special due to her chakra reserves only barely being above civilians. She was arguing with a pink haired civilian girl named Sakura Haruno, whose chakra was at the same level as Ino.

Naruto could practically feel Juubi's disgust at how weak he believed the girls to be.

"Alright class let's go outside so we can practice the academy taijutsu forms," Iruka said as the class cheered, only a few groans, and left room.

When everyone got outside, Iruka quickly had the kids get into a group as he began to look over the kids. The clan children were in a separate group due to them having their clan style and not truly needing the academy's style.

Naruto stood separately as he was confused on where he should go to. He felt like had a fighting style, but he didn't know from where and what the style was meant for. 'What do I do?' He thought before his mind was flooded with information, but this time no images. His posture became more tense and loose, as if he was ready for a fight. Naruto also heard Juubi growl lightly, worrying him slightly.

'Are you alright Juubi? Shinju?' he thought to his two tenants.

"Yeah we are ok Naruto," he heard Juubi reply. "Just had a fighting urge enter my instincts. Nothing major." Naruto nodded.

"While the academy style is interesting, go join the clan heirs," Shinju said. "The fighting style that me and Juubi put together for you is much more powerful than the academy style."

Naruto nodded as he moved next to Naruko who was doing her warm-ups with the heirs, her being on her 15th push up. Naruko looked at her new friend curiously, not pausing in her reps. "You have a fighting style Naruto-kun?" she asked. Naruto shrugged as he thought over his answer.

"Sort of," Naruto responded, trying to decide whether he should reveal too much due to his worries. "I learned some basic fighting forms from the old man that helped me before. Soo, I figured I'd join you guys over here."

As Naruto was about to join his friend with her push-ups, he heard Iruka call out to him. The young Otsusuki walked up to the instructor curious on why he was called.

"We normally don't get new students after the school year had already started," Iruka explained. "The other students have already been assessed so I'm going to personally test yours myself, that way the others can keep practicing."

Naruto nodded, understanding the reason he was called.

'Be careful young lord,' Shinju warned. 'While not sinister in nature, he is most likely doing this for another reason. He is most likely trying to see your threat level in case you become a liability to the village. After all, no leader could let a potential threat go unchecked, child or not.'

'So, what should I do here?' Naruto asked his two tenants. 'Should I show what I know?'

'Of course!' Juubi growled out. 'Show these fools what we can do. Unleash our power on them!'

'Don't be so foolish Juubi,' Shinju relied calmly. 'Naruto, it would be best if you hold back in this fight. You are an unknown, a threat in their eyes. You show too much power, then they may imprison you. As strong as we are, we are not stronger than an entire village of experienced and strong warriors.'

'I agree,' Naruto said as he listened to his instincts and slid into a fighting stance. His arms were in front of him, bent at a ninety-degree angle while his hands were slightly open. His legs were spread and slightly bent as well. His eyes began focusing, gaining a look of concentration. He took a deep breath, relaxing his body as best as he could.

Iruka too got into a fighting stance, his eyes analyzing every single tensed and relaxed muscle. 'Not the most solid stance, but definitely a style that is useful. Tight yet loose enough for easy menuvariability. A fighting stance that seems to be built for speed by the legs positioning. His feet are in a position that will allow him to flow around strikes that are too straight forward. Questions is, just how fast is the young man to be able to utilize the style?'

"Begin!" Iruka announced as he charged Naruto, ready to test the young man and see if he is threat to his students and village.

AN: That is a wrap for this chapter! My goodness, that took me awhile to get it right enough to where this chapter felt right. Along with my laptop keys having been giving me trouble, I am sorry that this took so long. I am trying to get more time and get much better at giving you guys more chapter contents, but I also want the stories to feel good and not rushed. I hope the chapter was good and worth the wait. I would also like to state, Minato is not an idiot. Naruto may have joined the village, but he is under an unknown probation period, as no leader would let a potential risk join their village without some degree of promilinary protection should that person be a threat. He is having Naruto be watched by every ninja due to how high his chakra reserves and such a young age. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, please Review, Follow, and Favorite. If you have any questions or ideas PM and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you all for reading!

Dragon Soul94 is out!