OP1: Overwhelming Vivid Days by Nanami Yoshi
Konohagakure
Ninja Academy
"NARUTO, MOVE IT! I'M TRYING TO GET AROUND YOU!" Sakura shouts, wanting to sit next to Sasuke. The only one stopping her from sitting next to him was the frowning blond boy between them.
"No..."
"What do you mean no!?" To her shock, Naruto moves to his left so he's next to Sasuke, telling her, "Because now it's my spot, and I'm not letting you take it."
"Why you-" Throwing a punch, Sakura hoped to hit Naruto. But as usual, Naruto avoids it. This time, the punch was going for Sasuke's cheek, with no time to stop it. Sasuke, seeing this, caught it in his left hand, directing an annoyed look at her. Not wanting to get on his angry side, Sakura backs off as Naruto takes out his headphones and listens to music before class started.
"...Was that really necessary?" Sasuke asked Naruto, the former wanting to be left alone to brood.
"Would you rather have an annoying girl like her next to you or someone who thinks you're an ass whom you can tolerate?" Naruto answered. Sasuke said nothing as he glared at the blond.
"Alright students, from this day forward, you're no longer students, but full-fledged ninjas. However, among the ranks of the shinobi, you're only Genin. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead. Right now, you will be divided into three-man cells, each of which will be mentored by a Jonin.
"Teams huh...I wonder whose team I will be o-"
"Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. You three will be assigned to Team 7," Iruka called out.
"...Shit."
Lunch Time
"So...Sasuke Uchiha's on your team...and so is Sakura," said Shikamaru as he had lunch with the blond, Hinata, and Shino.
"Don't remind me. Honestly, I'd trade them for any of you three, even Ino," he told them as he ate his salmon bento.
"That's nice to hear. Unfortunately, we can't trade team members," Hinata adds before taking some rice and popping it into her mouth.
"Unlike you guys, my team's the new Ino-Shika-Cho, meaning we're always going to be put on the same team. Family tradition and everything."
"Maybe it won't be so bad Naruto. Give it some time, and you'll grow to care for them," Shino told Naruto as he fed some of his parasitic insects.
"I guess I can see myself caring for Sasuke. Just a little bit."
"What makes you say that?" asked Hinata.
Earlier
As Naruto made his way to have lunch with Hinata, Shikamaru, and Shino, he overheard Sakura talking to Sasuke.
"He always comes between us. It's probably because he never had any parents. He doesn't have to answer to anyone, ever, and it made him completely selfish. He just goes around with that ridiculous calm and uncaring face of his, listening to music, pissing people off with insults and horrible jokes and trying to let people know he's better than them, though he can never be better than you of course," she told her crush, unaware that Naruto was listening in on her. "I honestly hoped that he would be gone forever. I mean, 4 years out of the village felt like yesterday."
"Geez, you never hold anything back..." Naruto whispered to himself, annoyed, as he continued to listen on.
"If I did the things he gets away with, my parents would ground me for life. Don't you envy him being alone, not having parents nagging you all the time?"
"You...make me sick," Sasuke told the girl, surprising her and the hidden Naruto. "I didn't know anything about him, until now. I may not like him, but I can understand his reason for acting the way he is now. Because people like you made him that way." Finished, Sasuke walks away from her as Naruto processed what happened. Sasuke, the supposed asshole he took him for, actually stood up for him.
Now
"He actually stood up for someone? I find it hard to believe that a guy like Sasuke Uchiha told off someone badmouthing you," Shikamaru said in disbelief.
"Well, it happened. I only hope that he does this more often," Naruto added, finishing his lunch. "That was good. Hard to believe Ayane made this before she left."
"Ayane made you that?" asked Hinata, sounding a jealous, the boys not noticing it.
"Yeah, I had her stay at my place and-"
"You had a girl at your place!?" Shikamaru interrupts.
"Well yeah. What's the big deal? I have her stay at my place, and she thanked me by making me a bento. It's not like some celebrity showed up and gave me a million dollars."
"You really can be an idiot sometimes, Naruto," said Shino, Shikamaru nodding in agreement. the blond wondering why he called him that.
"So who's this Ayane?" asked a curious Shikamaru, adding the question, "Is she your secret girlfriend?"
"Gi-Girlfriend!?" Hinata shouts in her mind.
"No, it's not like that." Naruto told him. "She's only a girl I just became friends with is all..."
"I'd like to meet her."
"Good luck with that, she went home," Naruto told the Nara boy, who then asked, "Are you sure you're not dating her? I mean, there's a thing called long-distant re-"
"Don't make me slap your lunch to the ground."
"You won't do that," said a smiling Shikamaru, that smile leaving his face when Naruto actually did it. "...Asshole."
"Relax, I have a bento I made for myself yesterday night. Finish it up before break ends." Taking it from his hands, Shikamaru tells Naruto he was lucky his cooking was good.
After School
Hyuuga Residence
Naruto parried Neji's three gentle fist strikes before performing a Brazilian Kick. The Hyuga male ducks it, though he is caught off guard by an uppercut that would've connected, had Naruto not stopped.
"I win this match. That makes it 37-36," he told Neji, the latter smiling as he praised his friend's fighting style. "Your Gentle Fist has improved since 4 years ago."
"Your fighting has improved as well, Naruto. Who was your master?" he asked. His cheeks turning a rare shade of red, Naruto told him, "A...girl I liked...Used to...Feelings for her are still present, but dialed down."
"A girl?"
"You'd be surprised by the way she moves. There's also another person I trained with, but I don't want to talk about "him," said Naruto, referring to an "irregular magician".
"How strong is he?" asked Neji.
"Think me and you combined, but a hundred times better," Naruto responds, the answer shocking Neji.
"That strong!?"
"Still is...Has a cute younger sister, though he is very protective of her..."
"I can't imagine winning against someone like that," Neji admits, Naruto agreeing with him with a nod. "...Thank you for agreeing to come spar with me."
"Have to keep ourselves in shape and in top form," Naruto told him as they shook hands.
"Tomorrow, you're meeting with your Jonin, am I right?"
"Yeah..."
"Do you think you'll get along with your squadmates?"
"Hard to say. Sasuke, I can see myself reluctantly working well with him. Sakura...I can go on with her flaws. I can even write a five-paged paper on it. She is going to be a very tough cookie."
"Like you were with Hinata?" asked a smiling Neji, Naruto having no comeback for the burn he received.
"How many times are you guys going to bring that up?" he asked, raising a brow, Neji responding with, "As many times as we need to in order to remind you of what you were like before, and to never be like that again."
"Usually people would say, "as many times as we have to,"...I wasn't expecting that," said Naruto.
"Give them some time to sort themselves out. It was the same for my team, it'll be the same for you."
"That's what Hinata tells me."
"Neji, dinner's ready!" Hinata called out. "Naruto, come and join us before you go."
"Me?" asked Naruto, pointing to himself.
"It'll be fine. Come join us." Though a bit hesitant, he agreed to have dinner with the Hyuga Family.
Dinner Time
"So you're Naruto Uzumaki..." Naruto, despite, putting on his calm face, was a bit nervous for reasons he couldn't understand when he came face to face with Hinata's father, Hiashi, his wife Yoshiko, and Hanabi.
"Nice to meet you, sir."
"Come, have a seat with us." Nodding, Naruto sat next to Hinata and Neji as Hiashi took a seat next to his wife, and Hanabi (11-years old). They were having udon for dinner, readying their chopsticks as they prepared to dig in. Silently they ate, Naruto wondering if he should say something.
"Uzumaki..." Hearing Hiashi call his name, Naruto stopped his chopsticks as he looked up to see what the head of the Hyuga Clan wanted to tell him. "My wife and I never had the chance to thank you for being my daughter's friend. She...She's always been quiet and by herself, unable to stand up for herself. But after meeting you, we've seen a lot of improvement from her, and...we hope that you continue to be her friend."
"I will make sure to do a good job at it," Naruto promised, making Hinata smile.
"Oh, my husband watched you fight Neji earlier. Do you think you can spar with Neji and Hinata whenever you come by?" asked Yoshiko. "Sure." After having dinner with the Hyugas, Naruto thanked them for having him over before heading home for two hours of training in the backyard and getting some rest after.
The next day
Unknown Building
As the three wait for their squad captain to arrive, Naruto listens to music as usual while Sakura lovingly stares at Sasuke.
"Nothing but silence with us three..." Finally, their sensei showed up in a burst of white smoke.
"Sorry, I'm late. An old lady needed help carrying her bags and I couldn't say no," he told them, though they weren't convinced. "Now, how about we do introductions? Let's start with the girl with pink hair. Tell me anything you want us to know about yourself."
"Why don't you tell us about yourself first?" asked Naruto.
"Fair enough. My name's Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes… My dreams for the future… Hmm… As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies…"
"That's not a lot to go by," said Sakura.
"Now that I've told you about myself, let's start with the girl. Name, likes and dislikes, dreams, and hobbies."
"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like...Looking Sasuke, she blushed. "...My dreams are"...Again, she blushed a bit after taking a second look at the Uchiha before she got angry and said, "I hate Naruto."
"Good for you, I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Naruto told her, applauding, the girl forming an angrily bothered look on her face. He was making it aware that he was mocking her as he clapped his hands, stopping when Kakashi faced him.
"What about you?" said Kakashi. "Tell us about yourself."
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like exploring places I've never been to before, meeting people, and listening to music, oh and training, I like to train. My dream's...I guess I don't have a dream at the moment, but if I had to pick one, it'd be to...find myself and my place in this world. What I hate? I'm keeping all of that to myself."
"Okay, and you there, wearing blue, tell me your name and things about you."
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone."
"He is so cool..." Sakura thought to herself as she looked at Sasuke with longing eyes.
"And the award for "Most Edgy Introduction" is Sasuke Uchiha." The Uchiha glared at Naruto for the comment. "Sorry, it's a force of habit. I apologize."
"Another dysfunctional team..." Kakashi thought to himself. "Now that we're done with introductions, formal training begins tomorrow beginning with survival exercises. You 3 are to come to the training grounds tomorrow at 9:00 am sharp. And you're to not eat breakfast. Also, there's a 2% chance of passing this exercise. If you fail, it's back to the academy for you. I hope to see your skills tomorrow. Later." Finished, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
"...Alright, later." To their surprise, Naruto turned out to be a shadow clone the whole time they were waiting.
"If he was a clone...Where's the real Naruto?" asked Sakura.
Naruto's House
Backyard Zen Garden
Several minutes ago
Resting on his porch, Naruto had been meditating since 9 o' clock, for the past two hours. As he trained his mind along with his control over his own chakra, he remembered one of Rin's lessons.
Flashback
Over a year ago
"You've persevered through my training, and for that, I am proud of you, Naruto." Blushing, the blond thanked Rin for being his teacher. "Now that you've completed my training, I think it's time that I let you in on a secret."
"What sort of secret, Kujou-senpai?"
"You want to know how I've been able to react faster than you, despite your amazing abilities?" Naruto raised a brow, curious about what she's going to reveal.
"There is a power, inside those who have mastered spiritual and mental refinement. One not meant to win, but to grow in skill, protect others, and overcome evil."
"A power to protect others and overcome evil?"
"Yes, and it's one even I haven't mastered, even with all my training." Naruto looked surprised when Rin told him she was unable to attain the power she spoke of. "Most of your training was meant to master your spirit and mind. I've also been helping you free your mind of fear, anger, pride, and ego, all to help you when the time comes for you to realize this power," Rin explained.
"And you did a fine job at it," Naruto adds, earning a smile from her.
"However, even with all the training you've done under my tutelage, you're not completely ready for it. I don't know how, but...there is so much darkness surrounding you, it worries me. I've done all I can to help you. The next step depends on you."
"Where should I start?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that question. The answer lies inside of you and the choices you make from here on...I just hope you make the right ones. It'll be tough for you, but I know you'll get through it."
Now
"Looking back, the darkness she mentioned must have been the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of me...Just how am I supposed to overcome it, Kujou-senpai?"As he was meditating, he receives his clone's memories, smiling a bit from his clone's interactions with his teammates and their squad captain.
"Not bad Clone Me..." Naruto opens his eyes as he hears the door ring. He decides to stop his training for a bit before getting up and heading inside so he can find out who was at the door. To his surprise, it's the Third Hokage.
"What brings you here Old Man?"
"Can't I visit once in a while?" he asked with a smile. After letting out a sigh, Naruto lets him in.
Kitchen
"What do you think of your captain?"
"There's not much to go by. All I know is that his name is Kakashi Hatake, he dresses up as a scarecrow and that his personal life is none of our business," said Naruto as he pours tea into a cup and hands it to him. "You came here to talk to me about him?"
"A bit, yes. I'm just curious about what you have in mind for tomorrow," he told the blond.
"Simple, I'm going to train all day, build some traps and weapons after dinner, go to bed, and pray that my "team" and I can pass together. Though I don't see us working together right off the bat." The Third smiles a bit when Naruto took notice of the one problem he'll face tomorrow.
"You think you can get them to cooperate with you?"
"Wouldn't know, or care until tomorrow, rather talk about something else."
"Alright, let's start with that Ayane girl from the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Other than Iruka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara, she is the fourth person you've fully expressed yourself to."
"Seventh." When asked who the fourth, fifth, and sixth were, he told him, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Very well...It's nice to know that you and her are friends. Keep making them Naruto. I know you enough to tell that you're going to need to make a lot of them," he told the blond. When asked why, he told him, "Just a feeling. Now...What do you plan to make for lunch before I go?" His eyes widening, Naruto turned to the clock and realized it was lunchtime.
"You just came here to eat my cooking, didn't you?" asked Naruto.
"Sorry Naruto, but you're cooking is always the best. I always look forward to having it once in a while."
"...Chicken Nanban."
Nighttime
Basement
This was one of the ways Naruto could relax. Just him, several tools and parts, and blueprints for a gadget, with his music speakers at full blast. He was currently in the process of making Tech Shurikens. While they may look like ordinary throwing stars, they had a few added effects that would catch almost anyone off guard. He would have to e-mail Tatsuya later and thank him for helping him work out flaws in the blueprints, and for giving him some ideas for a "new suit". Finished with making a fair amount of tech shurikens (20), he decided to begin work for his collapsible bow.
Morning
Hearing his phone go off, Naruto, drooling a bit, woke up at his desk. He must've dozed off after completing the bow and got started on making the arrows, managing to make 15 of them. Looking at his phone, he found himself with 90 minutes to spare.
"I have time to shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast, and watch some anime while I'm at it." He was aware that Kakashi told them no breakfast. But, following his gut, Naruto knew having something to eat would save him some trouble.
Training Fields
9:55 am
"YOU'RE 55 MINUTES LATE!" Sakura shouts.
"Sorry, a kid lost his dog and I had to look for it," he told them. "Did you 3 bring your lunches?" With the exception of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke packed theirs. "Alright, now give them to me." Once Sasuke and Sakura give Kakashi their lunch, the latter sets them on top of a log and takes out two bells from his pocket.
"Alright, time to get started. See these two bells in my hands?"
"What about them?" asked Sasuke.
"You three are to snatch these bells from me before noon. If you snatch one from me, you get lunch. If you can't, I'll tie one of you to one of those logs and eat your lunch in front of you."
"Is that why you didn't want us to eat breakfast!?" Sakura shouts.
"You're not a rooster, keep it down," Naruto told the girl, who told him to shut it while holding the urge to throw a punch at him. "I dodged a bullet with eating eggs and bacon before I got here." Turning to Kakashi, he asked him if they were to work together to grab the bells.
"Very good observation. Attack me as if I'm your enemy. Don't hold anything back." Sasuke couldnt help but let out a confident smirk when Kakashi gave them the okay to go all out as Sakura protested.
"But...But that's so dangerous!" Hearing Sakura say that, Naruto got serious as he turned to her to speak his mind.
"Dangerous? Dangerous huh...At some point, we'll be out doing missions with lives, even our own, on the line. Our enemies don't care if it's dangerous or not, and neither should you..." Hearing Naruto tell her this, Sakura, despite the blond speaking to in his calm tone, became scared of him. "I don't have qualms about killing, and neither does our sensei or anyone we may face in the future. Either you stand your ground and fight or lay on the floor and die."
"Umm, thanks for explaining things Naruto. Now on the count of three, we will start. 1...2...3." Immediately, the three Genin split up, Kakashi wondering who he should go after first.
30 minutes later
After they had separated, Sakura got caught in a basic genjutsu that involved a brutally maimed Sasuke, screaming at the top of her lungs before passing out. Sasuke got buried from the neck down after fighting the Jonin one on one for a good 10 minutes, managing to touch a bell. As for Naruto, he was simply meditating as he waits for Kakashi to come to him while forming a strategy, having sent clones to observe the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha. A total of 30 scenarios played in his head, three of them being victories for himself. However, that could change at any moment during battle. He could remember the advice that "the detective woman" gave him during their first and only meeting with each other.
"No matter who you're up against, and no matter how much power you've obtained, never underestimate your enemies. Even if victory is within your grasps, it could change at any moment. If you don't make it a habit to think far ahead, you WILL lose." - Kirigiri (25-years old) to Naruto (12-years old)
Hearing footsteps, Naruto opens his eyes as he got up and made eye contact with Kakashi, the Jonin noted how unusually calm the blond was.
"Would've thought Sasuke would at least get one of them himself."
"Were you just waiting to be the only one left? Aren't you arrog-"
"Don't just go assume things. I know you're strong, and that stealing a bell or both from you will be problematic for me and the other two. Unlike Sasuke, you won't be hearing any boasting from me. A waste of words," Naruto calmly interrupts as he quickly throws a shuriken at him, the Jonin quickly catching it between his fingers.
The shuriken opens up, revealing four miniature light panels that quickly flashed a bright light in front of Kakashi, both surprising and blinding him as Naruto closed the distance and aimed a palm thrust to the Jonin's chest. However, as soon as he hits Kakashi, the latter turned into white smoke.
"A clone, huh..." Quickly, Naruto turns around as Kakashi, on a large branch of a tree, throws four kunais at him. Avoiding the sharp projectiles, Naruto takes out his bow and fires a chakra-enhanced arrow at him. The Jonin uses the Body Flicker Technique to avoid it. With his bow, the blond twirls it counterclockwise to knock away 3 shurikens hurled at him. Putting away his weapon, Naruto checked his surroundings for Kakashi.
"That shuriken you threw...You made that, didn't you?" asked Kakashi as his voice echoed around him.
"Maybe I know someone who made it for me..." Sensing Kakashi, Naruto jumps back before his hand rises from the ground to grab him. Forming a compressed ball of wind (Wind Release: Air Grenade), Naruto throws it just as he lands on a branch. The technique blows the ground up upon impact.
"Right here," said Kakashi, appearing behind the blond. Throwing a back-fist strike, Naruto's left fist is caught by Kakashi's right hand. "Got you."
"You think so?" asked Naruto as he poofed in front of him.
"A CLONE!?" The real Naruto quickly runs at him and throws a right knee kick at Kakashi, the latter blocking it with his left hand. After the first attack fails, Naruto quickly caught Kakashi's left kick before countering with a chakra-enhanced cartwheel kick, hitting Kakashi in the face, surprising the Jonin as he's left vulnerable for the genin to grab the bells. As he reached his hand out to grab them, Naruto, seeing a certain book in his pouch, decides not to grab them as Kakashi recovers and distanced himself from the blond before using the Body Flicker Technique to make his getaway.
"He retreated..." With a sigh, he figured he'd go look for his teammates, thinking they may have came to while he was fighting the blond.
"EEEYAAGH! SASUKE'S HEAD HAS BEEN SEVERED!" With another sigh, Naruto quickly made his way to his teammates, finding Sasuke, who was still stuck in the ground, and Sakura passed out once more.
"You need help?" asked Naruto. Sasuke refuses to get help from his teammate as he struggles to move. With a sigh, Naruto goes over to him and punched the ground, freeing him. Angry, Sasuke grabs him by his jacket and tells him he didn't need help. "A thank you would be nice, ya know?"
"Just shut up and wake up Sakura, idiot."
"I was about to do that, asshole." Sasuke does not respond as Naruto taps Sakura's forehead, waking her up.
"Huh...What?" Looking at Sasuke, a relieved Sakura gets up to hug him, telling him how glad she was that he was fine, annoying the Uchiha, who asked that she let go of him. After Sakura removed her arms from him, Sasuke prepares to walk off to find Kakashi.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Naruto.
"We have an hour left before it's noon. I'm facing him."
"After being turned into a Diglet? I don't think so," said Naruto.
"Unlike you two, I got close enough to touch one of them. The next fight, I'll take them both," Sasuke argued.
"THat's a very funny joke you made there, Sasuke," Naruto mockingly told him as he approached the Uchiha boy.
"Do you honestly believe you or any of us alone can get one or all of those bells by ourselves?" the blond asked, leaving out the part where he allowed Kakashi to escape.
"I don't need help from any of you, I can get them both without your-" Immediately Sasuke is interrupted by a punch to the face by Naruto, surprising him and angering Sakura.
"Naruto, how dare you-"
"Not the time, unless you want to waste the remainder of this test on defending the boy you can't seem to shut up about," Naruto harshly told Sakura, making her go silent. "Think Sasuke, why are there only two bells instead of three?"
"Because only two of us can-"
"Wrong, he wants us to only think about which one of us goes without lunch. He wants us to get greedy," he told the Uchiha before focusing his attention on Sakura. "Sakura, Sasuke's not the only person you should've focused on. You had no idea where he was when we split up. You could've looked for me as well. I'm your teammate, not some lost cause or dead weight." Sakura looked away in shame as Naruto refocused his attention on Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I have no doubt that you'd be able to grab those bells, but we need them bells too, not just you. You played solo, like me, and failed. We need to work as a team to grab them. Forget if one of us doesn't get one. I don't care whose hand grabs them, we just need to work together to pass. I hate both of you, and you guys definitely hate my guts, but I will put aside my disdain towards you both if it means all three of us pass." After Naruto finished speaking his mind, Sasuke and Sakura, with a sigh, agree to work together as a team to grab the bells.
"If we're doing this, we should form a plan," said Sasuke.
"No need, I have one."
10 minutes later
"40 minutes left...Will they make it?" Kakashi wondered. Before he could go search for them, the Jonin senses Sasuke, who attacks with a Fireball Jutsu. Kakashi jumps up to a tree to avoid the attack. However, the branch he's on is covered in paper bombs, which explode. Kakashi manages to avoid the trap by jumping to another tree.
"That's my cue," Naruto told himself as he punched a tree, causing it to tip over. "Timber!" Naruto shouts as he slapped an explosive tag on the broken end of the tree, sending it flying towards Kakashi, hitting him and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Did that tree just-" Kakashi doesn't get to finish as Sakura throws a shuriken to cut a string keeping a hidden log trap in place. The log sends Kakashi flying into a tree. Aiming his bow, Naruto shows an arrow that traps the Jonin's right arm in a sticky substance that adheres itself onto the tree behind him.
"Get them! Sasuke! Sakura!" Quickly, the two rush towards Kakashi and reached their hands out. As they get closer, Naruto noticed Kakashi preparing to escape. Anticipating this, Naruto yells, "Icha Icha Innocence, Chapter 7: Alone With You!"
"WHAT!? He...knows about the next chapter!? I didn't read chapter 6!" Kakashi thought to himself as he used his available arm to try and cover his ears to avoid Naruto spoiling his book.
"He never expected to take refuge in the village's love hotel with her. As Haruna took a shower in-"
"Oh no, he's going to spoil it for me! I must-"
"Sensei..." Opening his eyes, Kakashi sees Sakura and Sasuke in front of him, each holding a bell in their hands. "You...You two-"
"Knew that'd leave an opening," said Naruto as he went over to his teammates.
"...That was dirty Naruto."
"I know, Sensei, but if I didn't, Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't have been able to grab the bells."
"...Fair enough...You managed to take the bells from me, and you did it as a team. This is the first time a team like you three worked together."
"Does this mean we pass?" asked Sakura.
"Well, you three did come at me at full force so...yes, all three of you pass. Now, how do you get out of this sticky trap?"
"I got it." Naruto goes over and heats the substance with his chakra, hardening it enough for him to break their sensei free.
"Thanks..." Right after he thanks him, Kakashi punched Naruto hard in the face, shocking both Sasuke and Sakura. Unfazed, Naruto admits that he deserved it.
"Wait, if you allow Kakashi-sensei to punch you, I deserve o-"
"Not in your life," Naruto tells her, adding how there was no way in hell he was giving her that satisfaction.
"You three can go now. However, I must tell you one last thing." Kakashi tells the three of the importance of working as a team, and how, as a team, they're stronger than one single person, and to never forget the importance of teamwork. "It's important that you care for and support your teammate, for those who don't...are lower than garbage." The three take the lesson to heart before they leave one by one. As the blond was about to leave , Kakashi stops him.
"Need something?" he asked his sensei.
"You could've gotten the bells yourself, but you didn't..." Kakashi told him. "You knew, didn't you?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean..." he told Kakashi. Looking at him, Kakashi could tell he was playing dumb. But if someone else were to ask him, that calm expression of his would definitely fool them.
"I guess I'll never know..." said Kakashi. "...Make-Out Innocence. How did you know about that chapter?"
"Oh, that? Well..."
Unnamed Konoha Bar
Kakashi takes a seat next to a semi-drunk Jiraiya at the bar as he orders a drink and a side of edamame.
"Never thought I'd see you here this early...Kakashi," he told him with a smile as he sipped some sake.
"Hello to you as well, Master Jiraiya...I finished the training exercise with Naruto. He passed." Jiraiya looks at him, amused, before asking him how he was. "He doesn't really smile. Other than that, he's observant and well-trained, managing to lay a pretty good kick to my face. I can still feel it a bit. He's definitely not like his parents." Jiraiya drunkenly laughed as he boasts how well Rin taught Naruto. "I swear, his personality has become even calmer and serious thanks to having her as a teacher. Like him, she almost never smiles ." As the semi-drunk Jiraiya explained everything to him, Kakashi wondered what sort of people he had Naruto hang with.
"He also told me that he wrote a few chapters for Icha Icha Innocence."
"Oh, that? He's a natural at it. I was really surprised when he wrote chapter 7 for me. I even had him write for the next two chapters after. If I couldn't continue the series, I would have Naruto continue it for me. He has what it takes, I swear," said Jiraiya, preparing to fill his cup, only to find his sake bottle empty. "Another round please?" he asked the female bartender, who simply sighed before she went to get another bottle.
"...Please make sure to take good care of Naruto while I'm gone."
"Akatsuki?" Jiraiya nods his head yes, confirming his reason for saying those words.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on him. He's my master's son after all."
Naruto's House
Backyard Zen Garden
As Naruto meditates in his backyard, a young pale-skinned woman, wearing a purple dress, with red eyes and white curled hair watched over him from behind, holding a floating magical orb. Sensing her presence, Naruto abruptly opens his eyes and turns around, only to see no one. Right after, the bell rings. Entering his home and walking towards the front door, he opens it to see Hinata with a pizza she made from home and two bottles of soda.
"We both passed our training exercises so...do you mind if we celebrate it together?" she asked Naruto, who tells her he doesn't mind and lets her in.
ED1: Self-Inflicted Achromatic (自傷無色)(Cover) by Raon Lee
So Naruto's now part of a team. A team he does not like, but will tolerate and, hopefully, grow to care for.
I would also like to add, after a review by a Guest, that Naruto never had a crush on Sakura in this universe. Road of Journey to Now will confirm this in a chapter. It never exists in the 458th Universe. Also like to add that Sakura may slowly develop as a character, bit by bit, it just takes a while to get there. I mean, I hated Sasuke, but after his redemption in the canon series, I like him now. Like Dale and Red from Pineapple Express.
Yes, Rin's the reason Naruto has that personality. She's his master, his first crush, and a big influence. She gets referenced a few times. The power Rin mentions is not Ultra Instinct. Goku can have that. This is a power some may be familiar with, but if not, I'm letting you guys figure it out.
Yes, Tatsuya Shiba is the strongest person Naruto has ever faced, never being able to best the irregular magician in combat. He also teaches Naruto, though his lessons are pretty rough. At least Naruto survived it, despite getting an ass-whooping.
Kyouko Kirigiri makes a short mention, giving a young Naruto advice a few days after he turned 12. Kirigiri will have her own story, which will take place before Road to Journey to Now, revealing some things I want to keep in the dark that will be important.
It took me a while to figure out where to end the story and how to do the fight between Naruto and Kakashi. It was a bit rushed because I didn't really want to re-tell Sakura passing out from a genjutsu or Sasuke's fight with Kakashi since we've seen/read it so many times.
Naruto really dislikes Sakura. However, maybe they might get along as time passes? Or not. For Sasuke, he can tolerate him a bit, though as it states in the chapter, he still thinks he's an ass.
Ayane might not make an appearance until the Chunin Exams. For now, she may only have mentions.
As for the woman...She is Viola of Soulcalibur V and will be of very great importance in the events to come in the future.