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"Naruto!" – Regular Talk

'Naruto!' – Thoughts

Naruto! – Flashback

Naruto! – Jutsu and Devil Fruit

A Fox Or A Bear

Mission To Behind the Waterfall And In Waves

Previously on A Fox Or A Bear,

"I don't know how you thought that gradating the Academy will give you the right choices to pass my exam and I thought that you will at least have the starting sighs of teamwork since you are, in anyways, rivals or antagonistic towards one and another in the Academy." The Grey Bear moved on and the more he spoke, the more shame Team Eight felt for themselves.

"But it is lunch time so I am going to allow you to eat with the promise that you will not feed Sakura. If I find out then you all are out of the Shinobi Ranks for the rest of your lives." Their sensei then disappeared, leaving behind three bento boxes, before any of them could respond.

Hinata and surprisingly Choji didn't feel rather hungry until their stomachs said otherwise so they silently dove in. But what distracted them even more was Sakura's own hungry stomach which growled every five minutes. It soon gotten too unbearable and they started to forget about eating anymore and used their chop sticks to bring some of the food to Sakura's mouth.

"B-but…" Sakura tried to protest, to prevent them from forsaking their careers as Genin for something as silly as feeding her. She will live if she missed a whole day of eating.

"We c-can't j-just leave y-you like t-this a-all for s-some s-stupid last m-minute c-chance a-at b-being an S-shinobi. We w-will a-always try a-again next y-year." Hinata tried her best to say that through her stutter and Choji nodded. After a few minutes of letting this sink in, Sakura gave up and was about to eat the piece of food when a shadow was cast over them all.

"I said not to feed Sakura and you did it anyway!" The Grey Bear shouted but wondered why not one of them were flinched and looking down but starting back at him.

"Then send us back for all we care! At least make sure that Sakura doesn't get kicked out for this unfairness!" Choji took his turn and when the Grey Bear said nothing, they still maintained their attitude the best they could with growling stomachs but then the Grey Bear smiled.

"Very well, I will send…" Team Eight braced for the breaking news, "No one." That wasn't what they had in mind at all. "You choose loyalty to your teammates over stupid rules set by people who love to be in charge and have no place for displeasure with kids acting on their own. I am not that type of Shinobi." Team Eight still didn't know what to think about this, "Instead I am someone that you all know in the back of your minds."

"Grey Bear Sensei?" Sakura said speaking for her confusion that is shared throughout Team Eight.

"I am called the Grey Bear of Konoha but I will only allow you to know my true name. I am, Naruto Uzumaki." It was like Team Eight was looking at a mirage over their teacher and saw his face for real. To be the same blonde that had to put up with mobs that harass him for his distinctive features, similar to how a sore thumb sticks out, until he supposedly had disappeared and replaced with a more behaved and passive blonde that was able to convince the civilians to treat him like an entirely different person.

"Naruto…"

"…Uzumaki?" Choji and Sakura respectably said, the name was familiar but difficult to remember why until,

"…I-it's you!" Team Eight were surprised to hear Hinata speak out until she shamelessly threw herself into Naruto's arms. "You were the one who saved me when I was three!" Now everyone didn't know what to think anymore to hear not a single stutter from the normally shy Hinata or that she claimed that their teacher saved her almost ten years ago. "Thank you!"

"It was no problem Hinata-chan. I just wish that I did more than that and now your family are split apart regardless of who was fault." Naruto said which got Hinata to nod while she shown to be tearing up, damping Naruto's shirt.

"You mean that you are the one that protected me from the bullies until I met Ino?" Sakura added and Choji then spoke up as well.

"You also helped me out too, by showing off those who insulted me and got me involved in wresting! It really helped and no one bullied me ever since!" This was news to every single Genin in Team Eight. "Is that…"

"…Why you…"

"…Chose us…"

"…As your students!?"

Naruto smiled, it was like he had taken two different looking puzzle pieces together only to find out that they fit perfectly. "Of course, you all have potential to be great people and no one else seemed to see that. How could I leave you all to rot in a corner like that?"

Team Eight felt like they were just bursting with happiness and their hearts were light and shining like the sun. They then smiled brighter than a hundred watt lightbulb, "Thank you Sensei!"

"Moon Eye, are you in position?" Hinata heard over her intercom, trying to keep down her blushing towards the praising nickname towards one of her most distinctive features that supposedly made her very beautiful for her age.

"Y-yes Sensei. How about y-you Flower Petals? Is the t-target in sight?" Hinata, thankfully, had made a lot of progress on her stuttering so that she only does it on rarer occasion while still trying to fix it entirely.

"Copy. A small, brown cat with a ribbon on the right ear. Target is confirmed and in sight." Sakura's voice spoke through the intercom and Hinata nodded.

"And you Boy Boar? Has the target spotted you?" Sakura spoke again and this time, to the remaining member of Team Eight from her position looking down on a cat that definitely fits her description.

"The target has responded like so but I am going to keep hiding." Choji spoke and Sakura smiled to herself. For a boy who was bullied to the point of sensitivity and slightly below average intelligence, those lectures had really helped Choji a lot.

"Very well Team Eight. Now…" This time, every Genin heard their sensei speak over their intercom, all at once. "Capture!" Team Eight then sprang in action on the cat who was surely surprised out of its fur and whiskers. But before it could get anywhere from the Genin,

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Choji managed to cut off the runaway cat and trapped it with his enlarged arm and hand, forming a makeshift cage that weight down on the cat gently so that it couldn't try to get away. "Hurry Hinata! Sakura!" Choji cried out for his teammates to pitch in.

Hinata managed to move in on the cat's legs and temporarily disable the nerves so the cat will be limp and unable to run for a good hour until the effects wear off. Meanwhile, Sakura touched the cat's head and the feline slowly got tired and fell asleep on the spot. "N-nice Genjutsu there, S-sakura-san." Hinata remarked and Sakura felt a little proud despite the stutter that is still present in Hinata's speech.

"I am just glad that I actually knew where my talents lied. And Sensei giving me a book on Genjutsu along with another on different ideas for some of my own." Sakura was definitely a different girl than at the academy. Not only was she much smarter in terms of knowledge, but she was able to use her below-average Chakra reserves and her above-average Chakra Control to form a talent for Genjutsu, the art of casting illusions to fool the senses of her targets.

"Regardless, good job Team Eight." By now, the three Genin were used to their sensei popping out of nowhere. "That makes two hundred and three five D-rank missions. Now Hokage-sama will have to give you a C-rank to do."

"Yeah!" They all cheered and almost forgot about the cat and embraced their sensei like children who got early Christmas presents from their father. "Thank you Sensei!"

XXXXX

"My baby!" Lady Shijimi, wife to the Fire Daimyo that rules over the entire Fire Country, squealed as she embraces the same cat that Team Eight were sent to capture. Apparently that cat was the pet of Lady Shijimi, named Tora, and this wasn't the first time the cat has escaped his owner and being part of the most dreaded D-rank mission in Shinobi History altogether. And by how Shijimi was trying to crush Tora, it was clear on why the cat has escaped numerous times in the past.

"Excuse Lady Shijimi…" Hinata was always trying to do the best for everyone but it takes guts and nerves of steel to even talk to a woman of high class like Shijimi. It was just lucky for them that know the wife of the Fire Daimyo, that Shijimi was not that spoiled and rash but actually very friendly and kind. "Can my Team and I make a suggestion for the sake of Tora not running away anymore?"

"Okay!" Shijimi simply said and the entire Team Eight took a large gulp before giving some tips based on their own experience. Choji explained that Tora needs a good diet since the cat was like a living fishbone, the ribs were easily seen pressing against the skin. Sakura said that Tora also needs to be treated right given that the fur had sighs of actually pulling on, some were about to fall out as well. And Hinata suggested that Shijimi will treat Tora like her own daughter, with love and gentleness and actually make the cat feel welcomed and loved. When Shijimi treated them out with some fish, trying out any favorites spots to rub and did it all gently, Tora was now comfortable in her arms; the cat then jumped on the shoulder of every Genin that helped 'him' get a much better life and thanked them by rubbing and licking them.

Shijimi then took Tora back home with both her and the cat waving goodbye in their own way. "That was pretty nice back there students." Team Eight looked to their sensei with his look of pride shining along with the sunshine. "Thanks to you, Lady Shijimi will be a much better owner of Tora and now none of us will have to try and catch him anymore. Good work."

"Thanks Sensei!" They all proclaimed until they heard someone cough in order to get their attention.

"While that is true to what Naruto-kun said, you still need to get your pay for the mission completed and decide on you next D-rank…" Hiruzen started until he saw that Team Eight shook their heads violently.

"With all due respect Hokage-Sama. You promised us a C-rank once we did two hundred D-ranks the least over the past three months so we are not going anywhere until you issue us one." Naruto spoke and Team Eight nodded and steadied their glaze at the Hokage who sighed hardly.

"I did promise you that and your teamwork has shown great improvement. So yes, it is time for the next step." Hiruzen said, much to the protesting of Iruka who happened to be in the office as well. "Here is one that should be appropriate for your capabilities and help you get more experience on another skill that is expected of a future clan heir, Team Eight." Hiruzen said and took out the mission paper for Naruto to look over.

"Hmm…A journey to set up connections between Konohagakure and Takigakure…and then to Wave Country Hokage-sama?" Naruto said after reading the details of this 'C-rank' mission. "Isn't this more like an A-rank mission considering the importance of this to the village?"

"It was but Kakashi-kun had reserved a C-rank for the same, second destination and will leave for it a week after you will. I am seeing if a team can work with itself, it should work with other teams too." Hiruzen said and was wondering why Team Eight was sighing in disbelief and moaning in disapproval. "What?"

"No offense Hokage-sama but we heard a lot from Team Seven and they were not good." Naruto said. "Team Seven believes that since they had the 'best Shinobi under you' for their Jonin Instructor, they were going to be the best team. And instead they are far behind in their training, even in the basics." Team Eight nodded. "And also, they are not the friendliest of teams and I heard that the last time they were sharing a mission with another team, Team Seven wanted to complete it on their own instead of working together. So we can't be sure that we will work together on any mission will end up sharing."

"Fine Naruto-kun. I will think about this and I will expect a report about how you and Team Seven work together anyways." Hiruzen said and Team Eight knew that nothing is going to prevent them from sharing a mission with Team Seven. They just dismissed themselves to get ready for a long journey outside the village boundaries with a glum expression on their faces.

Seriously, they were excited to have their very first C-rank mission and they instead got an A-rank and what is rubbing salt in the wounds is that Team Seven might end up working with Team Eight before the mission could be completed. Talk about bad karma.

XXXXX

Despite this development, it was time to leave for Takigakure and for the first half of the A-rank mission. And to tell the truth, the main reason that Naruto accepted this mission anyways was, in his words 'an example of what a Hidden Shinobi Village really should be'. After all, the village isn't on any map and there are no paths leading to it either.

Instead, there is a series of waterfalls that are part of a single mountain with trees growing in various places. But within it is the village of Takigakure, named because it is the village that is located behind a certain waterfall. In fact, the secret to finding the village was to find the right water fall and enter it. But when most people, enemy Shinobi and bandits included, tried to enter the waterfalls, they drowned instead.

And by the time Team Eight found the mountain, "Sensei, how are we supposed to find the village? Didn't a lot of people try already?" Choji asked and Naruto still smiled.

"Yes a lot of people did and what is worse is that most of them are Shinobi who have been in the field longer than even me and they still haven't figured out how to get there." Naruto said. "In fact, the only times a shinobi is ever found is either that he is finally discovered or that he gives himself away. A Shinobi can't allow anyone to find him because that will just instead lead to failure and false trails."

"So you say to find the waterfall that is false?" Sakura said, bringing back to what Naruto understood about how to get to Takigakure, or what they simply call as Taki. They now that their sensei had figured out how to get to Taki but his mouth is like a steel trap, never moving when he doesn't want to. Three months was more than enough time to figure that out for Team Eight.

"But all of them looked real!" Choji proclaimed and his team just smirked at him, "What!?"

"To a bandit, everything can look the same. But to a Shinobi, we can see just how different two things really are when they do look identical." Naruto said before settling down on a nearby patch of grass. "Now you three go and try to figure out the entrance to the village. And be quick because we are expected in no later than an hour. Go."

Naruto then took out yet another book from his uniform and got heavily involved in his readings. Meanwhile, Choji looked a little worried to do something without his teacher's help. He just followed after the girls who looked at every single waterfall on the mountain. Until, "What is wrong with this one?" Choji pointed to one of them and got his teammates' attention.

"What do you mean?" Hinata said with the true least amount of stuttering as she could.

"I mean that every single waterfall needs to have a way to send all the water that falls with it but not this one." Choji started to explain. "There is no stream starting from the base of the waterfall or even a tunnel to diver tall the water. Then where is it all going?" Choji asked and his teammates smiled instead of answering him.

"Congratulations Choji, you are getting smarter and sharper every single day." Choji simply tuned to see Naruto starting down on him like usual. "That is the entrance to the village."

"But didn't I say…?" Choji started until he saw that there was indeed an opening in the large pond at the base of this waterfall. He could even see some of the water in it moving through the underwater tunnel.

"That is why Genjutsu are still deadly and yet underrated Choji. Come on, we are burning daylight out here." Naruto said and dove into the pond with the girls after him. Choji just sighed and jumped into the pond in an attempt to follow them the best he could; after all, there are no ponds back home in Konoha to have swimming lessons.

Once Choji had gotten through the tunnel and out the other side, Naruto pulled him out so the boy can catch his breath. But that was a little, metaphorically difficult considering the sight that behold Choji. The one that was already taking the breath of his teammates, Takigakure itself.

It was like the whole mountain was hollow and in the center was a large tree with branches connecting to the outside. That also has some kind of plant at the peak of the large tree that was giving off natural sunlight; maybe it is connected to the trees outside gathering the natural light of the sun and into the village. And speaking of the large tree, there were buildings and roads mostly at the base and only a select few higher up.

"Is this…?" Choji could only say to the mere sight.

"This is what a Shinobi Village should be Choji. And that is why we must keep this a secret, to our graves before it is spilled over." Naruto said in a tone that Team Eight knew very well, stern and not taking any nonsense. And that was why they only nodded.

"Oh? Are you the Shinobi from Konoha, here because of our request?" Team Eight turned, as a whole, to another voice entirely.

"And you must be Shibuki, the leader who sent us that by personal Shinobi hawk." Naruto said and his team got a good look at this village leader that looked no younger than either of them.

Shibuki has ink black eyes and has long, dark brown hair. He also wears a forehead protector symbolizing his shinobi status. He wears grey pants, a green shirt, and shinobi sandals. In addition to his outfit, he has grey shoulder pad on his left shoulder with a brown strap over. As a village head, Shibuki wears a light yellow kimono jacket and light grey pants with a red scarf around his neck and a turquoise cardigan. He also ties his hair in a lower ponytail.

"Of course. And since you have arrived by through our waterfall, may I escort you to where you can dry up before we start out discussions?" Shibuki spoke in an elegant and friendly tone that fits how he is a very young leader. Team Eight didn't want to wait around with wet clothes or even catch a cold because of which so they all nodded and followed Shibuki into the village.

"And why I am discussing with Shibuki-sama, you three can explore the village but I must be able to find you all in the same place once I am done." Naruto spoke to his students who nodded in obedience, it was foolish to not take Naruto's words seriously, and with excitement, to finally check out what this village has that Konoha does and does not. But they had no idea what they will find, for sure.

XXXXX

A week later, on the border of the Fire Country and Water Country,

Team Eight were walking on the lake that they came across while on route to the fisherman village that is supposed to be only accessible by boat. But Shinobi can cut the time and money by simply walking there. "Boy, am I glad that you taught me this before coming to this part of the Elemental Continent." However, it seemed that they had someone extra with them.

"I just hope that Team Seven know this too. After all, their Jonin instructor has an unhealthy reputation for not only being tardy to the extreme but also lazy." Naruto said, not bothered by this development at all. Like he was used to a fifth voice in his company. "And adding further insult to injury for the rest of us Jonin, this one is still the prime candidate for our next Hokage.

"I guess so." The same fifth person said as Team Eight continued to walk on the surface of the lake surrounding the Wave Village. The only problem was that they also came across some kind of fog, half way to the where the village was supposed to be. Naruto's shape was clear to be taller than his students and they also had their own unique shapes to tell each other apart but there was this fifth shape in the fog as well.

As the voice was more like a girl's, the shape was too. She was between the height of Team Eight and Naruto with a slender figure. The clothes were foreign for sure and no one in Konoha wears something like that. And the remaining feature to be determined in the fog was that her hair was shot and set on all sides of her head.

"But what is that?" That same, mysterious girl pointed away from the direction of the village and the sounds of a scuffle had caused Team Eight to look there too.

"It sounds like an encounter, Hinata?" Naruto said and Hinata nodded before activating her eyes again.

"This fog, i-it is a-a Jutsu." Hinata said, "And the signatures in the distance are those of Team Seven, along with a figure with the same amount of Chakra as Kakashi-san!" Hinata finished and that meant trouble. There was someone with Kakashi and the only one with the same amount of chakra will have to be on the same level as the cyclops Jonin!

"If that is so then I know who it is? Zabuza Momochi, the Demon Within the Mist." Naruto brought the icebreaker down and soon, his company started to tremble in fear. Zabuza Momochi was an A-rank Missing Nin and is a master of killing with pure silence. He could even par with Naruto, the Grey Bear of Konoha!

End of Chapter 4.

*What do you think? I hope that my interception of where Taki is since they never were that specific in the canon or non-canon was something acceptable or not. Tell me where you thought Taki was. I will love to hear it!*

Translations:

Bubun Baika no Jutsu – Partial Multi-Size Technique

Konohagakure – Hidden Leaf Village

Takigakure – Hidden Waterfall Village