Author Note

Hi there and welcome to another chapter of Nidaime no Sairin.

I'm thrilled to the great number of reviews. It shows me that you're all very excited for this story. Most of the reviews focused on Naruto's future pairing or his future genin team. Trust me, I have read all the reviews and made a decision that I'm sure everyone will enjoy it immensely. Those who know my other stories understand that I don't tend to follow the same choices as Kishimoto. I used the same concept and applied to this story. One single fact that changed Kishi's entire dynamic was Naruto not being dead-last anymore. That alone changed a lot, if you think about it. I won't share more details about the team, so as not to spoil your reading. However, I am confident that you'll enjoy it.

Without further a due, here is the chapter.


Chapter 4 – Graduation, Revelations and Teams

Beta: Kyuubi123


An entire year has passed since Naruto first learned elemental manipulation and Tobirama could proudly say that the kid was ready to face the trails of a shinobi life. That didn't mean that Naruto had learned everything that a man of the Nidaime Hokage's caliber had to pass on, though. On the other hand, Naruto had managed to learn the basic knowledge behind every skill that Tobirama had meaning that the genin in training would be able to learn everything in due time. By Tobirama's best estimate, by the time Naruto advanced to chunnin, he would already learn the majority of water ninjutsu. Regarding space-time ninjutsu and even battle fuuinjutsu, it would take much longer…perhaps jwhen he made jounin.

In regards to other skills like taijutsu, shurikenjutsu and kenjutsu, Naruto was a natural. He had learned fluidity and agility from Tobirama's style of fighting. He also learned how to apply chakra to augment his strikes, a style created by Senju Hashirama. His kenjutsu looked quite sharp and the man was not mentioning the ability that Naruto developed over this year regarding the use of wind chakra in conjunction with his shinobigatama. Aside from using wind in kenjutsu, Naruto had finalized the steps required to wind manipulation, by slicing the cave waterfall in half. After that, Tobirama taught Naruto the only wind techniques he knew, Fuuton Reppushou (Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm Technique) and Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique). It did not take long for Naruto to learn those, as wind was his main affinity, despite how much they had trained in water ninjutsu. Unfortunately, so, despite Tobirama's wish to further extend the boy's knowledge in fuuton, he could not. Aside from that, the kid was ready.

Fuuton Reppushou (Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm Technique)

The real Nidaime watched as Naruto's shuriken propelled by the wind technique hit the Nidaime's shadow clone, dispelling the replica. The real one received the information immediately and smiled in acknowledgement. Another ability Naruto developed under his tutelage was battle strategy. At the beginning of the fight, they engaged in kenjutsu, but the Tobirama clone had used superior speed, forcing Naruto to abandon his first strategy and create a small distance with a couple of well-thrown shuriken. The Nidaime clone slashed through the projectiles, but Naruto was already making hand seals for the Suiton Mizurappa (Water Release: Wind Water Wave Technique). The clone evaded the water attack and cast a disorienting genjutsu on Naruto, who managed to dispel it, before evading a barrage of kunai. Once more, turning to attack, Naruto resorted to taijutsu.

Using considerable speed, he got in close and danced against the clone for a while before placing one foot back and focus chakra on his left fist. The blue energy surrounded Naruto's hand. If the clone got hit with it, he would dispel. However, using jounin level speed, the clone evaded the attack and flipped in the air, hitting a dead kick on Naruto's chest, sending him flying. The kick disoriented him a little, but eventually Naruto managed to flip in mid-air and initiate the combo that took the clone down with shuriken and fuuton ninjutsu.

Overall, it was an impressive match for a genin or even a chunnin, in Tobirama's book.

"Well done, Naruto. You've come very far from that brat three years ago who could not even use his chakra properly. I believe you are ready to face the trials ahead as a shinobi of Konohagakure." Naruto bowed in respect to the older man's acknowledgment of his skills, but if one were to look closer, a big broad smile was evident on his face. A side project in this training consisted in teaching the boy how a shinobi should act, on and off mission time. Of course, Naruto was still Naruto in personality hence the grand smile in recognition. Nidaime had just added a few points here and there. Analytical skills were tampered when emotion overruled judgment.

While on the mission, emotion just did not belong.

In Nidaime's time, even genin were penalized for allowing emotion to jeopardize the mission. Emotion was only allowed in off mission times. Nidaime always preached about the balance between light and dark or ying and yang. He had two examples in the past that he constantly explained to Naruto. Sarutobi Hiruzen was the light. He could handle somewhat fine in the dark, but not as much as Tobirama preferred. Shimura Danzou was the complete opposite, one hundred percent comfortable in being the dark and not at all used to being in the light. Tobirama had chosen Hiruzen as the Sandaime Hokage for precisely this reason. Naruto came to learn a lot about Tobirama's strongest students in the past and how they acted in general.

Lastly, but no less important, Tobirama focused on trust.

A shinobi should learn that the consequences of whom he trusted. In a mission, even allies could turn against you. Nidaime did not tell Naruto not to trust anyone, focusing instead on tutoring him into playing caution when meeting someone you do not know one hundred percent. Enemies often times used trust as a weapon to get close and perform the killing blow. Even if Naruto argued that the war was over and that Konoha lived peacefully, Tobirama simply countered stating that peaceful times were simply periods in between wars. Naruto frowned at the notion, but said nothing in reply. He knew his history now, thanks to talking to a living embodiment of the clan wars era and even the first great ninja war.

"Thank you sensei…" Nidaime nodded with a smile, before losing it.

"Naruto, I believe it is also time to talk to you about something important." Naruto looked at the man that taught him a lot these last three years. He had Tobirama's attention. The Senju truly believed that Hiruzen would eventually come clean with the boy about what he contained. However, day in and day out, nothing had happened. Naruto even met the Sandaime on numerous occasions for a lunch or dinner, but the subject had never come up. Otherwise, the kid would have already asked questions about it. Naruto deserved to know about it, otherwise it could jeopardize any mission he was in. One needed to fully comprehend the scenario in order to make a proper decision and knowing that Naruto had the Kyuubi inside him maked all the difference.

"What is it Tobirama-sensei?" The small pause in Tobirama's speech alerted Naruto to the seriousness of the subject.

"Do you know what jinchuuriki are?"


===Graduation Test===


Uzumaki Naruto was the first student to step inside the classroom, as today was his last day as a student. Tomorrow would be his first day as a shinobi. There was simply no way he could fail the exam. His sensei stated that the academy's standards had fallen so much that even a civilian could pass. Tobirama's words were based on the academy curriculum during the village's founding. The boy however cared very little about today, as the memory of yesterday was still clear inside his mind. Inside of him was the one responsible for almost destroying Konona, killing multiple shinobi/civilians and even killing the Yondaime Hokage.

As a little boy, Naruto always craved for answers.

Tobirama-sensei provided him with a lot of them, even if only focused on his shinobi studies. However, up to now, he had no answer regarding his treatment by the village population and even some shinobi. He would hear whispers and feel the villager's eyes on his back, looking at him with disdain and hatred. His young mind could not think of anything that would warrant such discrimination against him, hence why he urged to receive an explanation for said treatment. He never had one, until now.

He was the jinchuuriki of the feared Kyuubi no Yoko.

According to Tobirama-sensei, jinchuuriki meant power of human sacrifice and that some villages used to seal tailed beasts inside shinobi and train the shinobi to become the ultimate weapon against enemies. Based on the events that occurred thirteen years ago, Tobirama did not believe that Konoha had done so. However, the fact remained that the Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto and the boy could very well use the fox's chakra as his own, if nothing more, to expand Naruto's already large reserves. Tobirama also stated his wonderings about why Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, had not told the boy about it. In the end, one fact was easy to conclude.

The Sandaime had lied to him and did so with a purpose.

Naruto even questioned the very Nidaime Hokage about why the man forgot to mention this fact three years ago, to which he simply stated that it was irrelevant to Naruto learning his legacy. Tobirama also informed him that because of their training, it would become much easier to control the fox's chakra in the future. Naruto came to respect the man for training him, but the only thing Tobirama ever considered relevant was Naruto's training, nothing more. Emotions, according to Tobirama, were irrelevant hence why the man didn't even think to sugarcoat the truth to him. In actuality, Naruto did not expect anything less after expending so much time with him. He expected differently from the Sandaime, though.

Before meeting Tobirama, Naruto's entire circle of trust revolved around the Sandaime Hokage. He was the only one who had ever shown kindness to the boy and was the only one who ever bothered helping him. The ramen stand owners were there for him, but only when Naruto showed up to eat. As Naruto received the paper test from Iruka, he now remembered Tobirama's lessons about trust and sadly so, Hiruzen Sarutobi, his grandfather figure, could not be trusted completely. It certainly pained him to admit it, but it was the truth.

Releasing a sigh in dismay at the situation, Naruto turned his focus exclusively on the test.

Some of the questions were easy, others not so much, but Naruto went through them all, answering the easy ones fully and giving his best on the hard ones. He gave one last check on the answers he provided and even checked for hidden genjutsu. Surely, if Mizuki did it before to screw his education, then no doubt he would do it again to stop Naruto from graduating. Thankfully, his chakra was not tempered with, meaning this test was the real one. The shuriken and taijutsu tests were much easier and Naruto took advantage of those to even the odds in case his test scores weren't good enough. Instead of hitting the usual six out of ten, Naruto raised the bar, going for eight, surprising everyone at the constant improvement. He even managed to take the taijutsu fight the entire three minutes against Iruka. With everything done, all that remained was ninjutsu. Naruto stood in front of Iruka and Mizuki as he waited for the final instructions to finalize the graduation test.

"Okay Naruto, last part is ninjutsu. In order to pass, you must show us two perfect bunshins."

Naruto nodded and took his time while focusing on the specific hand seal. This time, he felt his chakra being tempered with and narrowed his eyes at such audacity. Iruka clearly had no clue and took the situation as Naruto being nervous about it. Naruto had to release the genjutsu or else he would fail the test. He had no way out, however. The genin-in-training was hoping to keep his skills a secret, but he had to dispel it. Still focusing on the ram hand sign, Naruto dispelled the illusion and one second later, two perfect bunshin appeared on each side. Iruka nodded in congratulations. Mizuki looked shocked at the speed between abilities, but grudgingly congratulated the newly graduated genin.

"Congratulations Naruto, here is your hitai-ate, wear it with pride." Naruto received it from Iruka and slightly bowed in respect. He didn't need to look at Mizuki to see the man's outraged expression. Naruto didn't bother to return to the classroom nor did he want to meet the other graduates outside. As soon as he left the classroom where he performed the bunshin, Naruto left the academy via shunshin.


===Inside the Cave===


Naruto wasted little time after the test and went inside the cave in order to meet his sensei. Once inside, he reported how the test went and told Tobirama about Mizuki's attempt in disrupting his ninjutsu test. Tobirama heard it all with a frown on his face. He really wished he could leave the cave and go teach this Mizuki a lesson. He figured that one single exploding tag would do the trick. Wishes aside, it was finally time to address a serious topic with his student.

"Naruto, regarding this subject, I advise you to report it straight to Saru."

Saru being the Sandaime's nickname. Sometimes, Naruto had to control himself not to call the Sandaime like that.

"I thought about that, but how could I explain that I know how to disrupt genjutsu. It's not a topic taught at the academy." Tobirama nodded pleased at his student's comment. It proved that the brat managed to think ahead. Indeed, Naruto's ability to dispel genjutsu would come as a surprise for Hiruzen, considering that as far as everyone was concerned, Naruto's sudden leap of skill was a simple consequence of Naruto dedicating to his studies. It was precisely for this reason that Naruto had never shown anything in the academy that wasn't a part of the school curriculum. Still, there was ways around that Naruto could exploit, simply stating to the Sandaime that he had been working on his chakra control and realized that it was messed up for unknown reasons. From that point on, it would be simply a case of figuring out the culprit. Iruka, according to Naruto, have never shown anything against the boy.

"Indeed, Saru would be suspicious. When reporting, simply tell him that you felt that your chakra control was being tempered for some reason. Do not say Mizuki's name. If I'm correct, you won't have to." Naruto nodded with a smirk on his face. If he played his cards right, then the Hokage would listen to him without Naruto having to reveal anything. Tobirama saw the prankster smile on his student and smiled in return. Nidaime always believed in the good side of pranking on shinobi. "Now Naruto, since you managed to graduate, I have a matter of great importance to talk to you." The prankster smile kept on for a while, but Naruto dropped it when he saw the water whip forming behind Tobirama, ready to call on his attention.

"Sorry, what is it?"

"Since you managed to graduate and have reached an acceptable level of my teachings, there is no more need for me to remain." Naruto's eyes widened, but Tobirama crossed his arms. "I've told you from the start that my being here had one single purpose. I have already bestowed upon you my legacy, my student and I'm sure you will only grow in time." Naruto could not control the tears that suddenly escaped from his eyes right now. Yeah, the man focused only on training. His water whips were also a pain in the ass to deal with, but for three whole years, Tobirama-sensei gave him so much. Naruto just could not fathom the possibility of never seeing the man's grumpy expression again.

"Why would you leave, Tobirama-sensei? I…you said it that it would take a while for me to master everything." A simple snort came in reply.

"I stated as such, sure. However, I also informed you that you've learned all the necessary basics of my legacy in order to perfect them in time. Now, lose those tears or you will know firsthand how truly frightening water ninjutsu can be." Naruto complied immediately, but he still looked at the man with pleading eyes. Now, the Nidaime released a sigh in order to explain further. "That won't mean, however, that you will be on your own from here on out. Throughout the time we've spent together, I have synthesized all my knowledge into the scroll you see behind me. The scroll is and will be available to your eyes only. I've placed a blood seal for this very purpose. If anyone ever attempts to open, the consequences to said person will be quite severe."

Naruto looked at the scroll and his eyes widened once more as he saw the scroll slowly closing. As such, Tobirama's essence began to waver. However, Naruto became startled when he saw a different smile.

"Naruto, since this is the last time we shall meet, allow me to say with great pride that you were the best student I ever had. Use the skills I taught you and the ones you will learn to protect Konohagakure." Naruto still cried, but he returned the smile with gratitude for everything they've been through. Naruto bowed at the man one last time and vowed to train hard and be of great service to the hidden village in the leaves. The scroll fully closed and Naruto listened the reverberating echo of the waterfall with a smile on his face. Quickly grabbing the heavy scroll, he left the cave towards his apartment, but not before he bowed one last time to the man, he came to respect even more than the Yondaime Hokage.


===With the Hokage===


Like Tobirama instructed, Naruto appeared before the Sandaime and told him about the events of his exam. He was there to take a picture of his shinobi file as well.

"So let me get this straight, Naruto-kun, when you had your ninjutsu test, you felt that your chakra was tampered with. And that despite it all, you managed to complete the technique to graduate." Naruto simply nodded at the conclusion, saying nothing else. He also kept his composure under Hiruzen's leveled stare. Strangely so, it looked similar to Tobirama's. Naruto silently mused that Hiruzen's actions as Hokage mirrored his predecessor. "This is a serious accusation Naruto-kun. So I must ask once more…are you certain of what you felt? I know you have improved greatly since our talk three years ago, but you do have a large chakra capacity."

Naruto felt the urge to scream at the man for the very reason he had a large chakra pool, but maintained a clear head. The old man was only being cautious.

"I am sure Jiji. Of all the techniques, I learned at the academy, the bunshin was by far the most problematic. I had to work extremely hard and it was still hard to produce less than ten copies. I had spent no less than six months reducing it one by one, until I could produce one bunshin. When I performed the technique in front of Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei, I felt the same as when I could only produce ten clones." Hiruzen kept the stare for a while, before he nodded at the kid. Surely, for someone with such large chakra capacity, producing two bunshin was the equivalent to a normal shinobi using medical ninjutsu. Releasing a sigh, he smiled to the boy.

"Okay Naruto, I don't doubt you. I will look into this matter. Now, it fills me with pride to see you graduating. No doubt, you worked hard and earned the headband."

"Thank you jiji. Just you wait and see...I will take that hat of yours in no time."

Hiruzen chuckled warmly, before seeing Naruto leave his office.

As soon as he heard the door closing, Hiruzen flared his chakra once, calling for his Anbu force hidden inside the office.

"Tori, assemble you squad and capture chunnin Touji Mizuki. Send him to Ibiki for questioning." The Anbu nodded and left the room. Hiruzen found Naruto's news troubling and only two people could have tampered with Naruto's exam, those being Iruka or Mizuki. Iruka's record was beyond reproach, as the man would constantly smile upon reporting on Naruto's improvement. Mizuki's record, on the other hand, was not entirely clean. Hiruzen feared that messing with Naruto's test scores was the least of the worries that was soon to come.


===Next day===


After delivering the hitai-ates to the genin, Umino Iruka went home in order to figure out the genin teams. He had to think long and hard in order to form cohesive genin units. If for instance Naruto became the dead last like he was three years ago, Iruka's job would be quite simple. Now, however, it seemed that it would be impossible to divide the genin, using a single mission spec in mind. Konoha had many types of missions, but all of them were combined into three major categories. Front-line fighting/escort, tracking/infiltration and demolition/interrogation. Many clan members who graduated this year were better suited for particular mission categories. Hyuuga, Inuzuka and Aburame members tended to be more efficient in tracking/infiltration, while Akimichi, Yamanaka and Nara members were more suited for demolition/interrogation.

Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino would form a nice team for tracking/infiltration.

Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru would form a nice team for demolition/interrogation.

Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto would form a team of front-line and escort.

This division took into account that the rookie of the year would form a team with the dead last and the best kunoichi. Now, since Naruto rose from dead last to the top ten students, Iruka had no other choice other than to mix the three teams. The other graduates were easier to form, hence why Iruka focused on the three teams. Sasuke became the rookie of the year and Haruno Sakura was the best kunoichi of his classroom. With that in mind, Iruka looked at the bottom of the classroom, those being Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba. There was no doubt in his mind that Shikamaru was a genius. The boy was so lazy, however, that he only placed enough effort to reach the minimal scores needed to pass. Inuzuka Kiba's grades showed more reality, hence why Iruka smiled upon forming the first team. No doubt, Kiba and Sasuke will be the front-line fighters and Sakura will act as support from long range.

Now, on to the rest.

Yamanaka Ino's set of skills would focus mainly on her clan techniques, meaning that she would need muscle to protect her. Akimichi Chouji would fit in nicely as those two knew each other since birth. The third member of this team would have to be someone who could act as the strategist and provide long-range support if needed be. Nara Shikamaru would fit the third spot, Iruka mused. For some reason, however, he could not move on to the last team. Sure, with Shikamaru, Iruka could formulate the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Chou team, a combination that had proven deadly for generations. However, Iruka could also see a good coordination in placing Aburame Shino with Ino and Chouji. The Aburame heir was actually the second best male student, behind Sasuke. Also, Iruka had worked plenty with Aburame clan members to know how they tended to act in missions.

Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto would form the third and last team. Hinata with the byakugan and the jyuuken would act as close range fighter. Naruto showed aptitude in both close and mid-range fighting. Shikamaru would fit in perfectly, being the strategist of the team and providing long-range support. Iruka knew that he would have to argue his case with the Hokage, but he was confident that the Sandaime would approve of the team selections.

After presenting the team choices to the Hokage, Iruka stood by only listening to the man's thinking noises as Hiruzen looked at the paper sheet in front of him.

"I'm curious Iruka-kun as to why you believe that Nara Shikamaru would fit better in a team with Naruto-kun and Hyuuga Hinata, instead of in a team with the Yamanaka and Akimichi members?"

"Indeed, it took me quite a while to make this decision Hokage-sama and if Naruto-kun had the scores from three years ago, I would certainly keep Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji together. Since Naruto raised his grades, and our rule of placing the rookie of the year with the dead last, I had to think outside the box. Instead of selecting the teams for different types of missions, I opted to select them to balance each other on the field." Hiruzen listened with a stern visage, silently processing the information. Iruka's thought process was correct in terms of balance, but the Hokage wondered if the concept was correct. Normally, the Hokage would require specific teams for specific missions. If a mission required infiltration, he would send a team specialized in infiltration. However, many times in the past, he witnessed teams that were ill prepared to handle themselves in case the unexpected happened.

Iruka saw the ghost of a smile forming on the Sandaime and released the breath he had no idea he was holding.

"I now see the merit of your decision Iruka-kun and I concur. Although our norm is to form specialized units, as per the Shodaime's teachings, we have a great number of missions that don't turn out as expected. The team must be well balanced. I'll be sure to explain this to Inoichi, Chouza and Shikaku-san. They stated their intents in having their offspring form the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Chou team. Now, I'll be assigning the jounin-sensei for the teams. I appreciate the fine job." Iruka beamed at the praise, before getting up from his seat. As he was about to leave the room, however, Sandaime called him back for a different manner.

"Something else you need from me Hokage-sama?" Sandaime nodded as the chunnin retook his seat.

"I'm afraid so Iruka-kun. Yesterday, I received a complaint from Naruto-kun that someone had tampered with his chakra during the ninjutsu test." Iruka's eyes widened at that, but he kept on listening. "As I'm sure your record is beyond reproach, I had conducted a subtle investigation regarding your fellow teacher, Mizuki. We found out that he had indeed attempted to ruin Naruto's chances of graduating by casting a subtle disorienting genjutsu on him. While Naruto was affected by it, he managed to perform the technique and passed." Hiruzen had found out quite a lot of Mizuki's misdeeds, but Iruka didn't need to know them. Iruka could not help but look to the ground in shame for not noticing this. Every time, Naruto would complain about unfairness and he would dismiss it because of the boy's prankster side. A side of Iruka believed that Mizuki would change in time, but…

"I should have seen Mizuki's actions Hokage-sama. I'm to blame for this situation." Hiruzen nodded.

"While it's true that you should have, the consequences were averted by Naruto-kun himself, so no harm was done to him at least. I trust that you shall pay close attention for now on." Iruka bowed in acknowledgement, before leaving the office. Even if Mizuki was in fact an agent from Orochimaru and had received training to rival jounin, Iruka was also a high-level chunnin and should have sensed Mizuki's chakra invading Naruto's. That thought aside, the fact that Orochimaru was after the kinjutsu scroll troubled the Sandaime. He needed to look into this fast. Quickly writing a letter, Hiruzen ordered it delivered immediately to the one responsible for running Konoha's spy network and member of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

Who better to spy on Orochimaru than the man's former teammate.


===At the Academy===


Two days passed since the genin test and those who graduated now stood inside the classroom waiting for Iruka-sensei to arrive. Everyone was busy chatting amicably, telling how excited they were at finally graduating. Naruto simply remained in his seat, wondering about things in general. He wondered if the Sandaime did something to Mizuki after his complaint. He wondered who his team would be and who would be his jounin-sensei. Above all, he wondered about his work ethic, now that he didn't have Tobirama-sensei to tutor him and arrange his training schedule. He did read the Nidaime's scroll last night and saw many skills he had to learn. Advanced water ninjutsu, new katas for both taijutsu and kenjutsu styles, genjutsu techniques, fuuinjutsu knowledge and space-time ninjutsu that Naruto could barely understand, outside the basics provided by the Nidaime.

For now, Naruto figured that taijutsu, kenjutsu and water ninjutsu took precedence. He needed to train his fuuton skills as well, but he wouldn't find much in the library. He could use a couple of genjutsu as well.

The rest he could figure out later. Fuuinjutsu and Space-time ninjutsu were too complex for him to attempt before reaching the level of chunnin. Naruto didn't bother to notice that some of his classmates were staring at him. He knew that people would notice his new uniform choice. There was a reason that Naruto chose to keep the same clothes all the time. He needed to be inconspicuous from the crowd, so as not to attract too much attention. Now that he graduated, he needed to wear something that was practical and would not hinder him in a mission. He focused on light colors so that the enemy would not spot his presence. His new outfit consisted of Anbu style boots and dark blue pants followed by a light green t-shirt. Dark blue forearms covered his wrists, completing his new wardrobe. The sword he received from the Sandaime was strapped on his waist. Said outfit would have cost him a fortune, had he not bothered to use a simple Henge to die his hair black and hide the whisker marks.

Naruto's wonderings ended as soon as Iruka entered the classroom and ushered everyone to shut up. Before he could begin, however, Sakura lifted her hand.

"Iruka-sensei, what happened to Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto perked at the question and looked at the man's eyes with a smile on his face. He didn't need to hear the answer to conclude what happened.

"Mizuki is otherwise occupied Sakura and won't be able to make it. Now, listen up all of you…to everyone here who now wear the Konoha headband, congratulations. All of you worked hard to become genin and I'm sure that you will only grow. Know that this is just the beginning of your careers, however. The academy's goal is to better prepare you for the shinobi life out there." Naruto had to snort at that, remembering what Tobirama thought about it. "With that out of the way, you'll be forming a three man cell team under the leadership of a jounin-sensei. I now shall announce the genin teams and the names of the jounin, so listen up. Team 1…" Naruto blocked the names out, until he would hear his name. It would be irrelevant to pay attention right now.

"Team 7 is composed of Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura. Your jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi." At the mention, Yamanaka Ino deflated on her desk while Haruno Sakura gloated.

"Team 8 is composed of Akimichi Chouji, Yamanaka Ino and Aburame Shino. Your jounin sensei is Yuhii Kurenai." Once more, Yamanaka Ino complained at having to be in a team with a guy who housed bugs.

"Team 9 is already in operation, so team 10 is composed of Hyuuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jounin sensei is Sarutobi Asuma." Naruto nodded at the names. Shikamaru was constantly on his tail following him around. Now that Naruto didn't need to hold back his skills, it was no problem. Of course, he would not use elemental ninjutsu for now, but he had taijutsu and kenjutsu to rely on most missions he would undertake. He had nothing against Hinata and fighting alongside a Hyuuga was a plus in his book. He did wonder about the name of his jounin sensei. Sarutobi Asuma meant that the jounin was related to the Sandaime Hokage.

After Iruka finished announcing the teams, he released everyone for lunch and telling them to come back in two hours to meet their jounin sensei.

Naruto saw Shikamaru mutter his favorite word and then walked up the class stairs to face Naruto.

"As troublesome as it is, I think it would be best if we had lunch together to learn about each other a bit more." Naruto nodded at the Nara clan member.

"Sure, what about you Hinata. Are you in?" The girl happened to be seating next to Naruto and blushed like a tomato at being addressed by her crush. Throughout the last three years of the academy, Hinata always tried to search for Naruto. Before, she was always able to follow him when he went to train or when he searched for the sights in Konoha. She considered herself weak and she had used Naruto's determination as a drive for her to feel better. Now as Naruto had improved greatly during the academy, she could not help but feel down. Sure, she was happy for him and all, but for some reason, she could no longer see the same qualities she saw back then. To her that Naruto died and another took his place. Looking at his eyes, Hinata could no longer see the glow that she was drawn to in the past. Now, the look resembled a more reserved and collected human being.


===Ramen Stand===


The newly formed team left the academy towards the ramen stand as per Naruto's suggestion. Shikamaru found it too troublesome to argue and Hinata didn't mind.

Once everyone ordered the respective dishes, Shikamaru turned to Naruto in order to study the troublesome blond for a good ten seconds. What he saw staggered him. Naruto's improvement at the academy was shocking enough, but this one before him had changed even more. His posture exuded confidence and he could see that the boy was always alert to his surroundings, even if Naruto appeared busy eating his noodles. The clothes' change was a bonus to the huge question mark inside Shikamaru's head. If it was one activity that Shikamaru enjoyed it was solving a mystery; something that even his high IQ could not solve right away. He needed to solve the riddle that was Uzumaki Naruto and he had found the first item to focus on.

"Say Naruto, what's with the sword? I had no idea you used one." Naruto finished eating and looked at Shikamaru before looking at the sword.

"It was a gift from the Sandaime Hokage after I managed to improve my grades. I've been practicing with it for two years now, I think. I just didn't bother to bring it to the academy, since I wouldn't use it."

"Quite impressive how you improved in such a short time. I almost dare say that you just pretended to suck at the beginning." Naruto released a long laugh at the comment. If only they knew…

"I did suck back then for sure. Back then, I had a long talk with the Sandaime and he explained to me that if I were to aim the Hokage position, it was imperative that I worked hard at the academy, you know, to master the basics. Let me tell you…at first, the academy books were like a foreign language to me. I had to purchase a dictionary just so that I could understand what the book said. Also, there was the fact about my chakra capacity…"

"W-what about your chakra?" This time it was Hinata who asked.

Naruto was laughing like a hyena from the inside. His sensei would be proud of him for directing the conversation.

"At first, when we started learning ninjutsu, the Kawarimi and the Henge became easy enough with practice. However, for the life of me, I couldn't perform the bunshin. It turned out that the reason I could not perform it was because I happen to have a large chakra capacity and not enough control. Because of this, I went to the Hokage for tips and he taught me how to improve my control. From that point on, with enough hard work, I managed to perform the technique and improve my grades. Funny isn't it?" Shikamaru merely frowned at the new information and wondered why neither of the teachers bothered to point this to Naruto. The academy measured the amount of chakra of all the students. He was about to ask Naruto more questions, when Naruto opened his mouth.

"But enough about me, though, tell me Shikamaru…how was it that your scores were so low? I found a history book in the library and it said the Nara Clan were known for their high intellect."

"Hm, it was too troublesome. I placed enough effort to pass. I don't have any qualms about showing off and I certainly don't aspire much in the future to really apply myself beyond the bare minimum."

"Wow, the book also said that the Nara Clan were known for their laziness, but I thought it was exaggerated." Hinata released a small giggle and Shikamaru's forehead showed a small vein at the comment. Even it was true, no book would ever say something like that. Naruto's laughter afterward only proved it was a joke. "What about you Hinata? I read a lot about the Hyuuga Clan as well. Your byakugan and jyuuken are quite feared huh? I can't wait to see it in action." Hinata blushed at the praise, while Shikamaru frowned. In this little conversation, Naruto showed a lot of knowledge regarding the clans in Konoha. He had no doubt that he knew about the rest as well.

"W-well, I'm not that good in the j-jyuuken as my cousin and my younger s-sister…" Naruto frowned at the response. He didn't realize that a Hyuuga knew humility.

"How come? I've seen your moves at the academy. Looks pretty great to me." Hinata blushed once more at the praise. To Shikamaru, was clear as well that Hinata's confidence in herself was lacking.

"I-I don't know…father always berates me in our practices." Naruto and Shikamaru looked at their teammate as she looked on the ground in sadness.

"Well, I still have doubts about that. I know what I saw after all." Hinata smiled at the comment, but the memory of her father was still fresh in her mind. Shikamaru observed from the sidelines for a while. Hinata needed to work on her confidence or else things will be quite troublesome to manage. The team finished the rest of their meals in silence, before paying the bill and returning to the classroom. It was time to meet their jounin sensei.


===At the Academy===


Once all the now graduated returned inside the classroom, Iruka took a moment to look at all of them and smiled soon afterward. He had high expectations for this generation. Hyuuga, Uchiha, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi and Nara clan. Each of these clans had one representative in this classroom. Aside from the clans, Iruka got wonderful students in both Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. He had no doubt in his mind that they would surpass everyone's expectations. Iruka took a couple of minutes to express his thoughts about the classroom, before saying that within minutes, the respective jounin senseis would arrive to collect the teams.

With that, Iruka bowed to everyone and left the room.

As Iruka said, little by little, different shinobi started to arrive in order to collect the genin teams. Five minutes later, Naruto looked up and saw two jounins entering the room together. The first one was a kunoichi and a very beautiful one at that. She was fairly petite and light-skinned woman of slender build. She had long, black, shoulder-length untamed hair and unique eyes that are red in color, with an additional ring in them. Naruto actually believed she was an Uchiha, based on observation alone. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh armor blouse with only the right sleeve visible. The second jounin was a shinobi and quite tall compared to the woman. He had brown eyes, short and black spiky hair and beard. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, the standard jounin flak vest, regular shinobi sandals. He also wore what appeared to be a sash with the kanji for Fire marked on it around his waist. He had a pair of black bangles and bandages wrapped around the arms of his sleeves. Not to mention the uncanny resemblance to the Sandaime Hokage.

So that's our sensei…interesting.

"Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai, Team 8 you're with me, meet me in Training Ground 8 in half an hour." The woman next to Asuma announced, before vanishing in a shunshin.

"Jounin Asuma Sarutobi, Team 10 you're with me, meet me at the Barbeque Restaurant in twenty minutes." Asuma had also vanished via shunshin.

Both Team 8 and 10 got up and left the room, leaving only Team 7 to wait for their tardy sensei.


===Barbeque Restaurant===


Naruto, Shikamaru and Hinata watched as their appointed sensei ate his fair share of beef. Asuma had offered them lunch, but they had already ate before meeting with him. In the end, they settled for some tea.

"Alright then, now how about you all talk to me a little about yourselves. I have a grasp of your skills from the academy file, but I wish to get to know you better. Let's start with you Shikamaru."

The Nara member mumbled his favorite word at having to go first. He was content with saying the bare minimal.

"What do you wish to know exactly, Asuma-sensei?"

"Oh, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future and anything you wish to share…"

"Huh…troublesome…well my name is Nara Shikamaru, I like watching clouds and playing shogi. I dislike excessive work and being nagged by my troublesome mother. My dream is to retire as a chunnin, find a wife that's not so troublesome to handle and settle down." Asuma could not help but chuckle upon seeing the boy's dream. Just like his father, Asuma mused. Naruto, instead, looked at his teammate with his mouth open. No drive whatsoever. To someone with enough stamina to train the entire day and not tire, Naruto found himself at a loss as he found his stamina nemesis. One thing for sure…Naruto would not allow Shikamaru to slack off…oh how he wanted to use the water whip on him right now.

"Okay, you can go next Naruto." Seeing his cue, the blond nodded.

"Well, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, shurikenjutsu and kenjutsu. I dislike the three minutes it takes to cook ramen. My dream for the future is to rise through the ranks, gather enough experience and become a Hokage just like the Nidaime." Asuma nodded with a smile on his face. He heard from his father how the boy aspired for the Hokage position and how much the boy talked about the Nidaime Hokage. Little did everyone know precisely why Naruto mentioned the Nidaime Hokage. Shikamaru, however, found the answer interesting. He remembered the boy worshipping the Yondaime Hokage three years ago. It must have something to do with his improvement all of a sudden.

"A nice dream you got there, Naruto. Ok last one…Hinata."

"O-oh, my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like pressing flowers, zenzai and cinnamon rolls. I dislike those who look down on others and my dream is to unite the Hyuuga Clan." Asuma nodded, while lighting a new cigarette. Naruto already counted three since they arrived at the restaurant. He supposed that all members of the Sarutobi Clan enjoyed having a smoke here and there. The Sandaime did enjoy that pipe of his. Asuma released the pent-up smoke and Team 10 instantly coughed like crazy, earning a smirk from the sensei.

"Okay, now that we got to know each other, all of you are dismissed for the day. You are to meet me at Training Ground 10 for one more before you can be called genin." Asuma merely waited for the response.

"huh…troublesome." Shikamaru groaned in reply.

"Other test? What do you mean? We are not genin right now?" Now, Naruto entered into a completely different conversation. Asuma merely smiled and explained.

"The Academy test had one purpose only. It served to show which of you had the potential to become genin. It is up to the jounin sensei to determine whether you receive the title or not. The test will begin at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." The genins nodded while Asuma paid for his tab. After that, the team left the restaurant and each went on their separate ways. The sun began to show its descent as Naruto reached his apartment. Tomorrow would be the first real test of his life and he could not wait. He could not show any sort of elemental manipulation. Naruto even felt he couldn't use the first techniques he learned either. Since he is not officially a genin, he wouldn't have an explanation as to how he knew those techniques. It wouldn't be a problem after he passed tomorrow, since he would have official access to the library. For now, only taijutsu, shuriken and kenjutsu, unfortunately.

Not to mention, abusing the kawarimi.


Author Note

Ok that's it for now. Please review.