Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I in-fact don't own Naruto because I'm broke :(

A/N: I've Looked at the reviews and I agree I do need to slow down I was rushing last night as I was super tired and wanted to see how it would turn out im glad people enjoyed it I'll definitely use more detail my goal is 100k words

Naruto woke up extra early in the morning to walk around the village. Despite occasional glares from some villagers, he loved every single one of them. and he's one of the people I hope I can help in the future."

As he roamed around the village, enjoying the early morning breeze, a familiar sound caught his attention—a green blur coming towards him. It turned out to be none other than Lee and Guy, on their 400th lap around the village, carrying a boulder between them. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at their antics. "I really missed the guy before he broke his legs in the war," he thought, hoping that in the future, he could help recover and continue their passionate training sessions.

Naruto then approached the Hokage Monument, standing in front of the stone carving of his father, the Fourth Hokage. "I'll do all I can to better the lives of the people and the village, and to save and change as many lives as I can," he vowed, feeling a deep sense of pride in himself and the village.

Meanwhile, in the Uchiha clan's district, Sasuke trained until his hands bled, feeling a mix of rage and sadness. "How could I lose to the dobe? What could he have done to make himself that strong? Did he just pity me and let me win all them fights? HOW CAN I, AN UCHIHA ELITE, LOSE TO SUCH COMMON TRASH?" Exhausted, his arms and body collapsed from the intense training.

At that exact moment, Sakura woke up feeling like she was nothing. "How could the dead last beat the rookie of the year, my Sasuke-kun? How could he pass me? I'm useless," she reflected, doubting her own abilities. "What was the point of me passing if I'm just going to be deadweight?" Sakura spent the whole morning reflecting on her life but was in denial. Her inner voice told her that Sasuke-kun loved her, but she felt the need to work harder to appeal to him. She agreed with her inner voice but still had a little doubt.

academy

At the academy, Naruto confidently walked in, but Shikamaru couldn't resist making a snide comment. "This isn't a place for dropouts and wannabe ninja," he muttered, laying his head down as if already bored.

Naruto, remembering his previous time in the academy, snickered, proudly displaying his regulation headband. "I have an official headband from Iruka-sensei," he boasted. Shikamaru's nonchalant response made Naruto take the hint and find a seat next to Hinata.

Hinata, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity, mustered the courage to start a conversation. "H-how did you p-pass, Naruto-kun?" she stammered. Naruto grinned and replied, "That's a conversation for another time, maybe over a bowl of ramen?" Hinata's face turned bright red, and she seemingly passed out from the overwhelming emotions.

Naruto decided to leave her be for a couple of minutes and walked over to Sasuke, knowing they would be on the same team. He wanted to start building a bond early on. "So, Sasuke," Naruto began. "What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke retorted with a hint of venom.

Naruto mentally sighed, thinking, "Geez, looks like the stick is even further up his ass." But he kept his cool and continued, "I like your taijutsu, but I feel like it could use some improvement. You wanna train together later?"

Sasuke hesitated, considering Naruto's offer, but his pride got the better of him. "Are you calling me weak?" he questioned defensively.

"No, I'm saying you could refine your taijutsu, and I could help you with that," Naruto replied matter-of-factly. Sasuke, interpreting it as a slight on his abilities, grew angry. "I don't need the help of a dead last like you, dobe! I am an Uchiha, one of the strongest clans in Konoha!" he asserted with pride.

Naruto chuckled inwardly, thinking, "I'm glad Sasuke changed in the future. He's so emo and prideful, it hurts to hear." But he quickly covered it up, responding to Sasuke, "Nothing, nothing at all."

As if on cue, Sakura walked into the room. Naruto couldn't help but find it ironic that they were all polar opposites at the start, but by the end, they became his best friends. He tried to start a conversation with Sakura, but it backfired as she ended up punching him, thinking he was asking her on a date. "Man, fighting Kaguya, Madara, and the Ten Tails felt like a cakewalk compared to this punch," Naruto thought as he lay on the floor, recovering from the impact.

Iruka came in to announce the teams, and upon seeing Naruto on the floor and Sakura standing over him, he couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. "Alright, let's announce the teams set by the Hokage. He picked these teams after carefully assessing what teams will work best together," Iruka announced,

"Team 7 will consist of Uchiha Sasuke," the girls went quiet, holding their breath in anticipation, "Haruno Sakura," Sakura couldn't help but let out a loud celebration, and multiple girls let out a huge sigh, "and Uzumaki Naruto." At that declaration, Hinata let out a huge sigh of sadness. Naruto cheered her up by saying, "We can still talk outside of the team. Remember, we're still in the same village." Hinata blushed at his statement and agreed, "Yes, N-Naruto-kun, I will look f-forward to t-t-that."

"Now, everyone, listen up to the next team," Iruka continued. "Team 8 will consist of Hyuga Hinata," Hinata's heart skipped a beat, "Inuzuka Kiba," and "Aburame Shino." Shino maintained his usual stoic expression, not showing any emotions.

"There will not be a Team 9 as it is still in use," Iruka explained, moving on. "And for the last team, Team 10 will consist of Yamanaka Ino," Ino couldn't help but sigh saying "she has a fat kid and lazy bastard on her team" "Akimichi Choji," finding the remark offensive, Choji glared at her while munching on chips, "and Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru, being his usual lazy self, just slept and commented something about "troublesome blondes."

After everyone was gone and the senseis had already picked up their teams, Naruto tried to strike up a conversation with Sasuke. "Yo, Sasuke," he called out. Sasuke responded with his usual arrogance, "What, dobe?"

Naruto persisted, "Are you sure you don't want to take me up on my offer? It's better to train with someone than in a log." Sasuke groaned, clearly not interested. "Hmph," he grumbled.

Naruto continued, trying to make a compelling argument, "I train using my shadow clones, and I progress faster than when using a log. When you train with someone stronger or equal, you progress faster too." Sasuke couldn't resist a snarky comment, "Smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

Unfazed, Sasuke replied, "I'm fine by myself. I don't need you people slowing me down. Once I get my Sharingan, I will be unmatched," he said with pride.

Feeling defeated by Sasuke's stubbornness, Naruto took a seat and reflected on his progress so far. He thought about the changes he's making, like helping Hinata come out of her shell. He believed that if she kept her confidence and dedication to training, she might be able to beat Neji one day. However, Sasuke remained a significant roadblock. Naruto wanted to help him, but his pride was too strong, underestimating the weight of Uchiha pride.

He also thought about Sakura, realizing that she needed to help herself first before anyone else could assist her. She needed to acknowledge her weaknesses before she could make any changes. The thought of the upcoming bell test or the wave mission made Naruto feel determined to keep pushing forward and make a positive impact on his friends and the village.

As Naruto was lost in thought, Kakashi, one of the strongest ninjas in Konoha, walked in to meet his team. Kakashi initial impression was unimpressed, but he followed Kakashi's instruction to meet him on the top of the roof. Naruto was the first to reach the top, waiting patiently before Sakura and Sasuke left the classroom. As they left, Naruto used the body flicker technique to quickly get to the rooftop.

Kakashi was surprised and asked, "How did you get up here so fast?" Naruto couldn't resist giving a cheeky smile and replied, "I ran." He knew it was a pathetic lie, but he didn't want to reveal his ninja skills just yet. Kakashi simply looked at him and then returned his attention to his book, seemingly uninterested.

After a couple of seconds, Sasuke and Sakura finally arrived on the roof. Sakura, who had already asked Sasuke on a date five times that day, and Sasuke, who was being his broody emo self, were both surprised to see Naruto up there. They never thought of him as the running type, but they didn't give it a second thought and continued with their own interactions

Sasuke, still distant and prideful, and Sakura, still the annoying fangirl.

As the whole team gathered on the rooftop, Kakashi closed his book and spoke, "Alright, I want to get to know you, so you're going to tell me your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future." Sakura spoke up and asked, "How about you give us an example, sensei?" Kakashi nodded and replied, "My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are something you don't need to know, and my dislikes, I don't know you enough to tell you. As for hobbies, I don't have any dreams."

Everyone deadpanned at Kakashi's response, and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. Sakura, not satisfied, spoke up again, "ALL WE LEARNED WAS YOUR NAME!" Kakashi retorted, "Well, since you like talking so much, Pinky, how about you go first?"

Sakura blushed, stealing glances at Sasuke, and began, "My name is Sakura Haruno. My likes are..." She blushed even deeper, "my dislikes are Naruto," she exclaimed, causing Naruto to laugh out loud. "My dream and hobbies are..." she glanced at Sasuke again and blushed even more. Kakashi decided it was enough and interjected, "Enough, you horny bastard."

Next up was Sasuke, who looked unimpressed as ever. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My likes are the Uchiha clan, my dislikes are a certain man who took everything from me. My hobbies are training, and my dream for the future is to get so powerful by any means and kill a certain man."

"Wow, I never thought someone would out-emo me. He makes me look happy," Kakashi commented Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter, knowing Kakashi's remark was accurate. recalling the stories he heard about Kakashi's childhood.

Finally, it was Naruto's turn. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I love ramen, old man Hokage, and a certain Hyuga," he blushed slightly. "My dislikes are traitors and people who purposely disturb peace. My hobbies are gardening and practicing my Jutsu. My dreams for the future are to become Hokage, help all my friends become strong and powerful, and start a family to create peace in the ninja world."

Kakashi was impressed by Naruto's strong ambitions and remarked, "Well, you've got a lot of challenges ahead of you, kid."

The mood shifted when Kakashi delivered the bad news—they were not officially genin yet. They had a real test ahead, one with a 66% fail rate. Sakura's reaction was loud and heard all over the village. Naruto knew it was time to focus and prepare.

Later, Naruto tried to invite his team to go for ramen, but they ignored him. He sighed, feeling it was too early. However, he remembered his date with Hinata and felt a sense of excitement. He quickly got ready, putting on his black shirt with the Uzumaki logo, black shinobi pants, and sandals.

As he arrived at the Hyuga compound to pick up Hinata, he saw her in her usual attire—an oversized jacket, dark blue shinobi pants, and light blue shinobi sandals. Her cheeks turned red, and Naruto's grin grew as he realized she might have second thoughts about her outfit. Nevertheless, he knew it was going to be a great day.

As Naruto extended his hand and said, "May I?" Hinata's head was spinning with excitement. She felt like she could die and be happy at the same time. Inside her head, she was jumping for joy, but outwardly, she was just as red as a tomato. "Y-y-yes, N-Naruto-kun," she stammered, still not entirely sure if this was reality. Holding hands with her crush was like being in heaven, and she even pinched herself to make sure it wasn't a dream.

Naruto, feeling the silence, decided to break it and complimented Hinata, "Hinata, you look pretty." She did her best to keep her composure, not wanting to faint or melt away. With great effort, she replied, "T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

As they arrived at the ramen place, Teuchi couldn't help but comment, "Is this your girlfriend, Naruto? You got lucky; she's a pretty one." Both of them blushed at the comment, and Hinata was still in awe of the situation. When Teuchi asked Hinata what she wanted, she just followed Naruto's lead and ordered the same.

While the food was being cooked, Naruto took the chance to ask Hinata about her special Hyuga eye. She explained, "W-well, I can see chakra and up to a mile, but I'm not very good at it." Naruto found it really cool and inquired further, learning about the Hyuga's gentle fist fighting style that could shut down someone's chakra. Hinata admitted that her cousin Neji was much better at it, feeling like a disappointment.

Naruto quickly assured her, "You're not a disappointment in my eyes, Hinata-chan." The new suffix made her blush, but Naruto continued, "None of my friends are failures; nobody is a failure if they work hard enough." His words inspired her, yet the mention of her father's disapproval brought back her self-doubt.

After finishing their food, Naruto having devoured 18 bowls, Hinata couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm while she ate more methodically. Once they were both full, Naruto paid for the food, and they left. On their way back to Hinata's home, Naruto asked if she wanted to train with him sometime, and she eagerly nodded in agreement.

When they reached her home, Hinata thanked him for the wonderful time and confessed that it was the best night she ever had. With newfound courage, she gave him a little kiss before running off to her compound. Naruto sat there, blushing and feeling happy about the night's events. He walked home, rethinking everything but also feeling confident that he was making a positive impact on the past, and tomorrow, his influence would be even greater.

A/N I'm not going lie I suck at romance I need help also after this chapter I'm going take longer to update so I can make longer chapters but I don't want to rush but I already know the time travel stuff won't really pick up till the first c rank there's not much you can do here in my opinion im sorry if I'm rushing the romance but I'm not good at it and this is how I think he would go about it also after this there won't be to much romance till after the chunin exams I'm not going lie I wanna go to shippuden but I'm not going be too hard on myself it's my first fanfiction your reviews really help ill try to update every 3-4 days also tips on romance will be helpful