Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto or any characters in this story; it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

2nd Disclaimer: I fucked when I uploaded this chapter and tried updating the previous one; my bad. Thanks to STAG98 and Kenshin35 for the quick response. If there are any troubles, please comment again.


Chapter 9: Team 7


'Five... four... three... two... one...' Naruto finished his mental countdown and began molding chakra before slowly and subtly releasing it through as much of his tenketsu at the time as he could. He concentrated on feeling anything out of place and suddenly sensed it to his left.

'At my eight o'clock, seventeen meters out.' He memorized before opening his eyes and quickly, but with a quiet step, sprinted his way there.

Naruto arrived only to be surrounded by more trees than before.

'Where are you?' he thought as he looked to his right and then his left.

Hinata observed Naruto from above in a tree branch; she was barely two meters above, holding her breath and willing herself not to move a single muscle as her heart drummed on her chest.

"I sensed something around here! I know it!" she heard Naruto complain.

After looking around for a few seconds, the blonde groaned and left, causing Hinata to relax.

With a huge sigh, Hinata felt her body relax, and her breathing became even while the drumming in her chest slowed down.

Hinata released another shaky breath and wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead. 'He almost found me.' He thought as she continued to relax.

"Found you!" Naruto's voice hammered into her right eardrum as she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Eep!"

The jump scare made Hinata stumble off the branch she was on and fall towards the ground, but with her feline-like agility, she recuperated mid-air and gracefully landed on her feet. She looked up only to see her favorite blonde laughing mischievously when suddenly she heard another identical laugh. She looked to her right and saw that the laughter came from a clone.

'He used a bunshin to fool me into thinking he had left and sneaked behind me.' A smile appeared on her face. Hinata then looked closer at the clone on the ground with her. She knew that he was the clone since the Naruto in the branch had touched her shoulder, and everyone knew that the regular bunshin couldn't physically interact with their environment, so that made the Naruto on the ground with her the clone.

"We got her boss!" the Naruto on the tree branches screamed before hoping down and landing next to the other Naruto. To Hinata's surprise, they high-fived each other before the Naruto that hoped off burst into smoke.

Hinata stood a little confused at the turn of events. Everything she knew appeared backward at the moment and she paused to analyze everything that had happened.

While she was in deep thought, Naruto approached her. "I finally found you!" Naruto said excitedly.

A few weeks after Hinata and Naruto started training together, the blonde realized he was a sensor ninja, like most Uzumaki's and his father, thanks to his mother's scroll.

The chakra of the people with the innate ability to sense interacted differently with other people's chakra. Theoretically, anyone could push their chakra out of their body in every direction as sensors do, but they wouldn't detect anything. When a sensor's chakra touches another, it reacts differently. An expert sensor was able to detect someone from hundreds of meters away, even if they were suppressing their chakra. If familiar enough with the feedback, they could even identify that person. Although sensing was a helpful ability, it did have its drawbacks. You could only sense when you were actively molding and releasing chakra, which meant that you needed to concentrate on doing so unless you became adept enough to mold and release chakra subconsciously. Still, even if you could, the ability wasn't that helpful in battle. If you were constantly in 'sensory mode', meaning kneading and releasing chakra, the constant release of chakra would tire you faster than you would expect.

Right now Naruto couldn't sense someone hundreds of meters away or someone suppressing his chakra. Still, he felt he was becoming slightly familiar with Hinata's chakra signature to recognize her. At the moment, Naruto could only sense within a twenty-five meters radius, but he had been training with Hinata to improve it.

They were basically playing hide and seek for hours upon hours. In their early years, neither Naruto nor Hinata played much of the traditional games kids usually played. Naruto because of his Jinchuriki status and most parents telling their kids to stay away from him. As for Hinata, well, when she was the heiress, she had certain behavior expectations she had to meet, but even then, her meek and shy personality got in the way. Needless to say, both were having lots of fun with an experience they should have been already familiar with.

Naruto had trouble finding Hinata most of the time and had an easy time catching her, but it was the other way around for Hinata. She could see Naruto but had problems reaching him. Regardless of the fun, it was also good training. Naruto could work on his sensory abilities and Hinata in her stealth. However Hinata was already pretty stealthy on her own, and she got to work on her speed and stamina while chasing the blonde.

"Was that the jutsu you s-said you wanted to show m-me Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded excitedly. "Yes! It's called Kage bunshin! They aren't completely useless like the regular bunshin! Look!" Naruto made a cross sign with his hand, and a perfect replica of him appeared next to him in a burst of smoke.

"They are solid, so I can use them to fight." The clone approached Hinata and threw her arm around her in a one-arm hug, causing Hinata to blush.

"T-they are really cool." Said Hinata meekly after the clone backed away.

"I know, right? But I want to try something. Can you turn on your Byakugan when I tell you?" Hinata gave him a slight nod. To her confusion, Naruto and his clone jumped away and hid. A little noise, and a few seconds later, ten copies of Naruto stepped back into her view.

"Use your Byakugan now."

Hinata did and was surprised when she saw that every Naruto had its own chakra pathway and equal amounts of chakra.

"Can you tell who is the real me?"

Hinata developed a bit of a frown as she analyzed each clone with the help of her visual prowess. Eventually, it became clear that she couldn't tell them apart, and she shook her head.

"You are all perfect c-copies of Naruto-kun. I can't even tell you apart with my Byakugan." She said, impressed.

All the blondes celebrated before they all puffed out of existence until one remained. Naruto was about to tell her about the memory transfer, but before he could speak, Hinata asked a question.

"Ano... where d-did you learn t-that jutsu?" Hinata asked meekly as her index fingers were pressed together. She had been curious for a while about where Naruto learned every training exercise they had been doing together and how he could teach her the basics of fūinjutsu.

Naruto froze at the question and panicked slightly. 'Shit! Me and my big mouth! Eh... well, I can tell her about Kaa-chan's scroll without having to brush on the subject of the Kyūbi... but it still feels too private, I guess?' he thought before deciding on an option.

"I saw a Jonin training a few days ago, and he made the jutsu, and I tried to replicate it." He lied.

Hinata didn't even think much about whether Naruto's words made any logic because she didn't have to... it was all in his eyes. It was clear that it was a lie. Her Byakugan deactivated, and her sight turned to the ground. It pained her that Naruto wasn't being honest with her.

'I guess it's not my business. I should be thankful for letting me train with him.' She thought depressed.

Now Naruto still had a few problems, well, more than a few problems reading social queues, but he was getting better at it. He could clearly see that Hinata hadn't bought his poor excuse for an explanation and felt hurt about being lied to. Instantly Naruto felt terrible.

"L-look... I'm sorry I shouldn't have lied to you. The truth is that I can't tell you where I learned this or most of what we train on... but I will eventually. Just I can't at the moment, sorry."

Hinata lifted her view from the ground and gave a smile that didn't reflect in her eyes.

Naruto thought for a moment before an idea popped into his head. "How about I make it up to you?"

"Y-you don't n-need t-to Naruto-kun. I s-shouldn't h-have asked y-you. It's not m-my business." She said with a heavy stutter and a meek voice.

"No, I shouldn't have lied to you Hinata." He said before he got closer to Hinata and whispered. "I want to take you somewhere special..."

Hinata instantly felt her face become hot, and her heartbeat increased suddenly as her imagination ran wild for a second.

"Can you keep it a secret though? It's a special place for me, and I'm the only one who knows it exists." He explained.

Hinata's symptoms lessened, but her heart still pounded way too rapidly. She gave him a small smile. "I-I p-promise. I won't ever t-tell anyone about it."

Naruto looked her in the eyes for a couple of seconds, causing Hinata to blush, but even then, she met his gaze.

The blonde nodded in satisfaction as a grin spread on his face. "Great! Come! Follow me!" he said, although he didn't give Hinata much choice as he grabbed her hand and dragged her with him. Hinata could only register that they were getting deeper into the woods as Naruto dragged her at an incredible speed. After a minute, Naruto seemed to slow down her ears registered the sound of rippling water, and she saw they were approaching a small clearing.

"Wow."

Hinata said aloud as she entered a small, beautiful clearing surrounded by tall, thick forest trees. The sound her ears had picked up turned out to be a precious waterfall with crystalline water that fell into a small pond. Hinata noted that even the air she breathed seemed different and purer than in any part of the forest.

"I know." Naruto said happily.

Hinata meant to say the place was stunning, but it didn't sit right with her. It was simply more than that.

"I found this place more than a year ago. I come here every other day to relax and spend time here. I actually study here most of the time." Explained Naruto. His eyes briefly turned to the small cabin his parents had built to see if Hinata could see it, but at the moment, she didn't seem to acknowledge its existence, so he assumed that the cabin's seal was doing its work.

Hinata finally found the words to describe the place. "I have never seen a more beautiful place." She said in an awed tone. She now understood why Naruto wanted to keep this place private.

Naruto sat near the pond's shore and tapped the ground next to him, signaling Hinata to sit beside him, which she did with a slight blush.

"I'm so ready to graduate! Just one more week, and we are out! And since I finally got the stupid bunshin down, I'll for sure graduate." said Naruto.

A timid but a bit more comfortable Hinata responded. "Hai. You worked really h-hard Naruto-kun. Your chakra control has improved a l-lot."

Naruto took in Hinata's words as his gaze fell on the pond, and a grin developed on his face. He hadn't tried the water walking exercise since he wanted to do it with Hinata, and there wasn't any other water source near their training ground so he had put it off. But now that Hinata was here, there wasn't any reason not to try it.

"Speaking of chakra control..." Naruto stood up and approached the pond before quickly reviewing what he remembered about the water walking exercise. He stepped into the shallow water, managed to stand on it, and gave a few shaky steps before sinking in the ankle-high water.

Hinata understood what Naruto had done. She activated her Byakugan in the middle of Naruto's first attempt and stood up to try it. Hinata instantly managed to stand on the water and give a few steps. A few steps in, she started to lose her balance and she started to flail her arms trying to regain her balance.

Naruto was trying to walk again when he heard Hinata approach the water and saw give her first steps and suddenly struggle for balance. He didn't know why, but he found it funny and let out a few chuckles.

Hinata heard Naruto laugh slightly, and as soon she turned her eyes to look at him, she saw him falling on his back with a big splash. She instantly started giggling at how Karma had made himself present.

"Oi! Don't laugh!" Naruto shouted as he splashed water on Hinata, making her giggle harder.

"Hey! I say don't laugh!" he said as he shakily stood up and tried to pursue Hinata to get back at her. Naruto didn't know how long he chased Hinata around the pond, but when they stopped, he saw that he could walk on water without any problems.


Naruto made sure to arrive earlier than usual at the academy. It was partially because he was excited that today would be his last day as a civilian and academy student. That wasn't the main reason though. The main reason was that he had a plan, and for the first time in a while, his plan involved being seen by as many people as possible.

Naruto made sure to be extra loud as he walked through the hallway to his assigned classroom, greeting everyone who would usually ignore or glare at him with a loud salute.

All the while, a few of Naruto's shadow clones were letting their artistic inspiration flow through paintbrushes, and the Hokage monument was their canvas. Naruto didn't know much about the first two Hokages besides what he could read in the books he could access, but he knew the last two Hokage well. So, it was no wonder that most of his artistic capabilities focused on those two.

For the Sandaime, the clones were painting lines that seemed his nose was far more extensive, drew tears from his eyes, and finished with a swirl in the middle of his forehead, a swirl similar to the Uzumaki clan symbol.

'Fuck you.' was the clones' primary thought as they worked on their masterpiece.

'I guess this is the closest I will ever come to pranking you.'

The attitude of the clones varied. Some worked diligently, trying to put as much effort into the only prank he had ever played on his father. In contrast, others more or less just went through the motions of drawing some lines, their hearts not really into it.

The original Naruto arrived at his classroom and opened the door. He was greeted by four familiar white walls, old brown desks, and the sight of some classmates and his Sensei. Naruto looked around, focusing more on the class itself.

'I'm not going to miss this place.' He thought before Iruka greeted him. Naruto greeted him back and proceeded to find a lone table to seat at since he couldn't find Hinata, Shikamaru, or Chōji to sit with. Naruto dropped a box he had been carrying with him since leaving his apartment.

He sat there alone with his head resting on the desk. The memories of his clones hit him, and he let out a laugh that caused a few students to throw him weird looks. Naruto returned to resting until the sound of munching and a voice got his attention. Naruto lifted his head and saw his Akimichi friend staring intently at the box beside him.

"Hey there, Naruto." Said Chōji, not taking his eyes off the box.

"Sup Chōji." He instinctively put an arm around the box. "Where's Shika? He isn't with you?"

Chōji shook his head. "I think he might have overslept today."

With a snort, Naruto answered. "Yoshino Oba-chan is going to rip him a new one if he overslept today out of all days."

Chōji laughed and sat beside Naruto, still eyeing the box.

"I'm sorry, Chōji, but no, it's a gift for someone." He said, signaling to the box.

"A gift? For whom?" said a slightly disappointed Chōji.

"For Hinata."

Chōji had to blink several times and even tried cleaning his ears to ensure he had heard right. 'Did he finally realize?' It wasn't a secret that Hinata and Naruto were friends, but maybe it had developed into something else. The Akimichi had to be sure, so he decided to ask.

"Why for Hinata?"

Naruto shrugged. "We've been training together for a while, and she has helped me a lot with my chakra control. I can finally do the stupid bunshin with trouble thanks to her, and I thought to give her some cinnamon rolls as thank you, you know."

Chōji tried to study Naruto, but he didn't find what he was looking for. 'Still clueless.'

A couple of minutes passed when the two chatted and joked when Naruto saw pretty midnight blue hair enter the classroom.

"Yo! Hinata come sit here!" Naruto shouted, causing Hinata to blush, but she approached the blonde regardless.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, Chōji-san." She said softly when suddenly her nose sniffed the characteristic smell of sugar and cinnamon.

"Hi Hinata!" said Naruto as he saw her looking at the box. The blonde grinned. "They are what you think they are." The blonde pushed the box towards her. "I made them for you. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me train during these months! I wouldn't be as strong as I'm without you." He said while rubbing the back of his head.

Hinata had gotten a little more comfortable around her blonde crush. Still, sometimes Naruto would do something without knowing, that would cause her to revert to her shyer persona.

"T-Thank you N-Naruto-kun, but I d-didn't h-help m-much." She hadn't stuttered that badly in a while. Still, the fact that Naruto had cooked something exclusively for her made her feel butterflies flapping around in her stomach as her nerves set in."

"Nonsense, you helped me out a lot Hinata. Now I can graduate thanks to you -ttebayo." Replied an enthusiastic Naruto. "Come on, open them; I hope you like them."

Hinata did and opened the box and found five deliciously looking small cinnamon rolls.

"Yoshino Oba-chan didn't help me this time, so I hope they aren't bad."

Hinata was about to respond when a chunin frantically rushed into the classroom, surprising everyone. The chunin eye's darted from one row of desks to another before they landed on the blonde jinchuriki.

"There you are, you criminal! How dare you disrespect the great leaders of our village!" The chunin roared.

A confused silence fell upon the half-filled classroom as all the present turned from the recently appeared chunin to Naruto, who had an innocent and confused expression.

Iruka coughed loudly into his fist. "Excuse me, can I help you?"

The chunin shifted his gaze toward his fellow ninja. "That criminal has gone and outdone himself this time!" He screamed as he pointed at Naruto.

Although Naruto wouldn't confess, he did internally agree with the man.

"I'm going to need for you to be a little more clear. What exactly happened?"

"He vandalized the Hokage monument by painting all over their faces!"

Multiple students started to murmur, and one even looked out the window and pointed to the vandalized monument. In an instant, most students approached the window to appreciate the artwork. Naruto took the moment of distraction and winked towards Chōji and Hinata, making her giggle and the other one laugh.

Iruka didn't even have to turn to look at Naruto to know he had done it, but the question was how he had done it.

"How long ago was this?"

"We have been looking for that m-" the chunin cut himself before finishing, but Naruto what he was about to call him, and his eyes narrowed. "For that menace for the last ten minutes since we noticed."

Iruka's demeanor grew colder towards the chunin, knowing full well he was about to call Naruto a monster because of the Kyubi.

"Well, it can't be Naruto." Iruka said in a voice that left no argument or doubt, surprising everyone in the room. "He has been here for at least the last twenty minutes." Naruto just gave the chunin a smug grin before he left. The blonde made eye contact with his Sensei and gave him his most grateful look. A small smile threatened to appear on Iruka's face, but the chunin just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Eventually, all the students were present, with Shikamaru being the last one to arrive. Iruka finally announced the graduation exam.

"We are now about to begin your graduation test. You will be evaluated on the three standard academy ninjutsu. Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin. When your name is called, please proceed to the next classroom and after your examination, go to class 201 if you pass."

Naruto impatiently waited for his turn since they were going in alphabetical order; he expected to be the last one. He wished Chōji, Hinata, and Shikamaru good luck once their names got called.

"Uzumaki Naruto, please make your way to the test room." Said a teacher assistant that had remained with them.

Naruto rushed into the examination room and saw that Iruka and Mizuki were sitting together at a table with a few hitai-ate still available.

"All right Naruto, you know the drill. Perform a kawarimi, henge, and bunshin for us." Said a slightly nervous Iruka. He just didn't want the blonde to mess up. "But before you begin, I want you to know Naruto, if you pass this test, you will become a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. You are going to be taking your duty with the seriousness it deserves. Are we clear?"

Naruto nodded excitedly, went through the hand signs, and substituted himself with a chair at the far end of the room before repeating the process.

"Excellent Naruto. Now perform a henge. Any form should do as long is properly done."

Naruto seemed to go into deep thought for a few seconds before giving a grave nod.

"Oiroke no jutsu: (Sexy Jutsu)."

Exclaimed Naruto to the confusion of both witnesses as a cloud of smoke hindered their view of the blonde. When the smoke slightly cleared, a very curvy and very naked blonde woman stood with her private parts barely covered by the remaining smoke, which had two long pigtails.

"Is this okay, Iruka-Sensei?" asked the woman with seductive innocence.

The two chunin weren't prepared for this type of show, and both experienced severe nose bleeding.

After watching both men suffer from profound nasal hemorrhages, Naruto undid the jutsu. Instead of laughing, the blonde had a face of disappointment.

"Damn it Iruka-Sensei! I didn't want to believe you were the same as the closet pervert when you took that stupid book!" his eye twitched. "And you too Mizuki-Sensei! Aren't you supposed to get married soon?!"

'Stupid Kyubi brat! I swear I'll get you back for this!' thought Mizuki as he regained his composure slightly faster than Iruka.

"NARUTO! I TOLD YOU NO MORE PRANKS; WHAT PART OF THAT DINDT GET THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL!" screamed Iruka with his big head jutsu.

Naruto frowned. "It wasn't a prank." He crossed his arms in indignation. "I just wanted to prove if you were a pervert, and sadly it worked. Besides, you said if I pass the test, I shouldn't do more pranks, and I haven't finished the test. So, unless you tell me that I've already passed and I don't have to perform the stupidest jutsu ever to be invented, it was still fair game."

Iruka's eye was twitching uncontrollably as a vein bulged unhealthily in his forehead. "Just do the bunshin so we can get this over with."

Naruto did as ordered, and he produced seven copies. Iruka was surprised. He expected the blonde to be able to perform the bunshin, but not this well. A smile appeared on his face as he acknowledged how far Naruto had come.

"Well done Naruto, you pass with flying colors. You have come a long way; I know you will make a great Shinobi one day and make me proud."

Naruto grinned broadly at Iruka. "Thank you, Iruka-Sensei!

The now-graduated Naruto rushed to grab one of the hitai-ates, but Iruka stopped him.

Iruka undid his hitai-ate, stood up, and tied it around the blonde's neck.

Both Mizuki and Naruto were shocked by the gesture. It was an old and rare tradition of the academy. A teacher would gift his hitai-ate to one of his graduating students. It had happened in a handful of years now.

Mizuki was internally appalled and sicked by Iruka's gesture.

'Has this idiot forgotten all the suffering we had to go through because of him? Sometimes I wonder if he is putting up a front like me, but he is too good to be faking it. '

"You earned it Naruto." Said Iruka after ruffling Naruto's hair. "Go to room 203. All the other graduates are waiting."

Naruto nodded and proceeded to make his way toward the specified room.


Hinata waited with a worried expression on his face as she fidgeted with her fingers and looked at the door. She had passed easily enough, but that really didn't matter to her. Graduating was even expected from her father, it was assumed. Graduating wasn't an accomplishment by Hyuga's standards hence why her father wouldn't be present today. What mattered to her was seeing a whiskered blonde enter the classroom with a hitai-ate.

"Stop worrying. He is too troublesome not to pass." Said Shikamaru, who had his head resting on a table.

Hinata was about to apologize, but as if on cue, the door opened, and the object of her affection entered with a huge grin but, more importantly, a hitai-ate tied around his forehead. The lavender-eyed girl let out a sigh of relief before a smile appeared on her soft features.

Naruto looked around to see who had graduated and was happy to find all three of his friends. Naruto waved at them before going over to talk.

When he arrived, they all started chatting. Well, Chōji and Naruto did most of the talking while Hinata was happy to listen, and Shikamaru just slept.

A few minutes after the last graduate had entered, the door opened again, and in came Iruka, but what surprised the recent graduate was that the Hokage entered shortly after him.

'What is he doing here?!' Naruto mentally hissed as a scowl formed on his face.

All the graduates went quiet and took their seats when they caught sight of their leader.

Hiruzen seemed to think about what words to say before speaking. "I want to congratulate all of you on graduating from our academy and becoming shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. I'm happy to see that the new leaves that have grown look healthy and are a sign of the village's prosperity."

"I wrote a poem not that long ago for this situation. I hope you can indulge this old man in hearing it. I want you to remember it and think about it."

"What is the poem about?" someone asked.

"It's about a way of thinking that will be useful to you in your future, and it concerns the will of fire." Hiruzen answered.

'Will of fire? That term again?' Naruto had heard before and even read it in some of his father's journals, but he never got an exact definition of the term.

The old Kage cleared his throat as he prepared to intone his poetry.

"In the Hidden Leaf, where shadows dance,

A flame burns bright, a daring stance.

The ninja's heart, a blaze inside,

The "Will of Fire," their eternal guide.

Within our hearts, it finds its place,

A bond of love that won't erase.

United we stand, as one we aspire,

To protect our home, our hearts afire.

Through trials faced and battles won,

The will endures, like the rising sun.

In every heart, the fire burns higher,

A fervent passion, the Will of Fire.

In times of doubt and darkest hour,

They find the strength to wield the power,

To stand as one, united they aspire,

For in their hearts, burns the Will of Fire.

So let it burn, that sacred flame,

Through storms and tempests, it shall remain.

A beacon strong, a guiding light,

The Will of Fire ignites the night."

There was silence in the classroom as they all took in the poem that had just been recited. The silence was deafening until Hiruzen chuckled.

"I don't expect you to understand at the moment, but I hope that when you grow into the fine shinobi I know you all will become, you will find meaning in the ramblings of this old fool." He said with a smile. "Before you go, you are to report in three days to take the photo for your ninja registration form and identity card. After that, you will report for your team assignments and meet your jonin in charge. Dismissed." His voice was still pleasant but showed that it was an order, their first order, a shinobi of the village.

Naruto was walking alongside most of his classmates, making their way out of the academy. All though he didn't want to think about it, the poem he had just heard was present in his mind. When they all exited the academy, they were greeted by the sight of multiple parents waiting for their children with expectant looks on their faces, hoping to see their kid wearing a hitai-ate that symbolized that they had graduated.

"Look Otou-san, Okaa-san! I'm a ninja now!"

"You did well, son. I'm proud of you."

"Congratulations on your graduation! I'll cook your favorite meal for today to celebrate!"

The sound of one of his classmates greeting his parents brought him out of his thoughts, causing Naruto to look around and see his classmates being hugged and congratulated. Melancholy filled the blonde as he couldn't keep his mind from replacing one of his classmates with himself and the parents with Minato and Kushina, and just like that, the blonde was stuck in a daydream.

However, the daydream didn't last long as a set of voices and murmurs broke him out.

"It's that boy. It seems he graduated." The voice was filled with incredulousness.

"I can't believe they let him become a ninja. I was hoping he failed."

"It would have served him right."

Naruto's fist clenched in anger, and he bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood, but he couldn't keep his mouth closed. He turned and was about to shout at them when a soft hand touched his shoulder. Naruto jumped and turned around with his senses on high alert, only to meet the familiar face of Yoshino and behind Shikaku and Shikamaru.

"Hi, Naruto-kun. I see you graduated. Congratulations!" She said pleasantly with a smile before surprising the blonde and crushing him into a hug. Naruto would never know that Yoshino tenderly hugged him; she glared at those murmuring about the blonde.

The blonde was surprised by the hug, but eventually, he returned it. His anger melted away by the second.

Yoshino broke the hug and spoke. "We are going to celebrate over dinner at the compound at seven. Of course, you are invited... and your friend is too if she wants to come." Naruto saw that Yoshino's eyes had shifted to his right, and he followed them and noticed that Hinata was standing next to him.

Hinata was surprised to hear the invitation. She had been just looking around when he saw her standing still in the middle of the crowd, alone and with a sad face. She had willed herself to try and comfort him again when she heard the murmurs. The words had stopped her in her tracks and shocked her momentarily. It was enough time for Yoshino to come over and say hi.

Seeing the shyness of the girl Yoshino spoke again. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Nara Yoshino. Nice to meet you." She then dragged her husband next to her. "This is my husband Nara Shikaku."

"Nice to meet you. You are Hiashi's daughter, right?"

Hinata gave a slight nod. "My n-name is Hyūga Hinata. Nice to meet you, Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san."

"Well, as I said before, you are invited. I understand if you were already planning to celebrate with your family, so don't feel pressured." Yoshino said with a smile.

'It's not like Otou-Sama is going to celebrate that I graduated... and they seem nice.' She had never met Shikamaru's mother, but she already liked her from the way she treated Naruto.

"I-it will be my h-honor to a-attend. I would o-only have t-to ask for p-permission." She said, a bit shy but kind of excited at the prospect of celebrating.

Yoshino clapped her hands together. "Good." She then turned to Naruto. "You pick her up at her house and bring her to the compound."

Naruto was surprised by her commanding tone on him; she had never spoken to him that way. So, he gulped and nodded, feeling a bit fearful of her surrogate aunt.

"Great! Now we have to buy the things for tonight." She turned to Shikaku and Shikamaru. "Come on you two." Both Nara men mumbled something but went along.


Hatake Kakashi didn't have to wonder why the Hokage had called him. It was that time of the year, after all. It had been the same for the last three years. Each year the Hokage would assign him three genin from the recent graduating class. They would take his test, fail, and return to the academy like clockwork.

Kakashi could see the reason behind his release from ANBU duties. The years had certainly not been kind to him; he had seen and gone through some shit. From seeing his father's cold corpse in his living room when he was six to surviving through the war, losing all the people he cared for, and finally seeing an entire clan compound filled with corpses that went from babies to the elderly.

Kakashi understood why he was dismissed from the ANBU despite being young and as decorated as any other member. He would have, without a shadow of a doubt, died on the field if he stuck around. Not that the copy ninja cared though.

He didn't care if he lived longer or died tomorrow, but he wouldn't try to end his own life like his father before him. It's not that he wanted to die; he just didn't care. And that was precisely the problem, according to the Hokage.

"A shinobi must know that death it's probable and understand that, but a shinobi mustn't seek death or care not if he died."

That was the words and wisdom the third Hokage had imparted to him the day he dismissed him from the ANBU. He conceited that the Hokage had a point, but again, he didn't care.

Kakashi put his favorite novel away and knocked on the door of the Hokage's office. He was just an hour late. After all, keeping the Hokage waiting was in poor taste.

"Enter." Came the old voice of Hiruzen.

Kakashi did so. "Hokage-Sama, did you wish to speak to me?"

"Kakashi, what a surprise. I didn't expect you here so early." Said Hiruzen good-naturedly as he put his pipe away.

Kakashi faked being embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I expect you know why I called you here, right?" Hiruzen's voice changed into a business-like tone but was still pleasant.

The copy ninja nodded and resisted the urge to sigh. "It's about the new batch of genin."

"Precisely." Indicated Hiruzen as he stood up and walked past Kakashi, causing him to become confused. "Walk with me, Kakashi."

Kakashi did so. They exited the building in silence and remained that way for a while.

"We are going to your newest assigned students' homes." Explained Hiruzen since Kakashi didn't seem interested in knowing the purpose of the journey.

This hadn't happened in any of the previous years, so it actually took Kakashi by surprise a bit. "I thought we were supposed to meet our teams on orientation day."

"You are, but I thought this little exercise would prove to be helpful, and besides, you won't be meeting any of them today. I ensured none of them will be present while we go there."

"What are their names?" Asked Kakashi, now a little curious.

Hiruzen let out a laugh. "I see I have now piqued your interest, even just a bit. I'll tell you their names as we get to each house."

Kakashi nodded, and they proceeded to walk in silence until they arrived at the house. Instantly, two people whom Kakashi deduced were the parents of Sakura's came barging out of the house. They introduced themselves as Haruno Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno. They invited them over, and they agreed.

After exchanging formalities and drinking tea, they exited the house and headed to the following location.

Kakashi still didn't know what to think about his first student, but it was safe to say he wasn't impressed. Hiruzen had given him a report file on the Kunoichi as soon as they exited the home. Apparently, just like his parents had bragged, Haruno Sakura was really smart. She had gotten the highest scores in the theoretical subjects taught at the academy. What her parents had failed to mention and what the report made clear is that there were some concerns about the girl's drive to be a kunoichi. The analysis said that although she was mature for someone her age, she also showed an obsessive and compulsive interest in the academy's top graduate, Uchiha Sasuke. Most of her actions were done to impress and gain the affection of the last of Uchiha.

'In short, my first student is a fangirl.' He had experience with those back when he was younger; needless to say, he wasn't impressed. Kakashi more or less lamented that fact because he knew it would be hard for her to pass his test, so there was no need to be concerned.

"We are here." Said the Sandaime. As they made their way upstairs, Kakashi noted it was a nice apartment complex. No one greeted them this time, and Kakashi figured that his next student was an orphan. When he entered the room, he saw that it was a neat and well-taken-care-of apartment, but what caught his eye was the Uchiha clan crest that stood on the wall just above the bed.

"Your next student is Uchiha Sasuke." he said as he looked around the well-cleaned room. "The boy seems very disciplined, just like his father was."

"Just like Itachi too. He is his little brother." Kakashi said out loud in a somber tone as his mind flashed back to when he first met one of the greatest genius Konoha had ever produced. Inevitably his mind then remembered the night of the massacre. It was the darkest shit Kakashi had ever seen. No one had been spared. Civilians and shinobi, babies and older members, all of them had tasted Itachi's blade and had been indiscriminately murdered. All except one.

Hiruzen gave a grave nod. "He is talented too. Not like Itachi, but talented nonetheless." He then paused. "I assigned Itachi under you just like I will Sasuke. Teach him how to use his Sharingan and look after him."

Kakashi's hand went towards his covered left eye. "I didn't teach Itachi a thing. He was way more capable than me with the Sharingan."

"You shouldn't judge Sasuke on Itachi's merits. As I said, he doesn't possess his talent, but regardless you are the only one who can teach him how to use the Sharingan once he awakens it."

Kakashi nodded as he remembered his late teammate, Uchiha Obito. He then lifted his headband, revealing the famed and feared Sharingan.

"Tragedy has always followed those who awaken this eye. It might be for his best if he never awakens it, but regardless ill teach him to see what I couldn't until I was gifted this eye."

"I see that your judging criteria will not change this year." The Hokage said as he made his way out of the room.

"It will never change." Said Kakashi behind him.

They made their way to the last of his student's houses.

"Uchiha Sasuke is someone with great talent; some have gone so far as to label him a genius. He has especially demonstrated a great affinity for the shinobi arts, Ninjutsu, and shuriken jutsu. He is head and shoulders above his peers. His background has made him want to work alone whenever possible, but he still works fine in groups. His confidence and regard for his skill borders on arrogance. He hasn't shown any disregard for his superiors, but I believe he would have problems following orders he disagrees with."

Kakashi read his second student's file as he approached their last destination. He didn't know how to feel about Sasuke just yet, so he guessed it would be a wait-and-see kind of thing.

"We are here."

Kakashi looked up only and found the place familiar. Instantly his mind started to search for the reasons for this familiarity, and then his single visible eye widened, and he dropped the file.

'No way! It can't be. He already graduated?!'

The Hokage turned to see Kakashi shocked and felt a pang of pity for the man. Wordlessly he continued and made his way toward the apartment.

When they entered the apartment, it was a little messy but less than what the Hokage remembered. It was also a little dusty, as if Naruto didn't spend too much time in the apartment, which was true. Naruto didn't spend much time inside his apartment except showering and cooking. More often than not, he decided to sleep in the cabin next to the clearing that used to be Kushina's and Minato's favorite place.

They went to the kitchen and saw multiple dishes in the sink, and the smell of food was still present, signaling that Naruto had cooked food earlier in the day. They then made their way to Naruto's bedroom.

Kakashi's single eye scanned the room with great detail, and his eye eventually fell on a familiar mask on the nightstand next to the bed. It was the ANBU mask—the one he had gifted Naruto all those years ago.

'I can't believe he still has that.' Thought the copy ninja. The memories of that day in the cemetery and then carrying Naruto toward his home came rushing back.

Hiruzen's eyes followed Kakashi's gaze and landed on the ANBU mask.

"Your third and last student is Uzumaki Naruto." Hiruzen said needlessly.

Hiruzen sat on a chair that had a couple of clothes on it. "He takes more after Kushina."

"I guessed as much." Said Kakashi flatly.

Hiruzen gave a great sigh. "I'll be honest Kakashi. I'm worried about Naruto."

Kakashi's eye moved from the mask to the Hokage. "Why?"

The professor gathered his thoughts before elaborating. "He has changed. He used to be a bit of a fool, to be honest. He would spend his days pulling pranks to make people notice him, but it's different now. I can't exactly pinpoint when he changed or what made him change, but he is no longer the kid I was accustomed to. He still pulls or sorts of antics, but I sense that he no longer does it for attention, and his pranks have stopped being harmless. He resents the way the villagers have shone him and ignored his exitance."

Hiruzen took a moment before speaking. "He used to call me old man and talk about how he would take the hat from me, but around a year ago, something changed. I can tell he resents me, but I don't know the reason. Strangely enough, his academy results also increased dramatically this past year. He is not a genius like Minato, but the amount he has improved this last year shows he is talented."

"Do you think anyone has approached him to train him?" Kakashi's mind went to Danzo, and instantly a shiver went down his spine at the prospect of the man synonymous with the dark side of the shinobi world sinking his will into Naruto.

"No, of that I'm sure of. Danzo wouldn't let Naruto act the way he does and would eliminate his resentment toward the village by any means necessary."

"Does he know about... well, anything?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "No. Not about the Kyubi or his parents; Naruto isn't the type of kid to keep things quiet, I would expect, but there are sometimes..."

"Sometimes, what?"

"I sometimes feel he knows something or suspects it, but I'm unsure." He said gravely. "Watch over him, Kakashi. I know Minato would have liked it if you trained Naruto like he did with you. I also think it will do you good to meet him." Said the Hokage as he stood up and exited the room. Kakashi stayed a moment, simply staring at the ANBU mask.

"Minato-Sensei... I'll watch over him."


Naruto arrived at the academy, his excitement bubbling out of him. Today he was getting his team assigned, and he was ready to meet his new Sensei and see who of his classmates would be on his team.

'Man, I hope I get to be on a team with either Chōji, Shikamaru, or Hinata.'

Naruto opened the door, surveyed the classroom, and saw that most graduates were already there. Most were excited to start their shinobi career and learn who would be on their team. While quickly scanning the room, he saw Hinata staring out the window as the sun reflected on her porcelain skin. Naruto was immediately drawn to her; thankfully, the seat beside her was empty.

"Hi Hinata!" The blonde said brightly with a huge grin.

"Eep!" Hinata had been lost in thought when Naruto's voice made her jump. She turned to greet him, but her voice died in her throat when she saw him. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit... and he looked good, really good in Hinata's opinion. He still wore his signature orange jacket, which was unzipped; below it, he wore a black t-shirt and dark blue ninja pants. Also, his hair was a bit longer now, with some short bangs coming out of his hitai-ate.

"What's wrong Hinata?" seeing that she did greet him and just stared at him.

Hinata's brain finally processed what she was seeing and blushed at the sight. "G-Good m-morning N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered out while she internally cursed her stutter.

Naruto sat beside her. "I'm so excited! I wonder who my teammates will be. I hope you are on my team!" replied Naruto enthusiastically, surprising Hinata.

Hinata would have lied if she said that she didn't hope that she and Naruto were on the same team but was a bit surprised that Naruto thought that as well.

"Y-you do?" Asked a blushing Hinata with a smile while tapping her fingers together. Actually, what she meant to say was. 'I really hope we are on the same team too!' but the words failed her.

"Hell yeah! It would be super fun! It would also be fun to have Shikamaru or Chōji on my team." The blonde exclaimed. "On second thought, having someone as lazy as a sloth on my team would get boring." He said sheepishly.

Hinata giggled into her hand because of Naruto's comment.

"How about you? Is there anyone else you would like on your team?"

Hinata had to think about it for a second before responding. "I'm not su-"

The Hyūga girl was interrupted by the wild noise coming from outside the classroom.

"I'll sit next to Sasuke-kun!" Screamed Sakura the voice of Sakura could be heard from outside the classroom.

"Keep dreaming, forehead." Ino's voice responded from outside.

Not a second later, the blonde and pinkette came into the classroom wrestling like a pair of Akimichi when they needed to decide who would eat the last chip.

"The tip of my foot got in one centimeter faster than yours!" said a panting Sakura.

"That forehead of yours has to be covering your eyes if that's what you saw!" an equally winded Ino responded.

Luckily for the two girls, Sasuke had sat alone in the middle of a table, leaving an empty seat at each side.

'Why the fuck did I sit here?' Was what was going through young Sasuke's mind. Still, his face didn't betray his emotions as the pair of Kunoichi rushed to his table like pair of hungry hyenas.

"Alright, settle down!" Iruka's voice boomed around the classroom as he tried to get them under control after the latest spectacle.

When everyone was quiet, Iruka spoke again. "As of today, you will all become official ninjas of Konohagakure no Sato and be introduced into our forces. However, you are still genin. The tough part is still yet to come. From here on out, until you ascend rank, you will be working on squads of three and carry with your duties under the supervision of your Jonin Sensei."

"Iruka-Sensei! We already know this! Can you get on with who is on each team!" screamed Naruto. Several of his peers had to agree with the blonde on this one. They were all eager to know.

A vein started pulsing on the chunin's head, but he started listing the teams as he saw all the classroom wanted to know.

"Now then, the next group will be team seven. The members are Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto and Hinata were disappointed at that moment, although the blonde was way more expressive with his feelings. Sakura celebrated being with Sasuke but was annoyed that he would share a team with Naruto. Sasuke was interested in being on the same team as the blonde. Ever since that day, they sparred, he had come to respect Naruto's skills begrudgingly. He saw Naruto as the only one in his year that was anywhere near his league.

Although Hinata was disappointed, she couldn't help but feel relieved that Naruto didn't seem excited to be Sakura's teammate.

"Your Jonin Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Iruka announced.

Unlike Iruka's previous words, Sakura and Sasuke had no thoughts on their Jonin Sensei, but Naruto, on the other hand...

"Who the fuck is my Sensei?!"


Author's Notes:

Hi guys! Well, did you like the new chapter? I hope so! I'm finally back from my trip so I can write more often than before. Full disclaimer I used chat GPT for the poem.

As always, thanks to MN306 for being the beta! And thanks to ecoblade, STAG98, UzumakiRamen, KevTheMan, and Sixthdragneel for the reviews. I also want to thank ; he pointed out a flaw I have since corrected in my story. I tweaked how fuinjutsu is supposed to work in the verse, that's all. Please, If you see something like that, don't hesitate to comment on it! It won't be long till the next chapter! Comment and review! Also, remember I always respond to you all on PM.