Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

A young man looked out over the small caravan of people traveling through the woods. He was dictated as the protector due to his younger age and skill.

They had all left their home almost 13 years ago, not that they had any choice in the matter. The sudden grouped attack of four full fledged shinobi nations was enough to destroy almost any semblance of peace or calmness…not to mention any life.

He had been amongst the lucky ones to escape. Not that he had a choice in the matter. His adopted grandmother had grabbed him and ran, along with anyone in the near vicinity.

Seishou Ryuuki had been 5 when he was forced to leave his home village. He was lucky to have his only surviving relatives make it with him, to comfort and watch over him. And to train him.

Now that 12 years had passed, the young man was soon to see his 18th birthday. It was in just another four days.

The black haired teen was brought out of his revere by a rustling sound off to the right. He quickly activated his ranged eyesight and scanned the area. After a few good sweeps of the entire range surrounding their little group of misfits, he was satisfied enough to turn off his Byakugan.

His uncle had trained him in the art of his dark bloodline when he was old enough to understand the concept. He told Ryuuki that it was a means to defend himself from attackers if he were able to sense them or see them before they even got close.

It was no surprise that the boy had mastered bringing forth his abilities at an extremely young age. After all, he had the blood of a genius as well.

Ryuuki brought his black eyes to stare at the people in front of him. He was trying to do his best to please them, as well as keep any and all of them alive. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

He'd lost his mother at the age of 3, and he never knew his father. By what the others described him as, he didn't think he'd ever want to know the crazed man. His darkened aura was clearly present in the boy's appearance, but no one minded. They accepted him for who he was: himself.

"Ryuu."

The quiet and stoic voice startled the teen into looking over his shoulder. His uncle, Neji, was seen with a slightly amused face as he looked at his nephew.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

Neji nodded. It wasn't uncommon to find Ryuuki thinking of his past. That was one of the main reasons he was placed as the rear guard and not the rear defense guard. Neji held the latter position, his skills and prowess in combat easily allowing him to see and hunt down any enemy that might follow.

"It looks like they're setting up." When the boy looked over, he could see the small line slowly halt and begin to shuffle about. They were unpacking their things and setting up camp for the night. Then they would move again tomorrow.

No where was safe.

They had to constantly keep on the move to avoid conflict, but that didn't even work all the time.

It was the same routine, day after day. Morning training for the shinobi, breakfast, packing up and leaving to find a new area.

Ryuu could see his aunt moving towards the caravan as her position as the scout. He had heard stories from his uncle about how the Hyuuga line used to be a powerful, yet extremely misguided clan.

The Main and Branch houses were constantly in silent conflict with each other. He heard that his mother and aunt used to be extremely spoiled. Until certain events came to pass, events that made his grandfather a harsh and unforgiving man.

"Neji-kyoshi…Is oba-san alright?"

Neji looked past the youth and stared at his youngest cousin. She had grown a lot more humble over the years. One of the reasons for that was the loss of all her immediate family. All she had left were Neji and Ryuuki.

When Ryuuki was born, although it was a time of chaos and pain, many people rejoiced. That was how he received his name. Although many people usually called him Ryuu or Shou-kun.

The second reason she was more humble was due to the fact that none of them had much claim to anything. They were each barely surviving off the land and made the journey day by day.

"She'll be fine, Ryuu. We should rest up for tomorrow."

The teen nodded and followed his uncle slowly to the caravan. As the two approached, many people turned to smile at them. All three of the remaining Hyuuga were treated with the greatest respect, due to their role in the survival of everyone in the caravan.

They were the scouts and defenders of the party. The only other person that still had the necessary skills to help defend the small party was Iruka. He was the sole surviving Chuunin instructor of the group.

The number of surviving shinobi in the caravan could be counted on one hand. Even then, Tsunade was getting very old. The elder woman was now in her mid 80s. Although she still looked about the age of 40, she moved rather slowly and wasn't able to perform very many physical duties for extended periods of time.

That didn't, however, stop her from helping out in the group. She was still the most renowned medic in the shinobi world after all. She helped with colds, injuries, and anything else that might require her attention.

The number of Konoha civilians that survived was surprising, considering that the village had been ambushed by Sound, Rock, Cloud and Rain.

Ryuuki stopped next to a sheltered wagon and opened the door.

"Obaa-san?"

When the boy didn't get a response, he arched an eyebrow and peeked inside. He cringed when he saw the elder woman sleeping with her head leaning against one of panels next to the door on the opposite side. His worst fear was realized.

He sighed and slowly closed the door to let her sleep.

He turned around and set out to find his next source of entertainment. After a few minutes he managed to find the spiky haired Jounin talking to his aunt. The two had started an informal form of a relationship slightly before the attack occurred that forced everyone out of their homes.

He walked up behind the two only to notice that they were locked in an embrace. After a few moments, they parted and shared a short kiss before his aunt left after flashing him a slight smile.

The brown haired man turned around and blinked his single eye in surprise as he noticed Ryuuki standing there.

"Hey Ryuu, what's up?"

The teen grinned slightly, "Well…obaa-san is asleep , and I was going to ask her to help me with a few things I was having problems understanding with a few of her techniques." He lifted his head to look at the taller man, "So do you think you could help me out, Konohamaru-sensei?"

The only benefit that seemed to come from this disfigured way of life was that Ryuuki had several private tutors. His uncle and aunt helped him with the family style of close range combat, he learned everything a normal student would from the academy from Iruka, he learned several different techniques and weapon tactics from Konohamaru, and learned how to perform various medical techniques from Tsuande. Of course, the older woman also taught Ryuuki how to use, control and benefit from the monstrous strength boosts he received under her training as well.

His secondary doujutsu allowed him to pick things up far more quickly. With the combination of the two legendary blood limits, he was able to see almost everything involved in the use of any technique. The chakra flow, chakra manipulation, memorizing the hand seals immediately and the actual use of the technique.

Some didn't even think it was possible to possess two bloodline limits, but the three blood red tomoe marks that would appear in the teen's eyes when he went to train or was fighting off an enemy combined with the pulsing veins next to each of his eyes proved them wrong.

That was the only thing Ryuuki was thankful that his father gave him, since he seemed to take everything else. His family, his friends, even his life were destroyed by the black haired lunatic.

"Sure. What did you need help with Shou-kun?"

The teen motioned for his elder to follow him away from the gathering of people so they could work in a bit peace before dinner.

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The routine continued on as normal for the next four days. However, there were always exceptions made on special occasions.

The rule had been one of the basic ground rules that the 'leaders' of the caravan had set almost at the beginning of their journey.

And Ryuuki's birthday was marked as such. He was always treated with tenderness and care, as he was the youngest of the caravan by almost 15 years. The only people even close to his age were his aunt and Konohamaru.

As the small group of 34 people gathered in a small clearing, the festivities began. There was an overall feeling of happiness as music and laughter seemed to reign over the silence in the thick forest.

This didn't last long, however, as a dark figure appeared in the center of the clearing not more than half an hour later.

The demented looking figure looked around with blood red eyes that seemed to permeate malice and hate. They soon fixed on Tsunade, which caused the figure to sneer.

At the rise of his hand, five more figures flash out of the surrounding trees. And the sole fear that everyone had in the caravan came to be. They had been found.

Screams of pain and rage were heard ringing throughout the trees as the five figures instantly began to decimate any and all innocents around the area. The leader of the forces continued to step forward until Neji slid in front of him, blocking his path to Tsunade.

The eldest of the Hyuuga quickly turned to his nephew, "Get Tsunade-sama away from here! Now!"

The young boy was frozen in shock and anger as he stared at the dark haired figure before his uncle. He was the reason for their current predicament. He was the reason why he even existed to feel this pain.

He was snapped out of his stare as his uncle yelled out an order, which he immediately obeyed.

He ran over to the elder woman and quickly pulled her into his arms and began to run as fast as he possibly could. He only moved forward for a few seconds before being cut off by one of the goons. The henchman ran toward Ryuuki, but was suddenly thrown off to the side as a flat palm connected with the side of his face.

The youngest Hyuuga turned to look at his aunt to see a look in her eyes he hadn't seen since he was a kid; pure and absolute rage.

She turned to look at him, blood limit active, and shifted her head to the left as to signal his continuation. He simply nodded and continued running.

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Back in the clearing, Neji continued to stare down the red eyed man.

"Orochimaru," he hissed with considerable hate.

The man simply snickered, "Neji-kun, it's been a while."

The man shifted into his normal battle stance before activating his Byakugan. "Yes, yes it has. Far too long, if you ask me."

The man chuckled lightly to himself while Neji continued to stare at him.

"Now, you will pay for the crimes you committed against my family. And for violating one of the last few pure people on this earth."

The man snickered again in his annoying manner. It sounded more like his was choking on something than laughing.

"Ah, but you see…that was not me. Sasuke-kun was bored and wished to have a little…fun…"

Neji's glare hardened, "Then you shall die in his stead."

As Neji rushed forward, the battle began.

For life. And for the restoration of honor.

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Ryuuki looked back as he heard the sounds of battle dim to almost nothing. He'd been running as fast as he could to get away. After all, Tsunade was their last chance for anything good to happen while she was still alive.

The elder woman looked up at the boy turned man and sighed. He had grown up in such harsh and unforgiving times…yet there was nothing that could be done. Unless of course she violated all sacred law and performed on of the many kinjutsu she knew.

She had resolved herself to stick it out as long as it took for their group to find peace, but now that would never happen.

She sighed as she looked up at Ryuuki's face once again. He deserved so much more than this meaningless lifestyle. And now she would give it to him, whether it would break the ancient laws or not.

"Ryuu, put me down."

Ryuuki looked at her like she was crazy before noticing the look in her eyes. That look was something he knew he wouldn't be able to argue with.

He slowly decelerated and stopped as he gently set down the woman. Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment, searching her memories for the long forgotten technique.

After he younger brother and her lover had died, she had down some research in various arts of revival and time travel to see if it were possible to bring either back. Yet, she found nothing that seemed to work without drastic consequences.

As she filed through the various forbidden arts in her mind, she finally began to remember the one she was thinking of. It was considered an extremely forbidden technique due to two reasons.

One, was that the person sent back in time could disrupt the normal flow of time and that could possibly distort or destroy the timeline. And the second reason…was that anyone who used the technique would be cursed. Cursed with the seal of immortality. Unable to die or live in complete peace. Being a recluse to avoid suspicions and hatred. And worst of all, watching all those you cared about die around you.

However, Tsunade now had nothing to live for. The sole reason she felt she existed was to give this second chance to Ryuuki, so he could live a normal life.

After a few minutes of silence, Ryuuki looked at the disguised woman in confusion, "Obaa-san?"

The blonde turned to look at him with a soft smile and gentle spark in her eyes.

"I don't like that look…obaa-san…"

"Ryuuki, there's nothing left for you here." The boy seemed to hesitate slightly before nodding, "And it has recently been brought back to my attention that there is a possible out for you."

The teen raised an eyebrow in confusion as he stared at the older woman. She began to look around and found a small stick lying on the ground. After grabbing it, she kneeled and began tracing odd looking shapes and figures in the ground.

After a short time, the figures and shapes turned into a medium sized seal drawn on the floor of the forest.

Ryuuki was now getting nervous, "What are you planning to do baa-san?"

She turned and smiled at him before wincing slightly as she stood, "Something relatively easy. And something that should help you live a better life."

The teen was confused. He simply stared at his adopted grandmother with confusion clear in his pupil-less black eyes and a frown on his face.

"I'm going to send you into the past Ryuu. There, not only will you have a better life, but you have a chance to change all of this before it even happens. If you manage that…everything will be just fine."

"What are you talking about? I can't simply abandon you!"

Tsunade frowned, "I'm not asking you to go, I'm telling you. Even if I have to knock your ass unconscious to do so, I'm still going to send you back."

The boy sighed, he knew there wasn't any arguing with her now. She had it engraved in her mind, and she wasn't going to let it go.

"Fine…but you better swear you'll be alright."

Tsunade grinned, "What are you talking about? I'll be just fine!"

The black haired youth rolled his eyes as she put a hand on her bicep and flexed slightly and mumbled, "Whatever."

"Stand in the middle of the seal." The boy nodded and slowly walked into the center, still hesitant over the entire idea. He knew things were bad, but he couldn't guess how bad they were if Tsunade was going to break the ancient laws by performing a forbidden technique.

As he made it to the center, he calmly turned around and stared at his grandmother. He noticed that she seemed weary and completely vulnerable. It was the first time he'd ever seen her in such a state.

"I just have one thing to ask of you before you go…" The teen nodded, "Take care of Naruto."

He blinked at the name. He hadn't heard that specific name ever since he was a little kid. It was taboo to say around Tsunade, as well as his aunt and Konohamaru. The name of his mother's lover.

He hadn't really known him all that well, since he was told that the man died when he was barely 2. Yet he could always sense a great deal of sadness whenever the name was mentioned around anyone that cared for him.

He had apparently been a great man…and Neji told him that he would've loved him.

His thoughts were broken as Tsunade continued, "Look out for him. I'm going to send you back far enough so that you can influence a greater part of his childhood. If you can take him in and shelter him from even the slightest bit of trouble…things may turn out for the better."

Ryuuki stared at her for a moment before nodding. Tsunade tossed him a decrepit looking wallet before biting her right thumb and smearing the red liquid produced from the wound on both her hands.

She ran through a long series of seals before finally ending on ryu.

She took a deep breath before stating, "Kinjutsu: Kouin Saihaichi no Jutsu."

She slowly placed both hands on the seal before looking up at Ryuuki one last time with a solemn and sad look.

"Good luck."

The teen nodded before seeing the entire area around him morph and change into a black sea of nothingness.

It was disorienting to say the least. To be staring at his 'grandmother' one moment, and staring into a bleak, dark nothingness the next.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Ryuuki could see a few small lights in the sky above him. A few more moments, and he was standing in front of something large and black. After a few more moments, he noticed he was standing in what looked like a street in front of a massive mansion.

He could only stare at the large building for a few seconds before he heard a small shuffle to his left. He turned his head to notice a masked figure running off with a small bundle under his right arm. Almost immediately, he was at the figures side, holding his free arm with a trench knife at his neck.

"Let the child go, and you will live," he stated in a cold voice. He hated anyone who would harm children, even if they had a suitable reason. The masked figure seemed to hesitate slightly before getting the blunt end of another trench knife in the back of his head while the other hand hit his chin with the knuckles of his knife. The resulting blows cancelled out any movement of the man's head, but both were easily enough to knock him out.

As the figure slumped to the ground, he quickly grabbed the child from the masked man's arm and stared in surprise as another figure walked out of the gate to his right.

The robe clad man raised an eyebrow in slight interest at the sight before him. Apparently, the fiend had already been subdued by a passing shinobi. The white eyed man cleared his throat to gain the attentions of his daughter's rescuer, only to have his eyes widen in slight shock.

The boy had what looked like the Hyuuga family blood limit, but it was completely black. He stared at the man for a moment before walking over to him and handing him the small figure in his arms.

Hiashi nodded his head in thanks and moved back into the complex while the other male turned back to the figure.

Ryuuki stared at the masked figure with disgust clearly written on his features. This was something he'd never heard about from either his uncle or aunt.

Ryuuki walked over to the man and began to properly restrain him. After a few moments, the man no longer had any weapons and was completely defenseless while unconscious. He then grabbed the man by the arms, secured behind his back, and began to drag him towards the huge compound.

Within his first few minutes in this new time…he'd already been able to see a figure he recognized, even if it was images from certain pictures. And it was one of the last he'd expected to see.

On his first night in this current timeline…he'd rescued his mother.

**A/N:** Ok, so some of you may get the hints and everything…others may not. I honestly don't know why I'm writing this, but it seems like fun. Maybe I've been reading too many AU fictions.

But this is going to be dark for the first few chapters…as you can probably tell just by this.

The technique used was taken from a form of the same technique in Flame of Recca, only this one can be controlled.

Translations: The –kyoshi suffix is used for martial arts style instructors that have proven themselves to usually be the best…at last that's what I read.

Kinjutsu: Kouin Saihaichi no Jutsu – Forbidden Technique: Time Realignment Technique

Ryuuki Seishou – Rising Spirit


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

As Ryuuki brought the restrained shinobi into the complex, he could see many people in the courtyard. All of them with the pearly white eyes of the Hyuuga.

He was stunned, to say the least. When he was told by his uncle that the clan was powerful, he didn't try to refute it. But the sheer number of people in the courtyard was mind blowing. At least to him.

He continued into the complex with the masked figure still being dragged by his side. He was stopped by what looked like guards when he approached the man who he had seen earlier.

"What is your business here?"

Ryuuki looked at both the guards before slinging the figure he was dragging in front of him. Both looked at the body, then at him again. A question seemed to form in their eyes as Ryuuki nodded.

Both guards turned when they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

"Leave us."

Both guards bowed and stepped away as the robed man approached Ryuuki. The man turned his attention to Ryuuki and gave a small nod once again. When Ryuuki returned the gesture, the man raised an eyebrow slightly.

"My name is Hyuuga Hiashi. I would like to formally thank you for your assistance in my daughter's rescue. Your name?"

"Seishou Ryuuki," was the blunt reply. However, the black eyed boy continued to stare at the man in front of him. A nagging feeling had formed almost from the instant he saw the man, he just couldn't place it. Now the feeling increased with hearing the man's name. There was something critical he was forgetting…

After a few moments of silence his eyes seemed to widen in recognition. He suddenly remembered what his uncle had told him of his heritage and what influence he possibly could've had over the clan had things remained peaceful.

He was staring at his would-be grandfather…not to mention the current Main House leader.

"It is an honor to meet you, Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi lowered his brow and nodded once again, "Now, young Ryuuki, would you mind telling me why you were outside this complex at this time of night?"

Several excuses instantly shot through the teen's mind, but none of them seemed to work. So he stuck with the most truthful statement he could.

"I just arrived in the village and was taking in the sights at night. I was admiring your facilities when I saw the man."

Hiashi nodded and turned his attention to the masked person on the floor. He bent over slightly and pulled off the mask to reveal the Cloud emissary that had been sent to Konoha for the recent peace talks.

The clan head frowned and turned to the guards, "Detain him. We will escort him to the Hokage in the morning."

The two guards from before nodded. As they moved over to the man on the floor, they took a hold of both the man's arms and hauled him towards the opposite side of the complex.

At the mention of the Hokage, Ryuuki instantly thought of Tsunade. After all, she was the only 'Hokage' he had ever officially known. He had heard about her predecessors in Iruka's history lectures, but that was it.

But, once again, he had to remind himself of his current situation. If what he remembered was correct, then the Yondaime would've passed almost 5 years ago…leaving the Sandaime to fill his position.

The age of his abducted mother seemed to prove that thought, as she looked no older than five years old, maybe younger. He had learned that she was born only a few months after the Yondaime's passing.

Hiashi turned back to Ryuuki, "As a formal thank you, would you gift us with your presence tonight at the manor? We would be more than happy to accept you into our home."

Ryuuki, dumbstruck by the display, simply nodded his agreement. All he received as a response was a nod as Hiashi turned his back to him and walked away.

As Ryuuki followed the man into the manor, he caught sight of the organized cabinets for footwear just inside the threshold. He slipped off his worn and dirty sandals and slipped them into one of the lower slots.

After depositing his footwear in the proper place, he looked up to see Hiashi waiting for him at the end of the entry way. The young man quickly stood and hurried over to the man. Hiashi simply turned and started leading him down one of the many halls.

"By your clothing, I can see that you have been wandering around for a while."

Ryuuki nodded, "Yes…my family and village were destroyed at the hands of a mad man, and I've been forced to live away from most human contact for quite some time. I was only recently able to make it to Konoha."

Not exactly the entire truth, but not exact a lie either. A perfect excuse.

Hiashi nodded, "Then I would ask you to accompany our escort to see the Hokage in the morning. He will pass his judgment on whether you will be deemed worthy to stay in the village."

He stopped in front of a room and extended his arm towards the door, "Inside you should find new vestments as well as anything else you might need during your stay."

Ryuuki bowed slightly before opening the door, "Thank you."

Hiashi simply nodded and walked away.

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Ryuuki just couldn't get over the fact that he was where he currently was. He wondered how Tsunade was doing and was worried for her well being. His uncle also came to mind, as he was now in the Hyuuga compound.

He took the time to analyze the situation now that he was alone. He remembered being told by everyone in the caravan that the war had officially started two years before he was conceived. He shivered at that thought, but quickly brushed it aside.

At the time, his mother was apparently just before her 19th birthday when she gave birth to him. And seeing as how the little girl he had seen earlier was probably four or five…

That put him at about 34 or 35 years into the past. Almost double his lifetime.

He shivered at the thought. It just didn't really sit right with him that he'd have to watch his only family grown up before his very eyes.

And the hardest thing about it…was that he would never be able to tell them, nor would he be able to have a normal conversation with them without one memory or another popping up.

It was a paradox of ill feelings and dizzying emotions. He, still, could never have a normal life.

The young man sighed as he pulled off the beaten and torn combat gear and clothes he had become accustomed to over the years and slipped into the informal robe laying on the futon.

As he tossed his outer jacket onto the floor, he heard a slight thump come from where it landed. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the brown rag. He didn't remember anything being in the pockets.

He walked over to the discarded garments and picked up the torn jacket before sticking his hand into all the pockets. In his left inner pocket, he found a small scroll that fit snuggly in the curve of his hand.

He tossed the jacket back down on the floor before looking at the scroll for a few moments. After steeling himself, he unraveled the scroll until he saw the writing stop. He noticed that the writing style was of both his uncle's and Tsunade's. That meant that at some point in time, they had planned on doing what she did anyway…as an escape.

He sighed before returning to the futon and taking a seat on it before tucking into the reading he would have to do.

After he started, however, a pit grew in his stomach as he continued to read on. There, in his hands, was an almost perfectly detailed list of events that would happen over the next 15 years.

Some of the things that Tsunade did not know about were filled in by Neji. It covered from his father's first Chuunin Exam all the way to his being conceived. Dates and times of important battles and decisions were also listed. As well as who was involved in those conflicts.

He could see now why Tsunade had sent him back to the exact moment she did. It was an out for Neji. If Hiashi didn't kill the Cloud emissary, then the events that would eventually lead to Neji's father, Hizashi, giving himself to protect his brother would be altered. Thus, he would not be killed.

He looked below the dates and conflicts only to see small footnotes with advice. What he should and shouldn't do and how to go about it.

It seemed that his obaa-san had this entire thing planned out to make every single one of their lives a little easier.

Figured.

He sighed and continued on until he found out what happened to Naruto, the boy he was supposed to look out for now. He froze as he stared at the dates, names and events that took place over the period of 2 years before he was born. They seemed overly sick.

He ran over and over the few events listed and couldn't seem to shake the utter disgust and hate for the people that caused the events to take place. Here was a small description of what his life was like when he was a child and teenager, and he could easily see why Tsunade had asked him to help Naruto. The poor kid seemed to have it just as bad as he did…and he had a poor childhood due to war, not the hate and scorn of a village.

Naruto, as he had been reading, was the human vessel of the monster that attacked Konoha. The Yondaime had sacrificed himself in order to at least seal the beast, since it was too powerful to be killed.

He knew what jinchuuriki were like. He'd been able to meet and spend a short time with Gaara in his youth. The man was overly quiet, but very sincere in his actions and words. He guessed that it was simply the burden they had to carry with them.

But as he continued his read further and further down the timeline, he felt himself gag. Things just seemed to get worse and worse, until finally things just…ended. He could see slight water marks dotting a few of the areas around the explanations, and he could only guess that they were dried tears.

He'd been told his entire life that Naruto was killed…not that he was driven to the brink of insanity and completely past all boundaries of it. Apparently just before he turned two, the man had killed himself.

Such was the consequence of having the demon and part of his mind simply taken from him. Apparently, the seal had been extremely weak, making it possible to extract the demon without killing him. But he lost so much more than simply the demon.

It was a little over one year later that the first major siege took place against Konoha, which was when his mother was killed. And apparently, she was never in the right frame of mind after Naruto had passed. That was one of the contributing factors to her death.

There was also a small timeline of when each of the strongest shinobi were overwhelmed and killed during the sieges and war, his grandfather being on the list a little over three weeks after his mother's death.

That's where the scroll ended, with a small message that pleaded with him to do anything in his power to prevent most of these things from ever happening. That's when he knew that they really had planned on this all along.

Of course, he had no idea what would happen if he altered events that could potentially lead to him never being born…but that wasn't on his mind.

The only thing on his mind was how to prevent the war. And if he had to sacrifice himself to further along the process that would stop the war, then he would gladly give his life to save his family.

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Ryuuki stood in front of the older man dressed in ceremonial robes with no amount of discomfort. He wasn't used to formal clothing, even if they were simple robes. Not to mention, he didn't know the man standing in front of him at all.

Hiashi had just finished explaining the situation and handing over the Cloud shinobi. Now the attention of the room was focused solely on him. It was extremely unnerving.

"So…Ryuuki," the boy nodded, "What is it that you wish to gain by living in this village? Do you have any motives or desire to become a shinobi under Konoha? Or are you more partial to the life of a civilian?"

He knew the first question would be posed…but had no idea on the second two.

"Well sir…I've been on the run since I can remember. Avoiding enemies, helping friends, staying alive…and I heard a lot of good things about Konoha from various people. My uncle would've wanted me to come here and live out a normal life instead of cowering in fear and hiding in the shadows."

The old man nodded, "So I can take it you've been trained at least in some various arts?"

Ryuuki winced. The old man was good…

"Yes sir. I've trained with the family and friends I had left before we were separated."

"I see. What would you say to a sort of test, so that we may gage your abilities and place you at the proper rank?" The boy nodded, "Very well. If you are fully willing to be tested, and merely seek shelter and comfort, I see no reason to turn you away."

The boy in front of the old man smiled and bowed, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiashi seemed to nod and made his way towards the door. Ryuuki stood still while looking back at his would-be relative making sure he left before turning back around again.

"Hokage-sama…would there happen to be a Naruto around?"

The old man looked surprised, "You know of Naruto?"

"I heard a few people whispering about someone named Naruto in the streets. They were saying he was slightly loud and loved to prank other people. But…they also seemed to say it with such distaste…"

Sandaime smiled, "Yes, that sounds like an accurate description."

"Does he have any surviving family?"

The Hokage seemed to draw in a deep breath and sighed slowly, "No. Any and all family he had was taken from him. He's going to be leaving the orphanage within the next couple of years."

"So he was placed up for adoption?"

"Yes, he was placed up almost as soon as he was born."

"I see…Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

With that, the two men left, leaving Sarutobi to lean back in his chair while stroking his beard.

"Things could get interesting…"

------------------ (A/N: Switching to his nickname)

As the days passed, many people around the town were gossiping as the new arrival passed through the streets. Many people whispered that he was the one that rescued the Hyuuga heir, while others whispered that he was staying with the Hyuuga family. No rumors had been circulated yet, but he could only guess what some of them would say.

He could almost imagine the stupid and absurd things that they would whisper about. Like his marriage into the Hyuuga clan as a reward for rescuing the heir, or something equally as lame.

He continued to wander around the town to gain his bearings and to memorize the setting. He'd been doing this for the past few days. First, he'd acquainted himself with the area in and around the Hyuuga complex, as Hiashi stated he would allow him to stay, as personal thanks for saving his daughter, until Ryuu could find a place of his own.

He'd been touring around town for the last week or so since then. He'd get up and train for a while in the morning before accepting lunch. Then he would spend a few hours simply walking around the town to get to know the scenery. He'd already walked through most of the huge business district, as well as saw where the ninja academy and hospital were. He was currently walking through the part of town that he could only guess was the market district.

Stands full of meats, fruit and other assorted food items were spread along the street. As he continued on his way, Ryuu couldn't help but notice the odd looks he got. He had to admit that it probably was odd for someone to be wearing robes all the time while walking around, but he didn't really have a choice.

Or did he? He quickly turned to his left and continued down the street to where he remembered the business district being. He had been surprised when he opened the old, decaying piece of leather that Tsunade had tossed him. The number of bills, and even coins, was astounding. It didn't seem that heavy at all. Yet in the wallet itself was almost enough money to last an entire month without needing to take a job or anything of the sort after buying any necessities.

He figured that some of that money could be spent in getting himself new attire. As he continued down the street, he saw a few different shops that caught his interest. He entered the one closest to his right and began to slowly browse through the items present.

He found a black undershirt style that looked as though it would fit nicely, as well as a few different pairs of knee length dark blue shorts. They had various pockets and even a few loops for scrolls.

After finding nothing else that fit his fancy, he paid for the five pairs of shorts and black shirts and walked to the next store. This one seemed to be more battle oriented, as he saw different kind of arm guards, shin guards and even chest plates. He looked around the store for a bit before finding a something that he'd seen Konohamaru wear before. It was a full upper body chain link shirt that ran to just below the elbow and cinched off. He grabbed two of the shirts before looking around to see if he could find anything else before heading off. As he passed the arm guard section, he couldn't help but stop and stare at one of the items on display.

It looked like a set of elbow length, fingerless gloves, but they had a sort of pocket was hidden underneath the wrists that seemed like they could stash kunai or other weapons. On top, were silver metal plates that curved and rolled at the edges, giving it the look of a small shield. He looked at the bottom of the gloves to see if he could possibly fit the trench knives he'd been given as a gift, and was pretty much excited when he found that the pocket went in almost a whole 15 centimeters. That was more than long enough to keep his knives hidden until he would be in need of their offensive capabilities.

He also grabbed a roll of bandages to cover his left leg, since he was used to having the left pant leg and nothing on the right. Finishing off the overall new look with a black, sleeveless, high collared trench coat and blue shinobi sandals, he quickly went to the cashier and paid. He then asked if he would be permitted to change in the available dressing rooms, which the cashier agreed to.

After walking into the small stall, he began to fully equip himself. After finishing his changing session, he walked back out with the robes in the white bag that the cashier had given him and thanked the man before walking back outside.

The armguards would take a little getting used to, but other than that he felt perfectly fine. He walked to the last store on his left and entered to see a brown haired woman with brown eyes. She smiled at him as he entered and he smirked back.

Looking around, he noticed that this particular shop was dedicated to weaponry. Perfect.

After finding a leg holster for various air born weapons, he set out to fill said holster with what he knew he would need. When that need was fulfilled, he took the time to look around the ship and also noticed a small pouch that seemed to wrap around the waist and fit in the small of the wearer's back. He grabbed that as well. It would be the perfect place to hide anything he might need. As he left the shop with his new items, he only had one last thing on his mind.

He needed something to cover his eyes. He knew that many people would be extremely suspicious of his black, pupil-less eyes. Not to mention they would question him on why they seemed to have hints of red sometimes as well. He looked around various stores, only to find nothing that suited his needs.

He then looked at one of the clocks on the wall and noticed what time it was. He continued to browse around town, but didn't find anything that caught his fancy.

As he passed by what he suspected was the residential area, he could see a small billboard with various papers tacked onto it. As he looked at it, he could see that various apartments were up for rent and ranged from three bedroom two bath to one bedroom and half a bath.

He decided to come back and check out the potential prospects in bit. He had something else on his mind.

Thus, he turned his attention back to the road and continued to walk toward the building he saw in the distance.

----------------

Ryuu had discovered when the orphanage was on his own when he'd wandered through the village. And he could see the building outline in front of him. He could also see many children playing, as well as heard happy laughter all around the outside area.

He smiled to himself as he continued to walk to front doors of the building. It was then that he noticed a smaller figure hiding behind one of the bushes, his back against the tree. The only thing that Ryuu could see was a flash of yellow hair.

The teen continued up and into the building, stopping at what seemed like a front desk. After a few moments, a girl, probably no older than himself, stepped out of the back and smiled.

"Welcome. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The warm smile seemed to at lease loosen Ryuu's nerves slightly before he nodded.

"I was told that I could find a Naruto at this present location. Would it be possible for me to meet with him?"

"You wish to speak with Naruto-chan?" The girl seemed slightly surprised, but that was replaced by a glint in her eyes as he nodded. "Yes, I can get him for you. Wait a moment please."

With that, the girl took off outside before he could hear her calling for Naruto, telling him he had a visitor. After she finished the sentence, the sounds outside seemed to stop. He could feel the air growing tense before the girl walked back in with a bright yellow haired boy with little whisker marks on each his cheeks.

Ryuu couldn't help but grin as he saw the marks. They, indeed, showed that he was the holder of a demon. After all, each demon left their own little mark on their carriers. Gaara's marks were the thick black rings completely around his eyes.

He kneeled down, after putting the bags down, and looked at the boy with a slight grin, "Hey they little guy. Are you busy?"

When Naruto's head dipped slightly and he shook his head slowly; Ryuu could tell he was slightly depressed about something.

"Well I wanted to talk to you for a moment, if you don't mind?" When he nodded, still slowly, the teen reached over and patted his head before messing with his already untamed blonde locks.

The girl seemed to look on in amazement as the teenage boy in front of her started to ask Naruto various questions about his life, how he liked it there and his friends. He was slightly disappointed to find out that he hated life at the orphanage, had no friends, and was constantly avoided and ignored by everyone except the girl, who he named as Kiyochi.

Kiyochi could only look on in the hopes that the man standing in front of her would finally give Naruto a place to live. She knew he hated the life he was thrust into, but she could do nothing about it, as she barely made enough money to support herself.

When the teen stood up, Naruto seemed to be grinning before he turned to Kiyochi.

"I'm gonna go to my room!" When the girl nodded in acknowledgement, he shot off down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor.

The male turned to her with an amused look on his face as he picked up the bags on the floor, "I'm not going to be around for a few days as I still need to get acquainted with the town. After I have everything settled, I'll be back. Would his papers be ready by then?"

Kiyochi's wide eyes were all the proof he needed to see that she was utterly shocked that this was happening. However, before she could answer in the affirmative, another lady stepped out from the back.

"Are you sure you wouldn't be interested in any of the other children? That little demon is quite a problem. We have plenty of other more well behaved boys and girls. I'm sure you would be delighted in meeting with them."

Ryuu frowned as he looked at the slightly obese lady in front of him. She had wrinkles everywhere in here face, which made it look almost like a prune. Her thick rimmed glasses were pitched atop her ears as a golden chain ran down from the earpiece sides. Her dark green eyes held something he couldn't quite place.

"No, I think I'm fine."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Now Ryuu was starting to get annoyed. "Look, I don't know what that kid ever did to any of you, but as far as I can tell he's as harmless as they come."

The older woman snorted. "That's because you don't know the little brat well enough."

Ryuu sighed, "Just have his papers ready…I'll be back soon."

As the dark haired boy left the orphanage, he could feel the glares being directed at him by not only the older lady, but some of the younger staff as well.

That didn't bode well.

---------------

Naruto was looking around fidgeting. He'd been waiting for almost ten minutes for the stranger to come back, since he said he'd be right back. He desperately hoped that the man would come back. He desperately hoped it wasn't a trick put on by the heads of the orphanage.

They'd done so in the past to get his hopes up, only to have them completely crushed. It was a cruel cycle of physical and mental torture.

But the man hadn't shown up again. Naruto looked back at the clock to notice that the minute hand had shifted over to the right to signal another ten minutes had gone by. He sighed and lowered his head before realizing it probably was just another hoax.

As he got up and started to walk down the hallway, he was stopped by a voice at the door.

"Where you going, squirt?"

Naruto instantly spun around and grinned at the sight. The same man was there before, but this time he wasn't hold anything at all. Gone were the white bags that he'd recognized as belonging to the shopping district.

That was why he was late! He had to drop off all the crap that seemed to be in those bags.

The grin widened as he saw the slightly confused look on the man's face. "No where."

"You ready to go?" When the boy nodded eagerly he only grinned.

"Ok, now we just have to wait for Kiyochi-san to arrive so we can tell her."

"Waiting won't be necessary," said the slightly bitter voice as the older lady from before walked out of the back with a few papers in her hands.

"Are you absolutely sure you want this mongrel? You could probably find much better."

Ryuu looked over to Naruto and rolled his eyes, only to receive a grin from the boy.

"I'm fine. Besides, I've heard about the kid and he's a little more like me than he may realize. We're going to get along just fine."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly at that statement. Did this guy have no family too? Was he just as alone as he was?

The old lady simply snorted and walked away, "Do what you will. Now please, leave."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow before looking over to the blonde haired boy and motioned to the door with his head. The small boy immediately ran over to the threshold and looked back at the man with a huge smile.

Things were starting to look up for the young outcast.

----------------

Naruto couldn't believe that at least something was going right.

First, he'd met a fairly nice guy earlier that day and they had a small chat before the man had told him he'd be back to take him out to lunch so they could talk more.

After that, they had gone to Naruto's favorite place to eat. When they arrived at the stand, the man behind the counter smiled and welcomed them. Naruto had then proceeded to eat his fill, much to the amusement of the man. He said he couldn't believe how something so small could eat so much.

After lunch, the conversation had turned more casual, as the man, who told him to call him Ryuu, began to tell Naruto about his similar experiences in life. It seemed that the two of them had a great deal in common.

He listened as Ryuu told him how he never knew his father and his mother died when he was extremely young. That left his uncle and aunt to take care of him. But they could never stay in one area for long, as they would be targeted by enemies. And that he had only recently come to the village to try to live a normal life. He said it was somewhere around a week and a half ago that he'd made it to the village in the middle of the night.

By the end of the small exchange of stories, Naruto had a new feeling brewing in him. He could tell that it began when he met Ryuu, but it seemed to grow and grow as he listened to a story almost exactly like his own.

They were kin. They shared a bond of pain that most people would never understand.

That alone held hope with Naruto. When they walked back to the orphanage, Naruto began to feel slightly depressed. After all, things were never going to change. He may have made a new friend, but that didn't mean anything.

As they walked inside, Naruto turned and smiled, "Thanks for lunch."

Ryuu waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "No big deal. Listen, I still have to get everything settled in. I'm looking for a place and it may be a while yet. So I'll probably see you in a couple days alright?"

Naruto instantly perked up at that sentence and nodded, "Sure."

Ryuu tussled his hair slightly before turning around and walking out the door.

And for the first time in what seemed like his entire life, Naruto smiled. Not one of his fake grins or fake appreciative smiles, but an actual, true smile.

Yea…things were definitely looking up.

-----------

After leaving the orphanage and wandering around the residential district for a while, Ryuu finally found a place that seemed to fit the needs of two people.

It was a fairly small two bedroom one bath with a kitchen and living room. The back room was slightly larger than the front, but that was because the space in the front room was reduced to accommodate for the bathroom. Otherwise, the bathroom would've been extremely narrow.

The living area wasn't anything special either. It looks to be about five square meters in size. The kitchen was most like a small kitchenette that seemed to stem off from the living area. A stove, sink and refrigerator were the only noticeable things in sight besides the cupboards. There was a small pantry in the back of the kitchen against the adjoining wall to the living area.

All in all, he guessed it was a suitable enough place to live. It wouldn't be a glamorous life per se, but it didn't look like it would be extremely unbearable either.

After talking to the landlord, he agreed on the rent and signed a lease contract that would entitle him to live there as long as he kept up with the rent.

He accepted the key to the apartment, as well as the backup key, and walked back to the third story apartment. After depositing his bags near the door, he made a mental note to look for two futons, a table, a couple chairs and anything else a normal household might need. Granted, he wasn't exactly sure of what that was, but he had an idea.

As he set out again, he turned around a looked at the small apartment with a smirk.

His first real home.

--------------

Two days passed, and Naruto hadn't seen Ryuu at all. He was kind of hoping that the man would just stop by and take him to lunch again, or just to stop and talk with him.

But after that first day, he hadn't seen any sign of the black long haired man.

The days seemed to drag by for him, not really having anything to do but having everything to think about. So he waited…and waited…and waited…

Hoping that Ryuu would at least come back to visit him.

The blonde haired boy noticed that the older members of the orphanage staff seemed to avoid him even more after Ryuu came. He didn't know why, though.

And Kiyochi seemed to smile at him much more often. And still, he didn't seem to know why.

He was in his room when he was called out into the main hall by Kiyochi. She didn't say why though, only that he was wanted. Maybe it was another one of those stupid talks that he always ignored.

He shuffled down the hall and climbed down the stairs, only to stop as he saw a familiar figure.

The black eyed individual grinned at the response he got, "Hey squirt."

"Ryuu!" The blonde haired boy ran over and seemed to jump up and down beside him. After a few moments, he seemed to calm down.

"Are we going out for lunch today again?" Naruto asked with a hopeful look.

"Nope." Ryuu noticed that he seemed to deflate a little. "Go get your stuff."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up at the man in confusion. He didn't know what to make of the situation. Did Ryuu just tell him to go get his stuff?

"Go get your stuff, squirt. I should be done with everything by the time you get back."

Naruto simply nodded, not really getting the message. As he went back to his room, he began to pack all the things he owned in a simple square cloth. He only had a few different pairs of clothes as well as a few presents that Sarutobi-jiisan gave him.

As he finished his 'packing' things were finally starting to dawn on him.

If Ryuu wanted him to get his things…

He immediately finished off the bundle with a small knot on top and rushed back down the hall and stairs, only to see Ryuu hand over a small stack of papers to the old lady who ran the place.

"There, that should cover everything right?"

The old lady nodded, "Yes, all the paperwork has been filled out according to policy, but there is still the payment policy that needs to be fulfilled."

Ryuu frowned, "How the hell can you charge someone to adopt a kid?"

"It's policy to accept payment before the finalization of the contract so that we know you are serious about the responsibility."

Ryuu frowned and grumbled to himself, which caused Naruto to lose some of his cheer. Was he having second thoughts?

Ryuu simply pulled out an odd looking package from his pocket before shuffling through it and pulling out a few bills. After that, he handed them to the lady with a small hint of disgust.

After taking the bills from Ryuu's hand, the old lady simply nodded, "Now that the contract is finalized, please leave."

Ryuu could take a hint. Basically, she meant 'get out and don't come back' which was fine by him. He never planned on coming back to the place ever again after this was done with.

He turned to the hallway and saw Naruto staring at him. He then noticed a small cloth sack in his hand.

"Are those your things?" After receiving an affirmative nod, he frowned.

Ryuu motioned for the boy to walk over and put a hand on his head.

"What do you say we blow this joint huh?"

The eager nod was all he needed before he put a hand on the back of Naruto's head and gently pushed him towards the door.

After leaving the orphanage, he was lead to the residential district by the man that adopted him. They stopped in front of one particular building before climbing up three flights of stairs and stopping at the door four doors down from the stairwell.

Ryuu pulled a key out of his pocket before sticking it in the lock and unlocking the door. He placed the key back in his pocket, put a hand on the door and turned to Naruto with a grin.

"Here we are squirt, welcome to your new home." And with that sentence the door was slowly swung open to reveal the rather small apartment.

Naruto could only stare for a few moments before he felt himself tear up.

Finally…finally someone cared…

**A/N:** To be in a C2 community already on this story isn't something I really expected. Let alone after a day…oh well. The first few chapters will be mainly about the interaction between Ryuuki and Naruto before I actually move on to the main part of the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**A/N:** I didn't really think I would have to explain this…but Naruto isn't Ryuuki's father. There were plenty of hints in the first couple of chapters. 2 eye bloodline limits, black hair and eyes, the little reference to deflowering a pure being, Sasuke having 'fun.' Yea…

**The Way Things Were**

It had taken a while for Ryuu to calm the kid down, but he felt he could understand the major wash of emotions the kid was dealing with.

After all, he'd dealt with them before too. Heck, he had to deal with them the moment he was sent off. Only he was mature enough to control most of them. Naruto was still a kid…so he didn't have a full grasp on most things yet.

After setting everything down, Ryuu practically dragged him to the business district.

The slight chatter and smiles that he'd always heard and received when walking around now became heavy whispering. He was aware that the gossip would start almost as soon as he was seen with Naruto, but he didn't expect it to happen with the first three people that saw them.

The wary and appraising glances he'd previously received were turned into hardened stares and even glares from the older villagers.

It was slightly unnerving how quickly people could change their outlook on something, but he didn't care. If he had to shoulder part of the boy's burden just for his life to improve by a small fraction, he'd do it.

He'd always been taught to put others before himself. His uncle also told him that it came naturally from his mother. And it was required in the kind of life he lived.

He pushed Naruto into one of the shops he'd went to a few days ago and started going over the selections of clothes he thought would fit the boy. All Naruto seemed to have to his name were a few shirts with an incomplete Konoha symbol on them and a few pairs of black shorts. Yet Naruto seemed to reject every single idea he came up with. Although he did take a liking to a darker blue shirt that was lined with orange at the sleeves, neck and waistline. After arguing with him, he finally gave in and let the kid get a couple of the shirts. A few more casual black, blue and white shirts later, and all they needed were his lower garments.

Once again, arguments ensued as Naruto started to pick out what looked like orange jogging pants. Ryuu kept telling him that orange would draw too much attention to him but Naruto simply shrugged it off.

The kid was stubborn. He had a far stronger will than Ryuu did at this point, so he won out. The total look was finished off by a pair of blue sandals and an odd looking red bandana that would help keep the blonde's hair out of his eyes.

After they finished shopping and paid, Ryuu ushered the boy back to the apartment to discuss a few things.

Once again, he could feel the stares and glares find their way to him and he continued to mess around with Naruto as if he were a plaything, despite the boy's loud protests.

-------------

After a quick luncheon, Naruto began to ask an incredible amount of questions that seemed to pop into his mind. The first, and most important, being a simple 'why?'

Ryuu had just smiled, shook his head and answered, "Why not?"

That simply confused the boy, but didn't stop him from asking anything that came to his mind.

Personal questions were asked on both sides as both boys wanted more information on the other. Some new things were added to Ryuu's mental list of the things he already knew about the boy while everything Naruto learned was new.

When Naruto asked if he was a shinobi, Ryuu simply shrugged.

"I have an audience with the Hokage tomorrow to talk about that. Something about a skills test. I talked to him again after I first met him and he said he'd give me a two week grace period to set up everything I needed and support myself."

"You're going to talk to the old man?"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "He lets you get away with calling him that?"

Naruto shrugged in return.

Ryuu shook his head and walked over to the sink to finish washing the dishes, as Naruto had pulled him away from that duty with his questions.

Naruto simply followed the man into the kitchen and watched for a bit. As Ryuu finished with the dishes, he began to put them in their proper places in the various cabinets.

Ryuu turned to see Naruto simply standing there, staring at him. He grinned, but as he opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

He turned to eye the door with a raised brow before looking at Naruto and shrugging. He moved past the blonde before stopping at the door and opening it slightly to see who was there.

After a few moments, the door was fully open as he looked at a pair of men in front of him. From what he could tell by the pearl colored eyes and informal robes, it was a pair of Hyuuga Branch members.

"Can I help you?"

One of the guards nodded, "We come on behalf of the Main house. They wish for an audience with you at the complex as soon as you are available."

Ryuu nodded and motioned for Naruto to move forward and follow. He saw the faces of the Hyuuga guards become slightly less inviting and far more stern.

"I have time now. Lead the way."

--------------

Naruto looked around in wonder at the area they had arrived in. The place was absolutely huge!

As he looked up at Ryuu, he could see the man was casting a wary eye around him. He obviously was on guard, but why, Naruto didn't know.

As the moved deeper into the complex grounds Ryuu couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved. Something was going on…

As they reached the main building, both parties discarded their footwear and Naruto and Ryuu continued to follow their escort. Soon, they reached an intersection with a wider hallway with two wide doors near the end of it on the right while the current hallway they were in continued on.

It was at this point that Ryuu was separated from Naruto and the older boy was taken to the doors while Naruto was lead further down the hallway. Naruto looked up at Ryuu who nodded before following his escort.

Naruto turned around and eyed the guard suspiciously as he was lead further and further down the hallway. After a few minutes, he was lead into what looked like a back courtyard with a small pond at the far side.

He was motioned to continue on as the guard stood by the doorway and watched the apprehensive boy walk out and around the courtyard.

After a few moments of looking around, Naruto began to wander around the large open space. In the middle of the courtyard was a simple cobblestone walkway with small lanterns set every few meters on either side to light the path when it was dark.

To the left of the pathway was what looked like a small flower garden, which continued of for a ways before ending at what appeared to be a pit of sand. The sand seemed to swirl and wave around the pit, and circled several small rocks that seemed to be placed in completely random and odd spots. Naruto had no idea what to think of it.

He turned his head to look to the right and noticed that it was far more open than the right. There was about of good six meters to the small pond and all that was in sight on the ground was the small cobblestone walkway. Around the pond were a few benches that appeared to be placed in random spots along the bank.

Naruto looked at the small body of water and noticed that a few things seemed to be moving below the reflective surface. He moved alone the pathway to the large puddle and noticed various small koi swimming around underneath the surface of the water.

He stared at them in amazement for a moment, as he'd never seen koi before. They looked so graceful as they swam. He moved to sit on a bench off to the left side of the pond, as that particular wooden creation was just below a tree that would provide ample shade as he continued to watch the fish.

After a few moments, he could hear someone else approaching. He figured it was another guard that was coming over to check if he was behaving himself or not. But as he looked up, his eyes could only widen at the sight before him.

A small girl, no older than him, was staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. Apparently, she hadn't noticed he was there until she reached her current position.

He wondered if she would be like the others at the orphanage and simply avoid him. He could tell by her eyes that she was one of the people who lived here. She had those weird looking pearl-like eyes. Not to mention she was wearing a smaller kimono with a darker orange obi and with light purple flower designs.

She seemed to have darker violet hair, so dark it was borderline black. He noticed that she shifted her weight slightly before regaining her senses and looking at the floor.

So maybe she was like the other kids after all…

He turned his attention back to the swimming koi before hearing a slight shuffling sound. He looked back up to see the girl was timidly walking towards a bench on the opposite side of the pond. At least she didn't completely ignore him. He could see her glance at him a few times before settling down on the wooden seat.

Naruto continued to stare at the girl as she shifted her light of sight to the pond. After a few moments, she looked up to see him staring at her and flushed before quickly looking down.

Apparently, she wasn't used to being around someone her own age.

As Naruto continued to stare, he noticed how incredibly pale her skin was. Was she always cooped up inside?

He couldn't help but be slightly unnerved by something. Maybe it was because someone his own age was actually willing to stay around him. So he decided to break the uneasy silence that seemed to encompass the area.

"Hi. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name?"

The girl seemed startled and looked up quickly, "Huh?"

Naruto frowned slightly, "Your name?"

"O-oh…My n-name is Hyuuga H-hinata…"

She seemed nervous…or did she just naturally have the stutter?

"Nice to meet you, Hinata."

The girl meekly nodded before returning her gaze to the pond. The silence began to take hold again.

"So…do you live here?"

The girl nodded again without looking up.

"What's it like? This is my first time ever being in place like this."

"Um…well…it-it's hard to describe really…"

"Why?"

Hinata shook her head…why did he have to be so talkative? She just wanted a moment of peace away from everything while her father was in a meeting. She knew he was probably trying to be nice…

"It's a l-long s-story."

"Well…I've got time. I don't know what they wanted Ryuu for, but we kinda got separated."

Ryuu…the name sounded somewhat familiar. Could he be talking about the man that her father had told her had saved her? She'd seen the man wandering around the compound sometimes, but never talked to him. If he was talking about that man…the she should at least satisfy part of the boy's curiosity. After all, she owed much to the man who was apparently this boy's escort.

She sighed quietly before looking back up. For the first time she noticed his cerulean orbs that were trained on her. She couldn't help but think the looked exactly like the pool of whatever in front of them.

Soon, small talk began to fill the clearing back by the pond, as the youth talked about random things and asked each other questions. Hinata was surprised to hear that he'd only recently moved into an apartment with Ryuu. He'd been at the orphanage before that and the stories he told her about what happened there made her heart sink.

She never knew any of the things he'd described. She'd always had someone around. Whether it be her father, mother, or uncle she'd always had the company of someone else. Even the Branch members that watched over everything at the complex seemed to reinforce the feeling of someone always there, even if they weren't always seen.

They talked about themselves and the others they knew. Naruto especially seemed to be found of Ryuu, which made Hinata smile slightly.

They talked about anything that came to their minds. Anything at all.

After a while, Naruto could hear footsteps coming from the hallway again. He turned to look and saw another guard appear. A few short moments, Ryuu joined him at the door.

Ryuu looked around and noticed that Naruto was next to the koi pond. He also saw a small girl that seemed to be his company. It seemed that the two of them were talking before he came outside.

Ryuu grinned and headed over to the pond. As soon as he stepped out onto the cobblestone pathway and took a few steps, he was already confronted by Naruto.

"Is everything done? Did you have a meeting? What did they want? Can we go now?"

Ryuu smirked at the boy's usual hyperness.

"Yes Naruto, we're done. We're leaving as soon as we head back out front."

The boy nodded eagerly and turned back to look at the pond.

"It was nice to meet and talk to you Hinata! Bye!"

The girl nodded slightly and waved timidly to the loud boy before looking back down towards the ground. Ryuu raised an eyebrow before putting a hand on the back of Naruto's head and guiding him towards the door.

The boy started to whine and told Ryuu to stop treating him like a kid.

"If you aren't a kid, then what are you?"

Naruto snorted and crossed his arms, seeming to give up after he couldn't find a suitable answer.

After they reached the front of the complex, both boys grabbed their footwear and headed outside. Ryuu turned and bowed slightly to their escort while Naruto just rolled his eyes.

As soon as the walked through the front gates of the complex, Naruto could hear Ryuu grumbling.

"Stupid politics…"

Naruto looked at the man, confused.

"What happened?"

Ryuu looked down at the boy and sighed, "Apparently I was called to a council meeting, in which they asked me to choose a reward that would be on the same level as the rescuing of the heir. They didn't want to look ungrateful or show that they were incapable of being able to give back to others. It's some political nonsense that comes with being in a high class, well known clan. They don't want to show others they are weak in any sense."

Naruto looked even more confused at Ryuu's explanation, which caused the black eyed man to grin, "Don't worry about it Naruto. You won't get involved in this kind of stuff until you're older anyway."

"So…if they asked you to choose something, did you think of something good?"

Ryuu shook his head, "I don't want anything. I kept saying I didn't want anything, but they didn't accept that as my decision and kept pressing. So I finally gave in and said if they wanted to help me in any way, they'd give me the support of the Hyuuga clan if I was in dire straights or if I asked for it."

"Oh."

Ryuu ruffled the blonde's hair, "Don't worry about it, squirt."

"Don't call me that!" Naruto fumed.

"Why? You are a squirt."

The walk back to the apartment was no where near quiet, as Naruto protested loudly to Ryuu's various nicknames. And the attention drawn by the loud outbursts was no where near friendly.

-------------

The next day found Ryuu standing in front of the old Hokage once again. The two were in the moderately sized office alone, but Ryuu could feel eyes on his back. They were under constant watch.

Ryuu looked through the black shaded glasses that he'd finally decided on earlier that morning. He'd been looking for some sort of eye covering for days, but couldn't find darker glasses that would cover the side of his eyes in addition to his eyes.

He'd finally found a pair that he liked and fit nicely. The frame only ran along the top of the glasses, leaving the bottom and sides to hang free from the grasp of the black metal. The shades themselves were close to six centimeters from top to bottom near the nose piece, but gradually lost length as they tapered towards the ear. The length of the shades when reached the ear pieces was cut down to about three centimeters, but still covered the side of his face. And everything was solid black. He'd even asked if they could add an extra coat to tint it an even darker color, which they agreed to.

Now, no one could see his eyes if he didn't want them to. Which was very good. The glasses also matched his darker color scheme for his clothing; black and darker blue.

Now, he stood in front of the old man, wondering what he had in mind for this supposed test of skills.

The Hokage seemed to notice his discomfort, which made the old man grin slightly. After a few moments of silence, the doors to the office opened to emit others.

As Ryuu turned to look over his should, he could see two figures. One had particularly short and spiky black hair, which seemed to be kept up by a hitai-ate, and was smoking a cigarette. He had a thin black bear that seemed to grow thicker on the chin as it grew out to form a small point. His brown eyes seemed to hold a small hint of uncaring as he looked around the room.

The other figure had odd silver colored hair that slanted off to the left slightly. His hitai-ate pulled down to cover his left eye and a mask that covered everything on his face, and neck, aside from just below his eyes. His right eyelid sagged slightly, as if he was disinterested in everything.

"Ah, good. Now that the three of you are here, I can explain the test."

The black haired man raised an eyebrow, "Test?"

The old Hokage nodded, "A test of skills is needed and the two of you are to be the examiners."

Kakashi looked toward the Hokage and then focused his attentions on the trench coat wearing boy in front of him.

"What exactly is the exam, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked as he continued to look at the boy.

"There will be two parts to the test. The first will be a test of stealth and mental aptitude. Kakashi, Asuma, you two will attempt to track down Ryuuki here after he is given a period of grace to hide himself and keep away from you. There will be two parts to this test. Ryuuki, you are to avoid any and all contact with the two of them while trying to cause as much damage to them as possible. The other part of this is that all of this must be done at a distance."

Ryuuki nodded, fully understanding the test. It was a test to see if he could remain hidden from enemies and still be able to attack and injure or distract them.

"The grace period will be 10 minutes. After that, you must keep to the guidelines for two hours. Understood?"

When all three figures nodded, the old man smiled.

"Now, if you'll head for training ground 44, you can get started immediately."

"But Hokage-sama…"

"No arguing. It will also test on how the boy can adapt to having more than one enemy and from more than one source."

Ryuu was slightly unnerved by that. Was there something bad about this training area 44?"

------------

Ryuu stood in front of a locked gate in awe. The forest itself seemed to be completely closed off from any outside contact or influence.

He suddenly felt very uneasy and doubtful.

When Kakashi unlocked the gate he gave Ryuu a look and motioned for him to head inside with his head.

"You have 10 minutes, starting now. Go."

Ryuu simply nodded and sped through the gate faster than both men could follow. Asuma raised an eyebrow at the speed the kid displayed. If that was an indicator of his ability, then things could prove to be very interesting.

-------------

As soon as Ryuu was in the forest, he immediately activated his all seeing eyes and looked around.

The Byakugan proved to be very helpful in various situations, and this was one of them. He saw what the old man had meant by outside obstacles.

He could see various forms of life in the forest, some passive and others more active and dangerous. He could see various forms of tree leeches in a few select trees and took note of what kind of tree they seemed to prefer before continuing to look around. Snakes, both very large and small, seemed to cover the forest in every direction.

His mind immediately began working as he saw various ditches, coves, groves and any other small hole in any surface. First, though, he had to make sure that they couldn't follow him. He ran towards where he saw a river and began his process to hide the only thing that could distinguish him in the forest.

His scent.

---------------

Kakashi looked up as he heard the small timer go off.

The period of grace was up.

Now…the hunt was on.

---------------

Ryuu didn't know how long it had been, but he was pretty sure that they were already out and looking for him.

He'd already set up some basic traps, but also threw in a few triple layer traps for some fun. The first wire didn't really do anything much, just trigger a small explosive tag. The second seemed a bit more fun, as when it was tripped, it would disturb the tree leeches sitting in the above trees, causing them to drop down and attack whatever had disturbed them.

The last layer, however, was something more for himself. It was an extremely thin and practically invisible length of easily breakable wire that was infused with a little bit of energy. As soon as it was tripped, he would know where they were.

He'd left a number of those small signals in a wide area. Doing it as often as he could before moving on.

He often spent his time in the tips of the tallest trees, looking down and around him to see if he could spot his pursuers.

However, nothing came. He sat in wait for a while before slowly getting up from his squatting position and moving back towards a body of water. As he was heading towards the river, he felt one of the signals go off and turned to look in the direction of his trap.

After a few moments, the black haired one known as Asuma crossed into his field of vision.

Asuma seemed to pause slightly for a moment before standing still and closing his eyes. Ryuu knew what he was doing, but it wouldn't work.

After being on the run for years, he was extremely well versed in keeping any sign of his chakra or any other kind of energy hidden. But that was about to change.

Ryuu flashed though a series of hand seals before stopping on o-ushi and placing his hands on the floor.

"Doton: Supaiku no Hitoame no Jutsu."

The floor seemed to shake slightly before moving towards the target, who was now looking in his direction. But before Asuma could move forward, the ground in front of him gave slightly before launching small projectiles made of earth at him. He leaped back, only to receive a slight grazing wound on his shoulder from the spikes that shot from behind. It was a complete circle of projectiles that could only be avoided by launching himself high into the air or trying to defend himself.

Asuma pulled out his trench knives and began to defend himself with the elongated wind blades. Little did he know, that Ryuu's eyes widened slightly as he saw the weapons that he had produced,

Ryuu quickly put a small pulse into the ground to keep the barrage up for a few more seconds before darting quickly to his left. He had a feeling that if he stayed in one position for any more than a few seconds after a technique, he knew he'd be caught.

A few seconds after Ryuu had left the area, the other 'proctor' appeared. He seemed to look around lazily before catching a small whiff of the boy's scent. He immediately began to follow, only to be halted by a wall of kunai that flew toward him.

The kid was good at covering his tracks; Kakashi had to give him that.

------------

After numerous hit and run tactics, Ryuu was content in hiding in a small water logged cave. He'd been able to delay both men at every single time he saw either of them, and then kept them off his trail.

He knew there was something about the gray haired Kakashi though. Something that he was hiding that would given him the advantage over Ryuu. And that wasn't good.

As Ryuu began to slip out of the cave from his short rest, he activated his doujutsu once again and looked around. No one was coming from any direction. Good.

He slipped outside of the rock face and continued on. He'd continuously been setting up his small sentries that would alert him of the position of one or both of the other men, but most of them hadn't even been touched yet.

It looked like they were on to him.

He had to make sure to avoid them at all costs. He had to get through this.

As he continued on his path, he was suddenly halted by a kunai that flew in front of him.

Crap.

He turned to look and noticed a very faint chakra signature in one of the trees to his left. As if to prove he was correct, Kakashi began to pull himself out of the small genjutsu and looked directly at him.

Then Asuma seemingly appeared out of nowhere from his left.

So they'd gotten around to working together and taking him down. Interesting.

Just as he was about to continue on with the exercise, a piecing screech came from the gate.

Asuma lowered his weapons and grunted, while Kakashi simply nodded.

"Times up."

Ryuu sighed, thankful that he had at least run down the time enough with his tactics to avoid getting into a fight.

All three men ran back towards the gate together, avoiding any potential threats that could've been lurking around.

As the reached the chain linked wall around the forest, they could see a person waiting for them by the gates.

It was the same man that Ryuu had seen a few days ago. The one that had escorted him to the orphanage.

"Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Ryuuki-san, please follow me. The second part of the test is now going to commence."

All three men nodded and followed after the scarred Reido.

-------------

Ryuu looked around the small stadium like structure for a moment. If anything, it looked like a place that should've normally held hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. But it was completely empty aside from him, his proctors and the Hokage with his escort.

After a small explanation that this was the skills portion of the test, the Hokage simply sat back with Reido and motioned for them to start.

Almost immediately, both Kakashi and Asuma were coming at Ryuu with blinding speed. Kakashi reached the black clad man first and began to series of physical attacks that had Ryuu hard pressed to block and dodge.

Then Asuma came from his blind side and began to attack as well. He needed an out and fast.

He leapt back slightly to feign giving them an opening before quickly switching his stance and catching Asuma's knee in a small ankle lock before he dragged the man in front of him while he used his hands as leverage.

Kakashi quickly jumped over the black haired man only to find that Ryuu had let Asuma out of his lock and was spinning on his hands while bringing his feet back up in defense.

He quickly back flipped away, giving himself some breathing space and the little precious time he needed to activate both of his bloodlines. Although no one could see it, due to the glasses, small veins framed his eyes and a small red pinprick formed where a pupil would normally be, only to be surrounding by a red circle, and the circle surrounded by three red tomoe.

The instant both were activated, things seemed to be in slow motion for Ryuu. The men standing in front of him slowly gaining their bearings was all the advantage he needed as he shot forward.

He knew that if he used any kind of Jyuuken that they would be immediately suspicious, so he switched to a more offensive style that his uncle had told him was his former teammate's style of combat.

He leapt forward in a side roundhouse kick at Kakashi's head and a lowered fist to clip the still grounded Asuma. Both men dodged the close combat blows, but were once again driven back as he landed on his left hand, pivoted and swung both legs down in a double legged sweeping move before spinning on his hand and kicking out with his left foot to attempt to hit Kakashi.

Asuma was kicked in the shoulder where he received one of his glancing wounds earlier and winced. He used the momentum to roll along the ground and back to his feet before going back to assist Kakashi.

Even though Ryuu was facing the opposite direction, he could still see Asuma clearly. And thanks to the added effects of his second limit, he still seemed to be moving slightly slower.

Ryuu quickly braced his right hand on the ground and pushed chakra through his palms as he launched himself in a massive midair back flip. He also turned towards his two enemies before landing on the ground, giving neither of them the advantage they may have sought.

The taijutsu fight continued on for several minutes before Kakashi saw that this was getting no where. He hated to have to use this against someone who may eventually become an ally, but he had no choice.

Kakashi slipped back and put his right hand over the lower portion of his drooping hitai-ate. As he smoothly pulled it up, it revealed a long scar that ran from just above his eye, down his closed eyelid and ended under the eye.

He watched and waited for a few more moments before opening his left eye to reveal a blood red eye with three tomoe. The Sharingan was now in play.

As soon as Ryuu saw what Kakashi had been hiding, he paled. Things had just become way more complicated.

--------------

Sarutobi watched with high amusement as the teenage boy seemed to be giving both men a run for their money in simple taijutsu combat.

Though things changed after a few minutes when Kakashi had decided to go all out on the boy. Now Ryuuki was facing two jounin level opponents that were becoming increasingly serious, as Asuma, too, had pulled out his weapons of choice.

Ryuuki seemed to be constantly on guard, but no matter what either man did, they couldn't seem to hit him. When asked about it, he had simply said he was used to fleeing before fighting.

Minutes flew by and the battle was still at a constant stalemate, despite the odds being against the boy.

He could tell both of the jounin in the center ring were starting to tire. Kakashi had been using the activated Sharingan for some time now, and it was slowly draining away his energy. The bloodline of the Uchiha clan seemed to be best suit for those of the Uchiha blood, as it required an immense amount of chakra and stamina to keep it activated for extended periods of time.

And although Kakashi was a seasoned veteran, Sarutobi knew that the man he limits, as well as anyone else.

Asuma seemed to be faring better against the boy, but it seemed that he, too, was beginning to tire from the constant output of chakra into the trench knives.

At this rate, it was simply a matter of who would outlast who. But the odd thing was that the boy didn't seem to be tired at all. He was still performing complicated dodging techniques and trying to attack when he could see an opening.

One thing seemed to nag at the old man, though. How could the boy be that good if he said to be on the run for most of his life? He'd had to have been trained for years out in the wild to develop the kind of senses he was displaying. Either that or he had to have been trained by a very high class shinobi.

It was something that didn't really seem to sit right with the old Hokage.

He concentrated back on the battle just in time to see Asuma get hit in the side with a cresent kick while Kakashi was driven away by several kunai that had been thrown by a lagging right hand.

The boy continued to be a mystery…first, he seemingly adopted Naruto under the pretense that he and the boy were the same. Although he could understand that, he didn't know why it had happened so quickly.

Then again, he could've gotten to know the boy far better than anyone else after the first day he arrived. And it had been two weeks…

Second, was the fact that it seemed he had the Hyuuga's full support in whatever he did. Sarutobi figured that it was in reaction to the boy saving the little girl that had been named heir a little more than a year ago, but to have a powerful clan react so quickly to give support to a total stranger was…unnerving, to say the least.

And lastly, the proof that was now before him. He was fighting on equal stage against two jounin class enemies. And not newly inducted ones either. Granted, none of the men wanted to really hurt each other, but still…to be able to fight against both his enemies while never receiving a single blow was…frightening.

It was almost as if the boy could see and predict their every move and act accordingly.

A larger amount of time had passed since the start of the fight and all three men were starting to show signs of tiredness. Kakashi was sweating slightly and seemed to drag along. Asuma was panting slightly while staring at the boy through one open eye.

And the only sign that Ryuuki was getting tired was the fact that his moves weren't as sharp or quick as they used to be.

At that moment, the boy jumped back and began a series of seals that ended in the tori seal.

He quickly crossed his arms and mumbled what sounded like a technique name before swinging both arms down and producing two massive blades of wind that intersected each other.

Both men jumped back only to be blown away from the impact of the technique on the ground. A shower of rock accompanied the small explosion, along with a cloud of smoke.

As the small cloud dissipated, Sarutobi could see two long gashes where the technique had hit. They had to be about half a meter long and a quarter of a meter thick.

It was at that point that the old man stood up and called for the men below to stop.

If this continued, one of them could be hurt. And badly.

----------------

After using his Fuuton: Kaze no Tannaru no Jutsu, Ryuu heard a call to stop.

He looked up at the old man and saw a smile on his face.

"That will be all. Thank you for your demonstration and time gentlemen."

Ryuu bowed before walking over to the two men who were slightly slow in getting up.

"Good match. You guys actually posed a pretty good threat when you began to fight somewhat seriously."

Kakashi nodded and slipped the left part of his hitai-ate back down over his eye while Asuma sighed.

The black haired man quickly pulled out a pack of cigarettes before hitting the bottom of it a few times before pulling one out and lighting it. He took a drag and put the pack back in one of his vest pockets before nodding.

"It was an interesting and fun experience, to say the least."

Ryuu smirked at the response and nodded, "Hopefully, next time we will be fighting with each other and not against."

With that he dipped his head slightly and began to walk away.

The four remaining figures left in the stadium could only stare at the back of a boy clouded in mystery. He had greatly surprised them all with his abilities.

The only problem was…that he had no background. No one knew how he gained his experience or skill. No one knew how he refined his senses to detect even the slightly change in air pressure.

And no one knew anything about him.

Things were getting very interesting indeed…

**A/N**: Well that was fun. I don't really get to write that many battle scenes, so this is my first real attempt at one. Fun no?

I think the setup will probably last for another few chapters before the main story line gets into play. And you can count on some things being different.

Translations: Hitai-ate – Duh, forehead protector. Figured I'd keep some things the same.

Doton: Supaiku no Hitoame no Jutsu – Earth Release: Shower of Spikes Technique (Surrounds an enemy with a barrage of spikes made of earth and uses the chakra of the caster to launch those spikes at the target)

Fuuton: Kaze no Tannaru no Jutsu – Wind Release: Wind Sheers Technique (Basically giant wind scissors. All there is to it.)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

Naruto wandered around the town in boredom.

Nothing had really happened at all in the last week and Naruto was getting pretty bored.

He'd go watch Ryuu train sometimes, but that was boring too. He couldn't just sit in one spot and not do anything for a long period of time.

Today, Ryuu had been called for some sort of meeting or what not. He wasn't really paying attention.

Even though it had been only a few hours, Naruto was already beginning to miss Ryuu. The man just had this…feeling about him that made Naruto completely at peace. He was also very kind and understanding. And more than willing to help him out with anything he asked.

The only thing that Naruto didn't really like was that he had chores to do. Ryuu had said that he was to dry the dishes that Ryuu washed and dispose of the trash. He said it was to teach Naruto some responsibility at an early age. While Naruto complained about it to simply try to get a rise out of the man, he actually didn't mind.

Since he really had nothing to do, Naruto walked around town in his spare time. Only to notice that everyone avoided him like the plague. He could also see, and feel, harsh unforgiving stares directed in his general area.

He was used to it though. The only place that he actually seemed accepted, aside from Ryuu's apartment, was at Ichiraku Ramen. The old man always had a smile on his face and an empty stool ready for the boy whenever he came inside.

The Hokage had given him a small allowance for as long as he could remember. It was almost as if the old man _wanted_ him to get out into the town. But the reception he received wasn't exactly welcoming. By anyone's standards.

He continued on through the streets for a while longer, simply walking around. He had nothing to do and didn't know of anything he could do.

Although…he was growing slightly uncomfortable under the glares.

Naruto looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun had moved a considerable distance. He laced his fingers together behind his head and began to walk back to the apartment. Maybe Ryuu would be back when he got there.

--------------

When Naruto walked through the apartment door, he noticed the table in the small living space was occupied by various things he hadn't seen in the rooms before.

Chief amongst the items were large scrolls. There seemed to be more scrolls than anything else.

Naruto could see Ryuu's black trench hanging over one of the chairs, but he didn't see the man anywhere.

After a few moments, the door to the bathroom opened and Ryuu stepped out of the small room with a sigh.

Naruto noticed he wasn't wearing most of his normal attire. In fact, all Ryuu was wearing were his blue shorts and black undershirt.

When Ryuu finished stretching, he turned to go examine the things he'd been given, since he'd put the down almost immediately after he got home and took care of…business.

He noticed Naruto staring at him and he grinned.

"What's up squirt? I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

Naruto's curious face was suddenly marred by a scowl. He turned away indignantly and grumbled something Ryuu couldn't hear.

He forgot about that…Ryuu had the most annoying habit to using pet names for Naruto. He absolutely hated the stupid names, but Ryuu kept using them. It was like he was trying to get Naruto irritated.

"Where did you run off to while I had to go meet the Hokage?"

"No where…I just wandered around."

Ryuu simply raised an eyebrow. That was the norm for Naruto, but he couldn't seem to shake the odd feeling he got when Naruto mentioned wandering around.

"So…what did the old man want?"

Ryuu smirked. As to the point as always. The kid was blunt and told it how it was. That was one of the things he liked about him.

"Oh nothing, just had to get the gear he assigned me," Ryuu said as he pointed to the pile of stuff on the table.

Naruto looked over and looked back, "So…what? Did you pass that stupid test?"

Ryuu grinned, "You could say that." He walked over to the table and pulled off a green flak jacket that Naruto had seen many of the shinobi around town wear. "This is kind of a proof of rank, I guess. You don't necessarily have to wear it, but it offers a greater amount of protection than simply wearing normal clothing."

Naruto nodded, simply staring at the flak jacket.

"Anyway, they said they would allow me to stay on as an active member of the shinobi ranks if I passed my probationary period without any real problems. I'm also on reduced pay, which basically means that some of the money on missions will go to the village and not me."

"Probationary period? What's that?"

Ryuu smirked, "It basically means they don't trust me yet and want to watch what I do for a while before accepting me. Not that I blame them."

"Oh."

Ryuu ruffled the boy's hair, "Don't worry about it, short stuff. We'll be fine."

Naruto rolled his eyes and whined, "Stop calling me that!"

"Why? You are short."

"I'm still a kid!"

Ryuu chuckled, "Point taken. You're still a squirt though."

Naruto growled and tried to pounce on the man in front of him, only to find himself laying on his back and looking up at a smiling Ryuu.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

Naruto scowled at the man before getting up and trying again, only to find himself hanging upside down while Ryuu was hold onto to one of his legs.

"You should just give up."

Naruto crossed his arms and seemed to pout slightly, causing the man to laugh. He set the kid down and turned back to the large number of scrolls sitting on the table.

He walked over and laid his hand on one before sighing, "This could take a while…"

He looked back over to Naruto who was currently climbing to his feet.

"Naruto, I'll be busy catching up with most of this stuff I have to read. Go mess around at the park for a while ok? By the time you get back I should have dinner ready."

Naruto nodded and walked out the door.

He didn't need a jacket yet. Even though they were in the later part of the summer season, the air was still incredibly warm. Even at night.

Naruto wandered through the streets before coming to a halt in front of the park. He stood and stared at the kids laughing while messing around. After a few moments of hesitation, he slowly made his way to the center of the play area.

But as soon as he got to the area and the kids noticed him, so did the parents that were watching. Names suddenly rung out throughout the area as the parents called for their children to come back so they could leave.

The fire year old boy sighed as he sat down on one of the swings and slowly began to fidget with it. He wasn't going forward and backward as much as he was side to side.

He stared at the area the kids his age had just occupied in silence.

He wondered what it would be like to simply be accepted. To be wanted by others his age.

To be acknowledged.

Sure…he had Ryuu, but they hadn't known each other that long. From what Naruto could tell, he was a good guy. But that didn't have any real affect on him or some of his desires.

For as long as he could remember, children his age had all avoided him. Even at the orphanage.

He realized why he was lonely and bored most of the time now. He wanted friends.

Someone his own age he could have fun with and possibly identify with. Someone his own age he joke with and laugh with. Someone his own age that he could visit and play with when he was bored.

Naruto looked up at the sky and sighed. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he could guess it was a fair amount. The top of the sun was just starting to sink behind the Hokage Monument. Shadows were starting to grow and extend.

He looked back at the play area and sighed again before getting up.

--------------

When Naruto got back to the apartment, he could see the lights on inside. And he could smell something good coming from inside.

When he opened the door, he could see that the normal meal was set out. There was a small salad by Ryuu's plate, which made Naruto cringe. He had no idea how the guy could eat all those greens.

As he walked toward the table, the meal came more into focus. Rice was set out on the left side of the plate while the right was dominated mainly by what looked like marinated barbeque chicken and pork. And of course, a small cup of instant ramen.

Naruto grinned at the setup. Ryuu told him that they were going to try to eat a balanced meal when together, but Naruto still refused to eat any kind of salad. Rice or other products he could handle, but not most fruits or veggies.

Ryuu walked into the room with a couple of cups and set them down.

"Hey, just in time."

The man motioned for him to take his spot at the table while sitting down himself. Soon, small talk was heard as Naruto asked in more detail about his day and meeting with the old man.

As Ryuu set to explaining most of what he could, the boy listened with what looked like an eager face.

After dinner, the usual activities ensued. Ryuu did his own little thing while Naruto watched a little bit of television. Of course, the boy could see Ryuu look up at him occasionally out of the corner of his eye.

Same old schedule…

Naruto sighed before returning his eyes back to the set in front of him. But his mind wasn't on the program in front of him.

He let his mind wander as he seemed to zone out in front of the TV.

-------------

Days continued to fly by. Everything was under a set routine for a while, but Naruto began to change that.

When he was bored or had free time, he would begin to pull pranks on people who annoyed him the most. Most were harmless little annoyances, but there were a few destructive ones.

Like the time he'd filled a few balloons with paint and launched them in a crowd of people. Or painting over certain shop signs, shops that would usually harass or throw him out when he walked in.

All in all, he was becoming a little hellion simply because of the way people acted towards him.

Of course, when they brought it up with Ryuu, Naruto simply smiled and tried to act as innocent as possible.

But the older man didn't buy it. Especially not with the more permanent or destructive pranks. The ones that were harmless he basically rolled his eyes and shut the door in the person's face. If anything, they deserved it.

But Ryuu tried to set down laws on how far Naruto could take his so call 'pranks.' And one was that he avoided any permanent damage to any building or person. That included graffiti or anything involving the use of paint or oil. Or tar.

One prank, Naruto had actually managed to tar and feather one of the more snide members of the community. He'd always yell at Naruto for no reason and sometimes even try to abuse the boy. Needless to say, it only got worse after the little incident, but Naruto didn't care.

In fact, Ryuu seemed to have to try to keep a straight face as he looked at the man standing in the doorway. When the man left after his rant, Ryuu shut the door calmly, turned around and started to laugh outright.

He warned Naruto not to do it again though. And Naruto was happy to oblige after he was smacked upside the head by the same man with a small rod. Hard. He said it was retaliation for the humiliation the brat put him through. Naruto simply stuck his tongue out and ran from the man.

As it was, Naruto had already turned six a couple weeks ago. It had been almost three months since he moved in with Ryuu, and the man openly had celebrated his birthday on October 10th which seemed to irritate some of the villagers to no end.

Naruto could only smirk as they seemed disgusted and walked away from the small celebration at Ichiraku. The Hokage had even come and sat with them for a while as they enjoyed dinner.

As Naruto started to get out more and more, he kept noticing the little things that caught his attention. Like the admiration that the villagers seemed to give the passing shinobi. And the respect they gave the old man. He noticed that the most.

It was after thinking on it for a while before he approached Ryuu about his position after the man had come back from one of his longer missions.

-------------

"I want to be a ninja."

Ryuu looked up with a raised brow, "Oh do you now?"

The boy nodded.

"And why is that?"

Naruto seemed to think for a second before looking back at the man, "I'm sick of the way people look at me, treat me like I'm different. I've seen the way they admire the shinobi of the village. Especially the old man. I want to gain that kind of recognition for myself! To become a ninja and prove to them that I'm not just some other kid. To prove to them how strong I can be. To prove to them that I have a reason to exist!"

Ryuu smiled. At least the kid was serious.

"You're still a little too young to enter into the academy." He saw Naruto's head droop, "But I suppose in the off time I have on missions, I can help you out. It isn't going to be easy though, I'll warn you now. I'm going to be as hard on you as my uncle was on me."

Naruto seemed to hesitate slightly before nodding once.

"Alright, first order of business…is to get you in shape."

After that Ryuu talked out a plan to himself while Naruto only watched in confusion. The guy could be a complete weirdo sometimes.

But after he seemed to come up with a brief outline, Ryuu nodded to himself.

"First, we're going to run a couple exercises. Once you get into better shape, weights."

Naruto stared at the man before nodding numbly.

Ryuu could only smirk.

The kid had no idea what he was getting into.

------------

Ryuu spent a majority of this first couple of months or so with Naruto trying to condition him. The norm was to get up at a ridiculously early time in the morning and jog a few laps around the village. But after a while, the speed steadily increased as Naruto was getting better and better with his morning runs. After the first week alone, his pace was pretty decent.

After the morning running session, Ryuu would have Naruto do other normal training activities. Squats, push ups, chin ups, sit ups, anything that he could think of to help strength the boy's body.

The starting normal routine was 20 of each exercise before the boy would be allowed to rest. After a two hour break, Ryuu would begin to teach him how to practice for himself when he wasn't there. He went through various moves and other exercises that Naruto could capitalize on when he was out on a mission.

After the first month of work, Naruto was already doing four laps in the morning at a very decent pace, 50 of each exercise and would train by himself constantly. With or without Ryuu's supervision.

It was during these lessons that Ryuu learned that Naruto was a visual learner. Instead of listening to directions or following commands, he learned by actually seeing it done, and then mimicking the movement.

He also learned how determined Naruto was. Even though it was only a recent goal, the boy put everything he had into his pre-academy tutoring.

By the end of the second month, Naruto was running five laps every morning at close to a blistering pace, would do his workout exercises, and then do a cool down run. Another five additional laps, but at a much slower pace.

Ryuu couldn't help but be amazed at how fast the kid was growing. They had taken a day off for Ryuu's birthday, December 18th, which Naruto actually complained about. He said he didn't like doing nothing and that it was boring, which amused the man.

Ryuu's Christmas present to Naruto was a set of weights. The bands had several loops for modified weights and several small weights on the side as well. He told the boy that they would work with the weights on after the New Year had passed.

Naruto was eager, and ready, for anything new that Ryuu could teach him; and the days off were an extreme annoyance.

But when news had spread that the wife of the Hyuuga clan leader had passed only nine short months after giving birth to her second daughter, Ryuu went to pay his respects to the clan. He'd forced Naruto to go with him, which aggravated the boy but he followed anyway.

Naruto had seen the pained and saddened look on the face of the little girl he'd met at the complex a while ago. Apparently, her mother had passed away just before her sixth birthday. The day after Christmas was a day of mourning for the Hyuuga house, while many in the village seemed to mourn with them.

He didn't like seeing the look of sadness on her face, but there was nothing he could do about it. It seemed that now she understood a little of his sadness, which she claimed she couldn't understand when they first met.

His defiant attitude turned passive as he watched the girl clutch at the robes of a tall man. Naruto could only guess that it was the girl's father. Her pearl like eyes released tears as she looked at a smiling picture of her mother on the small shrine dedicated to her.

The odd thing was, Naruto could see that she had normal looking eyes. She looked like every other normal woman he'd seen, not the ones in this huge house. The odd pearl like eyes no where present on her visage.

When Ryuu went up to pay his respects, he followed the man. Ryuu bowed slightly while Naruto tried to mimic the movement, only to pull off an awkward imitation of Ryuu's pose. The man smiled slightly at the mistake, but he could tell the boy was serious.

Although Hiashi had heard some rather negative things about Naruto, he couldn't really judge the boy. The pranks he seemed to pull only targeted those who treated him negatively, which was slightly admirable.

On the other hand, it seemed that Ryuu had done quite well with the blonde, which was a good sign.

Naruto gave his condolences to Hinata for her loss, to which the girl seemed to blush slightly and nod. She shuffled behind her father slightly to try to hide herself from the normally loud boy, which confused him. He guessed that his first impression of her was right after all, a really shy girl.

When they both left, the more depressive atmosphere set in again as the ceremony and process of grieving continued on.

It would be many days before Hiashi would hear or see Ryuu again. And his request was slightly attention catching. He wished to continue Naruto's training in a more private area, since it seemed that people disturbed them when they went to the more public training grounds. Disturbed being a rather diluted version of what actually happened.

Hiashi could see a change in the blonde boy, just in that short amount of time. And that was one of the reasons that he granted Ryuu's request to let Ryuu and Naruto have access to the Hyuuga complex dojo. He was also interested in seeing how Ryuu was taught, since the lessons a person learned often were reflected in their teaching methods.

Ryuu thanked him profusely and asked if they could have access three days a week if he wasn't on a mission or out with other responsibilities. The clan head was hesitant until he learned that they would be rather early morning sessions. A small extension of morning exercises and meditation could easily cover the period of time Ryuu wanted.

Hiashi agreed, but only on the condition that he, Hizashi, Neji and Hinata may sit in on any session they chose. Ryuu accepted the terms with little to no question as to why. The Hyuuga man figured the boy was smart enough to know why he wanted to view the training sessions.

He only had to wait a slight amount of time before he could actually learn more about the enigma named Ryuuki.

--------------

Naruto had been training with the basic weights for a little over three weeks, which added to his impressive performance.

The boy seemed to take to the extra weight with almost no notice. Of course, five additional kilograms per arm and leg wasn't really anything much. He continued his normal exercises every morning and even went to the training grounds a few times. Those few times often ended in disaster, as he was often chased off or confronted by various shinobi or villagers.

When Ryuu told him that they were moving up a stage in his training, he was thrilled. He couldn't wait to start.

It was now that he found himself standing in the Hyuuga complex dojo facing Ryuu. His mentor had told him that they were moving up to sparring. Naruto was both excited and nervous.

He knew that Ryuu had been promoted to Jounin slightly before Christmas and Hinata's mother's death. That meant that he was good…really good.

While Ryuu was home half the time, they continued with the same routine. Both would warm up and go through the exercises. Ryuu claimed it was a way to calm down and unwind after a mission, which Naruto didn't argue with.

The boy had continued with his training even when Ryuu was gone. Sometimes even double time.

But now the routine was being broken. Ryuu had just returned from his latest mission the previous night and told him about the step up.

Now, here he was. Standing in the middle of the dojo floor simply staring at Ryuu. He wasn't sure of what to do, until Ryuu spoke.

"This is basic sparring. It will improve your form and fighting style slightly, until you find a style that suits you best. At first, I will simply counter attack. If you fail to hit me even once in 50 attacks, then I'm going to go on the offensive. Understood?"

Naruto gulped and nodded nervously. He, being the brash and headstrong type he was, immediately rushed at Ryuu, only to have the man dodge his punch.

"Never let an opponent see your backside. It's a weakness."

He then felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder as Ryuu brought his elbow down to counter. Naruto spun away and began the process anew, only to have Ryuu dodge every single one of his attacks using no effort at all.

Ryuu was keeping mental track of the boy's attacks and when he reached the specific mark, changed completely.

As Naruto tried to punch him again, he simply spun and swung his elbow in a slight arch that ended with hitting the back of the boy's head. Naruto shot forward with a cry of pain before turning back around, only to be kicked in the side.

He rolled along the floor like a limp rag doll before coming to a halt by the sliding door. After a few moments, he pushed himself back on his feet and looked up at Ryuu.

Ryuu's visage was stern and completely void of all emotion. He looked at Naruto for a moment longer before simply vanishing.

Naruto was, once again, hit in the back of the head, but this time it was with a flat palm. As stumbled forward and moved to his left, only to stop as a fist impacted the floor near his side. He smirked to himself, realizing he'd dodged one of Ryuu's attacks.

The smirk quickly left his face as the hand suddenly flattened on the ground and his right side was kicked, once again.

Hiashi watched on the sidelines as Ryuu continued to pummel the boy, not offering any advice at all aside from his first comment. It seemed as though he was letting pain be the teacher in these sessions, which Hiashi could agree with. That method was tried and true.

The smaller figure sitting next to him, however, cringed every time she saw the boy get hit. It was obvious Ryuu was holding back his strength, but the sheer amount of blows he was landing on the boy made up for that fact.

Hinata suddenly felt very lucky that her father at least gave her a chance in each training session, not like what was going on in front of her. He explained what she needed to do and expected her to do it. Naruto was offered no such luxury.

Naruto landed hard, coughing slightly as the air was forced from his lungs.

"Get up."

Naruto looked shakily up to Ryuu, who was now standing over him. The stern look in his face and eyes still there.

Naruto very slowly and very carefully stood up, favoring his left leg and right side. He looked up at Ryuu with fear and determination in his eyes.

"I can see you're scared. Good. We need to force that fear out of you."

After a few more minutes, Naruto fell once again. Only this time, he didn't have the ability to make it back up. He slowly rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling. He was breathing hard and his body ached everywhere. No single spot was safe from Ryuu's attacks.

Ryuu sat next to Naruto with his legs crossed, "I would say I'm sorry for doing this to you, but I'm not. You asked for this. You chose this path for yourself."

Naruto nodded lightly to prove he understood.

"You need to go through the pain and fear of what you _will_ experience out in the real world. You need to face those obstacles and overcome them. You need to be strong in order to do this."

Naruto nodded his head again in response. Ryuu messed with his blonde hair and stood.

"Get cleaned up and relax. We're going to put off the normal exercises until later. You're body needs the rest."

Naruto ever so slowly got to his feet, wincing with every movement he made. When he was on his feet, Ryuu motioned for him to follow and he slowly did so.

After they left the room, Hiashi turned to Hinata.

"It would be wise to remember his words, for he speaks the truth. You will face many things you must overcome and fear will be chief amongst your obstacles. You will need to gain strength if you are going to take my place as the head. To gain strength, you must have the will to get stronger."

Hinata looked up at her father and nodded, "Yes."

"Prepare, Hinata."

Hiashi stood and walked to the center of the dojo to signify that their training session was just about to begin. But Hinata couldn't really concentrate after seeing what had just happened.

Thus, the training and punishments she received were slightly more harsh than normal; her distraction taking away from her focus and training.

---------------

Naruto sighed as he stepped out of the hot shower. The warm water was enough to slightly soothe his aching muscles.

'Ryuu wasn't kidding when he said things weren't going to be easy,' Naruto thought to himself.

The boy had thought that when they started, things couldn't get any worse. But as time passed, he found himself able to do more and more with the same amount of time he'd been given to exercise.

This though…this was nothing like the exercises and routines they had to go through.

This was plain and utter torture.

The pain felt surreal. It felt like it actually hurt more than just his body. And he knew he had to endure more of it to get stronger.

He winced as he stretched his bruised left side while putting on his normal blue and orange shirt. He stiffly put his legs into his normal orange jogging pants and walked out of the bathroom.

There, Ryuu was waiting with a small apathetic smile on his face.

"Don't worry kid. The pain lessens in time. Once you become used to it."

Naruto winced. That didn't sound so good…But at least Ryuu was back to his normal self.

Ryuu handed him a small sandwich.

"Eat that before we start the normal exercises. We're skipping over the usual run. You can take a few cool down laps afterward if you want. I suggest you do, so you can get used to moving around while in pain. An enemy isn't going to chase you at a slower pace simply because you're injured."

Naruto nodded and took the sandwich. After he consumed the small morsel, things resumed again.

As he went through his normal routine, he couldn't help but reflect back on Ryuu's words.

If this was all for the sake of him becoming stronger…then he'd try his best. Despite the massive amount of pain he experienced.

After all, Ryuu said it wasn't going to be easy. And he doubted that Ryuu had it any easier than he did either.

He'd seen his adoptive relative walk through the door beaten and torn before. Utterly exhausted, but still with a slight smile on his face.

He wanted to get stronger, so he could do the same.

Face everything with a smile, not showing the pain he was in. Even if the pain was mind numbing.

Having the ability to hide all his troubles with a smile.

That…was what he wanted.

**A/N: ** I don't know when Hinata's mother died, she may have passed in child labor, but in this story she dies later in the same year Hanabi is born. Hanabi is still too young to remember her mother, but Hinata isn't.

I figured that around the age of 6 or 7, Naruto would notice the obvious things like people respecting the Hokage and such. So that was when his dream was born.

Naruto's training…like it? Dislike it? I'm trying to keep at least some of the original story line active, but most of this is my opinion.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

Naruto groaned as he hit the floor. Again.

That was pretty much the only part in the training regimen that had stayed the same: His constant close contact with the floor.

He'd grown pretty intimate with every single tatami matt on the floor in the Hyuuga dojo.

To his credit, the hits didn't hurt that much anymore…but the landings sure as hell still did. It had been a couple months from the start of their 'sparring' sessions, which had given Naruto's small body ample time to adjust to the pain.

It was nearing Hanabi's first birthday, which was a cause for celebration in the Hyuuga complex.

Ryuu and Naruto simply wished the family their best and kept away from the complex while the small interfamily celebration took place.

However, things continued on the norm after the event had passed. Ryuu would take Naruto in on the mornings and 'spar' and then they would continue the normal routines.

It was in the middle of spring before things started advancing to a decent degree. By that time, Naruto was able to dodge, and sometimes even counter, a decent amount of Ryuu's attacks. But with this event taking place, Ryuu began to up the speed and power little by little, so Naruto could continue to get used to the changes.

Of course, the attacks did hit hurt like hell when Ryuu used more and more power, but Naruto shrugged it off. He would always stand up shakily to continue, letting the lessons take their course.

It was after a certain point that they almost always had a guest. Ryuu knew that the girl would try to hide and stay away while still watching the matches, but she stopped that habit when Ryuu had called for her to come in and watch.

Hinata would always have a few towels and a small, shy smile ready for the both of them when they were done with the lessons. She admired the way Naruto would always stand up again after getting thrown around the room like an unwanted dishrag. He would get up, just to take another beating and fall down. And the process repeated. He wouldn't let Ryuu hold him down, no matter how many times he was thrown to the floor.

But as time passed, she noticed that the intervals at which he fell were becoming longer and longer. He was learning how to take certain hits a certain way to stay on his feet and continue with the attack.

The thing she admired most, though, was his uncanny ability to smile through it all. At the end of their sessions, both boys would stand in the middle of the dojo grinning at each other. Ryuu would mess with his hair and Naruto would simply shrug it off.

Even when he would limp off towards the exit, he would be smiling. Just seeing him like that made Hinata want to try harder. To try to follow his example and take everything in stride.

Hinata's progress in her training slightly surprised Hiashi. She was trying harder than she normally would, although her mistakes in form were still the same.

He suspected that the girl had been watching the young boy and wanted to try, to a degree, to be like him. He had to admit, the blonde had an incredible amount of energy and will power, which was quite interesting, not to mention rare, for someone his age.

But they both lacked experience. And in time, that, too, could be accounted for.

Hinata was progressing well, but she was still making the same mistakes. Her progress was the only thing that made Hiashi tolerate her numerous blunders, despite his annoyances.

As the days continued to pass, Hiashi also took note of his nephew's progress. At half a year older than Hinata, he was already passed most of the normal training in the Jyuuken style and was moving more into the advanced techniques and maneuvers.

Hizashi oversaw his training and would often be harsh on the boy for his own good. Not as harsh as Ryuu was on Naruto, but he was far more strict.

It was after seeing all three of them progress at a steady pace, although Neji was far ahead of both Naruto and Hinata, that an idea came to his mind.

The next morning that Ryuu would come to train Naruto, he would put in the request.

--------------

A couple of days passed before Ryuu returned from his mission, which gave Naruto plenty of time to rest and recuperate.

The boy was relieved that he'd have at least one day off from the normal training sessions at the Hyuuga house. It gave him time to cool down and nurse most of the injuries that he'd been given.

But as eager as Naruto was for a day off, he was just as eager to get back to the training as soon as Ryuu came back. That only caused the man to grin at his exuberance.

But as Ryuu and Naruto entered the dojo at the normal time, they were confronted by both heads of the Main and Branch houses. Hiashi and Hizashi stood next to each other with serious looks on their faces, while Hinata and Neji stood in front of their respective fathers.

Ryuu bowed slightly towards the men and Naruto bowed his head, since he couldn't really perform formal bows without screwing them up.

When Ryuu rose, he could see slight smirks on both faces of the men before him.

"Today, we would like a little change in the routine."

"Very well, Hiashi-sama. What is it that you had in mind?"

Hiashi looked toward his brother and nodded. The other man acknowledged the gesture and turned back to Ryuu.

"We wish to see how each of our pupils would do against each other."

Ryuu was slightly taken aback. They wanted a three way battle between the children?

"If I may ask…why?"

"To assess each of their strengths and weaknesses. They need to actually put their training to use instead of being sheltered."

Ryuu nodded. It made sense in a way, but he was still worried about Naruto. He knew how strong Neji was…as a child and in his future.

He motioned for Naruto to step forward and moved off to the side of the dojo with Hiashi and Hizashi.

Hinata looked stunned; she hadn't known what was going on at all. Neji looked equally surprised.

Naruto walked towards the two in the middle of the floor with a small smile.

"Hey Hinata, who's this guy?"

Hinata seemed to be pulled out of her stupor by the sound of his voice and looked to Naruto. He had an analytical face on as he seemed to be studying Neji.

"Neji-niisan…T-this is Naruto-k-kun. N-naruto-kun, this is m-my cousin, N-neji-niisan."

"If he's your cousin, why do you call him '-niisan?'"

"I'm older than her," was the blunt retort from the boy with the bandages around his forehead.

"Oh…Well nice to meet ya."

Neji smirked at the blonde in front of him. He seemed to have no idea of what was about to happen. Or what he was getting himself into.

"Yes, it is a pleasure."

Hizashi's voice broke through the small introduction, "Ground rules: No killing blows, no weapons and no using chakra in any strikes. That is all. Do as you please."

"Yes, father."

Hinata and Naruto nodded.

"Begin as soon as you feel you are ready."

All three stood watching each other for a while, before Naruto suddenly ran towards Hinata. She seemed startled and tried to get up a defense, but it was useless, as Naruto pivoted on his right foot and sent a kick toward Neji.

The older boy barely seemed to get a defense up in time, but was still pushed back by the force of the blow. Naruto was a bit slow in getting back into his stance, so he left his side and back wide open for Hinata.

The girl hesitated slightly before stepping forward and palming Naruto's left side. Naruto felt the blow glance his side. He looked over at Hinata and smiled slightly.

"Hinata! Do not hold back!"

Hinata jumped as her father yelled at her, but she nodded.

Neji, taking advantaged of their distraction, put his hands in the ram seal.

"Byakugan!"

Hiashi looked over to Hizashi with a questioning look, only to see his brother smiling with pride. It was evident that Neji had great potential and truly was a genius if he was able to activate his bloodline with only the final hand seal at the age of six, almost seven.

Ryuu watched everything that went on intently. It seemed that Naruto and Neji were going after each other almost all the time, while Hinata stayed back and was landing blows on each of them as they left themselves unguarded or unprepared.

Naruto and Neji were almost evenly matched…almost. Naruto had the advantage of speed, but it seemed as if Neji could counter everything the boy threw at him and in addition to landing his own blows.

In that respect, Naruto was taking more hits than both Hinata and Neji combined. Although, he was used to much harder blows…so these didn't even compare to what Ryuu could dish out.

Eventually, the three found themselves all attacking each other. Whoever was closer was the recipient of the attack. Twists, jumps, flips, ducks, rolls. It was an odd display of dodging multiple attacks at once while also trying to one up the opponent.

But it seemed as though Naruto had the advantage. His natural stamina, in addition to training he received that boosted that stamina, was greater than both Neji's and Hinata's.

While he was receiving more blows, he was sill able to continue on at a normal pace. Hinata, who had stayed back a greater deal of the time, was starting to tire. But Neji looked like he was fairing the worst of the three.

Neji, while constantly countering and on the offensive for a majority of the time, was now on constant defense. He had to defend himself from two different sets of attacks, as both Hinata and Naruto noticed his position.

After a few minutes of both Naruto and Hinata taking advantage of Neji's lack of offensive capabilities, they managed to land of few blows that caused the boy to stutter step slightly before falling.

Naruto's breathing was slightly quickened, but otherwise controlled. Hinata was breathing more heavily than Naruto, but was quickly trying to control her breath.

Neji was sitting on the floor practically panting. The use of his chakra in his bloodline and the physical maneuvers he pulled took their toll on the boy. Plus, he was fighting two enemies at once since they both took advantage of his weakness.

Naruto looked over to the winded Hinata and smirked. He shook his head slightly and turned to walk back toward Ryuu.

Ryuu knew what the kid was doing, but it wasn't as admirable as he thought.

"Naruto, don't take lightly to females. Any so called honor you may display can be considered a weakness. Any display of kindness could get you killed."

Naruto stopped and looked at Ryuu, then back at Hinata.

"Then…how should I fight? What should I do?"

"If you do not believe in physically harming a female shinobi, then subdue them."

"Sub…due?"

Ryuu sighed, "Grapple and hold them, hit pressure points, use a genjutsu…anything that will result in you being able to disarm them without hurting them…too much."

Naruto nodded and turned back to look at Hinata, only to notice that Neji was back on his feet.

And he was going after Hinata.

Hinata was caught off guard, as she was listening to the conversation between Ryuu and Naruto. She couldn't dodge or block well at all, as she wasn't in any stance. She was constantly backpedaling away from Neji, but he continued to score hits on her.

Hinata finally fell away, due to the numerous hits scored on her left side, and Naruto picked up the fight. She was holding her side wincing as she watched the two boys go at it again.

She struggled to get to her feet and, once again, began to hover around the fight looking for blind spots and taking advantage of them in order to regain her breath and let her side adapt to the pain.

Neji's second wind didn't last long though, as he was still tired and still dealing with two opponents. He soon fell back to the floor as Naruto managed to connect a solid punch to his abdomen as Hinata came around and landed a firm blow on his neck.

Naruto turned to look at Hinata with a slightly apologetic look on his face and began to move against her. He saw she was favoring her right side, so he landed a glancing blow to her left, which caused her to wince and lose her concentration for a second.

That was all Naruto needed as he quickly spun behind her back, grabbing each wrist before putting a foot behind her knees and pushing.

The end result was Hinata landing on her knees with her hands restrained by Naruto, who was standing behind her.

After a few moments, small noises of approval could be heard from the three men currently seated at the side of the dojo. Naruto let go of Hinata and stepped around to offer her a hand, which she very shyly accepted.

While Naruto and Hinata were smiling, Neji was beyond irritated. He couldn't believe that he'd lost to some no name and his weaker cousin. Although the odds were against him, he knew that he still should've come out better than the both of them.

If it had been a normal battle, he knew he would've won. He knew that neither of them would've stood a chance.

It was that thought alone that placed the self satisfied smirk on his face as he watched the others. He slowly walked out of the room, which left his father to sigh in slight disappointment.

It was apparent that the boy's distaste for the Main family was growing. And he couldn't really do anything about it. The boy had started disliking the Main family after watching his uncle use the Caged Bird Seal on his father.

His disposition was slightly better around Hinata, who would always treat everyone kindly, but it automatically turned sour whenever he saw Hiashi.

Despite Hizashi trying to quell the growing feels of dispassion, nothing seemed to work.

It had only been three years since he received the seal, but Neji was already well on his way to hating the Main family for what they did and who they were.

The boy's father could only hope he wouldn't let his scorn rule over his life. He didn't want Neji to be a cold, heartless individual.

Hizashi soon excused himself from the small talk that the others were engaged in and followed Neji to, once again, try to keep his son from falling into his own little hell ruled by his emotions.

Ryuu followed the man's example and ushered Naruto outside after they talked for a while about different methods of training and how each of the children were progressing.

------------

Neji was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, replaying his father's words through his mind. He'd been warned before about his feelings, but this was more of a threat than a warning.

According to him, trying to defy the Main house was futile. Hating the Main house was worse, only leading down a path of false loyalties and fake appearances.

It would be a miserable life.

Neji paused at that thought. He had to admit, life wasn't anywhere near bad at the moment, even if he was young. Would he want to change that?

The only person he really hated was Hiashi for making his father suffer. Would that hatred branch out to the entire Main house?

He didn't think it wise to make so many enemies. Let alone hate someone who didn't deserve it.

A light knock came from his door, "Neji-niisan?"

Speaking of that someone…

"Yes? What is it, Hinata-sama?"

"Well…I-I was just wondering if you were alright…"

Neji raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Well…y-you left the dojo rather…suddenly. And you d-didn't seem well…"

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry."

"Alright…if you s-say so."

After a few moments, the small shadow at his door vanished.

He wondered if continuing to hate one person would lead to his downfall. He wondered if he wanted to chance that fate.

He sighed as he closed his eyes before opening them in a slight scowl. Not aimed at anyone, but meant for himself.

He was being an idiot.

He slowly sat up and began to go outside to begin his training again.

Maybe he would think on his father's words later.

--------------

Days continued to pass. Routines continued to be followed.

But new activities were constantly being added.

New 'aptitude tests' were implemented; which basically meant that the three children would spar again. But during these tests, there were different rules. Nothing stayed the same, but some things never changed.

Some of the more odd tests included only using their feet to fight. Or that one of the children was selected to attack only after a certain time period, which was usually measured in blocked or avoided blows.

Naruto didn't seem to mind the idea, Hinata was constantly nervous and Neji was unreadable.

In fact, it took Neji quite a while to open up to the person he was three years ago. But sometime before his 7th birthday, he began to smile again. And it was usually in the company of Hinata and Naruto.

Naruto, despite being completely serious during his training, was still his rambunctious and loud self. Hinata was having a hard time trying to figure out which mood he was in, since he seemed to fluctuate between them so easily and so often.

She was often embarrassed when she was caught staring at the young boy, simply looking down at the ground with a silent blush. She was still trying to figure him out for the most part, but still admired him for how hard he worked.

He was always nice to her, so she didn't mind when they were left alone when the adults had to talk about something or business to take care of.

Things changed, however, after Neji turned seven. Only a few short weeks after the event, Neji had stopped coming to the training sessions.

It was then that they learned that he was enrolled at the Ninja Academy, learning to establish contacts outside of the clan. Hiashi told Hinata that she should expect the same treatment when she later reached the appropriate age. She would leave the compound and learn more about the outside world.

It somewhat frightened the girl. She knew absolutely no one aside from her family, Ryuu and Naruto. She was just starting to get comfortable around the latter two, as they'd been around constantly. She saw them almost every day and talked to them just as often.

But to be thrust into a new environment with an entirely new sea of faces…that was something she feared. What scared her even more was the prospect of being alone through it.

But, as if he sensed the girl's fear, Ryuu told her that Naruto would also be enrolled after the New Year. At hearing that, the boy flew into a fit of joy and began to run and jump around.

Hinata giggled at his erratic behavior while Ryuu watched in amusement as the boy continued to act like a fool.

A few things normally prevented Ryuu from helping Naruto with his training, so Hiashi had taken to overseeing part of his training. The norm continued, even if Ryuu wasn't present at the Hyuuga compound. The fact of it was, that Ryuu was gaining a small name for himself, so he was constantly recommended. That kept him busy with various types of missions.

Despite Naruto's constant complaints, Hiashi had the two spar against each other. Naruto always held back, though, for fear of hurting the girl.

He was always hesitant while fighting females. He hated causing pain to any girl after what he'd seen some of the older bullies at the orphanage do to the younger children, girls included. He hated the way they treated the others, and vowed to never fight against a girl without proper cause.

Even if he had to fight, he would try to avoid hurting them.

Yet Hiashi was making him go against that. He hated to do it, but he knew he couldn't refuse.

Naruto couldn't stand that he had to fight Hinata, but he couldn't help it. She looked very hurt when she realized what was going on, so he had to at least try. If it was all that it took to at least take that look off her face, then he'd do it.

He didn't want to disappoint one of the only friends he'd ever had.

But when Ryuu was there, it was training as normal. It was after a certain point that Ryuu also began to give Naruto hints in the forms of cryptic messages that the boy had to decipher for himself. Hints about his form, new physical techniques and new areas he needed to train himself in.

The boy was becoming proficient in basic taijutsu, but that was basically it. And Ryuu wanted to keep it that way. He would get further into the training ideas he had set up for Naruto after he had attended the academy for a while.

That way, he wouldn't have to waste time explaining everything and they could concentrate on the tasks at hand rather than explaining them and what they did.

However, Ryuu was uncertain if the boy would be ready in time for the lessons. But that uncertainty slowly faded as Naruto continued to grow at an amazing pace.

His ability to learn through his experiences advanced his training exponentially, as he only needed to see and experience certain moves or techniques a few times before processing them and finding a way to dodge, or sometimes even counter, them.

Ryuu could plainly see Naruto was easily out growing the normal lessons of the hand to hand style of combat, but he was sure that Naruto wasn't ready for the more advanced portions just yet.

As a result, the training was kept at a steady level while the physical exercises he did to condition himself were doubled. The weights were even moved up to 20 kilograms as he continued to improve. That was quite a bit of weight from the starting five kilograms he'd used long ago, and was double the weight of the ten kilo weights he was using now.

That new addition in itself had taken Naruto until just past his birthday to adjust to and become comfortable with. It was near the end of November before he was able to perform at full capacity again, though.

It was during those few months that Naruto had, once again, begun to take a beating. But he would continue to get up, no matter how many times he was dropped or fell.

Hinata's admiration and determination grew after seeing him continue on with his training, despite the harder times he was having.

She continued with her family training as well, slowly improving over the time Naruto continued to improve drastically.

It was somewhere just before her birthday that her father said her skills were satisfactory. That not only surprised Hinata, but also made her extremely happy. She was able to please her father, even if it was in the smallest degree.

Hiashi also told Hinata that when she and Naruto started at the academy, the private lessons would still continue after they would be released from class.

It was apparent that the two men had things planned out farther than the two children could understand, so they simply went along with what they said. The training continued until a few weeks after the New Year, which signaled the start of the new semester.

-------------

The way the Ninja Academy was set up was rather odd. While it ran on the premise of an entire year for certain levels of learning and training, it had two different semesters that could be entered: the spring and summer.

Simply put, those that entered in the summer semester section would graduate the year before those who entered the spring semester section.

So, to Naruto and Hinata, that meant that Neji would be a head of them a year when they finally graduated.

Another thing that was odd was the fact that they would have only two different teachers for the entire time they would be at the academy. The first and fourth years would be taught by one instructor while the second and third would be taught by a different one.

And by the end of their time at the academy, both Hinata and Naruto would be eleven, as the graduation exams took place in the spring as well.

To Naruto…that was an incredibly long time to be locked up in a classroom. But if it would help him achieve his goal of becoming a strong ninja so that he could receive approval and admiration instead of hatred and rejection…then he'd put up with it.

He wanted to do it was his own sake, and to make Ryuu proud.

Plus, he had Hinata with him. That made things already infinitely better than he could've imagined. He was starting off with one of his only two friends. He couldn't have been happier.

But when the day came for him to actually go to the academy, he started to get nervous.

-------------

As Hinata and Naruto walked to the Ninja Academy with their escort, Yuuhi Kurenai, they couldn't help but feel nervous.

They each could sense each other's nervousness, which only seemed to amplify the emotion.

But what seemed to grab Hinata attention was the way they were getting stared at. Well…not they, more specifically Naruto. She could hear whisper and see the looks of distaste and disapproval on their faces as the trio continued on their way.

She could hear some comments clearly. Some were rude while others sounded disbelieving that he would even try to enter the academy. Others…others sounded down right hateful, claiming that he shouldn't be allowed to do anything at all, let alone attend the academy.

When she turned to look at Naruto to see if he noticed, he smiled at her. But she could see it was a sad smile; the kind of smile that slowly spread across his features and simply stopped after raising the corners of his mouth a few centimeters. He had his eyes closed, though, so she couldn't judge if it really was a completely sad smile or not.

After a few moments, he looked forward then back at her with a larger grin than before.

She looked at him in confusion before looking forward and noticing the large building that they were approaching.

When they reached the doors, Kurenai wished them luck and simply disappeared. Naruto stared at the spot she had just been standing in with wide eyes.

When his attention once again focused on the doors, he felt his nervousness return two fold. He slowly pushed the doors apart and walked inside, Hinata following behind him timidly.

They walked carefully down the halls, not sure of the area or themselves. But eventually, they found a group of students standing outside one of the doors. They all seemed to be around their age, so Naruto figured they were in the right place.

After a few more moments, the doors slid open to reveal a tanned man with a scar running parallel to the ground across the top of his cheek bones and over the ridge of his nose.

The children soon began to quiet down as the man looked out over them for a moment before smiling.

"Welcome. Please come in and take a seat."

As the man moved aside, the others began to shuffle inside, finally leaving Hinata and Naruto as the last to enter. When all the students were seated, the man looked over them again.

"My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be your first year teacher. Now before we begin, there will be basic roll call. Attendance is always stressed as being important here, so please try to miss as few days as possible."

As the names came and went, Naruto already felt himself becoming bored. He looked up to Hinata, who was seated a row above him, and noticed she seemed to be trying to place names with faces.

Naruto dipped his head slightly and turned back around, placing an elbow on the flat surface in front of him and resting his head on his hand.

After the attendance was through, the man named Iruka turned to the huge blackboard behind him and began writing things on it.

Soon, the lectures began. And Naruto already didn't like it. His head slid down his arm and landed on the hard surface in front of him.

If this was how all four years were going to be, he was going to die of boredom.

**A/N:** Man, that took forever. I'm having a really hard time trying to fill in before things actually start picking up.

I hate just skipping huge periods of time, so I try to avoid it in my writing.

And for anyone who question how I portray Hiashi, I think I should explain. Hiashi has never really hated Naruto, at least in my opinion. He seems to notice what the boy goes through and, to a degree, pities him. Think about it, why would he thank Naruto for humbling Neji in the first Chuunin exam if he hated him? Sure, he may not have said it aloud, but the gratitude was there.

I also believe that the clan refused to help the boy out of pride and standing. If they helped him, it would reflect back on them badly with the villagers. Now with Ryuu there, who has their support, this isn't an issue.

That being said, I won't be around for a while. My friend got me into World of Warcraft and I'm off to Arizona to spend time with family for winter break.

So have fun y'all. And Merry Christmas! (Screw Happy Holidays you politically correct asshats)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

The lecture finished with Iruka looking at the time and closing the book he was reading out of.

"That's all class. I expect all of you to know all of the recent information covered in class, as there will be a test covering what we've learned next week."

Several students nodded and the shuffling sounds that the students made served as a wake up call to two individuals.

As each boy lifted his respective head and looked around bleary eyed, a voice pierced through the noise in the classroom.

"Shikamaru, Naruto. Stay after class."

A twin set of groans sprung out from the crowd of students while snickers were heard from those who were already on their feet.

Hinata glanced back at Naruto quickly before walking out of the classroom with the rest of the students. As their range of vision cleared, both of the boys could see that their instructor looked pretty set off.

When he motioned them to the front of the class, they hesitantly stood and sauntered over to the desk the man was sitting behind.

Both stood uneasily before the elder man and tried to avoid making eye contact. The man saw this and shook his head. While he was satisfied, although to a tiny degree, that his students knew they were in trouble and were most likely fearing the repercussions, he had to keep his stern countenance.

A small amount of eerie silence passed between the three figures in the room before Iruka sighed.

"I can't help but notice that the two of you find my class the ideal place to catch up on your lost sleep. Care to explain why?"

Shikamaru shrugged and seemed to dawdle slightly to his left and look out the window. Iruka mentally sighed; typical of the Nara clan. The boy's father was practically the same.

Naruto scowled at the man, "If you actually let us do something more interesting once in a while, Iruka-sensei, then it would be easier to pay attention in class."

Iruka shook his head, "Naruto, classes don't move on to more physical activities until half way through second year. The first year is basically a primer course to make sure you learn every single piece of background information that is needed as a shinobi. The first year is just as important as the rest, as it teaches you not only patience, but also outlines what you will learn later and how everything will work."

Naruto crossed his arms slightly and frowned.

"You may not think this is necessary Naruto, but I can assure you it is. Learning the basics sets you up for completing the more demanding parts of the curriculum. Everything starts with the basics."

Naruto still didn't seem swayed and a newly added hint of suspicion rose in his mien.

"Everyone has to learn the basics Naruto. I know you've been getting private tutoring by Ryuuki…but that doesn't make a difference. Your friend, Hinata, is here isn't she? Uchiha Sasuke as well. They are both willing to give their time to learn the basics so they may succeed later on."

Naruto seemed to lose some of his defiance. He had a point…

"Whatever…"

"At least you understand. Now both of you get out of here."

Naruto simply nodded and left while Shikamaru slowly strolled outside with his hands in his pockets.

--------------

"How was class?"

Naruto jumped as he looked behind him to notice the person he considered an older brother. He usually wasn't home all that often.

"Boring…as usual."

Ryuu smirked, "You may not like it Naruto, but every shinobi has to start somewhere. And the basics pave the way for that."

Naruto groaned, "Now you sound like Iruka-sensei! Why do I get lectured at home too?"

"It's a part of life, squirt. Get used to it."

Another groan was interrupted by a knock at the door.

With a sigh, Ryuu went over and opened it.

"Yes?"

"Ryuu, Hokage-sama has sent me to retrieve you."

Ryuu pinched the bridge of his nose, "Another mission?"

"Yes…although it was odd. The man asked for someone by the name of _Kuroi Akuma_."

Ryuu stiffened slightly. There were only a select few who knew that name. Usually…the people who requested him by that name had the more violent missions. That was how he earned that wretched nickname.

"The Black Devil?"

Ryuu turned to see Naruto was listening in with interest written on his face.

"Later Naruto. I'll explain later. You know the drill."

"Yea yea…"

Ryuu patted the boy's head and walked out the door and left with the scarred man as Naruto shut the door.

"He does kinda look dark, and scary sometimes…but why the devil part?"

Naruto was left with his musings as he turned into the apartment and began looking around for anything to eat before browsing through the assignments for the last week.

---------------

Over the next few weeks, it had become common practice for Hinata to sit next to Naruto and keep him awake during class.

If the boy fell asleep, the Hyuuga girl would simply prod him into consciousness or, if the situation was dire, gently kick him.

It had also become common practice for the two to split up when not in the lecture hall. Over the small amount of time at the classes, both had been accepted into a small circle of acquaintances. Although, Naruto's circle was far smaller than Hinata's. Far smaller…in fact, it only included four people.

Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and, strangely enough, Aburame Shino were the only ones that seemed to tolerate Naruto and his ways.

Meanwhile, Hinata had made out nicely with every single female in the class.

Things had remained the same for the first two months at the academy. It was after that point that small meditation sessions were worked into the normal curriculum. And it was the one thing that seemed to piss Naruto off the most, as he was always stopped before finding something.

Each and every time, he was always in a strange landscape. The walls were topped by pipes and the floor was covered in a thin layer of water. He'd wander around until he'd hear strange noises coming from a certain direction. After reaching a certain area, those noises turned into low growls and sometimes what even sounded like hisses.

He'd always get to the corner, where the noises were the loudest, and then he'd be forced back to the real world.

It got to the point where he'd had the route to that area completely memorized, but he could never get around that corner and look down the hall.

And Naruto was far too busy during his off time to have a significant amount of time to himself so he could simply clear his mind and continue onward.

So each and every day would continue the same way. And Hinata noticed that Naruto seemed to be a bit more restless and annoyed after the meditation sessions. When she questioned Naruto about it, the boy had simply told her it was nothing. Not wanting to press the issue further, she would simply nod and leave it alone.

So the days continued to pass in the normal routine. Arrive, roll call, lecture, break, meditation, lecture, lunch, lecture and leave.

After the five month mark, accuracy lessons were incorporated. Although, the kunai and shuriken were blunted so that the students would not be able to harm themselves seriously unless they tried.

Naruto took to those lessons as if they were his only lifeline. The meditation sessions only served to irritate him and the lectures were boring as hell, so in his mind this was his saving grace.

It was apparent that some had more practice, training and skill than others in these training sessions. Those who had experience, even a small amount, slightly outclassed those who didn't.

Outclassed meaning they could actually hit the target, and not send their weapons flying free range through the school grounds.

Although it had been quite comical…to some.

It was after the first few days of lessons that the attention of the class was drawn to three specific people. Even Iruka seemed to be amazed.

The first two were obvious. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata. Both from the two most prestigious clans of Konoha. It was a given that they would be well versed, even before attending the academy.

The last, though, was quite a surprise. The most irritating and idiotic person of the class was doing just as well as the two clansmen. Most of the students claimed it was a fluke, that the blonde slacker was simply getting lucky.

But as all three continued to excel in the accuracy tests, it was apparent that it was more than simply luck that aided the blonde boy. It was also apparent that there was more to him than his completely laid back and bored attitude that was on constant display in the lecture hall.

It had been two weeks after the incorporation of the accuracy lessons that Iruka approached Naruto and asked if he could put forth the same effort he displayed in all areas. With a bland response of 'I'll try' the boy left his sensei and walked back to the apartment.

And strangely enough…he did. Iruka wasn't sure if it was because of his words to Naruto or an outside influence. Although, he was pretty sure that speaking with Ryuuki about Naruto's behaviorisms in class had something to do with it.

As the weeks and months continued to tick by, Naruto's overall scores were beginning to improve. The addition to training exercises two months after the accuracy lessons began didn't slow him down in the least.

Amazingly enough, Naruto was able to perform twice as many routines as the normal students. Even the Hyuuga and Uchiha failed to maintain his insane pace.

Iruka could definitely tell that living with Ryuuki was having a major influence on Naruto. But practically every time he went to speak with the young man, he was always on assignment. Iruka noticed that most of the time Naruto had his assignments and various scrolls spread throughout the living area, making it look like a complete disaster zone.

That, and the boy seemed to be completely bored. More so than in his class.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for his student, so he began to get into the ritual of taking Naruto out once a week for dinner. Of course, the place was always the same. And the man was utterly amazed at how the young boy could fit near ten servings of ramen into his tiny frame.

When Ryuu was gone for weeks at a time, Naruto would get into the old habit of playing pranks on other people. Though now he followed Ryuu's words and pulled less destructive pranks. Pranks that just seemed to annoy people.

After all, when Naruto had come how to the word 'demon' sprayed on the front door of the apartment, he realized how hurtful more…permanent 'jokes' could be.

Though, when Ryuu was around Naruto would fall back in line and listen to him. There was one point where the man had nearly two weeks off, which pleased Naruto to no end. He was actually getting to spend time with his 'family' again.

Of course, Iruka and Hinata noticed the changes when Ryuu was around compared to when he wasn't. It was fairly obvious to those who knew him or watched him.

When Ryuu came back and heard Naruto was pulling his weight at the academy, he was proud of the boy. He also grinned with Naruto as the squirt told him that he was able to outlast every single person in the class when it came to the normal routine exercises.

Things continued on until the first year passed, leaving a small break in between the class transitions. Of course, that was if the students passed the small written exam that Iruka handed out. Most did, however, leaving no room for any failure.

Iruka was surprised by the fact that Naruto was ranked 6th in the class. His test scores and lecture problems were lower than most would think, but his high rank in the other categories easily made up for his lack of insight in writing.

--------------------

When the new semester began, the students were surprised to see a smiling Iruka at the door again.

"Things became a little…complicated. I will be teaching all four years now with my assistant."

When they were all shuffled inside, they could see who Iruka was talking about. A man with platinum blonde hair and green eyes was standing at the side of the desk as Iruka took his place behind it.

The usual routine began. Each student took a seat, Iruka quickly glanced around and finally started calling out names.

After the brief roll call was finished, he would begin to lecture.

Once again, Naruto groaned and placed his head on the flat surface in front of him. He wondered if things would ever change. He glanced to his right to see Hinata looking at him from the corner of her left eye with a slight smile.

When he grinned back, she quickly refocused her attention back on Iruka. He swore he saw her face flush slightly, but ignored it. He figured it was his eyes tricking him; after all, they spent every day together in class and still met with each other once every week to train.

As the days quickly ticked by, Naruto noticed that the overall gist of the lectures was more geared towards things other than the basics of being a shinobi.

For the first few weeks, they covered the basics of how Konoha was formed, with the Shodaime and Nidaime. When the topic came to the Sandaime, the old man had made an appearance in the classroom, which shocked several of the students.

When the old man's brown eyes sought out a single face, he couldn't refrain from smiling as he saw the boy grinning back at him.

Although, things didn't remain in a peaceful state at all for very long.

Shortly after the second year began, Uchiha Itachi killed off his entire clan. All except one boy. It was to Sasuke's benefit that Ryuu had prevented the boy from entering his house when he sensed the malicious intent.

But when the boy learned that it was his own caring elder brother that was behind everything, several things seemed to snap.

He was lost, confused, angry, and, worst of all, depressed. The young boy's mind setting was slightly altered by the event, concentrating on one thing: Itachi.

Sasuke would find his brother, seek out answers. He wanted to know the reason he did it. He wanted to know why it had happened. And he wanted to know why it was only him that he left behind.

After the entire incident, the Uchiha boy seemed to withdraw from everything. His somewhat budding social life was cut short, as he spent most of his time avoiding others and continuing to train. He continued to ask himself the same questions, running various scenarios in his mind.

He didn't even get to speak to his brother before everything was said and done.

His normal nature was overcome by the feelings of betrayal and confusion. He turned into a somewhat dark and brooding individual. Always trying to figure out the answer to a simple question:

Why?

Many people felt pity for the young boy, but there was nothing they could really do about it. Itachi was one of the most powerful people in the village, even if he was only 14. The Sandaime refused to send out any search parties or hunter-nin in fear that they would lose their lives.

But things continued on…

-----------------

Naruto grumbled as he went through the new scrolls assigned. The second year was apparently background study.

First, they covered the history of Konoha, how it was formed and so on.

Next, they covered the Great Shinobi Wars. It was slightly interesting to hear about the various battles and strategies used, but history just wasn't something that could keep Naruto's attention for long.

As he read through the second of about five scrolls he frowned, growled and tossed the offending parchment aside.

Sure, some of it was interesting…like the fact that the Yondaime, before being elected into office, had taken out an entire battalion of Stone ninja by himself.

But most of it was simply politics, little battles with no excitement or details and other things. Naruto had been around Ryuu enough to know that politics, when involved, where usually only an end to a mean.

"Slacking off again?"

Naruto jumped at hearing the voice. There was no one in the house when he started…

The boy turned, bent on telling him off for scaring him, but stopped.

Ryuu stood with the top of the left side of his head wrapped. He had a few scrapes and scratches all over his hands and arms. But the thing Naruto noticed most, was what was on his face when he took off his sunglasses.

Ryuu had a cut running from just above his right eyebrow that passed just barely below his left eye and continued down his cheek to the back of his jaw line on the left side of his face. It was scabbed over and no longer bleeding, but it still looked horrible.

"What the hell happened?"

Ryuu sighed, "Our…'patron' customer lied to us about the details of the mission. There were far more enemies than originally stated. A few other things were contributing factors, but it wasn't really a big deal."

Ryuu had a small smile on his face as he looked at Naruto.

It was then that Naruto took in the rest of his appearance. His clothes were slashed and cut in various places, giving way to injuries on the body. The trench coat he normally wore was torn and ripped at the bottom, giving it a more jagged appearance. The chain shirt he normally wore had a few small puncture areas near the top of his biceps. And his gloved arm guards were no where to be seen.

When Ryuu stepped forward, Naruto noticed a slight limp. He was favoring his left side slightly.

When Ryuu saw the kid still had the look of extreme shock, he waved it off.

"Don't worry about it, squirt. You'll be in my position some day. Just…try not to come out so beat up eh?"

Ryuu chuckled slightly at Naruto's stare.

That seemed to bring Naruto out of his thoughts.

"How…?"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"How can you simply brush it off and laugh like that? When you're hurt so bad…doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it make you want to just stop? Why? Why would you do that?"

Ryuu smiled gently at Naruto.

"Of course it hurts." That line brought Naruto's face, which he'd aimed toward the floor, back up with a snap. "But nothing is ever easy. Why make a fuss out of something everyone has to go through? Everyone has to experience pain, it's the only way to judge whether we're alive or not. Happiness cannot be measured unless we have pain and sorrow. It's just a natural part of life Naruto. Why try to fight it? Fighting it will only make it worse."

Naruto's stare seemed to soften slightly and he looked back at the ground. He gripped his hands and balled them into fists and clenched his teeth.

As Ryuu turned to walk away Naruto spoke.

"Then I'll try…"

Ryuu paused and looked over his shoulder, "What?"

Naruto looked up, a range of emotions in his bright blue eyes. "I'll try my best so that everyone I care about never has to suffer. I'll try my hardest so that they won't have to feel pain! I'd hate for that to happen to anyone close to me."

Ryuu turned and raised an eyebrow, "But by doing so, you'll be putting a greater burden on yourself."

"I don't care!"

Ryuu smiled slightly, "If that's what you want, then try your hardest to achieve it. Don't let anyone discourage you or your dream to protect the ones you hold dear. Prove that you are better than them. Prove that you have what it takes to stand firm."

Naruto flashed a smile at Ryuu as the man turned back around and started to walk towards the bathroom. But as he reached the doorway, he paused.

"Don't ever change yourself Naruto." Naruto looked slightly surprised by the words. "People may degrade you or even try to forcefully change you, but advance through it and come out better than them. There are not many people left who are willing to give everything for those they care about. Prove that you have the strength to stand strong against all adversity."

And with that, he disappeared through the door and shut it, leaving a shocked and confused Naruto.

----------------

Naruto looked at the training pole with a bored expression. He could easily see that everyone else was busily working away at the wooden work station, but he just didn't seem to care.

He'd stopped working a few minutes ago, growing bored with the routine exercise. Sure, it'd only been a few days since the exercises were worked into the school schedule, but Naruto didn't think they were enough of a challenge.

After all, he'd been used to fighting something moving. And moving fast. Not to mention it hit back. Working on these things was like punching a dummy.

Iruka noticed Naruto's slacking and yelled at him to continue with his work. His response was a frown and slight mumbling.

Naruto lazily went back to his routine and looked back. He could see Hinata concentrating on her practice seriously enough. He sighed and turned his full attention back on the post and began to run through a set of attacks. His routine didn't keep him on one single side of the post, though, like it did the rest.

He continued to work around the circular object, concentrating on each limb and point of contact.

Iruka seemed slightly shocked. Apparently, he thought Naruto was simply slacking off because he didn't want to do it, it never occurred to him that he was slacking off because this was just another boring routine.

But nonetheless, Naruto had to practice like everyone else did. He didn't deserve special treatment or get any breaks just because he was ahead.

After a few more minutes, Iruka called the class back into the lecture area and the lecture began anew.

Naruto still sat next to Hinata and had to be kept awake just as often as the first year. He couldn't really get behind anything with history.

Currently, they were covering the history of the Wave country and Kirigakure. Although it was a slight surprise to find out that there was a current civil war going on within the country. A war that involved people with bloodlines. And those people were the targets of most of the animosity and violence.

Naruto could sympathize with those people. After all, he still got stares and disgusted looks. Even looks of hatred on occasion. And he could still remember being physically and mentally fooled with at the orphanage.

Luckily, the man he'd come to look at as an elder brother changed that.

Naruto's musing stopped when he heard Iruka clear his throat next to him.

"Naruto, if you're going to think or day dream, do it on your own time. Not on mine. Stay after class and help with the cleanup."

A groan sounded, as well as a chorus of laughter.

Naruto put his forehead on the flat surface in front of him and shook it.

In trouble again…

-----------------

After finishing his time, Naruto trudged to Ichiraku. He hated it when he was forced to do remedial tasks such as cleaning. Especially when it was the entire school complex.

When he parted the curtains and looked up, he raised his eyebrows.

There, sitting in the stool next to his normal one, was Hinata. When she heard the movement behind her, she turned her head slightly to see Naruto looking at her with surprise.

That was a given…they hadn't really eaten together in almost a year and a half.

When he shook off his surprise and took a seat next to her, she smiled shyly at him.

"Oh, Naruto! What'll it be?"

Naruto looked at the man behind the ramen bar with a grin.

"The usual!"

"Coming right up!"

When he and his daughter disappeared, Naruto turned his attention back to Hinata, who still had a half finished bowl of ramen in front of her.

"What's up, Hinata? We haven't really had any time to sit and talk lately, with classes and training and all."

Hinata nodded and turned her attention back to the round tureen in front of her.

"Yes, it h-has been a while."

"So what have you been up to lately, Hinata?"

The shy girl smiled slightly, "N-nothing really…just training with father while I haven't b-been in class or studying."

Naruto scrunched his nose slightly, "How can you stand to study? It's so boring! I wish they'd let us get into the more useful areas instead of all this history crap."

"But Naruto-kun…history is an important p-part of who we are."

"I guess, but it's still boring. Why do they _make_ us learn stuff from the past?"

Hinata smiled at his ignorance, but said nothing more as Naruto's first bowl of ramen arrived and he quickly began his process of devouring the contents of his bowl.

After completing all his orders in the time it took Hinata to finish the last half of her bowl, Naruto looked satisfied and somewhat happy. Hinata giggled at his expression of joy and paid for her meal while Naruto paid for his.

After they walked out together, Naruto turned to Hinata and grinned.

"I'll walk you back to your place, Hinata. Ryuu would be pissed if he ever found out I let you walk alone."

Hinata nodded shyly, both silently happy and disappointed. Happy that he would offer in the first place, but disappointed it was for a different reason than she had hoped.

Naruto turned toward the Hyuuga compound and walked by Hinata's side. But neither of them talked. The silence was completely deafening to Hinata. She wanted to speak with Naruto, but wasn't sure how to.

Little did she know, he was having the same problem. Sure, when it was in a more social setting, or even if there were others near them, he had no problem.

Even a few years ago, when they were left alone by Ryuu and Hiashi, it wasn't a big deal.

But…now that Naruto and Hinata had been going to the academy, Naruto couldn't help but notice a few things.

One, he was starting to notice a greater part of the female populace. And while not the best of places to meet girls, Naruto had to admit that the academy had a fairly open variety of the fairer gender. There were some pretty cute girls in his class, including Hinata.

Two, Hinata was one of the only girls who would ever talk to him…willingly. Even after they weren't forced to communicate with each other, like in training, she still wanted to speak with him. That made him strangely…happy.

And lastly, Hinata was pretty much the only girl who was ever nice to him. He couldn't really count Ayame. Not only was she older than him, but she probably did it out of courtesy for the customer. Still, she and old man Teuchi were the first two to actually treat him kindly, aside from Sandaime, and for that he was grateful.

Sure, other girls had talked to him on occasion, often asking tips or various favors of sorts, but that was all they wanted. And they were nice to him only to get what they wanted, then they left.

Hinata wasn't like any of them.

Sure, he'd noticed Sakura. For being so young, she was one of the most attractive females in the class. But it looked like she was smitten with Sasuke. That stupid cold hearted, brooding jerk.

That alone rose alarms in Naruto's head. So, instead, he tried to find different girls in the class. And strangely enough, his line of sight and thoughts would always wander back to Hinata.

When he could see the building looming in the foreground, he groaned inwardly. All that time and they hadn't said a thing because he was too stupid to act.

The slightly awkward silence ended as they both reached the front entrance of the Hyuuga estate.

"Well…it was nice…"

Hinata nodded sadly, "See you tomorrow in class, Naruto-kun."

"…yea, see you tomorrow…Hinata-chan."

After that Naruto turned and looked back the way he came with a sigh. He slowly made his way back to the apartment, where he was sure Ryuu was waiting and somewhat slightly interested to see what bogus excuse he came up with this time for being late.

Hinata, on the other hand, was frozen in place. He'd never used a friendly suffix with her…it was the first time in a little over two years that he'd used it.

Hinata blushed, wondering if it was simply a consequence of what had happened, and was a one time thing; or if he actually meant it and would continue to use it.

If he did continue to use it…Hinata wasn't sure of what it could mean. If he saw her as a friend…or something he could like more.

The young girl smiled slightly as she continued her way into the house, still red in the cheeks.

It didn't matter to her which option it was. It was the fact that he finally started seeing her as just another girl instead of his training partner, on occasion, or classmate.

As the two young ones walked in different directions, their thoughts were in tune.

'_What will happen tomorrow?_'

**A/N:** Finally done. It's taking me a while to try to get everything set up just how I want it, as I keep getting distracted by other thoughts and playing a few online games.

I have so many ideas on how to continue this fiction…after they pass the graduation exams.

And me, like I said, hating to skip any vast amount of time, even if it is a year, refuses to simply skip through the academy days.

Oh well, I've got plenty of ideas for the third and fourth years as well. I just need to get there…


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

"Again."

Naruto groaned as he slowly shifted up to his feet, his entire body covered in dirt.

Ryuu had been able to secure a few various 'safe' spots around the village training grounds due to several reasons.

The most prominent being that he didn't want to disturb Hiashi anymore with requests. He knew that the clan head was teaching his daughter in the dojo and in the complex when she wasn't in class.

The second reason was to keep away from prying eyes. Several times he'd been told that people tried to sneak into the Hyuuga complex to catch a peek of Naruto training with Ryuu or Hiashi.

And lastly, was because the villagers usually came to give Naruto a hard time when they used the public training grounds. The most distracting part of their presence were the snickers and occasional cheers that came after Naruto was hit particularly hard and took a few moments to recover.

Ryuu upped the weight in each of Naruto's training bands by another ten kilos, making each of them weigh an even 30 kilograms a piece. They weighed more than Naruto did, but the point of using them was to train so that he could become used to weight in case he had to carry others or carry more supplies for longer term missions.

He'd done that a little over two months ago, when Naruto had said they began basic level taijutsu training in the academy, along with the normal scheduled teachings.

It was also at that point when Ryuu began to teach Naruto the more advanced taijutsu skills.

So far, at a little over halfway through the year, Naruto had improved just as he had previously, in leaps and bounds.

First, it was a teaching the boy a few sets of simple katas. He would perform them to relax after a warm up, and they would begin to train. If you wanted to call it training.

Naruto was thrown around worse than when they were in the Hyuuga complex. Far worse. Although he did receive more useful information than the usual cryptic advice.

The boy seemed to fear his sparring lessons now. Not sure which Ryuu would appear; the normal Ryuu which he'd grown to see as family, or the savage that took his appearance on the training grounds.

Naruto could easily see why he was nicknamed _Kuroi Akuma_ now. When in a certain mind set, Ryuu was beyond anything he'd ever seen. He was no longer caring, but cold as ice. He was no longer gentle, but used almost his full strength in each of his blows. No longer devote and worried, as he would beat Naruto into the grounds on few occasions.

And it scared the boy.

But no matter how bad things got, Ryuu always knew when to stop. And he would always help Naruto after the lessons.

If it weren't for that fact, Naruto would've sworn everything up until that point was simply an act to gain his trust so he could kill him. So he could lead him somewhere completely isolated and use the guise of training to slay him.

But when the lessons were pronounced over, Ryuu would go back to acting like the kind hearted individual Naruto knew. And for that, he was extremely grateful.

First, he'd give him something to numb the pain, which was always there. A dull ache that didn't vanish even after a full nights rest. Then, he'd begin to treat any wounds Naruto may have gained while training.

Lastly, he would grin and usher Naruto to Ichiraku, where the both of them would eat and talk.

Every day he went to the academy when Ryuu was around, he noticed the worried looks Iruka and Hinata gave him, and the looks of confusion that the other students would shoot his way.

But he would simply smile and say he was training, much to the disbelief of those who didn't know him. Every time, Iruka seemed slightly relieved, but still worried.

And every time, Hinata would constantly ask if he was alright and would get a worried and sad look in her eyes every time she saw him suffer the consequences.

Naruto looked back towards Ryuu to see the look on his face. If he was right…this was going to be one of those days…

---------------

The lectures had continued on through the entire first half of the year, covering everything about history for every single shinobi nation and village.

But once that was over, new lectures began. More useful lectures.

The information that Iruka, and sometimes Mizuki, divulged was keeping Naruto's full attention.

Stealth, knowledge, ability, observation, everything they would need to know about being a shinobi. Of course, the chakra explanations and other things from first year were also included, but not as much or as heavily emphasized.

Naruto never fell asleep during the lectures after they actually began talking about what it would require to be a shinobi, and not simple background information on them.

When it got to the part about using a person's basic senses, Naruto couldn't help but think of Ryuu. He seemed to know where everything was and how to react.

Did he hone his senses to the point where he could easily know where any opponent was? Were his basic senses really so defined?

When Naruto was released from class, he decided to ask. It was fortunate that Ryuu had the week off again, as he'd just come back from a reconnaissance mission.

When Naruto walked through the door, he could see that Ryuu was speaking to someone. When he closed the door, the talking abruptly stopped and Ryuu looked over to see Naruto.

He grinned and motioned for the boy to come forward. When Naruto was standing by his side, he could see someone that eerily resembled Hiashi…but the face was familiar…

"Squirt, I don't know if you remember him, but this is Neji's father, Hyuuga Hizashi-san."

At hearing the boy's name, Naruto's interest instantly peaked.

"Neji? How is he doing?"

Hizashi seemed slightly entertained by the boy's question and smiled, "He's doing just fine. He's on break just before the beginning of his third year. I can say with certainty that he's looking forward to graduating already."

Naruto nodded, grinning.

"I hear you've been doing fairly well yourself, Naruto-kun. Ryuu tells me that your training is progressing quite well."

Naruto rubbed his neck slightly and tilted his head to look at the ground while murmuring, "Yea, I guess."

"My brother is apparently interested in what Hinata keeps telling him while they talk. It seems that he wishes to see the three of you in action again."

Naruto's face lit up slightly, "Me, Hinata-chan 'n' Neji? Cool!"

Both men chuckled at the boy's response, but Hizashi turned toward Ryuu.

"I have to be getting back. Neji will be back soon as well, and he will most likely wish to continue with his personal training."

Ryuu nodded and Naruto waved slightly as Hizashi walked out the door and closed it behind him. When that was done, Ryuu turned his attention back on Naruto with a grin.

"Ready?"

"Actually…I wanted to talk about something."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow. Now that was a first. Naruto…wanting to talk?

"What is it?"

"Well…you see…"

Naruto then began to explain everything that Iruka had lectured about, from tracking to using a person's basic senses as a weapon. He finished with a few questions, to which Ryuu's simple response was:

"Do you want to learn how?"

After a vigorous nod, Naruto was lead to the usual spot by Ryuu and things continued. But not the normal training that followed the appearance of the duo.

Soon, Naruto was sitting on the ground with his legs cross and a hand on each knee. His eyes were closed and he tried to focus on finding Ryuu wherever he was.

At first, Ryuu offered no help whatsoever, leaving Naruto to try to figure it out for himself. But when that seemed to fail, he gave the boy a few hints to try to extend his senses outward.

When that failed as well, Ryuu sighed. He knew that this was something he would actually have to tell Naruto how to do.

Naruto jumped slightly when he felt the movement next to him and tilted over to his left before falling to his side.

Naruto, who shot the grinning Ryuu a glare, quickly stood up next to the man.

"Alright Naruto…I'm sure they've told you the basics about chakra and how it's used." Naruto nodded. "Aside from using your chakra and molding it into the proper form for a technique, you can also do various things with it."

"Like what?"

Ryuu paused for a moment, "Well, a few things I've seen are probably a few exercises I'll be doing with you later. They require an immense amount of control and patience, something I know you don't have much of." The blonde glared at Ryuu again, "But they are necessary to develop good control habits. While similar in certain aspects, this is different."

Ryuu stepped away from Naruto, "I know you should be able to at least use a bit of your chakra, so here is what I want you to do.

"The point of this exercise is, that after I teach you how to do this correctly, you must locate me with your cursory senses and try to keep me on the move. Otherwise I will circle around you until I see an opening and take advantage of it."

Naruto winced, he knew this was going to hurt…

"Now Naruto, I want you to concentrate. Calm yourself like you normally would when you were taught to meditate. Control your thoughts and your body motions."

Naruto shut his eyes and began to breathe deeply and slowly.

"Good, concentrate and focus. Concentrate on your main senses and try to add a little bit of your chakra to those areas in your mind. Think of your eyes, nose and ears mainly. Being able to smell, see and hear an enemy already puts you at a tactical advantage."

Naruto nodded and began to do as Ryuu told him, but Ryuu could sense something a little off. He could sense the chakra being used and directed to the areas he told Naruto to, but it was something…strange. It had a sort of…odd feeling to it.

It was then that Ryuu noticed that the marks on Naruto's cheeks became slightly darker and wider. Not by much, but to the trained eye, it was very noticeable.

Next, were that his ears seemed to come to a…point…at the top. They looked practically the same, but were slightly more angular.

After that, Naruto's nose seemed to twitch slightly with every new scent. It was apparent that this was working, but something still felt wrong…

"Naruto, open your eyes."

Naruto complied and slowly opened his eyes to lock gazes with a staring Ryuu. Things seemed…clearer in his mind's eye. They were more defined and sharp.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow after seeing something fairly interesting. It was almost as if his suspicions were confirmed the minute he saw Naruto's eyes.

His eyes, while still the normal blue, seemed slightly more feral and his pupils were each small slits.

Now that was interesting…

Ryuu hadn't expected Kyuubi's influence to turn up until later, when the lessons were getting more dire.

He wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. He'd have to wait and see how things played out.

"It worked, squirt. What can you see, smell and hear?"

"I can hear practically everything in this clearing moving…as well as a few faint voices. I can smell the people in Konoha…and I can see things very clearly."

Ryuu nodded, "That's it. You're using chakra to heighten your senses above normal. Eventually, touch and taste can be worked in, but they are far harder. Taste isn't really used anyway…or necessarily useful. Touch, however, can be amplified to feel even the slightest of changes in air pressure or wind speed. If used to an extensive degree, you may even be able to feel a person's body heat if they are near enough to you."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly.

"However, if it took you that much concentration to simply call forth the chakra needed, that's a problem. You have to be able to do it at a moment's notice and maintain it without even thinking about it."

That was when Ryuu grinned. And Naruto knew he was in trouble.

"So I will add another requirement into your schedule. You have to use your senses constantly as we spar. It should help you with chakra control, your tracking skills and heighten your senses even more."

Naruto gulped and nodded slightly.

This was going to be tough…

"But first, the exercise I described earlier." Ryuu took out several kunai and handed them to Naruto. "I know you have training in using these. Iruka mentioned you were one of the best in the class in terms of accuracy. So you have to try to locate me with your new cursory sense boost and try to hit me with those."

Without another word, Ryuu disappeared into the surrounding woods.

----------------

Naruto was amazed at how much could be done in a simple two months.

With the training he'd been receiving from Ryuu, he'd been able to make incredible progress. Not only in his taijutsu form and ability, but also in using his senses. He was able to use his basic senses fairly well now. And he also learned that you could continue to hone them even further, which was what he tried to do.

After getting to the point where he could easily smell Ichiraku and hear the random conversations in the village, he stopped.

Ryuu had warned him not to violate the privacy of others, lest there be severe consequences if they found out. Naruto nodded, remembering a few of the times he'd tried to listen in on a few of Sakura's conversation and gotten slapped for it.

They were just beginning on training his other two senses when things at the academy got really interesting.

Apparently, they were going to incorporate sparring into the schedule as well as practicing on the training posts.

And since Naruto had gotten the hang of using his cursory senses in sparring against a far harder opponent than any of the academy students, he figured that the sparring sessions would be easy.

That was, until he got matched up against Hinata on the first day.

He looked torn, but excited. He was torn because he'd have to fight a girl…and not just any girl, one of his friends. But he excited to see how much she'd been able to grow.

To say that it had been a pretty fair fight would be an accurate observation for most people. But for Iruka, he could see that he was intentionally holding back at avoid hurting Hinata…and she was doing the same.

He smiled at the two, wondering if they'd ever be able to see the obvious signs of what was already there. Knowing Naruto, probably not…

The sparring sessions were usually all done at once, but that stopped one day when Naruto found out his partner was Sasuke.

Iruka could see the mischievous gleam in Naruto's eye and he knew something was going to happen…

So he called all the students in to watch as the two faced off against each other in the center of the empty academy lot.

Naruto grinned slightly and began stretching. Sasuke looked at him with disinterest and annoyance. When Naruto straightened up, Iruka saw something that made him freeze.

His pupils were slits…giving him the look of a feline or fox.

It was then that he wondered what in the hell Ryuu had been teaching the boy.

But he quickly calmed down when he saw that Naruto displayed nor showed any other kind of physical attribute that could call attention to himself. His ears were only slightly pointed, but that was all.

"Start!"

As the call rang through the lot, Naruto dashed at Sasuke. Sasuke simply shook his head, figuring that the head strong boy would try to one up him in the first few seconds of the fight.

But when Sasuke concentrated and got into stance, he couldn't seem to find any openings in Naruto's style at all. He was constantly on the defensive until it seemed that Naruto had slipped slightly.

But the opening that Naruto displayed was actually bait, to which Sasuke took quite greedily.

After over extending his left arm slightly, Naruto immediately brought his right arm up and knocked Sasuke's attack directly back into his waiting hand. Naruto grabbed the backside of Sasuke's arm and immediately ducked underneath it while spinning, sending the Uchiha crashing to the ground.

Several of the student's eyes were opened wide at the display. However, Hinata and Iruka simply smiled.

"Is that all, Sasuke? C'mon even Hinata-chan put up a better fight than you."

Hinata blushed at the compliment as several sets of eyes were fixated upon her.

Sasuke grunted and regained his footing, looking at Naruto intently.

As soon as Sasuke was up, Naruto began moving again. He ran forward, preparing another attack when he saw Sasuke already getting his guard up.

With a grin, Naruto pulled a maneuver that he'd seen Ryuu do a few times. He pulled back slightly, sliding on his feet for the last few meters before putting his right hand on the ground and extending his legs in a V shape. Each foot aiming high and low as Sasuke tried to block, but found it futile as his left foot connected with his right shoulder and Naruto's right foot grazed his left thigh.

Naruto then put his left hand on the ground and spun around while still on his hands. Using his conserved momentum, he then pivoted on his left hand and brought both his feet in a low sweep before using his left foot as leverage and kicking out with his right as he regained solid footing.

Sasuke's left foot was kicked from underneath him and he lost his balance slightly before blocking a kick directly aimed at his chest. His arms were crossed in front of him, but he could feel more force than there should be as he was thrown back.

When Sasuke looked up, he saw a grinning Naruto standing where he stopped.

"Since when have you used weights?"

Naruto shrugged, and for the first time Sasuke looked at the small bands around his wrists as something more than wrist guards or bands.

"Ryuu's had me train with them ever since he started training me."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he tried to take advantage of Naruto's reprieve. But Naruto, having trained with his heightened senses with Ryuu for so long, saw Sasuke's left foot twitch and heard the slight grinding of the gravel before Sasuke even made a move.

He ran toward Sasuke as soon as the boy was on his feet and they both met with a flurry of punches, kicks and blocks.

However, it was obvious that Naruto had the advantage. He had much more stamina and experience than the Uchiha did.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke jumped back, panting. He was looking at Naruto as if he couldn't believe what was happening. The blonde didn't even look that winded.

Naruto's grin appeared again before he looked back at Iruka.

"That's enough, right Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka nodded dumbly and Naruto sighed and laughed while scratching the back of his head.

As he made his way back to the classroom doors, several of the girls ran back to check on Sasuke, while Hinata fell into step next to him.

"That was amazing, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked over at the purple haired girl and grinned.

"Thanks Hinata-chan. I can't wait to see how you do against him."

Hinata gulped and nodded hesitantly before smiling slightly at her friend.

----------------

As their second year passed, the students at the academy couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on.

Naruto, who appeared to be one of the most normal and boring kids in class, was ranked 3rd overall in their year.

The blonde had begun to pay more attention to the lectures and even seemed to take notes during a few places. His lecture scores improved over the second part of the year, boosting his rank into the top five.

Some were confused, while others were dazed. Hinata, Iruka and Ryuu, however, were all proud.

Naruto was turning out to be an excellent student thus far, which really surprised Iruka. After hearing about the boy's past and seeing some of his mannerisms, he was extremely doubtful.

But the proof was directly in front of him the entire time. Just because Naruto acted odd and slacked off didn't mean his skills were poor.

The sparring sessions became much more interesting after the first fight between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke seemed to train even harder after his completely degrading loss to the blonde idiot.

While he improved, Naruto still seemed to be out of his reach. There were a few times when he was almost able to tie against the boy, but those were days when Naruto's body was still sore and racked from the previous day.

And Hinata turned out to be surprising as well. She, too, gave quite a challenge to the young Uchiha. While not as fast or strong as Naruto, she still proved that she was highly skilled.

Suddenly, the number one in the class was being knocked down a few pegs. And that angered Sasuke to no end. He continued to train two to three times as hard as usual to try to best his two rivals, but he could never catch one.

That was one of the reasons that he began to spy on Naruto when the break between semesters came.

He followed the boy's every movement. From his morning warm up rituals to his laps around the village. From his cool downs to his kata. From his self training to his training with Ryuu.

And suddenly Sasuke realized why Naruto was so strong, even for someone his age. The training he witnessed Naruto go through was complete and utter hell. The man training him was completely brutal as soon as the lessons started.

He forced Naruto to go beyond his limits and fight back until he was completely exhausted.

And Sasuke realized that he was completely outclassed. The amount of work put in was no where near equal.

With only a few days of observation, Sasuke knew there was no chance he could possibly catch up…unless he did the same.

Hinata and Naruto had spent the last few months of the year in relative peace. They had celebrated each other's birthdays with each other, and seemed to become closer than ever.

Ryuu couldn't help but smile at this, while Hiashi showed a hint of curiosity that was unbefitting of him.

Things still seemed to pass as a normal routine. That was, until a certain black haired boy approached Ryuu and Naruto while they were training and asked if he could join.

Naruto seemed suspicious, while Ryuu was downright shocked.

It was his first time ever meeting the boy face to face, and he was asking for his help?

He'd heard that his 'father' was an anti-social person who usually refused to ask for any kind of assistance. What sparked the change in him? What gave him the desire to get stronger, even if it meant asking for help from someone he didn't even know?

The answer, though, was right in front of him the entire time.

Naruto.

Ryuu couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he realized that things seemed to be far different than described in the scroll, and yet completely the same.

There was still a rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke, although it started a few years earlier than it would have normally. And that rivalry would most likely push both of them to become stronger.

Who was Ryuu to turn him away if he swallowed his pride and asked for help willingly?

If anything, the two boys would probably be far stronger than originally planned. But that could be both good and bad. For if the same events continued and still occurred, then Sasuke could pose a serious threat.

But as the third year began, Naruto had a new training partner in Sasuke.

The sparring sessions continued during the third year, which gave both boys a time and place to show off what they'd learned.

It had taken Sasuke quite a while to get used to Ryuu's teaching style, but once he got then hang of it, he excelled just as much as Naruto had.

The boys were constantly trying to out do each other, which sometimes caused problems. But when the parties involved learned that the Uchiha was at fault, they immediately forgave him. On the other hand, if it was Naruto at fault, they belittled and yelled at him.

Naruto, defiant as ever, would always try to annoy the person who yelled at him the next day. Usually it worked, but sometimes the pranks would have to be put off.

Sasuke, like Hinata, noticed the glares and looks Naruto received. He couldn't figure out why Naruto would be so hated. Sure, he was annoying and pranked the people that annoyed him, but that was no reason for such obvious distaste to constantly follow the boy.

Naruto didn't seem to really know either and none of the adults were talking.

But Sasuke could also see that many of the parents tried to keep their children away from Naruto. Sasuke never knew that Naruto had to live with that kind of suffering.

It seemed that the blonde's only saving grace was Ryuu, who treated him like a little brother. Sasuke couldn't help but think of himself and Itachi at times, making his emotions resurface on occasion.

But the third year was far different from the previous two.

After the first two months of continuing lecture on tactics and strategies used, as well as sparring practice, things advanced on.

Actual shuriken throwing lessons were giving instead of accuracy lessons. And the lectures turned to actual techniques used by most shinobi, as well as the uses that certain techniques had.

They ranged in difficulty for the students, some having an easier time while others struggled.

Sasuke seemed to have a natural talent for anything they tried, which annoyed the hell out of Naruto. The blonde had to constantly practice to even get the technique correct most of the time.

While things slipped back into routine, it seemed that Naruto slipped back as well. He began to slack off in lectures again. Sleeping and sometimes even interrupting them with useless actions.

Many of the positive opinions about him that were formed with the other students were shattered, as he went back to acting like a complete idiot.

Only Sasuke and Hinata knew that it was an act, as they saw him on a regular basis with Ryuu.

An act which he constantly hid behind…

A mask which he donned when unsure or irritated.

A false front that made people form their opinions around it.

And worst of all…it didn't seem that Naruto would step out of character at all for very long, often withdrawing back into his façade.

When alerted of this by Sasuke, Ryuu could only think of ways to get Naruto to stop his acts.

Lest he cause more damage than ever repairable.

**A/N:** Happy New Year.

Kinda surprised that I turned this out that quickly, but I just couldn't stop writing.

I think the graduation exams for Naruto's year should be finished in the next chapter, but I can't be sure.

Thanks to the few dedicated readers I have for this fiction.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

The charade Naruto put on held fast even through the most extreme adversities.

When he was training alone, when he was in the village, when he was with Hinata, when he was with the old man.

The grinning, lazy blonde was beginning to gain the reputation of being nothing but a troublemaker and a slacker.

Granted, he'd already had the reputation of being a complete pain in the ass, but no one ever saw him when he wasn't trying. He had always tried to prove himself, thus at least making those who didn't know him tolerate him.

Tolerate at best.

But now, with word going around that he was ranked among the last in lecture at the academy and dropping in the ranks of ninjutsu, many of the tolerating looks vanished. He was seen as nothing more than a slacker and a hoodlum.

Of course, the rumors that he and the Uchiha boy were the top ranked in taijutsu training and shuriken throwing was conveniently never mentioned. Nor was the fact that Naruto could outlast every single student in the academy when they performed various exercises.

When it was heard that Ryuu took on Sasuke as well, in addition to training Naruto, things seemed to explode.

Suddenly, the talk of the town was how pathetic Naruto was that his own adoptive brother overlooked him for Uchiha Sasuke when the dark haired boy had asked for training. And how Sasuke was going to become one of the greatest shinobi in the village when he became older due to the guidance and training of such a high classed ninja.

Cold glares and sneers were all Naruto seemed to receive, even when he was in the company of others. Many of the children his age never could understand why the adults seemed to avoid and detest him.

It was as if his very presence was something to be hated to them. Something to be ignored. Something, sadly enough, that would have been better of if it had never existed.

Hinata, who had known Naruto for so long, was completely crushed when she saw the way he was treated by others. Sure, she had seen the glares before, but when he was intentionally tripped and then stepped on by several people in a group, she was completely shocked. Utterly horrified to say the least.

It was like a private little hell for her as she watched him endure whatever the villagers did. The part that angered her was the fact that none of them seemed to care at all. They weren't treating Naruto as a human being; they were treating him as if he were a lesser. As if he was an animal.

She was being tortured emotionally each time she saw the boy she'd known and admired for four years harassed or taken down by the very people around him.

But every single time, when the villagers were done with whatever they were doing, he'd simply stand, brush himself off and grin. Even when he had slight cuts from the previous moments.

She saw him go through so much pain…and he was still grinning like an idiot when it was over. Hiding behind his mask again.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was irritated at the blonde. When asked why he didn't defend himself, the boy simply shrugged it off and said it made no sense to. Why try to provoke them even further by doing something stupid?

It was then that Sasuke realized just how different the two were. Naruto, who never had anyone aside from Ryuu, was disliked by the majority of the adults for some mysterious reason.

He, on the other hand, was alone due to something happening within the clan and Itachi killing every single one of them aside from him. While he was alone, he still wasn't. He was praised by the village and was a role model to a few of his peers. The village as a whole watched him grow and took note of his progress. He was never truly alone, not like Naruto was.

Naruto only had a few friends in the academy and only one outside of it. Sasuke had no friends, based on his decision to ignore most social contact because of the constant fawning and annoying girls. It was his own choice to not interact with the fools.

Naruto, though, had at least tried to be social. Not many people saw past the bumbling idiot inside the classroom, though, and that left him with little chance to become friends with those who had already judged him as a complete fool.

Not to mention that the parents of some of the children had told them not to associate with Naruto at all. Those children were the ones who ignored him constantly, never even giving him a chance.

But those who knew Naruto also knew better.

Hinata knew best that Naruto was hiding. Not only hiding his emotions and pain, but something else. Something she wasn't entirely sure about…

Sasuke was shocked, at first, when he saw the contrast between the idiot in class and the boy who trained with Ryuu.

The work ethic, determination and skill displayed by the blonde were simply amazing. It was a complete contrast to who he was when not around others. He was more focused and set on his lessons, not completely ignoring Iruka-sensei by sleeping through class.

To Sasuke, it had seemed like another person had assumed the appearance and identity of the boy in front of him when they would train. Gone was the lazy look in his posture and eyes, gone was the grin or smirk that he typically wore and gone was the sight of idiotic or foolish tendencies he normally displayed.

What was even more frightening, though, was when Naruto would concentrate to the point of heightening his senses. Looking into those strange feral eyes gave Sasuke the creeps, even though he would never be willing to admit it.

For a while, it was just plain odd for the antisocial boy. It took a while to adjust to the fact that the person he practiced with was the same lazy boy at the academy.

There was one thing Sasuke did figure out about Naruto, though. And it seemed like an interesting little factoid.

When someone, even a friend, would glare at Naruto, the blonde would shrink back slightly and seemingly flinch. It was worse when it was a friend and if the glare was credible. Naruto would seem to lose some of his energy and seem suddenly sullen and apologetic.

When Sasuke saw Hinata glare at someone directly behind Naruto, and Naruto thought she was glaring at him, the boy looked…pained. The only way to really describe it was that Naruto looked like someone had killed his dog.

But it also seemed that the blonde was impervious to his own glares. Naruto would look at him and flinch slightly, then frown and glare back. The two constantly spat barbs at each other. While mostly playful banter or childish words, sometimes it got taken a little too far.

Like the time Sasuke had irritated Naruto to the point that the blonde called him a cold, heartless jerk. Sasuke, who had visibly flinched at the line, shot back that Naruto was an ignorant freak.

Both boys were then lectured by Ryuu on what proper manners were. Both shot guilty looks at the other and apologized silently.

Before either of them knew it, it was already eight months into the 3rd year. Both were still competing for viable leadership in the taijutsu and shuriken courses, while Sasuke thoroughly whipped Naruto at basic ninjutsu and was around the top of the class for scores in lecture.

When Ryuu had asked the boy about his constant slacking, the blonde simply shrugged and said it didn't interest him in the least. But Ryuu knew otherwise. The boy was bothered by the fact that he couldn't seem to properly form or control a high amount of chakra to perform even one of the most basic academy techniques.

Often, Naruto would lock himself in his room after training and not come out until he was hungry. When Ryuu would look inside, he could see various scrolls spread throughout the small space, each with explanations and tips on how to perform various techniques or control chakra.

Ryuu was irritated that Naruto would lie to him, but could also understand that he didn't want to be criticized for not being able to do things correctly. He'd always been criticized, so it was second nature to him to try to avoid it.

The black haired and eyed man, though, had a few ideas at what could be wrong with Naruto. After all, most kids his age could at least control parts of the chakra enough to do even the most basic and easiest of techniques. But Naruto couldn't even perform a simple transformation without somehow messing it up. He'd been told by both Hinata and Sasuke that Naruto was laughed at when he failed to perform a proper transformation into the Sandaime.

One of the top concerns on Ryuu's list was that the seal was what was actually disturbing Naruto's ability. The boy could channel small amounts of chakra and, seemingly, youki to use his heightened senses, thus the changes, but he couldn't seem to do any more than that.

It seemed, to Ryuu, that the seal was bleeding a little too much of the Kyuubi's chakra and youki into Naruto that it would destabilize his control and ability to use his chakra properly.

Ryuu decided to see if the blonde boy would grow out of that stage on his own before trying anything he may regret.

But as the third year passed for the young students, nothing seemed to change in the least. Not one thing seemed to change at all, right down to Naruto still not being able to wield his own inner power.

--------------

Naruto, for all intents and purposes, still remained stuck on average ground as the fourth year continued.

He continued to excel at activities outside of the lecture hall, but continued to struggle with the events that seemed to come so easily to others inside that building.

The building itself was like a prison to Naruto. Whenever he was outside, it seemed as though he were free to gallivant as normal, continuing to impress others, along with Sasuke, with his skills.

But while inside, it was just another reminder that he failed at continuing on as others did. It was like a cage, forever being haunted by his mediocrity as he watched others excel past him.

The fourth year was a collection of lectures and studies from all the previous years, in addition to new information and techniques.

The fourth year added more difficult techniques to its growing list, most noticeably a few genjutsu and harder ninjutsu techniques.

And as usual, Naruto slacked through it all. After failing one time, he'd seemingly give up and just watch others, despite Iruka's disapproval or Hinata's pleas.

Naruto was finding it harder and harder to turn down Hinata, as he now completely hated to disappoint her in any way. He also hated to see her sad or upset, and would constantly try to cheer her up.

Apparently, she was beginning to have a rough time at the Hyuuga complex. Her younger sister had just recently turned five and was working with her father while she was at class. She was beginning her training at an early age, much as Hinata did when she was younger.

But the problem came from the fact that Hanabi seemed to excel naturally at the clan's style of combat, while Hinata herself still struggled with it.

Although Hinata was gaining more and more strength and knowledge with the continuing lessons, Hanabi was already learning the style flawlessly. A feat that took Hinata more than a few months after the training with her father began.

The younger girl was said to show more promise than Hinata herself, making the elders of the clan question whether the eldest was most eligible to be groomed into the position of leader.

Hiashi, however, was not partial to favoritism. He treated both his daughters accordingly, although was slightly less harsh on Hanabi due to her continuing success.

The clan head still trained both his daughters. And when held up, he had shifted the duty to his younger brother so that they may continue to learn and grow.

Hizashi was less strict with the girls than with Neji, which relieved Hinata to a small degree. She had seen the way both Naruto and Neji were trained, and she questioned her ability to do the same. The boys were naturally resistant against most attacks and pain, but she was not so accustom to it.

She could handle more pain than most of the girls at the academy, that much was obvious from training and sparring, but was still a far cry away from being able to accept the amount of pain she knew the boys experienced.

She was growing irritated with how Naruto would simply seem to give up during class, knowing that he could put so much more effort into what he was doing. But the irritation was quelled when she heard from both Ryuu and Sasuke that Naruto would try harder than anyone in private.

When the blonde thought he was alone, he would let all restraints go and simply try as many times as his body would let him before stopping before he was exhausted.

Hinata, doubtful of their words, had followed Naruto one day and saw for herself that they were speaking the truth.

Naruto would only slack off in class, keeping the image of a failure and slacker in place. But while in private he continued to be the boy she knew he was. One that never gave up or quit, no matter how long it took. Working only till the brink of utter exhaustion before throwing in the towel.

So instead of being irritated with him, she tried to plead with him to try at least a tiny amount in class. He reluctantly agreed as she, oh so often, played her card of looking hurt or sad when he refused. She knew that he was vulnerable against such tactics, and felt slightly bad about using them against him, but if they worked…then why stop?

In truth, she was slightly hurt whenever Naruto had rejected her. Even if it was a request to continue training, studying or sparring. She often felt that it was a rejection of her and not her offer that he continually shot down.

So in turn, Naruto would try to appease her with giving in to her requests or pleas. Each time, he would receive a shy smile and thank you before she would continue with what she was doing.

The two were spending a greater amount of time together, often putting off training a few hours after class to simply talk or sit quietly somewhere. It was during one of those times that Hinata found out where Naruto seemed to disappear to sometimes after a particularly rough day.

When he had taken her to what he dubbed 'his spot,' she had been amazed. On top of the Hokage Monument was a small clearing that allowed a person to sit and admire the entire village from its highest natural point.

He admitted that he often went there when in need of peace or time to think to himself. It was the perfect place to come and reflect, she noticed. And what was even better was that he had shared this little place with her. That in itself meant a great deal to her.

With time ticking away until their graduation exam, Hinata was continually trying to get Naruto to continue working in class, despite his quiet complaints.

It was when Neji graduated from the top of his class that made things even more tense, for more than one reason. The main reason, though, was that time was running out for those in the academy.

Those who already had enough had dropped out, opting for a normal life of a civilian and going to a normal school than continuing on with the shinobi academy.

However, those who stuck with it were still attending the class. Although the size shrank, the potential around the place didn't. Iruka could see many hidden talents in many of the shinobi hopefuls. Chief among them was Naruto.

The boy, along with Shikamaru, had a massive amount of potential, but never drew upon it. Although Iruka had continued his routine to meet and be with the boy when Ryuu was away, he couldn't help but bring up the issues he had with Naruto's habits and talents, despite the blonde saying he didn't want to talk about it.

Iruka was growing attached to the blonde haired slacker, as he seemed to know how to have fun and relax, but continued to work hard outside of class. Now if only he would work hard in class…

When Iruka had talked to Ryuu, it had seemed as though the man was slightly worried, but not so much about Naruto's performance as his ability. That was the thing that confused the man. And, apparently, Ryuu had done nothing with Naruto at all since the two had talked.

Iruka was beginning to wonder if the man cared at all…

--------------

Ryuu sighed as he took the center of the training field with Naruto. This time, it was alone.

He had told Sasuke that he was mainly going to speak with Naruto, as well as go through a review so the black haired boy was excused for the day while Ryuu told him to review as well.

It was only a few weeks before the blonde's birthday, making it almost an entire year that Ryuu had waited in hopes that his body would simply grow out of its current state. He really did hope it was simply a transition period and not something wrong with the boy himself.

But with what he'd been told and heard, it couldn't possibly be the boy.

He learned that as he grew, Naruto steadily became more and more powerful under the training of several famous figures, such as Kakashi and the legendary Jiraiya.

So it couldn't possibly be the boy. It had to be a slight impurity in his system that was prohibiting him from being able to reach his full potential. An impurity that didn't fully pass through his system until he was older. And didn't pass naturally until he accessed a few powers that weren't his…

Ryuu sighed mournfully as he looked up at Naruto. He hated what he was about to do…but it was for the kids own good.

The kid was also getting a rather big head, so it was time to kick his ego down a few notches so he would remain humble. Not to mention that he had to get Naruto to access his hidden potential and tap his buried abilities.

And the only way he knew how to do that…was extreme anger, pain or a life threatening situation. The first two could've easily been used instead of putting the boy's life in danger, but it would involve something far more damaging than a simple physical beating.

Ryuu had no intention of emotionally scarring the boy by either dragging him through the emotional pain or making him angry by threatening Hinata or Sasuke. Not only would that lose the boy's trust almost immediately, but it would make things high strung between Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto. Not to mention it would scar him for life either way.

So the last option was the only viable choice in his eyes. And one that he honestly was not looking forward to. But as he looked on Naruto, and a few images flashed through his mind, his resolved was steeled.

Naruto had to overcome this ordeal. And in doing so, he just might find out about the truth.

"Prepare yourself, Naruto. This will be far harder than anything you've experienced in the past. Not to mention far more painful."

A bewildered look crossed the blonde's features slightly.

"Wha-?" was all he was able to squeeze out before he saw Ryuu seemingly fly at him. He wasn't even able to get an arm up before Ryuu's left foot made contact with the side of his head.

Naruto was sent flying a few meters before making contact with the ground and rolling roughly along its rocky surface. After a few rotations, Naruto righted himself and used the momentum to launch himself to his feet.

He'd been forced to learn how to do it, since Ryuu sent him sprawling so many times. And each time he wasn't able to nail the landing, another harsh blow would always follow. Ryuu had told Naruto that enemies didn't follow any set rules of engagement, such as not hitting an opponent when they were down.

When Naruto looked up, he noticed something distinctly out of place. And, for some reason, it utterly terrified him. Three blood red tomoe marks were present around a circle, centered around a small red dot, in both of Ryuu's eyes. For some reason, it added to Ryuu's already harsh visage and seemed to permeate malice. And it scared Naruto to the point of inaction.

His only thoughts, as Ryuu connected with a swift kick to his stomach, were that he'd never seen Ryuu like that. Ever. Ryuu, indeed, looked like a demon standing before him in all his unnatural glory.

Naruto was then immediately smashed back down to the ground as an elbow caught the lower part of his back.

Something wasn't right. Naruto could feel it. Not only was something not right with Ryuu, something wasn't right with him.

It could've what was happening. It could've been the way Ryuu was acting. It could've been so many more things, but Naruto didn't know. All he knew, was that he was scared. He was scared shitless.

Ryuu had never gone full out, even in the most intense training sessions that he'd put Naruto through. Naruto could always tell there was a hint of care or concern behind each of the more powerful blows dealt to him. There was always a slight feeling of hesitation as Ryuu followed through.

But now, none of that was present.

Naruto was being beaten. That was all there was to it. Just plain and simple.

He was being thrown around like a piece of garbage caught in a storm. There was no sense of security or caring anymore. All Naruto was feeling was pain. And a lot of it. The fear was beginning to reassert itself as well, making Naruto truly fear for his life.

When Ryuu's fist connected in a harsh blow just below Naruto's ribcage, release finally seemed to come. The pain was far too intense, and a slowly building sensation, a second nature instinct, was beginning to emerge.

It seemed to overtake him, coursing through his body and giving him a sweet reprieve from the pain. And for a moment, just a split second, Naruto felt _right_. He couldn't explain the feeling, it simply was.

Ryuu was shocked as the boy somehow seemed to spin slightly in mid air and land on all fours. Then it suddenly hit him…

An intense feeling of anger, pain and utter hatred. A feeling so foul that it seem to reek of complete evil. A feeling so palpable, it was as if he could reach in front of him and touch it.

It seemed that Ryuu had succeeded…but that was the easy part.

As Naruto looked up, Ryuu could only stare. Slit crimson eyes and elongated incisors glared back at him. Yes…it had, indeed, been a success.

But now, this was a completely different ball game.

----------------

Everything in the village of Konoha had come to a complete stand still. Many were frozen from shock, while most were paralyzed with unadulterated fear.

A foul wave of pure evil had washed over the entirety of the village only moments before, causing the moment of silent panic. But the panic was not deemed to remain silent, as a few women started to scream.

Chaos had broken out. Once again, the chaos that had followed that particular feeling was present over the peaceful village.

A feeling that hadn't been felt for ten years. And many were simply petrified.

The essence of pure evil had returned.

-----------------

Ryuu stared at the figure in front of him, knowing that he was losing. He was pretty sure he had a dislocated arm, possibly even broken, as his left arm hung limply by his side.

Blood was trickling from his brow into his right eye. That was what he got for wearing his hitai-ate on his arm, he realized.

The boy, in his current state, was far too unpredictable. He was relying solely on reflexes and instincts now, not strategy or cognitive thought. He was acting exactly like a cornered animal would, albeit an animal that could fight back instead of simply give in.

He had to end this quickly, lest others find their current position and immediately try to harm Naruto. But each option, in his mind, was rejected, as it usually involved something risky either to him or to Naruto.

He sighed, shutting his eyes so he looked at Naruto through lidded eyes. Even with both of his unique talents, the boy had been able to surprise him. That proved just how dangerous it was to have Naruto running simply on Kyuubi's influence. He was not only a danger to others, but to himself.

Ryuu had tried fighting his way out of it…maybe it was time to take a page from Tsunade's books and talk things through.

Ryuu opened his eyes fully and looked at the hunched figure in front of him.

"Naruto, listen to me." The figure seemed to pause, its ears tweaking slightly. Ryuu took that as a good sign.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I really am. I didn't want to do this to you. I wanted to have you grow out of it, but that simply wasn't the case. Believe me; I never wanted to hurt you."

Ryuu paused and seemed to hang his head slightly, "Please…forgive me."

After a few moments of silence, Ryuu could've worn he heard a whimper of some kind. He looked up to see a concerned look on Naruto's face. The oppressive feeling was leaving the air as Ryuu saw the red fade from Naruto's eyes, leaving his slit blue eyes to take their place.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto spoke.

"Ryuu…? Wha-What happened?"

Nothing more could be said as Naruto seemed to weave on his feet, tilting slightly to the left, before falling forward, completely exhausted.

Ryuu caught Naruto, in his good arm, before he hit the floor. After a few moments, enough ANBU to encircle the entire clearing appeared.

Taking in the situation, the apparent leader stepped forward to speak.

"Please, come with us. Hokage-sama has questions. And he wants answers."

Ryuu simply nodded. The tone of the man's voice stated that there was going to be no refusal. Any such action would result in severe consequences.

As they near the Hokage Tower, Ryuu could only pray they accepted his excuse and explanation.

----------------

Ryuu sighed as he sat next to Naruto in the hospital. After the meeting with Sandaime, they had both been immediately admitted into the hospital staff's care.

Naruto was simply being treated for a case of chakra exhaustion and fatigue, while Ryuu had to have his arm set and healed properly. Of course, he'd have to be back each day over the next week to make sure that his arm was healing correctly and was perfectly fine.

Naruto's case was a simple overnight observation. The doctor, though seemingly hesitant and nervous, had stated he wanted to watch Naruto that night, to make sure nothing was wrong with the boy in the morning.

Ryuu had reluctantly agreed.

Now, the man was lost in thought. He was glad the old man had seemingly accepted his excuse that the training got a little out of hand and Naruto had unknowingly accessed Kyuubi's power as a self preservation mechanism when things got really rough.

When queried how he knew about the Kyuubi, Ryuu had offhandedly mentioned that he heard several villagers talking about it in the past. Sandaime looked between displeased and irritated at the news. Knowing that his law of secrecy was being violated so blatantly…it was enough to irritate the normally stoic man.

But Ryuu had proven his loyalty and dedication to not only the village, but to Naruto as well. That was one of the main reasons Sandaime had accepted his explanations as truth. After all, he'd heard others speak about Naruto in a similar manner with his own ears…so it probably wasn't a lie.

When the time for explanations was over, he immediately had Naruto and Ryuu escorted to the hospital. He had business to attend to after all…

Ryuu was ripped out of his thoughts as he heard a groan. He turned his attention to the boy lying on the bed and grinned.

Naruto shifted a few times before sitting up and rubbing at his eyes sleepily.

"Hey squirt, how you feeling?"

Naruto jumped slightly at the voice, then noticed Ryuu was sitting next to him. Then he noticed where he was.

Naruto groaned again as he plopped back down on the bed.

"Not the hospital…"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow at that, "What's wrong with that?"

"I don't like this place much…" was a muttered response.

"Why?"

"I was sent here too many times as a kid."

Now that sent off alarms in Ryuu's head, but he tried to distract himself.

"You still are a kid, squirt."

Naruto turned his head slightly and frowned at Ryuu.

"You know what I mean."

Ryuu smirked, "Yea, I know what you mean. So how do you feel?"

"Tired…"

"Then rest. I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow, ok?"

Naruto nodded before slowly closing his eyes and sighing. Ryuu put a hand on the top of Naruto's head and rubbed it slightly. The blonde grinned before opening his eyes to see a solemn looking Ryuu.

"What is it, Ryuu?"

Ryuu took his hand away and closed his eyes in shame.

"I really am sorry about today…I hope you never have to experience that again. I never wanted to hurt you…"

Naruto smiled sadly, "Don't worry about it. It happens."

Ryuu shook his head, "It won't from now on. I'll make sure that no one hurts you like that again…not even me."

Naruto seemed stunned. Completely speechless. He seemed to tear up slightly, so he rubbed his forearm against his eyes and kept it there for a moment.

"Thank you…"

Ryuu smiled, even though Naruto couldn't see it, and stood.

"It's what I do for people I consider family. See you tomorrow."

After Naruto heard the door close, he removed his arm and looked at the, now empty, chair next to his bed.

Maybe…just maybe…Ryuu was starting to see Naruto as his family, just as Naruto had done.

Maybe…he still had a chance at a normal life.

Just maybe…

**A/N:** A little unrealistic, I know, but this is kinda how I saw things in the manga.

Naruto was always poor at performing ninjutsu and lacked pretty much any chakra control. Until he unleashed Kyuubi's power against Haku. That was an actual turning point in the story, set there, to me, to make it seem like it was a hurdle that had to be passed before he could perform at normal levels.

Oh well, whatever. More fun stuff to come later. More plot advancement and gasp the graduation!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**Quick Author Note:** I forgot to mention Mizuki's involvement of Naruto gaining control of his power. As I see it, Naruto _had_ to have at least partially accessed Kyuubi's chakra in order to perform Kage Bunshin at that level _after_ training for a while and being utterly exhausted. That was another bump in the road Naruto had to overcome. So before he truly started making progress, he had to expel any oddities in his system, which he did. It was only reinforced when he snapped against Haku, completely flushing his system of pretty much all chakra.

**The Way Things Were**

The old Hokage sighed.

It had been less than three days since 'the incident' but things weren't getting any easier.

He'd been approached numerous times by civilians and ninja alike, all asking how he planned to rectify the situation of Kyuubi's possible release. Each and every time, he had told them he had a plan, and would reassure them that everything would be alright.

Soon enough, rumors had started that Sandaime himself was personally going to deal with the blonde. Many variations of the original rumor spread as well, saying that he was going to kill the boy or simply send him away.

The latter idea didn't sound like a bad one, but Sarutobi knew that it was simply running away. No one should turn tail and run, no matter how difficult the situation. That was what he believed. But his disciples…hadn't exactly taken that lesson to heart.

And it was due to that reason that he was currently working harder than ever to seek out one of his estranged students. Surely he would know what to do.

After all, he was the instructor to the person who had originally crafted the seal on Naruto.

----------------

Naruto sighed as he walked through the streets on Konoha. Normally, he'd be able to simply ignore the stares. But recently, it seemed as though they'd increased not only in number, but intensity as well.

He saw glances of fear, anger, intolerance and complete hatred all aimed at him wherever he went. And, what was more, he could actually feel some of them. The discomfort that seemed to hang in the air intensified, bringing it on the borderline of complete unpleasantness.

He had no idea why it suddenly became so bad…he hadn't done anything at all. Hell, he'd only gotten out of the hospital two days prior. If he was as ignorant as his younger self was, he would've simply dismissed everything. After all, he'd received much the same looks his entire life.

Now, though…now he felt like something was wrong.

And it had all started the same day Ryuu had gone completely nuts on him.

He continued to walk down the street, lost in thought. He couldn't remember anything after a certain point. He'd lost consciousness when the pain had become too horrible to take. His nerves were overcome by the intense pain and he blacked out.

The next thing he remembered was Ryuu standing in front of him looking completely battered and worn down. Concern reflected on his scarred face, even though he was in a pitiful condition himself.

Naruto, while used to harsh treatment from others, was completely shocked when Ryuu had beaten him within an inch of his life…literally.

But when the older man apologized in the hospital room and kept his promise of coming for him the next day, Naruto felt slightly better. He still had no clue as to why Ryuu would suddenly just snap.

But the images of him bloody and beaten standing in front of him still nagged at his mind. How did it happen? The only other person in the clearing aside from the blacked haired man was Naruto, and the boy was unconscious from Ryuu's previous assaults.

So how did he get into such a poor state?

Naruto closed his eyes to try to visualize something, only to be abruptly pulled from his thoughts as he ran into something. Or rather, someone.

Naruto looked up and was about to apologize, but was quickly silenced before he said a word. The look on the man's face said enough. It was contorted in disgust and blind rage.

"Watch where you're going, you little shit!"

Naruto cowered back slightly as the man slowly closed the already small gap remaining in between the two bodies. But as his hands reached out to grab Naruto, something pulled the man away. He was hastily flung off balance as the hand attached to the man's collar moved swiftly away from Naruto.

Naruto looked up to see a frowning Ryuu looking at the villager. He quickly shifted his gaze to include those around the out of line man. Each person cringed and stepped back a few paces as Ryuu looked at them.

His gaze narrowed slightly before he turned back to Naruto with an eyebrow raised.

"Pay more attention, squirt. Otherwise, you might get hurt."

Ryuu then shuffled off while pushing Naruto in front of him, despite the loud complaints coming from the blonde's mouth.

Several of the villagers stared at the vacated spot for a few moments and left to return to their business.

----------------

A week had passed without any major concerns for the Hokage. It seemed as though Naruto's parental figure was doing all the work for him. He watched over Naruto when possible and avoided practically all conflicts when they weren't already in action.

He hadn't been able to quell the increasing insecurity or continued voices of disapproval, but there was only so much that he could do as the figurehead and leader of a large village. There were those that were bound to break the rules and regulations he'd set.

As it was, things had gotten entirely too interesting for the old man's liking. With the start of a new village right next door to Fire Country, the rumors of a businessman taking over most of Wave Country, continued conflicts with Cloud, Jiraiya still at large, Kyuubi's presence revealing itself and many other internal details…the old man was beginning to grow weary.

As it was, things were already growing restless in Konoha due to another Genin graduation test and the upcoming Chuunin Exam a few months after that.

Rumors and violence still followed Naruto around like always. The stress the villagers accumulated was looking for an outlet, and found it in the small boy that they had dubbed the start of their problems.

But while it bothered Naruto for the first few days, he seemed almost completely resistant against it now. It had to be something that Ryuu had said. Otherwise, Sandaime had no doubts the boy would've pulled something drastic.

Sarutobi sighed as he looked back at the paperwork that was beginning to accumulate on his desk. Another day of filling out the needed forms, assigning more missions, to those experienced and inexperienced alike, and to govern over the relatively peaceful town.

------------------

Naruto sighed as he stared up at the sky.

Today was a break from most of the usual routine in the academy, but it was boring as hell to him. In fact, it was about as worse as the lectures themselves.

Everyone was laying in various places around the training field, listening to Iruka as he gave advice to others on how to complete this 'chakra control' technique.

The blonde didn't see the point. It was simply doing some stupid little exercise that involved putting a leaf on his forehead and spinning it. With his chakra only.

It was supposed to improve the control they each had over their own chakra, but Naruto doubted that. He glanced over at Shikamaru and found the boy was already asleep. Naruto smirked slightly, having come to the same conclusion not four minutes after the 'exercise' had started.

He probably would've been amongst the land of the unconscious too…if not for Hinata. Every time Naruto was about to doze off, he felt a little nudge on his left shin. Hinata was gently prodding him with her feet as she continued to look up at the sky and do the exercise.

After a while, Naruto grew fairly bored of not doing anything, so he'd tried to partake in the control exercise. Only a short period of time later, he could be seen frowning at the leaf in his hands. He'd taken it off his forehead to glare at the green organism.

He didn't understand how something so pointless and stupid was so hard. After a few more tries, Naruto simply gave up and stared at the sky. A few moments later, he heard Iruka call everyone back into the hall.

When everyone was seated, the lectures began anew. Naruto sat with his arms crossed on the flat surface in front of him while his head rested lazily on his appendages. All this stuff was crap. To him at least.

They'd covered binding techniques, escape techniques, distraction techniques and anything else that was basic. All of it was easy, in Naruto's opinion.

But genjutsu was still one thing that eluded him completely. He had no idea how to perform or recognize it and no talent in being able to use it. At all. He was ranked completely last in the class in that category.

That was also why he had such a hard problem using a simple replication technique. It was ninjutsu combined with genjutsu. To use chakra to be able to give basis for the technique, but also fool the opponents mind into seeing more than one person. The replications couldn't do anything aside from mimic the user's movements. They made no sound, could deal no damage and had no physical basis at all.

It was basically like creating a more realistic looking ghost. At least, to Naruto it was.

Naruto looked at the board in the front of the class with an extremely bored expression. At least the more interesting part of the day was coming up.

After lecture, and after a small break, the class would begin their tracking lessons and then sparring. Those two exercises, aside from kunai practice and taijutsu training, were the only things Naruto looked forward to each day. Everything else was completely boring.

As the lecture seemed to dawdle on, he glanced of to Hinata to see what she was up to. She'd kept her seat next to him, despite sometimes getting in trouble for it, to keep him company and awake. He was grateful for her vigilance, as he probably would've been in trouble a lot more often, and her companionship. No doubt he probably would've been bored out of his mind if he was sitting next to someone else. Unless of course it was Chouji, with his hoard of distracting snacks, or Kiba.

He could see that she was facing Iruka, completely tuned in on his lecture. But a few moments later, he could see her glance out of the corner of her right eye. She seemed to notice he was watching her and immediately turned her attention back to the front of the class all the while pursing her lips.

Naruto grinned and turned his attention back to the front as well, but was soon lost in his thoughts. Again. He always zoned out during lecture, and that was what usually got him in trouble. Most of the time, his zoning usually revolved around his training or various other things he'd been told by Ryuu.

But today, his thoughts drifted to what had happened within the last week. Things seemed to be slightly off kilter. At least, to Naruto it did. Things were more violent than normal…and not during training either. He could also practically feel the complete distaste the other adults around him radiated.

At first, it wasn't a big deal. But when he'd been confronted by a few villagers with weapons…things seemed to dip further and further down.

For that week, he was lucky Ryuu was around. But a few days ago, he'd been taken off medical leave and put back on active duty. Without Ryuu around, Naruto had no one there to watch his back or look out for him. That was when the violence picked up again.

Then the nagging feeling hit him again. The feeling that something wasn't right…at all. The images of Ryuu standing in front of him kept flashing before him at the most inopportune times. The nagging feeling seemed to grow slightly stronger as he continued to concentrate on the images, but was quickly pulled out of his thoughts when a hand clamped down on his arm.

"Naruto…" Iruka sighed, "Stay after class."

Naruto groaned and several of the students laughed. Hinata frowned slightly, but said nothing about the blonde's punishment.

Naruto felt Iruka pull him up slightly before announcing they would continue on with the lessons tomorrow. They were currently going to finish the rest of the class exercises, then they would be dismissed.

Shuffling was heard as each of the students made their way outside. They each stood ready in the training field as Iruka began to run through the simulation explanation.

Naruto heard the instructions, but was still reflecting slightly before being fully snapped out of his revere by a swift blow to the back of his head. The blonde didn't let his attention slip the rest of the class, which at least seemed to partially appease his irritated sensei.

---------------

Naruto, once again, stood alone in front of Iruka's desk with his instructor sitting in the chair behind the wooden device.

"Naruto…I can't help but notice you're having a harder time concentrating in class. Is something wrong?"

Naruto grimaced before shaking his head with a slight smirk, "Not really."

Iruka sighed. He knew he was going to have problems discussing what had happened with the boy.

"Are the villagers giving you problems, Naruto?"

Naruto seemed startled slightly and slowly let his eyes sink to the bottom left corner of the desk. Iruka noticed the boy's sudden change in demeanor and shook his head. Of course he would lie and try to cover it up. It was just like him.

"I would advise you to try to leave your personal affairs out of business affairs Naruto. You know it is in the code."

"Yea, yea…"

"Try to ignore them. They don't know you at all, so who are they to make judgments?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at the man in front of him.

"Do you know me, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka blinked, slightly taken back by his question. He paused, tilted his head in thought and scratched the side of his head.

"I would like to think I do Naruto, but from what I've both seen and heard, I don't think anyone really knows you. You never let anyone get the chance."

Naruto smirked, "That's the plan!"

Iruka's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he sighed and shook his head.

"Is that all?"

Iruka looked at the blonde in front of him with mild annoyance.

"Try to concentrate more in class Naruto. Graduation is coming up; and despite your high marks in several fields, you still have lacking scores in many other areas."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, sensei."

Iruka, seeing he obviously wasn't getting through to the boy, simply waved him off and watched Naruto turn and walk out of the class. Something about the boy seemed wrong lately…and he couldn't figure out what it was. Couldn't quite put his finger on it…

The man sighed and turned back to the assignments on his desk, hoping that Naruto had at least bothered to turn in this week's assignment.

--------------

The day of Naruto's birth had been one thing the blonde didn't want to remember.

Not only was Ryuu still on assignment, but he had come back from class, and an almost violent confrontation, to find a number of obscenities written on the door and wall of his apartment.

The only thing that made the day worth while was the free dinner he got off of Teuchi at Ichiraku. That and the mysterious present he'd received from an unknown party.

He figured it was just the old man again, trying to at least partially cheer him up on the worst day of them all. October 10th, to Naruto, was a day of complete hell. He went through the same crap every single year. The only people who only seemed to care were Teuchi and Ayame, Ryuu and the old Hokage.

But the past two years, he'd gotten two mystery gifts. The previous year's gift was a few scrolls that held various sources of information. From studying habits to performing basic, and pathetically easy, ninjutsu techniques.

At first, Naruto thought it was Ryuu's sick idea of a joke. But when the man said he had no idea where it came from, and produced his own gift, Naruto was stumped.

He hadn't had the time to open the gift he'd gotten this year. He'd basically tripped over it while leaving the apartment to go out. He quickly picked up the item and put it inside before taking off, not wanting to miss out on his favorite meal. Especially since it was free.

But now, after a satisfying meal, he returned to look at the wrapped gift before him. He still had no idea who sent them, although he was beginning to suspect that Iruka was the giver of last year's special surprise.

He resigned himself and opened the small box slowly, only to find a pair of fingerless leather gloves with a back plate on them. The blue colored gloves were fairly simple in design, but seemed to be rather appealing to the boy. After all, he'd seen Ryuu wear a pair of gloves similar to the ones in front of him now.

He wondered if it was Ryuu who got them. He looked around for the inevitable note making fun of him, but never found one.

He stared at the gloves before him in confusion before simply shrugging and putting the box back on the table. He'd have to give them a shot during sparring practice with Ryuu or at the academy.

He pulled out a few scrolls and began to read over them, but quickly grew bored. Despite the increasing lessons in stealth, techniques and taijutsu, Naruto was still growing bored with the class.

After all, it was just that…a class. He wanted something more real, something that could only be taught through experience and hard work. Exactly like how he was learning from Ryuu.

Naruto sighed and looked over across the living area to the small kitchen. The table residing within its territory strangely bare. And the empty seat across from his own was somewhat daunting.

He may not have minded when he was younger, but with Ryuu gone…things just didn't feel right. Especially not with what was happening recently. That and the fact that Ryuu seemed to come back with another scar or wound that hadn't fully been healed or treated yet. It sometimes worried the boy when he thought he might end up the same way.

Naruto groaned and flopped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. After a few more moments, he looked back over at the scrolls and sighed.

They had a test coming up in a couple weeks, and not long after that the Genin Graduation Exams would take place.

He heard that Neji had passed with flying colors. Highest marks of his class in every category, best in taijutsu and number one in being able to discern and use basic ninjutsu techniques and genjutsu.

Of course, that was what was expected of him. From both his father and his clan.

He figured Hinata was much the same, with all the attention and determination she set towards the classes.

He, however, didn't have that. Ryuu had simply told him to try his best. He didn't need to be the best in anything, as long as he tried, it didn't matter. Ryuu would give him his full support in whatever he did…as long as he tried. So to make up for it, he would always try his best when it came to Ryuu.

He looked over at the chair again, groaned and picked up another scroll. He began to read through it, and although his disliked the content it held, he still tried to concentrate on it.

The only things in class that really interested him were taijutsu and ninjutsu. He could care less about everything else. He wanted to focus on those areas, eventually hoping to gain enough power and strength to match even Ryuu.

But the man set that bar incredibly high…so Naruto had to get everything he could.

After a few more moments he rolled up the scroll and grumbled about the stupid exams. Why did they expect a shinobi to know about even half of this crap? He highly doubted one of his enemies would use a test as a means of torture or way of fighting…although it would be strangely efficient if they did.

He turned everything off and headed to sleep for the night, images of the day still floating in his mind. He'd been about to clean off some of the paint, that was one of the main reasons he was so tired. But he'd have to tell the old man to get a clean up crew out eventually.

And with all the crap that had been happening lately, the crews in charge of most of the destruction's aftermath and cleanup were well secure in their positions. They had nothing to worry about.

He slowly closed his eyes. He hoped he would be able to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

--------------

Time seemed to fly by for Naruto. The class exam had already come and gone and it was approaching Hinata's birthday.

He still wasn't sure exactly what he should give her, since he normally wasn't that great at being social. Nor had he ever really gotten a gift for anyone before, only received them. He'd never had the luxury of giving someone a gift…because that entailed having friends.

Last year he had gotten her a few supplies for her birthday, but he figured she didn't like them since she looked somewhat let down. She'd tried to hide it, but he knew something was wrong.

As Naruto looked around town, he sighed. He'd already been thrown out of most of the stores around the village. Even though he had protested, saying he had the money, they had simply ushered him out. Using excessive force in some cases.

He looked at the last two shops, but found nothing of real worth in either of them. Not to mention he wanted to leave as quickly as possible due to the glares he was receiving. It was enough to put him on edge and feel antsy.

He returned to the apartment and simply flopped onto the floor. Being the weekend, he rarely had anything to do. And he wasn't feeling up to cracking out any of his assignments. Even if they were the last ones.

Naruto smirked as he remembered just how surprised Kiba had been to find out there was an ordinary person who rivaled the mighty Inuzuka in terms of human senses. Naruto had simply ignored the boy's constant prods and stupid remarks and continued onward, despite Kiba trying to impede him.

Overall, he was ranked somewhere in the middle of the class. Near the top in shuriken practice, top of taijutsu training and sparring, second in tracking and probably fourth or so in stealth. Which many people found odd considering his bright blue and orange attire.

But on the flip side, he was completely last in genjutsu and probably fifth to worst in ninjutsu. Not to mention his lecture scores and test grades were ranked second to last. In an overall average, Naruto was a normal student with the potential to be a ninja.

He stood up and started to walk into the kitchen to grab a quick something to eat when he noticed a small envelope sitting on the table. It hadn't been there when he left. Maybe Ryuu dropped it off before going to give his mission report?

He walked over to the white object with a sense of curiosity. It looked like it held something more solid than it should have, as were indicated by the small bulges in the side. He picked it up, noticing that the small container was extremely light, even though it carried something fairly solid.

He turned it over and looked at the unsealed flap on the back of the envelope. After a few moments he pushed the flap back and pulled the contents out. He stared at what he held in his hand for a few moments before looking it over.

"You should give it to her."

Naruto jumped slightly as he heard the familiar voice come out of nowhere. He spun around and frowned at Ryuu before putting the contents of the envelope back inside of its form prison.

Naruto put it down and crossed his arms.

"Why would I need help getting Hinata a gift?"

Ryuu let a sly smile appear briefly, "Hinata huh?"

Naruto looked at him quizzically before he realized his mistake…Ryuu had simply said 'her.' It was an ambiguous term, to be sure, but he had never specified a specific female.

"Shut up…"

Ryuu chuckled slightly, "Just take it to her Naruto. You've already been shopping, haven't you?"

The boy turned his head slightly to the side and peered out of his left eye at Ryuu. It seemed he knew that the Naruto was having trouble…which didn't surprise the blonde at all. Ryuu seemed to know a lot of this he shouldn't have.

He nodded reluctantly and saw Ryuu sigh slightly.

"Then don't worry about it, squirt. I figured it might happen, so I picked this up."

Naruto scowled at the black haired man in front of him.

"Quit calling me that!"

Ryuu's grin quickly reappeared, "Whatsa matter, squirt?"

Naruto growled slightly, while still glaring at the man. He knew that Ryuu knew he hated pet names, but that never discouraged the black eyed man from using them. At all. He used them more frequently as a form of provocation. Both of them stood, staring at each other. Naruto with a scowl, Ryuu with a smirk. A short silence passed between the two of them.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto."

Naruto looked at the floor grumbling something. Ryuu didn't bother asking what it was, since he was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't repeat it aloud. But he knew that it was a subdued thank you from the energetic blonde.

The blonde moved back into the kitchen to prepare a snack, to which Ryuu only sighed. The kid, despite his size, could eat more than anyone he'd met. And that said a lot…since he'd worked with a few of the Akimichi clan.

It was customary for the boy to have close to six meals a day, although three of those meals were nothing more than instant ramen. Ryuu had no doubt the boy could live off of it, but it wasn't healthy in the least. With all of the artificial ingredients and everything else normally in packaged food, it didn't hold any of the nutrients a normal meal should.

As if on cue, Naruto walked back to the table with two cups of instant ramen and set them down. He'd already added the water and had to wait the three antagonizing minutes for his meal to finish its preparations.

Ryuu shook his head slightly and continued back into his room. He still had a few things to talk to Naruto about before he had to leave again.

But for now, he'd let the boy enjoy his meal.

---------------

Naruto fidgeted nervously as he was escorted through the hallways of the Hyuuga compound. He'd had about a decent Christmas as one could get when alone. But he'd still received gifts from both Ryuu and the old man. Not to mention had a nice little chat with Teuchi and Ayame.

He always felt at least a little better after a nice meal with people who accepted him.

Now, though, he was currently being shown through the complex to where Hinata was with her family. He'd expected to simply drop the gift off, like he had the previous year. But, for some reason, he was ushered inside and was now being lead into the depths of the Hyuuga compound.

He looked around the pristine hallways with a hint of nervousness. He'd been here before, but never without Ryuu. It was rather nerve wracking alone.

As his entourage led him through another hallway, he could hear voices coming from one of the rooms. His escort stopped at a specific door and knocked quietly on the hardwood frame of the shoji door. After a few moments, a voice told them to enter.

The door was slid open and Naruto was pushed inside before the door was slid closed again. He stood at the doorframe for a moment, staring at the sight in front of him.

Hinata, who seemed to be smiling shyly, was sitting across from her father and next to her younger sister. The young girl had long brown hair that seemed completely unkempt…which was rather odd. The man sitting in front of the girls Naruto immediately recognized.

He stiffened slightly and bowed, but it was an odd motion that he'd never gotten in the practice of using.

He heard a slight giggle and looked up to see the girl looking at him oddly, Hinata covering her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono and Hiashi looking at him with slight amusement. He straightened up again and scratched the back of his head nervously while grinning like an idiot.

With a simple gesture, Hiashi motioned for Naruto to join them. He reluctantly headed over to the small group, not really expecting what was happening. After all, he'd been planning on simply wishing Hinata a happy birthday and dropping of the present before leaving.

He slowly sat in front of Hiashi, legs crossed and hands on his knees. He seemed to notice the man's appraising looks and tried to avoid eye contact with every person in the room. He hated being looked at like that. It not only irritated him, it made him extremely nervous. It was like he was being put on the spot. While he wanted a certain amount of attention…being looked at like he was an exhibition was a bit much in his mind.

It wasn't long after that Naruto felt the man's gaze leave him. It was like a weight leaving his shoulders. He looked back at Hiashi to see the man seemed slightly content with something. After a few moments of silence, Hiashi began.

"So, Uzumaki. How has the training with Ryuu-san been going?"

Naruto seemed slightly taken aback by the question, not expecting the topic to be approached so simply in a social setting. But then again…sitting in a huge complex with only three other people in the room wasn't really social.

"It's going fine, when Ryuu is actually around and gets a few breaks. Otherwise, most of the time I train alone or spar with Sasuke."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow, "The Uchiha? I wasn't aware that the two of you had taken to training together while alone."

Naruto nodded. He had to admit that he never thought it would happen either. But when Sasuke had appeared unannounced and with no reason at his training area, Naruto had found it to be quite true. Ever since that day, Sasuke had come back at least twice a week to get in a spar or practice outside of class.

After a few more moments of talking about training and the upcoming graduation exams, Hiashi excused himself and motioned for Hanabi to follow. When the two left, Naruto was sitting alone with Hinata.

The purple haired girl looked slightly flushed, but Naruto guessed it was because she was just abandoned in the room by her family. He looked at the floor slightly before remembering why he'd come to the complex in the first place. He hesitantly reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small wad of cloth.

He looked up at Hinata, noticing her shocked looking expression and held it out for her to take. Her hands trembled slightly as she took the proffered item gently. It didn't look like it had been wrapped well, but she sort of expected that from Naruto. It was just who he was.

She pulled away a few of the cloth layers before getting to the last layer. She carefully pulled back the last corner and stared at the item she held in her hand.

She noticed Naruto shift slightly. She looked up to see him grinning at her.

"Happy Birthday…Hinata-chan."

Hinata looked from his countenance, back to the gift and back to him again. She seemed to notice his face fall slightly and was slightly confused. She put the bundle on the floor before scooting closer to him and hugging him lightly.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

The boy grinned as she pulled back and picked up the delicate necklace. It was a simply silver necklace with a pearl mounted on the front of it. She pulled it closer to her face to look at the delicate piece of simple jewelry and smiled.

"It matches your eyes."

She looked back at Naruto, eyes wide and face red. He was still facing her, but with his head tilted to the side and his eyes looking at the floor while he scratched the back of his head.

She was at a loss for words, so she simply nodded in response. She saw him smile at her before getting up.

"I better go."

She looked slightly hurt, but nodded at him nonetheless. He made his way to the door and opened it. He stopped as he walked out into the hallway and looked back.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata-chan."

When she nodded, he grinned and slowly slid the door closed behind him. After she heard his footsteps fade from her range of hearing, she looked back down at the necklace.

It was the first real gift anyone aside from her family or clan had gotten her. And was one of the few gifts she'd received from Naruto. She couldn't help but feel giddy and speechless all at once.

And it was one of her only gifts that meant something to her. She could still hear what he said clearly. It was ringing in her mind. How could she forget something like that? Let alone how he said it?

She smiled and undid the clasp at the back of the necklace before pulling it around her neck and refashioning the clasp. She got up and walked back to her room, where she looked at herself in the mirror. She admired the way it looked, knowing that it was from him.

He was right though, it did match her eyes. She beamed at the prospect that he actually paid that much attention. Let alone to her.

She retained her smile as she went back to talk with her father. She guessed he was in the common room.

After all, they still had various things to discuss before the end of the night.

---------------

Naruto groaned as he pulled himself off the floor. His feral eyes gazed up at the man standing before him as he felt the pain shoot through his legs.

Ryuu had upped the weight in his weights again. Another 10 kilos. That was last week though…so he didn't understand why his body was having such a hard time adjusting to the new weight.

He was now sluggish in his moves, which made training all the more difficult. Even if he could see what was happening didn't mean he could do anything about it if his body wouldn't react properly.

He slowly pulled his feet apart and stared at Ryuu. The man had a somber smile plastered on his face as he charged at Naruto again. Sasuke winced from the sidelines as he saw Naruto half block a fairly hard punch to his left side. He'd been on the receiving end of Ryuu's blows before…and he knew they hurt like hell.

The boy stared as Naruto got into stance again and, once again, failed to block one of Ryuu's strikes. It amazed the black haired youth how many times Naruto could get up. His will, endurance and pure stamina amazed him. And he was wearing more than double the weight Sasuke was.

Naruto possessed more stamina at such a young age than Sasuke had seen in normal ninja twice or even three times his age. The boy, despite the trashing he was getting, could even outlast Ryuu.

He also knew that Naruto probably possessed more skill than anyone in their class…but never showed it. Sure, he was a slow learner, but it became blatantly obvious to Sasuke why that was true.

He had to see the technique done. He had to see anything done if he was able to do it properly. Half the time, Iruka only gave short lectures and a brief introduction before telling the students to figure it out on their own. It was a way of forming independence from the instructor, but it was completely bias against those who were more tuned to visual learning…like Naruto.

After Naruto had seen someone perform the technique properly, he could figure it out for himself, knowing what it looked like and getting a rough idea of how it was supposed to look. The only instance in which that wasn't true was creating a replication. He couldn't perform a simple bunshin technique to save his life. Literally, to save his life.

But then again, Naruto had absolutely no talent for genjutsu.

Sasuke was brought out of his reverie as he felt something collide with the back of his head. He looked back and saw a scowling Naruto. The blonde was filthy, but it was to be expected since he was in such an intimate relationship with the ground.

"Stupid jerk, it's your turn."

Sasuke glared at the blue eyed boy, only to receive one back.

Naruto sat and watched as what previously had been happening to him was now happening to Sasuke. He watched as Sasuke, who was finally starting to get used to the extra weight, was slapped around by the man who taught the two of them.

Naruto had almost immediately noticed that Ryuu had been more careful with Sasuke when they first started. When the frustrated boy asked him about it, Ryuu's simple response was that Sasuke had no where near the amount of resistance, will, stamina or training that Naruto did. So it was only logical that he had to eventually build up, just like he'd done with the blonde.

Naruto accepted the answer, as he'd remembered Ryuu being a lot more forgiving and far less harsh when they actually started. Sure enough, after a few months of training, the pace on the two boys was practically the same.

Although Sasuke was still far behind Naruto in terms of ability and stamina.

There was something fishy going on with the Uchiha youth though. It came and went in awkward bursts, but it was there nonetheless. At seemingly random times, it appeared as if Sasuke had a high amount of foresight. He could dodge and weave through attacks and easily settle into defensive stances and counterattack. But at equally random times, he seemed to be far more clumsy and awkward.

It was almost a trade off.

Naruto stared at the two figures in front of him, still lost in thought. He was dreading the next few days. Within the next week, everyone at the academy would be tested on one technique. That technique would remain hidden from the students until the moment they arrived in the lecture hall to take the graduation exam.

He really hoped it wasn't something he was horrible at. The previous years it had simply been a test at the end of the term. A comprehensive exam covering the entire year. While Naruto had struggled with those, he'd managed to pass…if barely by the skin of his teeth.

The graduation exam though…it was a test of ability. A test of skill. To see if the students actually absorbed and could use the information they were taught. If looked at that way, there were only a few techniques that could measure a student's ability.

And chief amongst those techniques was the bunshin technique.

Naruto groaned mentally as he stared at the two black haired people in front of him. He would get off lucky if it wasn't that cursed technique. Anything but that cursed technique…

----------------

Naruto's head hit the desk.

Why?

Why did it have to be _that_ technique.

He'd been practically dreading coming to school on this day to find out what the test was. And now he was regretting coming at all. Not more than ten seconds after Iruka had made the announcement that the graduation exam would be to create replicas, he'd already called in his first victim and left the rest of the students in the hall.

Names came and went. He saw students enter and then leave the little room in the back. Some had looks of excitement, while others had looks of dread. The blonde knew he'd probably be one of the latter ones in a few minutes. He still couldn't perform the technique with a fair amount of skill.

He saw Hinata enter and come out, but she had a small smile covering the lower part of her face. He figured she would pass…

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto immediately locked gazes with the boy and snorted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde and simply went into the room, only to emerge with a slight smirk.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto sucked in his breath and walked into the room. He could see both Mizuki and Iruka sitting at a table on the far side of the room. He walked up towards the center and shifted nervously.

"Now, Naruto. Create a bunshin for us and you'll be able to graduate."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, widening his stance and putting his hands together. After a few moments, a small surge of chakra was felt as a puff of smoke temporarily covered the blonde.

After a few seconds, the white smoke cleared to reveal Naruto standing next to a pathetic looking version of himself. It was tilting over to the left with drool hanging out of its mouth before finally flopping onto the floor and vanishing.

Naruto, the instant he saw the thing, knew he was screwed.

Iruka stared at the boy before sighing slightly and shaking his head.

"You don't pass Naruto, try again next year."

Naruto's shoulders slumped forward slightly.

"But Iruka-sensei, surely you can let this one slide. He technically did make a bunshin."

The brown haired instructor shook his head, "It wasn't the proper technique at all Mizuki. Naruto would never be able to fool his enemies with that…thing."

Naruto trudged out of the room, not seeing the hesitant and slightly sorrowful look on Iruka's face as the boy clad in orange and blue left.

As Naruto left the room, a call for the next student was sent. But not before Iruka vowed to at least try to cheer the boy up after the class was dismissed for the last time.

----------------

Naruto sat on the swing by the tree, staring into the crowd that was beginning to gather. After a few moments, some cheers could be heard as he both saw and heard parents either congratulating or consoling their children.

He saw both mothers and fathers talking with their children, acting completely natural. As if it was something they did every single day. Like a routine.

The only routine Naruto ever knew was the training routine Ryuu had him on, Iruka sometimes treating him to dinner, classes and fighting with Sasuke. Ryuu was almost always gone, but was still an immense help when around. Naruto felt so much better when the black haired man was around.

Now that class was over, that signified the end of one routine. And in that ending, Iruka probably wouldn't even socialize with him anymore, bringing close to another routine. The only thing Naruto doubted would change was his fighting with Sasuke.

Now matter how good the Uchiha was, the boy had finally realized that there were better. And those that were better were willing to help.

Naruto was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice the glances sent his way or the questions asked about him. Parents asking if it was true that the troublemaker and brat had failed. When the answer was heard to be an affirmative, they looked to be both relieved and happy.

Naruto shifted on the swing, drawing a small amount of attention to himself as he got up. But before he could even take another step, he was confronted by a man with shoulder length white hair and a green flak jacket.

The green eyed man smiled at Naruto and motioned for him to walk with him.

"Naruto-kun…what if I told you…there was another way?"

-----------------

Naruto sat in the middle of a clearing with a large scroll in his hands. He'd been told by Mizuki that if he brought this specific scroll to this specific clearing, that he would receive a passing grade and therefore graduate.

And being who he was, he couldn't help but sneak a peak inside of the scroll. He'd had a hell of a time getting it away from the old geezer, but he had it in his possession.

He stared at the first technique and groaned, "Kage…Bunshin? Another replication technique? You've got to be kidding me!"

But as he quickly read the description and noticed the properties it had, he couldn't help but smirk. It wasn't a genjutsu at all, like the last bunshin technique they were forced to learn. This could be interesting.

Naruto set the scroll down and unrolled it a little more before standing up and looking down at it. He stared at the directions and made a strange looking hand seal that they'd never been taught.

"This is worth a shot…" was all the blonde muttered as he began to concentrate on the technique.

----------------

Naruto watched from his vantage point. Which was just behind a tree.

It turned out that the entire story that Mizuki had told him was simply a setup. A ploy to get him in trouble and the white haired man the scroll that Naruto now possessed.

The boy, despite his training, was frozen in shock and fear. He'd heard what Mizuki had said the entire time. The parts of him being a failure, a nobody…but mostly, the part that he was a demon.

Some things had instantly begun to click in the blonde's head. He could understand practically everything that puzzled him. Why he was tormented and hated. Why he has alone, with a few exceptions. Why people looked at him that way. And lastly…

The image of a shaken and bloodied Ryuu snapped to the forefront of his mind, making him wince.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard the talking resume after a short period of silence.

"You…you're wrong Mizuki. Naruto…he isn't the Kyuubi. He isn't a demon at all…Sure, he may be rather clumsy…and he lacks a few social skills…and needs a little more discipline and a solid work ethic…"

Iruka paused slightly to gather his breath, "But he is one of my best students! He is a member of the Hidden Leaf! He is Uzumaki Naruto!"

Iruka was practically screaming by the end, much to Mizuki's annoyance. The white haired man flicked out his weapon of choice and began to charge Iruka with a snarl, but was quickly stopped. With a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

Naruto stood in front of Mizuki, who had quickly regained himself, in a menacing stance. He'd dropped the scroll off by Iruka and immediately gotten into one of the offensive stances he'd been taught.

When his eyes lifted to meet Mizuki, the man paused in shock. The pupils were nothing more than slits. A low growl seemed to radiate from the boy as his feet slid further toward his target.

"Stay away from him. Or I'll kill you."

"Fat chance, you little shit. I'll kill you before you can even move!"

Naruto brought his hands up in a cross sign with a smirk, "Just try it."

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

Suddenly, Iruka and Mizuki found themselves surrounded by a massive number of blondes. Mizuki was completely confused while Iruka was stunned. The blonde had learned a forbidden technique that was supposed to be Jounin level in less than one night.

Iruka watched as the numerous amount of blondes charged at Mizuki with a shout. Maybe…just maybe…he'd have to rework that opinion of Naruto needed a solid work ethic.

Within a blink of an eye, it was completely over. Naruto was standing alone above Mizuki's beaten body with a grin. He turned to face Iruka, pupils still in their former state.

Iruka had always been worried about those eyes. He thought they may have foretold something horrible. Something that could've put everyone at risk again. But he'd found that it was just the opposite. He'd use his improved senses to help improve himself. And he only ever saw those eyes when the boy was angry, serious or in trouble.

He had new respect for those odd looking eyes, no matter how ominous they may be.

Iruka motioned for Naruto to move closer to him with a grin. He told the boy to shut his eyes, which the blonde did, albeit very reluctantly.

After a few moments, the usual red bandana that adorned the blonde's forehead was taken off and placed with the hitai-ate that Iruka had been wearing.

"OK, Naruto. Open your eyes."

The blonde nodded and hesitantly slid his eyes open. He noticed the bare forehead of his instructor and the red bandana sitting in his hand. The tanned man was beaming at Naruto with pride.

"Congratulations Naruto. You pass."

**A/N:** Have to keep something canon right? Well, that's pretty much it, I guess. Maybe aside from Naruto's later training.

With the new semester kicking up, my addiction to TFC and WoW and my interest in reading being perked again…on top of my recent medical issues…I'm having a bit of a hard time writing. I have ideas…I have a small amount of time…but I have no way to get them out. I can hardly think straight sometimes.

On a rather odd side note…most of my other stories have all been getting a fair amount of hits and a small amount of reviews. Which actually surprises me, seeing as how I never update them or they're already complete.

Anyway…Teams up next chapter and…yea…I don't really know.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**A/N:** Quick thing before I start. Heaven only knows exactly how many different combinations of teams I've thought of. To tell the truth, I don't even remember them all, but I can think of at least 6 different team combinations that actually _work_ in some sense, including the original team lineups. But I've picked one that I can see happening most with Naruto's various 'skills' in this one.

**The Way Things Were**

Sandaime looked over the paperwork in front of him, as well as those that were gathered in front of him. Among those present was his own wayward son, who'd returned to Konoha once again after becoming one of the twelve elite guardians of the Fire Lord.

The paper work was all the results and suggested pairings for various teams that the students would be broken into. He, and the new Jounin instructors, had the ability to change what they saw as they saw fit.

The old man had smiled slightly when he saw Naruto's name on the list. He knew the boy had passed. After all, he'd been watching when Iruka had declared him a graduate. He looked at the groupings as well as the amendments made by the instructors on who they thought would fit best.

He found that for a majority of the jounin had left the groups as they had been, but there were a few that had changed out the recommended setup to request a different student.

The old Hokage looked up at one such group leader, as this one had been the one that had asked for probably the most interesting switch out of them all.

"Are you sure about this?"

The person nodded in complete sincerity. From what they had seen, the switch was more than warranted. And in more than one way.

The old man sighed slightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"It will be interesting then. To see exactly what influence they have on him."

That was one of the other reasons. The person nodded again.

"Very well. Does anyone have any objections to these setups?"

After a round of silence, and a few of the occupants looking at each other, the Hokage nodded.

"Dismissed."

All the figures stood at attention before walking slowly out the door. A few began to chat idly while one lit up a cigarette and another pulled out an odd looking orange book.

The sole occupant of the office linked his fingers together with a slight smile as he thought about what the next day would bring.

--------------

Naruto sat in front of the old man with a smirk on his face. He'd just had his picture taken for his genin record that morning. The old man was staring at the piece of paper in silence before a sigh escaped his lips.

"Take it again."

"WHAT?"

"Take it again, Naruto."

Sandaime held up the paper and motioned towards the photograph in the upper left corner. It was of Naruto, but it looked nothing like the blonde boy. His normal red bandana was covering the top of his head, in addition to his forehead, in a manner that he'd seen several shinobi wearing their hitai-ate. Next, he was wearing an interesting pair of black sunglasses that were too big for him. They covered the rest of his forehead in addition to half way down his nose. After that, the boy's lower face was covered as he buried it into the top of a high neck green turtleneck, effectively hiding the rest of his lower face. The turtleneck was then covered by an overly large black coat that had red lines darting up the sleeves, which also his the sides of Naruto's face. To finish it off, Naruto wore a pair of blue fingerless gloves on his hands, which were crossed in front of his chest as he tried to give the camera man a serious look.

All in all, the picture was utterly ridiculous.

"How can you say that, Hokage-jiisan! It's a masterpiece!"

The old man sighed and put a hand to his forehead. Naruto, when kept contained, was usually hyperactive. It was certain showing through now.

Before the old Hokage could say another word, the door slid open slightly. All attention in the room turned to the door as a small boy, no more than eight, quickly slammed the door open and tried to charge the Hokage.

After a few moments into the charge, he tripped over his own extremely long green scarf and face planted directly into the wooden floor. Naruto stared in awe at the boy. How could one be so clumsy?

"As expected of the Hokage…you knew I was coming and set traps."

…and how could he be so stupid?

Naruto muttered something about the kid being a complete moron, which was overheard. Immediately a smaller face was in his, looking at him in irritation.

"What was that?"

Naruto stared at him for a minute before pushing him back slightly, "I said, you're a freaking idiot."

As soon as the sentence was complete, the boy was in his face again yelling. A man wearing small circular sunglasses made a quick appearance and sighed when he saw the young boy yelling at Naruto.

"Young Master, it would do you well not to associate with him."

"Young Master?" Naruto turned his head to look at the new voice and flinched slightly. Those eyes…

"Yes, he's the Sandaime's grandson. It would be best if you would simply leave him alone."

Naruto turned back to the now grinning boy. His grin, though, was extremely cocky. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly before the boy dared him to hit him. The boy, Konohamaru he'd heard the old man call him, was standing before him defiantly.

Naruto snorted before leaning back slightly, the situation seemingly diffused. A small sigh escaped both of the men in the front of the room before Naruto reared his head forward and planted it firmly against the young boy's.

The cry of pain seemed to satisfy Naruto as he smirk and walked out the door, waving behind him to the room's occupants.

--------------

Naruto frowned as he noticed the brat still following him. Hadn't he had enough already.

He turned around and pointed at the ground next to him, "Get out here."

Several people looked at him like he was completely crazy before glaring at him. The glares turned to surprised looks as a small boy walked out from around the corner, staring at him.

Several whispers immediately shot through the open air. Naruto heard several mentions of 'Honorable Grandson' and such before he turned his attention back on Konohamaru.

"What do you want, brat?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Naruto twitched slightly, "What the hell do you mean what's wrong? I have you following me don't I? What do you want?"

The boy continued to stare at the blonde, saying nothing.

Naruto, getting tired of the silence, simply turned around and continued walking. He still had to do a few training exercises before going home and relaxing. Much to his annoyance, the boy continued to follow him.

As soon as Naruto got into the forest and began his exercises, he was interrupted by the boy.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto sighed and turned to look at him, "Training. What do you want? Why are you still following me?"

"Why are you different from the others?"

Naruto seemed confused, "What?"

"You aren't like the others. They treat me with respect simply because I'm the old man's grandson. Why don't you?"

Naruto snorted, "What have you done to gain any respect? You're a loud and annoying little kid who doesn't stop bugging people."

The brunette growled slightly, "I'll show you when I'm in the old man's spot! You'll have to respect me then!"

Naruto stared at him before bursting out laughing. The boy stood completely still, finger still pointed at Naruto, completely confused.

"You become Hokage? That's great! There's no way!"

Konohamaru launched himself to tackle Naruto, but was simply swatted away with the back of a hand.

"Besides, that role is already reserved."

"What?"

Naruto grinned, "I'm going to pass you straight into that seat. Then _you_ will have to respect _me_."

Konohamaru snorted, "Who'd ever follow you? Plus, I have an elite instructor who will help me beat the old man with ease!"

Naruto suddenly became solemn, "You think it'll be easy?"

Konohamaru grinned and pointed, "That's what he tells me!"

Naruto turned and stared at the man before him. The same man that was in the office. With those same eyes…

Naruto shivered.

"Nothing is ever easy. Despite what people tell you, there is never an easy path in life. That…is what I've learned from Ryuu."

Konohamaru looked confused, confused and lost in thought. Ebisu, however, had perked at hearing the name. He'd heard of the jounin. He was continually requested on missions, simply because of his status. Word traveled fast with various, new and repeating, clients.

Ebisu returned his gaze to Naruto, who was now walking away. Despite his current status in the village, he couldn't help but realize people may be wrong. The boy…he never gave respect without it being earned and realized that there was more to life than most thought. He was an interesting boy…

"I'll beat you one of these days! We'll be rivals from now on!"

Naruto simply waved over his shoulder as he walked away, signifying that he'd heard.

After the blonde disappeared into the forest, Konohamaru turned to his instructor.

Ebisu seemed slightly taken aback by the determination in the boy's face, but smiled.

"Are you ready to get back to your lessons, Young Master?"

------------------

Naruto, for all intents and purposes, had been far too excited and annoyed to fall asleep, despite the nagging his body was giving him. So imagine his surprise when, not more than half an hour after he finally got to sleep, he was brutally assaulted by a large wave of freezing water.

And a loud shout and a few choice words, he gazed upon his attacker with seething anger.

There, in his doorway, stood Ryuu. With a large smirk on his face. Holding a, now empty, cup that was still extended in Naruto's general direction.

After a few moments, Naruto groaned and lay back down on his now soaked bed. He tried to turn over and pull the covers back over him, but Ryuu had already stripped him of that pleasure. The boy shot the man another glare before burying his face in his pillow.

"Well, that was an awfully nice reception."

Naruto grunted and mumbled something from his position without lifting his head. He knew that Ryuu had been gone a week, but he was too tired to care at the moment. He was too tired to care about anything.

"If you don't get your lazy butt out of bed, you're going to be late."

Naruto's head immediately shot up. Except that. He cared about that.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Naruto yelled at the grinning visage in his doorway before leaping up and quickly running to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, getting dressed and eating a slice of toast and a piece of bacon, Naruto ran out the door with another slice of toast, stuck in his mouth, with a wave.

The blonde sprinted down the streets, earning glares from anyone that he happened to pass. Although the streets were relatively empty that early in the morning, they weren't completely uninhabited. Naruto ignored the pointed looks, too concentrated on getting to the academy.

He didn't know what they were going in for. They'd already passed the stupid exam right? Iruka hadn't told him why they had to come in the day after next, simply that he should be there.

Naruto passed through the gates in front of the academy yard and immediately ran into the building. He continued through the halls before sliding to a stop in front of his usual classroom door and slamming it open.

Inside, it appeared as Iruka had just opened his mouth to speak to the students gathered inside. However, with all the attention now fixed on the blonde, he'd simply paused before he said anything.

Naruto sheepishly grinned and rubbed the back of his head before taking a seat in the very back. He was sitting next to Ino and Shikamaru, who were in some sort of small talk before Ino turned her head away defiantly from Shikamaru.

A hush fell over the chatting students as Iruka cleared his throat again. After a few moments, all attention was focused upon him once again.

"Congratulations graduates. Now that you have successfully trained in the academy, you are ready to handle the experiences that lay before you as a shinobi. Each of you will be placed in a three man cell. And each individual cell is created with the information we've been given on each of you. There were many factors taken into consideration before you were placed in these groups, such as abilities and grades."

After a slight pause, he looked back at his clipboard and nodded before returning his gaze on his former students.

"I will now read off the cell numbers and the names of each individual placed in that cell. Cell One: Hinsho Tsuki, Kamasi Roden and Reidan Hyo."

Each student nodded, while glancing at each other. Small chatter could be heard, once again, as Iruka continued to read the cell groups and names.

Naruto kept an ear open for any names he might recognize as his friends and began to look around. It looked like out of the 30 odd students in academy class, a majority of them had graduated. He felt relief flow through him as he noticed that all of his acquaintances had passed.

He continued to look around the room for a tell-tale sign of the person he was looking for. After a moment, he found a pair of pale eyes that were perched just below dark lavender hair looking at him. He grinned and waved slightly, causing the figure to flush slightly and wave back.

"Cell Seven: Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke nodded and Naruto perked up slightly. He looked at the dark haired boy and narrowed his eyes slightly, "Inuzuka Kiba," Naruto heard a small groan come from somewhere in the middle of the class, "and Haruno Sakura."

At that point, an ear piercing shriek was let out by two girls. All attention turned to Ino, who was now pointing at Sakura and glaring at her, and Saukra, who seemed overly excited. Everyone shook their heads and sighed, ignoring the coming argument that was bound to take place.

"Cell Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino," at this point, Hinata's head sunk slightly. She'd hoped to be on the same team as Naruto. There was little chance that the sole open spot on the team was his, "and Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto grinned as he caught Hinata's eye again. She looked at him and smiled shyly before he turned to look out his other teammate. He found it odd that he would be paired with two people he considered friends, but counted himself extremely lucky. He hadn't really gotten to know much about Shino as well as Hinata, but figured that would probably change soon.

The blonde was pulled out of his musings as he heard a few snickers.

"…and Akimichi Chouji."

Crap! He'd missed the last team and someone he knew was on it. But as he looked at Chouji, he found the pudgy boy looking up and Shikamaru with a slight smile. Shikamaru had a small smirk on his face as Ino continued to ask why she was cursed. Although, hardly anyone could hear her words because they were muffled by her arms.

"That is all. You all have a brief lunch break before you will report back here. From there, your jounin instructors will come and retrieve their respective teams. Understood?"

A chorus of affirmative replies and nods answered the question, "You have half an hour. You're all excused. And congratulations once again."

Everyone seemed to shuffle slightly before walking out of the room and into the open streets of Konoha. Naruto had been walking on his way to Ichiraku when he heard a voice call out for him.

He paused and looked back over his shoulder to see Hinata slowly jogging to his position. He grinned and turned around, fully facing her.

"What's up, Hinata-chan?"

She paused, looking slightly flustered and winded, and began to fidget slightly.

"I-I was wondering i-if you'd like t-to eat lunch as a t-team?"

Naruto then looked past Hinata and saw Shino slowly making his way towards the two of them. He waved to Shino and got a mere nod of the head in response.

"Yea, sure! It'll be great."

Shino merely nodded again and followed the two ahead of him to where they were originally headed.

---------------

The class had once again gathered after a generally uneventful lunch. Sasuke had spent the better part of his time avoiding everyone while Sakura and Ino sought the boy out.

Kiba had been in a sour mood after hearing that he was going to be on the same team as the 'number one rookie' and 'genius.' When he approached Iruka about it, his instructor told him that he was ranked lower than a few other people that probably would've been placed on the team in his stead.

Kiba had grudgingly agreed that it was partially his fault and simply left it alone. He still wasn't happy that he'd have to be on the same team as a fangirl and the boy the girl was obsessed with.

He looked over and narrowed his eyes on Naruto's team. He wished he could've been on that team. Not only was Hinata on it, but Shino was at least a decent guy. He didn't talk much, only offering advice and knowledge when he deemed it necessary, but he was still a good guy. He didn't seem like the dark and completely antisocial type like the Uchiha was.

After a few moments, when no adult entered the room, the students began to chat amongst themselves. Random and everyday information seemed to pass back and forth between friends as everyone anxiously awaited the arrival on their team leaders.

After a few minutes, a group of several adults walked into the room. Each calling out their various cell numbers. Four teams cautiously left, each team following the person that had called out their respective number.

After another few minutes, three more teams were called out. That left cells seven, eight and ten alone in the room, each group staring at each other in silence.

After a few moments, a black haired man with thick facial hair walked in.

"Cell Ten."

Ino sighed loudly, thankful she would finally be able to leave her current 'holding cell.' The blonde girl was the first one up and moving down the stairs, followed slowly, very slowly, by Chouji and Shikamaru.

Naruto waved slightly at Shikamaru who jerked his head forward slightly in what looked like a nod. Chouji, whose hands were full with food, merely gave a small grin before they all headed out.

After another few moments, a woman in a strange wrap walked in. She had long dark black hair and piercing red eyes. Hinata almost immediately recognized her and prayed that they would be placed under her.

"Cell Eight?"

The Hyuuga girl barely held in a squeak of joy as she quickly walked down the steps and stood next to her teacher, and former escort, with a small smile in place. Shino stood as well and made his way casually down the steps, followed by Naruto. The blonde seemed to be as sluggish as Shikamaru was.

As soon as all three were at her side, the woman motioned for them to follow and led them out of the room. Naruto looked back before leaving and shot the remaining team a grin as he walked out, sticking his hand out in a wave through the door. When he heard something hit near the doorframe, he knew that he'd succeeded in his goal: get Kiba annoyed.

-------------

Naruto stared around the small clearing that they'd been led to in suspicion. The only time he'd been lead anywhere this remote was when he was training with Ryuu.

Their instructor seemed to notice this and smiled. While Naruto may have been slow in many ways, he was also incredibly sharp in others. His natural instincts were extremely well tuned.

When she paused and turned around, Naruto seemed to look at her warily. She smiled at him, nodding her head.

"Yes, Naruto. We're here for a reason. And yes, we will be doing something rather…physical."

Naruto seemed to accept the answer and lost his wary look, but she could still see he was visibly tense. Good.

"Before we start, I am Yuuhi Kurenai. I will be your jounin instructor. You will be training regularly, as well as complete missions assigned to you by Hokage-sama."

The three nodded in understanding.

"Good. Let's introduce ourselves then shall we? Let's start with your name, likes, dislikes and your dreams."

She motioned for Shino to go first. The stoic boy shifted slightly, as if to make sure everyone was in eyesight.

"Aburame Shino. I have no likes or dislikes. My ambition is to become a respectable shinobi to serve Konoha."

Kurenai nodded, motioning for Naruto to go next.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen and training with Ryuu. I dislike the three minute wait it takes for cup ramen to cook and Sasuke. My dream is the same as Shino's. If I have to, I'll become Hokage in order to achieve the respect I deserve!"

All three stared at him slightly, before Kurenai smiled and Hinata blushed slightly. He certainly was an interesting boy…

Kurenai motioned for the sole female in the group to go. Hinata blushed slightly, feeling the attentions of three people directly completely at her.

"M-my name is Hyuuga H-hinata. I like…" she trailed off and glanced at Naruto shyly before continuing, "to relax and read. I dislike t-those that are mean t-to others for n-no reason. My dream is t-to become strong enough in m-my father's eyes, so t-that I may become a proper l-leader."

Kurenai nodded and looked at all three, "Now that we have the introductions out of the way, we can begin."

Naruto shot her a confused look, "Begin? Begin what?"

Kurenai let a coy smile slip across her features and noticed that the three visibly shuddered.

"Why, your genin exam of course."

Naruto's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped slightly. After he recovered, he looked beyond irritated.

"WHAT?"

"Sensei? Um…didn't w-we already pass t-the exam?"

Kurenai shook her head, "No, you passed the graduation exam, which was a test to see if you were ready to become genin. This test is the actual test to see if you are fit to become a genin."

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the black haired woman in front of him.

"But I should warn all of you. Do not take this lightly. Out of this years graduating class, only three teams that were created today will pass as genin. This exam has a failure rate of sixty-six percent. It is needed so that we may weed out any of those that are not ready for the life of a ninja just yet."

"So…we have to pass another stupid test just to see if we're ready?"

"Yes, you must pass another test, Naruto. But I can assure you, it is nowhere near stupid. It is for your own protection that we test your capabilities and judge whether you are ready or not."

Naruto snorted, "Whatever…"

"Are there any other questions?"

"What will this exam consist of?"

Kurenai smiled, "Excellent question, Shino. The exam will consist of being able to capture me. I will be using all my knowledge of genjutsu to continually throw all of you off. Each of you must at least graze a part of my clothing for it to be considered a pass. If you can at least achieve that, I will concede that you may have been able to capture me, given an extended period of time."

Naruto was staring at her with something akin to shock written on his face, while Hinata and Shino nodded.

"Begin!"

And suddenly, she was gone. There was no sound of her leaving; there was no flash of light or signal of any kind to signal she used a technique. She was just…gone.

Naruto whipped his head around to try to catch a glimpse of his teacher, but could find nothing. He stared at Hinata and Shino as they began to go through a series of clan specific techniques.

Hinata was running through hand seals quickly, while Shino was beginning to summon what Kikaichu he would need for this test. After a few moments, small clounds enveloped Shino's hands and veins were bulging by the sides of Hinata's eyes.

"**_Byakugan_**!"

Naruto seemed to take the hint from them and closed his eyes, concentrating to the point where he could feel his surroundings. It had taken a long time to achieve his improved sense of touch, but it had paid off tremendously.

When he opened his eyes, Naruto could see things more clearly. He could smell everything around the area, including his teammates. He could hear anything within an area of 20 meters of where they were. And he could feel anything out of place that moved.

His blue eyes had slits where pupils once were, in addition to deeper markings and slightly wilder hair. He looked back at his two new teammates and they seemed to nod.

This was going to be interesting…

----------------

The three stood in front of their sensei with smirks on their faces. It had proved to be quite an interesting test after all.

What surprised Kurenai the most was that the three seemed to work in perfect conjunction with each other almost from the start.

Hinata was the eyes for the group, as she was able to see the flow of chakra and where it was gathered. No genjutsu could hide from the eyes of the Hyuuga; the possessors of the famed Byakugan.

Shino was the group's scout, in a way. He had the ability to control Kikaichu, an ability belonging solely to the Aburame clan. His insects, like Hinata's eyes, could seek out chakra, as they fed off of it. Kurenai had to be careful around him.

Naruto…Naruto was everything else. He was the team's ears and nose. His increased hearing and sense of smell were extremely potent. But what was most helpful was to his ability to create more allies using his recently acquired skill; _Kage Bunshin_. After all, certain genjutsu could only cover so many senses. And she wasn't using anything high class or advanced.

The dark haired instructor had been surprised to learn that Shino had already used their time to introduce themselves as an opportunity to place a few female bugs on her. He said that the females gave off an extremely weak, yet unique, odor that would attract anything else to it. What surprised the black haired boy was that, apparently, Naruto could smell it as well.

The three had almost never given her a break, constantly keeping on the offensive. Naruto had been the first to score a hit, as he was more speed based than the other two. Next was Hinata, who was skilled in taijutsu. Lastly was Shino, barely nicking the lower part of her clothing.

Naruto had actually grazed her, which in her eyes was quite an accomplishment. The other two had barely managed to catch or tug at her clothing.

The exercise had lasted nowhere as long as she had predicted. Ending in a mere hour and a half.

It was after they had succeeded in the test that she told them their role as a team. They were more specifically tuned towards information gathering, spying and relaying information to each other as well as anyone else who may need it.

Her reasoning behind her choices was solid. She'd seen how Naruto had abilities on par with Kiba and was teetering between the two of them. The choice was made, however, when Naruto stole the Forbidden Scroll and learned a kinjutsu in one night. His Kage Bunshin was an extremely useful tool in being able to scout around and gather information…for various reasons.

The other two choices were fairly obvious. Shino could gauge the situation from far away, due to his clan's abilities. Same with Hinata. Shino was able to communicate with his Kikaichu, making him an extremely beneficial, as well as conservative, part of a scouting team.

Lastly, Hinata had the ability of the 'All Seeing Eye.' Her Byakugan was able to see over large distances, as well as through certain materials. Not to mention, she could see in all directions at once.

Once congratulating her newly formed and acquired team, she sent them home. She told them to meet back at the area they were currently at, Training Area 14, tomorrow morning. She would then begin to teach them various techniques and begin to train them properly.

All three had nodded, slowly heading off in different directions. Although, Hinata soon ended up following Naruto all the way to Ichiraku for lunch.

The dark haired kunoichi smiled. She had two boys and a girl on her team, but it was already apparent that the girl was completely smitten with one of the boys. She didn't know if that would be good or bad for the team.

Things would prove to be quite interesting after all…

**A/N: **Ok…seriously. Picking Shino to go with Hinata and Naruto was my own personal preference. I have not read any fictions in which Naruto is placed in any other team aside from Cell Seven. These ideas are solely my own, from my own personal standpoint.

I wanted to add in a little Konohamaru action. But I can guarantee that Naruto and the kid will never get as close as they had in the manga. At least, not for a long time. I kinda liked the idea of Naruto's photo being a cross between the Time Skip Shino and Ryuu. It was a rather entertaining image in my mind.

Anyway, classes have started up again, I'm still addicted to WoW and I'm still doing many, many things. No idea when the next update will come.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**Quick A/N:** Guess I'll have to read up on a few stories won't I? I've seen Team 8 around, but never really bothered to read it. If it's that good, maybe I'll have a look.

**The Way Things Were**

Naruto walked through the streets on Konoha with a grin plastered on his face. It was all more than he could've ever hoped for.

Graduating, getting put on the same team as a friend and, finally, getting a relatively nice cell leader. It was almost too good to be true.

He'd just finished his customary ramen lunch and was heading home.

As he opened the door and looked around, he could see that it was still relatively lived in. That meant Ryuu was back for a while. As if on cue, the man he was thinking about walked back into the main room out of the bathroom. He was fully clothed, but the steam that escaped once the door was opened and his still slightly wet hair were indicators that he'd taken a shower.

"Oh man…does that ever feel good."

The man stopped rubbing his shoulders and looked over at Naruto to see the kid was positively beaming. He couldn't hold back a smirk as Naruto just randomly started jumping around making all sorts of happy noises.

A small conversation along the lines of how things were going was soon struck, as the two began to talk about what they'd been up to recently. Ryuu was never allowed to tell Naruto missions specifics or anything vital, so stories of where he had to go and what he ran into would suffice.

It got to the point where Naruto was talking about his graduation when he slowly stopped. He looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up at Ryuu. The man could see there was an unasked question in his eyes as well as a hint of sadness.

"Hey, Ryuu…?"

"What's up, squirt?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. Ryuu could tell this was something the blonde didn't want to talk about, but needed to address nonetheless.

"Did you…did you know about the…the uh…"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow and motioned for the kid to continue after his pause. He'd already figured out what it was.

Naruto lowered his head and spoke very quietly. He was afraid something negative would happen and Ryuu would see him as something other than himself.

"Kyuubi…"

After a few moments of silence, Naruto figured he had his answer. But when he looked up, he found that Ryuu's reaction was not necessarily been expecting. The dark haired man had a quizzical look on his face with a hint of amusement. The corners of his mouth were also slightly upturned.

Naruto only stared at him as he'd yet to respond. His reaction could've meant many things, good or bad, and Naruto wanted to know exactly what it was.

"That was it, squirt?"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Huh?"

"That's what you were worried about?" Ryuu asked with a larger smirk forming on his face.

"Why shouldn't I be worried? From what it looks like, the entire damn villages knows about it."

Ryuu shook his head, "Not everyone, kid. The children simply listen to their parents. The only ones who know are the ones who were there. They're forbidden to speak about it to anyone who wasn't."

"So…not everyone knows?"

"No, squirt. Not everyone. Most do though. And most are fools. They needlessly scorn you for something you couldn't control or prevent. You're you, Naruto. That's why I said what I did. Remember? Never change, no matter what."

Naruto stared. He stared long and hard, looking for something, anything that might look like it was a lie. But he could find nothing. When Ryuu put his hand on the top of his head and pushed him slightly, he broke out of his trance.

"So…you…don't care?"

"Care about what? Kyuubi? No. Why would I? If anything Naruto, you're what is keeping this village still in existence. You should be proud of that fact."

Naruto looked down and felt something stir in him. He didn't know why, but he'd been terrified. He'd been terrified that he'd had the thing that had almost destroyed Konoha residing in his body. He'd been terrified that all his close friends knew or would soon find out. He was terrified that people would leave him.

But most of all, the thought of losing Ryuu terrified him more than anything.

The man, while not around all that often due to missions, was his family. He'd taken him in when everyone shunned him. The man had been willing to train him in order for him to achieve his goals. He'd given him dreams and ideals to live up to. He'd encouraged him to try his best, despite the odds stacked against him.

And it turned out that Ryuu had known all along and simply not cared. He viewed Naruto as himself, not a reincarnation of the beast or anything near it.

The blonde's eyes became slightly misty as he smiled. He'd never been so happy, not to mention relieved, in his entire life. Someone cared for him because he was himself.

"Aw c'mon! Not that emotional stuff again. I thought we went through all that when you were younger."

Naruto looked up at Ryuu with a grimace and shoved him slightly, causing the man to laugh. Ryuu ruffled his hair with a grin before standing up and getting something from the kitchen. He returned with a couple of cups of tea and set them on the table before taking a seat again.

"So what about your team huh? You mentioned then earlier but haven't said much."

Naruto grinned, "Oh yea! Hinata's on my team!"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Yea! And Shino too! It's really cool, we have this nice jounin sensei who seems really cool. And she looks really strong too! It took all three of us a really long time to even find her. But after that we got into it."

Ryuu smirked. The blonde was excited. And who was to blame him? It was the first time he'd had any real outside experience that could test his training. And it was apparent that he'd done relatively, if not extremely, well.

The two continued chatting until Ryuu broke apart the small talk and asked if Naruto wanted to train. His response was an immediate cheer and the blonde running out the door. He looked at the empty spot and then the door with a bemused expression before simply shrugging and walking out himself.

------------------

Naruto grinned as he saw his supposed sparring partner already waiting for them.

When asked about his test, Sasuke said he had no idea what he was talking about. The blonde then proceeded to fill the Uchiha boy in on all that had happened earlier that day and the two talked about various other things.

When hearing that the test was to see whether or not they were eligible for genin status, the boy became wide eyed. They widened even more after hearing that the test had a two-third failure rate.

It was some point during the conversation that Ryuu had come as well and immediately began drilling the two of them. After they'd completed their exercises, they began to spar. Then after the sparring session between the two boys, it was individual spars with Ryuu.

After a few minutes Naruto began to notice that Ryuu was holding back. Or it seemed like he was holding back, because he remembered the man being much stronger. But he was still as fast. Or, if at all possible, even faster.

When it was Sasuke's turn, Naruto began to watch again. This time, he could judge from the sidelines and not the battlefield. He noticed much the same he did when he was fighting, but also noticed that Ryuu was getting slightly sloppy.

He must've been pretty tired if that was happening. Naruto shrugged it off. After all, he'd been extremely busy lately, and just getting back from a week long mission was nothing to scoff at.

When the sun was dipping below the horizon, they called it a day. Ryuu offered to take Naruto out to celebrate and was immediately dragged to Ichiraku. The old man smiled upon seeing the both of them enter and greeted them both heartily.

After dinner, the two had walked home. Once there, they both sat and talked for a while longer before Ryuu turned in, advising Naruto to do the same. The blonde turned his head and snorted. When he heard Ryuu's bedroom door close, he looked back at the door and smiled slightly before climbing to his feet and doing the same.

----------------

Naruto gazed around the clearing for a moment before sighing. He'd been there since a little before seven in the morning and still, no one was there.

He'd hopped between trees to claim a branch as his own and began to relax after the first half hour.

It was around eight that he heard shuffling in one direction and turned to look at who might be coming. He saw both Kurenai and Hinata walk into the clearing. But there was still no sign of Shino.

"Good morning, Naruto, Shino. Are you ready to begin?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Shino? Shino wasn't there. He looked around for a few moments before finally looking below him. There, he saw Shino. The stoic and quiet boy was leaning against the tree, relaxing.

Naruto stared at him for a moment before wondering how the hell he'd managed to get below him without so much as a sound. Not to mention without Naruto seeing him. It was confusing as hell, but knowing Shino it wasn't entirely impossible.

Naruto jumped down from his perch and stood next to Shino while the dark haired boy simply nodded. The two were ready.

Kurenai smiled as Hinata walked over to join her teammates. The lavender haired girl blushed slightly as Naruto bid her good morning and she shyly returned the gesture. After a few moments, all attention was directed toward Kurenai.

"We will begin with the basics today just to make sure you are all proficient in them. Then, we will begin team training and a few advanced exercises that should test exactly how well tuned all of you are to your special abilities."

Naruto had to stuff down a groan after hearing the first part, but had continued to listen nonetheless. He was confused at what she meant when talking about the second part, but nodded with his team in understanding.

"Very well, we'll begin with basic target practice and move on to a variety of exercises afterwards. Understood?"

Three nods was the signal she needed as she began to explain the exercise in detail. First, they'd have to throw a few shuriken just to get the memory flowing, and then hit the targets. She would judge if they passed based on ten throws and how close they were to the center of the target.

After that was over, she'd told them to try to hit her as a moving target. Hinata and Naruto stared at her in surprise while Shino merely nodded.

"You don't expect an opponent to simply stand still for you, do you?" Kurenai had asked. When the response was given, she'd pulled out a kunai of her own and began to weave in an intricate pattern around the training grounds.

She was unexpectedly surprised when Naruto had been able to keep up with her as well as keep her on her guard. Shino and Hinata took the more supportive role and threw from a distance. It seemed as though the three were almost perfectly in tune. Naruto would eventually lead her into a better position for the other two. And those two would then begin their assault as Naruto backed off and rejoined again after Kurenai had pulled away.

After approving of their skills, she then began to run them through basic taijutsu stances and attacks, a few simple ninjutsu techniques and, lastly, ability to sense and break genjutsu. Naruto had groaned loudly at that one, earning a slight giggle from his female teammate.

It was a known fact to practically everyone in Konoha that Naruto was horrible when it came to genjutsu. And that was also a reason why many had said he should never be allowed to enter the academy or become a shinobi at any point.

They were dwelling solely on his weaknesses and making them seem far more problematic then they actually were.

Naruto struggled with the exercise, as Kurenai did not tell any of her students when she would use a genjutsu technique, but he had eventually been able to at least sense that he was trapped.

After the basic routines were complete, Kurenai moved on to the team working exercises. Some may have considered her training technique odd, but he'd been subjected to the same in her younger years. And why fix something that isn't broken?

For the exercise, Kurenai would be on the offensive. However, each teammate would have something taken away, something limited. It was a method to get the others to cover for each other. The person who couldn't hear would be forced to pay attention to the movements of their teammates. The person who couldn't speak would have to try to relay the information via other methods. The person who couldn't see would then rely on both his other teammates to give instructions via sound or touch.

It was a complicated system and Kurenai was sure that it would take them at least a while to get used to. That was why she had organized what she thought was the easiest combination. So they could get used to it at first.

Hinata would be without her ears. Shino would be without his mouth. And Naruto would be without his sight.

Hinata would still have free range to use her Byakugan, Shino was normally quiet and reserved and reacted as he saw fit, and Naruto could focus on his other extremities instead of relying on his sight.

When they were told what the exercise was, everyone reacted. Naruto was staring at her, Hinata gasped and Shino merely raised an eyebrow in interest. Or, at least, what was assumed to be interest.

Naruto seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but relented to it nonetheless.

Hinata was to use ear plugs, Shino was to simply not speak, and Naruto was to wear a blindfold. After all these precautions were taken, Kurenai started the exercise.

Immediately after, everyone reacted. Naruto jumped since he felt someone leave, Shino began to call on his Kikaichu and Hinata activated her bloodline. For a few moments, nothing happened. All was still in the training ground as all three tried to locate their attacker.

Naruto's ears twitched slightly and he turned his head to look left. Hinata followed his movements and focused left slightly. It was then she saw various throwing weapons heading towards them.

"Left! Incoming!"

Naruto dove behind a tree, Hinata pulled a few kunai of her own and deflected some and Shino merely dodged those that were coming towards him. Hinata looked around and noticed that Naruto was nowhere in the clearing. After a few moments, he came bursting through the bushes chasing an invisible object. Hinata immediately saw through the lower level genjutsu and she began to tell Naruto how to attack when Kurenai continuously dodged. Shino was doing her part as well, running towards the battle with his Kikaichu in tow.

After a few moments, Kurenai seemed to disappear again.

"She's retreating back into the forest," Hinata called out to her teammates. Shino nodded and Naruto was put back on his guard. He crouched low to the ground for a few moments, head tilted every so often in an attempt to try to pick something up.

After a few moments, Shino soundlessly pointed in a direction that was just southeast of where they were. Hinata nodded and relayed the message to Naruto. Given an area to target, he smirked.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Immediately afterward, four different blindfolded Narutos ran into the forest in the general area. After a few moments, a small crack was heard followed by a '_poof_' sound. Naruto's head jerked in the direction he sense the clone get taken out in.

"About ten meters out."

Shino nodded and began to focus. He'd already spread the entire area with his bugs, so he simply had to concentrate to get them to move to one area. Not to mention use a little chakra incentive to obey.

When Hinata saw Shino nod and chakra beginning to seep from him, she knew something was up. As if on cue, she could see their sensei dodging a cloud of Shino's bugs before she seemed to disappear again, replaced by one of Naruto's clones. Replacement.

Hinata then began to scour the area, looking for an oddity or any sign of chakra.

The process seemed to repeat itself continually. But Kurenai would also come in and launch surprise taijutsu attacks on them instead of simply using ranged weapons. It was at this point that Naruto took over to attack, Hinata giving instructions, and Shino trying to put the enemy at a disadvantage. After all, the Aburame clan's insects were renown in many countries for the ability to consume and detect chakra.

After an extended period of time, Kurenai appeared before her students with a smile. Hinata had barely been able to tell Naruto the exercise was over before he pounced again. When all the offending gear was taken off, she congratulated them on a job well done. But also stated that the exercise would be changed up often in an attempt to strengthen their teamwork more than it was already.

Kurenai had honestly been surprised that the three of them seemed to flow together so well, but was reminded that Hinata, Naruto and Neji had sometimes sparred when they were younger. And Naruto and Hinata had fought each other often as well. They had seen how each other fought and knew how to compliment. Shino was an easy add in, as he simply went with whatever worked.

Kurenai knew that she would have her work cut out for her with this team…but they fit together surprisingly well. She looked over to see Naruto talking to the both Hinata and Shino. He most definitely was a people person. Only problem was…

"Yea! That sounds great!"

Kurenai winced slightly. He was too loud. Generally not a good thing when the team she was training was supposed to work under stealth conditions. But she knew that, after a while, being around both Hinata and Shino would calm the boy down.

Either that or the loud boy would rub off on the both of them. But she highly doubted it would occur that way. Shino was never one to really show his emotions or be very outspoken, while Hinata was slightly timid and very soft-spoken.

Kurenai called them together again to begin the advance exercises. She'd already had a demonstration of how things worked with Naruto, as he'd been blindfolded in the last exercise. But she would need to know both the strengths and weaknesses of every one of her students.

Of course, that would take a very long time to learn, but it was best to start immediately.

--------------------

Naruto groaned as he flopped onto the floor. They'd run through every possible exercise he could think of and more that day. He looked over to see Shino leaning against a tree slightly and Hinata was seated while trying to catch her breath.

All in all, all three of them were exhausted.

After a few moments of silence, Kurenai walked up to them.

"Well done for the first day of official training. We'll continue to train as a team until we begin accepting missions. I will decide when that time is, but until then I look forward to working with the three of you. That's all for today."

Naruto gave out a half hearted cheer before getting up.

"Naruto, a moment please."

Naruto groaned once again and slowly trudged over to where Kurenai was. The jounin could see that Hinata had a slight look of worry on his face as well as she walked away.

After the others left, she returned her attentions to Naruto.

"Naruto, as a part of your training, I want you to use your enhanced senses all the time. Not only will you be able to discover variations and changes if you get used to them, you may also be able to fine tune them even more. Understood?"

Naruto nodded to her and she smiled when she saw his feral eyes looking up at her.

"That's all. Be sure to rest well tonight."

The blonde nodded and began to trudge away. When he was a decent distance away he heard his sensei call out.

"And say hello to Ryuu and Hinata for me!"

Naruto gave a small wave to show he heard and continued on his way. Slowly, ever so slowly, he made his way all the way to Ichiraku. Where he found a bowl of ramen and stool already waiting for him, along with Hinata.

-----------------

Naruto plopped down onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. He was completely and utterly exhausted.

After team training with Shino and Hinata, and after eating lunch, he'd walked home only to be dragged out. And then he was right back out on the training fields again.

Ryuu wasn't going to cut him some slack simply because he was tired. While Naruto liked it, he also hated it. All he wanted to do was relax.

And after all that training, all he wanted now was some sleep.

The blonde buried himself deep into the bed and covers. He was too tired to care about anything at the moment.

After a few minutes passed, Ryuu walked by the boy's door to hear slight snoring noises coming from inside. He looked inside to see only a small tuft of Naruto's hair present over the blanket and was rewarded with another small snort.

The man grinned and shut the door, letting the kid rest up for the trials he was about to be put through all the next week.

---------------

Hinata was walking back to the Hyuuga compound alone. It had been a few days since Cell Eight was formed, but things weren't slowing down in the least. She'd rarely had time to be able to continue her training under her father. Although, the Hyuuga head didn't seem to mind all the much.

Hinata began to notice more and more that his interest and attentions were more focused towards her little sister. At least, while they were training. Outside of the dojo, Hiashi was sociable around Hinata. The girl thought it was a little odd that the stoic and normally cold man would simply start talking about how things were.

If their small talks and discussions were anything to go by, the council was giving her father a hard time about something. Exactly what, he wouldn't say, but she knew that it was something important. He was becoming stressed, that much she could see. When stressed, Hiashi was a little more than irritable and slightly more harsh during training.

As she walked into the compound itself and slipped out of her shoes, she began to feel tense. She didn't know why, but something was making the air inside the complex thick with tension. As she walked through the halls toward her room, she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was wrong…

As she passed by her father's study, she could hear various voices inside. The strong and confident voice was no doubt her father, but the slightly elderly one was hard to place. She stopped, against her better judgment, and listened to the already heated conversation.

"…-lling you that she is not fit for the position. The girl did indeed pass her exams, but she was no where near the top of the class. Young Neji did far better than her."

A sigh escaped from the other man's lips, "She was under a considerable amount of pressure as well. More so than my nephew. She is trying her best to live up to the reputation of the Hyuuga, despite being like her mother."

Hinata perked. Her mother? What did her mother have to do with this?

"Yes…that meek woman. She was nothing but a hindrance. After all, she gave birth to the one most like herself first. It was to spite us all."

At this point, something relating a hiss escaped Hiashi's mouth.

"It would do you good to not speak ill of her in my presence. Now get out of here before I lose my patience. It's wearing thin."

At this point Hinata quietly made a hasty retreat to her room. If she didn't know any better, it sounded like a private conversation between one of the council members and her father. Something that had started, and probably ended, with her.

She couldn't help but sigh. She never knew her mother was disliked by the clan…and if she was just like her, then what did that say? The reason for her father's irritation was clear now. The council was displeased with her and taking it out on her father.

In a way, Hinata felt a little guilty. She never wanted to cause anyone any kind of pain or suffering. But she remembered exactly how she'd been treated when she was younger. Before her mother died. She'd only just begun her training and the verdict on it was that she was an immediate failure. Her father was starting to slip into that mindset as well.

Until Naruto had somehow come into their lives.

She saw how determined he was. How he wouldn't let Ryuu constantly hold him back by knocking him down. How he continued to try even after he was utterly exhausted. How he could continue smiling through it all. How he simply ignored those who put him down.

And something inside of her just seemed to click.

She knew she wanted to be like him. To have his courage. To have his drive. To have his strength. To have…to have…him.

The shy girl blushed at that thought. She was happy to know him. Happy to be with him. Happy to be his friend.

After he'd just mysteriously come walking into her life, things seemed to change. She wanted to be like him, so she tried. She tried during her training. She tried during her private lessons on clan politics. She tried in anything else that was brought to her attention.

And it was paying off. Even though she was still clumsy, she still began to impress her father. She began to train just as hard as she thought he would. She studied just as hard as she trained. She was just beginning to scratch the surface of the clan laws, bylaws and sublaws, but she'd do her absolute best.

It was then that the relationship with her father improved. He seemed slightly more open and receptive to her. He'd even gone so far as to tell her he was proud of her once. It made her extremely happy that she could live up to whatever expectations he had of her, just by trying.

He must have defended her against something the council had said if he was growing irritated with the council. At least she knew that he was willing to defend her. Even against his own clan. She was Hiashi's daughter, and that was what he saw her as. His daughter and potential heir, not some figurehead that the council did.

The council must've been putting pressure on him because of Hanabi. Hanabi's progress was simply amazing. It was twice, if not three, times what Hinata's was when she was training. But that was only in the basics. The younger girl still had quite a ways to catch up with Hinata.

Especially since Hiashi had told his eldest daughter of her upcoming training regimen.

After Hanabi was completely through the basics, she was going to train under Hizashi while Hiashi took precedence over Hinata's training. The clan head had told his daughter that while they would focus on the basic and intermediate skills of Jyuuken and its techniques for the first few weeks, things would most assuredly pick up. After those few weeks were through, Hiashi was going to train Hinata in the advanced techniques and arts of Jyuuken.

It excited the girl, but also worried her. What if she didn't perform up to her father's standards? Now he actually had a reason to overlook her…with the council breathing down his neck.

She sighed, pushing the thoughts out of her mind as she changed and climbed into her futon. She'd worry about it when she got there…

She smiled at that thought. That was exactly something _he_ would do.

After a few moments of daydreaming, the girl slowly shut her eyes and let sleep take her in its grasp.

----------------

Naruto sat in the trees, as was customary in the morning. He was always the first one there and usually the last to leave.

After following Kurenai's instructions, Shino had never been able to get in without attracting his attention first. He could always smell the dark haired boy when he came near.

Likewise, he could always smell Hinata and Kurenai as well. They both had interesting overlapping scents. Kurenai smells like sweet peas and roses, while Hinata smelled like lavender and lilacs.

He didn't know why, but it was rather soothing. And he was always caught smiling in their direction when they came to the training grounds.

Today was no different. He turned his head to catch a glimpse of the two as they walked into the clearing, only to notice something a little off. Hinata seemed slightly nervous…not to mention flustered.

Kurenai, though, was all business. Her face was strangely emotionless as she walked into the center of the grounds and motioned for everyone to join her. After a few moments, she looked around the small triangle at her students with a slightly grave expression.

"We're going to forego training today. We have a mission."

**A/N:** Fun stuff. I had a lot of fun trying to think of what way Kurenai would try to build teamwork. Kakashi had his stupid bells. I wanted something different.

I drew reference from the 'Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil' if you couldn't tell. But that makes it all the more fun.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

Naruto could only groan as Kurenai walked into the clearing with a slight smile on her face. She had fooled them all for the first few days, saying that they had missions. But after that, she usually came into the clearing with a half smile already written upon her visage. It was a sign they had another mission.

Naruto snorted. 'Mission.' In other words, do the dirty work. Do all the stupid little tedious things other people didn't want to do so they paid someone else to.

So far Cell Eight had to clean various sectors of Konoha's park, baby-sit more than a few kids, help a few farmers harvest their crops and find some stupid lady's cat.

After seeing the pair reunited, Naruto could completely understand the cat's desire to get the hell away from the psychotic woman. Not only was she rather creepy, she was extremely clingy. The poor cat was strangled into submission the moment the owner saw it.

Naruto shivered. He couldn't help it when he thought of the stupid menial tasks they'd have to complete again today. It'd been a little over two weeks since they had officially become genin and Team Eight, but they had yet to go outside of the village for anything other than training.

As Kurenai stopped in front of her team, she couldn't help but smile. Even if it had only been a short time, she enjoyed being with them. Though Naruto had been very insistent on not doing anything he considered a waste of time. Which was basically everything but training.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw her stop and motion for them to come to her. He knew she was going to say something about a mission that was requested by so and so to do such and such. And he also knew it was going to be a boring job that had no excitement in it whatsoever.

"We've been assigned to help the manager of _Konoha's Oasis_ to help with cleaning up the onsen. His workers quit without notice, but he suspects it was because they were constantly attacked for peeking on the ladies side."

Hinata seemed to shiver slightly, Shino nodded and Naruto looked bored.

"We'll be heading over there and then practice after we're finished. Unless it takes up a majority of the day."

With that she turned around, expecting her students to follow. Which they did.

But not before Naruto snorted and started mumbling something no one could understand.

--------------------

Naruto stared in utter and complete dismay at the sight before him.

The place was freaking huge!

It didn't look like much from the outside, but the onsen area for the men alone had to be around 15 to 20 meters long and 40 to 50 wide. He shuddered at the thought of having to clean it with just three people.

That thought struck a chord in his mind, and he slowly began to smile. Hinata, noticing his smile, knew he was up to something. It was one of his devious smiles that he usually used when planning something.

As if on cue, he put his fingers in a cross formation. Seconds after the smoked cleared from the area, Hinata could see an additional five Narutos standing behind the original.

Immediately she knew what he was up to. And she also felt relieved. After seeing such a large place that needed to be cleaned, she doubted that they would be able to train, let alone clean the entire area in one day.

But Naruto had thought to use his knowledge to his advantage.

She smiled at him as he turned to yell at himselves to get to work. Soon after dispersing, the original, Shino and Hinata began as well.

It was harder than they thought to clean an onsen. The first step is to sweep any offending items off the floor, such as dirt, dust and anything else that could've accumulated on the cool stone floor.

After that step was complete, they had to water down the stone with a normal hose and then wipe the entire area clean.

The last step of the process was to sweep any excess water off of the floor and then let it dry.

After the men's side was complete, the entire group collapsed. Even with five extra sets of hands, it was still physically draining to go through the steps needed. After a short break, they slowly crossed over to the women's side, after making sure it was clear, and stared.

Well, Naruto did at least.

The place was impossibly large. Far larger than the male's side. From what could been seen, there was another small pool on the far side of the room. Naruto didn't know what to think, looking at the huge area. Why would women need another separate little area? Was it special or something?

He sighed and picked up a broom, his clones following suite.

This was going to be a long day…

------------------

Shino slowly took a seat under the tree while Naruto simply collapsed on the group and Hinata slowly sat in the shade. Although it was still mid spring, it was beginning to get incredibly hot. More than a few times she had wondered about her jacket. Was it really worth it to cover herself up to try to hide her self-proclaimed imperfections?

She was quickly brought out of her thoughts as she heard talking begin.

"That wasn't a mission! That was torture! It's obvious why those guys quit, having to clean that huge ass space everyday."

"There are often other motives for taking that line of work, Naruto."

Naruto slowly bent his head back to look at the person who just spoke.

"Kurenai-sensei…"

"Well done you three. The manager was highly impressed with your work, your ethic and your time."

Naruto grinned and scratched the side of his nose.

"I assume you had something to do with that last part, Naruto?"

"Yea!"

"How many did you make? And how are you feeling?"

"Five…and tired as hell."

"I see. Then sit out on today's training for a while and recover."

Naruto shook his head and slowly got back to his feet with a grin, "I'm good."

"N-naruto-kun…maybe you s-should listen to Kurenai-sensei."

Naruto shook his head and slowly began to stretch, "I'm fine. It's our turn today right, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata nodded shyly. She didn't really like it that Kurenai put them on a battle rotation, but there was nothing she could do about it. She'd probably be facing Shino tomorrow.

After a few moments, Naruto walked out to the center of the training ground and took his stance. Kurenai, although having seen it before, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It was a very unique stance. Some may have even called it useless or full of mistakes. But she'd seen how Naruto had used it to his advantage, focusing more on his senses than relying on his eyes. It was fairly apparent that working with Ryuu over the years had done wonders for the boy.

Naruto stood with his feet a little more than shoulder's length apart. His left footing leading while he crouched slightly. His right arm was held out next to his side, but his elbow raised slightly, while his left arm was tucked in next to his body.

At first glance, a few people might've laughed at the boy. He looked rather strange. Other than the initial appearance, though, it was a solid style. Naruto's senses had developed well over the years, even if it was due to…outside influences. But that made him a strong fighter.

Hinata took her usual stance as well. The usual Jyuuken stance. Her left foot leading and right hand completely open and held in front of her.

After a few moments, the spar had begun. Shino had used the individual matches to gain an understanding of his teammates. And needless to say, he wasn't disappointed.

Naruto was strangely aggressive sometimes. It was almost like he completely lost himself and just let instinct take over. Yet he always knew when to stop. And when to call it quits.

Hinata, while normally somewhat timid, was extremely determined on the battle field. She would try her best and use anything at her disposal to try to win. Although she, too, knew when it was time to stop.

Shino could also see the hint of admiration in her eyes. It hadn't taken him long at all to figure out that the girl had feelings for their other teammate. And to a degree, Naruto returned them. He was slightly affectionate with the girl and very protective of her. The black haired clansmen could also see that Naruto held back just a tad when he fought against Hinata, in fear of causing her harm.

But currently, Naruto didn't even have to hold back. It was apparent he was completely run down. Even if he was moving at a normal pace, his moves lacked the fluid and snappy motions they normally held. They were rather rustic and rigid. His face, which normally held a look of concentration and determination, seemed wilted and haggard.

The spar went on for a few minutes, neither side gaining any sort of advantage over the other. It was a complete stalemate. But Shino could see that the boy was slowly winding down.

He hoped, for the blonde's sake, that Naruto could last until Kurenai-sensei called the match. After all, they had been told to train against each other properly. Meaning no holding back and no reservations about hurting your friends. It was a way to gain and test strength and also to test the strength of their friendships.

But it was not meant to be. Naruto, now barely even staying on his feet, dodged an attack sent at him by Hinata and launched himself toward her. He started with a basic jab and sweeping kick that turned into the foundation of another kick with his other leg and a slow punch. Hinata dodged the first two blows and blocked the second two before hitting Naruto's arm away from him, causing him to lose momentum.

It was apparent that she didn't notice the boy was on his last legs, even as he stumbled back slightly. She'd added some of her chakra to the shove so that he would intentionally be driven back, giving her an opportunity to take the offensive.

But Naruto struggled to recover his footing and looked up to see Hinata coming at him again. He made an attempt to dodge left, but his right leg simply gave out. Her right hand, which had been sweeping for a low blow, was now leveled directly at his chest.

As the blow connected, Naruto was sent sprawling back onto the ground.

The blonde didn't know what hurt more; the blow, the fall, or the pain that seemed to rack his insides. He grabbed at his chest and curled slightly. All he could feel was the mind numbing pain.

He grunted a few times to try to relieve the pain and tension, but it wasn't helping. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a pair of worried pearl-like eyes.

-----------------

Kurenai sighed as she tried to calm the girl down. They'd immediately rushed Naruto to the hospital, seeing as how he would most definitely need to get checked out by the doctors to see if any serious damage had been done.

The Hyuuga girl had been almost completely beside herself when she saw that Naruto hadn't dodged the attack like she assumed he would. And she continuously blamed herself for not only the blow, but for taking light of him when she knew he was exhausted.

She knew he had a tendency to push himself past his limits. She'd seen in countless times. But it was almost always during his training…he hadn't trained long enough to completely exhaust himself like that…

But his words, before they even started, fluttered through his mind.

'_Tired as hell.'_

She felt the tears well up, unbidden, as she once again recounted the fact that she had hurt him. She'd injured the person she admired most. The person who'd always smiled at her. The one who always seemed to be there…

And it wasn't a typical little injury like getting a cut from a kunai or shuriken. Or even a twisted ankle or pulled muscle because they went at it too hard.

No…this was something far more serious. If the right amount of force or even a higher concentrated amount of chakra was behind a Jyuuken strike…it was lethal. She was scared. No, she was completely terrified.

What if he didn't come out of it ok? What if he didn't like her after this, since it had caused him so much pain? What if…

Hinata shivered, quickly brushing away the end of the sentence. She could never picture that…Beside the blonde was breathing just fine when they brought him in, if not a bit erratically due to his pain.

Kurenai was trying to calm her, but she knew the only thing that would ease her nerves would be to see if he was ok.

After a while, a one of the head medics came into the room and asked for Kurenai to follow her. The two walked out of the room for a few moments before Kurenai walked back in with a slight smile.

"He's going to be just fine, Hinata. He just needs to rest."

Hinata nodded while wiping away the stray tears that sting clung to the corners of her eyes.

"Can…c-can we go s-see him?"

Kurenai nodded, "The medic said he was in room 203."

The two students followed their teacher through the hallways and up the stairs. A rather uncomfortable silence was building between them as they reached the aforementioned room. Kurenai opened the door silently and walked in.

Naruto was reclined on the bed. His breathing was calm and steady and his eyes were closed. He seemed just fine. Hinata sighed in relief as the three walked over to the bed. After a few moments, a groan could be heard as Naruto put a hand to his head.

"Where…?" Then he noticed the solid white walls and blue sheets, "Ah man, not again!"

Kurenai smiled at his antics, "How are you feeling, Naruto?"

The blonde's head snapped to the right to look at her. He seemed to relax slightly when he saw it was his team.

He grinned and started to scratch the back of his head, "Fine, I guess. Did they say when I was going to get out of here?"

"I'm sorry Naruto, they didn't."

The blonde sighed, "I hope it isn't long…I hate this place."

Hinata cringed. It was her fault he was here…she caused him to be in a place he dislike.

Naruto seemed to notice Hinata look down slightly and frowned.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei? Can I talk to Hinata-chan alone for a sec?"

Kurenai nodded, "Of course. We'll be right outside."

As their sensei and fellow teammate closed the door, Naruto turned his attention back on Hinata.

"Hey, Hina-"

"I-I…sorry…"

"Huh?" Naruto was confused. Not only was she mumbling, but it sounded like…she was apologizing?

"I'm s-sorry, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto snorted slightly which caused Hinata to look up. She feared the worst when she heard the sound…

"Why are you sorry? I didn't get out of the way."

Hinata stared at him. Why? Why wasn't he mad? Why was he still smiling?

"Besides, didn't Kurenai-sensei tell us that stuff like this would happen? That we ran the chance of hurting each other, but everything would still be fine? It was part of the teamwork training thing, Hinata-chan."

Hinata sighed. But it was a happy sigh. He didn't blame her. He wasn't mad. He was going to be just fine.

A small smile spread on her face as she shook her head. Naruto looked at her with an impish grin, which immediately made her worry.

"Besides, I think sensei set you up."

"Wha?"

"Yea, she knew I was tired but didn't stop me. She wanted to see how both of us would do if something happened. I think she knew I was going to get hurt but let it go on anyway. And she was going to be right there to make sure it was nothing serious."

A slight clapping sound could be heard from the door. Both turned to look at their smiling instructor.

"Very good Naruto. Your instincts work to your advantage in more way than one."

Naruto grinned, "That's me!" He turned back to Hinata, "So don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. Accidents happen. Besides, we're all there for each other to make sure we're ok. That's what you're doing now right?"

Hinata smiled at Naruto before nodding and trying to hide the blush that was creeping onto her face.

Shino nodded to Naruto, "It's good to hear you'll be fine."

Naruto nodded back, "Thanks Shino."

"Rest up, Naruto. I have a feeling Ryuu-san will be by soon to check on you."

Naruto nodded as Shino and Kurenai walked out. He grinned at Hinata who began to fidget slightly.

"I…I should go t-too. See you tomorrow N-naruto-kun."

"Alright, Hinata-chan. Don't worry about it."

Hinata smiled and gave him a small wave before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

She closed her eyes and let loose a small, happy sigh.

Naruto was just being Naruto…he wouldn't let her worry about him at all. He tried to cheer her up and smiled at her, even after she had hurt him…and he understood that it was simply an accident.

She smiled to herself as she realized that he was such a wonderful boy. He was so determined and strong, yet caring and sweet at the same time. He didn't want to see his friends in pain, so he did what he could to cheer them up.

She slowly walked out of the hospital, but not before blushing at one final thought.

Why was he so perfect?

-----------------

Naruto stared at the figure sin the door with surprise. It had been exactly like Kurenai had said…except there was a difference.

Sasuke was there.

And he had a cocky smirk already plastered on his face.

"Got whipped by a girl, eh moron?"

And now the jibes…

"Hinata-chan is better than your pathetic ass."

Sasuke's smirk widened.

"Besides, even you can beat me if I'm tired."

Ryuu smiled as the two continued to trade insults. After a few more moments, both of them seemed to settle down, grinning at each other.

"So squirt, how you feeling?"

Naruto glared at him for a second before grinning.

"Fine I guess. Hinata-chan sure is ruthless…"

Sasuke snickered while Ryuu chuckled.

"That may be true, but exactly who is at fault for trying to act macho?"

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted, "I wasn't acting…"

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "Then why are you in here?"

Naruto waved it off, "Accidents happen. Even the jerk there has probably gotten hurt before."

"I highly doubt Sasuke has anyone he's trying to impress."

"What?"

Both the figures in front of him smirked again, "Nothing dumbass. Nothing at all."

"Hey! Don't call me a dumbass, you bastard!"

Ryuu sighed, "Now, now…enough with the insults. Just rest up Naruto, they said you should be able to get out later tomorrow if they don't find anything else wrong."

"Yea, yea…"

Ryuu ruffled the blonde's wild spikes before walking out of the room. Sasuke stared at him before turning around as well.

"Don't get yourself killed, dumbass."

And with that, the Uchiha walked out of the room.

Naruto smirked, still looking at the door.

"There's no way I'll die. Not yet."

-----------------

Kurenai sighed at once again. She hadn't really seen this coming…

Once a week, she would have the team take part in the team building exercises. But there was one wild card she hadn't exactly accounted for.

She knew that the Aburame clan wore sunglasses for a reason, but not exactly why. She'd never seen one without a pair on before. Never. It was like a clan secret. Only the people an Aburame trusted ever learned of the reason why they always wore the dark eye gear.

Until now…

Shino had revealed that it was literally impossible for him to work without at least one set of eyes. When asked about it, he simply removed his sunglasses. Staring back at the three in front of him, was nothing. A thin layer of his Kikaichu covered were his eyes would normally be, but that was it.

It was then that she learned that, along with the host giving their insects chakra, an Aburame gave them their eyes as well. It was a sort of pact; an agreement of trust between host and inhabitants.

As he had no way to see visibly, the Kikaichu saw for him. They were his eyes. There was a strange sort of connection between the Aburame and their insects. And this connection bordered telepathy. Shino could see through the eyes of his insects.

And with countless of those very insects inside of him, there was no possible way he could be without eyes. Ever.

So Shino was always in the position of never using his voice or ears, while Hinata and Naruto traded off. The two admitted that they were fine with it, and even began to kid around with Shino. Of course, all the response they ever got was a raised eyebrow…but one time Naruto swore he saw the corners of his mouth upturned slightly.

The 'missions' were still assigned to the teams and the training still took place after that. Though nothing had happened since Naruto was injured three weeks ago. If anything, the accidental injury brought him and Hinata even closer. She seemed to appreciate him that much more and sometimes stayed after the team training to continue working.

On those days, Naruto would simply grin and tell her not to tire herself out. And each and every time she would simply nod while blushing slightly.

And Kurenai would see he walk off deeper into the training grounds to where he would most assuredly find Ryuu. It was habit now. After the team training, he would always go and meet Ryuu. The man was still sent on missions, but nothing like the week long ones like before. At best, he was gone for maybe a day.

Kurenai couldn't help but be proud of her students. Not only did they work well together and compliment each other almost perfectly, but they continued to work even after they were dismissed. Each one worked in their own way, but it was still something.

Not only that, they were improving drastically as well.

Hinata told her, in private, that her father had begun with the more advanced Jyuuken control and attack techniques. As well as a few other useful techniques.

Naruto had apparently learned a few things about how to use the few techniques he knew to his advantage. He'd adapted a few completely amazing defensive formations with his Kage Bunshin that even surprised her. She'd seen his test scores and such from the academy, and he seemed to be lacking in the areas that defined a person as being able to plan ahead and use any kind of extensive strategy. But he'd proved that to be wrong.

He also seemed to understand that why exactly Kage Bunshin was forbidden. He told her that he suddenly found himself knowing things he didn't before the battle started and how to counter certain moves because he'd seen them through more than one set of eyes.

It was then that she revealed it was that very reason it was labeled forbidden. The clones the user created would simply transfer their knowledge and experience back into the main body. She also told him that it was because of this ability that she selected him for the team, as he could scout ahead without putting their team in any kind of danger.

The blonde had seemed happy with that reasoning, and when asked why he responded with something that made her smile.

"I promised I'd never let my friends get hurt! And I try to keep my promises as best I can. So I'll do everything I can to keep the people I care about safe."

For being such a young boy…he was strangely mature. In some ways. In most, however, he was still a kid. His childish pranks he still sometimes pulled, his desire to be better than everyone he knew and his strange rivalry with the Uchiha boy that was based off of throwing insults at each other.

Despite his shortcomings and sometimes hardheadness, he was a great kid. He was friendly, sociable and always willing to help. There were few his age that understood just how important that was, but it seemed that a certain female teammate of his did.

While Kurenai was Hinata's escort in her younger years, she had never seen the girl smile that much. But now, she smiled every time she was around him. The black haired instructor obviously knew that she realized just how great he was. And honestly, Kurenai couldn't blame her.

After getting to know Naruto over the first month, she had honestly been surprised. He was still a little loud every now and again, but held many of the qualities most men didn't even think about. He retained a sort of innocence and happiness that she would never be able to understand. After all, she had heard how his life had been when she received the individual files on each of her students.

If it wasn't for that man, Ryuu, she didn't know where Naruto may have ended up. The only people to ever show care for the blonde boy were the Hokage and the old man at the ramen stand. And she highly doubted just those two men would be able to completely change the course of his life. But he had a steady parental figure constantly in his life.

If not Ryuu, then Iruka. She'd heard that the academy instructor had taken a shining to Naruto after seeing him alone. Maybe it was because he saw a bit of himself in the younger boy. She would never know.

Kurenai was forced to pull herself from her thoughts as she walked through the hall toward the mission assignment facilities. She'd been told to go in slightly early, so she figured it was of some importance.

As she was quickly processed and received the assignment scroll, she could only stare at it. After a few moments of silence, she looked back to Sandaime.

"Are you sure, Hokage-sama? It's been but only a month."

The old man nodded, "Yes, we're already sent out Kakashi's team on a C-rank escort mission. It is high time they get out of the village for something more than training. Let them experience the real world. They should not be sheltered, even at a young age."

Kurenai nodded, "Understood."

"Very well, when you inform your team, have them come back to the tower and pick up the assigned delivery. You may leave when ready."

Kurenai nodded and slowly walked out into the hall, clutching the scroll. She was slightly nervous, but also proud of the fact that this years genin were doing so well. After all, she'd had to wait almost three months to leave the village on a C-rank mission such as this. It was obvious that the children this year were extremely talented and very fast learners.

She couldn't help but smile as she continued down the familiar path to the training area her students were most likely already waiting at. Naruto especially. For some odd reason, the boy was always there early.

And if he was, she was going to enjoy this chance to poke fun at him before the others got there. Holding the information from him until his teammates arrived.

Yes…this was going to be fun indeed…

**A/N:** Woo? I couldn't help putting in the little NaruHina scenes, just too fun. Anyway, Hinata injuring an already tired Naruto is much more…interesting to write about than Shino doing it.

And I'm not sure if I really believe what I wrote about the Aburame clan. I've always been rather suspicious that the entire clan wears sunglasses, but they obvious have _something_ to hide if they keep them on constantly. I've seen fictions were Shino has no eyes or the multifaceted eyes of an insect. Personally, I like the no eyes better. Gives a little more to Shino's character.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

When Kurenai walked into the clearing with another half smile on her face, Naruto had already assumed the worst.

Another boring and pointless mission. He was trying to figure out exactly what it might be when a slight movement and familiar scent became the target of his attention.

"Shino."

The boy merely nodded in response while he took his place below the blonde. It had confused him at first how Naruto would notice he was there. Normally, children their age had reduced senses and little talent in sensing a person's presence. But when Shino noticed that Naruto seemed to have his acute senses on constant watch, it made things a bit more clear. Not to mention…the Aburame was slightly relieved.

At least he wasn't the only one on constant alert.

Insects could be used as variable tools in combat situations. But they lacked some of the defining features that would make them perfect weapons. The only saw certain colors, ultraviolet included, and had a limited surface area in which they could actually feel. In addition, they had no real sense of smell. When it came to certain things, it was true they could track the identified scent over extremely long distances, but that was only the scents they already had ingrained into their minds. It was instinct.

Naruto, however, could cover ground basis on everything else. Exactly like an insect, he could feel temperature and pressure changes in the surrounding areas, as well as any variations in the wind. He could smell practically anything. His sense of smell was extremely sensitive and worked to their advantage. And his sight was advanced as well, being able to see over an impressive distance and see clearer than any of them at night.

Although Shino was slightly uncomfortable with the boy's brash and loud nature, he was also relieved to be teamed with him. He would never admit it, but Naruto was able to cover the areas that he was insufficient in, thus making the team feel whole.

Hinata had anything else covered with her range and ability to see chakra and how it was being molded. While Shino's Kikaichu could sense chakra, they could not see it. Being given an exact point where the opponent was located was better than having to search and destroy.

Shino felt reassured, Naruto felt like he had people who cared and Hinata was happy. All in all, every single one of them had something to be thankful for, being teamed together.

Naruto looked at Kurenai and raised an eyebrow, "Where's Hinata-chan?"

Kurenai's slight smile grew even wider, "I had to go in to meet Hokage-sama early this morning to get our assignment. She should be here shortly."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "So what is it this time? Pick up trash at the river again? Clean some old geezer's house? Or do we have to find that damn stupid cat again? I swear…even if she is a noble she has no idea how to take care of something else that's alive. I pity her kids, if she has any."

Shino shifted slightly to look up at Naruto. He certainly had an odd way of talking when not around Hinata. He seemed to be a bit more crude.

Kurenai said nothing, but kept the smile on her face.

"That isn't very nice, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto's head dipped in defeat slightly before he shrugged.

"At least they can't blame me for that…"

Hinata sighed as she stepped up next to Kurenai. The older woman looked down and her smile softened slightly.

"Since everyone is here now, I can tell you the outline of the mission."

Hinata stepped away, Shino nodded and Naruto hopped down from his perch. Kurenai smiled, everything until this point had been routine as usual.

"We will be heading back to the Hokage Tower to pick up our assigned delivery. This specific package is to be protected and delivered to the Country of Water. Before that, however, each of you must prepare. Bring everything you see fit for a week long mission. Then meet me back here as soon as you're finished."

Kurenai nodded and looked at her three students, who were still rooted to the ground. Shino merely had an eyebrow raised, Hinata was looking at her in confusion and Naruto looked shocked.

"You mean…we finally get to leave the village on a mission?"

Kurenai's smile slipped back on her features, "Yes, Naruto."

"YES!"

Hinata and Kurenai winced slightly while Shino seemed to turn his attention to the blonde standing next to him. Naruto had a fist raised in the air and looked fairly excited. He seemed to remember where he was and grinned at his teammates before dashing off.

"See you guys in a bit!"

The three looked at the retreating figure, then back at the spot that the blonde had just vacated. Kurenai let out a small laugh while Hinata smiled at the boy's antics.

Shino turned and slowly started to walk away as well, following his teammate's example.

Hinata bowed to Kurenai slightly before taking off as well. Kurenai shook her head slightly before sighing. The blonde was still excitable, despite having calmed down ever so slightly over the last month. It seemed as though her hunch was correct. She only hopped that he would continue to calm down over time.

She was sure that Ryuu also had something to do with the boy's mannerisms, but couldn't really say what. She was also fairly certain that the man had tried to impress upon Naruto the need for stealth, otherwise the blonde would probably be wearing an orange top as well.

It fell to her to continue those lessons, as Team Eight was more geared toward staying away from prying eyes and hiding in the shadows to gather information. She only hoped the blue eyed boy would take those lessons to heart instead of completely brushing them off.

Team Eight's assigned leader simply looked in each direction she saw her students leave in and waited for their arrival. After their return, they would head off, gather the delivery and leave the village.

There was no time to waste.

-------------------

Naruto was already waiting with a large grin still covering his face as Shino and Hinata reentered the clearing. He was leaning against a tree with a small blue backpack sitting beside him on the floor. As soon as he saw his teammates, the blonde immediately straightened up and grabbed his pack before turning to a tree.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei, we're all here."

Shino merely nodded in agreement while Hinata looked at the two of them confused. After a few moments an odd sound could be heard and a figure seemed to peel itself out of the tree before standing before them.

Kurenai had a smile on her face, a silent gesture of approval, as she nodded to the two boys. She looked at Hinata for a moment before nodding again.

"Hinata, you must always be on your guard. Remember that your opponent will always look for an opportunity to take advantage of any weaknesses you may display, no matter how small they may be."

Hinata nodded shyly before casting a small glance toward her two male teammates. Naruto shifted uncomfortably and looked down slightly while Shino seemed as calm as normal. It was apparent that the two of them weren't discouraged or overly happy with the small amount of praise they'd just received. They still seemed as level headed as normal. If anything, Naruto was slightly uncomfortable with putting the young girl on the spot like that.

Naruto was a very open and, sometimes, fairly emotional person. While he may be able to fool others, the ones that knew him could easily see if something was wrong or bothering the boy. This was one of those times as the blonde looked up and grinned slightly at Hinata.

She shook her head at him with a small smile in return as the three members of the three man cell turned to follow their instructor, who was already walking out of the clearing and toward their current destination.

The Hokage Tower.

------------------

Naruto stared at the small box with irritation.

"That? We have to deliver that thing?"

Iruka sighed. He'd been given the job of handing out the needed supplies and various other mission details to the teams that came by. And Kurenai's team had just arrived, much to his surprise.

Kiba had voiced his disagreement with having to stay around the village as much as they were. He said that they should be given just a little freedom to roam and explore. Much to his surprise, the old Hokage had relented and assigned Kakashi's team a simple escort mission.

However, things didn't seem to bode well when Kiba got in an argument with an already drunk client the morning they'd been assigned to leave.

Now, he had to deal with Naruto…

Before the teacher could say anything, Kurenai had already responded.

"Yes Naruto. Inside that small crate are numerous medical supplies and various vaccines that will aid those in Water. The Country of Water and the small countries surrounding it are in a time of political and economical turmoil and need support. There are a few illnesses that require treatments only other countries have access to. This is exactly why we must go to help."

Iruka nodded, "Just because the mission is not what you expect does not mean that it isn't important. Those who work behind the scenes and support others often have a role that is just as important as anyone else."

Naruto seemed to deflate slightly as he looked at the two adults and then back at the wooden crate. The box was small enough to fit comfortably under a person's arm, but large enough to hold a fair amount of needed supplies.

"Yea yea…whatever…"

"These are basic C-rank missions Naruto. Don't expect anything too exciting. The genin of the village still need to learn responsibility and need to gain more experience before being put on more difficult missions."

"So…what kind of missions do you go on, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka seemed slightly startled at the question, but smiled nonetheless.

"I don't really take missions anymore Naruto. If anything, my duties and responsibilities would classify my position as academy instructor at a B-rank mission. Being in constant contact with shinobi hopefuls and teaching them everything they should know is a fairly important mission."

Naruto grinned, "Whatever you say, Iruka-sensei."

"What's the supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

Kurenai couldn't help but smile at the boy's antics. He still had the makings of a trouble maker, but it had been toned down quite a bit. She could also see that Shino had an eyebrow raised and Hinata was hiding her mouth behind one of her hands.

"We should be heading off. Naruto, since you are closest, you will start off carrying the delivery. Every three hours we will rotate. I will be next, then Shino, then Hinata. Understood?" Three heads nodded, "Very well. Thank you for the information Iruka, I'm sure Naruto will forget it before we leave the country."

"Hey!"

Iruka smiled as he watched the blonde pick up the small crate in front of him while grumbling something to himself. Hinata also had a smile on her face while Shino had both his eyebrows raised.

After he picked up the assigned delivery, Naruto started walking away from the tower, but turned around and waved at his old academy instructor before taking off after his teammates and current sensei.

Iruka shook his head as he crossed off another item from the inventory before reorganizing his papers and waiting for the next group to arrive for their mission assignment.

---------------

"So Kurenai-sensei…why is this a C-rank mission? If it's such a simple delivery?"

"Very good question, Hinata. Mission assignments are broken into various categories, all of which have basic guidelines for them. D-rank missions are usually those done in the village, as you have all experienced." She received a small nod from the dark haired girl before glancing over at Naruto, "C-rank missions usually involve traveling out of the village and its territories to complete a mission. C-rank missions usually aren't terribly difficult, but they have various levels. Higher rank C-rank missions are classified as such due to the high risk of being involved in combat. Fighting off thieves or thugs who wish to steal a delivery or protect a wealthy patron from robbers or gangs are just a few examples.

"B-rank missions are just a step up from the higher C-rank missions. B-ranks usually involve contact with shinobi from another nation, whether it is via negotiation or combat. Since B-rank always involve outside shinobi, they are usually assigned to shinobi who hold chuunin rank or higher. Higher B-rank missions often have a higher chance of facing off against enemy shinobi.

"A-rank missions vary on a wide scale. An A-rank mission can vary from the security of the village to the protection of nobility to penetrating enemy lines during combat to ambush the enemy or cut off their supply line. A-rank missions are always taken extremely seriously and always involve the safety of one or more people."

"Have you ever been on an A-rank mission Kurenai-sensei?"

Kurenai smiled at the blonde, "Yes Naruto, I have."

"Was it cool?"

"It was…interesting." She glanced at Hinata. Hinata, herself, was one of Kurenai's A-rank missions. She had been appointed as the girl's guardian at one point in time after the attempted kidnapping.

She had gotten to know the younger girl fairly during their time together. And she could also tell that Hinata was pleased that she was under her guidance and tutelage once again.

"If I'm not mistaken…there are still higher class missions, correct?"

"Yes, Shino. You are very well informed. Still above A-rank missions are S-rank missions. These missions are specifically given to elite jounin and ANBU and no other class. They are extremely difficult and, more often than not, will involve death. S-rank missions vary from assassination missions to suicide missions or missions to infiltrate enemy lines to gain information. The line between A-rank and S-rank missions is almost non-existent, blurred due to the fact that many A-rank missions involve S-rank parameters and vice versa."

"Have you ever been on an S-rank mission before Kurenai-sensei?"

"No Naruto, I haven't."

"Damn."

After the subsequent lecture on how the mission system worked, Kurenai filled in the role of passive observer as she listened in on the conversations Naruto was having with Shino and Hinata.

Although, they were rather one sided as Shino merely nodded or raised an eyebrow in askance and Hinata answered mostly in monosyllables.

Nonetheless, the trip continued on for the rest of the day, with each member of Team Eight carrying the packing for their three scheduled hours. As the day drew to a close Naruto was the unlucky one who had possession of the delivery when they set up camp.

Kurenai outlined the same details as before for night watch. Naruto would be first on watch to continue with his duties of watching over the delivery while Shino would be second, Hinata third and her last.

The genin accepted the division of duties and relaxed around the small campfire. The forest around them was completely silent, which made the silence within the camp almost unbearable.

The silence was soon broken as Naruto, once again, talked with his team in an attempt to gain more information on them and more information on Kurenai's track record on missions.

-------------

Naruto stood in amazement as he stared out over the massive body of water before him.

He'd never been anywhere out of the Country of Fire in his life. And never had he seen a body of water anywhere near the size of the one before him.

Sure the massive sea that lay before him was on the very border of the Country of Fire, but he'd never traveled that far in the past. Nor had he had any specific reason or desire to.

But this was different. The mission was to head to the Country of Water, due east of the Country of Fire. The only way into the island country was via sea vessel. And the trip, depending on the size of the boat or ferry, took one to three days.

He was extremely bored during the two days it took to travel to their current position and often tried to fill the uncomfortable silence with some kind of idle chatter. Currently, however, he was completely speechless.

Shino and Hinata were also admiring the sight while Kurenai went and arranged for their needed transport. However, both the other members of Team Eight were looking at and admiring different things.

Hinata had her eyes trained on her blonde teammate, watching him as he stared out into the blue abyss. He was completely transfixed, looking directly ahead at the sun as it began its slow decent below the horizon. And she was completely transfixed on him. She hadn't seen him this relaxed or happy in quite a while.

Shino, too, was taking in the scenery before him. Although his awe was at a minimum, he still enjoyed serene moments. Moments which were often interrupted by Naruto when the blonde was around. However, he, too, was now admiring the sights and relaxing in the serene and peaceful moment.

The silence continued on as the three stood and watched their respective sights. After a while, Kurenai arrived with what seemed like small tickets in her hand. She handed each of her students one of the small stubs.

"These are our passes for the boat we'll take over to the Country of Water. Make sure not to lose them, since the crew does a routine check to make sure everyone has a ticket. They've apparently had problems with stowaways in the past and have stepped up the security to avoid the problem."

All three of her students nodded before each taking the proffered ticket.

"We will board and leave in about an hour. I expect the three of you to be on your best behavior while we wait." She gave a pointed took to Naruto, who grinned sheepishly. "Until then, all three of you will be responsible for our delivery. Never let it leave your sights."

Hinata and Shino merely nodded again while Naruto crossed his arms.

"What about you, Kurenai-sensei? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to ask around inside this port village to see if I can gain any information on what we can expect in the Country of Water. Villages and towns that are connected to others via some kind of set trade route often hold a valuable amount of information if you know where to look."

Naruto seemed hesitant to accept the answer while Hinata and Shino showed that they understood.

"You can all still relax and find time to do things you enjoy, but remember that the boat leaves in one hour."

Naruto nodded reluctantly while Shino and Hinata nodded once again.

"If you three understand, you can do as you please." With that sentence, the older woman vanished from sight, leaving the three younger shinobi to wander around as a group.

After a few moments of silence, the three began to talk amongst themselves to figure out what they should do. The debate, however, was silenced when a loud growl came from Naruto's stomach.

Shortly thereafter, the three found themselves in front of a small restaurant. After they were taken to their seats, they began to look at the choices of food.

Naruto was slightly disheartened to see there was no ramen on the menu, but still found something he might enjoy. After all, Ryuu had forced him to try to maintain a balanced diet, and there were a few things that retained his interest in terms of taste.

When the time came to place their orders, Naruto started off with a few orders of _kushiage_ and a small bowl of rice. Hinata seemed slightly surprised at his choice, not paying any attention to what Shino ordered.

She was shaking out of her thoughts when she was asked when she would like. She settled for a small order of _gyouza_ and a cup of tea. When the waitress nodded and headed off, the three sat in silence for a few moments.

It was then that Hinata noticed that the package they were given was no where in sight. After a few moments of looking around, Shino noticed her slight discomfort and panic.

"Hinata…is something troubling you?"

Hinata's eyes snapped to look at Shino for a moment before they dropped to the flat surface before them. She shook her head slightly before looking back up again.

"D-do you know where the p-package is? I d-don't see it at all."

Naruto grinned and patted the area just in front of him. "No need to worry Hinata-chan! It's right here."

He held up the brown item in question before putting it back down…between his legs.

Shino merely nodded while Hinata blushed. She didn't need to know exactly where it was he was keeping it…

Her thoughts, once again, were interrupted when the hostess brought a small pot of tea and three mugs to the table before bowing and moving away. The silence that had once presided over the table had lifted as the team freely talked with each other about what they were going to do when they got back home.

The small talk continued even through the meal, which arrived a few minutes after the tea. The three, now satisfied, walked back to the docks with plenty of time to spare. They arrived back at the boat they were supposed to take just in time for the first call to board.

There was a slight onrush of people, but the three young shinobi were in no hurry. They eventually made their way on board and were surprised to find their sensei already waiting for them. Although she was in a deep conversation with the captain of the vessel, she was onboard nonetheless.

When the time came to leave the harbor town, the boat lurched forward slightly before slowly pulling away. After a few minutes, the vessel had only traveled about 40 meters from the coast, but it was beginning to pick up steam.

Kurenai made a later appearance and said she would take the delivery, leaving the three youngsters with time to spare. Shino stayed inside the main cabin while Naruto wandered around for a while. Hinata was content with sitting outside with her back against the railing staring up at the sky.

There were only a few rooms onboard, and most of them were reserved or taken by the captain and his hands. That left the majority of the occupants with little in terms of options. Luckily, Team 8 had a room. Kurenai stated she and Hinata would take the bed.

Naruto, much to Kurenai's surprise, claimed the far corner of the room with a blanket. Shino claimed the sole chair in the room as his resting place.

In record time, all three of them were asleep and breathing evenly. It must have been because of the trek to the port town. Normally, at a leisurely pace, it would take close to four days to get to the port town they had just left. But Kurenai knew that the mission was also accepted with the knowledge that they would be paid extra if the speed in which it was delivered was considered fast.

As such, she had pushed her little group to the port town in a day and a half. And it would only take another day or so for them to reach their destination and hand in their delivery.

The older woman sighed as she looked at the three sleeping children in front of her. Were they ready?

Were they truly ready for what they would see come tomorrow? Would they be able to understand the suffering and torment surrounding them? How exactly would they react?

These questions and more flew through the mind of the red eyed jounin as she gazed upon her charges. Only one thing was for sure. She would be able to judge their characters based on how they reacted.

She would know if they would be able to make it. If they would be able to help others without asking anything in return. Willing to do what they could, even if things were looking bleak. To see if they were able to turn the tides in their favor, even if the outcome was dead set against them.

The woman sighed and shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things. They would cross that bridge when they reached it, and she would be there to guide them over it.

But for now, how each of them would turn out was solely up to them. She could only do so much. She could only influence a few of their decisions. Only change a small part of their lives.

Despite her train of thought, she smiled. They had been willing to take the first step. They had been willing to trust each other, and trust her. And she had a feeling they were willing to do oh so much more.

With that last thought, the dark haired female shifted slightly, as not to awaken Hinata, and closed her eyes.

Even if they had a long way to go, they had taken their first steps in the right direction. And they would see the fruits of the not so pleasant things in life soon.

She only hoped that they had the strength to stand up and fight. Like they had so many times before now. Together.

**A/N:** Been a long time yea? This chapter was nagging me for completion. I had the first half of it written for so long…then it just tapped off. WoW has been sucking a majority of my time, as well as doing what I can to help my parents out. Either way, I'm still lurking around. Not sure when the next chapter will come out.

I know I've said that Naruto's pupils turn into slits when he's using his heightened senses, but never really gave a description other than that. If you read the manga, the perfect example is Vol16 Ch138 Pg15. Or if you're more tuned towards the anime, check out Episode 80 at 8:02. Or for those more ahead in the manga, like me, Vol37/38? Ch 341 Pg 11 has the perfect angle on them. Just figured I'd give a heads up.

And all I have to say is this: it's about damn time the fillers ended.

Translations: _gyouza - _Japanese crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables

_Kushiage _– fried vegetables and meat on skewer (basically a kabob)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

Morning arrived on swift wings, leaving each member of Team 8 in a different state of mind. Naruto, who had never been on a sea vessel, was feeling somewhat nauseous and light headed due to the lack of sleep.

The constant moving sensation was enough to keep him clinging to consciousness most of the night.

It seemed that he was not the only one experiencing such difficulties, however, when Hinata stumbled off of the bed and landed on her side. It seemed that she was also a bit disoriented and light headed.

Shino and Kurenai seemed perfectly fine, as if they had dealt with such sensations before.

After she made sure that her team was situated well enough, Kurenai cleared her through. Immediately younger faces turned to look at her.

"We will be traveling via our current mode of transport for most of today. As a result, we will not be able to do any of our normal exercises. Feel free to make sure your equipment is well in order, take time to meditate to prepare, or anything else you feel may be necessary to prepare for our arrival in the Country of Water."

She paused to take in the reactions of her team. Hinata had simply nodded, Shino had crossed his arms and Naruto looked slightly disheartened.

"However, once we reach the Country of Water, be prepared. You may see some things that may upset or bother you, but you will have to try your best to ignore them. Remember that when we successfully deliver these supplies," Kurenai put a hand on the container, "that the people will be a little better off. They will be able to receive support because of our mission."

"How can something that small make that big of a difference?"

Kurenai sighed and looked at Naruto. It seemed that the boy had yet to learn about diplomatic issues or political favors.

"Naruto, inside are important supplies, yes. But also inside are certain materials and instructions needed for the Country of Water. These certain items will make it possible to receive treatments year round, instead of having to important supplies, since they will be able to grow the needed herbs and remedies inside the country. Not only does it make them more independent, it also works to our favor. By delivering these supplies to them, they are indebted to the Country of Fire. More specifically Konoha."

"If we're getting paid for the delivery…how will they be indebted to us, Kurenai-sensei?"

Red eyes met pearl colored ones for a moment before the dark haired girl looked down.

"Very good question Hinata. You see, we are getting paid for the delivery, but that is all. The Country of Water is being given these supplies as an act of good will and faith on behalf of the Country of Fire. They are paying a mere fraction of what they normally would because of this."

"Why would we do something like that?"

Kurenai sighed as she looked at the blue eyed boy in front of her. He was looking at her rather suspiciously. While it was good to be curious, too much curiosity could become a problem.

Before Kurenai could answer, however, the normally quiet member of Team 8 answered for her.

"By being charitable and showing mercy on another nation in its time of need, the Country of Fire gains favor with them. When the Country of Fire is in a time of crisis, the other nation they supported will be more willing to return the favor rather than turning a blind eye to our situation."

"Correct Shino."

"So…by helping them now…in the future if we ask for help…they're more likely to respond?"

"Yes Naruto. They will be indebted to us. In normal terms, they will owe us one big favor for doing this for them. Not only are we giving them supplies, but Konoha is sending its own shinobi to protect the delivery until it reaches its destination. Not to mention they are being given all the needed materials, supplies and information so that illnesses and epidemics can be cured and halted in the future."

"Oh…so it's like we're helping them out now…and because of it, it's like we're helping the later on too?"

"Exactly. Thus, by even accepting our help, they have been bound to return the favor in the future. These circumstances aren't something that even a country can escape easily. Political favors tend to be a nasty thing."

"Just like Ryuu said…Politics sucks."

Kurenai blinked as she looked at the boy before smiling, "Yes, politics are rather irritating and taxing. But if you can play your cards correctly, you can learn and gain many things. Power, wealth, recognition and allies."

"Will we have to learn about politics?"

Kurenai seemed thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "Certain missions may require that you listen in on political gatherings or pose as a high ranking politician. You will need to be well versed in politics to even understand what some people are saying or certain issues that may arise."

Naruto groaned slightly while Hinata smiled shyly in his direction and Shino simply raised a brow.

"Are there any more questions? Remember that you'll be able to ask me anything at anytime, so don't feel pressured to ask me right now."

After a few moments of silence, Kurenai nodded, "Very well. You three may do whatever you so desire until we reach the Country of Water." All three nodded before she added, "But nothing disruptive or dangerous." A very pointed look was sent Naruto's way after she finished her statement.

The blonde seemed to stiffen slightly and then slumped over and let his head drop. There went his source of entertainment for the day…

All three students stood and slowly made their way out of the room, walking very slowly. After all, it took a while to get situated at sea…

----------------------

"Finally!"

As the sound lingered in the air, several people turned to look at its source. A blonde boy had his hands in the air and was apparently stretching as he stepped off of what one of the few boats that had just pulled into the port.

The few people that were actually at the dock shook their heads in a patronizing manner as Naruto looked around.

The boy frowned as he saw that several of the stalls around the dock were empty. With a good majority of them being in some sort of disrepair.

His frown deepened when he saw that the few people on the dock were quickly shuffling away from him. It seemed, at first, that they hadn't noticed the hitai-ate. And one they had, they were scattering like a bunch of cockroaches exposed to light.

A few even looked over their shoulders at him with a hint of fear.

After a few moments, a light hand dropped onto Naruto's shoulder to break him out of his stupor.

"Come, Naruto. We need to make haste toward the daimyo's palace."

The blonde seemed slightly shaken, but nodded nonetheless and stepped up next to his teammates before they started walking.

--------------------

As the sun set behind the trees, the faint outline of a large building could be seen in the dying light. As the group continued toward the structure, its shadow continued to grow.

They were about 50 meters from the main gate when Kurenai suddenly stopped and motioned for her students to do the same. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he shifted his feet and got into a crouching stance.

Shino had crossed his arms, but the sound of numerous insects becoming agitated could be clearly heard. Not to mention, a few were already starting to crawl across Shino's hands.

Hinata, seeing the reactions of her teammates, quickly put her hands together in preparation to make the long series of handseals it took to activate her bloodline.

When Kurenai held her hand out, all three of her students looked at her in confusion.

"No. Wait."

After a few moments, two masked shinobi dropped in front of Kurenai. The three quietly talked for a few seconds before the two mysterious arrivals suddenly nodded and departed. Kurenai turned around and looked at her students before nodding as well and continuing on.

Hinata seemed slightly confused, while Shino also seemed to be mildly surprised.

"They were hired guards."

Both turned to look at Naruto as he continued to look ahead at Kurenai.

"They were hired to protect the perimeter of the palace due to something going on. They were talking with Kurenai-sensei about our delivery."

Both of his teammates nodded as Naruto turned to look at the both of them with a grin, "Don't worry. We'll be there soon."

-----------------

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he saw the amount of guards placed in front of the main entry point. Before even getting to the main gate, they had to pass through two checkpoints as well as allow the guards to take inventory of their items and personal effects.

They said it was a necessity. That it was a precaution due to the numerous attempts on the daimyo's life in the past few months.

Naruto couldn't help but be irritated as he saw his small pack being slowly ripped apart from the inside out. He may have been irritated, but he noticed that his teammate's items were fairing none the better.

After they were given their things back, they were ushered further down the line until halted by another set of guards. They had to let a few specially trained dogs inspect them and their belongings for anything that could've posed a threat.

All the guards seemed rather uptight. Especially since they were dealing with shinobi from another nation.

When the group successfully passed all of the needed procedures, they were escorted through the main gate by two guards. Even after gaining access into the huge compound, there were still a numerous amount of guards posted everywhere.

On scaffolds and platforms surrounding the walls. On the roof. In several of the taller towers in the compound. Walking in set formations around and in every single building.

The sheer amount of guards actually in the palace easily trumped the number of guards placed outside of the walls.

And it also made the team of Konoha shinobi wonder what exactly was going on. For there to be that much security, more than a few attempts on the daimyo's life had to have taken place.

Two guards stopped them momentarily before motioning them to follow. The team followed the two guards in silence as they went through a series of twists and turns and even a few other checkpoints before approaching what looked like the main building.

They were finally able to enter the main compound after close to half an hour of inspections, routine checks, and round-about answers to their questions. Following standard procedure, each person left their personal affects at the door, in addition to their shoes.

The halls inside were eerily silent as the group of six continued their way through a complex set of hallways. It reminded Naruto of the Hyuuga compound. He wondered if Hinata thought the same.

After a few moments, their escorts stopped outside one of the larger shoji doors and bowed on either side. Each knocked once, at the same time, before sliding the door open and shifting positions.

"Enter." A single word, said quietly, but with an air of authority.

The guards motioned them into the room and slid the doors shut behind them. They approached what appeared to be a small screen before it, too, was moved aside. In front of them were small cushions, placed in a straight line in front of a person dressed in regal robes.

Each member of the team slowly made their way over to a cushion and kneed before the figure in a slight bow. Naruto was a bit slower than his teammates, but caught on quickly once he saw what they were doing.

While he was still learning a few things about displays of formal respect, he was trying. Naruto was still Naruto after all.

After a few moments, they sat up and Kurenai placed the package in front of her and slid it forward.

"Now down to business…"

---------------------

Naruto shifted uncomfortably to try to regain feeling in his left leg. He shook it slightly to see if it would help, only to receive a numbing sensation.

He walked around awkwardly until he could actually feel his leg. After that task was complete, he looked at his surroundings.

They had just been let out of a close to two hour meeting with the daimyo. Thus the reason why he leg was still asleep. And the reason his knees hurt.

He had tried to listen in as best he could, but the entire ordeal was so overly boring that he zoned out somewhere are the first 20 minutes. He knew better than that. He knew to pay attention, because he might learn something about politics. But the entire issue was nothing more than a bore to him.

After they had discussed the issue at hand, the daimyo had engaged them in mere idle banter. That kind of talking held no interesting points either. It was merely a way for the daimyo to show a small amount of respect and general curiosity in the Country of Fire and its military power.

Although…there was one interesting part of the talks when the team was introduced. The daimyo had stiffened slightly when he heard Hinata's clan name. He wasn't exactly sure, but he could've sworn he saw a hint of nervousness in the man's eyes.

It had passed after a brief moment, but the fact that it had even occurred was slightly unsettling to the young blonde.

Something wasn't right…

He paused in his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped mid stride and turned to look at the person behind him. He saw that it was none other than his friend and teammate.

He cocked an eyebrow silently asking what it was. The silent boy responded with a mere nod of his head in the opposite direction. Naruto paused for a moment and took a look at his surroundings.

It appeared that he'd wandered a fair deal while stuck in his thoughts.

He nodded a reply and turned towards his comrade. They both walked in silence until they reached the main compound building again. When Kurenai was satisfied that they were all accounted for and had all the gear they started with, the walked towards the main gate.

And had to repeat every single procedure once again just to leave…

---------------------

The sun had long set when the team on Konoha shinobi actually reached their destination. They were not to be given a place to stay at the daimyo's estate due to the fact that it might compromise the security of the premises. Not to mention the guards didn't trust them at all.

So the group had to make haste into the nearby town for the night in order to rest.

Only, when they got there…the place was an absolute disaster area.

Just like at the harbor, the place seemed eerily vacant. Numerous stands were in poor condition while others seemed completely destroyed.

Several buildings had holes in the exterior walls. Roofs were missing tiles, while some where completely gone. Pock marks and deep gouges littered the streets. The light posts lining each side of the street were crooked and disfigured.

The only light visible in the town seemed to come from one building. A three story building that had a sign signifying it as the inn in the town.

The group walked inside to rent two rooms, but was greeted with silence. Nobody was at the front desk. Nobody was in the common room to their left. There was also nobody in the restaurant downstairs.

The building was completely deserted.

"Hello?"

No response.

"Hello!?"

This time, a strange sound could be heard. After a few moments, a creaking sound could be heard as a head popped up above the main desk.

The man looked around confused before his eyes settled on the travelers before him. He was about to respond, but froze at the sight of the four of them. He started to shake slightly before his eyes darted from one face to another. Almost as if he was a wild animal in captivity.

"We were given instructions to come here and rest for the night before we return home."

The man turned his gaze to Kurenai and nodded shakily before turning around and grabbing two sets of keys. His hands were trembling so bad that the keys made an annoying clinking sound before Kurenai took the both of them from him and put a small amount of money of the counter.

As they turned, they saw the obvious surprise displayed on the man's face before he quickly snatched the money and dove back under the desk. As the reached the stairs, a sound like that of a slamming door was heard before silence once again reigned supreme.

Kurenai sighed slightly while her students looked at her in confusion.

"What was that about?"

"These people are going through a hard time right now Naruto. I'm not entirely surprised that he reacted the way he did. People here don't trust each other anymore."

Kurenai glanced at the numbers on the keys before heading up to the second floor. When they reached rooms near the center of the long hallway, she stopped and handed one of the keys to Shino.

Shino nodded his head as he caught the subtle gesture made and turned to the door to his left.

"Come, Naruto."

Naruto looked at Shino and noticed him heading towards the door before turning around to his team leader and friend and smiling.

"Good night!"

Kurenai smiled softly in response, "Good night, Naruto."

"Good night, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto walked through the now open door before sticking his hand out in a final gesture of parting before he shut the solid wood door.

Naruto turned to look at the room itself before walking to the vacant bed and placing his pack at the foot of it. He took off his jacket and placed it on the edge of the bed before taking off his shoes.

That was one thing he liked about less traditional places. You didn't have to leave your footwear at the door when you came in.

He sat down on the end of the bed with his legs straddling his backpack. He dug through it for a few moments before pulling out a strange looking set of pin striped pajamas and toiletries. He turned to look at Shino, but noticed his teammate was already lying on his bed in a semi comfortable position.

The blonde shrugged before moving into the bathroom located on the side of the room before performing his nightly ritual. After a few minutes he entered back into the room and noticed that Shino's breathing had slowed slightly.

It showed that his silent teammate had slipped into unconsciousness while he was out of the room. Naruto shook his head and sighed before slipping under the covers of his bed and turning off the light.

It didn't take long before both male shinobi passed into the realm of dreams.

---------------------

Naruto stirred as he heard an odd sound. When a large thumping sound rang through the empty hallway, he immediately shot up.

He looked around the room but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. However, a small sound from the room over altered him that something was going on with Hinata and Kurenai.

He immediately jumped out of the bed, threw open the door and ran to the room of his female teammate and sensei.

He tried the door, but found that it was locked.

Naruto took a heavy fist to the door and pounded on it three times.

"Kurenai-sensei! Hinata-chan!"

There was no response, but the blonde heard a small curse before the shuffling increased. It was then that he knew something was terribly wrong. He turned to run down the hallway and out the front only to see Shino already ahead of him.

The silent boy turned his head and nodded slightly before vanishing down the stairs. Naruto already knew that he was going around the back to try a pincer move.

Naruto looked at the offending object in his way and steeled himself before taking a few steps back and kicking it. The wood creaked slightly, but didn't give that much.

Naruto winced in pain, as he had forgotten to grab his sandals before bolting out of his room.

He took a few steps back so that his back was to the opposite wall and readied himself again. He took the three steps forward to the door and rammed his shoulder heavily into the wooden construct.

The door gave slightly, but still stood in the way between him and his friends.

Naruto took his stance once again and ran at the door for the last time.

"Damnit!"

Using his irritation and paranoia as a stepping block, he threw his entire body at the door before the lock finally gave and the door burst open.

He stumbled into the room only to see the beds were empty and a man was standing at the window. The man was dressed completely in black, including a face mask that hid his features.

The man took one glance back at Naruto and jumped out the two story window.

The blonde followed and looked down to see the man's partner had already been confronted by Shino. The larger man, carrying Kurenai, stopped and motioned for his partner to continue on ahead of him.

The man carrying Hinata nodded and started to bolt away, but was stopped by a wall of Kikaichu.

The larger man merely smirked and performed a series of one handed seals before a powerful blast of wind scattered the insects all around the area. Taking the opportunity, the man carrying Hinata immediately surged forward and ran through the forest.

Naruto jumped down and stood beside Shino for a brief second before the Aburame's attention shifted to him.

"Go."

Naruto nodded and began chasing the man who had taken off, leaving the larger man with Shino.

------------------

Naruto had absolutely no trouble following the trail the mystery shinobi left. After all, he was carrying his target. A target Naruto knew fairly well.

A target that Naruto could follow with his nose.

The faint scent of lilacs was more than enough to give Naruto the proper trail he needed. He simply followed the smell of one of his best friends.

Some might have thought it eerie that he knew her scent so well, some might have thought it strange. But it proved to be working in his advantage this time around.

After a few minutes of running, he was able to see a flickering figure in the distance. A moving figure.

He was already within sight of his target.

Naruto pushed himself even more as he continued to catch up to his soon to be victim.

Within a few moments, he burst out of the canopy and landed directly in front of the man. His posture seemed to indicate one of surprise, but Naruto ignored that for the time being.

He looked at the man and the girl slung over his shoulder. He could see that Hinata's ankles and wrists were bound with a rather malleable metal, judging from the reflection of the moonlight.

He also saw that her ankles and wrists were being rubbed raw by the offending restraints. The trip, so far, had not been kind to her.

He turned his attention to the man in black, who slid into a battle stance, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Put her down and leave."

The man snorted slightly, "Why should I listen to a brat like you? Your kind is not welcome here."

"My kind?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, those that willingly associate with people who have powers beyond the normal shinobi's imagination. People who would as soon as use that power to harm others instead of help."

Naruto clenched his fist before sliding into his own set stance.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Hinata has always been a kind and gentle person. She would never hurt anyone unless they threatened her first."

"That is where you're wrong. People who have power and ability use it. Good, bad. It makes no difference to them. That is why they must be eliminated!"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before narrowing into mere slits. He bared his teeth and let out an uncharacteristic snarl as he slid his right foot forward.

"If you dare harm her…you will pay…"

The man snorted again before dropping Hinata on the floor in front of him. He simply flung her off his shoulder as if she weren't a person at all. But some strange kind of cargo. Or a thing.

It was then Naruto noticed that she had a cut just above her right eye. The cut had yet to scab over, so blood ran freely down the side of her face to her chin. Her eyes were clenched shut in pain and he swore he heard a slight whimper escape from her still form before her shoulders slumped.

He turned his attention back to the man in black before another low snarl escaped from his mouth.

"You will pay…for harming one of my friends!"

The blonde surged forward toward his enemy. The man's eyes widened slightly before the boy's fist connected soundly with his stomach.

The man slid back a few meters before righting himself to glare at the boy.

"You stand no chance."

"Shut up!"

Naruto once again ran forward before performing a single hand seal.

"_Kage Bunshin no Justsu!_"

Four clones popped into existence just before he reached the perpetrator. The man's eyes widened again, but was thrown off balance as one of the clones went for his legs while the other tried to land a punch on his midsection.

He was able to right himself just in time, only to be shoved from behind and punched in the face as the last too clones followed through after the original attack.

Finally, Naruto appeared behind the man and stabbed a kunai directly into the middle of his back. However, the image of the man disappeared. And was replaced by a simple piece of wood.

"Not smart kid. I didn't want to have to get serious with you, but you leave me no choice."

Naruto turned to glare at the voice before flying up and through the tree branches directly to the man.

Although slightly surprise, the man managed to block Naruto's initial punch and grabbed the back of his neck.

"If you don't want to die," the man said as he pulled Naruto higher and looked at him directly in the eye, "then I suggest you leave."

Naruto tried to swing at the man, only to have his arm caught and twisted. He grunted in pain before glaring at the man.

"I'd never leave one of my friends. Not even if it meant going against an asshole like you."

"Wrong answer, kid."

The man threw Naruto's arm away from his body before bringing him down slightly and elbowing the blonde in the back of the head.

The boy flew straight toward the earth, but stopped his body from crashing into the harsh ground by landing on all fours.

However, before he could get up, the strange man followed with a strong kick in the center of his back. Naruto grimaced and fell to his elbows and knees as he took the brunt of the blow.

The pain was something he was accustom to. It had been there most of his life, in one form or another.

But Ryuu had changed most of that. He'd made him resistant to most forms of pain. Mental or physical.

Things only got easier after that when he began to make friends. Hinata being his first.

He looked at her vulnerable form lying on the ground and grit his teeth as he slowly stood. He had to be strong. He had to help her.

He remembered his talk with Ryuu. He swore that he would always be there for his friends. For the people he cared about. He wouldn't let them go through what he did when he was younger. He would be there to support them and do whatever he could to keep them safe and happy.

He couldn't give up!

Naruto's head suddenly moved to the right as a punch aimed at the back of his head flew by. He grabbed the arm next to his face and twisted it heavily before kicking back and throwing all his weight forward.

The man's body flew in front of him. The target was in sight once more.

As the man recovered from the toss, he looked up to see Naruto in front of him. His leg already pulled back and ready.

The block was insufficient as the man took a powerful kick to the face. He flew back and crashed into a tree. He looked up again to see the blonde in front of him. Ready to go again.

Naruto continued to pound the man with blow after blow until he finally seemed to slip into unconsciousness.

His hardened blue eyes continued to stare at the slumped form for several moments before he turned. It was then that the man grabbed him back the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

Naruto flew into another tree and let out a soft cry as his back slammed into the hard wood. He looked up through the pain and saw the man stumbling towards Hinata.

Only this time, he had a kunai clutched in his grasp.

When he finally reached the girl, he pulled her up slightly before placing the knife at her throat.

"Give it up. You move, she dies."

"You…"

Naruto stared at the man with extreme anger for a few moments. He hated this. He thought he was getting stronger, but this man proved that to be wrong.

He stared at the knife leveled directly under Hinata's chin and growled.

He hated this feeling. This feeling of utter helplessness. One of his closest friends was in trouble and he couldn't do anything.

A familiar feeling of heat began to build in his stomach and lower chest. He remembered it from before.

This feeling took over when Ryuu came at him a little over a year ago now. And the results had been bad.

"_**Kill him."**_

Naruto's eyes widened before the heat seemed to pass through a majority of his body.

His weariness left. His pain was receding. He stood slowly, keeping his eyes hidden by his mane of messy blonde hair.

After a few moments of silence, another low growl escaped his throat as he turned his attention back on the man. His eyes raised and looked directly into the eyes of his opponent.

Only this time, things were different.

The man started to shake slightly as he could feel the killing intent and power begin to radiate off the boy. Maybe threatening the girl hadn't been such a good idea…

However, he couldn't rip his gaze from the blonde's own. The red eyes were too captivating.

No matter how much pain they promised. No matter how much the smoldering hatred and anger seemed to come to the forefront.

He couldn't escape.

It was at that point that an arm came from behind him and pulled his arm away from the girl and twisted it so that his own kunai was leveled at the back of his neck.

"Stand down if you don't wish to die."

The man nodded meekly as he continued to stare at the blonde on front of him.

Naruto was snapped out of his trance when a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to look directly into the dark glasses of his other teammate.

The black haired boy nodded and motioned towards Hinata before Naruto froze and immediately turned to the girl.

He rushed to her side and all but tore off the restraints. He shifted her slightly so that he could wipe away the blood that was still flowing freely down her face.

He looked toward the man in black and noticed that Kurenai already had him incapacitated.

His sensei looked up for a moment before smiling at him, "You did well Naruto. Holding him off this long so that we could help."

"What happened?"

"I suspected something like this would happen. I merely played spectator in your fights until the time was right to strike. You can imagine the surprise of the first man as he found himself captured by someone he believed to be unconscious."

Naruto nodded before turning his attention back to Hinata. He picked her up gently and turned to face his teammate and instructor.

"What now?"

"We rest the rest of the night and leave early in the morning. There is still another six or seven hours before the port even opens."

The blue eyed boy nodded and started walking back to the hotel in the small town. Kurenai smirked at the man who she had tied to the tree and waved before she and Shino followed after Naruto.

The man cursed before he calmed himself enough to begin to meditate. But he couldn't get the image of the boy's eyes out of his mind…

He felt a wave of pity and sorrow for himself and anyone else who tried to do something rash to his friends.

Especially the girl…

**A/N:** Woo? A little Kyuubi action. I wanted to have something trigger Naruto into unconsciously using Kyuubi. What better way than to send someone with a bloodlimit to a country in the middle of a civil war over bloodlimits? It was a planned from the beginning. And I'm fairly sure Kurenai would've expected something to go wrong at some point. Who owes who a favor now?

Still caught up with WoW, reading, life and other stuff. I write when I can. Took me a while to finish this, but here it is!

I think once I actually get to the brunt of what I want to do with this story, I'll try to write more. But fillers and character setup are still rather difficult…


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

The Sandaime sighed as he looked over the small stack of papers in front of him.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

The black haired woman in front of the man nodded in the affirmative, "Yes, while it was only a short time, it did occur."

"I see...Overall, how was their team performance?"

"It went very well. Naruto was simply on edge while en route to our destination. Other than that, they obeyed orders and worked well together."

"That's good. They're beginning to become comfortable with each other. Is there anything else you would like to report?"

The woman stood for a moment before shaking her head.

"Very well, you're dismissed."

Kurenai stood up straight for a moment before bowing and turning to leave the room.

As the door shut behind the jounin instructor, the Hokage sighed and furrowed his brows. This was the second report he'd received of the blonde tapping into the Kyuubi's power.

And it was vexing. He had no idea what was going on. The only person who could potentially answer his questions was still nowhere to be found. Elusive as always.

The elder man turned and looked out the window. If only he could get the answers to his questions about the boy. Seal Masters were a rare commodity. Not many people were willing to dedicate their lives and entire being into studying, writing and learning every seal, its effect and its nature.

Not many people had the patience to do it either.

There was only one person that could answer the old Hokage's questions...the only Seal Master he knew of that was still alive.

Sarutobi turned back to his desk with one last thought on the current situation and how he could possibly find a way to accurately come into contact his former student.

--

Naruto gulped as he stared at his guardian.

They had been in this odd position for some time now. The blonde boy didn't know how long they'd been sitting there, but it seemed like an eternity. And every few minutes he would move his head and try to break eye contact. He would try to ignore the oppressive gaze.

After he'd been brought home, Ryuu told him to sit at the usual spot so they could discuss how things went. It was a routine the boy had gotten used to with most of his missions, no matter how boring or redundant they were. Ryuu wanted a mini debriefing/progress report of his own, straight from the younger boy's mouth.

However, things were held up as the person escorting Naruto home kept Ryuu's attention far too long for the boys liking. When he saw the expression on his mentor's face, Naruto knew things would be bad. But as he tried to sneak away, a kunai planted itself directly in his path. He knew then that he was in for it.

The blue eyed boy had sat in the same spot since. Not sure exactly how much time had passed or what was wrong. They hadn't spoken a word.

"What exactly were you thinking?"

"Huh?" The boy was caught off guard by the sudden break in silence.

"What exactly were you thinking running off against an opponent you had no information on?"

"Hinata was in trouble! What was I supposed to do? Sit there and watch when I could've done something to help her?!"

"And what would've happened if you'd gotten yourself caught too, then, huh? You're damn lucky that idiot underestimated you and you made him pay. Next time you may not be so lucky!"

"I was fine alright! Kurenai-sensei came a short time later."

"You didn't know she would. For all you know, the opponents you had could've been good enough to properly detain her. Then where would you have been?"

"They didn't though..."

"Damnit, Naruto! That's not the point!"

"I don't understand what the big deal is! Everything turned out alright, didn't it?!"

"This time, it did. But who's to say that it won't happen again Naruto? What will you do then?"

"I'll protect my friends! I can't just sit there when I know one of them is in trouble!"

"And what about you Naruto? What if you were the one taken? If you were the one that was hogtied and dragged halfway across a forest in the dark?"

Naruto paused for a moment before looking at the floor and mumbling, "I'd like to think they would come for me..."

"That isn't always the case Naruto. The mission comes first. You know this."

Naruto dipped his head even further, so low, in fact, that his chin was almost hitting his chest. The dark haired man in front of him sighed before rubbing his forehead in an irritated manner.

"I'm sorry Naruto...but I worry about you. Just...please, don't do anything too reckless. Plus, I am proud of you. Even if it was reckless, you followed what you believed in. For you to risk yourself for the sake of your friend and teammate, it proves that you care about their safety and well being. You should always care for your teammates that way. After all, they very well may save your life one day."

The boy looked up slightly and saw Ryuu with a partial grin on his face, that was still half covered with his hand.

"You're growing up, squirt. You just worry me sometimes. I know how you are."

Naruto flinched, "Quit calling me that, damnit!"

The black haired man laughed silently at his response.

"You may be growing up, but some things never change."

The man smirked, "And by the way, where are your weights?"

Naruto paused, his eyes wide. "Oh crap..."

--

Hinata sat on her knees with her hands in her lap. She had been under her father's scrutiny for the past few minutes, but he had yet to say anything to her. He was slowly filling out some forms on the desk in front of him while making sure that his daughter knew she was still at the forefront of his attentions.

He had heard about what had occurred on his daughter's mission. The fact that she was so easily obtained and subdued still bothered him. He knew that his daughter's personality made her a slight liability in certain situations, but he had never dreamed she would be so easily captured.

Even if the entire scenario was a ploy in order to lure the attackers into a false sense of security. Even if she had been rescued before the offender had reached his goal. It hit close to home.

It was a repeat of the night nine years ago. An attempt to take his daughter.

He paused for a moment and put down the pen he had been writing with. He calmly looked at his daughter and folded his hands in front of him.

He figured that she knew why she was here. Why delay?

"So? Have you learned anything from this...mishap?"

The girl seemed to shiver slightly before nodding her head.

"And what is that, Hinata? Tell me what you have learned."

The girl paused for a moment before slowly looking up at him through her bangs.

"T-t-to be aware of m-my surroundings at all t-times. T-to n-never l-let m-my guard down..."

"That is correct. You should know by now Hinata that there are many people who will do anything to obtain you. Anything to obtain the secrets of the Hyuuga. Why do you allow yourself to become lax?"

The girl shook her head instead of answering verbally.

"Does being within an establishment such as an inn warrant your lack of attention? Should you be lax and unready should a problem arise?"

Again the girl shook her head.

The man sighed before and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Is your attention lacking Hinata? Have you been slipping with your training? Have you not been paying attention in your lessons?"

"N-no..."

"Then why did must I repeat myself? Why does it seem that you never learn from your mistakes? Why-"

A knock on the door cut off the Hyuuga clan head before he could finish his next sentence.

"Can this wait? I'm in the middle of a meeting."

The door slid open to reveal his brother.

"I'm afraid not. The council has called for all members to convene at once."

Hiashi sighed before putting a hand on his desk and pushing himself up.

"Very well. Hinata, you are dismissed. Remember what we talked about."

As her father left, Hinata sighed before slowly pulling herself out of the room. She jumped slightly when a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Fear not, Hinata. He may be a bit harsh in getting his point across, but it just reinforces the fact that he worries about you."

The young girl looked up to see the smiling face of her uncle.

"He's worried that he'll lose you...that another member of the family will be taken away from him. Just be patient with him."

She nodded and hugged her uncle for a moment before stepping back.

"Thank you."

The man smiled and patted the top of her head, "Go. Rest up for tomorrow."

Hinata nodded again before stepping back out into the hallway and walking towards her room. When she was out of earshot, Hizashi sighed and ran a hand through his long, brown hair.

"Why is it that she suffers more than the rest of us..."

--

A slight tilt of his father's head was all Shino needed to see before he nodded.

"The mission was a success."

"I was told that there were complications."

Shino nodded, "An abduction attempt took place. Hinata was taken. She was later rescued by Naruto."

"I see..."

"Sensei said it was a test, nothing more. She could have intervened at any time."

Shibi nodded before turning around and starting to walk away.

"You have done well."

Shino bowed his head slightly toward his father's back before turning away himself to walk to his room.

--

The next morning found all three teammates at their usual waiting spot once again. Training Ground 14 was well away from most of the others, in addition to being in a very lush part of the forest surrounding Konoha.

Kurenai had taught them to think of their surroundings just as much, if not more so, as their enemy. To use anything around them as an advantage would increase their chances of winning.

At first Naruto had though it was rather foolish to rely on a luckily placed tree or anything of the sort. That was until Kurenai had asked all three of them to come at her seriously, and she would use nothing but the terrain around them to avoid anything they could throw at her.

Needless to say, the three genin were at a complete loss when she had avoided them for over three hours. She could have avoided them even longer, but she chose to end the game of cat and mouse. She had driven her point home.

Plus, as a squad that was centered around gathering information it was essential that she drill into them everything that could play an important factor in a fight. A place to stage an attack, a heavily fortified area for defense or even an area they could stop briefly to rest and resupply. Anything that could be of value had to be exploited. To be used.

Although Kurenai wasn't so sure Naruto had fully picked up on her lessons, she was sure he was beginning to understand. And he was trying as well. That accounted for something.

The team leader sat within the shadows of a tree as she observed her team.

With all that had happened lately, she was sure they were ready for the beginnings of real training. Not just sparring, not just learning about one another, not just learning to cooperate with one another, not just learning to react to a situation. Not just menial labor.

Honest to goodness training.

She sighed to herself once before dropping down and making herself known. She noticed that Naruto and Shino seemed to both be paying attention to Hinata, while the girl shifted uncomfortably under their attention.

"Hinata? Is everything alright?"

All the member of Team 8 turned to their sensei the moment she spoke.

Hinata looked at the woman, the lowered her head and shook it slightly.

"Nothings wrong sensei, we were just asking Hinata-chan how shes feeling."

The woman nodded, "And how are you feeling Hinata? After what happened, we were all worried about you and we never had the time to ask, since you were unconscious the entire trip back."

Hinata looked up horrified, "N-not sensei t-too..."

The dark haired woman smiled at the girl as she walked up and put her hands on her shoulder before kneeling in front of her.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Hinata, we just want to make sure you're ok."

"Yea yea! We were really worried!"

Shino merely nodded his agreement.

"I-I'm fine...really. There is n-no need to w-worry."

Naruto closed an eye and stared at her for a moment as she blushed and looked away.

"Are you suuuuure?"

Hinata merely nodded meekly.

"Ok!"

Kurenai smiled at the blonde haired boy's antics before he turned her attention back on her team.

"Alright. Today we won't be going to see the Hokage for any missions. We probably won't be going back to the tower for a while. We're going to be doing some serious training for the next few weeks. You have all shown that you are capable of being a full-time shinobi, even if you are the lowest rank."

Naruto looked confused, "Sensei...if we weren't training before, then what were we doing?"

"Conditioning."

Kurenai nodded at the usually silent member of her team.

"Correct Shino. Those were basic exercises Naruto. Ones that condition the body of newly inducted shinobi hopefuls. As a jounin sensei, it is our duty to make sure that our teams are competent. You may not know this, but within the first six months of becoming a squad, some genin are either killed or simply quit. In fact, nearly thirty percent of all rookie genin squads are taken off the active roster because a member will quit or be killed on a mission. That is why the mission rank system was created. To protect and help newly organized genin squads gain experience with lower end missions and to help condition their bodies to be ready for harder missions and actual training."

Kurenai looked at each of her students before smiling, "And now that you've experienced a mission outside the village walls and completed it successfully, you are going to be given the chance to be given actual training. Chakra control exercises, more advanced taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu and anything else you might want to learn. Kenjutsu and fuinjutsu are more specialized areas, so you'll have to search for a sensei to instruct you on your own time if you wish to study those arts. But I can help with anything else you might need."

Shino and Hinata nodded while Naruto looked excited.

"But first, you must learn control. So we'll have you do a basic chakra control exercise." As she finished her sentence, Kurenai walked up to a tree and placed a hand on it, "You will be climbing these trees today without the use of anything other than your chakra. In order to do so, you must concentrate on maintaining your chakra at the bottom of your feet."

Kurenai paused for a moment for turning and simply walking up the tree like she was on normal ground.

"When you have the exercise mastered, you will be able to achieve this. But be warned, concentrating and maintaining chakra around your feet is difficult. In fact, it is the most difficult place to gather and concentrate chakra on the human body, since it has to travel farther to reach your feet than anywhere else in the body."

Kurenai continued to walk up the tree until she reached a branch and carefully sat down while she continued her lecture.

"Do not be disheartened if you do not get this exercise right away. Yes, it is a basic exercise in controlling chakra, but it is also fairly difficult as you have to maintain a certain amount of chakra to be able to climb. It may take a few days, if not a few weeks, to master. After all, the exercise is meant to help your control and even increase your chakra reserves and stamina. After that, we will begin on genjutsu and ninjutsu."

Kurenai looked down at her students with a slight smile, "Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded eagerly while Hinata and Shino started to move in opposite directions to begin the exercise.

"Alright. Remember to mark your progress, you may want to take a kunai out and cut the bark to show your progression. You may also want...to..."

The words died in Kurenai's throat as she witnessed both Shino and Hinata calmly walking up their respective trees before reaching her altitude. After a few moments, Kurenai shook her head and smiled.

"I should have known that the two of you would have already been versed in this exercise." She looked down at Naruto to see he was looking up at all of them with his mouth hanging open. "Naruto, it's your turn."

That seemed to snap the boy out of his stupor as he nodded and looked at the tree direct to his left. He paused for a moment as he recalled the lesson Ryuu had given him on how to enhance his senses.

_**Flashback**_

"_Now Naruto, I want you to concentrate. Calm yourself like you normally would when you were taught to meditate. Control your thoughts and your body motions."_

_Naruto shut his eyes and began to breathe deeply and slowly._

"_Good, concentrate and focus. Concentrate on your main senses and try to add a little bit of your chakra to those areas in your mind. Think of your eyes, nose and ears mainly. Being able to smell, see and hear an enemy already puts you at a tactical advantage."_

_Naruto nodded and began to do as Ryuu told him, but Ryuu could sense something a little off. He could sense the chakra being used and directed to the areas he told Naruto to, but it was something…strange. It had a sort of…odd feeling to it._

_It was then that Ryuu noticed that the marks on Naruto's cheeks became slightly darker and wider. Not by much, but to the trained eye, it was very noticeable._

_Next, were that his ears seemed to come to a…point…at the top. They looked practically the same, but were slightly more angular._

_After that, Naruto's nose seemed to twitch slightly with every new scent. It was apparent that this was working, but something still felt wrong…_

"_Naruto, open your eyes."_

_Naruto complied and slowly opened his eyes to lock gazes with a staring Ryuu. Things seemed…clearer in his mind's eye. They were more defined and sharp._

_Ryuu raised an eyebrow after seeing something fairly interesting. It was almost as if his suspicions were confirmed the minute he saw Naruto's eyes._

_His eyes, while still the normal blue, seemed slightly more feral and his pupils were each small slits._

_Now that was interesting…_

_Ryuu hadn't expected Kyuubi's influence to turn up until later, when the lessons were getting more dire._

_He wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. He'd have to wait and see how things played out._

"_It worked, squirt. What can you see, smell and hear?"_

"_I can hear practically everything in this clearing moving…as well as a few faint voices. I can smell the people in Konoha…and I can see things very clearly."_

_Ryuu nodded, "That's it. You're using chakra to heighten your senses above normal. Eventually, touch and taste can be worked in, but they are far harder. Taste isn't really used anyway…or necessarily useful. Touch, however, can be amplified to feel even the slightest of changes in air pressure or wind speed. If used to an extensive degree, you may even be able to feel a person's body heat if they are near enough to you."_

_Naruto's eyes widened slightly._

"_However, if it took you that much concentration to simply call forth the chakra needed, that's a problem. You have to be able to do it at a moment's notice and maintain it without even thinking about it."_

_That was when Ryuu grinned. And Naruto knew he was in trouble._

"_So I will add another requirement into your schedule. You have to use your senses constantly as we spar. It should help you with chakra control, your tracking skills and heighten your senses even more."_

_Naruto gulped and nodded slightly._

_This was going to be tough…_

_**End Flashback**_

This was simply an over-glorified test of his control. He done as Kurenai-sensei had asked and kept his senses enhanced at all times. It had been hard at first, doing it for longer than twenty or thirty minute periods, but as his control got better, and his body got accustomed to the change, it was an easy matter for him to go all day with his senses enhanced. It was second nature to him now.

This exercise would be easy.

Naruto took a few steps forward and looked at the tree. He closed his eyes and took a breath as he focused. He could feel the familiar feeling begin to emerge in his feet and opened his eyes and took a step forward.

"You may want to try a running start Naruto."

Naruto blinked and looked up at is sensei, "Why?"

"It might be for the best to get a running start. Shino and Hinata have had years to practice since they have been trained since early childhood by their clans."

Naruto nodded before looking back at the tree and focusing for a moment before he bolted forward. He took a few steps on the ground before actually reaching the trunk of the tree. His first few steps were solid and he continued up the tree a few more paces before he could feel the bark creek beneath his feet. He pushed of the tree and flipped away from it in order to land safely while looking at his current obstacle.

"Well, I do suppose that is one way to mark your progress," Kurenai commented with a smile. "You're using too much chakra Naruto. Too much chakra will repel you from the tree, as the bark cannot withstand the pressure, while too little chakra will cause you to slip and lose your footing."

Naruto nodded as he looked up at where the crack mark in the bark was. It was only about three meters of the ground. Hardly any distance at all.

The blonde sighed as he reached around and pulled a kunai from his supply pouch before looking at the tree again. Maybe this would be harder than he thought...

"I will say, though, getting that far on your first try is impressive Naruto. At least you have the basic for the exercise down, I wouldn't be surprised if you could complete it by tomorrow. Just remember, a constant amount. Feel the amount of chakra you gather each time to gage whether or not you have enough."

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei."

"Shino, Hinata, I want the two of you to continue to do the exercise as well. It will help improve your stamina and reserves. We'll take a break in about three hours if you need it. Until then I expect the three of you to continue working as hard as you have the past few weeks, is that understood?"

"Yes, sensei," chorused from three mouths.

--

Naruto winced as he continued walking home. He stopped for a moment to rub his aching shoulder. He'd fallen on it a number of times over the course of the day. Not to mention his back. And head. And butt. But his shoulder received the brunt of his assaults on the ground.

He winced again as he continued to rub his sore shoulder and moved forward once more. A nice long shower would feel great...

As he slowly trudged toward the large apartment he and Ryuu shared he couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being watched. He turned to look over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at the mismatched camouflage blanket that was being held by one of the last people he wanted to see.

"What do you want Konohamaru?"

The boy lowered the blanket and unveiled a large smirk, "As I expected..."

"I don't have time for your crap today, kid. I'm tired and sore. I just want to go home and rest."

"Such harsh words...are you g-hey!"

Naruto walked away from the boy before he could complete his sentence and smirked as the kid tried to catch up with him.

"Not this time Konohamaru."

With that the blonde sprinted away, not being held down by the weight that had become a constant reminder of the training he had to deal with at home.

--

Hinata moved out of the bathroom with slow, deliberate movements. Her entire body ached. While she didn't suffer the physical damage Naruto did, the constant walking and running up the trees had taken its toll on the girl.

She could feel herself hurting, but knew that it was the only way to get stronger. To be more like him. Even though Naruto didn't know it, she had watched him try the exercise a few moments while she was trying to catch her breath and rest. He hadn't given up at all the entire day. Despite being hurt when falling off the tree.

He had incredible stamina. Sure, he was winded a few times, but some of them were due to landing hard on his back and losing all the oxygen in his lungs.

She wished she could do something to get his attention. Something that would make him recognize her. She knew that he was surprised with how easily both she and Shino were able to complete the exercise today, but that wasn't good enough.

She slowly made he way to her bed and fell into it. She climbed under the covers and stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning to look out her window.

Tomorrow was a new day...

--

Shino contemplated the last few hours in his mind before lying down. His teammates were a bit of a surprise. Hinata already knew how to complete the exercise, just like he did. Then again, she was raised by a clan that used their chakra as a weapon.

But Naruto had surprised him even more. Despite his numerous failed attempts, the other boy was quick to get back up and try again. While it was true he was slowly making more and more progress, his determination was what caught Shino by surprise.

His hard work ethic. Where had it been in the academy? Who was this person before him?

It was unlike missions where Naruto would do what he was told and maybe whine a little afterward about it being a waste of time. It was also unlike most of the sparring sessions that the team had. He knew Naruto was well versed in taijutsu. He had seen him display his obvious knack for the physical arts in the academy.

But it had almost seemed effortless the way the blonde moved and attacked. Like he knew how to read the situation and react to it immediately. He never seemed to work hard or take things seriously. For the most part.

But today...who was the boy that he saw? Where did the drive come from? The determination? The passion? He was unused to seeing such fierce determination and raw desire to complete a task on the face of his male teammate.

He could tell that Hinata had also noticed. She would stare at him for brief moments while she rested. Was she just as shocked as he was? Then again, the girl had known him a fair deal longer than Shino had. Since before they had all met at the academy, he was sure.

Naruto had shown very brief bursts of incredible progress in the academy as well. It was as if he were hiding something...

Shino paused for a moment before closing his eyelids. He was not here to judge his teammates. They had proven to be trustworthy and fairly strong. Shino would gladly put his life on the line again if he knew it would help them. He was sure they would do the same for him. That Naruto would react the same way if Shino had been taken.

Naruto did not judge others. It was one of his admirable traits. Yes, he did get irritated and slightly upset when people who didn't know him would judge him, but he did not hold it against those people. After being the target of a prank or two, all ill feelings were left behind. At least on Naruto's part.

Shino hoped he would get to see this new side of Naruto again tomorrow. He did well in the exercises today, but was still a ways off from having them down.

After all, tomorrow was a new day.

--

Naruto groaned as he now dragged his legs to his room. Ryuu had lighted the weight on his arms back down to 20 kilos, but upped the weight on his legs to 50.

It was punishment, he said. For not listening to him, he said.

Naruto cursed the man silently before finally making it to his bedroom and slowly, agonizingly slowly, made his way to his bed.

He finally flopped down on the bed just to hear it groan in protest. He didn't even bother to change clothes before he was already falling asleep.

Everything hurt so much. Hopefully the pain would be gone in the morning.

Then again, tomorrow was a new day...to continue this torture called training.

**A/N: **Surprised? Me too. I finally got around to finish this chapter. It was at about half completion for a very very long time. Then I lost all my work when my harddrive died and I had to start from scratch.

Those of you who haven't read my profile notes, I lost almost everything when my last harddrive died in the middle of a system cleaning. I hadn't saved anything in months at that point, so I lost a hell of a lot. I'm trying to get back into writing, but I'm finding it harder and harder to do. I need to find my muse.

But I am still alive, take it as you will.

Until later.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own crap. Not Naruto, not any anime, nothing.

**The Way Things Were**

Naruto fell out of the bed and hit the floor with a grunt.

The last couple of days had been hell on him. Screw that, the last couple weeks had been worse than hell in every possible way.

First, Ryuu made Naruto take up his weights again. Then, he changed up the routine and lessened then weight on his arms and further increased the weight on his legs. He was down to 20 kilos on his arms and and up to 50 on his legs. Then, after a week, he increased the weight on his legs, yet again, to 60 kilos.

On top of all of that, Naruto had to continue with the tree climbing exercise. After doing it for the first day, he'd almost had the hang of it. But with the addition to his now even heavier weights, it was like backtracking.

He'd had to fight even harder to control his chakra and maintain the right amount with the increased weight.

After he'd finally managed to get the exercise down, his team was immediately thrown into the grinder, so to speak. They were drilled in everything the knew and pushed to their limits numerous times.

Genjutsu had been the first area they tackled. And although Naruto still could not use the illusionary skills, he at least got to the point where he could recognize and dispel mid to lower level genjutsu.

Next had been taijutsu and endurance training. It was almost like double punishment for the blonde. His body would take an incredible amount of strain before it would finally give out. Even then, he would far outlast both of his teammates. After the first day, Kurenai would have them spar two on one to judge their skills and abilities when the odds were stacked against them.

It was at this point that it was Hinata's turn to shine. She continued her training with her father once she had returned and it seemed that he was pushing the girl even harder. After a while, her progress seemed to abate his temper and he began to be social with her again. The extra training with her father had increased her capability with her doujutsu and increased her speed.

Naruto and Shino were forced to improve or be left behind.

Lastly, they covered ninjutsu. Although Kurenai refused to delve too deeply in any one category, she did teach them a few stealth ninjutsu and how to mask their presence.

While they trained together, they always had supervision. It was one of the few things that reassured all of them, especially Hinata, that nothing too serious would happen.

When their team training was done, Hinata would sometimes ask to watch Naruto continue his night time training with Ryuu.

The girl was amazed at the amount of abuse he took. Ryuu's version of taijutsu and endurance training seemed like little more than an excuse to pound Naruto into the ground. She was amazed that Naruto seemed to take it in stride and improve even more. His stamina was already high to begin with, but with his special 'training'...

Other times, they would work on chakra control. They would do the basic control technique that they were taught in the academy; spinning a leaf on their forehead with just chakra. Tree climbing was also included, but there were variants that Ryuu liked to use. Performing sprints up and down the tree, walking around the trunk in a spiral pattern from the base to the top and even walking on all fours.

Lastly, they would meditate. Hinata could tell that meditation days were Naruto's least favorite. He would get in position and sit still for all of about three minutes before he began to twitch and squirm. She couldn't help but smile at that. He still had problems sitting still. Even though things seemed to change drastically over the last few months, it was good to see that some things stayed the same.

On very rare occasions Hinata would ask to join in on the training. Ryuu would look at her for a few moments before slowly nodding. Despite her protests, he would always tone down the workouts for Hinata. She tried to convince Naruto's mentor that she was strong enough. Yet the few times she actually kept pace with Naruto's workouts, she was exhausted within an hour of starting.

Hinata knew the boy was strong, but actually taking part of his normal regiment took too much out of her. After her first few experiences, she allowed Ryuu to take it slightly easier on her as to not hurt her or push her past the brink of exhaustion too soon.

Ryuu had told her that working hard was fine. Being tired was good after a strenuous workout. But being exhausted past the point that you couldn't even walk was bad and if she continued to push herself too far too fast that she would burn herself out. That was not how to improve.

Things continued as per norm for a few weeks. Training, a slight down period, more training with Naruto or her father and then she would retire for the night. Even though she would be extremely tired when she would go to sleep, Hinata couldn't help but feel satisfied.

And after each and every day, Hinata would vow to do it all again. For the sake of getting stronger.

--

Team 8 was waiting in their usual training area for their sensei when a screech gained their attention.

Flying high above the forest, in large circles, was a hawk. Each of the genin paused for a moment, looking at the bird in the sky, before they focused their attention back on each other. Naruto looked at Shino for a moment before the boy nodded and pushed away from the tree he was leaning on.

They all knew Kurenai-sensei would be late.

Konohagakure used several birds of prey as signals. Each raptor meant something entirely different. Hawks were for used for high priority meetings for those who held the rank of chuunin or higher. Attendance was always mandatory within five minutes of the signal going out. Kites were used for lower priority meetings for those who held the rank of chuunin or jounin. Things were fine as long as a shinobi of chuunin or jounin rank reported in within the hour of seeing the signal. There was a small bit of leeway when a signal of lower priority was used, but tardiness was generally looked down upon. The last signal was the most dire. The use of an eagle was something only used in times of conflict or war. When an eagle was used, it meant that either an attack force was going to be launched or the forces stationed within the village during an invasion would start the counterattack immediately upon seeing the signal.

Even then, the raptors were only used for mass meetings. If the Hokage wished to speak with a select few individuals, he would have them summoned via chuunin messengers.

Naruto slowly made his way out to the center of the training area and looked over at Hinata. The girl was watching as the hawk disappeared beyond her normal line of sight. She sighed before turning her attention to her two male teammates.

"W-what should w-we do?"

Naruto looked over to Shino and then back at Hinata, "Well...Kurenai-sensei will be a while, so we should continue our training."

Shino merely nodded before stepping next to Naruto.

"It's your turn this time, right Hinata-chan?"

The small Hyuuga girl nodded slightly, but still seemed to hesitate.

"Y-yes...but, I don't know if we should-"

"Nah, don't worry about it Hinata-chan! We'll be fine, right Shino?"

"Yes. We would be wasting time if we did not take this opportunity to improve ourselves even when our instructor is absent."

"See Hinata-chan? Shino agrees too! We'll be careful. We know you can do it."

Hinata sighed again as she slowly got up and walked out onto the training field. She was still really hesitant to continue their training without adult supervision. Flashes of what happened several months ago after their D-rank mission to clean the hot springs were a constant reminder that she could hurt her friends and teammates. She didn't want to hurt either of them...especially Naruto-kun.

Hinata paused and looked at the two boys in front of her. Naruto was grinning at her while Shino merely nodded. She hesitantly nodded back before running through a few hand signs and activating her Byakugan. She slowly eased into her stance and tried to put her mind at ease.

After a few moments of nothing happening, Hinata quickly dodged to the left as a small mass of kikaichu flew out of the shadows of a nearby tree. She was further pressed to defend herself when Naruto sped in front of her and began to go through the motions of trying to hit her. Hinata, despite his best efforts, was able to nimbly dodge and counter all of his strikes before he was forced back by her opening attack.

Hinata took his withdrawal as a sign to press forward. She continued her attack for a few moments before side stepping and rotating away from another swarm of Shino's companions. In mid-spin, she was able to locate Shino and immediately start toward him once her maneuver was complete. However, she was only able to take a few steps before she was, once again, forced back by Naruto.

Naruto followed through with various different combo attacks that were designed to keep the target off balance. And though he was trying his best, Hinata was able to counter everything he threw at her with ease. Hinata had the advantage in knowing his fighting style and his various attacks. Naruto, however, had no such advantage over her. The training she went through under her father's guidance was considered private. Although they still spar on a regular basis, Naruto was never able to see Hinata when she was first learning a different technique that dealt with her taijutsu.

Hinata easily deflected Naruto's last attack and used his momentum against him. Naruto was sent stumbling forward as Hinata turned her sights on Shino. She charged her silent teammate, but shifted to her left when she saw him raise his right hand. She once again had to dodge when he raised his left hand and specifically pointed at her. The Hyuuga girl realized the first time he moved his hand was merely a setup. Shino's kikaichu quickly followed after the girl and seemingly had her surrounded before they struck.

After a few moments, Hinata was replaced by a small log. Shino shifted to his left and ducked as his female teammate came from his right shoulder. He seemed to nod slightly to her before stepping back once more. Hinata was quickly closing the gap when she was again interrupted by Naruto. Although, this time, he didn't look all too pleased.

Hinata frowned slightly as she realized that he was feeling left out. If there was one thing Naruto disliked more than anything, it was being ignored. And she had ignored him for a small while while she focused on trying to get to Shino. She quickly stepped back and assumed her stance again.

She looked over both of her teammates before shifting her position slightly...getting ready to launch onto the offensive once again.

--

"You can't be serious! What are you thinking nominating a rookie team, barely out of the academy, for the chuunin exams! It is nothing short of suicide for those kids!"

"Clearly you haven't seen the amount of hard work they've put in the last few months. Nor have you seen the potential each of them have when on the field. A restricted and enclosed environment, like the academy, will only hinder their progress."

"I have known each of these kids for four years! I would think that I know-"

"Iruka-san!"

The scarred academy teach froze mid rant as he turned to look who called out it him.

Kakashi did not seem very pleased at the prospect of being called out on one of his decisions.

"You know better than anyone the amount of talent that this last graduating class possessed. Why do you doubt your students now? They have been working together...working hard with each other to earn the right to be recognized."

"But...they're still children! There are some chuunin exam applicants that are several years older than they are!"

"And yet, those older examinees hold nowhere near the amount of skill or potential that these kids do. The only thing they will have over them is experience. Would you deny our younger shinobi a chance to gain that experience? A chance to see what it is truly like in the shinobi world?"

"Couldn't you at least wait one more year? Gai-san waited until he believed that his students were ready before he allowed them to participate."

"I'm not Gai, but I do believe that my students are ready now. Do you really have that little faith?"

Iruka paused and sighed before shaking his head. The jounin instructor for Team 7 had a point, no matter how badly he disagreed with it. He did know what his students were capable of in a sheltered environment, true, but he felt that they stood little chance against rigors and trials of the chuunin exam. He, himself, had taken the exam twice before he had managed to pass. The first time in the exams was an eye opening experience.

"You're using this exam as an excuse to knock them off whatever high horse you believe they are riding on, aren't you?"

Kakashi scratched the side of his masked face slightly as he contemplated his answer. He knew that he couldn't say no without looking like a liar, but he really did have faith in his team.

"Yes, I will admit that this will serve as a drastic eye opener for two of my students. It will be a learning experience to be sure. But I want them to have a challenge as well. Sasuke and Kiba performed very well on their first C-Rank mission. They did exactly as they were trained to do and were able to execute a perfect strategy to take out the bandits terrorizing the cities just inside the border. I have faith that they will do just as well in the chuunin exams."

Iruka took in what the silver haired elite had said before looking back at him, "And what of Sakura? So far, you have only mentioned two of your students."

Kakashi sighed, "She is doing...poorly. She feels herself a burden to both her teammates, which in itself is a problem. Sakura was able to perform well on her first C-Rank, as well as Sasuke and Kiba had. But she was helping individuals on the back line and helping to get any civilians out of harms way. She sees herself as nothing but a supporting character to both Sasuke and Kiba, who are the main force of the team."

"And you aren't worried at all that she might cause a problem for her two teammates?"

With the way Kakashi's eyes rose, you could tell he was smiling.

"Actually, I believe that Kiba and Sasuke will both come to understand just how much supportive roles can mean in combat. Sakura gives herself too little credit and Sasuke too much credit. However, when push comes to shove, I believe that both boys will come to see what benefits she can bring to the table."

Iruka sighed again and nodded. Kakashi had calmly and methodically picked apart every single reason he had thrown at him. He truly did believe in his team and what they could accomplish.

"Now, if that is all, are there any more nominations that wish to be made?"

--

Naruto and Shino stood off to the side as they watched Hinata trying to catch her breath. They had been sparring for a while now and the girl was winded. Of course, anyone would be winded after fighting a two front battle for a little more than an hour.

The girl needed a few moments to recover before they went on to their team cool down exercises. Shino's breathing was slightly labored as well, but no where near Hinata. Naruto, on the other hand, stood there and watched both of his teammates while he was breathing easily.

At first, during their team spars when Shino first noticed Naruto's lack of exhaustion, he had become intrigued. The Aburame boy had then asked Hinata if she had any idea of what Naruto did in his spare training time since the Hyuuga girl had known Naruto for the longest.

He was shocked to hear what kind of training Naruto was undertaking outside their own team exercises. He had then asked Hinata for how long this had been going on, and was once again surprised when she told him that Naruto's side regiment had been going on for close to six years. Shino knew that the blonde was good, that much was obvious from his bouts against Uchiha Sasuke in the academy. But the effort Naruto put forth in the actual classroom setting was dismal at best compared to when the class had to step outside for particular exercises. Naruto was still a slight mystery to Shino, but the black haired boy was beginning to understand where exactly Naruto was coming from.

Naruto had seemed to start out slowly during most of the exercises they did together, but after a few days he began to get the hang of them. He was now quite proficient at doing any of the exercises their teacher had given them. Naruto learned by experience and seeing, not by someone telling him what to do.

While other shinobi might consider that a flaw, Shino had seen what Naruto could do after only showing him something one or two times. He could come up with counters and various other strategies after seeing a move or technique only a few times. Not to mention, if one or more of his Kage Bunshin were able to see something the same time as Naruto, he could come up with ideas and counters even quicker.

Shino was brought out of his musings by a slight sound above him. He looked up from the tree he was resting against as was able to see their sensei sitting on the branch lowest to the ground.

"I'm sorry that the meeting I was in took so long, but I have some important news."

Kurenai seemed to disappear and reappeared in the middle of the clearing in front of all her students. She paused for a moment before withdrawing a few pieces of parchment that were stashed away on her person. She motioned for each of her students to come and take what she held out to them before smiling at them.

"Those forms that you now hold are your applications for the chuunin exams that are coming up in a few days. There were a few debates about whether or not you three were ready or not, but they were settled rather quickly."

Shino nodded, Naruto grinned and Hinata shyly looked up at the rest of her team. Naruto seemed to notice her slight hesitation and clasped one of his hands over hers before smiling kindly at her.

"You'll be just fine Hinata-chan. After all, you were able to give me and Shino a really hard time today! You'll do great in the exams!"

Hinata blushed at the slight contact and the smile he had given her before looking back down at the paper clutched between her hands and nodding. She _had_ done really well today, at least in her opinion. She had managed to catch Shino off his guard a few times and was able to completely shut down Naruto. And Naruto was now openly showing his faith and support for her. If Naruto thought she could do it, then she believed that she could as well.

"Now that that is settled, the exams will take place in three days. You will have to meet up as a team in front of the academy with all your forms signed and ready to go before you will be admitted." Kurenai paused and looked at the three young adults in front of her before smiling softly, "I have faith in all of you. You have done very well these past few months. You have also far surpassed any expectations that I had for you. You are all more than ready for this. But please, be careful. This will not be as easy as you think Naruto."

Naruto paused in inner rejoice and looked at his sensei with confusion.

"Many people older than you will be in this exam. Many of them have seen things far worse than any of you. Always be on your guard, always stay together, always work together and always believe in each other. If you approach this as a tight knit team, you will pass with flying colors. Those gennin who do not work together as a team will most certainly fail...and if the odds are against them, they will die."

All three gennin seemed to pause for a moment and looked at one another before nodding.

Shino was the first to stick his hand out, "We will watch out for each other. Why? Because that is what teammates do."

Naruto grinned before putting his hand on top of Shino's hand, "We'll make sure to beat this thing together! No one will tear us apart!"

Hinata looked at her two teammates hands for a moment before shyly reaching her hand out and clasping it on top of Naruto's hand, "A-and we'll make sure t-to never question each o-other. We will always s-support and have f-faith in one another."

Kurenai smiled before putting her hand in with the pile, "And I will look forward to seeing all of you do the best that you can. Remember, that as long as you do your best, and stick together, that anything is possible."

"Yea!" Naruto suddenly broke the small huddle by throwing his hands up in the air, causing Shino to snort slightly and Hinata to giggle.

"We won't have any missions as a team for the next few days, but I would like for us to meet up here and continue on our team building exercises. Nothing too strenuous will take place because you will need to be in top shape for the exams. I want all of you to rest and prepare. Until then, you three are dismissed."

Naruto nodded once before seeming to disappear into the forest. Shino calmly walked away as well, headed back home to explain the situation to his parents. Hinata paused for a moment before waving at Kurenai and also taking her leave.

Kurenai had a smile on her face until her three students were out of sight. As soon as they were, the smile dropped and she sighed. She brought a hand to her forehead and slowly began to rub it.

"Was this the right thing to do? I believe they are ready...but what if one of them gets hurt?" Kurenai pause for a moment before shaking her head, "It will do no good to question everything now. I can only make sure that they are as best prepared for this as they can be."

--

Three days had come and gone for the eager gennin. Naruto was more than ready to deal with whatever was thrown at him. Including Konohamaru. The boy had managed to snag Naruto a few times and begged Naruto to teach him something or play ninja tag. Naruto reluctantly agreed just to get some kind of action seeing as how the team meetings the last three days had been torture for him, as they had involved little to no actual training. Kurenai debriefed them on what the exams were like, but had warned them that every exam was different due to different proctors being in charge.

Shino and Hinata seemed to pay rapt attention to anything their sensei would say, while Naruto would half pay attention and half daydream about what the exams would be like. A few times, Naruto would be snapped out of his musings and daydreams by a slight pinch to his arm or a small rock hitting anywhere on his body. He would rub the back of his head in embarrassment, but no more than five minutes later, go back to his previous thoughts.

After three days of this routine, Naruto was bursting with energy and excitement. He had already met up with Hinata and the two of them were on their way to meet Shino out in front of the academy. Naruto was asking Hinata questions at a mile a minute, leaving the poor girl flustered and somewhat confused since he seemed to jump to completely random topics.

Soon, the academy building and Shino came into view. The boys nodded at each other and Hinata gave Shino a shy smile before the team went into the building and turned in their application forms.

They slowly made their way upstairs before being forced to stop by a large crowd. Several people had stopped at the door labeled 301 and were arguing with two boys that looked younger than most of them. The funny part was the two boys were holding anyone back and acting like no one had a shot at successfully completing the Chuunin Exams.

Naruto scratched his head for a moment before he felt a slight tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Hinata pointing to a second set of stairs. He looked to Shino to see the boy nod slightly and shrugged before all three teammates simply bypassed and the crowd and continued to walk upstairs.

One of the two kids blocking the way noticed and seemed to smirk slightly. This was before he was forced to focus his attention on a certain loud Inuzuka and smirking Uchiha.

--

Naruto, Hinata and Shino seemed to pause for a moment at a set of double doors that lead to the upstairs auditorium in the academy. There was a dull roar on the other side that they could each make out. Numerous people were talking and shuffling about in the next room.

All three paused for a moment before looking at each other. Shino was the first to slowly withdraw his hand and place it on the middle of the double doors. Naruto was next as he pumped his fist before setting his other hand on Shino's. Hinata shyly put her hand on both of her teammates and they all pushed for a moment.

The door quickly opened revealing a huge space behind. Almost the entire area was covered was various teams that had come to Konoha to participate in the exams. Every nation had at least one team participating. Hinata noticed a team that were wearing Kumo hitai-ate and shuggle behind Naruto quietly to put some kind of boundary between then team and herself.

Naruto looked at her slightly confused for a moment before getting rudely shoved out of the way by Ino. Almost immediately he could hear twin shrieks coming from behind them and moved away from the door with Hinata and Shino in tow. He really didn't want to listen to Sakura and Ino bicker back and forth over Sasuke. In face, he really didn't want to see Sasuke either.

Team 8 shuffled off to the side and watched what was happening between teams 7 and 10. Shikamaru and Chouji didn't seem to care much about what was going on. Kiba was nursing a slight red mark on his face, seeing as how he had probably insulted either Ino or Sakura. Sasuke had his head turned and his body language was very tense. And of course, Ino and Sakura were in each others face yelling.

After a few moments, an older teenager wearing a Konoha hitai-ate shuffled over and warned them to be quiet. At least, that was what Naruto had heard. He also heard that the other silver-haired gennin was named Kabuto. Kabuto motioned to the center of the room as if to make a point.

Everyone had stopped and was staring at the two teams fighting by the doors. Some of them looking amused and others looking very annoyed. Naruto saw Shino shake his head slightly from the corner of his eye and he could see that Hinata was somewhat embarrassed for the other two teams. She was looking down at the ground and awkwardly playing with her feet.

Kabuto had pulled a stack of cards out of nowhere, it seemed, and began to talk in a more quiet voice about what was happening. Naruto was having a hard time hearing things at this point and simply turned his attention back on the rest of the room. He smirked to himself as he saw many of the other teams also scoping out what kind of competition they would have.

He was trying to pick out what he thought would be a decent target to start with when there was a loud noise back by the door. Team 8 quickly looked over to what had happened and saw a heavily bandaged boy with his arm outstretched and Kabuto on the ground. The bandaged boys two teammates stood behind him smirking at the silver-haired gennin on the ground.

There was a short pause after some heated words were passed between the people at the door before the doors on the opposite side of the room slammed open. Several eruptions of smoke also occurred in time with the doors and soon the entire room was staring at what they could only assume was an interrogation squad. The leader was extremely scarred and had his headband covering the full crown of his head. Naruto made note to ask Ryu about this guy if he had the chance later.

"Alright you inscents, shut up! If I see any kind of physical contact with the intent to harm made in this room on the next room again, you're dead! I'm Morino Ibiki, proctor of the first exam!"

All the gennin seemed to freeze at the high amount of killing intent that suddenly flooded the room.

"Now all of you follow me and do as I say, or you'll be disqualified immediately! Now approach the door and pick a number!"

Each of the teams in the room seemed to flow towards the scarred man and slowly disappeared into the room behind him. After a while, Naruto was able to see what was going on. He could see another large chamber behind Ibiki. It looked like a larger version of the normal academy class rooms.

Soon he and his team were spread out around the room. Naruto was sitting in the dead middle of the room, Shino was two rows behind him and three seats to the left while Hinata was one row in front of him and two seats to the right.

"Alright maggots! Listen up! This is a written exam!" A series of groans could be heard from throughout the room, "Shut up! This exam consists of ten questions."

Ibiki turned his back and proceeded to write on the board the rules of the exam.

Naruto could feel his stomach drop as he slowly read the rules:

Rule #1: This is a team test. All teams will have to score above 20 to pass. Each team member had a possible total of 10 points.

Rule #2: 10 points are given at the start of the test. Each time you are caught cheating, two points will be deducted from your total of 10 points.

Rule #3: If any teammate is disqualified, the remaining two teammates will immediately fail.

Rule #4: The 10th question will be given after 50 minutes into the exam. The exam lasts for one hour.

Ibiki turned to look at his audience again for a moment after having verbally explaining the rules as he was writing them down.

"Are there any questions?" Several hands shot up and he looked around the room, "No? Then too bad!"

Several hands dropped and several more people seemed to deflate a little.

"The proctors that are sitting at the ends of your rows will be watching. If you get caught cheating five times, you will automatically fail!"

Ibiki pulled out a cloak and wrote the start time on the board as well.

"First exam...begin!"

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with a lot of other issues. A lot of what is discussed in the earlier part of the chapter is mere assumption.

I've really had issues getting to this point. I have a lot of ideas on what to do past the second part of the chuunin exams, but getting there is showing to be harder than I thought at first. But this is my rendition on what is going to happen. Enjoy!


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