Hello everyone, I have finally returned, and with a new story line! To all of my loyal followers, I assure you, both Jinchuuriki Unleashed and Kumo's Black Fox will be updated in the near future. But enough of that, it's time we got down to the nitty gritty of my newest story. This one will by attempt at a more, believable, powerful Naruto story. Now I know I have said this before, but the Naruto of this story will not be godlike right off the bat. All of my other stories have been that way and I wanted to take a real shot at writing one that didn't have Naruto fighting kage-level opponents on even ground after the third chapter.

Also, this story, unlike my others, will follow along with canon, with obvious changes when appropriate. Now before we get to the story itself, I feel I must warn you readers that of a few of the characters will be noticeably OOC (Out of character, to those new to the site). I won't tell you who they are, but it should become obvious by the end of the chapter.

Now enough with all this boring stuff, you came here to read a story and won't keep you from it any longer.

As always, I own nothing related to Naruto, it is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 1- Decisions

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, his usual exuberance and carefree aura replaced by an intense focus as he recounted the events of his run in with the three Sunagakure genin. His pinked haired team mate, Sakura, had been attempting to attack Konohamaru, the grandson of the Sandaime, for saying some rather unflattering things about her. He and Konohamaru's two friends, Moegi and Udon, had followed after them in the hopes of stopping Sakura before things got out of hand. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened when Konohamaru, not paying any attention to where he was going, ran into the Suna genin Kankuro. Sakura's attempts at placating the foreign genin had fallen on deaf ears as Kankuro tried to punch Konohamaru, only for Naruto's other team mate, Sasuke, to stop him with a pebble.

'That ego of his is really starting to give him a swelled head,' thought Naruto with a small chuckle, startling several nearby villagers who had been shying away from the blond because of the unusually cold aura around him. 'Although, I need to start keeping a closer eye on him; ever since we returned from Nami his attitude has become even colder than before. He's so rattled at the thought that there are people our age out there who are actually stronger than him, that it won't be long before he does something stupid and becomes a risk to everyone around him.'

Putting the topic of his unstable team mate aside, Naruto's thoughts turned to what the blonde Suna kunoichi had told them. Despite his enthusiastic outburst that he should enter the exams, he knew that the only way to enter was as a team, and they would only be permitted if their sensei nominated them to participate. And if he was honest with himself, team 7 was nowhere near ready to partake in the exams as they were.

Sakura was almost completely useless as a kunoichi, not deserving of her title as the top kunoichi of their graduating class. Sure the girl was book smart, but those smarts would only get her so far before her complete lack of battle prowess caught up to her and she found herself in a situation that she couldn't get out of. Sometimes he wondered if that was what Sakura was hoping for; that she would be some kind of damsel in distress and that Sasuke would come and save her as her knight in shining armor, not exactly the image a shinobi wants. She along with almost every other girl in their graduating class, whether they passed or not, was nothing more than an obsessed fan girl for the king of all emo's, Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke himself wasn't any better than Sakura, and in some ways he was even worse. While the young Uchiha did indeed have a great amount of skill for their age, the fact of the matter was, like Sakura, he didn't have the proper mindset to be a shinobi. Whereas Sakura was a useless fan girl, Sasuke was an unstable, spoiled emo with both a superiority and inferiority complex. Out of the three of them, Sasuke was the least ready for the Chuunin Exams, at least in terms of mentality. With the number of skilled ninja that were bound to be there, their new friends from Suna included, Sasuke's ego would take a beating at the thought of so many other people being on his skill level, or possibly even higher skill levels. Combine that with his inferiority complex…and you get a mixture that our young hero would rather not dwell on.

As for Naruto himself; in terms of skill, most would say that he shouldn't even be a genin because of his apparent lack of any skill besides spamming clones. His taijutsu was horrendous, with no set style at all, his genjutsu didn't even exist with his horrible chakra control and besides his Shadow Clone Jutsu, he had no ninjutsu at his disposal. While in terms of mental ability, it was surprising to many that he even knew how to care for himself. But that was the Naruto the public knew, the one he was more than willing to let everyone see, the one he created to protect himself.

Hokage Tower- Meeting Chamber

"You have all been assembled for only one reason," said the Sandaime Hokage to the gathered group of jounin and chuunin before him. Leaning back into his cushioned chair, the veteran shinobi looked over the assembled ninja. Most of them were wearing the dark green flak jacket that signified they were jounin's, but there was a small cluster of lighter green flak jackets amongst the group, the chuunin instructors from the Academy. Taking a long draw from his pipe, the aged kage blew out of small cloud of smoke, "It should be obvious by the members here."

"So it's already that time…" trailed Kakashi in his usual laid back manner. This was not the first time he had been present at one of these meetings, but it was the first time where he would be asked if any of his genin were ready to be nominated.

Behind him, Genma Shiranui, a special jounin and an elite bodyguard to the Hokage, was chewing on his trademark senbon, "It's already been reported to the other countries, I've seen many of their genin already in the village. So when does it begin?"

"It will begin in a week," said the Hokage as he watched his favorite blonde genin walking through the village with his crystal ball, 'Something is different about young Naruto today.' As he continued to pondered on the rather, un-Naruto like attitude his surrogate grandson seemed to have about him, the image of the blonde genin vanished as he entered his rundown apartment. The Hokage mentally sighed as he watched the image fade, the same thing had been happening for the past four years, almost as if something, or someone, was blocking his Telescope Jutsu.

Dismissing the thoughts concerning his surrogate grandson, the Sandaime lifted his head and saw that many of the assembled ninja were mumbling to one another. "For the sake of those who do not know, I will announce it properly, seven days from now, on the first day of the seventh moon…the Chuunin Selection Exam will commence!" The only people who showed any kind of reaction to the news were a few of the younger, less experienced chuunin from the Academy, "Now onto the nominations…we'll begin with those who are watching over our newest crop of genin."

Knowing that was their cue, Kakashi and his fellow jounin's stepped forward in front of the assembled group, and stood before their leader. "Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma...are there any of your genin that you feel are ready to enter this Chuunin Selection Exam?"

Towards the back of the crowd of ninja, Iruka furrowed his brow in confusion, 'Hokage-sama doesn't need to ask them, the nine of them aren't ready yet.'

"Kakashi, you may start," said the Hokage. Many of the ninja in the room thought that Kakashi wasn't going to nominate his team, hell some of them were still reeling from the shock of Kakashi actually passing a team and becoming a sensei.

Many were surprised when Kakashi raised his right hand and formed a half ram seal, but his words nearly gave them a heart attack. "I lead team 7, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno…Now I, Kakashi Hatake, nominate all three of these genin to take the Chuunin Selection Exam." The Hokage smirked slightly at the nomination; he had a strong suspicion that Kakashi would nominate his team after his report of their little adventure in Nami no Kuni.

Iruka's eyes widened as he listened to Kakashi's nomination and he couldn't stop from letting out a startled, "What?"

Kurenai formed the same seal as Kakashi and made her nomination, "Team 8, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame… I, Kurenai Yuuhi, nominate all three of them to partake in the Chuunin Selection Exam."

Asuma already had the seal formed when Kurenai finished, "My team is number 10, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi… I, Asuma Sarutobi, nominate all three of my students to take the Chuunin Selection Exam." A shocked silence followed the three jounin's nominations; this was first time in over five years that a rookie genin team had been nominated to the Exams, and the first time since the reign of the Nidaime Hokage, that all of the rookie teams were going to take part.

"Hold on!" shouted Iruka as he pushed his way to the front of the group.

"What is it Iruka?" asked the Hokage, already knowing what had gotten the chuunin instructor so riled up.

"Hokage-sama, I may be speaking out of place, but all of the nine names just given were students of mine at the Academy. I know that all of them are very talented, but it is too early for them to be taking these Exams. They have all only been genin for a few short months, they need more experience. I can't understand the jounin's reasoning for nominating the nine of them."

"You forgot that I became a chuunin when I was six years younger than Naruto," said Kakashi as he turned to face the chuunin.

"Naruto is not the same as you!" the Academy instructor all but yelled at the masked jounin. "Are you trying to destroy these kids!? The Chuunin Exam is…!"

"I can understand your feelings on the matter Iruka, it must be upsetting to you but…"

"Kakashi, stop already," said Kurenai, not liking the tone her fellow jounin was using.

"Stay out of this Kurenai. Iruka needs to understand that they are no longer students in his care… they are soldiers under my command." Iruka ground his teeth together as he glared at the famed Copy Ninja, knowing that there was not much else he could do at this point.

Deciding to break the tension that had enveloped the room, the Hokage attempted to get the meeting back on track. "Now that we have heard from the sensei's of our rookie genin, are there any others who wish to nominate their genin for the exams?" A few of the other jounin, most of them sensei's for teams that had been genin for a couple of years stepped forward to make nominations, but everyone's attention was drawn to a figure dressed in almost all green as he stepped forward and stood by Kakashi.

"I lead last year's team 9, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee and Tenten… I, Might Gai, hereby nominate all of my youthful students take part in the Chuunin Selection Exams!" said the spandex wearing jounin, ending with his signature 'Nice guy' pose, complete with sparkling teeth. Turning to his self-proclaimed 'eternal rival,' the master taijutsu user's tone became more serious, "Kakashi, my eternal rival, are you certain your youthful genin are ready for a challenge such as the Chuunin Exams? I myself held my team back for a year to hone their skills so that they would be better prepared for what these Exams will bring."

Kakashi looked up from reading his favorite orange book, ignoring the glares he was getting from the kunoichi's present, "Huh, you say something Gai?"

"AHHH, CURSE YOU KAKASHI! YOU AND YOUR HIP ATTITUDE!" everyone sweat dropped as they watched the antics of the two renowned jounin.

"Anyway," said Kakashi putting his nose back into his favorite piece of porn, "What I do with my team is none of your concern. Besides, who are you to judge my students skill when you haven't even seen them in action?"

Before Gai had a chance to respond, the voice of the Hokage interrupted him, "Enough, now if there are no other nominations for the Exams, than I officially call this meeting to a close." Standing from his cushioned chair, the Sandaime vanished in a shunshin, quickly followed by the assembled group of ninja.

Had any of them stayed for a few seconds more, they would have noticed a shadowed figure appear in a darkened corner of the room before silently disappearing. 'This ought to be interesting; I wonder how Naruto will take the news?'

Naruto's Apartment

Sitting on his bed in the lotus position, Naruto's eyes were closed as an aura of calm settled over the normally hyperactive boy. Now that he had a chance to think in peace, the blonde shinobi focused his thoughts on the one thing, or person in this case, that had been troubling him: Gaara no Sabaku. Though it may come as a surprise to many, Naruto was very skilled in the art of reading things, both human and creature. They may have only been face to face for a few short minutes, but that was all the time Naruto needed to get a good feeling for the other boy's state of mind. He knew from firsthand experience that the dark and murderous aura the boy projected was nothing more than a defense mechanism he used to protect himself. But what he was protecting himself from, Naruto did not know. That, however, was not the reason the redhead troubled Naruto so badly; what troubled him was the chakra the boy exuded. The young shinobi's chakra was thick with uncontrolled bloodlust; despite the falseness of his aura, there was nothing false about the power and thirst for blood his chakra created. It was a feeling Naruto was all too familiar with, being what he was, it was easy for him to identify the source of the young shinobi's power: a bijuu.

It was the only logical explanation Naruto could think of, and one that caused a chill to run down his spine. He understood how the boy must have been treated for him to turn out the way he did, as there was a time when he had almost succumbed to the same fate. If it were not for the Sandaime Hokage and his true sensei, he had no doubt that he may have turned out just as Gaara had. His morbid thoughts were interrupted as he felt a very familiar presence appear on the far side of his room. Barely cracking one eye open, Naruto glanced at the newcomer before returning to his meditation. "Is something wrong, sensei? It's rare for you to come to my humble abode."

A deep, throaty chuckle escaped the man's lips as he answered, "No, nothing's wrong. I just thought I'd drop by and let you know that Kakashi has nominated you and your team for the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

"So he really did decide to nominate us, huh?" heaving a resigned sigh, the blonde opened his eyes fully and looked over at his sensei, "I suppose it was to be expected, though I had hoped he wouldn't, as a team we are simply not ready for this."

"That may be," said the man as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his rather tall frame and long spiky white hair, "But perhaps these exams can serve as the catalyst to help your team reach its full potential."

"Maybe," mumbled Naruto, "But the only way that could happen is if Sasuke can get past his insecurities and if Sakura actually starts taking her career as a kunoichi seriously. And you and I both know that the possibility of either of those happening, let alone both, is slim to none." Despite the unlikeliness of it actually happening, Naruto couldn't help but hope that his sensei was right, and that the exams would help to bring them together. Though he had a feeling that they could just as easily cause the rifts in team 7 to only get larger.

"I know that Naruto," said the white haired man. In all honesty, the blonde genin's situation was far too reminiscent to his situation with his former team mates for his liking, and he would do anything to prevent his apprentice from going through that pain. "Naruto, I've told you on more than one occasion that your team is almost exactly like mine used to be. I understand how frustrating it can be hoping that your team mates will get past their demons and truly learn to work with you. But I am telling you now, don't make the same mistake I did and foolishly hope that things will work themselves out. If you truly wish for your team to become what I know it can become, you will have to take matters into your own hands."

"And what do you propose I do Jiraiya-sensei?" asked Naruto with a little heat, "I've tried numerous times to approach them about helping them, and every single time they brush me off as an annoying, loud mouthed idiot that doesn't understand anything about them. There's nothing else I can do without them getting past their insecurities first."

"Yes there is," said Jiraiya after a long moment of thought, "There is one thing you have yet to try, and though you may not like it, it has the best chance of success." Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion, prompting his sensei to elaborate. "If the two of them won't listen to Naruto Uzumaki, dead-last of the Academy," said blondes eyes widened slightly as he realized where Jiraiya was going, "Then perhaps they will listen to Naruto Namikaze, son of the Yondaime Hokage and apprentice to Jiraiya of the Sannin."

"Are you serious sensei?" said Naruto in a near whisper, "Are you sure it's a good idea to tell them? What about my father's enemies? Won't they try and make a move against me when word about my heritage gets out?"

"They most likely will," relented Jiraiya, "But despite that mask you wear, we both know you have the skills to go head-to-head with most chuunin's out there."

Naruto absently nodded as he was still recovering from the shock of Jiraiya claiming it was time he took on his true name and mantel. While it may indeed help with the situation concerning his team mates, letting this information come to light had many more consequences and repercussions as well. How would the villagers react? Would the revelation make even a few of them look past their hatred of him and recognize him for what he really was? Or would they deny it vehemently and hate him that much more for trying to take his father's, there heroes, name? His inner musings were stopped by a firm hand being placed on his shoulder. Looking up into the eyes of his godfather, Naruto saw that the man had a knowing smile playing across his features.

"I know this is a big decision for you to make Naruto, and you're worried about the repercussions that will undoubtedly come from it. But remember, just because you're revealing this information to your team doesn't mean that you have to tell the rest of the village about it. Let this serve as the first true test to see if your team truly deserves your trust and friendship. Reveal a little of your skills to get their attention, and then tell them what you need to tell them and swear them to secrecy concerning it. We can deal with the rest of the village in due time," said Jiraiya with a reassuring squeeze to his students shoulder. Knowing the blonde needed some time to think, Jiraiya released his shoulder and moved towards the shadows he appeared from, "I'll be staying in the village for the duration of the Exams and a little while afterward, if you need to talk, you know how to find me." With that parting statement, the Toad Sage walked into the shadows and vanished in a silent shunshin.

Naruto closed his eyes, regaining his meditation as he mulled over what his godfather had said. The idea had merit, that he would willingly admit, but would it truly work? Could revealing who he truly was and what he was truly capable of really help to bring them together? Even if Jiraiya believed it would, as a shinobi, he had to look at all of the possibilities that could come from his decisions. While these revelations could potentially work, they could also prove disastrous. Was he willing to risk pushing Sasuke, and by extension Sakura, away even further by showing them that he was stronger than he seemed?

With a soft chuckle, Naruto delved deeper into his meditation, his mind clearing as he reached his decision. One that would drastically change not only his life, but the lives of everyone he knew.

Training Ground 7- The Next Morning

Sasuke Uchiha was annoyed. First his attempt at learning another fire technique this morning ended in failure, and now he had the unfortunate luck of running into Sakura on his way to a team meeting and the pink haired girl wouldn't shut up or stop asking him for dates. Thankfully, they weren't far from the training ground so he could start practicing his newest jutsu again, and Sakura would go sit on the side lines watching him like she always did, giving him at least some peace and quiet for a few hours. That plan was put on hold as they entered the training grounds to a very unusual sight.

Naruto was there, though that wasn't very unusual. The blonde shinobi was always the first one to arrive, his apartment being relatively close by. No, what was unusual was the fact that the blonde was sitting on top of the center training post in the clearing, apparently meditating. Sasuke's eyebrows rose at the sight, a clear sign that he was surprised at the behavior of the normally loud mouthed ninja. Sakura likewise was surprised at the out of character behavior of her team mate. Usually the orange wearing genin would start pestering her for dates the second he saw her, or start challenging Sasuke to prove that he was better than the dark haired teen.

Slowly approaching her team mate, Sakura tried to get his attention, "Naruto, is everything ok?" she asked, not entirely sure if she liked this new side of the blonde or not. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she actually liked it when he asked her for dates. It made her feel more confident about herself that someone, even if they were as annoying as Naruto, thought she was attractive and would openly express their feelings for her.

The blonde didn't answer for a few minutes, and that caught even Sasuke's full attention. That Naruto would seemingly ignore Sakura of all people for any amount of time was not a good sign. Thankfully, to both his team mates hidden relief, Naruto eventually answered, though his voice wasn't the loud, grating at times, noise they had come to expect from the blonde. "Get what training you can in before Kakashi gets here, because once he does we all have much to discuss." The tone of finality in the blonde's voice caught the other two genin completely off guard, but than what he said finally sank in. What the hell could Naruto want to talk about that could be important enough to cause this sudden change in the blonde's personality?

Wary of what was to come, the two remaining genin of team 7 decided to heed their team mates advice for once. Sasuke moved a couple of yards away and began to practice with his jutsu again, while Sakura, surprisingly, went to a tree nearby and began to use her chakra to walk up and down the trunk like they had seen Kakashi do when he first showed them the exercise.

An hour later, Naruto's voice broke the silence that had enveloped the three genin, "Get out here Kakashi, now is not the time for your dramatics." Sasuke and Sakura, who had stopped training a few minutes ago, looked at the still meditating blonde in confusion before a rustle of leaves alerted them to the arrival of their sensei. Eyes widening in surprise, the two turned to see Kakashi a few yards away from them, for once not reading his signature smut book.

Kakashi himself had his one visible eyebrow raised in surprise that he had been noticed, let alone by Naruto of all people. Though he wasn't truly trying to conceal his presence, for a genin to notice a hidden jounin was no small feat. Deciding to deal with the change in his blonde student later, Kakashi prepared to tell the three genin about the Chuunin Exams, only to stop short as Naruto spoke up.

"Before you begin Kakashi, there is something that all of us need to discuss," not giving his sensei or team mates a chance to ask the question they all wanted to ask, Naruto pulled a premade seal tag out of his hip pouch. Throwing the piece of paper at the ground a few yards away, Naruto formed the seal of the tiger and whispered, "Guardian of Silence: Fuin." Immediately, the seal tag began to glow a soft blue before a dome of chakra spread across the field, invisible to all who did not possess a dojutsu. Opening his eyes, Naruto jumped down from his place on the training post, an unusually serious expression on his normally cheerful face.

For the first time since arriving, everyone got a good look at the blonde jinchuuriki and only now did they realize the change in his attire. Gone was the hideous orange jumpsuit he was known for, and in its place was clothing befitting a true shinobi. Black cargo pants tucked into mesh armor around his shins with black shinobi sandals covering his feet. A deep blood red, sleeveless shirt with a black Uzumaki swirl on the back over a short sleeved, skin tight, mesh armor shirt covered his torso and black bandages wrapped around his forearms. He had a shuriken holster attached to both of his thighs and two hip pouches on the back of his pants. He had changed his headbands cloth from blue to black with longer ends that reached his shoulders, and oddly enough, he also had two medium sized black scrolls with red edges attached to his lower back, just above his hip pouches.

Snapping out of his momentary funk, Kakashi spoke up, "Well Naruto… I must admit that you certainly live up to your title as the number one unpredictable ninja. I like the new look, it suits you, but I have to ask; since when have you been able to perform fuinjutsu? It's one of the most obscure arts known in the ninja world, not something one learns from a scroll or text on their own."

Naruto smirked at the suspicious undertone in his sensei's voice, he knew that his little display would garner suspicion from the jounin; in fact he was counting on it. "Your right Kakashi," he said with his smirk widening as he watched his supposed sensei's hand twitch at the lack of 'sensei' to his name, "It's not something one usually learns on their own, and I am no exception to that rule. My real sensei, the one who has trained me since I was eight years old taught me the art."

"'Real sensei,' and who exactly would that be Naruto?" asked Kakashi, losing all pretense of hiding his suspicions and letting his right hand slip into his hip pouch.

"My godfather," said the blonde, his smirk almost splitting his face as he watched the three remaining members' of team 7's eyes widen in complete surprise.

"Godfather?" questioned Sakura, the statement finally managing to knock her and Sasuke out of their stupors. "I thought you were a clanless orphan?" she asked before she remembered his reaction to people making assumptions about his life in Nami and she covered her mouth. Knowing how he was likely to react to the question, the pink haired girl immediately tried to apologize, "Oh my god, Naruto I'm so sorry…"

A dry, mirthless chuckle escaped the blonde, a sound that caused even Sasuke to shudder slightly, "Don't worry about it Sakura, it means a lot to me that you care enough to even attempt to apologize for something like that." Sakura attempted to smile at the blonde's admission, but it slipped when she realized that he hadn't said her name with the usual 'chan' suffix. "But to answer your question, I am an orphan, but that doesn't mean that I don't have people out there who care about me. As for being clanless… well, that's one of the things I am going to tell you."

Kakashi's mind quickly made the connection in the blonde's words, "You know who your parents are," he said in a soft voice, knowing exactly who Naruto's parents were. Finally, the silver haired jounin had a chance to quit living a lie; he finally had a chance to be the sensei he always wanted to be, not the one the Council and Elders forced him to be. He would be the first to admit that he was a lousy sensei, not only to Naruto, but also to Sasuke and Sakura as well. The Council had blackmailed him into focusing solely on Sasuke's, and to a lesser extent, Sakura's training, but to completely ignore Naruto so as to keep him weak.

It tore him up inside that he was effectively being told to leave Naruto to the vultures without any formal training to defend himself. Though it only added to his shame, he had done the absolute bare minimum in regards to training Sasuke and Sakura, and lying to the Council about their progress. But now, he had a chance to truly train his team the way he wanted to train them. Even if the Council tried to deny the boy his heritage, with the backing of the Hokage, and the boys mysterious godfather, he could tell the Council to, quite literally, piss off and quit interfering with his team.

Sasuke thoughts were a blur as he had come to a similar conclusion as Kakashi. If he was interpreting what Naruto had said correctly, than it meant that he and his blonde team mate had backgrounds that were even more similar than he first suspected. Ever since he learned a little of Naruto's past during their mission in Nami no Kuni, his respect for the blonde had steadily grown. He understood the pain of loneliness that he had been forced into ever since Itachi had murdered their clan. That alone allowed them to understand each other on level that no one else could ever hope to, but if Naruto truly was from a clan… then maybe, just maybe, he could finally have someone he could actually relate to, someone who could actually see him for him, not his name, someone he could consider a brother.

"However," began the blonde, "Before I tell you all anything, I want you to swear on your honor as ninja of Konoha, that you will never reveal what I am about to tell you without my express consent." Kakashi understood immediately why the blonde was asking for such an oath, and without a moment's hesitation, he swore himself to secrecy. Sasuke and Sakura knew from the Academy that swearing an oath on ones honor as a shinobi was like swearing an oath to the Hokage, absolute, and to break such an oath was one of the severest crimes a shinobi could commit. Though they hesitated for a moment, their curiosity about what had changed in their team mate won out and they swore their oaths as well. "Good," though he remained serious on the outside, he was internally relieved that they agreed to swear the oaths; it showed that they were at least loyal enough to him to not willingly betray his trust. "Now, I know this is going to be hard for you all to believe, particularly you two," he said looking pointedly at Sasuke and Sakura, "But know that I will never lie to you about matters such as this. Now, my mother was Kushina Uzumaki, a skilled kunoichi whose clan hailed from Uzu no Kuni. My father though was born in Konoha and he was orphaned at a young age, the same as I was. His name…was Minato Namikaze… the Yondaime Hokage."

A pregnant pause answered Naruto's declaration as his team fully processed the information they had been given. Kakashi was barely restraining himself from shouting out in happiness, a scene that would have been far too reminiscent of those of his so called 'eternal rival.' He may have known who Naruto's parents were, but knowing and hearing it from the boy himself, were two completely different feelings. The knowledge of knowing who Naruto's parents were, yet being unable to tell the boy had been eating away at him since his days in Anbu. But now he no longer had to carry that burden, he was free of its crushing weight and with his new freedom, he was going to do things his way, the Council be damned.

If it was not for the sudden one eighty their team mates personality had taken, and the fact that he was treating this with the level of seriousness he was, Sasuke and Sakura would have most likely laughed at the idea of Naruto being the son of the Yondaime Hokage. But the fact that Kakashi, who was known as the prodigal student of the Yondaime, didn't try and deny the claim caused them to bite their tongues. That Naruto wasn't running around the village bragging to anyone about this news only reiterated how serious the matter was and helped to give the claim more weight in their minds.

Just as Naruto was beginning to think that Jiraiya might have been wrong, Sasuke broke him out of his thoughts. "Are you serious, Naruto?" the fact that Sasuke actually addressed him by his name threw Naruto for a slight lope, while managing to bring Kakashi and Sakura out of their temporary stupors.

"Yes, Sasuke, dead serious," said Naruto, his hopes rising slightly. "My godfather had a friend of his run a blood test so that when the time came for me to claim my true name; we had the tests to prevent anyone from denying me my birthright."

Sasuke then did something none of them had ever seen before, he smiled. A true, genuine smile adorned the last Uchiha's face as he walked up to his stunned team mate and clasped his shoulder, conveying his support to the blonde genin. "Though we both came from different upbringings, our histories are almost identical to each other. Know that even if those jackasses on the Council don't support your claim, I do."

A smile of his own forming, Naruto clasped Sasuke's shoulder as well, the tentative bonds of brotherhood between the two shinobi strengthening. A few feet away, a proud smile could be seen underneath the mask of the Copy Ninja as he watched his two students. 'They finally understand what it truly means to be team mates, brothers in arms. Now if only Sakura can get over her childish crush on Sasuke…'

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun's right," said the resident pinkette of team 7, "No matter what happens, we'll always support you Naruto." This statement caused all of the males present to inwardly sigh, even in a situation as serious and emotional as this, she still manages to convey her undying support for the last Uchiha.

Though he appreciated the show of support, no matter how influenced it may have seemed, Naruto knew that he had to straighten Sakura out or the girl was going to end up getting herself killed. "Sakura," he said looking the girl straight in the eye, "Think very carefully about how you answer this; do you truly mean what you are saying, or are you only doing it because of Sasuke?"

Just as the young kunoichi was about to say of course she meant it, a stern glare from not only Naruto, but Sasuke and Kakashi as well stopped her short. Looking at the ground, Sakura contemplated if she really did mean what she had said. For so long she had been supporting Sasuke and his decisions, not really thinking things through on her own. So when Sasuke said he would support Naruto, her mind automatically agreed with him and said she would as well, not even considering her own feelings on the matter. But now that she truly thought about it, she did mean what she had said. She may have been annoyed by Naruto's old antics, just like everyone else in the village, but he had proven his loyalty and trust in her numerous times, the least she could do was prove that she was worthy of that trust.

Looking up into the eyes of her blonde team mate, a fierce determination could be seen burning in her emerald orbs. "I mean it Naruto, I will always support you, that's what team mates are for aren't they?"

Naruto gave a small smirk in response as he waved the last member of team 7 over. Once she reached them, Naruto placed his other hand on Sakura's shoulder as well, "Thank you Sakura, and you're right, that is what team mates are for."

Gaining a small playful smile, Sakura flipped her hair a little, "Of course I'm right, I was the top kunoichi at the Academy." Even Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the pinkette's comment; he could admit that when Sakura wasn't obsessing over him, she was actually a decent person to be around.

Kakashi's smile returned in full force as his team seemed to have finally come together, even if it was just a little. His smile turned into a frown as his mind returned to the reason he had called the team meeting, 'Now that they have bonded more as a team, their chances in the Exams just went up a notch, but in terms of skill, only Sasuke and Naruto are truly ready for the Second and Third Stages of the Exams. I'll have to up their training for the next week to try and get them all up to par and get them used to working with the new skills each of them will develop as well.'

"Alright team," the three genin turned towards Kakashi, each of them immediately becoming serious when they saw their sensei's expression. "My original plan for this meeting was to inform you all that I had nominated you guys for the Chuunin Exams being held in a week and let you guys rest up and prepare for a week on your own." Sasuke and Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise, but Naruto retained his serious expression, something Kakashi wasn't completely surprised by. "But now that plan has changed, with Naruto's sudden change in abilities, Sasuke and Sakura need time to get used to working with this new you. Also, Sasuke I will be helping you hone your ability with your Sharingan and Sakura I'll have you working on upping your chakra reserves, improve your taijutsu and maybe get you started on learning the basics of medical ninjutsu. For now though, we'll start with another chakra control exercise, water walking."

"I already know this exercise Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, feeling that Kakashi had earned his proper title with what he had planned for them. "If you want, I can work with Sasuke and Sakura to get them up to speed on it while you go and get some scrolls of medical ninjutsu for Sakura and whatever other supplies you'll need to help train us."

"I had a feeling you would already know the exercise Naruto," the cycloptic jounin said, "Alright, you get those two started while I fetch some supplies, I'll be back in a flash." With that, the copy-nin disappeared in poof of smoke, leaving his students to work.

Turning towards the river that ran through the training ground, Naruto motioned for his team mates to follow him. As soon as they reached the bank of the river, Sasuke and Sakura stopped but where surprised when Naruto continued to walk and had to stop themselves from openly gaping when he started walking across the surface of the water. Stopping once he reached the center of the river, Naruto turned to see his wide eyed team mates and smirked. "Alright you two, this is the water walking exercise. It's similar to the tree walking, but instead of a fixed amount of chakra, you have to emit a continuous stream of chakra from your feet into the water to remain on the surface. Now normally, I'd let you find out the proper amount of chakra to emit on your own, but we're kind of in a rush, so we're going to cheat a little bit. Sakura, start off by placing a single foot on the water's surface until you feel like you have the chakra amount correct then step out with the other foot. Keep repeating that process until you feel comfortable enough to walk normally." The lone female nodded in understanding and stepped up the water's edge and placed her right foot on the surface, already emitting her chakra to keep it in place. "Sasuke, while Sakura's doing that, use your Sharingan to see how I'm moving my chakra and try and replicate it on your own, but remember, every person's body is different, so the proper amount and how you emit it will be slightly different than mine."

Nodding in understanding, the last Uchiha's eyes flickered from black to red as his two tomoe Sharingan appeared. Looking at Naruto's feet, Sasuke saw that he was emitting a constant, yet focused stream of chakra from the soles of his feet. Placing a foot on the water's surface, Sasuke tried to take another step, only for his control to slip slightly and he sank ankle deep in the water. Remembering what Naruto had said about everyone being different, Sasuke increased the amount of chakra slightly and felt his body rise slightly, but not completely out of the water.

This was the scene that Kakashi returned to thirty minutes later; Sakura was jogging along the water's surface, in an attempt to use more chakra and help increase her reserves. Sasuke and Naruto where having a small taijutsu bout on the river, forcing Sasuke to split his attention and helping him to get more accustomed to walking on water. "That's enough for now team, come over here for a minute," the three genin walked back to their sensei and stood at attention in front of him. "Now before we get any further, I'm going to test each of you for your elemental affinity. This will tell us what type of jutsu will be easiest for you to use and which ones you need to train in order to counter. Naruto, I'm assuming your other sensei has already tested you for your affinities, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm a wind and water type," said the blonde, channeling a bit of chakra into the chakra paper he pulled out of his hip pouch. The paper reacted immediately by splitting in half, before both sides darkened and became damp.

"Two affinities right from the start, impressive, and one offensive and one defensive element as well, a good combination. Now Sasuke, Sakura, channel your chakra into these slips of paper, how it reacts will tell us your natural affinity." Sasuke's paper instantly began to crumple when his chakra came into contact with it, while Sakura's hardened and began to crumble into dirt. "Well, well, this is certainly interesting, between the three of you, you have access to every single element. Sasuke, it appears you natural affinity is lightning, the same as mine, and Sakura your affinity is earth, one of the strongest defensive elements out there. We'll begin working on the practical application of manipulating your elements tomorrow, until then, Sasuke, Sakura; you can head home, but make sure you read these scrolls on the theory of lightning and earth manipulation. Naruto, I'm going to need to get a handle on your true level of skill so I can plan out methods on how you all can work together and capitalize on each other's strengths and cover your weaknesses."

Sasuke and Sakura took the scrolls Kakashi gave them, but instead of leaving, they walked over to the training posts and sat down, intent on seeing what their team mate was truly capable of. Seeing that his two students weren't planning on moving anytime soon, Kakashi turned to his blonde pupil and was forced duck under a powerful roundhouse that would have left his ears ringing. Completely caught off guard, Kakashi barely managed to roll away from the follow up chakra enhanced punch that left a slight crater on the ground.

Kakashi only had a few seconds the gape at the strength, chakra enhanced or not, that his student had. 'I may not know how skilled he is, but I know you would be proud of the shinobi your son is on his way to becoming Minato-sensei,' he was forced out of his thoughts as Naruto threw a single shuriken at him and formed a few hand seals, causing the single shuriken to multiply into dozens. 'Though maybe I should have asked him to simply tell me his skills,' thought the copy-nin as he jumped away from the hail of steel.

And there you have it, the first chapter of Unmasked. I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope to hear from you your thoughts on it so far.

Until next time, my loyal readers,

BSW