Sorry for the wait my readers, as I explained in my update in one of my other fanfics, I was in a situation that left me unable to write, let alone post updates. Furthermore, because of said situation, I had a lot of school work to catch up on as well as work. To put it in a nutshell, I've been pretty preoccupied to get my life back together. Anyhow, I don't want to keep you waiting for much longer than you already have. May the curtain rise and let the show begin!

Chapter Twenty: Team Assignments

"Isobu, can I ask something I already know the answer to?" I asked, my eyes closed and eyebrows twitching in irritation.

"What is it, Kojiro?" Isobu asked, looking down at me curiously.

"What did you just say, you brat?!"

"Are those big ears just for show, fur ball?!"

"Can I kill these two idiots?" I opened my eyes to see the sight of Naruto and Kurama glaring daggers at each other.

"I would not recommend it." Isobu replied, sweatdropping upon hearing my question.

I seriously regret every decision I made that came to this point. It's the day before team assignments, and I foolishly thought it was a good time for Naruto to meet Kurama. Naturally, I got Hiruzen's permission beforehand. So, with the help of Isobu, I managed to get Naruto into the tailed beasts' mental world to meet Kurama. I had my doubts it'd work since Naruto hadn't made a link yet. But it seems that Isobu and Kurama were able to get him in regardless.

Long story short, the moment the two met, Naruto and Kurama entered into a screaming match. They've been casting the blame on each other for their respective situations for three whole hours now. Seriously, THREE HOURS and they're still at it with no signs of stopping! In all honesty, I'm surprised Kurama hadn't tried to tear Naruto apart or kick him out yet. That being said, hearing them argue for hours is not only wasting time, it's annoying beyond all reason! It's getting to the point it's just plain ridiculous!

"Will you two shut up?!" I shouted, losing the last ounce of my patience. Silence followed shortly as I approached the two. "Look, I get it, you're both not happy with the situation." Once I was between the two, I gave each of them a side glare. "But it doesn't change the fact you're stuck with each other." I looked them over again, daring them to protest my point. "So which is better, being civil and eventual friends, or dead on the battlefield?"

"Are you threatening us?" Kurama growled, casting the most heated glare I have ever seen on me.

"Not a threat, a possibility." I replied, using every ounce of willpower I had not to cower at the glare. Instead, I just shrugged and narrowed my eyes in response to Kurama's glare. "A possibility that'll come true if you two can't at least talk things out peacefully."

"Talk things out, are you kidding me, Kojiro?!" Naruto shouted, raising his hands up in exasperation. "What's there to talk about?!" He then pointed an accusatory finger at the fox in front of him. "It's that damn fox's fault that the villagers hate me!"

"Put yourself in his shoes, Naruto." I calmly said, turning to face my blond friend who crossed arms in a huff. "If you were treated as a weapon and stripped of your freedom," I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder to Kurama who watched on quietly. "Wouldn't you bear a grudge on the ones responsible?"

"Of course I would!" Naruto replied, uncrossing his arms and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But I wouldn't go so far as destroy an entire village!" He then shrugged his shoulders and lightly kicked the ground. "Besides, I don't hold a grudge for long and I get back at them with a prank."

"But we aren't talking about you, Naruto." I pointed out, grabbing the sides of the blond's head and directing it upward at Kurama. "We're talking about why Kurama holds so much hatred."

Besides, I did not attack the village willingly." Kurama added, surprising me since I thought he was going to remain silent.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, finally calming down and looking at Kurama suspiciously.

"It's exactly as I said, I was manipulated into attacking your village." Kurama replied, closing his eyes as if reminiscing something and growling in irritation. "If it weren't for those accursed eyes, I wouldn't come near this village or any village for that matter."

I can clearly see the confusion in Naruto's eyes as he listened to every word Kurama said. Can't really say I blame him, no one knows the truth after all. Hell, no one is supposed to know the truth for Naruto's protection. If word got out he's the nine-tails' jinchuriki, and the son of the fourth hokage, it will be utter chaos. The hidden stone will cause an all-out war just to get revenge on Minato. Then there's the hidden cloud that might want Naruto for Kurama, and maybe have their own Uzumaki clan if they know. And I'm sure there's a lot of other bad things that could happen, but I don't want to think about it.

"Well, we accomplished nothing today." I said, clapping my hands together to gain everyone's attention as I looked at Naruto and Kurama respectively. "Not that it matters, this was basically orientation for a lack of a better word." I then rested my hands on my hips and faced Naruto. "Now Naruto, your assignment is to get to know Kurama and vice versa."

"And why should I?" Naruto muttered grumpily, looking from me to Kurama and back with defiant eyes.

"Because I said so." I replied, lightly flicking his forehead before walking over to Isobu. "If Isobu and I can get along, so can you and Kurama."

Not giving Naruto a chance to say anything in response, I jumped onto Isobu's head and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was back in my room sitting on the floor with my legs crossed. When I moved to stand up, I immediately felt pins and needles going up and down my legs. I seriously hate the prickling sensation everytime I sit still for a long time. I grimaced as I limped around to get the pins and needles feeling out of my legs.

Once I was walking normally again, I quickly moved over to my door and pressed my ear against it. I stayed still for a moment and held my breath as I listened carefully for any sounds. When I heard none, I released the breath I was holding and moved away from the door. I then went under my bed and pulled out a scroll.

"Okay, time to get going." I said softly, tucking the scroll in my weapon pouch and looking out the window. It was dark out, which was good for what I was about to do. "Almost showtime."

Opening my window as quietly as I could, I stepped out and closed it just as quietly. I was then hopping from one roof to another, occasionally stopping to hide when I heard a sound. When I was nearing my destination, I used the transformation jutsu to turn myself into my past self, Kyle Samson. I'll admit, despite this being the second time, being my past self and jumping rooftops was a weird feeling. At the same time, it felt amazing as I always dreamed of doing this in my past life.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I realized that I was over the shed where Naruto learned the shadow clone jutsu. I landed on the roof of the shed and promptly sat down, a knee up to rest my arm on as I waited. While I waited, I went over every possible scenario that could play out and planned accordingly. I didn't have to wait long as I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Taking a deep breath, I plastered on the cheekiest grin I could muster and relaxed my shoulders.

"Well, you actually came." I greeted, giving an amused chuckle as the person got closer. I tilted my head to the side and shrugged my shoulders. "Of course, I didn't really give you much choice." My grin grew when the person finally came into view. "I suppose I should feel honored to meet the great third hokage."

"You're Kyle, I presume?" Hiruzen questioned, holding out the kunai and note I threw at his window a while back. I couldn't see under his hat, but I'm pretty sure his eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "How much of what's written in this note is true?"

"All of it." I gave another amused chuckle, pulling out an identical kunai and inspecting its edges. I then glanced over to Hiruzen and gave a sly smile. "If you don't believe me, I have no problem revealing the nine-tails jinchuriki's origins."

"That won't be necessary." Hiruzen tucked away the kunai and held his hands behind his back. He lifted his hat up with a thumb and looked up at me. "Now then, why did you call me out here?"

"What other reason could there be?" I asked rhetorically, getting to my feet and jumping off the shed and onto the ground. I then put away my kunai and pulled out the scroll, waving it lazily. "I'm here to make a proposition."

"A proposition?" Hiruzen repeated, eyes narrowed as he watched my every move like a hawk. "What kind of proposition?"

'As expected of someone called the God of Shinobi.' I thought as I saw no openings in the way Hiruzen was standing. 'He's ready for a fight if it comes down to it.'

I decided not to say anything and simply tossed the scroll over to Hiruzen, who caught it with ease. He eyed the scroll curiously before opening it and reading its contents. I waited patiently as he carefully read every word written within it. I was careful not to use my usual handwriting when writing the scroll. Instead, I practiced writing in a different way before writing the actual contents. It was very hard, but I was able to manage in the end and wrote the scroll just in time. When Shisui asked me why I was writing a lot, I just said I was practicing how to forge another person's handwriting.

I technically wasn't lying, learning how to forge signatures might come in handy in the future. It would definitely make infiltrating certain areas and facilities easier. That, and I might have used it in a prank or two last year. I still laugh when I think of Naruto and Sasuke's faces when they realized they got pranked. But now's not the time to remember something funny, I need to stay focused.

"It seems you carefully thought this through." Hiruzen said, forcing my attention back to him as he rolled up the scroll. He then tucked it into the sleeve of his robe before raising an eyebrow at me. "But what I don't understand is what you get out of this proposition."

I simply chucked, smiling slyly as I held a finger over my lips. "Now that is a secret."

Hiruzen frowned at my response, but who wouldn't? Normally, people who say stuff like that when making a deal are the most suspicious. I'll admit, I'm having too much fun playing the unknown character role. I blame Jason, whenever we practice acting together, I'm always playing the sly, mysterious character.

"I understand if you need time to think things over." I eventually said, turning my back to Hiruzen and giving a backhanded wave as I started walking away. "So I suggest meeting back here in three days to hear your decision." I stopped at the edge of the clearing to give another sly smile over my shoulder. "And don't worry, I have no intention of revealing anything, yet."

"I could always kill you right here and now." Hiruzen mentioned, his eyes hardening into a glare that made it clear he wasn't bluffing.

"You could." I lifted my shoulders in a carefree shrug of indifference, moving a finger horizontally over my neck. "But if something happens to me, then every secret you've hidden will be revealed to the world." I smirked when I saw Hiruzen gritted his teeth at my words. "Trust me, my colleagues will make sure of it." I then channeled a small amount of Isobu's chakra to create a thick fog around me. "See you in three days, Hiruzen."

Once I was sure that Hiruzen was completely blinded by the fog, I created three shadow clones and we scattered in different directions. Instead of heading straight home, I took a roundabout way through the forest. I made sure to zig, then zag, jump, duck, hide, and any other method of getting someone off my proverbial tail. Did it exhaust me, most definitely, was it worth it, yes it was. Because by the time I was back in the village, I was certain no one was following me.

However, just to be on the safe side, I took the scenic route home. I pretty much went full circle around the village before ducking behind a bush. Once I was hidden, I undid the transformation and made a beeline home. Once I was at my window, I carefully opened it, cringing when it made a slight squeak. I was silently panicking when I heard footsteps approaching and I quickly got in.

"Kojiro?" I heard Shisui from behind the door as he knocked on it before opening it. He poked his head inside just as my feet were about to touch the floor. "I thought I heard something, is everything alright?"

"Yup, everything's fine." I said, trying to not let anything of my nervousness be evident in my voice. "I just thought I should open the window for a bit."

"Oh, that so?" Shisui raised an eyebrow, probably catching on to my nervousness as he fully opened my door. "Just remember to close it before going to bed." He rested a hand on his hip as his squint shut eyes looked at me. "You have team assignments tomorrow, don't want to catch a cold and miss it."

"I will, goodnight." I said, giving Shisui a wave despite knowing he couldn't see it. Shisui nodded before closing my door. I stayed where I was as I listened to Shisui's footsteps get fainter the father he got. Once I couldn't hear him anymore, I let out a silent sigh of relief, my hand over my beating heart. "That was close."

The next day, I was on my way to the academy, which is where team assignments are happening. I'll admit, I'm running a little late because I overslept since I couldn't sleep last night. Part of the reason I couldn't sleep is mostly out of excitement, the rest is because of paranoia that I was followed. Because of that, I didn't sleep a wink until it was three in the , and I may have stopped to help an old lady I happened to pass by. Don't judge me, who wouldn't stop to help an old lady who fell down and dropped her stuff?

Once I reached the academy, I ran inside and didn't stop until I reached my classroom. When I was in front of the door, I was breathing heavily and sweating slightly. After taking a minute to regain my breath, I slid the door open and stepped inside. What I saw was about what I expected to see when I walked in. Everyone who graduated were seated, talking as they waited for Iruka. I looked around for an empty seat when I finally saw Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura seated next to each other.

I noticed an empty seat next to Naruto and quickly made a beeline for it. As I got closer, I noticed that Naruto and Sasuke weren't looking at each other and Sakura was glaring at Naruto. I raised an eyebrow at that, noticing a few bumps on Naruto's head as well. I immediately thought Naruto pulled a prank and got punished for it and Sasuke's pretending to not know the blond.

"Morning guys." I greeted once I seated next to Naruto and adjusted my headband. Neither greeted back and I looked at them in confusion. "What's up with you two?"

"Something emotionally scarring happened a few minutes ago." Sakura explained, sending a glare at Naruto.

"Emotionally scarring?" I raised an eyebrow at Sakura's explanation before grinning mischievously. "What, did they get into another argument before kissing each other?" I chuckled as I knew that wasn't the case thanks to my meddling. When I was met with awkward silence, I looked at Naruto and Sasuke in disbelief. "No way, seriously?" I then inched away from Naruto, looking at the blond with a look of discomfort. "Wow, I never knew you guys swung that way."

"It was an accident!" Naruto shouted, slamming his hands on his desk and getting to his feet. "Someone knocked me forward when I was crouching on Sasuke's desk!"

"Why were you crouched on Sasuke's desk?" I asked, genuinely curious as Naruto no longer had a reason to do that.

"We were arguing about who was going to get the better sensei." Sasuke said, giving me a side glance.

"I see." I looked from Sasuke to Naruto and back before my mischievous grin came back at full force. "I am so telling your future kids about this incident."

"Don't you dare!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted, giving me looks of abject horror at the very thought of it while Sakura simply blushed. She was probably imagining hers and Sasuke's future child, which might not be a fantasy.

I just continued to grin when the door slid open and Iruka stepped inside the classroom. "Alright everyone, settle down.

'This is it.' I thought excitedly, tightly gripping the edge of my desk as I watched Iruka's every move. 'All the training I've done has been leading to this moment!'

"As of today, you are all ninjas." Iruka said, looking at all of us with a proud smile on his face, I noticed his eyes lingered on Naruto. "To get here, you faced difficult trials and hardships." He held his hands behind his back, concealing the papers in his hand. "But that's nothing, what comes next will be far more difficult." Once again, Iruka looked around the classroom and being sure to look each of us in the eye. "Now you are only genin, first level ninjas, all the genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be led by a jonin, an elite ninja."

"Well, someone's gotta be in Sasuke's group." Ino stated, looking down at Sakura who was seated in front of her. "I wonder who?"

"I don't know." Sakura replied, looking over her shoulder to give Ino a look of irritation.

"Um, Iruka-sensei?" I said, raising my hand to get my former teacher's attention before looking around the classroom. "I counted and divided everyone, and it seems one squad will have an extra person." I then returned to facing forward and lowered my arm as I looked at Iruka in confusion. "What happens to them?"

"A good question, Kojiro." Iruka nodded, looking over the group of graduates himself. "Normally, that extra person would be put on reserve until a spot opens up." He then revealed the papers in his hand and smiled at me. "Luckily, lord hokage decided to make an exception this time and allow one squad to have an extra person."

"That's good to hear." I sighed in relief, not sure what I would've done if I ended up in the reserves.

"Moving on, we want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that's how we set them up." Iruka continued, looking over the paper to read off the names that are possibly written on it. "I will now announce the squads."

I tuned most of what Iruka was saying out at that point, deciding to practice my hands sign speed under my desk. The squads were most likely going to be canon, so there was no worry there. What I am worried about is where I'll be placed, hopefully I'll be in a squad of familiar faces. Well, everyone here is a familiar face, but that's beside the point. Only three squads will officially become genin, and it'll be bad if I wind up on a squad that failed.

"Squad seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Kojiro Kurosawa," Iruka's voice brought me out of my thoughts the moment I heard my name. Naruto and I looked at each other in surprise and smiled that we're on the same squad. "Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Looks like we're stuck with each other." Naruto said, grinning to both me and Sasuke.

"Yeah, this'll be great." I nodded, celebrating inside as I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Sasuke tried to hide it, but I could see the smirk on his face behind his interlocked hands.

"Next, squad eight, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame." Iruka continued, skimming through the paper while Ino was fuming on not being with Sasuke.

"I don't get it, what do you see in a guy like that?" Shikamaru questioned, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "He's not so special."

"You are so beyond clueless, Shikamaru." Ino replied, deciding to ignore Sakura for the moment. "Don't you get it?"

'Here we go.' I thought, deciding to tune Ino and Shikamaru's conversation out as I finished the last hand sign. I thought I heard Ino gasping, but not sure since I was tuning her out. That, and Choji munching on chips was all I could hear.

"Those are the squads." Iruka said, once again pulling me out of my thoughts. "After lunch, you'll meet your new jonin teachers, until then, class dismissed."

As expected, Sasuke was out faster than anyone else to get out of the classroom. Obviously he decided to eat alone, whereas Sakura was trying to find him. Naruto and I decided to do him a solid and distract her. Of course, we didn't just do it out of the goodness of our hearts. In exchange for helping him, Sasuke reluctantly agreed to partake in at least one prank with Naruto. As for me, I just had him owe me one favor that I could cash in at any time.

"Where could Sakura be?" Naruto wondered, looking around as we stepped out of the academy. He squinted his eyes when he couldn't find her. "Can't really distract her if she isn't here."

"She has to be around here somewhere." I said, my hand over my eyes to keep the sun out of them.

"Sasuke, where are you?" Naruto and I looked and saw Sakura's back as she looked around. "Why did he go running off so fast?" She continued to look around as Naruto and I approached her. "Since we're in the same group and all, I thought we could have lunch together and get to know each other."

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called out with a wave, catching Sakura's attention as she turned to face us. "Since we're in the same group, I was thinking we could have lunch together and get to know each other."

"Why would I eat lunch with you?" Sakura asked, a look of irritation on her face at the very thought of eating lunch with Naruto. "How did that thought even cross your mind?"

"But we're in the same group." Naruto explained, scratching the back of his head in confusion at Sakura's hostility towards him. "So I just thought…"

"Naruto, you're annoying." Sakura said bluntly, sparing no feelings whatsoever.

"Don't be like that, Sakura." I said, stepping in front of Naruto to give the girl a frown at her words. I then got behind her and started pushing her towards a nearby bench. "What's the point of being in a squad if you won't socialize?"

"Hey, wait!" Sakura protested, digging her heels and pushing back as I continued to push her.

And that's how I found myself eating lunch with both Naruto and Sakura on a bench. None of us said anything, however. Sakura because I practically manhandled her and Naruto because he was still getting over Sakura's words. Needless to say, our entire lunch was filled with awkward silence. That is, until Naruto had a really bad stomach ache and ran off to find a bathroom. He was gone faster than a cheetah before Sakura or I could say anything, not that she would.

"I told him to throw out that expired milk." I sighed, watching the dust trail Naruto created slowly dissipate. "Did he listen, nope."

"I still don't get how Sasuke's friends with him." Sakura mumbled, already dismissing what happened to return to her lunch. "I mean, Naruto is such an annoying loser."

"That's a bit harsh." I muttered, setting my chopsticks down to look at Sakura with a frown on my face. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura gave me an "Are you for real?" look as she finished the last of her lunch. "He doesn't have a mother or father, no one to teach him right from wrong." I twitched at the mention of not having a mother or father, but Sakura didn't catch this as she continued. "Think about it, he just does whatever comes into his head. He's selfish and bratty, not to mention all alone."

"Do you even know why he's all alone?" I slammed the lid of my lunchbox closed, making Sakura jump at the sudden noise. "You really need to watch what you say, you may not care, but words can hurt people." I then got to my feet and gave her a look that made her feel uncomfortable. "I'll tell you this much, I'm amazed Naruto hasn't lost his sanity."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura looked at me in confusion as she tried to understand what I just said.

"Do you know why Naruto gets into so much trouble, Sakura?" I asked, wrapping a cloth around my lunch box before tying it tightly. "It's because he wants people to see him, not what they want to affiliate him with." I looked up to the sky and watched as the clouds carelessly floated along, going wherever the wind blew them. "It's the only way for him to make people see Naruto Uzumaki, not whatever they're directing their hatred towards." I sighed when I thought of all the reasons people either wind up in jail or dead in my past life. "In my opinion, hatred gets you nowhere in life, just slowly destroys you from the inside."

"What are you trying to say?" Sakura asked, setting her lunchbox aside and also getting to her feet. "If all he wanted was attention, he could've done something else."

"Would it have made any difference?" I readily asked back, facing Sakura right as a strong gust blew past us. "Ever since Naruto was born, he's been hated for something out of his control." I pushed my hair out of my face as I seriously looked Sakura in the eye. "No one gave him the time of day." I scoffed and crossed my arms as I shook my head. "Not that you would care." I then turned my back to her when a thought crossed my mind. "That reminds me, you were being rather hypocritical earlier, Sakura."

"Hypocritical?" Sakura gave an aghast look and had trouble finding the reason why I would say that. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"You're a smart girl, figure it out." That said, I walked past Sakura to make my way to the academy. I stopped for a moment to look over my shoulder to give her a deadpan stare. "Here's a hint, it involves what you said earlier when you were looking for Sasuke."

"What I said earlier?" Sakura said softly, but I still heard her before I entered the academy.

'Better make some stomach medicine for Naruto.' I thought, rummaging through my weapon pouch and pulled out a scroll. 'There it is, hopefully I have everything.'

"Making medicine for the idiot?" I looked up and saw Sasuke leaning against the wall, giving me a knowing look. "Let me guess, expired milk?"

"Most likely." I shrugged, unfurling the scroll which had a number of seals written inside courtesy of Naruto. Ever since I introduced seals to him, Naruto's been getting good with them. "I told him to throw it out, but naturally he didn't listen."

"And now he's paying the price." Sasuke nodded, moving to walk beside me as I looked through the seals. "Thanks again for distracting Sakura, she's annoying."

I heard a small gasp and looked behind me to see Sakura, a look of shock and hurt. There also seemed to be a slight glint of realization in her eyes. However, it was gone just as quickly as I might have imagined it. She probably chased me down to ask about what I meant again, but wasn't expecting to hear Sasuke call her annoying. Maybe this'll teach her to choose her words more carefully or, at the very least, be more considerate.

"Don't mention it." I shrugged, choosing to pretend I didn't see Sakura for her sake as I finally found the seal I was looking for. "But you should cut her some slack, at least she's not as annoying as Ino."

"Don't even start." Sasuke gave me a side glare as we made it to our classroom.

I just laughed at the empty threat the glare insinuated as we took our seats followed by a depressed Sakura. I felt bad about what I said, but someone had to give that girl a reality check. Choosing not to dwell on it for too long, I unsealed a small kettle along with a few bundles of chamomile. Taking the lid off and holding my hand over the kettle, I concentrated my chakra. Sakura watched curiously as a small orb of water formed beneath your hand and dropped into the kettle.

With that done, I put the lid back on and placed my hands on both sides of the kettle. This time, I concentrated my fire chakra to heat up my hands and the water by extension. Once I was sure the water was boiling, I popped the lid off and dropped the chamomile inside. I went back to heating the water, occasionally stirring it with a chopstick. Just when I figured it was ready, Naruto walked in, feeling a little better compared to before.

"Perfect timing." I said as I unsealed a cup and poured the tea I just made into it. When Naruto took a seat beside me, I handed him the cup. "Here, chamomile tea, it helps relax the digestive muscles to reduce cramps."

"Thanks." Naruto weakly said, gratefully accepting the cup and taking small sips.

"Can't say we didn't warn you." Sasuke said, shaking his head upon seeing the sorry state Naruto was in.

"From now on, I'm inspecting your fridge." I said, my tone leaving no room for discussion as I helped myself to some tea as well. "As a future medical ninja, I refuse to let this incident repeat itself."

"Okay, I get it." Naruto groaned, holding his cup to me for a refill, which I happily complied. "I won't drink expired milk anymore."

"You won't drink expired anything anymore." I sternly said, offering a cup to Sasuke and Sakura, who politely declined. "You won't eat anything expired either, doctors orders."

"Makes me wonder how he survived for so long." Sasuke commented, interlocking his fingers as he gave Naruto a side glance. "He must have somewhat of an iron stomach."

I decided not to say anything as I resealed the kettle, cups, and leftover chamomile and put away the scroll. I then decided to inspect my weapons while we waited for our jonin teacher, who without a doubt was going to be late. First were my shuriken, which I checked for any nicks. Next was my senbon, checking they weren't bent or snapped in half. Lastly were my kunai, also checking for nicks.

I was careful with each of the weapons, the reason being is that I imbued some of them with a poison that can debilitate and paralyze someone with so much as a scratch. To keep them coated in the poison, I sealed them in another scroll that I asked Naruto to make for me. I could have done it, but Naruto needed the practice since he was enjoying the wonders of sealing.

When inspecting my kunai, my eyes widened in panic when I saw a red one amongst the others. Without thinking, I quickly grabbed the kunai and shoved it in my weapon pouch, getting curious looks from my teammates. Blushing in embarrassment at the scene I caused, I ducked my head low and went back to inspecting my weapons. Once I was finished inspecting and putting away my weapons, I noticed that we're still waiting for our jonin sensei. Knowing this was going to happen, I pulled out a book and started reading it.

"Hey Kojiro, what are you reading?" Naruto asked, craning his neck to curiously look over my shoulder to see what I was reading.

"Tales of A Gutsy Ninja." I replied, flipping a page once I finished reading it.

I gotta say, it was really difficult to find this book, I searched for a whole year before I decided to specially order it. Even then it took eight months before I finally got it and had it in my hands. At first, I just bought it so I can read the actual written contents, but I gotta admit I loved it. Despite being a super pervert, Jiraiya sure knew how to write a novel. Kinda makes me wonder why it didn't sell well in the first place.

"Is it any good?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening when a single word caught his eye, or should I say a single name.

"Yeah, at least, I like it." I replied, closing the book and holding it out to Naruto. "If you want, you can borrow it for a while."

"You sure?" Naruto asked, looking at me then the book and when I nodded he took it. "Thanks."

"I can't believe it." Sakura muttered in disbelief as she watched Naruto begin to read and looked so absorbed in the book. "Naruto is actually reading a book."

"Just gotta know what catches his interest." I said, shrugging my shoulders and leaning back in a laid back position. I gave Sakura a side glance as I placed my hands behind my head. "Something you would know if you stopped chasing Sasuke for one second."

I was rewarded with a slight glare at that comment and Sakura looked away with a huff. I was fine with that, because I know she'll eventually learn to be considerate. In the meantime, I thought about what to expect in the future. More specifically, I thought about what outcomes should be avoided and which should stay the same. Some outcomes were detrimental for the progression of the plot. However, there have been many speculations about what might have been if those outcomes never happened.

A perfect example is when Sasuke chose to leave to train with Orochimaru. If he and Naruto never had that fight in the Valley of the End, then Naruto wouldn't have had the motivation to get stronger. If that happened, then Naruto probably wouldn't be as strong as he will be in the future. Of course, he might have gotten the motivation some other way, but that's a factor with too many unknown variables.

'For now, I'll just consider every move carefully.' I thought, eyeing the door that Kakashi will eventually step through and everything begins. 'Until I need to make a serious decision, I'll play it by ear.'

Now it's time for Review Corner, where I reply to your reviews and answer any questions that you might have. Keep in mind that I will not answer any questions that ask about future chapters. Questions such as "What happens next?", "What do you have planned for next chapter?", and "Will he gain (insert example) in future chapters?" will be be avoid for the sake of not giving spoilers.

Karsap: I also like Samurais, but I think ninjas are cool with all the things they can do, whether it be Narutoverse ninjas or not.

JadeShapeshifter: That is a very interesting idea you suggested, I'll take it into consideration when I reach the 4th war arc. I also hope that I get that far and I'm overjoyed to hear that you love my story. I also think that it would be nice for Kojiro's parents to see how much he's grown.

frankieu: I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed reading the previous chapter. I haven't figured that part out yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out when I write a chapter of Kojiro training with Isobu's chakra.

CeaCly: I believe that there is a bit of a misunderstanding, the Mangekyo Sharingan is awakened by the trauma suffered from witnessing the loss of someone dear. Because Kojiro was disguised as Shisui at the time, Itachi truly believed he was witnessing Shisui falling to his death. As for Sasuke questionging about it when he encounters Itachi, I'm afraid I'll have to not answer that for the sake of spoilers.

ShionHale: It fills me with great joy to hear that you love this story and I'll do my best to keep meeting and possibly exceeding your expectations.

jamisoncollins45: I don't believe it will be possible for Shisui to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan as it can only be awakened by transplanting the eyes of an Uchiha with strong blood ties, ideally a sibling. While possible to use an Uchiha's eyes to regain his sight back, Shisui will not be able to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan if the blood tie isn't strong enough. Kojiro learning additional natures in the future has been considered, but nothing has been finalized. Once it is finalized, I will not be answering such questions for the sake of avoiding spoilers. The question of Kojiro absorbing a sentient partial clone of Kurama from Sora has popped up every once in a while. I still have not decided if I'll do it, as I have a lot of factors to take into consideration.

And that's it for Review Corner, I look forward to hearing from you all again in the future! Before I go, I have one thing to say that involves Kojiro. I have decided to finally finalize who will be his love interest. I went through every female character throughout the series of Naruto, even thought of a few OCs, and narrowed it down to three. I currently already have a poll up for making the final decision, so I ask that you stop by and put in your votes. With that said, till we meet again!