Two Years Later - Naruto & Sasuke: 10 yrs

"Tell me a story!" cried out Naruto as he sat in ankle deep water. He was now dressed in a sleeveless orange hoodie with a black undershirt. He wore black shorts, and his spiky blond hair was kept in place with a pair of green goggles. He looked up at the cage in front of him, and just stared at the beast the lay behind it.

The nine tails gave a low growl as it spat, "Fuck off."

Naruto waved his arms in the air frantically, before pointing his finger at the Nine Tails. Naruto the groaned, "Don't be like that! I mean you must have like a shit ton of stories. I just want you to tell me a couple. Maybe some that involve…..I don't know some cool wind jutsus?"

"You're not deceiving me at all, I know what you want, stupid brat." revealed the Nine Tails as he remained in his position. Naruto blushed as he knew he was not very good at tricking people with word play. The Nine Tails then let out some hot breath, and he asked, "Why do you keep bothering me. Just go fuck off, and go play ninja with your beloved Uchiha."

"HE'S NOT MY BELOVED UCHIHA! AND I DON'T PLAY NINJA!" shouted Naruto as he stood up and ran towards the cage. However, Naruto was quickly reminded why he never went near the cage as the Nine Tails instantly clawed for Naruto. Naruto barely managed to dodge it, but was unfazed by the attack. Naruto then added, "I JUST WANT YOU TO TEACH ME ANOTHER WIND JUTSU!"

"I taught you the last so you would stop coming here!" reminded the Nine Tails as he showed his teeth at Naruto. Then seethed, "So, fuck off before I kill you!"

"Oh please, like your furry little paws could even touch me." teased Naruto, which only caused a greater reaction from the Nine Tails. It slammed it's tails against the cage, and sent a hurl of wind towards Naruto The Nine tails threatened "YOU little brat."

"Alright, fine don't teach me another jutsu, but at least tell me an interesting story. I ditched class just to be here." moaned Naruto as he sat back down where he stood. The Kyuubi sneered, "You do that every other day." Naruto ignored the Nine tails as he put his finger up to his chin, and he thought for a moment. Then he asked, "Why don't you tell me how you came to be?"

"I already told you. I'm the embodiment of chakra. So fuck off."

Naruto growled this time, "There's no way! You had to come from somewhere. I can't believe you were just created to be some evil fox spirit. Come on, tell me something cool."

"Why do you care?" asked the Kyuubi with a bit less menace. Surprised Naruto would even care about his origins. Naruto shrug his shoulders and explained, "Well, Sasuke and I were reading about the origins of the Uchiha Clan. Something about the Uchiha clan being a descendant of some guy called the Sage of Six Pages. And-"

The kyuubi growled at Naruto as he corrected him, "The Sage of Six Paths."

"Wait, how do you know that?"

The Nine Tails stared at Naruto for the longest time. Silence filled the room as not a single sound was made. Naruto made an impatient look as he started to think that the kyuubi would not answer. Then the nine tails answered, "The Sage of Six Paths was the man who created me."

"WHAT! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE THE EMBODIMENT OF CHAKRA!" questioned Naruto. The Nine Tails then revealed, "I am the embodiment of chakra, but I am only one piece of the puzzle."

"Wait, there's a puzzle now?" asked Naruto as he calmed down and scratched his head. He then muttered, "Geez, this is so confusing."

"Thank whatever God decided to play this seal between us Naruto because if it was up to me. I would've murdered that pea sized brain of yours long ago." shared the Nine Tails with Naruto as he then added, "However, I refuse to let you go around spewing lies about my origins. So, I comply to your little story time. Now shut up and listen."

"Yea!" cheered Naruto as the Nine tails shot him a stink eye. The Nine Tails blew air out of his nose before starting his story. He then began, "Long ago, there stood a tree thought to be a tree of a God. Humans protected the tree and kept people from eating from it's fruits. As they believed the Gods would become upset and punish them. However, that was until a woman named Kaguya Otsutsuki came along."

"Kaguya?" repeated Naruto as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine such a person. The Nine tails continued, "Kaguya disobeyed all of the sacred rules and decided to eat from the tree. That's when she acquired it….the ability to manipulate chakra."

"She used her new found power to conquer the lands and take over the world. She brought forth an empire that had never been seen before. She became regarded as a God. However, she was inexperienced by the power of chakra, and she allowed the chakra to consume her. Filled with hatred, her peaceful reign quickly turned into a nightmare." said the Nine tails as it stared into the distance, "However, hope was not lost among you humans. As Kaguya had given birth to two sons. Whom both shared views that were not aligned with their mothers. They believed that their mother had gone too far, so they challenged her."

"So, I'm guessing one of these brother is the Sage of Six Pages?"

"SAGE OF SIX PATHS, YOU FUC-," The Kyuubi stopped his rant halfway before calming himself down, Then he continued, "But yes, one of the brothers was the Nine Tails. The two managed to defeat their mother, but in the process they accidently released the tree's true nature….The Ten Tails."

"Ten Tails?"

"Yes, as I said before I am only a piece of the puzzle. The Sage of Six Paths used his legendary Rinnegan to seal the beast inside him. Thus, giving birth to the first true JInchuuriki. For the longest time peace filled the lands, and it was all thanks to Sage of Six Paths. For this he became regarded as a God and even today his name is still passed on." boomed the Nine Tails. Naruto frowned and he asked, "Wait, so how does this include you?"

"I was getting there." sneered the Nine Tails as he was getting tired of being interrupted. Then he finished, "However, the Sage of Six Paths was still a man, he was not immortal. There came a time where he eventually died. Fearing for the safety of the world, he devised a plan, so even at the hour of his death the Ten Tails would not be resuscitated. Using the last of his strength he split the Ten Tails into nine entities of chakra. That's how I become to be who I am. I am the ninth piece of that puzzle, I am the Nine Tailed Fox."

Naruto stayed silent as his mouth stayed open wide as he couldn't think of anything to say. The Sage of Six Paths managed to create…..him? This beast that with a flick of his tail could destroy an entire town. The Nine Tails smirked as he finally managed to keep the brat shut. Naruto then narrowed his eyes, and he snorted, "Well, at least he could of came up with a cooler name the Nine Tailed Fox. I mean did he just call it as he saw it?"

"MY NAME IS OBVIOUSLY NOT THE NINE TAILED FOX, YOU IDIOT!" spat the Nine Tails, which caused Naruto to deadpan. Naruto then sat up and shouted, "Wait, you have a name?"

Nine Tails growled as he had not intended to share that with Naruto. He then growled, "Are you stupid, the Sage of Six Paths was nothing short but a saint. He did not compare to the lowly humans that crawl our earth today. He gave us proper names. "

"So, what is it?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Naruto stomped his foot, and shouted, "Why not? You live inside me, why the hell can I not know your name!"

"I didn't choose to live inside you, brat."

"Well, neither did I, but I don't complain as much as you!" growled Naruto as he turned away from the Nine Tails. However, Naruto's words strung a string in the Kyuubi's heart. The Nine Tails narrowed his eyes and studied the blond haired boy. That's when Naruto mumbled, "Just trying to make the best of the situation….stupid Fox."

"NARUTO WAKE UP!"

Both Naruto and the Kyuubi cringed as Iruka's shrill rang in their ears. Naruto formed a hand seal and was about to leave his mindscape, when he heard the Kyuubi whisper, "Kurama."

"What?"

"My name is Kurama."

Naruto's eyes widen as he let the name sink in. He then couldn't help but let a sly smile slip by. Naruto watched as the Nine Tails closed his eyes before he exited his mindscape.

LINE

"NARUTO!"

Naruto put his hands to his ears as he opened his eye. He quickly came eye to eye with Iruka-sensei. Naruto just stared his flared up nostrils and unblinking eyes. Naruto then groaned, "Can you tone it done, Iruka-sensei. You're too loud."

Iruka the grabbed Naruto by the ear, and yelled, "I WOULDN'T HAVE TO IF YOU DIDN'T GO SNOOZING OFF! NOW PAY ATTENTION!"

Iruka let go of Naruto's ear and turned around to the front of the classroom. Naruto rubbed his ear as he looked over at Sasuke who was snickering at him. Naruto then muttered, "Thanks for the warning."

Sasuke ignored him as he payed attention to the rest of the lecture. Naruto blew some hot air out of his nose as he looked up right at the clock. His eyes remained there for the rest of the time as he counted the seconds go by. The class eventually came to an end once the bells went off. Naruto and Sasuke stood up to leave, but they were called out by Iruka, "Naruto, Sasuke I need you to stay after class."

"Stupid, dobe, you got us both in trouble." fumed Sasuke as he walked towards Iruka. Naruto just gave a surprised look, and coughed, "How is it my fault?"

Naruto and Sasuke leaned against the front row of desks, and waited for the students to leave. A few girls waved at Sasuke, hoping to get his attention, but were disappointed with a wave from Naruto. Which didn't sit well with the ladies as they gave Naruto a stink eye. Naruto deadpanned, "Why do you always get all the girls, Teme?"

"Hn."

When the last student had left Iruka walked up to the pair. He then handed them each a piece of paper, and he explained, "Last week we sent out information to all the parents about Early Graduation Exams."

"Early Graduation Exams? What's that?" asked Naruto. As he'd never heard the term. Sasuke looked interested as he was also in the dark. Iruka then answered, "Well, once you reach the age of 10, a student's parent can give their kid permission to attempt the Graduation Exam. It's a system met to weed out the more talented students and put them on the field."

"Wait, but we don't have any parents." pointed out Naruto. Iruka nodded, and he revealed, "Yes, but you both are under the care of the Sandaime. He's decided to give you permission to both attempt the exam, if you so desire. All you have to do is show up on the date given on the paper with all the needed documentation. If you pass you will be graduating with the upcoming graduation class."

Naruto and Sasuke both exchanged a glance between each other, and they both knew exactly what their were going to do. Iruka saw the little exchange and he cleared his throat. He then offered, "While, you both may be a little young, I do believe you both are rather talented…..well one more so than the other." Naruto frowned. "Even if you do come to fail. I believe it would be a great experience, and would help develop your skills as ninjas. However, if you do come to pass. Well, I can only wish you two the best as ninjas."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" shined Naruto as he had not expected that from Iruka. Over the years the two hadn't seen eye to eye, but Naruto admitted that Iruka was better than most teachers he'd had. Naruto then barked, "When I become Hokage, I'll make sure to make you the Big Boss around here. No more lowly teacher position for you."

This caused a giant tick mark to appear on Iruka's head. Naruto took a step back as he cursed his choice of words. Before Iruka could explode Naruto made a dash for the door. All while he heard Iruka shout, "NARUTO!"

LINE

"Tap….Tap….Tap….Tap…"

Sasuke leaned against the tree in front of the academy, waiting impatiently. A leaf headband tied around his head indicating that he'd successfully manage to pass the graduation test. Sasuke kept tapping his foot as he stared at the academy in front of him. It seemed that this year's graduation class might go perfect. Every kid so far had managed to pass the exam. A lot of them celebrated with their parents, and Sasuke watched as all of them walked by with a stupid grin on their face.

Sasuke's face lit up as he finally watched the orange colored ninja walk out of the academy. Sasuke eyes softened as he watched the blond drag his feet toward him. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he looked at his forehead and noticed the missing ninja headband. Sasuke looked at the ground, and muttered, "Damn…"

"Sasuke…."stammered Naruto as he failed to make eye contact with the boy. Sasuke didn't know what to say as he just gave him a frown. That's when a giant smile crept onto Naruto's face. His fist sailed into the air, and in his hand he held a headband. He shouted, "I DID IT!"

Sasuke made sure to punch Naruto hard in the gut as he seethed, "YOU DOBE! You made me think you failed!"

"Haha, it was pretty good acting? Just a testament of my renowned ninja skills." boasted Naruto as he shined his headband. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and walked from Naruto. Naruto quickly tied the headband around his forehead before chasing after Sasuke. He asked, "Where we going?"

"Ichiraku." muttered Sasuke. Which only caused Naruto to give a big smile. He wrapped his arm around Sasuke, and teased, "I knew you cared about me!"

"Oof!"

Sasuke elbowed Naruto in the gut. Which caused Naruto to release him and hold his stomach. Sasuke then revealed, "I just thought it would be nice to eat with some familiar faces. After all it'll be amusing to see their reaction when they find out you actually passed."

"Oh, shut up!" growled Naruto as he quickly shot, "You just want to oggle Ayame!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Someone likes Ayame~...OOF!"

LINE

"ARASHI!" shouted Naruto as he entered the ninja shop in spectacular fashion. He kicked the door open and somersaulted into the room. He then quickly shouted, "LOOK WHO BECAME A NINJA!"

Arashi had been sitting at the counter looking at his newspaper. Arashi slowly looked up from it and stared at Naruto. Sasuke walked in right behind him. Arashi squinted his eyes, and stared at Naruto's headband. Arashi then looked back then and muttered, "So, the rumors are true. You really did steal that headband."

"NOPE!" shouted Naruto as he crossed the entire room in the blink of an eye and landed on Arashi's desk. Naruto slapped the newspaper out of Arashi's hands and practically put his forehead inches away Arashi's face. Naruto then grinned, "I passed the graduation exam!"

Arashi gave Naruto a smile as he stared at his forehead protector. Arashi then stood up from his chair, and he assumed, "Then you're here to get a couple of upgrades."

"HELL YEAH! About time we get access to more power explosive tags!" roared Naruto. Arashi deadpanned as he contemplated smacking the blond. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and he spoke, "Arashi, we were interested in getting some of those sealing bands. We also wanted to restock on kunai, shuriken, and ninja wire. As well, we would appreciate getting some smoke bombs." Naruto gave Sasuke a pleading look. Sasuke sighed. "And some more powerful explosive tags."

"Yippee!"

Arashi nodded, and he pointed at Sasuke's arm warmers, "You really do want those sealing bands? Don't you Sasuke."

"As for you…." he stared at Naruto as he was dressed in his typical orange hoodie and black undershirt. Arashi muttered, "You need a complete upgrade in appearance."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Arashi gave a crazed expression as he did not believe what he was hearing. It wasn't until he noticed Naruto's confused look that he noted that he was serious. Arashi then pinched his nose, and choked, "It seems like I'm gonna have a lot of work to do."

LINE

"Finally, the big paper bombs!" screeched Naruto as he stared at the new explosive tags in his hands. Naruto was no longer dressed in his old attire. He was now wearing a black jacket with three orange stripes going down it's sleeves. The same stripes went across his chest and connected with each sleeve. He was wearing matching black pants with three orange stripes going down the side. Arashi looked at Naruto, and was content with the minimal amount of orange. Sasuke had also got an upgrade in weardrobe. Apparently Arashi had some old Uchiha uniforms and decided to give it to Sasuke. He wore a short sleeved grey turtleneck shirt. He wore a pair of navy blue pants to go along with it. Sasuke was putting on his dark arm warmers as he looked up at Naruto.

"Dobe, you better not use those in training."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke annoyed that he'd even have to remind him. Naruto then sneered, "Got it~."

"Hey, Daddy it's ti-"

Naruto and Sasuke both looked over to the counter, and noticed Tenten standing there. Tenten quickly apologized to her father, "S-sorry! I didn't realize you had any clients!"

"YOU have a daughter!" recognized Naruto as he looked at Arashi. Arashi looked slightly insulted at Naruto's surprise, but chose to ignore the boy's outburst. Instead, he looked up at his daughter, and he explained, "Oh these aren't clients, but rather property of Mitashi's Weapon Shop!"

"WHAT!/WHAT!" screamed both Naruto and Sasuke as they looked up at Arashi. Arashi gave a chuckle as he explained, "Well, I don't believe you two have 10000 ryo on you, so I suppose your my property until you pay me back."

"10-10-10,000 ryo?" squeaked Sasuke as he quickly pulled out his wallet. Naruto did the same, and they both ended up pulling 5000 ryo. Arashi quickly picked the money out of their hands, and he gave them a grin, "Now, you only owe me 5,000 ryo…..each!."

Both Naruto and Sasuke nearly collapsed as the new debt crushed their soul. Arashi then noted both of their backpacks, "Well, what did you expect? You bought so much shit, I just didn't have the heart to stop you."

"B-B-Bu-Bu-But…." stuttered Naruto. Sasuke looked dejected not believing he'd been scammed so easily. Arashi gave a loud laugh as he was amused by the boys' reaction. That's when Tenten smacked her father on his arm and scolded him, "Dad! We've talked about scamming children!"

"Oh please! You're staring at the newest additions of Konoha ninja." pointed out Arashi as he comically rubbed his arm. Tenten took a staggering step back as she stared at both Naruto and Sasuke. Both of whom, where on the verge of tears as they stared at their empty wallets. Tenten pointed at both of them and stammered, "B-B-But their younger than me!"

"Well you're looking at the genius of the Uchiha clan and….." Arashi stopped for a moment as he looked at Naruto, and then concluded, "Well, Naruto might of gotten lucky."

"I hate you!" shrilled Naruto as he picked up his bag of new equipment. He then promised, "I'll pay you back by the end of the month and when I do I'll kick your ass!"

Naruto then dragged a motionless Sasuke out of the shop. Arashi gave them a big wave as he watched his two favorite customers leave. Tenten just stood their not believing what had happened. She then looked over at her father and she pointed out, "Dad why did you let them leave without an official document? How are you so sure they'll pay you back? They could just stop coming here."

"I doubt that very much. After all those two kids aren't like that." revealed Arashi as he didn't share the same doubts as Tenten. Tenten frowned not having the same confidence as her father. The blond kid had looked familiar, but Tenten couldn't quite recall where he knew him. Arashi then clapped his hands, "Alright! Time to close shop!"

LINE

"IT'S TIME FOR US TO START OUR NE-OW!" shrieked Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head. He then grabbed Sasuke by his collar and he pulled in close. Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of their eye sockets as he glared at Sasuke, "What the hell is your problem, teme?"

"You're too loud." seethed Sasuke as he was not frightened one bit by Naruto. Naruto growled at him before letting go. Naruto cleared his throat, and then continued, "IT'S TIME FOR US TO START OUR NEW NINJA CAREER!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto had done it just to piss him off. Sasuke then asked,"What makes you so confident we'll even be on the same team?"

They were walking towards the first floor of the academy where all the Senior classes of the academy where held. Even, Sasuke had to admit it was nice walking past the stairs they usually took to go to class. Now they were roaming the first floor looking for room 108. Naruto grinned as he proclaimed, "I bet the Old Man purposely kept us together because we're both the same age. He would want us to be comfortable on our new teams!"

"Or maybe he would want us to adjust to the life of shinobi, and put us on different teams with different faces. You know so we can adjust working with other shinobi." pointed out Sasuke. Naruto stopped walking as the thought hadn't come to him. Sasuke then added, "Or cause of our young age it might be unwise to put two young shinobi on the same team. It would be more logical to place each one with two ninja's that would make up for their age.

Naruto hadn't heard Sasuke's last remark as he barked, "What if I end with a pair of losers?"

"Then you can call yourself the Trio of Idiots."

Naruto's eye twitched as he looked over at Sasuke's deadpan expression, and then lashed out at him again , "THIS IS NOT A JOKE!"

"You two! You're late!" came a voice from down the hall. A chunin with dark brown hair stood at the end of the hall. He then pointed at the door to his side, and scolded them, "Shinobi should be on time every time. Now hurry up and get in there!"

After being hurried into the classroom. Naruto felt a chill go down a spine as they become the center of attention. Every pair of eyes was staring right at them. Sasuke was unfazed as he walked past Naruto and found the closest seat. Naruto quickly followed behind him and found a seat next to him. After that the class went back to their chatting. Naruto looked around the classroom and watched as a lot of them conversed between themselves. The only ones that sat quietly was him and Sasuke.

The classroom went silent again as a chunin with red eyes walked into the room. The woman was fair-skinned and of slender built. She had long black untamed hair that reached to her upper back. She was dressed in the typical Konoha chunin attire, but she also wore red lipstick and purple eyeshadow. Naruto elbowed Sasuke in the ribs, and he whispered, "Woah….this class's sensei is a total babe."

Sasuke didn't say anything as he checked out the chunin. Naruto was barely able to notice Sasuke's reaction as he was very subtle about it, but not subtle enough to trick Naruto. Naruto then teased, "Ahh...so you are into older woman?"

Sasuke didn't say anything as Naruto could tell he was holding back from lashing out at the blond. Naruto then turned back to the classroom and froze as he stared into the red eyes of the chunin. Naruto felt himself shrink under the gaze of the woman. The woman had caught herself staring as she quickly looked away from Naruto. Naruto gave a sigh of relief as the woman had finally stopped looked at him. Naruto stared up at the wall and really hoped his sensei wouldn't give him that same look. That's when some student finally shouted, "Kurenai-sensei! I heard you were gonna be promoted to Jonin!"

"Now who told you that?" asked the chunin who was apparently called Kurenai. The girl gave a sheepish smile and then she gave a giggle before replying, "Just what I heard around town."

Kurenai shaked her head at the girl's response before confirming, "Yes, I am to become a jonin next month."

"Woah!"

"Congrats Kurenai-sensei!"

Came from the entire class as they all stood and starting clapping for her. Naruto and Sasuke sat there awkwardly as they had no idea what to do. Thankfully it didn't last long as the class sat back down. Kurenai then cleared her throat and announced, "Well, enough of me. We're here to celebrate your classes success at graduating the Academy. Today is the start of your shinobi career and I believe that you will all make splendid shinobi. The road in front of you won't be easy, and there may be times you will face a lot of hardship. However, you must always remember to never give up! Now there's left for me to do is to wish you all the best and hope to see many of you become Jonin, yourselves."

A round of applause was given to Kurenai's small speech. Naruto joined along as he'd liked her speech. Once the class stopped clapping, Kurenai walked forward with a clipboard in her hands. She then informed the class, "All of you will be broken up into squads of three and assigned to a jounin-sensei. Now we'll start with Team 1….."

Naruto sat their impatiently as he waited for his name to be called. Sasuke kept his eyes closed and waited for his name to be called as well. Neither would ever admit, but they both hoped they would end up on the same team. That's when they finally reached Team 7.

Kurenai cleared her throat and read out loud, "Team 7 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Asuka Sarutobi. Your sensei will be-" Kurenai stopped talking as she reread the Jonin's name. She looked surprised to see their name before smiling and finishing, "Kakashi Hatake."

"Looks like we're on the same team." smirked Sasuke as he glanced over at Naruto who just grinned at him. Naruto then resounded, "Told you we were too badass to separate."

Kurenai went through the rest of the teams. Once she finished with calling out teams she announced, "You will be given 15 minutes to adjourn with your teammates. After that you will get to meet your Jonin-sensei."

"Good Luck!" finished Kurenai as she simply just walked out of the classroom without saying another word. The moment she left the classroom erupted into cheers as many were happy with their choice of teammates. Naruto scanned the room and he asked Sasuke, "Who was our teammate again?"

"That would be me."

Naruto and Sasuke were shook as they never heard the person behind them approach them. Naruto and Sasuke quickly turned around to see their teammate. Naruto instantly recognized the girl. The same girl who they bumped into years ago, when they first entered Arashi's shop. She was older than when Naruto first saw her, but she was dressed in a different attire. She was dressed in a light blue high collared, mid-thigh length dress that parted on the sides. She wore black shorts with the standard blue shinobi sandals. The only difference was that she wore her light brown hair in a ponytail. Her ninja headband tied securely on her forehead. Strapped on her back was a small wooden red pole with yellow edges.

The girl quickly put a hand towards Sasuke. Sasuke reached out and shook it, while Asuka introduced herself, "I'm Asuka Sarutobi, your new teammate."

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto reached out to shake her hand, but instead was met with the empty air. To avoid any awkwardness, Naruto tried to play it off, and quickly introduced himself, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the village's next Hok-."

"I know who you are."

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitched as he was not liking his new teammate. Sasuke was not amused by their interaction, and just took a seat. Asuka did the same and sat in the desk behind them. Naruto looked at both of his teammates and growled, "A pair of temes."

Naruto sat down as well and they waited silently until the 15 minutes were up. Naruto was bouncing his knees as he hoped his sensei wouldn't be such a downer as his two teammate. He could handle Sasuke-teme, but he could not handle another asshole. Especially, one that hated the sight of him. Naruto knew why he recalled her so quickly. It was that look she had given him that one day that kept her in his mind. Naruto just hoped his sensei would make up for it. However, luck was not on Naruto's side.

"I'm here for Team 8."

The first sensei came a bit early and took the first team. For the next ten minutes the room emptied out and very soon only Team 7 was left. Naruto slammed his head into the desk as he wondered why he had the worst luck.

LINE- One Week Earlier

"Lord Third."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk unfazed by the fact that someone had appeared from thin air. The man was dressed in black and grey armour, metal arm guards, and a katana strapped to his back. He wore a mask that resembled that of a fox. The only indication of his identity was his gravity defying silver hair. Hiruzen put down the piece of paper in his hands and looked at the shinobi in front of him.

"Take the mask off, Kakashi."

Kakashi paused for a moment, but compiled as it was his duty as ANBU to follow any order given by the Hokage. Kakashi removed his mask and revealed his face. The lower half of his face was covered with another mask. His left eye was kept shut as he looked a the Third Hokage with only his right. The third then continued, "How long have you been an ANBU, Kakashi?"

"When the Fourth became Hokage, so 10 years." answered Kakashi. Hiruzen nodded, and he added, "You know that Minato originally put you in the ANBU to help you deal with the sadness in your heart. To look after you."

Kakashi opened his right eye and revealed a red colored with 3 tomoe's surrounding it's pupil. Kakashi then revealed, "I figured."

"Then I became reinstated as Hokage, and well….you're skills became extremely valuable to not only me but this village after the Kyuubi's attack." admitted the Third as he stood up from his chair. He then walked towards Kakashi until he was standing in front of him. He reached out both of his hands and opened his palms. Kakashi stared at his empty palms for a moment before taking a deep sigh. He then handed over his mask to the Third, and the third smiled, "10 years in ANBU is a long time, and I think it might be time for you to join the regular forces again."

"Yes, I understand, Lord Hokage." barely managed to say Kakashi as he was not too happy about being removed from ANBU. The Third then gave a chuckle, and he predicted, "I feel like you like your new position. I thought becoming a Jonin leader would help cheer you up."

"Huh." quickly shot out Kakashi as he was caught completely off guard. He quickly stood up, and he tried arguing, "But, Lord Third do you really think it's wise to make me a Jonin-leader? I mean I have no experience working with genin, I've been in the ANBU for half of my Ninja career!"

"Oh please, Kakashi. You are more than overqualified for the job, so I don't see you having any problems with your new position." beamed the Third Hokage as he walked back over to his chair. He quickly put Kakashi's old ANBU mask out of view, and Kakashi just gave the Third a blank expression. Kakashi then sighed, "I really don't want to do this."

"Hmm….I'm sure you'll change your mind after I show you who's team you'll be having." suggested the Third as he pulled out a file from underneath his desk. Kakashi turned his head slightly as he didn't understand what the Third meant. The Third slid the file across the desk, and as it slid to a stop it the top flipped open. Kakashi gave the most deadpan expression as he stared at the most ridiculous ninja registration picture he'd seen in his life. A blond boy with blue eyes was staring at the camera in kabuki pose while being painted in white and red. Kakashi looked up at the Third and asked, "Is this a joke?"

"Read the name."

Kakashi looked back at the file, and his heart stopped as he read the boy's name. Sarutobi smiled as Kakashi quickly reached for the file, and grabbed onto the boy's ninja registration card. Kakashi's eyes shook as he stared at the name, and quickly looked back at the Third Hokage. He then stammered, "B-B-But this is sensei's son!"

"Yes it is." confirmed the Third Hokage.

Kakashi held onto Naruto's registration picture and stared at the boy. His eyes softened as the image of his late sensei appeared in the back of his mind. Looking back at the boy he couldn't help, but let a smile creep out of solem personality. He then acknowledged, "Well, he's grown up in an interesting way."

The Third nodded and commented,"I'm sure if Kushina was still alive and saw that photo she would skin him alive."

Kakashi couldn't help but let a chuckle out as he thought of the scary red headed kunoichi. The Third Hokage cleared his throat and broke Kakashi from his thoughts. The Third Hokage in on a more serious tone said, "I'm sure you know why I'm entrusting you with this task."

Kakashi nodded as he stared at Naruto and remembered what he held at bay. He then replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage."

The Third Hokage then nodded, and pointed at his two other teammates. The Third then reasoned, "I'm sure you'll enjoy your squad, they are probably the most talented bunch to graduate the academy in recent years."

Kakashi looked over at the other two names, and read silently to himself, "Sasuke Uchiha…..Asuka Sarutobi."

Kakashi just took a deep sigh, and thought to himself, "Great…."

LINE

Naruto was staring at the palm on his right hand as time dragged on. With his other hand he carefully outlined the small black swirl that looked similar to the Uzumaki's clan symbol. Naruto then closed his palm, and looked up at the door. At that moment, the door swung open. Naruto quickly sat up in his chair and a huge grin was plastered on his face. Kakashi walked into the room, but was now dressed in the typical Konoha attire. The man walked into the room and stared at the genin. The four shinobi sat in the room in silence until Kakashi finally spoke, "Meet me on the roof."

Then he disappeared in a poof of smoke. Naruto's face slammed into his desk, and he cried, "Why….why did we get such a weirdo for a sensei!"

Sasuke and Asuka exchanged a glance before looking over at Naruto, and they both let out a sigh in agreement.

LINE- Present

"So, why don't we start with some introductions."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Asuka were both seated on some steps as Kakashi was seated on the edge of the roof. Naruto frowned and he quickly offered, "Well, why don't you go first, sensei. So, you can show use how it's done."

"Alright." agreed Kakashi as he looked up to his left, and he started, "I'm Kakashi Hatake, I have no intentions of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream...I have a few hobbies."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Asuka gave Kakashi blank looks. Not believing that the man hadn't shared a single detail besides his name. Naruto frowned, and he muttered under his breath, "Yup….a total weirdo."

"Did you say something, Naruto?" asked Kakashi as he'd cleary managed to hear what Naruto had said. However, Naruto quickly recovered by starting his introduction, "Well, let me show you an awesome introduction, Kakashi-sensei! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What I like is ramen, especially the kind at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. I dislike the three minute wait after you pour in the boiling water. My hobbies include eating ramen! And My dream...is to be the Next Hokage!"

Kakashi rose an eyebrow and thought to himself, "An interesting kid indeed."

"I'll go next." offered Sasuke and he said, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I suppose I like learning new ninjutsu. I dislike many things. My hobbies include training. As for my dream….is not a dream but rather an ambition. As I will make it a reality. I'm gonna kill a certain someone."

"Geez gotta be so dramatic." commented Naruto as he gave Sasuke an unimpressed look. Sasuke quickly glared at Naruto, and Kakashi watched the two carefully and pondered, "Just as I thought….but these two sure share a weird friendship."

Asuka then cleared her throat, and she spoke up, "I suppose it's my turn. My name is Asuka Sarutobi. I like bojutsu, and I'm not a very big fan of blond idiots." This caused Naruto to shrink into his collar. "I suppose my hobbies include cooking. For my dream is to become the strongest kunoichi this village has ever seen and to surpass my grandfather."

"The Third's granddaughter is an interesting one….I wonder what's her beef with Naruto? From what I can tell they weren't even in the same academy class." thought Kakashi as he stared at Asuka, but chose to ignore his thoughts and gave her an approving nod. Asuka let out a sigh of relief as Kakashi hadn't belittled her dream. Kakashi clapped his hands, and he stoically said, "Now that we're done with our introductions I suppose it's time to discuss what we'll be doing next."

"Are we gonna be saving a princess? NO! Wait! We're gonna be sent on some super secret mission!" beamed Naruto as he started to dream about his future ninja career. Kakashi shook his head as he let out a chuckle. Then he revealed, "We'll be doing a training exercise."

"A training exercise? But I thought we were done with that." responded Asuka as she frowned, and she added, "As genin aren't we supposed to be going on mission under your supervision?"

"Well, before we get to that part of the job….we need to weed out the weak from the strong." pointed out Kakashi as all three of his genins gave him a serious look. Kakashi smirked, "Got your attention now? You see just cause you graduate the academy doesn't mean you'll become ninja. Your given a test by me, and I'll determine whether or not you'll become ninja. But be warned this test has a 66% failure rate. So if you add up the math, only a third of your graduating class will even become genin."

Naruto clenched his fist at the trail in front of him. Asuka reached behind her and clenched the staff on her back. Sasuke remained emotionless as he prepared himself for what was to come. Kakashi then gave out instructions, "Meet me at Training Ground 5 tomorrow to morning at 7 a.m sharp to begun our training exercise…..and don't eat breakfast. If you don't want to puke."

Kakashi gave them a little wave before disappearing in another poof of smoke. Leaving the remaining members of team seven to ponder among themselves.

LINE - Next Day

"I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S LATE AGAIN!" screamed Naruto as he hacked his black katana into the side of the tree. Sasuke nodded in agreement not to happy about their jonin-sensei. Asuka just shook her head at Naruto's antics, and she told him, "You know if you keep slashing at that tree, your blade will dull out?"

Naruto stopped mid swing and gave Asuka an empty expression. Naruto then thought for a moment, and he mumbled, "I suppose you're right."

Naruto slipped the sword into its sheath that was strapped to his back. Naruto then asked Asuka, "Asuka, you said you liked Bojutsu? What exactly is that?"

"You don't know what Bo-"

"Hello, children!" beamed Kakashi as he strolled onto the training grounds cutting off Asuka. Naruto jumped forward, and pointed his finger murderously at Kakashi. He growled, "YOU'RE LATE!"

"Sorry, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around." explained Kakashi which only pissed Naruto off some more. Sasuke and Asuka were both annoyed not believing the ridiculous excuse.

Kakashi then gave them a stern look, and he started, "Let's begin!" Kakashi then pulled out two bells, and he added, "All you have to do is take a bell from me before noon and you pass. Who ever fails gets tied to post as the rest of us eat our lunch."

On cue, all three genin's stomachs growled in hunger. Sasuke sweatdropped, and he realized, "So that's why he told us not eat lunch."

"I suppose our sensei is more clever than we thought." thought Asuka as she tried to ignore her stomach. Naruto was more vocal about his thoughts, "You bastard! You told us not to eat on purpose!"

"I only suggested." shot back Kakashi which infuriated Naruto. Kakashi then gave his bells a jingle, and that's when Sasuke asked, "Why is there only two bells?"

"Oh, someone did notice. It just means that only two of you will be passing this test. While the third one will be sent back to the academy." answered Kakashi. Naruto quickly shared a glance with Sasuke, but it did not go unnoticed by Kakashi. Kakashi then continued, "Fair warning….if you don't come with the intention to kill, then you won't get a bell. Let us….begin."

Asuka instantly rushed into the nearby trees to hide her presence. Naruto and Sasuke tried to do the same, but they ended up jumping into each other. Kakashi tilted his head as the two boys landed on the ground in a heap. He frowned, "These two might have the potential to be the best we've seen in ages?"

"What the hell, teme!" growled Naruto as he grabbed Sasuke by the collar with his right. Sasuke responded by doing the same but he grabbed Naruto with his left, and he hollered, "Dobe, how about you watch where you're going! Don't tell me your trying to get me to fail."

"Please, I don't have to do anything. I'm sure you'll end up failing on your own!" shot back Naruto as he held tighter onto Sasuke. Unknown to Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke had interlocked their hands and were discreetly weaving hand signs together. Kakashi waved his hands in the air and offered, "Come on now, no need to fight each other. That's why I'm here."

"That's the idea."

Kakashi's senses went wild as Naruto's tone completely changed. The next thing he knew a giant fireball was launched from Sasuke's mouth. Kakashi eye widen in shock as he jumped back to avoid the fireball.

"Genin shouldn't be able to use elemental ninjutsu….and with such hand seal speed that I couldn't even see it!" screamed Kakashi in his head as he landed behind the Fireball trajectory. Naruto quickly grabbed his katana, and covered it in wind chakra before throwing it into the fireball. Kakashi was able to notice a blue hint in the fire, and quickly moved to the side to avoid the speeding Katana. Kakashi eyed the weapon, and he realized, "He laced his katana in chakra?"

That's when in the corner of his eye he managed to notice a yellow blur come out of nowhere. Naruto was suddenly atop of him, and in a split second Kakashi watched as the Katana disappeared from thin air several feet away and reappeared in Naruto's hands. Kakashi just managed to jump out of the way, and avoid the blade by inches. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and he mocked Naruto, "You're fast….but you still got long ways to go before you can even compare to the Fourth Hokage's spe-"

Kakashi's eyes widen as he finally felt the sensations of pain on his cheek. He placed his hand on his face, and felt a warm liquid on his hands. Kakashi then inspected Naruto's weapon, and he asked, "So, you've encased your blade in wind chakra?"

Naruto didn't answer as he was completely pissed off about his comparison to the Fourth Hokage. Instead he moved towards Kakashi at unbelievable speed. Kakashi was careful to avoid any direct slashes as he might be hit my Naruto's extendable blade. However, Kakashi was quick to praise his speed, "What mastery over the shunshin jutsu….you're truly sensei's son."

Kakashi was about to counter attack, when Sasuke came flying out of nowhere with his sword. Kakashi was then forced to pull out his own kunai to block Sasuke's sword. When the two blades met Kakashi watched as Sasuke's blade erupted to life in the form of electricity. Kakashi's eyes widen, "He's using a second element?"

Kakashi quickly reacted by channeling his own lightning chakra through his kunai and completely bocking Sasuke's attack. Sasuke was unfazed by Kakashi's ability to stop his sword, and responded by launching a kick. Kakashi used his free arm to block it. At that moment, Naruto came from behind and brought his blade down on Kakashi. Kakashi then pushed Sasuke off him, and barely manage to avoid Naruto's attack. That's when he heard the sound of bell's jiggling.

Kakashi looked down at his waist and realized that Naruto wasn't aiming for him. Instead he'd used his extendable blade to cut the bells off. He watched in slow motion as the bells fell to the ground, and Naruto dove after them. Naruto was fully extended and reaching out with his free hand. As the bell was inches away from Naruto's hand, Kakashi barely managed to kick the bells back up into the air. Kakashi quickly caught it, and spun around to deliver an axe kick onto Naruto's back. Naruto slammed into the ground, and coughed up blood. He lost his grip to his sword, and Kakashi quickly kicked it away. At that moment, Sasuke jumped behind Kakashi and tried to sneak in a quick and decisive blow. However, to Sasuke's dismay Kakashi reacted quickly by catching Sasuke by the wrist, and slamming him into Naruto.

Naruto groaned as Sasuke's full weight crushed him. Kakashi was about to deliver another kick, when Naruto was able to react quickly by shoving Sasuke off him, and rolling the other way. Kakashi's kick slammed into the ground and shattered the ground underneath. Naruto gave Sasuke a quick nod, and the two disappeared into different directions. Kakashi rose an eyebrow surprised that the two had chosen to retreat. Kakashi then let out a deep breath and stopped. Had he been holding his breath?

"What an interesting pair in deed." admitted Kakashi as stared at the bells in his hands. That was a close shave. The two were very talented in deed. There was Sasuke who was skilled at using his chokuto, but could also manipulate lightning and fire elements. As expected as a member of the Uchiha Clan. Naruto on the other hand was a complete surprise. From what Kakashi had read he'd improved drastically over the past 3 years, but he was never truly great.

Yet the boy had shown a great mastery over the shunshin that would put most chunins to shame, and he was just as talented at using a blade as Sasuke. His control over wind chakra was eye-boggling as it was rare to even find a text about Wind Chakra in the Land of Fire. Kakashi narrowed his eye and realized that someone would have had to taught Naruto…..but who? However, what bothered Kakashi even more was that summoning jutsu he'd used earlier….or was it an actual teleportation jutsu?

Kakashi's eye darted back to Naruto's blade, that he'd kicked out of his hands. The blade had been several feet away from Naruto, but it appeared in his hands instantly. Kakashi's eyes narrowed….there was no way Naruto could use that jutsu. It had to be something else. Kakashi was about to take a step towards the blade, when it suddenly became distorted and disappeared out of sight.

LINE

"That fucking hurt." groaned Naruto as he grabbed his chest. Naruto was leaning against a tree as a bush concealed both him and Sasuke. Sasuke didn't look nearly as beat up as Naruto, but he too was breathing hard. Sasuke was on look out, when he spoke up, "Kakashi….he's good."

Naruto nodded, and he agreed, "He didn't even flinch when I used my summoning sword technique. I thought for sure that would stun him. And did you see how quickly he reacted when I cut the bells off?"

"He's a whole different type of animal. The title of jonin is no joke." admitted Naruto as he straightened himself out. Naruto then narrowed his eyes, "I thought he would lower his guard because we were genin, but he turned into a whole different beast when we got close to those bells."

"You're right." replied Sasuke as his eyes darted across the small forest, "The moment we came close to getting those bells, he increased his effort significantly."

"Man, who the hell is this guy anyways? I thought it was normal procedure to have 3 genins on each squad." muttered Naruto as he crossed his arms. He then pouted, "He must be some big dog shinobi if the Old Man was willing to bend the rules for him."

"That's it!" concluded Sasuke as he stopped scanning the area. He then turned to face Naruto, and he complimented him, "That was some smart thinking."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Naruto as he was completely confused. Sasuke rose an eyebrow and then gave a deep sigh. Okay, maybe he'd given Naruto a bit too much credit. Sasuke then proceeded to explain, "Think about it….we've always been told that genin squads run in teams of 3 and under 1 jonin. Now remember what was the most important asset for any genin team?"

Naruto frowned as he tried to think, and then he answered, "I don't know….their jutsus?"

"Teamwork." revealed Sasuke as he turned away from Naruto and towards the forest, and then he added, "The two bells…..their meant to separate us from working together. That mean we will all fail unless we work as a team to get the bells."

Naruto groaned and he cried, "What does this always have to be so complicated."

Naruto reached his hand out, and Sasuke watched as the swirl on his hand turned a faded blue color. Then out of nowhere Naruto's Katana appeared in his hand. Naruto put the sword back into his sheath and stood up. Sasuke then muttered, "We need to crack that sealing formula…..I want that jutsu too."

"Well, you heard what Arashi said. Whoever, asked for this sword created the sealing formula. Unless you can talk to the dead I doubt we will be able to crack it." shot back Naruto as he was annoyed by Sasuke's pestering about wanting the same seal on his sword. Sasuke shrug his shoulders, and replied, "I'll crack it eventually."

"Now let's look for Asuka." spoke up Naruto as he formed a ram seal, and focused his chakra. He then opened his eyes and shrieked, "Asuka's fighting Kakashi-sensei!"

"Let's move."

With that Naruto and Sasuke bolted into the trees."

LINE - Back with Kakashi

"So, you finally decided to stop hiding." noted Kakashi as he reached into his ninja pouch. Standing several yards away from him was Asuka. She stood completely straight and still. Asuka remained emotionless and silent as Kakashi continued to talk, "How about we move onto Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part 1: Taijutsu."

Asuka didn't move a muscle, as Kakashi pulled out an item from his pouch. Then to Asuka's dismay Kakashi begun to read a book in front of him. Kakashi didn't even bother to look at Asuka as he read his novel. A few moments passed by, and Kakashi asked, "I'm waiting…."

Kakashi's lone eye darted towards the back of his head, and he quickly spun around. Kakashi narrowly escaped the bo staff that came raining down on him. Asuka quickly recovered by spinning around, and slamming the other end of the bo staff down on Kakashi. Kakashi quickly closed his book, and used it stop the girl's staff. Kakashi rose an eye, and looked back at the Asuka that was standing completely still in the clearing It slowly faded away, and Kakashi commented, "I'll admit that was a pretty good use of the clone technique."

Asuka didn't respond, and just twirled her bo staff around her body, and continued to attack Kakashi. Kakashi gave a sigh as he easily managed to avoid her attacks, and block a few of her hits. Kakashi then taunted, "You're a bit disappointing compared to the other two."

"Then how about this!" roared Asuka as she slammed the end of her bo staff down in front of Kakashi. She quickly formed a serpent hand seal around her bo, and lifted it of the ground. Kakashi's gave a surprised look as Asuka managed to rip a chunk of the earth off the ground. Asuka then focused a large amount of chakra to her feet, and raised towards Kakashi. Kakashi was caught off guard by her speed, and brought down her makeshift earth hammer onto Kakashi. Asuka gave a satisfied smile as she crushed Kakashi into the ground. That was until the sound of a small poof caught her attention.

"I suppose that was slightly impressive."

Asuka's eyes widen she could feel Kakashi towering over her. Asuka quickly turned around, and was met with a hard kick to the abdomen. She was sent flying into a nearby tree. Asuka's body slid down the base of the tree. Asuka slowly rose her head to Kakashi, and she grunted, "Damn it…."

"I suppose since you can no longer move it would be wise to tie you up." responded Kakashi as he moved towards the girl. Kakashi didn't get to close as several kunai were thrown at him. Kakashi just took a step back, and easily avoided them. Then to his surprise Naruto came raining down on him with his sword while Sasuke retrieved Asuka. Kakashi rose an eyebrow, and he asked, "You aren't gonna get a bell by saving her."

"Screw you!" shouted Naruto as his blade roared to life with his wind chakra. Naruto didn't notice it but Kakashi's body stiffened up a bit as he kept his eye closely to the blade. Kakashi gave a smirk, "How about we move onto Shinobi Battle Techniques: Part 2, genjutsu."

"Genjutsu?"thought Naruto as he gritted his teeth. He looked back at Sasuke and gave him a nod. Kakashi quickly weaved through several hand seals, as Naruto pulled out a smoke bomb. Kakashi finished his hand seals at the same exact moment that Naruto dropped the smoke bomb.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death" called out Kakashi as he finished his jutsu. The smoke in front of him slowly disappeared, and revealed Naruto standing with his arms stretched outwards. His sword was laying on the ground right next to him. Naruto struggled to move his neck as he tried to make eye contact with Kakashi. Naruto growled, "What is this? Wood style?"

"Oh this?" asked Kakashi as he looked down at what Naruto was seeing. To anyone else, all they could see was Naruto standing with his outstretched arms, but it was a different story for Naruto and Kakashi. A large tree had sprouted behind Naruto, and several branches had latched itself onto Naruto. Effectively binding him, and only allowing the smallest of movements. Kakashi answered, "This just some good old fashion genjutsu."

"Damn you." shot Naruto as he tried immensely to break out of the tree's restraint. Kakashi walked towards Naruto, and he suggested, "It seems you can't move at all, and have failed my exam. A shinobi that's captured might as well be a dead shinobi."

"I doubt you will be needing this." noted Kakashi as he reached for Naruto's hiate. At that moment, Naruto's eyes shook in anger, and he quickly closed his eyes to concentrate. Naruto then muttered under his breath, "Kurama."

Kakashi's ear perked up at the name, but didn't understand the significance. Kakashi's hand grabbed firmly onto Naruto's headband, and that's when the genjutsu suddenly fell apart. Naruto reopened his eyes, and brought his hand up in a slashing motion. Kakashi had the right intuition to let go of his headband, and quickly retreat. Even so, Naruto hand slashed across Kakashi's chest and drew blood. Kakashi quickly put his hand to his chest, and grimaced slightly at the pain. The air surrounding Naruto's hand was distorted as it was covered in a blade of wind. Naruto quickly grabbed his katana, and retreated into the woods.

Kakashi stood there silently as he looked down at the cut Naruto had made. His jonin vest had taken most of the damage, and reduced the damage to a rather shallow cut. Still, Kakashi had to admit he never expected any genin to even cut a hair of his head. Let alone mange to draw blood. Looking back up he closed his eyes, and he pondered. "How the hell did he break that genjutsu?"

It was absolutely mind blowing. There was no absolute way that a genin would be able to break a B-rank genjutsu like the one he had cast. Kakashi was hundred percent certain that Naruto's experience at even recognizing genjutsu was well below standard. His inability to recognize the genjutsu he just cast was proof of it. So, how had he done it? His hands hand been effectively immobilized, so it was impossible for him to disrupt his chakra that way. Naruto hadn't inflicted any type of pain to himself. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and thought of the last possible way to break a genjutsu. That was with the help with having another person breaking the genjutsu for you, but that was completely out of the ruling due to the fact Naruto was alone….

Kakashi eye widen as he came to a conclusion. He then remembered Naruto muttering something. Kakashi tried to repeat his words. "Ku-Ku-Ky….Kyubi!?"

"Could it be possible? Does Naruto have some control over the Nine Tailed Fox?" questioned Kakashi as he took a deep breath. The prospect was daunting as Naruto's potential seemed almost endless, "It has to be….the Nine Tailed Fox must of disrupted his chakra for him, and broken the genjutsu. Meaning as long as Naruto can recognize genjutsu, he's virtually immune to them." Kakashi bit his lip as he realized he'd been the one to reveal the nature of his technique. It would've been interesting to see if the Nine Tails would have broken the genjutsu even without Naruto telling him anything. However, there was obviously some communication between the two. Kakashi turned around, and faced the other side of the forest. He then muttered to himself, "Well, I can always ask him afterwards. After all, it seems that Naruto and Sasuke had caught on to the true nature of this test." Kakashi could help but give a small smile at the prospect of his new team.

LINE

Naruto moved through the woods as quickly as he could, and tried to get far away from Kakashi as possible. After a couple seconds of racing through the trees, he deliberately missed a branch and fell straight into a bush. Naruto was greeted with the sight of Sasuke feeding Asuka a soldier pill. They were in the middle of conversation, when Naruto interrupted them, "I back."

"What took you so long?" asked Sasuke as he'd been slightly worried about Naruto taking so long. Asuka said nothing as she stared at Naruto. Naruto shrug his shoulders, and revealed, "He tried to capture me undersome genjutsu, but something as weak as that won't work on the future hokage."

"Oh please, don't act so cocky." shot Asuka as she was annoyed by Naruto's attitude. Naruto rose an eyebrow, and he let out a small grin, "Well, at least I didn't need saving, princess."

A vein on Asuka's head bulged, and she seethed, "You bastard-" Sasuke put up his hand and cut her off. Sasuke then exchanged glances with both of them, and revealed, "Now it's time to go forward with our plan. I've already told Asuka our suspicions over the test's true nature, and she's agreed to work with us."

"So, now we just got to steal the bells from Kakashi-sensei." finished Naruto as he looked at the both of them. Naruto scratched his chin for a moment, and then he asked Asuka, "So, what exactly can you do?"

Asuka rose an eyebrow surprised at Naruto's complete change of tone. Gone was the goofball that she knew, and was replaced with the cool and stern tone in his voice. Naruto's eyes had also changed as they had hardened and she couldn't help but feel like he was seeing right through her. It was unnerving.

Asuka looked away from Naruto, and let out a deep breath. She then spoke in a soft voice, "Well,..."

LINE

Kakashi just stared up at the sky as he waited. There was no need for him to chase after the kiddos as he knew they would just come after him. They had to in order to get the bells before noon. Kakashi had to admit he was curious with what they would come up with. Naruto and Sasuke worked extremely well together, while Asuka had a solid foundation in her skills. Not to mention she also could manipulate an element. Kakashi knew the chances of getting a squad of new genins that could all manipulate elemental ninjutsu was slim to none.

So, far the Third Hokage had put together an excellent group of genins. Now all that was left was for them to prove their worth. Speaking of the devil.

Kakashi quickly put his hand up, and easily caught some projectiles that were thrown at him. Two shuriken spun around his fingers, and Kakashi tilted his head towards the direction that they had been thrown. Kakashi ducked down and dodged Naruto's attack with ease. He spun around, and kicked him over his head. At that moment, Sasuke came running out of the woods, his hands weaving through several hand seals. His hands landed on the tiger seal. Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu. They were significantly smaller than the jutsu Sasuke had used earlier, but he shot out multiple fireballs. Naruto quickly recovered, and went through a multitude of his own hand seals. Wind Style: Soaring Winds. Naruto clapped his hands a strong current of wind was released from his hands. The wind current met Sasuke's jutsu, and caused the fireballs to increase in size and turn blue.

"Shinobi Battle Tactics part 3: Ninjutsu." said Kakashi as he started weaving through his own hand seals. Kakashi's mouth puffed up. Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu. A large amount of water sprung from Kakashi's mouth. The moment the water came out, it quickly formed a wall in front of Kakashi and caught the multitude of fireballs. Kakashi's eye widen as shuriken came flying through the water wall, and Kakashi was forced to duck. He missed the shuriken by a hair, but that's when Naruto and Sasuke appeared from both sides. Kakashi rolled away as Naruto and Sasuke both slammed their swords into the ground. Kakashi quickly recovered, and jumped further away from the two.

"So, what happened to Asuka?" asked Kakashi as he reached into his pouch, and pulled out a kunai. Sasuke gave a foxy grin, and he revealed, "We took care of her." Kakashi felt unnerved at the broad statement. His shoulders slumped, and he felt a great deal of dread fill his chest. Naruto then added, "Might as well get rid of the competition."

Kakashi's eye hardened, and he replied, "Is that so?" Sasuke responded by dashing forward at Kakashi at blinding speeds. Kakashi's stiffened at the sudden increase of speed. "He's almost as fast as Naruto? Sasuke attacked widely as he swung his chokoto with speed and power. That's when Naruto rushed around the two, and attacked Kakashi from behind. Kakashi blocked Sasuke's attack, and kicked the boy to the side. He quickly blocked Naruto's sneak attack. Kakashi stared into Naruto's eyes, and that's when he heard Sasuke running towards him. Kakashi could feel Sasuke jump up behind him, and he closed his eyes.

"Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder." Only using his left hand he weaved the jutsu. Kakashi let out a burst of electricity from his entire body. Naruto and Sasuke were sent flying in different directions. Then to Kakashi's surprise that's when a chain burst from the grown, and wrapped around his waist and arms. Kakashi quickly glanced at Naruto and Sasuke and noticed they were holding the two ends of the chain. Kakashi thought urgently, "When did they have time to place these chains?"

"Shit." spat Kakashi as he tried to move to the side. He was barely able to miss the hand that burst out of the ground. The hands managed to touch the bells attached to Kakashi's side, but failed to grab them. Kakashi's eye widen as he saw Asuka's head poke out of the ground. Kakashi quickly kicked Asuka back down into her hole, as he gave a small smile, "They lied to me."

Kakashi was then engulfed in a poof of smoke. Naruto and Sasuke rushed towards Asuka to check on their teammate. When the smoke disappeared Kakashi was replaced by a log, and Asuka was slowly pulling herself out of the hole she had dug. Her hand was on her head, as she grumbled, "Stupid, sensei."

"Are you alright, Asuka?" asked Sasuke with concern. Sasuke quickly slid to his knees, and was down to Asuka's level. Naruto was right behind Sasuke, and quickly stood protectively over the two. Naruto stood silently with his sword drawn in front of him, and facing Kakashi. Asuka gave a slight blush from Sasuke's attention, and pushed him off, "Stop that, Naruto."

Kakashi rose an eyebrow as Asuka called Sasuke by Naruto. Sasuke didn't seem bothered, and instead put his attention towards Kakashi. Now that he had the attention of all his genin, Kakashi spoke up, "I thought you said you'd taken care of the competition?"

"We lied." answered Naruto as he tightened his grip on his sword. However, it was Sasuke who gave a very cocky grin, and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Sasuke then gave a wild laugh as, he brought up his other hand. Kakashi's eye widen and he took a step forward. "What?!" Kakashi looked down at his waist to see his bells at his waist, but he quickly looked up at Sasuke to see him dangling a pair of bells in his hands. That's when Naruto and Sasuke were engulfed in a poof of smoke. The smoke quickly disappeared, and revealed that they had transformed into each other.

Kakashi felt a jolt go through his body as the image of red eye with a single tomoe filled his vision. Kakashi blinked and he met the gaze of Sasuke. "Shari-Sharingan?!" Kakashi had a small flashback in his head, and he remembered when he'd stared into the eyes of Sasuke transformed Naruto. Kakashi quickly looked back at his waist to notice the bells were gone.

"So, you two transformed into each other to hide Sasuke's sharingan, and then proceeded to place a genjutsu on me?" asked Kakashi even though he already knew the answer. He had to admit that we was not expecting for Sasuke to have already activated his sharingan. Kakashi then looked at Asuka, "All while Ms. Sarutobi here used her earth style to place those chains, and wait for a chance to grab the bells."

"Now that's a first." admitted Kakashi as he looked up at the sky, and then he asked, "So, now that's left to answer is…..who's gonna keep the bells?"

A tense silent filled the training field, and three genin could feel the hairs on the back of their necks. Kakashi then gave a hearty laugh before revealing, "Just kidding…..you all pass!"

LINE

THAT'S A WRAP!

Next chapter I'll explain the origin of Naruto's summoning technique and the awakening of Sasuke's sharingan. The only reason that Sasuke didn't use his Sharingan at the beginning because Naruto and Sasuke's original plan was to get an idea of Kakashi's strength before they surprised with Sasuke's sharingan. That's the reason why the retreated the first time, even though Naruto and Sasuke typically don't use tactical retreats in their fighting. However, since they knew they were fighting a Jonin they decided to play it safe. Just wanted to give everyone the insight behind my fights! That plan obviously changed when they figured out the purpose of the exam!

Tell me what you think of their new abilities. I thought it was an appropriate growth after two years of training.

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CHAPTER 3: The LIfe of a Genin