The Academy building stood proudly, nestled along the sheer cliff face of the Hokage monument. Naruto could see the stone visages of the Hokages from below, or rather, he could see their chins and into their nostrils. He guffawed as he remembered the time he painted the monument in an array of colors and symbols, some of which might be considered rude. Iruka had been so mad, Naruto thought he was going to kick him out of the Academy. That, of course, didn't happen, but he had been forced to clean the monument for weeks on end. Admittedly, it was a deserved and fair punishment.

From a distance, the monument was a grand expression of Konoha's strength. From right beneath their visages, it seemed silly.

Chuckling dryly to himself, Naruto ascended the worn steps of the Academy. The Academy building was at least half a century old by now and the stone steps that led to the front entrance of the building were original. He wondered how many ninja before him had placed their feet exactly where he did or how many of them shared the same dreams. How many died before reaching that dream?

Today would likely be the last time he would be walking up these steps. Of course, he might return one day, but today was a new chapter in his life. Today, they received team assignments. For Naruto, it was the realization of one dream and the start of another. He brushed the hair from his face and adjusted his headband before entering the building.

The twists and turns of the hallways were burned into his memory by now. Almost every door he passed was associated with a memory. Some were good memories and others he would rather forget. All the same, this had been a formative place for him. He didn't care for most of his instructors. It was clear they hadn't given him much care. But Iruka was held separately from them in his mind. He was the one instructor he would miss.

When he entered the Academy Lecture Hall, Iruka smiled at him. Naruto smiled back and nodded before he took his usual seat. It was right next to the window. Oh, the views had been grand from here. He rubbed the spot on his head where Iruka repeatedly drilled chalk at him. If only he'd had his forehead protector then.

"I thought for sure you'd be late," Shikamaru said. His grin was easy and relaxed. They probably all felt a little relief having made it through the gauntlet that was the Academy Exit Exams.

"Good to see you could roll out of bed on time too," Naruto said. He leaned back and turned his body so he could better see his friend.

"Well," Shikamaru said, "it wasn't entirely my doing. My dad threw me out this morning and told me I better be on time, or else. He was bluffing, but I thought it would be easier if I didn't find out for certain."

"Very wise of you, I'm sure," Naruto said, miming a serious expression before cracking a grin of his own.

At that moment, Iruka called them to attention.

"Good morning, graduates," Iruka said, "first and foremost, we at the Academy are proud to declare you our 51st graduating class. Congratulations! This is just the beginning of your service as ninja of Konoha and we know you all will represent our village with everything that the Will of Fire details."

Today, you will be joining the ranks of Konoha ninja as genin. Upon graduation, genin are divided into teams of three and mentored by experienced jonin, who will help guide your development as ninja. This will include assisting you in refining and mastering your strengths, as well as, shoring up areas of growth. These jonin will be your direct reports and their commands are your priority in the village and in the field. Now without further ado, let's get to team selections," Iruka said. He unfurled a scroll, which presumably contained the information on which students were to be grouped together.

Naruto scooted to the edge of his chair. He'd often thought about what it would be like to be teamed with others. He remembered the words of the old man at the Academy Exit Exams. Some of those standing here today will be lifelong friends and allies. He'd thought of those words often since hearing them.

Naruto had imagined himself in different teams. When he could barely imagine what it would be like, It only made him realize how isolated he was from them. Naruto wondered if it was because of his own clueless nature that he did not really know many of his peers or if it was because they had avoided him because of the damned fox in his belly. He didn't know and he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Iruka explained that Teams 1 through 6 were for those that passed some or most of the tasks and were deemed suitable to work in the ninja forces in other capacities, which could include research, medicine, interrogation, and more. They would have a sensei who specialized in one of those fields. Teams 7 through 10 were intended to be combat teams and were for ninjas that passed all tasks of the Academy Exit Exam.

Iruka called teams 1 through 6. He announced each team before telling them to report to a specific location or wait to be retrieved by their jonin sensei.

"Team 7," Iruka said, "Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino. You will report to the Sarutobi Training Grounds. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Sarutobi Hiruzen. Wait, that was the old man's name! Naruto whooped loudly before whipping around to see Shikamaru's wide eyed look. His face and body loosened as the tension left his body.

"They're really going to force me to work hard, aren't they?" Shikamaru said, "Is it so much to ask to live a simple life?"

Perhaps too much for a ninja to ask, Naruto thought. He slapped Shikamaru's back. "You should be happy! The old man is the Hokage," Naruto said.

"That's precisely why I'm worried," Shikamaru said with a groan.

Naruto peered over to Ino. She had her back turned to them. Her hands clutched the sides of her head. Naruto couldn't begin to figure out what she was thinking. Ino had never paid him much mind. He supposed he would give her a fair shot.

His mind whizzed and his chakra thumped excitedly in his body. He nearly missed the remaining teams in his distracted state. Team 8 would consist of Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino under the leadership of Jonin Yuuhi Kurenai. Team 10 consisted of Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, and Akimichi Choji under the leadership of Hatake Kasashi. Naruto was unfamiliar with both of the jonin, but he figured they were strong given that they were jonin in the village and probably worked closely with the old man who was super strong in his own right.

Iruka dismissed them and Naruto nearly floated out of the room. His body felt light and strong and his future felt full of possibilities. The news of his status as a jinchuuriki felt far away in his mind. In fact, he felt content in the knowledge that the old man would be able to train him full time. His chakra thrummed happily as it coursed through his body.

A warm breeze blew gently through the Sarutobi Grounds. The day was pleasant. It was slightly cooler than a typical late summer day in Konoha, but that was welcome for Hiruzen. He would give Naruto and his new team the bell test today. It had been decades since he'd given it to his previous team of three eager genin, and even longer since he'd participated in the test given by Lord Tobirama.

According to the boy's father, Shikaku, Nara Shikamaru was even lazier than he had been at the same age, which from Hiruzen's recollection was truly hard to believe. Shikaku, Hiruzen's Jonin Commander, insisted that the boy needed a swift kick in the ass to jump start his ambition. Like many Nara before him, he needed a clear motivation in order to unlock his motor. The boy coasted on his intelligence and natural talent. He did enough to pass and wouldn't do any more than that. The Academy curriculum was designed to teach students the basics of the ninja arts. If the curriculum had one weakness, it was that challenges were few and far between for those who already had mastery. He hasn't been challenged yet, Hiruzen thought. Changing that would be his first priority in the boy's training.

Ino was a bright student, as well. However, unlike Shikamaru, she was a perfectionist, sometimes spending inordinate amounts of time on skills she had already mastered in an effort to achieve perfection, at least in her mind. Her tendency to perseverate on certain skills prevented her from moving forward at an appropriate pace. Her father, Inoichi, was the type of parent to question a teacher's judgment persistently. Instructors disliked him intently for that reason. He expected Ino to be further along and, like the instructors at the Academy, was confused about her stagnation. She needed a teacher who would push her along whether she liked it or not. It amounted to a "throw 'em in the deep end" approach. The goal was to compel the student to adapt or fall behind.

When Inochi, Shikaku, and Chouza's heirs were born within a year and a half of each other, many assumed that they would form a 2nd iteration of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The originals had been renowned across the continent, so it was natural that forces in the village would want to recreate that dynamic. Hiruzen was less interested in repeating the past these days and insisted that the children be allowed to forge their own path. In fact, for all intents and purposes, Naruto would serve in a similar role as an Akimichi. His heavily yang leaning chakra would fit in well with the yin focused techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans.

On the surface and from reports he had read from the Academy, Naruto seemed to be nothing more than an average student. However, it had not taken long for Hiruzen to understand that he brimmed with potential. His large chakra reserves, penchant to pick up skills quickly, and tireless determination meant that he would grow swiftly under the appropriate tutelage. The boy's problem so far was that he was rudderless. He had received little attention from his early days in the Academy and up until the boy had approached him.

In some ways, these three reminded him of his original genin. The ones he had taken when he was a young Kage and filled with hopeful energy. Where the energy had dissipated, a gnawing anxiety had replaced it. Could he still manage a team at this age, when he had intended to retire ten years ago? Could he prepare them for the inevitable realities of the ninja world? He hoped so. The bell test was an important step in that regard. If any ninja were to survive, much less thrive, they would need to rely on each other despite the great odds against them and seemingly impossible situations.

From across the grounds, he observed his new charges arrive. Naruto bounded across the field. For a boy so short, he took long strides and in barely any time at all, he was right in front of Hiruzen.

"Not waiting for your teammates, are you, boy?" Hiruzen said.

Naruto seemed to realize he'd left his new teammates behind. "Oh," he said.

Hiruzen observed as Naruto whipped around to see Shikamaru and Ino walking at a leisurely pace. Shikamaru's hands were stuffed in his pockets. He walked with an exaggerated slouch, an affectation that perhaps meant to say to the observer, I'm not important enough to be here. Ino walked alongside him, her pony tail bobbing side to side as she walked evenly across the field.

"I swear, someone is spiking his food with caffeine," Shikamaru said, "that level of energy is unnatural."

"We're ten minutes early, too," Ino said. She grumbled with displeasure. Overall, her mood seemed subdued from what he had heard and read about the girl. Hiruzen noted that behavior change and refocused his attention on the whole team.

Hiruzen cleared his throat and garnered the attention of the three students. "Welcome to the Sarutobi Grounds. Today, you will be taking an additional test to see if you are worthy of becoming genin in my Team 7."

Naruto and Ino both shrieked loudly. "What!"

They continued with their indignation hurling questions at him before Hiruzen calmly held up his hand. "If you listen, all will be explained," he said. Children could be quite impatient sometimes.

The color on the faces of his three new genin drained as he explained the instructions for the test. Each of them had taken a little more space from one another the further he explained the task. He'd only participated in this twice before. Once as a student and once as a teacher. He wondered how this new generation would react to the original hidden test.

He thought back to his own bell test. Tobirama-sensei jingled a set of bells in front of Hiruzen's face.

"Get one of these," he said, "and you can be one of my students. But if you don't, I won't train you. I won't even look at you." Tobirama-sensei explained it all with a cruel disdain usually reserved for hapless fools. Hiruzen wasn't used to being spoken to that way.

"But there's only two," Koharu said. Her eyes were wide. Hiruzen wondered if he looked nervous too.

"Not. My. Problem," Tobirama-sensei said. With each word he waved the bells in front of their faces in a taunting fashion before tying them to his belt loop.

Hiruzen didn't have it in him to be quite as cruel as Tobirama-sensei. His cruelty had been born from the horrors of the warring clan times. Let me be the first one to hurt you, so that you can be prepared for those that truly mean you harm. It wasn't an uncommon approach to teaching new ninja. Even then, Hiruzen was convinced there was some type of perverse joy that his mentor took from being an asshole to kids. It had certainly struck fear in his team during the bell test. Hiruzen didn't think it was quite as necessary to achieve the desired result, but still, he had to make it real to them.

Both Shikamaru and Ino leapt back into the tree line as soon as he told them to begin. Naruto remained in front of him, steadfast and determined. His arms were crossed and his brow was knit together tightly in thought.

The sight of the boy standing there reminded him of Jiraiya all those years ago.

"Standing there like a buffoon won't get you these bells," Hiruzen said. He chuckled as Jiraiya sputtered. Children were so easy to goad.

Jiraiya leapt at him, fist cocked back in the most straight forward attack he thought he'd ever seen. There must be a catch. It must be a distraction. To his dismay, there was no deception, only Jiraiya barrelling toward him with a wide open hole in his form, ready to exploit. The cruel thing would be to go easy on him.

Naruto stood in front of him in a similar fashion. "Going to stand there all day, boy?" Hiruzen said.

Naruto shook his head. He lost his determined look for only a moment before it returned in earnest. He pointed a finger at Hiruzen. "No! Absolutely not!" Naruto said.

He quickly performed a few short hand seals. "Clone!"

An array of Narutos spread out around Hiruzen. The real Naruto was obscured among them. "Charge!" They shouted.

Narutos blitzed him from all sides, but it wasn't much strain for Hiruzen to dodge. The clones began to attack in a myriad of ways. Some leapt up high and tried to crash down with arched kicks. Some attempted to throw punches at him. Some simply ran through him, phasing away as they were unable to touch him. Amidst the chaos created by a dozen Naruto clones, a hand reached for his belt, which contained the bells. It came from his blind side too.

Lightning quick, he reached back and grasped the outstretched hand. "I wasn't born yesterday!" Hiruzen said.

He pulled hard and swung Naruto over his head before he hurled him to the ground. Naruto crashed into the ground hard enough to crack the dirt beneath him. He groaned in pain as Hiruzen twisted his arm behind his back. "Not quick enough, boy," he said.

He tied Naruto's hands behind his back. Hiruzen hoisted the boy onto his shoulder, spun, and heaved Naruto through the air and into the forest. "Don't come back until you've thought of a better strategy," he said.

As soon as he said those words, a shadow sped out from the tree line. It arched wide, snaking toward him from his back. Hiruzen could tell the boy was trying to shepherd him toward the tree line where the shadows were plentiful and easy to manipulate. An interesting strategy, but quite the non-confrontational one. He couldn't abide by that. He wanted to get the Nara boy out of his comfort zone. If allowed to, Hiruzen knew he would operate from the sidelines as long as he could.

Hiruzen quickly located the boy as he sped through hand seals. "Earth style: Stone Pillar Launch!"

The function of the jutsu was to launch whatever was under the pillar high into the sky. During the 2nd Ninja War Iwa had used this jutsu to rain large boulders down on advancing enemies. In this instance, he used it to launch an unexpecting Shikamaru in the air. The boy yelped as he lost his footing and his connection to the ground. Hiruzen jumped up to meet the boy. He grabbed the front of the wide eyed boy's shirt and flung him to the ground with force. Shikamaru bounced twice before he tumbled and rolled across the Sarutobi Grounds.

As he shakily stood up, Hiruzen was on him again. A simple combo of punches pushed the boy back. A swift kick sent him back to the forest. He careened through the brush. "You too! Don't come back until you've got something better!" Hiruzen said.

Let him lick his wounds and actually use that mind of his. Now, where is Ino? He assumed that the girl would attempt to use her mind transfer technique on him. In that case, he would make a shadow clone, a corporeal version of the simpler clone technique. This one was much more useful as it could actually interact with its environment, take orders, perform jutsu, transfer memory and information, and more. Every ninja with enough chakra to perform it should know it.

He created the clone and sent it in search of the girl with orders to flush her out from her hiding space. Fire jutsu were particularly useful for flushing out hiding ninjas, but he wasn't keen on burning down his own forest today, so this would have to do in the meantime.

After a few minutes, he heard, "Mind transfer!"

But, when nothing happened, Ino shouted in frustration. She came stumbling out of the forest, pushed back by his clone's kicks. She was still unaware she was fighting a clone, so he dispelled it. In shock, she spun around in time to receive a punch. She went flying back into the forest. "Try again!" He said.

The three students attempted different strategies, to no avail. Of course, they must know that there was no chance that a fresh genin would be able to land a hit on a Kage level ninja. He was surprised it was taking so long for them to come together and actually fight as a team. As the minutes ticked on, their willingness to get the crap beat out of them lessened with each blow he administered to them, until finally, they no longer came out one by one.

Let them plan, he thought. The youthful visages of his teammates appeared before him in his mind.

"You heard Tobirama-sensei," Homura said, "one of us is going back. If we have to, I'll volunteer so that you two can pass."

"You would give up so easily?" Koharu said. She wiped the blood off her brow. None of them had been able to land even one hit, but she remained persistent.

"What choice do we have!" Homura said. His brow was knit together in thought. "Perhaps, if I withdraw, we can be done with this charade."

Hiruzen rubbed his temples and thought. None of them had landed a hit. Not even one. It certainly seemed hopeless. He remembered Tobirama-sensei's words. "If you don't, I won't train you." Which left only one conclusion.

"If any of us is going to pass, we have to work together. If the three of us attack him simultaneously, one of us might be lucky enough to grab a bell," he said.

He tensed and brought his hands down from his temples. His brow was knit in determination. "Here's what we'll do…"

Naruto and Ino burst forth from the undergrowth. From behind him he could see a line of shadows slowly trailing them as they approached. Shikamaru stood at the edge of the treeline, swathed in shadows. Both genin attacked at the same time. Ino went low with a kick in an effort to take his knees out from under him. Naruto came in from above. Their attacks suggested that they wanted him to jump backwards. He wouldn't play along so easily.

He hopped over Ino's extended leg and attempted to grab Naruto. His hand passed through the boy. A clone, he thought. Where was the real one? Ino scrambled out from near him. From the forest's edge, a barrage of shuriken hurled toward him. It was barely noticeable, but a small thread of shadow could be seen attached to one of the thrown shuriken. It was a clever move, but not enough.

He shifted to the side. From that side, Naruto and Ino charged at him. They brandished kunai. Hiruzen made a one handed seal to create a clone. With precision and timing and without the notice of the genin, he created a clone and transformed it into simple rock. I wonder what you will do, if I let you capture me.

The shuriken whizzed by and at that moment, Shikamaru's shadow leapt from the path of the shuriken and connected to his own shadow. He was frozen in place.

"Now!" Shikamaru said, "I won't be able to hold him long!"

Ino leapt from his side. From the other side, a puff of smoke revealed Naruto, who had transformed from a discarded shuriken. They both leapt at him from opposite sides. Hiruzen smiled. It was an admirable strategy, one that might trick a lesser ninja, but he had decades of experience. He'd sparred against their grandfathers! He knew the ins and outs of their techniques already.

He revealed his clone, who appeared in a cloud of smoke. The shadow clone grabbed the outstretched arms of Ino and Naruto. Using their own momentum, he pulled them together with significant force. Their heads collided with great force and both genin collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Shikamaru grit his teeth. "Damn," he said, "fighting a jonin is one thing, but this just doesn't seem fair."

"Quite right," Hiruzen said. He rolled his neck and stretched out his old bones. If only they'd seen him in his prime. That would've been truly unfair.

Shikamaru raised his hands in surrender. "I know we didn't get a bell, but if you have to pass anyone, let it be those two."

Shikamaru's head was turned to the side, his eyes were closed and a slight frown graced his features. Oh, how very noble of you. Nara's were not nearly the actors they thought they were. Hiruzen leaned back and barked a laugh. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"Hey," he said, "what's so funny about that?"

Still chuckling, Hiruzen said, "We both know your intentions are hardly altruistic. You think I would let a Nara skirt his duties so easily? No, you three fought admirably. You all will pass."

Shikamaru raked a hand down his face and sighed deeply. "I knew it would be too much work on this team," Shikamaru said, "don't blame me for trying."

"Welcome to Team 7, Nara Shikamaru," Hiruzen said, "let's get these two awake and break the news to them."

"Naruto!"

"Naruto! Wake up!"

When cold water splashed his face, he sat up straight with a yelp. His heart pounded in his chest and he was suddenly alert. He wiped his face and rubbed his sore head where he had collided with Ino.

"Was that really necessary?" Naruto said. He narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru who was trying not to laugh.

The old man helped him up. Ino was already awake, though suspiciously dry. Perhaps Shikamaru had thought better of that.

"We wanted to make sure you were awake to hear this," the old man said, "I'm passing you all. As you probably already deduced, the test is about working and fighting together against seemingly impossible odds."

Naruto leapt in the air and pumped his fist. "Hell yeah! I knew it all along," he said, "of course we'd all pass, we're too awesome not to!"

"Sure, Naruto," Ino said as she crossed her arms and leaned to the side.

The old man continued. His brow knit together in a severe expression. "There will be times in the field where the odds are stacked against you and there might not be a clear solution. You must always remember that your teamwork is your most powerful tool."

Naruto and his teammates nodded. They understood the severity of this undertaking. In a profession that had as high a mortality rate as this, all but the youngest Academy students knew what was ahead of them.

"Now," Hiruzen said, "I have your first assignment for you."

Naruto stood up straighter. Would it be a mission so soon? His mind whirred with possibility and adventure.

"Your first mission is to get to know each other. Take a walk, get dinner, what you do now is up to you. However, you should spend the afternoon together and learn about each other. Tomorrow, you will report to this training ground at 6:00. We will begin training immediately. I will give you a detailed plan for your development, as well as instruct you on some necessary skills you will need."

Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Though he was eager to dive into the work, he also was excited to get to know his teammates. He hoped that they would be close. The words of the old man continued to rattle around in his mind. These two might become his closest allies in the village and his first true friends. In some ways that was intimidating. He didn't want to make a bad first impression, so as they walked up the hill toward the village center, he found himself subdued and silent.

"I really thought we'd be with Choji," Ino said, craning her head up to look at the clouds that drifted slowly above them.

Shikamaru nodded. "I wonder what my dad will think about breaking up Ino-Shika-Cho," he said.

"Ino-Shika-Cho?" Naruto said.

"Our families have worked together for generations," Ino said, "since we were vassal clans to the Akimichi. You have the unfortunate position of being wedged into the mix now. There's going to be a lot you're going to have to catch up on."

Ino put her hands on her hips and eyed Naruto with narrowed eyes. Naruto scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable at the sudden hostility. Shikamaru waved her off.

"Don't worry about her, Naruto," Shikamaru said, "she has a tendency for the dramatic."

"I do not!" Ino said, "It's only fair for him to know what he's getting into. There's a lot of political shit that goes back way further than just our dads being on the same team." She lightly shoved Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Well then let's give him a run down," Shikamaru said. He turned to Naruto. "Here's what you gotta know."

Our families were all in an alliance during the warring clan period, before the formation of the village. The Nara and Yamanka were vassals of the Akimichi who controlled a large area of territory in the Northeast of the Land of Fire, around where the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Fire meet the eastern coastline-" Shikamaru said.

Ino interrupted. "Ugh, you geography nerd, he doesn't care about that. Get to the family stuff."

"I found it interesting," Naruto said, but both Ino and Shikamaru ignored him.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You tell him then."

Ino glared at him and scowled. "You're so immature. But fine. So, our clans used to hate each other because we were all vying for the same territory, that is until we banded together against the Hyuuga in the Hyuuga-Fuma clan wars."

"You'll find that pretty much all the clans in Konoha fought at some point in the past," Shikamaru said.

"Well, our clans found out that we actually made a pretty damn good team. All our specialties complimented each other. The Nara's ability to trap enemies made for easy targets for the Yamanaka and Akimichi's clan techniques. What you've got to know is that our clans have been working together for around eight consecutive generations. In the context of the warring clan period, it was pretty unprecedented that clans could work together for so long and, in a way, the Ino-Shika-Cho were kind of like a proto-ninja village," Ino said.

"That's what Ino meant when she said you have to know the history. The fact that three heirs of our clans are all the same age and didn't get put in a team together is kind of a big deal. Our dads might not like it," Shikamaru said. He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Especially my dad," Ino said, "he's a big traditionalist."

Naruto gulped. "Wow," he said, "this clan shit runs deep."

"See, Ino," Shikamaru said, "he gets it. This clan shit does run deep."

Ino frowned and crossed her arms. "Crass language aside," she said, "you're right, Naruto. You should know what you're getting into. The only thing saving you right now is that the Hokage is our sensei, as crazy as that is. My dad is probably going to grill you when he first meets you, especially since you have a reputation."

"Wait, I do?" Naruto said, "In what way?" Did they know about his status as a jinchuuriki? Maybe their dads had told them. He wondered if when the Nara and Yamanaka learned their kids were on the same team as him they'd make a fuss or tell them about the fox in his belly.

"How could you not know," Ino said, "you didn't forget you were a little brat running around making our instructors go through hell with your little pranks, did you?"

"Oh, that," Naruto said, "I see what you mean. I swear I'm taking this ninja thing much more seriously now." So, it wasn't about the Kyuubi. That was good. He'd like to keep it that way, but there was still a nagging worry that their parents would out him before he had the chance for them to get to know him as just Naruto. I will tell them before our first mission outside the village, he thought.

"Right," Shikamaru said, "besides that, I think Ino wants to tell you all this because we've known each other since we were little kids, but we don't really know much about you, Naruto."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and looked up. "About me, huh," he said, "well, I'm an Uzumaki, the last one in the village. The old man said that I had a clan in the past. They were strong, but they live, split up, all over the world now. My favorite food is ramen and my dream is to become as strong as I can and follow in the footsteps of the old man. I want to be the first Uzumaki Hokage, ya know!"

He stuck his thumb up as he proclaimed his dream. Ino laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Naruto said, "If you think I can't, I'll prove you wrong."

Ino waved her hands in front of her face in a placating manner. "No, no, it's not that," Ino said, "It's just funny because your dream and Shika's dream are opposites. You want to be Hokage and he wants to be a bum." Her laughter escalated into a cackle.

"No one understands. There's nothing wrong with wanting a simple life," Shikamaru said, his shoulders slumped and he sighed dejectedly.

Ino slapped him on the back as she wiped the tears from her laughter. "Sure, sure, Shikamaru, whatever you say."

Ino's laughter was contagious and Naruto snickered along.

Suddenly, Ino grabbed Shikamaru's hand and brought it between them all. "Grab on, Naruto."

Naruto grabbed their hands, unsure of what Ino had planned. Even Shikamaru looked a little uncomfortable.

"This is our oath to each other. In Yamanaka clan lore, making an oath to another is a binding obligation to another person and is an important step in recognizing the strength in others."

So, I, Yamanaka Ino, pledge to have your back no matter the odds," she said. Ino nodded to Shikamaru, he rolled his eyes but obliged.

"I, Nara Shikamaru, pledge to have your back no matter the odds," he said. They both turned to Naruto.

Naruto felt his chakra warm as it spread through his body.

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, pledge to have your back no matter the odds," Naruto said.

He basked in the warm feeling that spread through his body. He wondered if this is what it was like to have friends and comrades. If that was the case, he could get used to it.