Oh man. I've been gone a while. First off, really sorry about not updating this sooner. The last two months have been crazy for me. To start off, I got in a pretty bad fall that fractured the left side of my jaw (ironically, this happened a few days after watching the Korra Book 3 finale), so recovering was a long process. Also, this semester has been really kicking butt through this ordeal.

But in all honesty, it's really not an excuse 'cause I still could have updated sooner. However, I ran into the problem of underestimating this chapter so much so in fact, that I had to split it up into two separate chapters, so both of them should be up by now.

Thank you for all those followed, favorited, and reviewed this and I hope you like this next one.

Disclaimer: Still applies

Chapter 5: Revelation and Promise, Part One

One year later

"NARUTO!"

The hyperactive blonde just laughed as he jumped across the buildings throughout the Leaf Village.

Naruto just pulled off his biggest prank yet: painting the Hokage Monument.

Of course the villagers weren't too happy about that, hence the reason why there were chunin-level ninja chasing after him. However, they weren't having much luck catching him.

"Damn, that brat's fast!" one of them cursed.

"Don't think you'll get away with this, Naruto!" another one yelled.

"Ha! Just try and catch me, morons!" Naruto goaded.

This continued on for several minutes until the Naruto managed to give them the slip.

"Dang it! Where did he run off to?" one chunin yelled, seething.

"That brat couldn't have gone far. C'mon, we'll keep looking," another replied.

As soon as the group left, Naruto removed the cloak blending him with his surroundings and snickered.

"Oh man, those bozos don't know what they're doing," the blonde laughed to himself.

"Oh, really?" said a voice behind him.

Naruto froze. He knew he was done for.

"Oh. Hey, Iruka-sensei. How's it going?" the troublemaker nervously said as he turn to said teacher.

Iruka was not amused.

Once he got back to the Academy, Iruka dropped a tied-up Naruto in the front of the classroom.

While most of the students laughed at the blonde, Iruka decided to test everyone on the Transformation jutsu for Naruto's daring prank.

Sure enough, the students groaned at this and waited to be called while sending glares Naruto's way.

A certain pineapple-headed boy groaned as he went over to Naruto's side.

"This is such a drag," he sighed, "Did you really have to goof off before class? Really wish you'd quit being troublesome with your pranks."

Naruto just smiled in response.

"C'mon, Shikamaru, you know me better than that," he said back, "The village needs some excitement every once in a while."

A chubby boy eating potato chips walked over to the two.

"Just be glad that Korra isn't here," he said while munching on the chips, "We'd have more than just the Hokage monument to worry about."

Naruto smiled at the mention of his friend. A while back he introduced her to the two and Kiba who were fellow dropouts that he hung out with from time to time. Korra got along with them okay…except for when Kiba mocked her strength since she was a girl. Korra didn't take very kindly to that remark and with Naga there…well, let's just say things didn't go well for Kiba.

Naruto snickered in his mind at the memory.

"I swear that girl's almost the female version of you," Shikamaru groaned, "At least she has the common sense to keep you in line."

"Hey! What's that supposed to-" Naruto was about to retort before he was interrupted.

"Naruto! You're up," Iruka called.

Said blonde turned and noticed that it was indeed his turn, so he walked to the front of class and in front of Iruka.

"Think he's gonna mess up?" one kid whispered.

"Nah, he'll probably just do something stupid on purpose. Either way he's a total loser," another student snickered.

Hinata was nearby and sent a concerned glance toward Naruto. Please do your best, Naruto. She thought.

"You can start anytime," Iruka stated.

Naruto nodded and performed the appropriate hand seals.

"Transform!" he yelled as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Everyone waited with baited breath to see how Naruto did and were shocked to see a perfect replica of Iruka.

The Iruka-transformed Naruto put up his hand in a victory sign as he grinned.

"Well done, Naruto," Iruka praised, "Next!"

Naruto nodded as he dispelled the jutsu went back to the other students. Hinata came up to him.

"Great job, Naruto-kun," said Hinata.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto happily said as he rested his hands behind his head, "but it's thanks to you that those chakra-control exercises are really paying off."

Hinata blushed at that comment. Over the time Korra's been visiting, she and Naruto have been helping Hinata be more self-assured and confident. The Hyuga heiress was progressing well as she was able to quit stuttering and gain more confidence, but still maintained some of her shyness. This helped become closer to Korra and Naruto and she wanted to help Naruto improve his manipulation of chakra. Naruto was excited at the prospect as the Hyuga used her byakugan to see if he was using too much or too little chakra. To say the least she was amazed at the amount of chakra at the blonde's disposal and it was no wonder he had terrible control.

Hinata shook herself out her thoughts as she responded back.

"Well, I'm thankful that you've been taking this seriously. I almost thought you were going to use your 'Sexy jutsu'," she said.

Naruto gained a shiver up his spine as he remembered the first and last time he used it in front of Korra.

(One year ago)

Naruto and Korra were hanging out in the park as the young Avatar was playing fetch with Naga.

"Hey, Korra-chan," Naruto said as Naga came back with a stick, "You wanna see something cool?"

Korra patted Naga's head, "Sure, I guess," she replied, "Is it some cool jutsu you've been working on?"

"Ha! You bet!" Naruto said excitedly, "This jutsu's bound to knock out the Old Man or anyone I might face as a shinobi!"

"This could take on the Hokage?" Korra asked, a little doubtful, "Well, this should be interesting."

"Alright!" Naruto yelled as he performed the hand seals, "Sexy jutsu!"

He disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared as a naked female version of himself with some smoke covering parts of her.

Korra could not believe what she was seeing. What in the world!? She thought.

Naruto changed back and couldn't contain his laughter.

"Oh man. I can't wait to see how the Old Man reacts to this. So what'd ya think, Korra-chan? Korra?" he asked when Korra didn't respond.

Said Avatar was looking at him with a blank stare and didn't seem amused in the least.

"Naruto," she finally spoke, "Mind standing where you are for a sec?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. What is it?" the blonde asked, confused.

Korra got into a stance and stomped her foot on the ground as Naruto immediately sunk to the ground with only his head visible.

"Eh?" Naruto uttered, dumbfounded as Korra walked away.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going!?" he yelled.

"Going to cool off for a bit," Korra replied without turning around, "Naga, keep an eye on him."

Said polar bear dog strode to where Naruto was and sniffed his face.

"Oh no. Don't you dare-" Naruto started before Naga proceeded to lick him.

"Hey! Quit it! Korra, help!"

Sadly the Avatar was not coming back for a while.

Korra came back to him after several hours and was willing to let out…as long as he promised to never use that "idiotic, perverted" jutsu again as she called it. To say the least, Naruto certainly did not want to get on her bad side again.

"Well, I can't get in any more trouble than I already am," he replied while rubbing the back of his head, "Besides, it's more fun to freak everyone out when I can do something right."

The rest of the day went on the normal class routine: Iruka with his boring lectures, Shikamaru sleeping, Choji eating, and Sasuke ignoring everyone else around him.

Eventually, the end of class came as everyone started leaving.

"Naruto," Iruka called as the said student was about to walk out.

Naruto turned to face his instructor.

"Now, I want to say that I'm proud of how you performed today."

Naruto smiled widely at that.

"However, this doesn't make up for what you did this morning," Iruka finished with irritation on his face.

Naruto's face deflated, "I have to clean up the monument, don't I?" he said glumly.

"You have to clean up the monument," Iruka confirmed.

"Remember, you're not leaving until you clean every spot," Iruka called as he was watching Naruto clean.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto responded uncaringly.

"Hey! I shouldn't have to keep you out here longer, do I?" Iruka retorted angrily.

"So what!?" Naruto yelled back, "It's not like I have anyone waiting for me at home!"

Iruka stopped as Naruto went back to cleaning. Even after all he's accomplished so far, that's still a sore spot for him. He thought sadly. Iruka was about to say something else before a voice interrupted him.

"NARUTO! DID YOU GET YOURSELF IN TROUBLE AGAIN?" the voice called from below.

"Well, look who's here already," Iruka said to himself in amusement.

Naruto immediately smiled and turned to look down. Sure enough, there was the Water-native Avatar standing alongside Katara. The elderly waterbending master had an ever-present smile on her face as she watched the scenario ahead. Korra had her hair in the usual three ponytails. She wore a blue form-fitting shirt, dark blue sweat pants with a parka tied around her waist, brown boots, arm bracers on her forearms, and a blue and white band on both of her biceps (I know she only has one, but there's a reason for it).

Naruto waved wildly at them, "Korra! Water-Granny! You should have come earlier to see this complete work of art!" he yelled as he motioned his hands toward the monument.

Iruka sighed in annoyance, but couldn't help but be glad that the hyperactive blonde's mood was lifted.

"Naruto. Tell you what," Iruka started as he gained the boy's attention, "How's about I treat you to ramen after you're done and have Korra and Katara-sama join us?"

Naruto grinned immediately, "Alright!" he yelled, "Hey, Korra! I'll meet you down there after I'm done so we can get some ramen!"

"Well, hurry it up! I don't like to be kept waiting!" Korra yelled back with pout.

Later at Ichiraku bar

"Slow down, kiddo. I can only pay for so many bowls" Iruka complained as he watched Naruto slurp his noodles at a fast rate.

"This is the best food in the world! No way I'm not gonna make the best of it!" Naruto declared.

Katara chuckled from her seat next to Korra.

"It's good that you enjoy it, but you should more considerate since Iruka-san is the one treating you," she said with a kind, but firm tone.

Naruto looked down in thought.

"Okay, you're right. Sorry, Iruka-sensei," the blonde said with sincerity.

"It's alright, Naruto," Iruka said while sending a thankful glance toward the waterbending master.

He couldn't believe when he found out earlier the she was the wife of the late Avatar Aang. He heard stories about their adventures to end the Hundred-Year War, but never thought he would meet one of them in person.

Regardless of such, Iruka was very glad to get to know her. Like him, she went through the loss of a loved one at a young age. She helped him cope with it as well as improve his friendship with Naruto. She was always someone she could talk to about that loss as well as how to approach Naruto better.

"Hey, Korra," Naruto started, breaking Iruka out of his thoughts, "You should've seen everybody's face at the academy when I performed the Transformation jutsu correctly. I wish I had a camera catch when their eyes were almost out of their sockets!" he finished with laughter.

Korra laughed as well, "Awesome! Looks like those practices with Hinata paid off, huh?"

"You bet!" Naruto replied with a beaming smile, "At this rate, a painted Hokage Monument won't be the only thing getting everyone's attention."

"Yeah, about that," Iruka interrupted, as Naruto and Korra turned to him, "Naruto, you know better than to cause a ruckus like that, especially with well you're doing in the academy for a change."

Naruto just smiled back, "Well, what can I say, Iruka-sensei? Old habits die hard. Besides, it's one other way to get the village's attention. I wanna show everyone that I can surpass all of the former Hokage and get the villagers to look up to me instead of disrespecting me, believe it!"

Iruka sighed to this. He's definitely still a troublemaker, but that's Naruto for you. He thought.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm, what is it?" said instructor asked back.

"Well…I was wondering…if you could let me wear you headband for a sec," Naruto said as clapped his hands together in pleading motion, "Please? I promise I won't mess it up."

Iruka touched his Leaf headband, "Oh no, kiddo. You can't wear one of these unless you graduate from the academy. You're prepared for the exam tomorrow, aren't you?"

Naruto winced for a second, "Uh, yeah. Ready as I'll ever be, Iruka-sensei!" the blonde said with a smile and determination.

However, his wince didn't go unnoticed by Korra.

"Well, I guess we should call it a night. You'll need to be ready tomorrow, Naruto," said Iruka getting ready to leave as he paid Teuchi and his daughter.

"Right," Naruto agreed, "Thanks for the ramen Old Man Teuchi, Ayame-chan."

"Don't mention it kid," Teuchi replied, "Good luck tomorrow."

"Korra and I would best be going now as well," Katara said as she got up, motioning for Korra to follow.

"Bye," Korra called, "See ya tomorrow, Naruto."

"See ya, Korra, and just you wait. The next time you see me tomorrow, I'll be a full-fledged ninja! Believe it!" Naruto yelled with a wide smile.

But even then, Korra could tell it was forced.

Later, on Hokage Monument

Naruto sat alone on top of Lord Fourth's monument and kept looking over the village. He had a solemn look on his face and was holding his mother's necklace.

"Hey," he heard a voice behind him.

Naruto was of course startled, but turned around to see Korra walking up to him.

"K-Korra!? What are you-" he started to say.

"Snuck out. I had a feeling you'd be up here. You usually come up here to think about stuff," Korra responded as she sat down next to him, "So what's up?"

Naruto blinked, "Oh… well I guess I'm just psyched for becoming a ninja. Then I'll show all those jerks what I'm-"

"Naruto," Korra interrupted with a deadpanned look on her face.

Said blonde sighed. Korra may not have been around all the time, but she knew him enough to know when he wasn't being honest about his feelings.

"Sorry," Naruto said, looking down, "I'm just… really worried about tomorrow's exam."

"Why's that?" Korra asked, confused, "I heard you've been doing better."

"Yeah, but there's this one jutsu that I still haven't been able to perform: the Clone jutsu."

"You mean the one that makes another image of you?"

"Yeah. And no matter how hard I try, I can never get it right," Naruto continued in frustration, "Even with Hinata's help I still can't get the right chakra control to make one stupid clone!"

Both of them were silent for a moment before Korra decided to speak.

"This didn't seem to bother you this much before, so what changed?" she asked.

"I guess I'm pretty worried," Naruto said, staring off in the distance, "Unlike all the other years, everyone taking this exam is the same age as me and took the classes with me. If I don't pass this time,… I'm pretty much just left behind."

Korra stared at her friend with concern. She hated seeing him in this state of mind, and what was worse was that she couldn't help him with chakra.

"Well, how about this?" she said as held out her pinky.

"Huh? How the heck is your pinky supposed to help?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"C'mon, whiskers, you remember pinky promises made all the time, right," Korra replied with some amusement.

"Oh, right!" Naruto said in recognition, "And?"

"Just think of this as a way to motivate yourself. Y'know, to help you focus better," Korra explained, "Promise me that you won't think you're on own for this and that you'll do whatever it takes to become a ninja."

Naruto stared for a minute, and then smiled as he linked his pinky with hers.

"Thanks," he said, softly, "That actually does help me out a little."

Korra smiled back, "Just make sure you show those losers what you got!"

"Ha! You can count on it!"

The next day

Korra ran to the academy as fast as she could. She wanted to see how Naruto fared in the exam. There were loads of people in front the academy building; parents coming to congratulate their children for passing. She just hoped to see a smile of accomplishment from her friend.

After looking for a minute, she spotted Hinata standing with her attendant, Kosuke.

"Hey, Hinata!" Korra yelled as she ran to the Hyuga heiress.

Hinata turned to the other girl and sent a happy wave.

"I see you passed," Korra stated as she stopped in front of Hinata.

"Yes. I graduated as second-top kunoichi. Sakura made the top scores," Hinata replied, looking down a little.

"That bubble-gum-haired loudmouth?" Korra responded with her face twisted in scowl.

"Well, she's not like that anymore!" Hinata waved her hands in protest, "She's been taking her ninja training very seriously as of late."

"Huh, I guess that's something. By the way, how did Naruto do?" Korra asked, excited.

The pale-eyed girl looked down in sadness, "I'm sorry, Korra. He really tried, but…he didn't pass."

Korra's eyes grew wide with shock. She didn't want to believe it. Her friend worked so hard for this!

"What?" she asked in shock, "Where is he?"

Hinata turned and Korra followed her gaze to a lonely swing. There the knucklehead blonde sat with a dejected look on his face.

"I wanted to go over to him, but-", Hinata started.

"Don't worry about it. I'll stay with him," Korra interrupted.

Hinata nodded in thanks before she had to be guided back home. Korra made her way over to Naruto. The blonde looked up to notice Korra standing near him, but then turned away, ashamed of himself. Korra bear to see the state he was in. The once happy prankster looked like his spirit was broken.

"Is there enough room for me to sit here?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her moment before scooting over to let her sit beside him. Both of them sat together quietly as other kids and families were celebrating their graduation.

Two women in the crowd were whispering to each other.

"Look. It's that boy. I heard he's the only one who didn't pass," one whispered with disdain.

"Hmph. Serves him right," the other one whispered back, "though I can't the fact that that girl is still with him. She'd run away if she knew what a freak that kid really…"

"Hush! We're not supposed to talk about that," the other woman whispered sharply.

Despite the whispers, both Korra and Naruto heard those words. That was the one thing Korra couldn't stand when coming to the village. She would've earthbent boulders at them if Katara instructed her to not use her bending in front of the villagers. She didn't get why these people made it a priority to make her friend feel miserable.

Having enough, Korra got off the swing and grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Hey, what are-" the blonde started, caught off guard.

"Let's go. There's no point staying here," Korra said as she walking, dragging Naruto with her.

On top of Hokage Monument

"Thanks. I guess it's better we got away from there," Naruto said in a sullen tone as he sat with Korra.

"So, what happen in the exam?" the brunette asked with curiosity.

Naruto looked down in misery, "I was so close. I know it. I was able to focus my chakra, but in the end, the clone I made still sucked."

"Naruto," Korra said in sadness.

"Just what the heck am I supposed to do now!?" Naruto yelled in frustration, "I've tried for so long, but I even be accepted as a ninja! I'm just an outcast."

The blonde shook in feelings of anger, confusion, and sadness before he felt arms wrap around him. He looked to see Korra hugging him close. Throughout his younger years he told himself to no longer cry, but this was the worst he felt. It was moment like this where he was glad to have a friend like Korra. At least with her, he didn't have to hold of this pain inside.

Korra wasn't sure what else to do. She probably wouldn't do well with sentimental stuff and felt guilty the she couldn't help Naruto more. Hugging him close was at least a way to show that she was there for him.

"Excuse me. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said a voice.

Both kids turned to see a white-haired chunin standing near them.

"Mizuki-sensei," Naruto said in realization.

Korra took a moment to realize hers and Naruto's close proximity and pulled away with a bit of a blush, while Naruto was a little confused at her actions.

Mizuki chuckled and made look toward Korra, "I'll take it that you're Korra, right?"

Said girl nodded.

"Well, I'm glad Naruto has someone like you looking out for him, but don't worry, I'll take things from here. Let's have a chat, Naruto," Mizuki said, motioning for said blonde to follow him.

As Naruto was about to leave, Korra grabbed his shoulder.

"You sure you'll be alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," Naruto responded wiping away his tears, "If someone's willing to help me, I'll figure something out."

Korra softly, "Alright, see ya."

Naruto smiled back before turning to follow Mizuki.

Korra's smile faded into a look of determination. She ran off to find Katara.

Hopefully she can do something about this she thought.

That's all for this part. Please move on to the next chapter! ;)