[The Academy, the morning of team placement]

Iruka hummed as he graded Naruto's tests. 'It's scary how quickly he improved with a little bit of change to his mindset,' he thought. Each test improved considerably compared to his previous grades.

'Not as great as Sakura's, Shikamaru's, or Hinata's,' he thought. 'But definitely above Kiba's and Choji's level. Nearly on the level of Shino's.'

"How did he do?", A soft voice whispered behind his ear. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck as his girlfriend nuzzled into him.

"I thought you were still asleep?"

"Mhmm~," she moaned. "I would have if my boyfriend didn't leave me so early in the morning." Mikado let go of Iruka's neck as she scanned Naruto's test.

"Hmm… His grades have improved," Mikado said. "Frighteningly so. Makes me wonder how good he would be if he was taught properly."

Iruka hummed. Feeling a sense of remorse for his previous hate for his now surrogate younger and his actions of not teaching him properly.

"Hey," Mikado said, gaining his attention. "Don't beat yourself up for the past. The only thing we can do now is make things right in the present."

Iruka nodded. "You're right. I. I just wish I did it sooner. Maybe Mizuki wouldn't have used him the way he did if I took action."

Mikado placed the papers on the desk and palmed Iruka's cheek, surprising the young man. "The present Iruka. It's the all you can do. No amount of wallowing or self pity will change the past."

Iruka nodded solemnly, before planting a kiss on the woman.

"What would I do without you?"

Mikado giggled.

"Probably wallowing."

Iruka chuckled.

"Yeah. You're right."

Mikado stood up, pulling the man with him. "Come. We both know he passed and we have time before team placements, lets have a quick date beforehand."

Iruka could only nod.

"Coming dear."

[Naruto's apartment]

Naruto groaned. Clearly feeling the last day of Iruka's training. It was an intense session as he poured the last of his lessons to the him. It didn't help that Lala and Momo were clinging onto his chest.

"Ugh…" he moaned. Naruto looked at the clock next to him.

'8:00 huh,' he thought. Two more hours till team placement.

Naruto slowly moved his arms from the girls, careful not to wake them, to perform his now signature technique.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu," he whispered.

Three clones appeared in front of the bed.

"Clone 1 get the clothes ready. Clone 2 prepare breakfast. Clone 3 you're switching places with me so I can take a shower," he said.

Two of the clones groaned as the last one had a certain gleam in his eye as he had the easy job. Naruto gave the clone a deadpanned look.

'Not one of these guys.'

"And no funny business…" Naruto said, before performing the appropriate hand signs.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu," he said, replacing him with the clone.

"Mmm~. Naruto-kun!" Lala mumbled. She dug herself into the clones shoulder, giving him a deep grin. Naruto shot him a stern look, promising pain.

"Again. No funny business."

Naruto walked into the bathroom to wash off as the other clones went off to perform their duties. It was new bathroom with the newest space technology of the Devilukean Empire, making the bathroom bigger than it actually seemed like.

Lala's inventions fascinated him and their potential applications. His trickster mind would daydream with all the things he could do with her inventions. The only problem was their many bugs, resulting in a lot of shenanigans.

'The body swap incident was… interesting,' he thought. Who knew teleportation technology can result in the mind transfer of people. It did however allow him to perfect his sexy jutsu as it gave him the feeling of a woman, which allowed him to completely transform into the opposite sex.

Naruto hummed as he took off his clothes and started the shower. Washing himself, Naruto seemingly didn't notice the shadow creeping into the room. The steam of the shower covered his body, obscuring him from the view of the intruder. The shadow jumped at the young shinobi only to catch a piece of soap.

"Owie~!," Momo said as she slipped on the wet floor. She wore a skimpy two piece swimsuit, probably a way to seduce him. She looked up to see a smirking Naruto with a towel around his waist.

"Better luck next time Momo-chan," he said.

"How did you know I was awake Naru-kun?", Momo asked as she rubbed her head, her tail swaying lightly.

"Since the body swap. You tend to have a naughty talk in your sleep when I switch places with my clones," he said.

"Fuu~," Momo said. "I'll get to see that rock hard penis someday."

Naruto blushed slightly at the bluntness and her lust, before regaining his composure.

"You're a hundred years too early to catch me like that Momo. Better luck next time," he said as he walked out of the bathroom.

"I'll get you next time…" Momo said. Deciding to not let warm water go to waste, she took a shower herself.

Naruto walked by clone 1, who gave him his clothes. It was a slight change from his bright orange and royal blue jumpsuit. He now wore a burnt orange combat jacket with a navy lines across the middle and sides of the jacket. Built to be more durable than his old jacket but not as well as a chunin flak jacket. His pants were a set of standard navy combat pants and sandals.

"Everything intact?", he asked.

"Everything is ready boss!" The clone said.

"Good. You can dispel," Naruto said. Putting on the clothes, he walked into the kitchen that was also redone by Devilukean means. Noticing the twin sister of Momo, Nana, the absentminded girl was patiently waiting for his clone to finish cooking.

"Does it smell that good?", Naruto asked. Nana nodded.

"It smells exquisite," she said. Naruto chuckled, glad that he took up cooking as a skill with the help of Teuchi-oji and Ayame-nee.

Taking a seat next to the girl, Naruto said. "Then I'll have to try some new recipes. Never thought I was that good of a cook, but now I have a taste tester."

Nana nodded happily, hoping that the young man that caught her sisters' infatuation would allow her to taste test all of his food.

"So… You fancy teme, huh?", Naruto said, clearly noticing the affection for his rival. It was a similar look Sakura and Ino had for the boy, only more pure. Nana paused as she processed his words.

"Who is this teme you speak of?", Nana asked.

"It's the term of endearment I give to my rival, Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto said. "The same duck butt haired guy you met the night you landed in Konoha."

Nana nodded absentmindedly, before realizing the original question.

"Ba-Baka! How dare you ask me that?" Nana said as she pointed at him.

Naruto chuckled. "That wasn't a no," he said.

"I- I don't have an interest in that sa- savage," Nana stuttered.

"Mhmm…" Naruto said. "He talked about you, you know. After our little bout with Zastin. It was the first time I seen him interested in a girl. For a minute there I thought he was either gay or a eunuch. Glad to know it's neither."

Nana stuttered before rushing to her room in a storm of a blushes. Naruto chuckled at the interaction.

"You done?", Naruto asked his clone.

"Yes boss," he said.

"Good. Can you drop off some food for Nana as I make a little treat for her? It seems that I teased her too much."

"Aye aye boss," the clone said before walking off with a plate of food to the girl's room. Naruto started to eat before hearing a crash and a female scream in his room.

"Must be Lala," he muttered as he felt the rush of his clones memories, confirming his theory.

"Husband-kun! Why did you leave me with a clone again?", Lala whined as she walked into the kitchen.

"Because I would be stuck till noon if you got your way," Naruto said. "Did you forget I got team placements today at 10:00? I can't miss that or Iruka-sensei and Mikado-nee will kill me."

"Fuu!" Lala mewed. "I want compensation." Naruto chuckled. For aliens, they sure have a knack for sweets.

"I'll make some dango for you girls. Just remember to share," he said.

"Yay!" Lala cheered.

"Now eat your breakfast," Naruto said.

'Sometimes I feel like the only responsible one in this group,' he thought. '… That didn't sound right.'

After a hour, Naruto finished the dango for the girls. Putting the treats on the table, he noted that Lala and Momo were lounging in the living room.

'I guess Nana is still in her room,' Naruto thought.

"I'm heading out to meet with Iruka-sensei before my team placements. It should take a few hours."

"Okay Husband/Naruto-kun," Lala and Momo said.

"There's dango on the table," Naruto said. "Don't forget to share with Nana. You know how she is with sweets."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Just make sure to say hello to Hinata-chan for me and I look forward to hanging out. Maybe this Friday?"

Naruto shook his head as he walked out the door. "How you and Hinata became best friends is beyond me. You two are the complete opposites."

Momo chuckled. "Maybe it's because we both have similar interests," she whispered as she watched him walk out the door.

Lala eyes widened. "Hinata likes Naruto-kun too?!"

[Academy]

Naruto whistled casually, as he walked through the halls of the Academy. He noticed many classes in session for the younger students and from the look of their faces, it was must be a very boring seminar.

'Hang in there,' he thought.

"Ah. Here we are," he said as he walked through the classroom.

"Mhmm~!" Mikado moaned as she sat in Iruka's lap, clearly in a make out session with her boyfriend.

"Uh… should I come back?", Naruto said.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

[Hokage's office]

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the roof of the hokage building, looking into the village his sensei' created. Taking a drag from his pipe, he thought of the past two weeks.

[Flashback]

"Here is what we found Hokage-sama," Shikaku said as he handed him a big stack of documents.

"Thank you Shilkaku," he said. "You're dismissed.

"Sir!", the man said as he used Shushin to leave the room. Once he was gone, Hiruzen focussed on the stack of papers.

"This is worse than I thought," he muttered. Flipping through the papers, he noticed that many of the changes the Fourth had made to ensure strong shinobi, prosperity for their allies, and lessoning casualties were reversed in the years after the Kyubi Attack.

He agreed to some of them as he felt the need to show that Konoha was still strong. However, it seemed to has become a double edge sword, weakening their allies in and out of the village. This train of thought only increased with the Uchiha Massacre, leaving their allies in poverty.

'I'll need to talk to the Kazekage soon.'

Then there was the problems at the Academy. Most of the students, except for the clans knew of the reality of the shinobi, resulting in unnecessary death of new recruits. The civilian council implemented new clauses to reduce the academic test such as the villages heritage and history, allowing for easy access for civilians to become shinobi without understanding the importance of the village.

'Especially the erasure of Uzumaki's contributions to the village from our fuinjutsu and ninjutsu to our jinchuriki,' he thought. Although, he suspected that certain sectors within the shinobi helped in the civilians endeavors. They would be rooted out soon and the academy will have a new curriculum made by Shikaku and Iruka.

"Maybe I should call in Tsunade for advice," he mused. Her contributions to shinobi squads saved many from an unfortunate fate and field medical ninjutsu. It would help in the village's longevity.

Lastly, was the Uchiha clan. With Itachi's sacrifice and Sasuke's quest for vengeance, he felt foul play within the clan's destruction. Most of its resources and jutsu were plundered despite having a living heir. The civilians also played to Sasuke's ego to see if they could steal some of the last resources of the Uchiha clan, only increased his instability. Despite Toibrama-sensei's apprehension of the Uchiha clan, it was founding member of Konoha and should have been treated with respect.

'Shisui or Itachi would have made excellent Hokage,' he thought. 'And Fugaku… If not for the elders and Danzo, I would have made him Hokage in my stead as a sign of trust between the clan and the village.'

Despite the regret he felt, there was good news for the clan. Ibiki rooted out many of the perpetrators in the hidden raids and returning them to the Uchiha archives, but some were more hidden than others such as jutsu and weapons. He suspected Danzo had a hand in their disappearance which meant a confrontation.

[Flashback End]

'I'll have to visit you soon my old friend.'

Hiruzen felt a familiar presence land behind him. Turning to see just the man he was waiting for.

"You need to see me Hokage-sama?", the man said.

"Yes Kakashi," Hiruzen said. "I want to talk to you about your team request."

Kakashi gave him a perplexed gaze. "Is there something wrong?"

Hiruzen took another drag of his pipe before saying. "I want you to make sure that Naruto and Sakura will have equal amounts of training under your tutelage."

Kakashi gave him a bewildered look. "I don't understand?", he said. "You think that I will neglect my other students?"

Hiruzen gave a solemn nod.

"You see Kakashi, history tends to rhyme with Team 7. The sensei teaches three students, two rival each other, one rival is favorited over, and the other two students are neglected. The results are always the same… Disaster. It happened with Danzo, myself, and Tobirama-sensei. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I. And even you, Obito, and Minato-dono."

Kakashi paused at the older man's words. Hiruzen walked up to the young man placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand your want to train Sasuke as a way of redemption to Obito," he said. "But do not neglect your sensei's son or Sakura Haruno. I fear they will face great trials in the years to come… Don't make the same mistakes I and your predecessors did." Kakashi stayed silent for a minute before giving Hiruzen a stare that showed his conviction.

"I will try my best Hokage-sama," he said. Hiruzen smiled.

"That's all I ask for."

[Academy]

Naruto stood outside the room in awkward silence as his two surrogate siblings got dressed. 'I didn't need to see that…' he thought. The door opened, revealing Mikado.

"You can come in Naruto-kun," she whispered. Naruto nodded as he followed Mikado into the room. Iruka sat in the desk of the room, stiff as a board, as if not to draw any attention. It didn't help.

"… So should I expect to be an uncle within the next few months?" Naruto asked, trying to break the tension a little.

Iruka sputtered. "Why would you think that Naruto?", he asked. "We've only started dating for about a month." Iruka looked at Mikado, hoping she would back him up. Mikado gave a quizzical look.

"I wouldn't mind having children with you Iruka-kun," she said. "You've said you always wanted to have a family with the woman you love. Are you saying you don't love me Iruka-kun?" Iruka sputtering increased with each sentence.

"O-of course I love you!", he said. "But don't you think we're moving a little fast? We've barely got to truly know each other." Mikado gave a thinking pose.

"I suppose you're right," she said. "Sorry Naruto-kun. No little niece or nephew for a while."

Naruto chuckled. "It's alright nee-chan. Maybe in a few years right?"

Mikado smiled at the thought. "Right."

Iruka coughed into his hand. "Now that we've broke the tension at my expense," he said. "It's time for us to review your progress in our short time together." Naruto stiffened up, giving them his full attention.

"Well start with the basics," Mikado said. "Your calligraphy, reading, and comprehension skills have made drastic improvements. Your understanding of Konoha's history, major events, and possible encounters have also improved. If I were to give you an exam, you would probably have markings near the top percentile instead of bottom. I would recommend you continue practicing calligraphy and read as often as possible. Maybe keep a journal to improve your writing skills."

Naruto nodded. "I will keep that in mind, nee-chan."

"For your shinobi lessons," Iruka said. "Your understanding of chakra, their affinities, and transformations have improved. Your chakra control has also improved considerably, allowing you to perform henge on a near perfect scale."

"Unfortunately, your genjutsu is the least improved of your set of skills," he continued. "But considering your reserves, it is understandable. I recommend continuing your chakra control exercises and increasing the difficulty of the exercises once you have a handle of it. Remember, your chakra system, like your body and brain, is an organ. Changing your exercises will improve proficiency, plasticity, and longevity of your chakra reserves."

Naruto nodded, taking mental notes from Iruka.

"Now for your parting lesson," Iruka said, pulling out a square piece of paper. Naruto looked at the paper quizzically. "What is that Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"This is chakra paper," Iruka said. "By pouring chakra into it, you learn your natural nature affinity. For example." He poured some of his chakra into the paper, causing it for half to burn and half to become soggy.

"My nature affinity is water and fire," he said. "Jutsu related to my affinity are easier to learn compared to jutsu I don't have affinity for." Naruto nodded in understanding. Iruka gave him the second piece of paper.

"Now try it out," he said. Naruto looked at the paper for a second before pouring his chakra into it, cutting it in half. "What does that mean Iruka-sensei?" Iruka scratched his chin.

"It seems you have a high nature affinity for wind chakra which is rare in Konoha," he said. "The only person I know with the affinity is Asuma Sarutobi."

"You mean the old man's son and Konohamaru's uncle?", Naruto asked.

Iruka nodded. "The very same… How do you know Konohamaru?" Iruka asked.

"I met him when I went to register as a shinobi," he said. "He was being a brat so I beat him up a little, much to that closet pervert's, Ebisu, jargon." Iruka gave him an incredulous look while Mikado giggled at his little brothers antics.

"Anyways, he followed me around a bit, asking me to train him. So I taught him the henge jutsu and… its variants." Iruka gave him a stern look.

"You didn't teach him the Oiroke no Jutsu. Did you?", he asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hehe… Maybe," he said.

Iruka sighed. 'Not another one,' he thought as he knows Konohamaru would be in the next set of student he would be teaching.

"Hey! I only told him to use it information gathering and perverts only," Naruto said. "Plus, I made sure to teach him the fully clothed version so it won't cause a riot." Iruka shook his head, feeling a headache coming.

"Oh, it will be fine," Mikado said. "How bad can one boy be?"

Iruka looked at her. "You just jinx me didn't you?"

Mikado only smiled.

"… I hate you," he said.

" I love you too, honey," she said. Iruka rubbed his head, before pulling out a scroll from his flak jacket.

"This is our parting gift for you Naruto-kun," he said, giving it to Naruto.

He looked at the scroll quizzically, before taking the scroll. Opening it, a puff of smoke revealed a book and scroll.

"The book is from me," Mikado said. "It's a culinary book as I've notice that you have a knack for the skill. Plus the girls in your life will appreciate it." Naruto looked at the book and smiled.

"Thank you Mikado-nee," he said. Naruto gave the woman a quick hug that was reciprocated.

Iruka smiled. "This is a scroll on the basics of nature transformations. I added chakra control techniques for fire and water as well as one defensive jutsu and three offensive jutsu." Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the scroll. He let go of Mikado and pulled Iruka into a hug as well.

"Thank you… nii-chan," he said.

"You're welcome Naruto," Iruka said. After a few moments the two young men let go of each other.

"I recommend you start with water transformation training before fire," he said. "Most shinobi in or near the Land of Fire know fire techniques. Water ninjutsu is a good counter for such techniques." Naruto gave him a quick smile and a look of determination.

"Hai Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka and Mikado smiled. "It seems team placements aren't for another 30 minutes," Iruka said. "Plenty of time to start reading either one of our gifts."

Naruto nodded as he grabbed the culinary book. "Don't worry. I have to look to see if there is any recipes that the girls would like. Maybe something sweet?"

"If it's something sweet, I recommend page 142," Mikado said.

Naruto flipped to the page. "… Cinnamon buns? Never tried those before… Seems simple enough." Naruto walked to the middle seat, as he flipped through the book.

Mikado giggled at the boys antics. "Seems once Naruto-kun puts his mind to something, he doesn't stop till its finished."

Iruka shook his head. "That's Naruto for you… I'll be back in 30 minutes for class."

"Hai hai," Naruto said nonchalantly, engrossed in his reading. Iruka chuckled before leaving with Mikado. He wouldn't notice the many students flowing in as the minutes went by.

[30 minutes later]

Students gossiped as they waited for Iruka-sensei. Many gave Naruto subtle glances, not expecting him to be in the class as they all knew he didn't pass the exam.

"Hey Naruto!", a random boy shouted. Naruto looked up from his book.

"Hmm?" He asked.

"What are you doing here? You didn't pass the exam!", the boy said.

"Mind the headband Shiba," Naruto said before continuing to read his book. He didn't have the mental capacity to deal with nosy classmates at the moment.

"Hey!" Shiba said. "Listen to me!"

Slam! The door swung open, interrupting Shiba, revealing Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.

"Out of the way Ino-pig!", Sakura said.

"You first forehead!" Ino retorted.

Both girls were having one of their bouts again, much to the frustration of Sasuke and amusement of Naruto. It seems that Sakura won this time around as she walked over to the spot that Naruto and Shiba were.

"Hey, will you let me through?" Sakura asked.

"Good morning to you too Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "How are you this morning?"

She became frustrated.

"Move over Naruto!", she said. "I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, staring at the boy.

"What?", Sasuke asked.

"Do you want me to move or continue sitting here?" Sasuke looked at the boy in surprise, but resumed his brooding.

"Tch! Whatever," he said. Naruto shrugged.

"Fine."

Naruto got up to let Sakura in much to her surprise.

"Huh?"

"Go ahead," Naruto said.

"Oh uh… thank you," she said as she sat next to Sasuke. 'What's going on with dead last? He would have either asked me out, fought with Sasuke-kun, or at least something.' Sakura noticed Naruto's new outfit.

"So you finally got rid of that dingy orange jumpsuit," Sakura said.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, Ayame-neechan threatened to cut off my ramen supply if I didn't change my clothes."

Sakura sweat dropped.

'It was that easy?', she thought. 'At least he looks good in them compared to his old ugly orange jumpsuit.' Wait a minute.

'Why am I thinking about Naruto when Sasuke-kun is right next to me!', Inner Sakura said.

"Hi Sasuke-kun!", she said, completely ignoring the previous conversation. "How are you this morning?"

Sasuke said nothing as he continued to brood.

"Um… Sakura? Weren't we having a conversation?", Naruto asked.

Sakura gained an annoyed look. "I'm talking to Sasuke-kun baka! God! You are so annoying!"

Naruto put his hands up. "Hai, Hai," he said. 'Gosh, she worse than some of the red-light nee-chans with their pay pigs.'

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Iruka.

"Alright," he said. "Settle down students."

Shiba grumbled as he took his seat next to his friends.

With the room quieted down, Iruka started his lecture. "Alright students, today is the day you become real shinobi," he said. "But you are all merely genin. The hard part has just started. Now… You will soon be assigned to duties of the village under the tutelage of a jounin sensei. You will follow their instructions and complete assignments."

'Pft… Three man teams?' Sasuke thought. 'They will just get in my way.'

'I have to be with Sasuke-kun!', Sakura thought.

'Three man teams eh?' Naruto thought. 'This will be interesting.'

"We tried to balance each team's strengths so no complaining," Iruka said.

Iruka started to drone on through the team listings. "Next. Team 7…" he said. "Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and… Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura cheered at the announcement. 'Hah! Take that Ino-pig!', she thought.

Iruka finished his listings with minimum interruptions. "Alright class that is the last of the teams… Let's take a break for lunch. You'll meet your Jounin sensei this afternoon."


Most of the class broke up for lunch after that. Sasuke being the first out of the class, with Sakura, Ino, and other fangirls following close behind. Naruto was about to leave when Shiba walked up to him once again. "Hey dead last! You think just because you got lucky, you think you have what it takes to be a shinobi?!"

Naruto looked up Shiba only to notice a shade of navy in his peripheral.

"Hey Hinata," he said as he closed his book. Getting up, Naruto walks over to the girl, completely ignoring Shiba, much to his anger.

"Oh h-hey Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered. Not expecting her crush to notice her so casually.

"Hey!", Shiba said. "Don't ignore me Naruto!" He threw a punch at the boy. To everyone's surprise, Naruto caught the punch and flipped the boy onto the table.

"Don't do that again Shiba," Naruto said, glaring at the boy. Shiba got up in a second and backed off to his group of friends. "… Anyways, Hinata-chan I have a question to ask you," he said, catching the girl's attention.

'I-is he going to ask me o-out,' she thought.

"… What is your favorite dessert?", he asked.

"Huh?" Not expecting the question.

"Yeah. I was looking into this cookbook Mikado-nee gave me and couldn't find a dessert I wanted to make. You have any suggestions?"

Hinata held a thinking gaze. "I've always like cinnamon buns, but my dad won't let me have as much as I want to," she said, giving a honest answer.

"Hmm… That's what Mikado-nee said too…" he said. "Alright. I'll make those on Friday."

"Why Friday?", she asked.

"Momo wants to know if you could hang out on Friday," he said. "So I thought it would be good to make them for you guys. Is that alright?"

'Naruto-kun making homemade cinnamon buns for me?!', she thought. It felt like a dream come true. "O-ok Naruto-kun," she said. "Tell Momo I'll meet with her on Friday morning."

Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "Alright! I'll tell her," he said as Naruto started to walk out of the classroom.

"N-naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"Hmm?" Hinata's face reddened, but was able to muster a few words.

"Your new outfit looks nice."

Naruto paused, not expecting the compliment. "Thank you Hinata-chan," he said, giving the girl a cheeky smile and walking out of the door.

Hinata released breath she didn't she held.

"You did well Hinata-san," Shino said.

"Thank you Shino-san."


Naruto sat on the roof of the Academy, eating dango and a rice ball when he noticed Sasuke standing in a window. Jumping down from the roof he walks over to the roof next across the last Uchiha. A tense silence could be felt between the two young men. Naruto knew what Sasuke wanted to ask, as did Sasuke, their mothers. It was still a fresh wound in the minds of the young men.

'To think that the supposed dead last was to be my god-brother,' Sasuke thought. It irked him. But he would give the boy a chance… for his mother's sake. Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto asked him an unexpected question. As Sasuke took another bite of his rice ball, Naruto said.

"So… You and Nana huh?"

Sasuke nearly choked on his rice ball. "N-no!" Sasuke said.

"Huh? Shame. Nana doesn't go a day without thinking of you teme," Naruto said. "It would break her heart if she knew you didn't reciprocate those feelings."

Sasuke sputtered.

"I… Just find her interesting. That's all," he whispered.

Naruto grinned.

"Good to know," he said. "So does that mean Sakura has chance?"

Sasuke's face turned cold.

"No."

Naruto nodded.

"I never understood why she fawned so much over you," he said. "Maybe it's your brooding and cold demeanor?"

Sasuke growled a little, finding the conversation annoying.

"What about you? I thought you had a crush on her or was 'Sakura-chan please go out with me', a genjutsu?"

Naruto cringed slightly.

"Yeah… you're right," he said. "But now… I'm not quite sure. At the beginning of the academy, Sakura-chan was the first girl that didn't treat me poorly. But soon, she became friends with Ino and forgot about me. Leaving me alone once again."

Sasuke glanced at him.

"Heh, I'm used to it at this point," Naruto said.

Sasuke said nothing.

'That I could understand,' he thought.

"Don't get me wrong, I still have lingering feelings for her," Naruto said. "But, now that Momo, Lala, and even Nana are in my life, I have some resemblance of a family…"

Naruto smirked.

"Maybe a future brother in law if Nana plays her cards right."

Sasuke sputtered.

"Dope!" Sasuke said, finding this teasing annoying. 'Since when did the dope learn how to banter?', he thought.

Naruto chuckled.

"Sorry, it seems that Momo's knack for teasing rubbed off me a little bit."

"Tch! Whatever," he said. Sasuke jumped down from his perch as he finished with his rice ball.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said. Sasuke looked up at the young man. "Can you tell me about her sometime? I would like to know type of woman my godmother was."

Sasuke said nothing, before walking down the cobblestone path. Naruto watched the last Uchiha walk off into another part of the Academy. He sighed.

"At least it wasn't a no."

[Naruto's apartment]

It was surprisingly quiet at the Uzumaki apartment as the Devilukean girls dispersed to do their own things. Nana had only left her room once since Naruto's departure to get his "apology" dango, while Lala went to her room as she had more invention ideas. Momo decided to lounge in the living room and read one of the fiction books that she picked up from the bookstore. Icha Icha Paradise.

"Hmm… The plot is pretty bad but the sex scenes are great! Maybe Naru-kun and I could try some of the positions?", she giggled.

Knock. Knock.

"Hmm?" she said, putting the book down. Walking to the door, she looked peered through the peephole to see the Hokage and a tall silver haired man behind him.

She opened the door.

"Hello Hokage-sama," she asked. "What can I do for you today?… Who is this?"

"Hello Momo-san, this is Kakashi. Naruto's sensei," Hiruzen said.

"Yo," Kakashi said with a lazy eye smile. Momo looked at him for a second

"… How are you doing that behind a mask?"

"Trade secret," he said lazily.

Hiruzen coughed. "Ahem. As part of standard procedure, Jounin check the residence of their potential student's homes to get a better feel for their behavior. Is it alright for us to come in?"

Momo moved over to let the two men in.

[Academy]

Sasuke walked down the cobblestone path, thinking about Naruto's words.

'Maybe…' he thought.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said. Sasuke groaned.

'Not this again.'

Sakura started to blush as she mustered the courage to ask her crush out. "Sas-Sasuke-kun… W-will you go out with me?"

Sasuke paused. "… No," he said.

Sakura deflated. "Why not Sasuke-kun?", she said. Sasuke said nothing, looking a way out of the conversation.

"Where's Naruto? It's time to go back," Sasuke said.

"Don't change the subject Sasuke-kun," she said. "Who cares about Naruto? All did was fight with you. He hasn't had a normal childhood. He doesn't have any parents and can do whatever he wants." Not realizing the chord she struck with Sasuke. "If I acted like him, my parents would kill me. He's so lucky, all alone, parents never getting on his case."

"That's why he misbehaved… All alone," Sasuke said.

"Huh?" Sakura said.

"The sadness of having a parent yell is nowhere near what he felt," Sasuke said.

Sakura stumbled.

"What's this… All of a sudden?"

"You asked me why I wouldn't date you," Sasuke said. "It's because you're annoying."

Sasuke left Sakura alone to her thoughts.

[Other side of Academy]

"Ah! That was a nice stroll," Naruto said as he walked around the Academy.

"Naruto," Sasuke said behind him.

"Gah! Don't scare me like that!", Naruto said.

"Come, it's time for class," Sasuke said.

"Mmhmm. What about Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"What about her?", Sasuke said. "Now come on."

Naruto said nothing as he followed his teammate. 'I hope you're alright… Sakura-chan.'

[With Sakura]

Sakura sat on the bench, contemplating Sasuke's words.

'… You're annoying huh… Is this what Naruto felt all those times I turned him down,' she thought. "… Maybe next time. I can be a little nicer."

[3 hours later]

"Fuck it," Naruto said as he got up from his seat.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"All the other teams have gone off with their teachers," he said "Even Iruka-sensei has left for the day, so why is our sensei so damn late?!"

Sakura couldn't retort his logic.

"But what are you doing?", she asked.

"A little prank," he said as he propped the eraser on the top of the door. " I haven't been able to pull them for a month."

"Fine, but I'm not involved in this," she said.

'I actually enjoy a prank or two,' she thought.

"Pfft. Like a Jounin is going to fall for a simple booby trap," Sasuke said.

The door slowly open to reveal Kakashi, only for the eraser to fall on his head.

"Hahaha! I can't believe you fell for it!", Naruto said.

"I'm sorry sensei," Sakura said. "I tried to stop him."

But her inner thoughts said other wise.

'Ha! That was better than I realized.'

'That was a Jounin?' Sasuke thought. 'He doesn't seem reliable.'

"Hmm… How can I say this in lament terms?" Kakashi chuckled. "My first impression is…"

"I hate all of you."

Kakashi groaned as he looked at his laughing at by his students. Well, one of his students, the pink haired one was trying and failing to hide her amusement, and the broody one smirked underneath his hands.

He sighed.

"Meet me on the roof." Kakashi disappeared in a plume of smoke.

The three shinobi followed their sensei onto the roof of the building.

[Roof]

"Ok… Let's introduce ourselves shall we?", Kakashi said with his signature eye smile.

"What do you want to know?", Sakura asked.

"How about… your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, and hobbies?", Kakashi said.

"Why don't you introduce yourself first sensei?", Naruto asked.

"Hmm… my name is Kakashi Hatake," he said. "My likes and dislikes are not your concern. Dreams for the future? Hmm… And I have a lot of hobbies."

The students faltered. That didn't tell us anything about him.

"Alright since I've introduced myself. It's your turn. First is pinkie," Kakashi said.

"Oh! My name is Sakura Haruno. my likes are... Sakura looks at Sasuke. My dream is… looks at Sasuke again. And my dislikes are Ino-pig and Naruto!"

Naruto and Kakashi sweat dropped.

'I guess that's typical for girls her age,' Kakashi thought. "Alright dark and brooding."

"… Sasuke Uchiha. There is a ton of things I dislike but I don't really like anything-"

Naruto coughed.

"Bullshit! Sorry something got caught in my throat. Continue."

Sasuke growled.

"And… I don't want to use the word dream but… I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man."

Kakashi looked at the boy. 'You really messed him up Itachi-san,' he thought.

"Lastly is whiskers."

Naruto looked his sensei. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like a few people and ramen. I dislike a few people and the time it takes to cook ramen. My... dream has changed slightly. I want to become Hokage and a splendid shinobi, create a family and restore the Uzumaki clan."

'Clan?' Sasuke thought.

'Hmm… He's grown a little,' Kakashi thought.

"Uzumaki clan?" Sakura asked. "What nonsense are you talking about. You aren't part of a clan."

"Actually I am Sakura," Naruto said. "On my mother's side."

"Then why haven't I heard of them," Sakura said.

"Because it was destroyed between the second and third war, deemed too powerful by four of the five villages," Kakashi said. Before Sakura could make a remark, Kakashi interrupted her. "Cousins of the Senju clan, the Uzumaki were pivotal to the creation of Konoha with the marriage contract between the First Hokage and Mito Uzumaki. Much of the villages structure was based on her home country's design. The Uzumaki were a powerful clan, known for powerful fuinjutsu, suinjutsu, unique chakra, and longevity."

Kakashi turned around, pointing at the signature red spiral. "All Konoha chunin and jounin flak jackets have the symbol of their sister nation. As a sign of the relationship we once held."

"Wow…" Sakura said. "If they were so influential, why haven't we learned of them in the academy?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Some of the council had deemed their history… unworthy of the student's education. After recent audits, the shinobi system has been changed to properly depict the history of Konoha and the potential benefits and risk of becoming a shinobi."

Naruto and Sasuke were silent during, Kakashi's explanation but their faces said it all. Sasuke's held an air of curiosity and familiarity, sharing a similar goal to his new teammate.

'Maybe I've misjudged him a little bit,' he thought.

Naruto's however was a solemn one as he thought of the family he would never meet.

'Jiji said that there could be survivors of my clan. Maybe I can find them and reunify them in Konoha?'

"Alright. That's enough of a history lesson," Kakashi said, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. "We will start our duties tomorrow."

"What kind of duties?", Naruto asked.

"First," he said. "We are going to do something with just the four of us."

"What is it Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Survival Training," Kakashi said.

"Survival Training?" Naruto asked. "Aren't we already shinobi?"

"That's right," Kakashi said. "But this is a special test to see if you are truly ready to be shinobi. This test has a seventy percent failure rate with only seven out of the twenty two will pass and you will be sent back to the Academy if you fail."

This shocked the students, creating a little animosity within the group.

"…" Sasuke thought. 'Tch!'

'Oh no! I can't be with Sasuke-kun if I fail!', Sakura thought.

'Well things got more interesting,' Naruto thought. 'I wonder what's the test about?'

"The details are on this print out," Kakashi said as gave them the paperwork. "We will meet tomorrow morning 9:00 at Training Ground 44… Oh, I suggest you not eat breakfast tomorrow or you'll throw up… Dismiss."

Kakashi disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving the genin to their thoughts.

"… Welp! I got to head back before Lala and Momo get hungry," Naruto said as he hopped from his perch. "See you tomorrow team!"

"Yeah, see you later," Sakura said.

'Wait! Who are Lala and Momo?', she thought.

Sasuke said nothing as he walked away from the group.

"W-wait for me Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, following the young man.


[Training Ground 3]

Naruto arrived first compared to the rest of his team.

'7:00, huh…,' he thought. 'A good amount of time to start a warm up and chakra control training.'

Nodding to himself, he took his shirt off, and started doing some light stretches. After 15 minutes, he starts his morning run.

[2 hours later]

Sasuke landed in front of the Third Training Ground to an unfamiliar sight. He saw Naruto sitting under a tree in a lotus position with his eyes closed and his arms cupping his core. He noticed several leaves sticking onto the boys body and when ever a leaf fell from the tree it seemed to pull closer to him and stick in another spot.

'Who knew Naruto had it in him…' he thought. But before he could further observe Naruto, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey Sasuke!-kun!", a voice said behind him.

"…"

He turned to see his other teammate walking up to him. Sakura seemed to have a little less pep in her step than her usual self. Probably due to the lack of breakfast.

"…"

Sasuke turned away from the girl, causing her to pout slightly.

'I guess that's to be expected,' she thought.

"… Where's Naruto?", she said. 'He can't be late already?'

"Here," Naruto said as he walked up to the group.

Sakura turned to see the boy, hoping to apologize. "Nar-", she started to say, but her words were cut off.

"!"

A shirtless Naruto walked over to his teammates. He was covered in a light coat of sweat which showed a increasingly growing set of muscles, especially in the ab department. Sakura was stunned silent as she watched her blonde teammate put his shirt back on.

'H-h-hot!', Inner Sakura said.

'S-shut up we're supposed to like Sasuke-kun! Remember?', Sakura said to her inner self.

'I don't know. Maybe we need to reconsider our options,' Inner Sakura said. 'If he like this now, how would he be in the future? Personally, I would love to grate some cheese on those abs if you know what I mean.'

'Gah!'

"Hey?", Naruto said. "Are you alright Sakura?" He got a little closer to the girl with a simple head tilt with a mix of curiosity and concern.

Sakura jumped at the closes, not expecting the blonde to be right in front of her. With his quizzical face and a small leaf seemingly attached to his hair, she blushed hard.

'Cute!'

Realizing what she said, she shook her head and pushed the boy away from her.

"Too close!", she said. "Don't scare me like that Naruto!"

Realizing his mistake, Naruto pulled back from the girl and rubbed his hand behind his head, causing the leaf to fall off.

"Hehe!", he said. " Sorry about that. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding personal space."

'Especially when you have two alien girls always breaking it every chance they get,' he thought.

"… It's alright," she said. "Apology accepted… I'm sorry for pushing you."

"!", Sasuke raised his eyebrow.

"Huh?", Naruto said.

"What?"

"You said sorry?"

"Is there something wrong with that?", Sakura asked with a little venom in it.

"N-not at all!", he said. "It was just unexpected."

"… Hmph!", Sakura huffed.

The three of them fell into an awkward silence.

….

*Grrrrr…*

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled. "Sorry about that. I'm a little hungry from that jog." Pulling out a mini scroll, Naruto summoned some jerky from it.

"Hey!", Sakura said. "You're not supposed to eat remember?"

"Oh?", he asked, taking a bite. "I thought he just suggested that we don't but I chose to ignore it."

Sakura was about to protest when she remembered that he did make it an suggestion. Rubbing her stomach in hunger as Naruto ate, she didn't notice the handful of jerky in her face at first. She looked up at Naruto.

"Here," he said. "You're probably hungry from the lack of breakfast."

"Oh, Thank you." Sakura took the jerky for a second, hesitating at the thought of breaking her diet.

Naruto nodded, before noticing her hesitation.

"You should probably eat that," Naruto said. "Protein is good fuel for long periods of time. Plus, a diet is not going to help you with your figure."

"Huh?", Sakura asked.

'Is he calling us scrawny?!', Inner Sakura said.

"Are you calling me scrawny?!", Sakura said.

"We're shinobi now Sakura," he said. "All the training we will have will burn off any extra calories you could have. Any diet that cuts calories will only be a detriment to your health. That includes your figure."

Sakura grew an angry tik. "Yeah! What do you know! You only eat ramen."

"Hey! Don't diss the food of the gods," he said. "Plus, I've been forced to limit it to a bowl a day now thanks to the witch known as my doctor."

He still wasn't happy that his ramen addiction was limited to one a day, but he couldn't complain about the result. The new balanced diet helped a ton with helping him get back on track.

'Well he has improved in the hotness department,' Inner Sakura said. A slight nosebleed flowing from here left nostril. 'Hehe…'

Sakura blushed at her counterparts thoughts, stopping her from rebutting her teammates words.

Naruto walked up to Sakura, close enough that Sasuke wouldn't hear it.

"Plus," he whispered. "Do you think Sasuke likes scrawny girls, who can't protect themselves?"

"Huh?", she said.

"Sasuke is an Uchiha," he said. "If you know anything about Uchiha men is that they like competence and power above all else. That includes women. What do you think Sasuke would think of you if you were neither of those?"

Sakura mulled over his words, causing Naruto to hum in satisfaction.

"Just think it over for a bit," he said as he pulled back.

Walking over to Sasuke, Naruto handed a piece of jerky to Sasuke who silently took it and giving a slight nod as thank you. There was a slight awkward silence between the two genin as Sakura continued to mull over Naruto's words. Sasuke glanced over to the girl before looking at his teammate.

"… What did you say to shut her up?", Sasuke muttered.

"That would be kissing and telling teme," Naruto said with a cheeky smirk.

"… Tsk!" Sasuke turned the other way as he walked over to a tree and sat in the shade. "Wake me up when he gets here."

"Will do!"

[1 hour later]

"Good afternoon everyone," Kakashi said as he walked onto the training ground.

"You're late!", Naruto and Sakura said. Not amused at their sensei's tardiness. Sasuke said nothing but gave the one-eyed Jonin a deep glare.

"Haha…" Kakashi chuckled dryly. 'Maybe I shouldn't be so late all the time.'

"Will you believe me if I got lost on the road to life?", he asked.

"What the hell does that mean?!", Naruto said.

Kakashi chuckled at the blonde's anger. Walking over to the middle of the three stumps, Kakashi pulls a clock out of his backpack and puts it on the stump.

"Okay, it's set for noon," Kakashi said.

"What's that for Kakashi-sensei?", Sakura asked.

"The clock is for a test," he said as he pulled out two bells. "Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get the bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps but I'll eat right in front of you."

Grrrr…

Despite the jerky that Naruto gave them, Sakura and Sasuke were still famished. Naruto gave the man a dry look.

'So that's why he told us to not eat…' he thought. 'Good thing I'm a bad listener.'

"You only need to get one bell," Kakashi continued. "There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And… The person who doesn't take a bell fails. So, at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura gulped as the tense feeling in their guts only rose with each sentence the Jonin said.

"You can even use your shuriken," he said. "You won't succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill."

"But you'll be in danger," Sakura said.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to hurt you Mr. One-Eye," Naruto said, testing his patience.

"In the real world. Those with no talent often bark the loudest," Kakashi said. "Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say…"

"That's mean thing to say about someone that when they're not even here sensei," Naruto retorted.

"He's talking about you Naruto," Sakura said.

"Weird, I thought he was talking about Kiba."

"… Are you two done?", a voice called out behind Naruto.

Sakura jumped in surprised. Sasuke prepared to rummage through his kunai bag. And Naruto jumped slightly but held his ground.

'No way…', Sakura thought. 'I couldn't even see him.'

'So this is a Jonin…', Sasuke thought.

'Fast!', Naruto thought. 'That's twice as fast as Iruka-sensei.'

'Hmm…' Kakashi thought. 'He has a little restraint in him… Let's see how long that last.'

"S-sorry sensei", Sakura said.

"Well it seems like you're prepared to come at me with the intent to kill," he said. Noticing that they have readied themselves, he smiled. "So you've finally acknowledge me? Hehe… Seems like I'm beginning to like you guys."

"… Ok, let's get going."

"Ready…"

"Start!"

The three disappeared.


'Hmm… Are the improvements wrong about him?', Kakashi thought. "… I thought I told you to hide?"

Naruto yawned and stretched.

"Don't feel like it."

Everyone sweat dropped.

'Is he an idiot?', Sakura thought.

"Shall we begin?", Naruto said, as he pulled a kunai out and charged the Jonin.

"Hmm… A frontal attack huh?", Kakashi said. He slipped his hand into the kunai bag causing Naruto to halt his charge.

"First lesson in Shinobi training… Taijutsu," Kakashi said. "I'll teach you all about it."

'What's he doing?', he thought before Kakashi pulled out… A book.

"Huh?", Naruto said. 'That book looks familiar.'

Naruto thought back to a week ago, when Momo was giggling at a similar book.


"What you got there Momo?", Naruto asked.

"Oh just a little book that I picked up," she said. "It has given me a bunch of ideas for our future sex life."

Naruto gulped. "W-what's it called?"

She giggled. "Icha Icha Paradise and I want you to be my Ken to your Kagura."

Momo pounced on the young man.

"Gah!", he said. He replaced himself with a blanket and sprinted out of the apartment.

"Muu! You can't run away from me forever Naru-kun!", she said.


Naruto grew a tick mark on his head, before rushing the Jonin with surprising speed.

'Fast!', Kakashi thought. He dodged the many strikes sent at him. Naruto seemed to move into a flow of gradually unpredictable strikes at the man, which surprised Kakashi.

'He's better than I thought,' he thought. Kakashi kicked the kunai away, causing Naruto to turn away from the Jonin, giving him the chance to perform a hand sign.

'What?', Sakura thought. 'His hand position? Is that the seal of the tiger?!'

"Naruto!", Sakura said. "Get out of there! You're going to get killed!"

"Huh?", Naruto said.

"Too late," Kakashi said. Thrusting his fingers at Naruto's ass.

"Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death!", he said.

Seeing the attack, Naruto twisted his body to only be hit in the side, instead of its intended target, but the power from the technique still sent him flying.

"Gah!", Naruto yelled as he was thrown into river.

"What… That's not ninjutsu," Sakura said. "Supreme technique? That was just a super powerful poke…"

"… Two morons," Sasuke said.

'That hurt goddamnit!', Naruto thought, holding his back. He put his hand in a T hand seal.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!", he said, creating 8 clones.

Naruto threw two shuriken from the river and at the Jonin, only for it to be caught through his fingers.

"Hahaha…" Kakashi said, not paying attention to the shinobi.

'Let's go,' he thought as he sent his clones at the Jonin once again.

The clones hurled themselves at the Jonin, causing Kakashi to spring back to gain more ground.

'Hmm…', he thought. 'He's implementing some Anbu tactics into his strategy.'

As Kakashi fought his clones, Naruto slipped further down the river. Both Sasuke and Sakura were surprised by how powerful Naruto was compared to a month prior.

'When did this happen?', Sakura thought. 'He was dead last a month ago.' She then felt a hand clasp on her face and pull her back into the brush.

"Mmmm!", she said.

"Shh…" Naruto said. He was wet from being in the river, causing his clothes to stick to him and showing his muscles to her. Sakura felt a twinge in her heart before squashing it.

"Why did you scare me?!", Sakura whispered. "I thought you were fighting Kakashi?"

"I am fighting Kakashi," he said. "But the reason why I'm here is because I need your help."

"My help?", she said.

"Yeah," he said. "I can't take on Kakashi-sensei alone, and we would have a better chance of getting a bell if we fight him together."

'He's not wrong,' Sakura thought about it for a moment. "But what about Sasuke-kun?"

"Knowing him," he said. "He will take Kakashi-sensei on alone before relenting to a team up."

Sakura reluctantly agreed with Naruto reasoning.

"But what will I do?", she asked.

"I'll need your help setting up traps," he said. "I will show you a good spot once I finish getting my ass kicked."

"Huh?", Sakura said.

*Poof*

Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke, revealing himself to be a clone.

'That's pretty cool!', Inner Sakura said.

"Yeah…" Sakura muttered. "That was pretty cool."


Kakashi casually weaved through Naruto's assault. Some of them were throwing Kunai and Shuriken while others were performing taijutsu to try and grab the bells. 'It seems that physical regiment is doing some good. He's not using it to its full capabilities, but it's a start.'

Kakashi kept weaving through the formation of Naruto clones but noticed that they were tightening up the formation.

"Interesting," he said, before grabbing three shuriken thrown at him. Using the momentum, he redirected them to three clones, catching the clones by surprise and dispersing them.

Kakashi then twisted in such a way that he dodged two punches from each side of him. Putting his foot on a swivel, he kicked one of the clones into the other, causing them to disperse. The other Naruto's to jump back, seeing as five of the eight of them were dispersed in an instant.

The last three looked at each other and nodded. 'Hmm… What are they planning?', Kakashi thought, before seeing two of them charge at him. They entered another taijutsu bout with the Jonin He noticed that third one throw several shuriken at him. Dodging both of the Shuriken, he ducked a fist from one of the clones and jumped over a sweep kick from the other. In the air, Kakashi grabbed one of the clones and used him as a foot hole dodge another volley of shuriken and kunai.

Keeping his hold on the clone, Kakashi throws him in front of the other clone's punch, causing him to dissipate. Surprised by this, the clone didn't register the kick hitting his gut, causing him to poof as well.

'Phew,' Kakashi thought. 'One more left.'

*Jingle*

'What?!', he thought. Turning around, he saw the last Naruto reach for the bells.

"Gotcha!", Naruto said as he reached for the bells, only for him to hit a log.

"Ow!", he said. "A substitution jutsu?"

Naruto didn't have long to ponder as he felt the shadow of a hand grab the collar of his jacket. "Nice try Naruto," Kakashi said. "But it's going to take a lot more than Shushin to get me."

Kakashi then swung Naruto a few times before, throwing him back in the river. "There," he said. "That should cool him off for a bit."

'Heh. He did better than I thought he would,' he thought as he went to check on the rest of his students.

*Whisssh!*

"Hmm?"

A series of kunai and shuriken hit the "unsuspecting" Jonin only for him to be replaced by another log.

"Tch!", Sasuke said. 'He now knows my location.'

Jumping down from the tree, Sasuke sprints to another location to try and ambush the Jonin once again.

[With Sakura]

After watching the battle and Sasuke's attempted ambush, she decided to sprint and try to get Sasuke to work with her.

'Where are you Sasuke-kun?!', she thought.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Kakashi standing a few feet away from her in a clearing and ducked into the bushes.

'Did he see me?', she thought.

"Pssst," a voice said behind her. "Sakura."

Turning around, she sees a swirl of leaves, causing her to get dizzy. Once the swirl of leaves dissipated, she notices that she's in the middle of the field.

"Huh?", she said. "Sensei? Sasuke-kun? Naruto? Where are you?!"

"S-Sakura…" a voice said behind her.

"Sasuke-kun?!"

She turns to see a bleeding Sasuke with a series of kunai and shuriken embedded in his body and his arm cut off.

"Sa-suke?", she murmured.

"Help me… Sakura," he said.

"AHHHHH!," she screamed as she passed out.

"Hm.. Maybe I went too hard on her," Kakashi said.


Sasuke turned as he heard the the sound of Sakura's scream.

"Sakura," he said.

"Rule 2. Genjutsu," a voice said behind him.

'Genjutsu huh?', he thought. 'Of course she fell for that. But…'

"I'm not like them," he said.

"Say that after you get the bell… Sasuke-kun."


Sakura stirred, hearing muffled sounds around. "Mmhmm…"

"You wake her up," A voice said to her right.

"No, You wake her up," another voice said.

"Shut up both of you," a voice said from further away. "She's waking up. Thanks for the help in finding her. You can dispel now."

Hearing two poofs, Sakura opened her eyes to see Naruto kneeling in front of her.

"What happened?", she murmured.

"Kakashi-sensei knocked you out via genjutsu," Naruto said. "He's fighting Teme at the moment."

"Sasuke!", she said as she sat up. "We gotta help before he really hurts him!"

"Teme will be fine," he said. "I doubt Kakashi-sensei will do anything major to him. Wouldn't want the number one prospect to get too hurt."

"That… makes sense," Sakura said. 'When did Naruto start becoming so sensible?', she thought.

"So what do we do?", she asked.

"First," he said. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu."

A clone appeared.

"I need you help with a little project I've been preparing for Kakashi-sensei."

She nodded. Remembering the clones words earlier today. "What do you need me to do?"

"Follow the clone," he said. "He'll bring you to the area where we'll set up the trap. I'll get Sasuke."

Sakura nodded as she followed the clone into a nearby clearing.


[One fight later]

Sasuke was annoyed. Very annoyed as his head felt the beams of the raging sun on his head. Only his hatred for Itachi could rival the amount of annoyance that he is feeling right now.

'This couldn't get any worse.'

"HAHAHAHA!", a voice said from the side of him. He stand corrected. It could always get worse. He turned to see his rival laughing at him.

"That looks like that sucks," Naruto said, kneeling next to him. "Fighting him alone didn't work I assume?"

"Tch!", Sasuke grunted. "Just get me out of here Dope."

"How?", he said. "By pulling your head."

"Just help me dig," Sasuke said.

"Hai. Hai."

[A few minutes later]

Sasuke grunted as he finally got out of the ground.

"Thanks…"

"Welcome," Naruto said. "Now come on."

"Where are you going?", Sasuke said.

"To help Sakura finish up setting up the trap for Kakashi-sensei," he said. "We ne-."

"I don't need y'alls help," he said.

"-ed to work together," Naruto said before sighing. "Look Teme, Kakashi-sensei is way out of our league and he already knows most of your bag of tricks. Just like when we fought that Zastin guy, we need to work together to beat him. Or at least get the bells."

Sasuke said nothing but decided to go in the direction that Naruto was heading. "This better work."

"I hope so too."


Kakashi walked through the forest as he read his book. 'Hmm… Times running out and I haven't seen any of my students for a while now. I wonder where they are.'

*Whisssh!*

A series of kunai and shuriken flew at him few all sides. Kakashi hummed. 'This is a surprise,' he thought.

Replacing himself with a log, Kakashi landed on a tree as he surveyed the land. His eyes widened as he felt a shadow over him. Turning, he sees Naruto taking a swing at him. Ducking the punch, he kicked him, only to find out it's a shadow clone. Feeling his danger sense go off, he moved his head to the side and sees a kunai whizz by him and hitting the tree.

'I'll have to focus up,' he thought as he put his book up. Changing his focus to the charging Sasuke, his eyes widen when he hears a poof behind him. Feeling someone grab onto his back and restraining his limbs, he turns to see Naruto.

"Surprise!", Naruto said. "Sasuke! Now!"

Sasuke kept up his charge for the bells, only for him to jump in surprise as Kakashi overpowered Naruto and threw him over his back… into Sasuke. Kakashi jumped back onto another tree, only for him to fall off of the "branch".

'What?!', he thought. "Genjutsu?"

"Gotcha!", Sakura said from behind a tree as she cut a wire. Kakashi felt a rope grab onto his foot and pull him up the tree. His eyes widened as a fireball roared towards him. Quickly cutting the rope, he latched onto the tree and jumped over it and into the trees. Noticing a kunai zoom at his head, he leaned back and let it whizz by him. However, he didn't have a good feeling as he saw Sakura smirk at him.

'What's she smirking at?', he thought.

*Zzzsssshhhh*

Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard the zipping sound of a ninja wire behind him. A web of ninja wire wrapped around him, trapping him.

'When did they have the time to set this up?!', he thought.

*Ring*

Kakashi looked down, to see Sasuke reach for the bells.

'Got you!', he thought as he reached for the two bells before it disappeared and was replaced with a log.

"Nice try," Kakashi said behind him as he grabbed him and threw him into the ground. "But it'll take more than that."

"Tsk!", Sasuke said as Sakura ran by his side.

*RIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!* The sound of the buzzer rang out of the training ground field

"It was a good trap, but it wasn't enough to beat me," Kakashi said in his signature eye smile.

Naruto smirked at the man.

"Are you sure?", he said, pointing at Kakashi's side. Kakashi looked down to see the bells gone.

A soft bell rung behind him as he saw both Sasuke and Sakura have the bells.

"When?"

"When you dodged Sasuke's grab for the bells," Naruto said. "I expanded my senses and threw the shuriken when your chakra signature landed behind Sasuke. You were so focused on him, I was able to hit my target."

'Since when did Naruto have the potential to become a sensor type?', he thought. Kakashi chuckled. 'It's my lost.'

"You got me Naruto," Kakashi said.

Naruto chuckled at this, proud that he got one over the Jonin.

"But since you don't have a bell," Kakashi said.

"Huh?"

Kakashi grabbed the young man. "You will be tied to the stump."

"Gah!"


Kakashi hummed in satisfaction as he looked at his work. Naruto stood with an annoyed face as he glared at Kakashi. 'He really tied me to a stump,' he thought as he was thinking of creative ways to prank the Jonin now. Both Sakura and Sasuke sat to the side of Naruto as the looked at their lunch.

"I'm surprised," Kakashi said. "Y'all actually decided to work together despite knowing one of you were going back to the Academy. Why?"

"Because we knew that we couldn't defeat you alone," Naruto said. "We knew the risk."

"Is that true?", Kakashi said, looking at Sakura and Sasuke.

They both looked away for a second before nodding.

"Hmm… Well it seems Naruto is going back to the Academy," he said. Naruto sighed as Sakura looked at the Jonin in surprise. "But that's unfair! It was Naruto's idea for us to work together!"

"Life is unfair," Kakashi said. "Sometimes you don't get your way."

"But! -"

"It's alright Sakura," Naruto interrupted. "I can wait another year."

"But-," she said.

"If Naruto is going back to the Academy, I will too," Sasuke said, surprising everyone.

Hesitating for a second, Sakura said. "I'll go back to the academy as well."

Naruto could only look at the two stunned at their declarations.

"You'll go back to the Academy for another year even if it will delay your dreams and ambitions?", Kakashi asked the group of children. A few minutes past, but he saw that they weren't going to budge.

"You…" he sighed. "Pass!"

"Huh?", all three said.

"The importance of this exercise is teamwork," he said. "On the battlefield, one cannot do everything themselves. Individual recklessness can disrupt a team and put the rest in danger and will lead to death."

Kakashi turned to a stone carved with names behind him. "This plaque recognizes the heroes of the village. Each one of them have died in the line of duty… My best friend is on this plaque."

The three looked stunned at the man but he continued. "Now that we are a team their is one rule I want you to remember from this day forward. Those that break the rules are scum. But those that abandon their friends and comrades are worse than scum."

Each of them nodded as they look at the man. Kakashi nodded as he threw a kunai at Naruto, cutting him loose.

"Now that's over," he said. "Your real training begins tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Make sure to eat breakfast this time."

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," they said.

End