Die Alone Or Thrive Together Chapter 1: 1- A Team Of Two, a naruto fanfic

Summary: Naruto and Ino are picked to be partners in the minterms of the first year of the Ninja Academy. A slice of life flic. AU.

AN: Before we get started, this story is slightly AU. Naruto Is stronger from the start (I made this decision after 700 words in so just keep that in mind). The village took the whole notion that no children should die on the battlefield more seriously.

Die Alone Or Thrive Together

1- A Team Of Two

Ino POV

I look up at the clock, wondering why my dad had to drop me off so early.

Before I can roll my eyes, I look around the room, guessing I'm the only one there, but my eyes land on somebody.

Naruto.

My mouth dropped… "Naruto, you are studying and not sleeping?" I ask in shock and a little bit of wonder.

"Hey, Ino," he says, smiling. "I thought you like sleeping in?"

"I do, but my dad dragged me here because my mom wants me to get up more early from now on." How do you say, closing my eyes and resting my head on my hands. "It is just a pai-."

"That's really nice of them, you know more time for training? That would be super fun to have but I get it since Sensei has been coming to my house and dragging me out." Naruto says with a big smile.

I open my mouth to argue and say how annoying they there, but I remember he is a often and he doesn't have any parents. So, I cleared my throat, very ladylike, and I said, "What are you doing anyways?"

He smiled "Oh, I'm practicing my hand signs." He says raising up a paper with all the little hand signs drawn on them.

I smiled because his smile is just… I don't know. "May I sit with you?" I ask, I don't know why I did it. But that's a smile. It just gave me goosebumps.

Naruto blush and look away for a moment and said "Yeah, come on up."

I nodded, getting up on my seat, I felt my face eating up. And I know this is the first time we actually talked to each other, sitting next to each other. "We do have an hour to kill before class starts."

He nodded, smiling in his cheeks, turning red.

"So, Naruto you want to race each other to do the fastest hand signs?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun, but I'm still kind of bad at it."

I shrug, "Same as me." I say as I sit down on the same bench and table he is sitting on.

XxXxX

I look at my hands, back at his, and look up At his face and say "You ready?"

He nodded.

I immediately started doing hand signs and looked down at my hands and focused.

Dragon*

Tiger*

Dog*

Rat*

Ram*

Horse*

Monkey*

Bird*

Ox*

Serpent*

Hare*

Boar*

"And very good you two you guys and Practicing." We looked up in shock to see our Sensei standing over us with a small smile.

"Iruka Sensei?" I breathe out.

"Iruka! You saw that I'm really getting good."

Iruka Sensei Shook his head, but he was smiling. "Naruto Don't forget the sensei part but good job."

"Ok Iruka Sensei," He says, smiling once again. And I couldn't help but to look.

"But Naruto and Ino… you both need to continue your practice. You are both slow on Dragon and Horse."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto and I said at the same time.

He nodded, tapping his chin, "Since you two work so well in that order, I am teaming you up for the upcoming exam assignment."

How you spoke up, "You think something that is 30% of our grade should be with somebody we know. You know, the boys and girls are separated in training." I ask shyly.

"Good catch," our Sensei says, turning around and going down the steps. "But that is something I should answer to the entire class."

I let out a novice breath of air, at least he didn't send me to the office or give me attention for speaking out of line.

"Good job, Ino," Naruto whispered as he elbowed me in the whips, making them hurt. "You are lucky he didn't send you to the office or to the hallway."

"Shut up, Naruto," I whispered back, "I at least want to get promoted after this… unlike you."

"Yes," Naruto said quietly with his soft smile, "are you challenging me?"

"...?"

"Genin to Kage, I think I can do that right Ino?" In my head, I imagine. He smiled and even gave me a wink, but our Sensei had to ruin the moment. I mean-.

Iruka Sensei shouted using his big head jutsu, "Naruto! Stop planning your strategy with your teammate before I tell the rest of the class about the exam."

"Yes, sir Iruka Sensei!" Naruto shouted back, holding up a thumbs up and a smile slap on his face.

"Wait, Iruka Sensei, we have a test!" Kiba shouted at the top of his lungs and he even got a "Yip" from the dog sitting on top of his head.

"Kiba… We do not have a test."

"Thank God," Kiba mumbled under his breath.

"We have the exam."

The class mood shifted again. We were about to laugh at Kiba, but now we all want to slim our heads into the table and cry with him.

"Now that's out of the way," Iruka Sensei

He then took a moment to clear his throat, "Now we need you to get put into teams of two."

"Awesome. Let's go." Two guys your best friends by looking at them started elbowing each shuttle and laughing at all of it.

And what makes it sad- no, angry no. Upset maybe, my whip still hurt. And Naruto is smiling like an idiot like nothing has happened, like he didn't try to punch my lungs.

"You and me," two girls said as they both grabbed each other's hands and started giggling.

"Yo buddy, join me?" A hazelnut-haired boy shouted and waved to another boy sitting on the other side of the room.

"Never mind, this going to be so much fun!" Somebody shouted.

"... Oh, before I forget. Your teammate must be the opposite gender." Iruka Sensei says in a way that a little bit of information might slip his mind at any moment. "A boy must partner up with a girl and a girl must partner up with a boy."

"But why?"

"But they have cuties."

"No fun."

Iruka Sensei held up his hand in surrender but he said something entirely different, "It's something about how we are guiding you."

"...?" The classroom.

"You know your training group. You know, the one you've been training and fighting and studying with. In this Exam, we are focusing on seeing if you can adapt and learn from the one you've been put with. And see if you can become an efficient and powerful team together. Any questions?"

He took a moment to look around the classroom but nobody spoke up.

"We did this type of exam in the second year and they showed great improvement in their grade and abilities. So since this is experimental, this grading process will only help you."

"Good," a random kid says.

"But if you don't show effort it will count on your grade. So, don't spend the time lazing around and actually study and train together."

"Yes sir, Iruka Sensei!" The class shouted.

"You are going to spend the break training together, feel free to come here and train on one of our fields. Or you can spend time at each other's houses."

"But what about our parents? What would they say?" A girl with long black hair asked as she raised up her head.

"Don't always, Susanna. I talk to each parent and they all give their permission. And I even designed the teams to be non-ninja families, hooking up with Ninja's families."

He felt my face heating up slightly. What a way to make it sound weirder. Hooking up?

"Yes, sir," she shyly nodded, letting her bangs fall in front of her face.

Clanless kids don't really like to show off in front of their parents about ninja stuff, or non-ninja families. I thought, giving Naruto a side eye, wondering what he is thinking about?

Iruka Sensei began to continue talking, "Your team will talk to each other and decide who will be on the main attacker and who will support the attacker, as support. You will practice that over the break. And when you come back, you will meet our new TA and fight him working together."

"Yes sir, Iruka Sensei?" The class shouted in return but it sounded like a question.

Iruka Sensei nodded and pointed to a student and said, "You have a question?"

Yes Iruka Sensei, how will our new TA fight?"

Sensei nodded, "He will fight on the level we expect your team to be at the end of this year. So, yes, it will be difficult, but we have faith."

"Yes, Iruka Sensei!" We all shouted in excitement, even though we all knew we had to do it with a boy.

Iruka Sensei continued to say, "Although I know this is the last day before the break, I still have a Lesson plan for today."

"Hey, Naruto?" I ask in a whisper and I lean in closer to him.

"Yeah, what's up, Ino?" He asked back in a whisper too. Slightly leaning his head closer to me. And for some reason, I have butterflies in my stomach and he leans in.

"Uh," What was I trying to say again? "Oh right. Let's meet up after school at my Clan Compound. We can use one of our training rooms and we can work out some battle attacks that work with us."

He will get me for a second and then nod, even one of those great smiles. He showed.