Naruto 1. Konoha's Renaissance

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Uzumaki Uzumaki opened both eyes, huffed, shook his fists in the air violently, and cursed the fact that we was _literally_ unable to sleep past dawn. He sat up in bed and wondered why he bothered owning an alarm clock.

Scanning the blurry amalgamation of shapes that was currently his bedroom, he reflexively reached to the night stand and directed his hand in fuddled movements to find his glasses. After his fingers slid their way on top of them, he pulled them to his person and used both hands to unfold. After silently completing his complaint ritual about the entire six a.m. business, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs to find breakfast. Uzumaki Uzumaki groaned out loud when he realized that there was no microwavable ramen left in the cupboards. Unfortunately, that was the least of his problems.

If someone had decided to be sadistic that day and make a list of all the above mentioned youth's problems, the list would start with his name.

Uzumaki Uzumaki, in fact, had the same first and last name. It was the name of his father, who (after a number of arguments with the youth's mother about naming the child) decided that it would be a good idea to write the double name on the birth certificate while his wife was unconscious from labor pain medication. Incidentally, his father was well known not for his good ideas, but his stubbornness. That same stubbornness is the only thing that kept the youth's name from being changed by his mother. Eventually, after the longest of arguments about the child's name to date, she gave up. The youth's father once told him that her last words on the subject were, "Fine! If you want our son to be miserable for the rest of his life because you thought it would be fun to give him a horribly ridiculous name, be my guest." In truth, Uzumaki Uzumaki did not mind his name so much. He was far from the days of the academy and incessant name calling, as well as the special angry look his father got from whenever teasing about the double name came up.

Next on that list would be his parents. This isn't to say that his parents were neglecting or abusive; the truth was quite the opposite. His mother was very loving and sweet. She was incredibly supportive of her son in all endeavors and always made time for him, despite her busy schedule. His father was also extremely encouraging. While his position demanded him much more than his wife, he always devoted as much time as possible to his son and to being a good father. He set an excellent example for his son and tried to teach him as much as possible, though what he taught his son was not always appreciated by his wife. It would be true to say that the youth love and adored his mother and respected and admired his father. The problem with his parents was not so much who they were as people as much as who they were as _ninja _that created a reasonable amount of tension and pressure for the youth.

His mother was the top medical ninja in the village (and possibly the world). She ran the village's hospital and other medical research facilities with brilliant efficiency and leadership. She was also one of the most well known and feared female ninja in existence, coupling near legendary chakra control with colossal physical strength and medical jutsu to develop powers that surpassed even her mentor, the fifth Hokage.

His father was even better known with a list of aliases and rumors about his persona and power that stretched from Hidden Village of Rock to the Hidden Village of Mist. He held one of the most impressive ANBU records to date, racking up an astounding number of kills and missions. It was also during his ANBU career that his ferociousness on the battlefield when defending team mates and his white mask with angular kitsune features earned him the title: "Fox King". In the Hidden Village of Sand he was admired for his courage in keeping close ties with their fearsome Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand. Elsewhere he was called "The Red Fox" for his uniquely explosive chakra or the "Kage Bunshin Master" for his constant and revolutionizing use of the technique. Within Konoha, the Hidden Village of the Leaf, he was simply referred to as Hokage. On some occasions, was also called "the biggest idiot in the world", but only his wife called him that.

Moving back to the subject of that list, the identity of Uzumaki's parents was only the premise of a much more prevalent problem: the fact that he was the number one rookie in the village. Uzumaki had seemed to have had first pick of the gene pool, as he inherited his mother's amazing ability to delicately control and capably conserve chakra along with his father's seemingly endless chakra capacity and physical stamina. That combination made him a hypothetical candidate to learn and effectively use any jutsu in existence. It was the same combination that had peaked the interest of a certain Leaf village traitor who'd grasped the secrets of immortality and conceived another event to add to Uzumaki's list of unfortunate occurrences.

When Uzumaki was three years old, the Sound Village agent Yakushi Kabuto kidnapped the child for his leader, Orochimaru. Despite his intense grief and rage, Uzumaki's father was not able to go after him due to his position as Hokage. With a literally fuming hand, he summoned a team of high ranking ninja to retrieve his son. The team consisted of Jounins Hayate Kakashi, Shiranui Genma, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Maito Gai. The mission was, thankfully, a success and the child was retrieved. Regardless, Hayate Kakashi was dismayed when he was unable to conclude his long standing rivalry with Yakushi Kabuto, who seemed to have made a career out of escaping the famous Copy Ninja.

The kidnapping set the stage for the next item on Uzumaki's list: his adopted mannerisms. The entire kidnapping event was rather traumatic for the child, and the only way Uzumaki managed to cope was to repress the entire ordeal. The memories however, haunted his subconscious, in form of the obsessive mannerism he learned during the event: his constant habit of slowly pushing his glasses up his face that sent chills down the spine of anyone who had the displeasure of meeting the mannerism's source.

After standing in disappointed silence for a few minutes due to the lack of ramen, Uzumaki resolved to get something to eat on the go. He went back up to his room and checked his clock. It was 6:15. After dressing his lanky figure in khaki shorts and a black t-shirt, he pulled on an orange nylon jacket, leaving it open to contrast colors. He walked over to a small armoire, opened its cherry wood doors and pulled out a rectangular shuriken holster which he strapped to his right leg; and three pouches full of weapons, soldier pills, and explosive tags which he attached to his belt on his back. He draped his open jacket over the pouches on his waist to conceal them and then turned back to the armoire. Uzumaki grabbed his head band and pulled out its material, tying its blue material over the top of his head. That style of wearing his head band concealed most of Uzumaki's straight strawberry blond hair, with the exception of two thick, long, bangs that he let border his face down to his jaw. He surveyed his features with lazy, bright, blue, eyes wishing he'd adopted a few more masculine features from his father as his pale complexion and small nose didn't reverberate manliness. He also suspected that his forehead was larger than normal, and felt rather self conscious about most of his features. That day, however, his ritualistic fretting about his appearance was cut short by the contrast of color he saw on the sides of his face that day. What looked like dark lines were starting from the top of his cheek bones. Mysteriously as they had appeared, the dark lines seemed to recede back into non-existence in the time it took Uzumaki to blink questionably at them. Dismissing the thought of some type of symmetrical three line break out of acne in an attempt to keep the morning's anxiety level at a minimum, he pulled on two wristbands from his armoire and readjusted the thin needles that were carefully placed within the material. Uzumaki moved toward his window, breathed in a comforting rush of morning air, and decided he was looking forward to meeting with his team mates that day. Eager, Uzumaki Uzumaki launched himself into the leaf filled sky.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto quickly made the jump between sleep and full consciousness. He rarely spent seconds drifting into awareness or stretching before he was awake. This ability was an essential in the field. His ability to sleep without jeopardizing a mission was another of the many things that separated the seventh Hokage from the dead.

He was, of course, in little danger in the comfort of his own bed. While he often questioned the seriousness of his wife's threats to smother him in his sleep, he was sure she'd never bother. He liked to believe that if his genius spouse were out to kill him, she'd pull it off in a much stealthier, impressive, and less traceable fashion. Opening one eye, he peered to his left and found his wife sitting up in bed, quietly engrossed in a book. It was the same mystery novel he had mentioned a week ago, and as far as he could tell she was about half way through. We was tempted to ask about the events of her current place in the book, but his penchant for speaking too far into the future about the novel's events got him into trouble. He kept his mouth shut.

Sitting up, he mumbled a cheerful good morning to his spouse. After waiting for a hum of acknowledgement, he stood and strolled into the bathroom. At the sink, he turned on the cold water to splash his face. From the bedroom, he heard his wife call out: "Uzumaki left already." "Oh," he responded, turning to face his spouse. With the door open, there was a beeline between the sink in the bathroom and his wife's location. "I thought he'd at least stay for breakfast," Naruto mused. "We're out of ramen," responded his wife. Her eyes never left her novel as she continued to speak, "This really is a good book. Thank you for suggesting it." "Sure," Naruto said as he turned his face back to the mirror. "Have you gotten to the part where they find out that the killer is Officer Asuma?" As soon as those words left Naruto's mouth, he suspected his own err.

The dense feeling of negative emotion streaming from his wife's direction, however, confirmed it.

Thanks to a combination of ninja reflexives and an encyclopedic knowledge of his wife habits, Naruto knew the book was coming. Gracefully lowering to one knee, he swiftly shot up his long right arm to catch the spinning novel. He stood, resisting the urge to shake his catching hand. It stung like mad and he rationalized that his spouse must have enjoying the book a lot to account for how hard she threw it. He silently groaned at how much his head would have stung had he been hit, and turned back to look at his wife.

Uzumaki Sakura sat in a light, but noticeable huff and stared toward the window. She was obviously upset at her husband's talent for ruining a good book. "Oh," said the husband in question as he pulled the book open to her marked page, "You're only in chapter 12." Naruto winced as he came to terms with a familiar situation. He slowly slid to his wife's side preparing for requisite damage control and the "sorry", hugs, and kisses they both expected.


	2. The First Strike

A slight vibration that wisped its way through the atmosphere was the Seventh Hokage's only clue that Uchiha Takato was present for their appointment. While many high ranking officials would be paranoid about what their lesser could do with the ability to catch them off guard, the Seventh held no such neurosis. In fact, "Kabo-chan" was one of his favorite subordinates. It was 7:00am on a Sunday: the same time for they met for tea every week.

As usual, Takato was perfectly on time. After stepping in from the balcony he had arrived on, he removed his ANBU mask to reveal concrete, pristine features. Pulling it completely off his person, he placed it to his side as he kneeled at a small table opposite from the Seventh. His commissioned ANBU armor clanked on his shoulders as he descended. After the Seventh handed him his tea, he let himself relax. Armor clanked as his shoulders settled and Takato took a sip of team.

History had taught the Seventh that this apparent tenseness was the result of ANBU training more than a paranoia or worry troubling Takato's mind. In truth, the young ANBU member was essentially laid back and worry free. It was not surprising that his father, the head of the Leaf's Uchiha clan, would set extremely high expectations for his first son and heir of the resurrected house. Uchiha Takato, however, surpassed all expectations with flying colors. Currently nearing the age of 18, he was the star of the ANBU's 2nd Unit assassination squad. He'd mastered Sharingan just one year before during his Jounin examinations. After quickly immersing himself in the ANBU program, he distinguished himself as he sought a total mastery over his clan's fire element Kanton and "Demon Windmill" shuriken techniques. After naming a number of brilliant shuriken techniques as his brainchild, he unofficially dubbed the "Demon Windmill" shuriken as his primary weapon. He currently spent his time training and rediscovering every nuance of his throwing weapons, making them (and himself) a more effective killing machine.

"Kabo-chan," the Seventh started. "How are you?" Takato took another sip of tea. "Well, Hokage-sama," he responded. "And your family?" continued the blonde village leader. "They are in good health, Hokage-sama," said Takato. The ANBU assassin watched as his leader smiled and seemed to muse upon some irrelevant caprice. Takato dreaded that his leader might propose that the Uchiha clan have tea with him, but if that was the Hokage's thought, it was pushed out of his mind. Instead he inquired about Uchiha Takato's Genin Team 6.

"How are they progressing as a team, Kabo-chan?" The Hokage's face was filled with a boyish curiosity that once again caused Takato to question the tales of the Seventh's ferocity on the battle field. "They are doing extremely well, Hokage-sama. Your son Uzumaki has, as I've previously mentioned, taken the team's leadership role. He is competent as a strategist, but he exceeds in motivating his team mates and knowing their comparable limitations with little bias. That is quite impressive in a Genin." The Seventh smiled and nodded slowly, happy as always with good news about his precious offspring.

"Anything else?" he asked. Takato responded, "I am a bit worried about his life outside of missions. If I am to meet with him any time outside of a mission or training, he seems extremely preoccupied or worried. He's extremely abrasive when it comes to talking about himself. This high insecurity bewilders me Hokage-sama. He shows none of this behavior on the battlefield, so once could conclude that he's confident only in combat. While this issue does not seem to inhibit his progression as a ninja, it does seem troubling."

Uzumaki Naruto did not favor Uchiha Takato so much for his skill, his bloodline limit, or the fact that he was a sensei to his son. He treasured his most subordinate for his unrelenting honesty, awareness, and wisdom. Also, Naruto thought the young man's dignified speech was absolutely amusing.

The Seventh nodded, sans the grin, as he reviewed Takato's statements. It was true that his son was constantly worried about things that struck the father as superficial. The boy's mother understood more than he himself did, but the Seventh also noticed that the boy lost all of his weakness on the battlefield. While it troubled him that his only son seemed to find fulfillment or security in battle alone, he'd let the problem go. Once again, he speculated on the consequence of this decision.

"Alright," the Hokage said in order to transition. "What of the others?"

* * *

Uzumaki Uzumaki strolled quietly through the market of Konoha, consumed by his own thoughts. With direct steps, he paid little attention to his surroundings as the power of habit and ninja reflex prevented any nasty collision. Again his mind had drifted to that Uchiha girl from Team 7. He questioned the motivations of these thoughts, as he couldn't see himself attracted to her. Most boys regarded her as plain. Personally, Uzumaki didn't totally agree, but that was beside the point. Competition wise, he was rather sure that he could defeat her in combat. Her Sharingan would prove to be an annoyance but he wasn't the top rookie without reason, right? That fact was actually little comfort as his capacity to rationalize why the Uchiha girl was _still _in his head seemed inadequate.

The market place was a living, moving, beast of trade. Uzumaki couldn't help but take notice of the activity surrounding him. Merchants boasted their wares, perpetuating years of rivalry with the family stand across the street. At times Uzumaki envied the life outside the military. He often wondered if he would be happy if he life was as simplistic as that of a fruit seller, but his mind would never let his thoughts rest long enough for the notion to be comforting. As his mind wrestled with itself, he was momentarily distracted by vision of the corner of his eye: the batting of a few long eye lashes.

Lifting his view from the ground to follow the movement, he noticed the form of a purple haired chuunin he'd met a few weeks before at a party his sensei had invited him to. She was a few years older than him, if he remembered correctly. Her stylistically worn mesh outfit stood out in his memory, even if her name did not. "Her name was…Mitarashi something," he thought to himself. "She's that snake lady, Anko's, daughter." Once this information had been summoned from the depths of his memory, Uzumaki recognized that he had nothing left to suppress the awkward feelings stemming from the fact that an attractive upper-ninja insisted on smiling at him.

With a brief wave and a weak smile, Uzumaki continued on his way. And thus, he had a new focus to fret incessantly about until he reached the field where his comrades waited.

* * *

"Rock Haru is doing just fine," said Takato. The Seventh conceded a small smile in the memory of his lost friend, the boy's father.

"He's using chakra I understand?" inquired the Seventh. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Whatever genetics inhibited his father from molding chakra is either less or no longer present in Haru. However, his capacity is quite limited. He's still highly leans on taijutsu and his father's techniques." "I heard he's created his own technique," said Naruto. Takato nodded; the reflections on his night-like slicked hair rose and fell with the movement of his head. "That is true. It's quite ingenious, I might add. He runs chakra in tight bands around the outside of this hands and forearms, creating rings of intense energy." "How does he use this technique," said the Hokage with a curious light. "He uses the energy to increase the speed and piercing ability of his taijutsu techniques. He's been able to elicit the same chakra barriers around his legs, but he has found if very taxing. As I mentioned, his chakra capacity is limited, so the technique recycles and rotates the same chakra as opposed to continuously expending new chakra. His control for the technique is rather impressive. He's perfected it to extremely efficient use."

"How does he behave as a team mate?" asked the Hokage. "Rock Haru is a very proud child. He's boastful and extroverted, but he's usually wise enough to know his limitations. He seems very intent on seeking his father's Ninpo, and fights to exhaustion defending it. He's very friendly with his team mates and performs well under Uzumaki's command. His only fault, it would seem, is his penchant for fights of pride." "Oh?" murmured the entranced Hokage. "Haru has developed a powerful rivalry with Hyuuga Kimiko." "That's Neji's daughter," mused the Seventh before letting out a chuckle. "It never ceases to amaze me that history repeats itself in such interesting ways."

Uzumaki touched down on the rolling grassy field and smiled. No words could express how much he loved these training grounds. He felt at his best here. He felt comfortable and at ease. Most importantly, he felt like he was worth something on these pseudo fields of battle. He slowed his pace once his comrades came into view. Straight ahead, Rock Haru pounded on a wooden dummy with focused precision. He intently struck the same spots over and over; each hit retrieved larger amounts of fallen wood particles. To Haru's left, sat a lanky youth the comrades usually refered to as Yoshi.

Akimichi "Yoshi" Tsubasa sat cross legged, leaning on a large oak tree. He was the first to notice Uzumaki's approach. He stood and smiled, waving at his nearing friend. Yoshi stood at an average five foot, seven inches. He wore a loose black jacket over a form fitting t-shirt printed with the Akimichi clan symbol. His dark, long shorts matched his jacket. He sported a lengthy, white scarf that touched his knees when he walked. With his spiky brown hair and swirled Akimichi cheeks, a few select ninja recognized him as the spitting image of his father after a few decisive battles. Those few older ninjas were, perhaps, the only ninja in the village who acknowledged him as having any similarities to his father or the Akimichi clan as a whole. Yoshi's slender frame made him the black sheep of a ninja family known for its large stature and obesity based ninjutsu. One would wonder how he had managed to be a successful Akimichi at all.

However, Akimichi Tsubasa's father was just as supportive as his own father before him. He instructed his son in many of the trademark clan jutsu and together they adapted the moves to his smaller body size. Yoshi specialized in the clan's "Partial Multi-Size" jutsu. With much practice, he'd turned what was a mid-level taijutsu technique into the basis of an efficient assortment of taijutsu combos. He'd also learned a highly specialized version of version of the "Meat Tank" jutsu that took advantage of his smaller body to turn him into a high-speed, highly controlled, mass of spinning fury.

The other youth, Rock Haru, eased himself from his training to glance at the new arrival. He walked towards Yoshi, at the top of the hill, and turned toward Uzumaki. Putting his right hand to his hip, he stuck out his left hand with a thumbs-up and smiled. As a breeze picked up, Haru's long, brown trench coat pulled against his formfitting green outfit. The high collared, sleeveless coat held a large amount of training weights. Rock Haru rarely removed it, in respect for his late father and the sake of his training. His raven hair was combed forward and parted in the middle, sticking out a bit from his forehead. His trademark "fuzzy" eyebrows perked as Uzumaki reached the top of the hill.

"Hey buddy," he said with a dramatic flourish of his right hand. "Want to spar?" Haru asked confidently, as if asking the question was merely a formality. Uzumaki rolled his eyes and smiled. He nodded at Yoshi, and then turned back to his taller counterpart. "I suppose," he said without excitement. Haru recognized Uzumaki's forced lack of enthusiasm, and as expected, took it as a challenge. "Prepare yourself," said Rock Haru as he pulled his arms into a ready stance; his left palm pointed upward as he faced Uzumaki. "_I_ am your opponent," said Haru as he plunged himself at his blonde haired comrade.

* * *

"The chuunin exams are fast approaching, Kabo-chan," said the Seventh Hokage. "I am aware of this Hokage-sama," responded the Uchiha Jounin. "I am proposing, Kabo-chan, that a few of the teams are temporarily split. I feel a few Genin would progress more quickly with personal attention." "Is my team included, Hokage-sama?" The Seventh nodded. "Yes." He pulled out a few scrolls from his desk beside him. After handing them to Takato he said, "I'm giving you these to explain my orders to the appropriate parties. As far as you and your team in concerned…" the Seventh stopped to take a sip of tea. "Uzumaki will train with his mother and me. Akimichi Tsubasa will go back to his father. Rock Haru, I believe, is far passed due for some new taijutsu. All he knows is what his father has taught him, but I believe that Lee had much more in store for his child. Thus, I'm putting him under the tutelage of Gai-sensei." "And myself Hokage-sama?" Takato asked expectantly. "I believe that your younger sister may be better suited learning from you than anyone else." Takato smiled. "Deliver the corresponding scroll to her sensei and she'll become your responsibility for the remainder of her Genin career." Takato beamed. "Thank you Hokage-sama." "No worries, Kabo-chan," responded Naruto. "Now hurry and deliver those messages," he continued, "and keep my son out of trouble."

* * *

Haru's "Konoha Whirlwind" kick was easy enough to avoid. Uzumaki flattened himself across the grass while on all fours, sensing his current adversary's flight above him. Pushing off with all fours, he flipped himself to a standing position that faced the landing Haru. The wind picked up again, spreading leaves between the sparring foes. The dark clouds that covered the sun began to move, releasing a cascade of sunlight upon the grassy hills. The brightness brought out the pink hues of Uzumaki's strawberry blonde bangs. This would normally elicit a self-conscious groan, but at this point all focus was on Uzumaki's adversary. All he saw was Haru. All he heard was their running steps. All he felt was the flow of battle.

Uzumaki and Haru charged each other and met in the middle of the hill. Uzumaki, who'd sped from the high ground, was caught off guard by Haru's brazen advance. Haru had thrown his right foot in front of him, and pushing all his weight on his right leg pulled his left leg at high momentum toward the rushing Uzumaki with a powerful swivel of his hip. Uzumaki's only option was to block with this left arm in surprise. He pushed his right palm against his left arm to support the block. He'd learned from experience not to underestimate the force that Haru could carry in his strike.

Haru swiftly pulled in his left leg, using the momentum to carry his body around again. Making good use of his movement's force, Haru simultaneously extended his right arm in a powerful punch that caught Uzumaki in the jaw.

Returning to his ready stance, Haru was content to watch Uzumaki glide towards the hillside. He was equally disappointed when he watched his comrade slam against the grown and disappear with a familiar "poof". Frantically scanning his surroundings, Rock Haru found his enemy at the foot of the hill, smiling smugly to himself. Haru was slightly dismayed as he prepared his next attack. He hadn't even _heard_ Uzumaki mutter…

"Shadow Clone," said Uzumaki nonchalantly. While it was never his intention to boast, he almost always seemed to be bragging whenever his high chakra control allowed him to summon a few shadow clones without sealing. In seconds, five indifferent looking Uzumaki's stood casually at the foot of the hill. Haru dashed towards the bottom of the hill, launching himself a few feet from the clones toward the center Uzumaki. He slammed his right foot into clone's face, stepping through the subsequent smoke as he landed.

The four Uzumaki's finally adopted fighting positions as they surrounded Haru. Haru glances side to side, hoping the corner of his eye would catch the one that attacked first. The first attack came from Haru's left; an Uzumaki leaped toward him and leveled a punch at Haru's side. Rock Haru swiveled and swung his left leg, catching the clone in the head with the left side of his foot.

Just as Haru's foot pulled through the smoke and touched the ground, the two Uzumaki at his sides attacked. The one to his left ran and slid his way next to Haru, preparing to thrust his leg up into the green clad warrior's side. The figure to his right had leapt into the air at the same time, lifting his right leg to his chest in preparation for a crippling dropping kick aimed at Haru's shoulder.

Haru hopped sharply, pulling his legs into his chest. Twisting his whole to face the enemy above, Haru kicked out his left leg to meet the Uzumaki below and cancel the blonde haired fighter's kick. Haru watched the other Uzumaki force down a leg and abruptly caught it. Holding onto the Uzumaki's limb with both hands, Haru swung down with all his might, pulling his enemy beneath him and launching the clone toward the other Uzumaki. The two Uzumaki met with a satisfying "poof". Haru frowned when he realized that between pushing off the bottom clone and oscillating the higher clone downward he'd canceled out all momentum and left himself perfectly vulnerable in the air. His conclusion was confirmed as the final Uzumaki came streaming out of the residing smoke and met a powerful fist with Haru's side.

Uzumaki landed softly. He watched Haru slide across the grass before the coat-donning ninja rolled into a standing position and back into the familiar ready stance. "Are we done yet?" called Uzumaki.

"Not even close," Haru called back. "It's time for me to stop holding back, Uzu," said Haru, calling out to Uzumaki with his familiar nickname. Uzumaki sighed. He knew _exactly _what Haru meant when he referred to holding back. This was the part of their spar that Uzumaki detested. Haru smiled as he acknowledged their shared recognition and proceeded to go into sealing. "Ram, Bird, Boar, Tiger, Horse," Haru said and simultaneously sealed. He held the "Horse" seal until his chakra began to crackle to life around his hands and for arms. As his patented "Hand of Raiden" taijutsu technique sparked into life, Rock Haru careened toward Uzumaki Uzumaki's grimacing form.

Uzumaki dodged the first strike to his left, then another from above. Pushing off the ground, he put a few moments of distance between himself and Haru. Uzumaki had learned from experience that it was smarter to simply avoid Haru's crackling, blue fists than attempt to block them. Doing so would simply let Haru's chakra flow into the blocking appendage and render it numb and useless. Even dodging became difficult, Uzumaki had to admit, as Haru's technique increased his speed of attack remarkably. Uzumaki was forced to push himself harder and harder to miss Rock Haru's cerulean strikes; he concentrated on finding an opening between the brilliant combos of chops and jabs. An unexpected kick caught Uzumaki by surprise and launched him back. He caught himself quickly by dragging his feet and right hand in the ground to slow himself down. Unfortunately, Haru was eagerly upon him. "Never take your eyes off me," Haru said arrogantly as he threw a heavy punch at a helplessly grounded Uzumaki. The blonde haired boy had little choice but to counter. Out of instinct, Uzumaki threw a punch to meet Haru's.

As right fist met right fist, Uzumaki realized that he'd lost the concentration needed to suppress the technique his mother had instructed never to use on a comrade. Uzumaki quickly suppressed as much of his chakra as possible, but his punch held enough power to easily override Haru's. Proof of this was the satisfying crunch of broken bone that spread through Haru's fist as their attacks met, easily canceling out his "Hand of Raiden" technique. Haru stepped back, clutching his fits. With an intense wince, he looked up at his equally astonished comrade. "Damn Uzu…" he chocked through the pain, "Don't try so hard next time, ok?" Yoshi, who'd realized something was out of the ordinary, began to stream down the hill.

Uzumaki flushed, ashamed that he'd lack the control to avoid hurting his friend. He stood speechless, fretting about what his mother would say to him or his consequences of misusing her technique. His mind nearly became its usual whirlpool of stress and over-analyzing, but his presence on the battlefield retrieved his focus. As Uzumaki's fight mentality consumed him, he snapped to attention and moved quickly and confidently to his injured friend. "Can you heal him Uzu?" chimed Yoshi, curiously observing the predicament. "He'll be fine," said Uzumaki reassuringly, taking Haru's hand from him to inspect the extent of the damage. "Damn straight, I'll be fine," said Haru affirmatively. The other ninja glanced at each other momentarily, still amazed at Rock Haru's ability to be haughty in nearly any situation. The arrogant ninja in question caught their passing of glances, and slightly offended he continued, "Yeah, yeah. Uzumaki, are you going to get around to fixing this anytime soon?" Uzumaki shook his head as his nimble fingers found the break, and ironically, used the same strength augmenting jutsu to quickly snap the bone back into place. Haru groaned and pulled at his injured right hand, but Uzumaki's strength held it secure. He quickly concentrated on a healing jutsu that sped up the initial bone healing process before his focus was interrupted.

"Are you guys holding hands, again? How cute."

The source of the voice, which was predominantly condescending and feminine, echoed from atop another grassy hill. All three members of Team 6 scowled. There stood the every annoying, inconveniently talented, and tiresomely female Genin Team 7. Haru pulled his hand from Uzumaki's quickly, finding a better use for it as a tool to shake at the rival Genin corp. "Come down here and say that bitch," yelled an overdramatic Haru. "I'll show you what these hands can do!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" responded the same voice. "Unfortunately, mine is a blood far too superior to be mixed with yours on the field of battle."

Uzumaki moved himself in front of the calm Yoshi and enraged Haru to address the owner of the voice. "Hi Kimiko," he said casually and continued in a voice that was obviously inhospitable, "What do you want?"

Hyuuga Kimiko, the owner of the condescending cat calls, stood alluringly aloof to the rest of her comrades. A tall fourteen, she wore a form fitting khaki jacket that she buttoned not quite all the way up. She also donned equally clingy shorts with the common shuriken protector tied to her thigh. With one hand at her hip and the other held to her chin, she leaned slightly forward to literally look down on her rival Genin Team 6. Long, brown hair fell across her back and contrasted her silver head protector and shining, white, pupil-less, eyes.

Lying in the grass, to Kimiko's left, was a cheerful Nara Temari. For Genin Team 6, she was easily the most likable kunoichi around. Especially to Akimichi Tsubasa, who'd been her sweetheart since days back in the academy. She grinned and never took her eyes off Yoshi as she stood and brushed the grass off herself. She wore a simple beige sundress over loose fitting black shorts. At either side of her waist hung three foot folded battle fans that bounced in rhythm with her frizzy, shoulder length, oak colored hair as she skipped down the hill to meet with Yoshi. She stopped a few inches from her beloved, and they stared at each other anxiously. Akimichi Tsubasa broke their glance to nod at Uzumaki. Uzumaki nodded back. "Go hang out with your girlfriend, Yoshi," he said with a warm, assuring smile.

Of the four remaining, the figure to Kimiko's right, was the only one to watch the sweethearts depart. A touch of jealously was visible behind her hard, onyx eyes; but there was none close enough to notice. She was Uchiha Tenshi. Standing just an inch under her Hyuuga teammate, Tenshi turned to look at Uzumaki solemnly. He was openly oblivious to anyone but Kimiko, believing that she would be his next opponent. Uchiha Tenshi stood straight with shy dignity, folding lightly armored forearms across her chest. She fashioned a black body suit: a hand-me-down from her older brother. With light armor donning her arms and torso and a well-crafted katana on her back, she had the look of an ANBU in training. In truth, she was not far off. Her night-like black hair was pulled back into a shoulder length ponytail, excluding heavy bangs that covered her forehead and the silver head protector she wore. Her dark features starkly contrasted her pale face and occasionally scarlet eyes. While her face, which very much resembled the features of her father and brother, would be normally called fair; she had a very apparent extra characteristic. Dark lines seemed to be drawn below here eyes, like creases outlining her jawbones. The creases presented her as constantly solemn, which was oddly appropriate. While it gave her a distinguished, attractive look of maturity; it was ultimately the reason her father despised her.

Uzumaki, who actually was very aware of her glances, was fighting harder than usual to keep himself concentrated on battle. Fortunately, Haru's boasting served as a perfect segue into another distracting scuffle. "Prepare yourself Hyuuga," yelled Rock Haru. "I'll take you on with a broken hand." The teasing Kimiko rolled her eyes, shifting her arms and legs into a "Gentle Fist" taijutsu style. "Come at me if you'd like, loser." Her call got Haru more hot blooded than usual, which Uzumaki rarely recognized as a good thing. He put a hand on Rock Haru's chest to calm him and said, "No Haru. I'm not going to let you fight with a broken hand. It'll be fine by tomorrow, but let me fight her for now." Haru moaned, crossed his arms across his chest, and scowled. "Whatever, Uzu. You'd better not lose." Haru sulked his way back up the opposite hill, where Yoshi sat originally, to better observe the fight.

After watching Haru walk up the hill, Uzumaki turned back to see a blurry Kimiko rushing down to meet him. Uzumaki cursed. "She's faster than I remember her being," he thought to himself as concentrated on a familiar jutsu. "No you don't!" Kimiko screamed as she threw a hand at Uzumaki's sealing figure, flushing chakra through her pores. She hit her target, which exploded in a "poof" of smoke, just in time to hear Uzumaki call out: "Shadow Clone".

Tightened veins covered Kimiko's face as she summoned her "White Eyes" bloodline limit, taking in a 359 degree scope of the field of battle. She was surrounded, she quickly noted, by at least forty clones and "one real Uzumaki," she thought to herself. At the moment, however, none of five Uzumaki that rushed her from all sides was the real one. With a rush of hands and feet darting in and out of her person, each was reduced to a bit of smoke.

Uzumaki's clones distracted Kimiko as he devised a strategy. He'd beaten her before, through a mass of effort that he did not feel like exerting at this moment. He _could _take a direct hit from her in order to set up a finishing move and easily heal whatever internal damage she could inflict. Being a medical ninja student was good for something. Regardless, he currently did not have the pain tolerance to put himself in line for a direct hit. Instead, inspiration struck, and his strategy was devised in a matter of seconds. He then decided to let the rest of his clones be demolished before taking action.

With himself and two clones left, he let his final two copies die in a flourish of flowing chakra and smoke. Standing face to face with a very smug looking Hyuuga, Uzumaki repeated his "Shadow Clone" technique, this time creating only five copies. Two he sent around Kimiko, preparing for what seemed to be another flank. Kimiko would not have it, though. She rushed the real Uzumaki.

The real Uzumaki smiled thinking, "That's what _these_ two clones are for." His two remaining clones ran to meet the Hyuuga in a single file line. The first gave itself up easily. The second came punching through the smoke of the other clone, as Kimiko expected, and she dealt with it easily. What she did _not _expect is for the real Uzumaki to come streaming through the cloud of his clones to deliver a full shouldered punch to her face.

Kimiko landed and rolled between the two ignored clones, while Uzumaki caught up to her a summoned a few more clones to fill the gap. Kimiko stood and regained her composure. With her "Gentle Fist" stance in place and "White Eyes" scanning the seven surrounding clones, she believed herself ready for anything the Uzumaki were ready to throw. What the Uzumaki were literally preparing to throw, however, was unexpectedly basic.

"Shuriken and kunai?" said Kimiko. "I'd expect better of someone with your level of talent." Each Uzumaki had moved their hands behind them and reached into the pouches beneath their jackets. What the true Uzumaki wrapped his fingers around, on the other hand, was nothing that the Hyuuga would anticipate. Uzumaki drew out six, thick, hand-length, needles. With three in each hand, he kept them behind his back while the rest of the clones drew out shuriken and kunai knives. Each of the clones began to toss their throwing weapons as the true Uzumaki waited for an opening. As was usual when he used the needle weapons that filled his third pouch, he remembered the woman who taught him how to use them. The Fifth Hokage's subordinate was a talented woman, he remembered. She was his first weapon tutor, and taught him at a relatively young age, the deadliness and subtleness of needle weapons. From mixing poisons to precision aiming, he'd soaked up quite a lot of knowledge from his early teacher. Though she had passed away, Uzumaki liked to think he carried on her legacy as one of the few ninja in the village who used such techniques. Very few knew he even carried such tools and that secret within itself was a powerful advantage.

Uzumaki intently watched Hyuuga Kimiko dodge, dart, and deflect his clones' relentless assault of throwing weapons until his opening was secure. She'd run out of room to dodge or hit away shuriken, so Kimiko was forced to flip herself backwards in the air. Uzumaki grinned at his opening and tossed the six needles with accurate precision, striking Kimiko across her calves.

The Hyuuga yelped and gasped as her legs gave out as she attempted to land. Blood ran in streams down her legs, pooling on the ground as Kimiko held herself up with her arms. She briefly glanced with disbelief at the crippling needles that ran through her lower legs and then back at Uzumaki. Appearing and feeling completely distressed, Kimiko watched the excess Uzumaki disappear. The true ninja remained, standing smugly in front of her. He pulled on the knot behind his head to tighten the material that covered his hair. With a patronizing wink to his fallen enemy, four more clones materialized behind Uzumaki, each looking as smug and superior as the other.

The true Uzumaki stepped forward, looked down at his foe and said, "What next?"

Like the prey of a tiger that senses its imminent death a moment too late, Uzumaki's eyes widened with fear and surprise as something ripped swiftly through his clones. He instinctively leaped forward, putting Kimiko between himself and his new, unidentified enemy. Where the smoke from his clones settled stood a somber Uchiha Tenshi, her blade drawn while blue chakra consumed the blade and licked at the air like fire.

She turned her hollow eyes toward Uzumaki, who watched them flash a bloody hue, and said, "_I'm_ next."


	3. Change: Fast Approaching

**The Remy Speaks!**

I'm really glad that this third chapter is finished. Granted, I thought about giving up the story, but I really love these characters way too much. Plus, there's a bunch of jutsu and ninja I haven't even introduced yet, so hopefully this and the next few chapters should be at treat for all my readers. Saying that, I wanted to clear up any confusion I noticed might be present. As far as the age goes, everyone is Uzumaki's class is around the age 14. The class graduated two years ago, but the last Chuunin Exam had been the previous year, so they've all spent two years as Genin by the time they can participate in the Chuunin exam. I actually had to make some changes to earlier chapters after my timeline became more definite; if anyone notices an inconsistencies, contact me about them (email or AIM).

Lastly, if you've been keeping up with the Naruto Anime series, you'll know who I'm talking about when I make a reference to the Rice Country. Personally, I found them incredibly lame and pathetic. I seriously wonder why they thought their clan needed to "regain its place in the sun" in the first place. None of them have any particularly interesting jutsu. Sorry, Rice Country, but not even the scissor-arm guy could save your Fuuma clan from the confines of "Lame!"

* * *

_2nd the class my ass_, thought Uzumaki Uzumaki as he crouched decidedly behind a large tree, concerned that it might be in his best interest to remain there as long as possible after a good hour of essentially running away from the blade maniac that was Uchiha Tenshi. _She was never _this_ good at the academy,_ he said to himself, realizing that she was quickly approaching and occupying himself with a quick inventory check before he devised a strategy.

At fourteen shuriken, six kunai, three explosive tags and three needles, Uzumaki was increasingly becoming aware at how hard his opponent was pushing him. He'd heard through his sensei that she was progressing fast. However, he honestly never fathomed that she would try to beat him _this hard._ He also had never guessed that his jutsu would be so relatively ineffective against hers; he begrudgingly admitted that she'd attained a clearly higher class of offensive jutsu than him, on a wholly different level. Her chakra capacity was impressive; she'd successfully maintained her "Katana of the Blue Sky" sword technique for the duration of their battle. This, ultimately, had been Uzumaki's downfall.

Uzumaki loved to fight in the forest. He knew how and where to hide in them, and how to use said knowledge to his advantage. The trees were his friend. Unfortunately, Uzumaki's oaken comrades were falling quite easily to the flurry of bright blue chakra flashes whose intensity caused their afterimage to form orbits of energy that surrounded Tenshi at all sides. Tenshi's speed with her katana, a mix of skill and chakra propulsion, created a barrier that accurately defended her at nearly every angle. Uzumaki had come to know this fact well after multiple waves of his clones had their well aimed kunai deflected from all sides, leaving them surprised and saddened before Tenshi ripped them apart.

As said kunoichi flowed through the canopy towards our youth's hiding place, Uzumaki racked his mind for an answer to her functional defense. With a flash of brilliance and a cocky smile, Uzumaki took into account that Tenshi had ceased from dodginghis weapon attacks. She simply _deflected_ everything. It was also then that Uzumaki remembered that his teacher at the academy had pulled him aside to speak privately on graduation day. It was a breezy afternoon, and Uzumaki fondly remembering his sensei's wispy silver hair, and the look of apathy in the teacher's uncovered eye. "You and the Uchiha girl have scored perfectly in everything. I couldn't really judge things like chakra capacity in a twelve year old, but you'll probably have her beat. At this point, you've only really got one thing you can hold over her: your creativity. Don't forget that," The young Uzumaki scrunched his nose in a bit of annoyance. He could really care less about the scores or who was first in class. He just wanted the ceremony to end so he could play with his friends. His sensei rolled his eye, being thoughtful for a moment before speaking again, "Actually, I have a better idea. Try not to get into a fight with her at all." He muttered, "Fighting Sharingan is a mess." Young Uzumaki raised an eyebrow, curious at this "Sharingan" thing his teacher had purposely muttered over.

Uzumaki Uzumaki snapped back to reality, noting coolly that his adversary was at his heels. His battle persona creeping its way into consciousness, the confident Uzumaki couldn't help but take his time. With his tools securely on his belt, he stood. With a bit more flourish than necessary, he stretched out his arms, pulling on his shoulder muscles. He untied his bandana, putting the metal plate of the head protector between his teeth, and whipped his head around to let his strawberry blond hair fall across his face. Not ignorant of, but simply ignoring, the repercussions that being caught off guard at this point, Uzumaki ran a hand through his hair and pulled the bandana over his head again, locking his hair beneath the blue material sans his characteristic bangs. With another cocky smile, he pushed up his glasses, silently apologized to his sensei for getting mixed up with a Sharingan (and admitting that the entire case was a mess), and leaped from his hiding place into the open canopy. His head-on emergence from leafy camouflage took Tenshi Uchiha, who was slightly more vulnerable in her own mid jump, by surprise. Uzumaki rebounded off a nearby branch, ripped a kunai from his pack into his hand as Tenshi prepared her sword. They connected once. Uzumaki had the sense to move himself away from their serrated edged conflict for a chance at success, and their mid air push put each comfortably on thick and opposite branches. They stared face to face: Tenshi's façade a stone with imbedded spotted rubies; Uzumaki's a smile with studded sapphire. In a twist of verbal irony that would make his father proud, his mother embarrassed, and fate wince, Uzumaki spouted an oddly familiar line:

"Let's get wild."

* * *

Rock Haru sighed. Hyuuga Kimiko did the same. They looked at one another, frowned, and looked away. The two sat, pride and body injured by the same individual, atop a high grassy hill that gave a gaping view of the next hill with the large tree and the forest behind it.

"I expected a 'Thank you' at least. Are you Hyuuga that stuck up?" Haru huffed, speaking purposely louder to make the point clear that he did not need to look at the other ninja to communicate with her. "I never asked you for help," she retorted. Her contempt was equal.

Both referred to the neat bandaging that Haru now insisted to himself that he hadn't insisted on preparing just a few minutes before. Fortunately for Haru's sense of pride, Hyuuga Kimiko was much too aggravated by how easily she had accepted help from a person she usually referred to as second class. Thus, it did not cross her mind to question Haru's intentions, and both were satisfied with violently ignoring the other. As the Leaf's top tactician Nara Shikamaru once said, "Sexual tension is quite troublesome."

At that point, both silently agreed that only one unlikely thing could break their attention from not paying attention to the other. Since the probability of that one thing was extremely low, neither assumed that fate would conflict with their plan of forced ignorance towards the other's presence. That one thing happened anyway; part of the forest exploded.

* * *

Uzumaki deftly slipped both hands into on of the pouches under his jacket, removing three kunai in each hand. The kunai gripped by the right, however, were unique in that the hand had been wrapped with a particular piece of parchment. Ripping his left hand from behind his waist, Uzumaki flung three kunai toward his opponent. Tenshi easily redirected each with her sword and proceeded to launch herself at the boy, weapon blue blazing. Knowing his moment of truth was at hand, Uzumaki smiled at his adversary, taking a split second more than necessary (or sensible) to enjoy the touch of paranoia that washed over the Uchiha's bloody eyes. Tightening the grip of the three fingers wrapped in the kunai rings, he shifted his body weight so he began to fall from the branch. Bending his stomach to face his approaching adversary, he tossed his last kunai and fell, wondering if Tenshi would even notice the explosive taped carefully to the blades she was currently striking with a sword wrapped in chakra. Warmth splashed across the boy's body, only a moment before the saw the violet fires that ripped the forest apart.

* * *

Uchiha Takato was surprised by very little. He'd seen a lot of jutsu, killed a lot of people, and heard a lot of strange things; he'd reached a point in his life were the unexpected was truly unexpected. Having finished his chores for the Hokage, he'd decided to retrieve his sister and inform his students of the upcoming exams. He crossed the village at a mellow pace, making small mental notes about what he'd teach his sister and the like. His body crossed the gaps of buildings and gardens and trees automatically, leaving his mind free to wonder. Directed toward the grassy hills and forest south of the Hokage Mountain, his mind did not react to the explosion right away. When it did, he picked up his pace, knowing from experience that another scuffle had probably broken out between Teams 6 and 7. He was not surprised by the explosion though; it was common place as his students had been taught to make full use of all their tools, explosive tools included.

His true surprise, and a touch of controlled rage, was caused by the site of his student Uzumaki emerging from the smoky trees with Takato's unconscious sister carried across his shoulders. While his brotherly emotional attachment to his sister's well being was overshadowed by knowing that the life of a ninja is death, his surprise remained. He was entirely curious of the events of their battle, wondering how ingenious Uzumaki had to be in order to defeat his sister. After all, Takato had taught his sister "Katana of the Blue Sky" himself, knowing that nothing in the arsenal of any other genin, especially Uzumaki, could efficiently counter it. A soup of heavy pride for his student and light disappointment concerning his sister poured into his stomach as he approached the scene. Bemused at how entirely sheepish Uzumaki had become at the sight of Takato, the older Uchiha approached his student with a disarming smile.

"A hard fight, Uzumaki-kun?" he asked calmly. An awkward Uzumaki answered, handing over the body of the female Uchiha to his teacher, "Yes, Takato-sensei." The teenager tossed his sister of his shoulder and reached out a hand to touch his student's head. Ruffling the hair beneath the blue material of a head band, Takato smiled again. "Good work, Uzumaki." Uzumaki's nervousness all but left him and his shoulders relaxed, the tension previously between them more than enough to knock a man unconscious. The four remaining genin sprinted toward the Jounin, engrossed by the unfolding events. A lover of drama, Hyuuga Kimiko was disappointed to find that Uchiha Takato had reacted to the situation like a true ninja and left Uzumaki without physical injury or a tongue lashing. She naturally crossed to Tenshi's space, moving from Team 6 which had recently become fully assembled behind Uzumaki. She turned to face them, motioning at a grinning Temari that it was time to go. Slightly sullen, the Nara child turned to hug Yoshi and crossed to her teammate, giggling and waving at Team 6 before bounding away. Hyuuga Kimiko took one last look at Haru, shook her head, and followed.

With only his students left to occupy him, Uchiha Takato got to business. "You should all be aware that the next Chuunin Exam is fast approaching," he said. The boys nodded. "The Hokage has made a number of requests about training, some concerning yourselves." He pulled out his a scroll and handed it to Rock Haru. "Find Maito Guy," he said, "And show him this scroll." Haru nodded again, visibly excited at the prospect of learning from his beloved father's sensei. He eyed the Akimichi boy, "Yoshi, I leave you to your own devices. I suggest more training with your father." Yoshi muttered an accepting noise, slightly worried at what more he could learn from his father about any usable Akimichi jutsu. "Uzumaki," Takato continued, "tell your father that the Uchiha/Uzumaki tradition continues." Uzumaki leaned his head to one side, confused. Takato often wondered if Uzumaki's father had gone into their family's history, but decided it was not his place to explain. He thought for a moment and then continued, "I know. Tell your father that a "Thousand Birds" will sing again." He winked and patted his sister's back. "I'll be training my sister. We'll meet here again in one month; the day after that, the exam will begin." Three boys heard their teacher speak, saluted, and watched him depart with a speed that exceeded their own combined.

Uzumaki Uzumaki was depressed again. "Did anyone else get what Takato sensei was talking about?" Haru was too engrossed in his scroll to care. He deftly ignored Uzumaki. Yoshi sympathized with his friend's paranoia, putting a hand on his shoulder. With worry on his lean face, he grinned. "Don't let it get to you, Uzu-kun. You know how Takato-sensei is," said Yoshi. "Yeah," Uzumaki responded. He knew _exactly_ how Takato-sensei was. Past trying to calm one of them down, the only time his stoic teacher smiled that much is when he found something extremely ironic (the soft spot in the older ninja's dark sense of humor) or planned something challenging for one of this students. It was worse this time, Uzumaki feared, because he believed that his teacher was excited about both. He'd gotten strange vibes whenever people talked about his family's "history" with the Uchiha clan. As paranoia and worry consumed Uzumaki, his face took a particular sour look. "Hey Uzu," said Yoshi, breaking the silence. "Yeah, Yoshi," responded the sullen boy. "Did you do something to your hair?" Uzumaki's face scrunched in confusion and the annoyance of Yoshi's distraction from fretting. "No…" he said, stretching the "O" to voice his bewilderment. "Why?" "It looks a lot more pink than usual."

Eyes open wide; Uzumaki stripped his head protector off his face and used his right hand to push as much hair as he could in front of his eyes. Indeed, his hair had become a shade much more strawberry that blonde. The boy's mood became even further tepid. How could he not notice this? This pinker hair must have grown in since his last hair cut, but since most of his hair was covered, he hadn't paid attention to its color. Then he realized why it came to Yoshi's attention. Half of the thick bangs that framed his face were his normal color, the other half, of new roots, covered in a pink tone that had just been brought to his attention. The glint of shiny rosy hair had caught Haru's attention. "Uzu-kun," he said with a chuckle, "Your hair is pink, dude." Uzumaki lowered his head, defeated, and groaned loudly, thankful that at least he didn't live in the Rice Country.

* * *

Uzumaki Sakura, hard at work, pushed her wire rim glasses a bit farther up her face as she continued copying as scroll. Efficiently studying a procedure while rewriting a request for budget increases, Sakura ran the Hidden Leaf's military hospital with professional effectiveness. Noticing her son's approach from the long window but not distracted, she continued writing. He landed on the balcony and leaped through the window's opening, only to be caught by his mother with a hand and flung across the room toward the door. She did this quick enough to catch the book she had been reading and without enough movement to smear her letter. She continued writing.

"Mom, my hair is turning _pink_," he said excitedly. This was interesting news, enough so that Sakura turned her head to confirm. Indeed, the roots of her son's hair had finally begun to regress into a shade of color near her own. The blonde of his father was still visibly mixed into the tone, but the pink was far more prominent. She'd always suspected that his hair color would change sometime during his teenage years, hoping it wouldn't bother him too much. Her hopes were shaky at this point. "I see," she said. "What are you going to do about it?" He'd landed on his feet from the earlier reversal and stood from his original crouching position. "Nothing, I guess," he said, up to this point in denial about the reversibility of his gene's dictating hair color.

"I'm still working, Uzumaki," she said, facing her son again. "Is there something else you'd like to ask of me?" He nodded. "The Chuunin Exams are coming up," he started. "Yes?" she prompted, looking back at her papers. "And I wanted to know if I could start using those techniques you taught me when I was little, before the Academy? The ones you said I couldn't use until I was old enough?" She sighed, thinking back to the long discussion she'd had with her husband about whether or not it would be safe to instruct a six year old about to engage in his basic ninja training in the incredible chakra strength Sakura had learned from the fifth Hokage, regardless of how much danger the child was in. Uzumaki had been instructed time and time again that many of the techniques he'd learned before his entrance to the academy were forbidden from use, and with the exception of the incident with Haru and a few other accidents, he'd been extremely obedient.

She looked at her son and saw the beginning of a man, his next years the base of the person he'd become for the rest of his life. He was more talented than she was at his age, and she also had faith in his maturity, despite how irrational he could get from time to time. She nodded with a good natured smile and he ran to hug her, leaping out the window with a new found strength (figuratively and literally) to find his father and deliver Takato-sensei's message.

* * *

Hokage-sama Uzumaki took a long drag on his ornate pipe, releasing a slow moving stream of smoke that took the form of a familiar nine tailed fox. It flew from his person, turning its smoky head to face him and quickly dissipated into the air. This experience slightly annoyed Naruto. Its bothersome status spawned from its inconsistency; partially because he couldn't always pull it off at parties and mostly because it exhibited a minute but dangerous reminder that every aspect of the demon's powers were not at his full control. Naruto often wondered what little surprises the kitsune had in store waiting for him; it knew it would never escape his navel, but it constantly plotted methods of releasing small representations of itself. It was wholly in love with its own manifestations.

Worries quickly dashed aside as one of his attendants announced the presence of his son, the Hokage stood to greet Uzumaki like he greeted all visitors: with a bow and the offer of freshly brewed tea. Straightening his robs and tipping his traditional hat-like adornment, he proceeded with his usual salutation ritual before kneeling back to his desk, pushing aside papers of Hidden Leaf business to give his son, like every visitor, his full attention. The tea was served and Uzumaki began to speak.

Uzumaki kneeled after bowing as well, taking the tea and preparing it for himself. "How are matters of state, Hokage-sama?" he asked, dignifying an otherwise familiar man for the sake of being respectful of his father's position and the Hidden Leaf's traditional hierarchy. "Thankfully without hindrance, Uzumaki-kun," he replied with a smile. His son's formality when he donned the Hokage robes amused him. "I must admit, with the Chuunin exam being hosted here in the Hidden Leaf once more, I am busy with preparations. Regardless, all is as can be expected." Uzumaki looked up to look Naruto in the eyes, both taking a sip of tea before Uzumaki continued, "The Chuunin Exam is the subject that I have come to speak with you about." The Seventh nodded. "First off, I will be participating. Secondly, mother has given me permission to use the full set of medical jutsu and special taijutsu she taught me ages ago." Naruto chuckled. He looked forward to seeing how adept his son would become at harnessing the awesome strength of the Fifth, Tsunade. "Takato-sensei informed me that he would be training his sister, so I was hoping that you would be able to instruct me in the time before the Exam," Uzumaki said. Naruto looked thoughtful for a few moments and responded, "Regrettably, my duties as Hokage are a priority. However, there is a jutsu that I've been meaning to teach you that will not require much…" he paused in order to word his promise correctly, "'hands on' instruction." His eyes twinkled. Always a proud father, the Hokage was often amazed at how far along his son had come compared to himself at age fourteen. He was happiest when watching his son succeed, knowing that as a father he had to power to help make his child's dreams become a reality." Uzumaki nodded, accepting his father's proposal.

"There was one more thing, Hokage-sama," he continued. "Before he left, Takato-sensei mentioned a message that I should pass on to you." Naruto's interest was peaked. "He told me to tell you that the Uzumaki and Uchiha tradition will continue. He said that a "Thousand Birds" will sing again." Naruto's eyes widened. Gone was his easy attitude; he was not aware that the Uchiha girl had progressed so quickly. He was not concerned as much as he was surprised, knowing the wonders a rivalry could do for a ninja's motivation. Still, his past with the leader of the Uchiha clan was a segue to bad memories, so Naruto tried not to think about it. However, he reasoned that it was unfair to keep his son in the dark, especially if his genin rival was gunning for first place under the guidance of her deftly gifted brother.

"Relax, Uzumaki," he said finally, aware that his perceptive son had began to empathize with a father's unknown tension. "I am your father now," he said calmly. Uzumaki relaxed his shoulders and persona, always glad when the constraints of village politics were released. Speaking less formally and stoic, he addressed his father personally, "What's wrong, Dad?" Naruto smiled calmingly, "Nothing is wrong. Let's just say that you're going to witness a lesson in change and history this evening. Mitarashi-chan?" He called for one of his attendants. A purpled haired Chuunin girl that was coincidently familiar to Uzumaki stepped into the room bowing to his father and winking at himself. Ambushed with memories of the morning in the marketplace, Uzumaki flushed. Naruto seemed not to notice. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" she answered. "Inform the house of Uchiha that they will be receiving one more guest for tea tonight." "Yes, Hokage-sama," she repeated with an answering tone. With a flirty glance at Uzumaki (who was known to be mature in attitude, skill, and appearance for his age) she left, an extra flash of mesh peaking out from the door as she made her exit. "Her name is Ryoko, Uzumaki," said the Hokage, leaning over to whisper in his son's ear in a very immature and boyish fashion. "Think she's cute?" he asked. Uzumaki did not answer. He kept his composure, but was tempted to practice one of those earth crushing punches he hadn't been allowed to use for years.


End file.
