Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

AN: Not really a lot else to say here. I'm trying a new schedule where I focus on one or two fics for a while, pause them, focus on another two for a while, rinse and repeat. I figured that maybe one of my problems is I tried to focus on too many at once and the result was not getting any of them updated often.

"What's the plan today, Dan-san?" They were in Danzou's office again, at the same time they always met. Danzou sat at his plain and unornamented desk, once again donning his normal expressionless appearance.

"No training today."

"Nothing? No bashing me in the head for drinking tea? No burning my hands half off to concentrate chakra on a knife? No volunteering your injured lackeys so I have something to practice medical skills on? None of that?"

"None."

"…Huh. Well, how about that."

"When we first made this agreement, one of the conditions was that you would occasionally be tasked with certain duties on behalf of Root. With your final test to become a Genin tomorrow, the time has come for the first of these assignments."

"What'd you have in mind?"

"As you know, for some time I made it Root's business to keep a close eye on you. While I may have become more lenient in that regard, I have also taken measures to observe those with whom you interact. I have it on good authority that one of your instructors, a certain Koume Mizuki, is planning to defect from Konohagakure."

"You're kidding, right? You really think Mizuki-sensei would so something like that?" Naruto made sure to raise his voice in what he hoped was a surprised tone. Danzou was less than impressed with the performance.

"I've met with you on, at the absolute minimum, a weekly basis for the last two years. I know you aren't that gullible." Well that didn't work. Then again, after a few hundred tries, he'd decided that bluffing Danzou with overdramatic reactions probably never would. Sooner or later he would get the man to crack a smile.

"Yeah, okay, I can tell you I always got a weird sort of feeling from the guy. What are you going to do about it?"

"The story provided to the public has always been that your abilities were residual effects from the sealing your father performed. Lower ranking shinobi have been informed that you had some basic awareness of your condition, but that the exact nature of your relationship with the Kyuubi is a mystery to you, and that your skills are the result of some personal tutelage in an attempt to prevent you from losing control of your powers. The Jonin are aware that you know the complete truth about the Kyuubi, but they are in the minority."

"So Mizuki thinks that I've just had a little extra training to keep me in line."

"Indeed. However, as with many who lack an understanding of the advanced techniques your father used in the seal, he doesn't understand the difference between you and the Kyuubi. In the minds of many you are an explosive just one touch away from detonating, rather than a trap prepared with caution and security, only springing upon those who pose a threat." Man, it was always the weapon analogies with this one.

"Yeah, I've noticed. I'm not the most popular kid in the village. Kind of figured the fuzzball had something to do with it."

"Of course you have. I told you, I'm well aware of the fact that you're not nearly as gullible as you like to pretend. However, this instructor is not quite so observant. I have reason to believe he will attempt to steal the Scroll of Seals that holds the forbidden jutsu restricted by the First Hokage himself. It would be convenient if he were to capitalize on your failure in the coming examination to do so."

The Scroll of Seals…Naruto had actually been unsure of just what he should do about that. It wasn't as though he needed it for the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique anymore. Danzou and the Third Hokage believed it when he told them that he'd basically figured it out on his own after failing the normal version so many times that the Kyuubi had finally gotten tired and explained that their chakra was screwing the process up. Still, it'd be nice to have a line to feed to people who weren't "in the know" about how much he knew about the fox, and he'd get to take down a traitor while he was at it. On the other hand, Mizuki was pretty small fry. He was a recognized Chunin of the village and he still needed an academy dead last and failure to steal it for him.

"My fail—wait, you want me to fail on purpose? You know I'm not a fan of all your assassination bull, but if he's really a traitor why don't you just haul him in or kill him or something?"

"I have many sources. Unfortunately, reliable as these sources are, they rarely come with physical evidence to support every claim. Word-of-mouth is of limited use as evidence to condone our actions, and the only other option would be to compromise my source's position.

"How do you know this person is reliable?" Oh sure, he knew what Mizuki's true colors were, but he had a bit of an advantage. Besides, Danzou was always telling him to use his natural talent for rambling and asking ridiculous questions to his advantage because people didn't think he'd be clever enough to weasel information out of them.

"Konohagakure has had its fair share of underhanded dealings. My organization is often the one to handle such matters. Naturally, I have acquired a few sources with less than desirable reputations. Even if one didn't intend to use the techniques hidden within, it would still be a premium item for sale to a number of parties. My source, in this case, has had many dealings in certain markets where such an item would be sought after."

"So basically he'll use it and sell it to the highest bidder, and this source of yours is either a possible buyer or the guy who handles the exchange." Two years, and yet he still couldn't bring himself to feel comfortable at the casual way Danzou discussed things like this. He treated assassination, kidnapping, thievery, black markets, and all manner of things like they were just having another lesson on how to act properly when sharing tea with someone important…it was just creepy. Yeah, okay, he could get that some of the stuff they did was necessary, but still…

"Something like that. Either way, the most viable solution is to lure the traitor into a situation where he would be forced to reveal himself in front of witnesses. And that is why I need you." Now that he could work with.

"Because a Genin who screws up on an exam after spending so much time talking about how he's going to be Hokage one day is easy pickings. Especially since he already hates me and probably wouldn't feel conflicted over tricking me. Might even enjoy it."

"Precisely." They stood in silence as Naruto waited for more details. And stood…and stared…and stood…and he really, really needed to break this silence.

"So do you have any kind of plan besides 'fail the exam', or should I just wing it?"

"Self-reliance is an important skill for all shinobi to possess. It will be a test of your ability to manipulate a situation to your advantage." His shoulders slumped at Danzou's sort-of answer.

"Wing it, then."

"You've already pretended to be incapable of passing it several times already, for reasons that I can only imagine. Pulling it off one more time shouldn't be too difficult."

"But what if I actually wanted to graduate this time?" There was no point in denying it. He'd done the same thing as before, electing to take the exam long before academy students were expected to pass, and failed the standard Clone Technique just like he always had. It was only partially an act. Sakura had helped him with the technique a few times, but even after what he'd been through over the years his chakra control had been substandard. Spending years cramming chakra into Shadow Clones probably didn't help, considering he'd essentially turned it into an instinctive habit. All that ridiculous chakra flow training with Danzou had done him a big favor in that department.

And now that he was confident he could create enough of the normal versions to pass the exam, Danzou was telling him to fail and out Mizuki. Go figure. Oh well, it was probably better to deal with Mizuki now than let him do something stupid in the future. He'd never be able to forgive himself if he passed up a chance to stop him and the fool actually ended up causing harm somehow.

"Leave that little problem to me. I'll take care of it when your assignment is complete."

"Right. You do that." So, what was he going to do? Wait…

"Hey Danzou, mind if I borrow Poodle-san?" He still didn't know many of their names or faces. In fact, the only one he knew at all was Sai, and it wasn't like he could call him by a name he'd yet to receive or pick him out of the several other agents and trainees that age when they were covered up. All he could really rely on were the ANBU-style masks, and he'd made it a goal of his to refer to them by titles with as little seriousness as possible. And thus, Naruto had appropriately decided on "Poodle-san" for—

"You can borrow Fox if you believe it is necessary, yes. However, remember that Root is not to be implicated in whatever you may be planning."

"No problem, Dan-san."

As he made his way back to the apartment to get a good rest that night, Naruto was quite certain he could solve the entire Mizuki issue with minimum bloodshed. Except when it came to Mizuki. He still fully intended to beat the living daylights out of that jerk.

And so it was that the next morning, he took his usual place in the classroom on the side of Sakura opposite of Sasuke, waiting for his turn to come. As he listened to Sakura, he noted that looked more nervous than he did—she'd been whispering advice on the Clone Technique since the moment they'd sat down—which was a bit strange considering that it was his turn to take the exam. Then again, she'd actually gotten to know him much earlier, so maybe this was how she would have acted in the previous time around if she'd known that a friend was about to take a test he'd failed at least twice before. He made a show of mouthing off before he went in, taking in the expressions of his classmates in the process. Most were the same as always, but there seemed to be a hint of anxiety in all of their faces that he'd never noticed, especially the ones that he knew were going to pass. The fact that several of those glances coming his way was not lost on him.

After he'd finished with his typical bragging he went into the testing room and stood before Iruka, waiting for them to call out the test that he definitely could have passed if not for Danzou. And when they did, just as he'd done in every test before this one, Naruto crammed as much chakra as he reasonably could without any of the control and watched as Iruka and Mizuki winced at the sight. The two clones flopped lifelessly to the floor, resembling him in little more than the basic coloring of the clothes. Amusement fought for control of his expression at the faces of his instructors when his reaction was considerably less animated than usual.

"Well…that sucks."

"Naruto," Iruka said with a slight sigh. "I'm sorry to say that you've failed again."

"Oh come on Iruka-sensei!"

"Iruka," Naruto had to resist the urge to smirk as Mizuki took the bait "Maybe we should let him pass. He did make two clones after all, and they're definitely better than his previous attempts so we know he's showing some signs of improvement."

"And I'm glad to see that, but I can't make any exceptions. All of the others can make at least three perfect copies. Naruto, on the other hand, hasn't made even one functional clone. I'm sorry Naruto."

"It's—" He schooled his face into the perfect picture of dejection. He even managed to make his eyes water, and that was a feat all things considered. Failing to pass an exam that he knew he could pass as part of a scheme he'd cooked up beforehand wasn't all that trying as compared to, say, talking some sense into Zabuza. "It's alright. I'm just gonna go, if that's…"

"Of course." Iruka had those same eyes, not pitying, but understanding and sympathetic in a way that no one before him ever had, even the Hokage. What would he have ever done all those years without his sensei around?

When he left, he did so quickly, just barely catching a glimpse of his friends' faces. They must have noticed the look on his face, because it was definitely pity he was seeing in all of theirs. Hah! It might all be worth it just to see the looks they'd send his way when he showed up for their team assignments tomorrow and realized that he'd actually managed to get in somehow or another. But for now, he had a plan to set in motion.

It was several hours later when Mizuki found him on a high rooftop near sunset. He hadn't even bothered going to the graduation. The remarks didn't really faze him, not after hearing so many, but that didn't mean he wanted to catch all the whispers and glares that parents tended to send his way. Especially the ones they made on that day, when he'd failed the graduation—the one students of his age were expected to pass, rather than the optional ones he'd taken several times before. And right on schedule, his traitorous instructor showed his face.

"Hey there, kid."

"Huh? Hey, Mizuki-sensei."

"You okay?"

"I guess. Thanks, by the way. For sticking up for me earlier."

"No problem, kiddo. You've always been a determined little student, even if you're not the best I've ever seen."

"I just…I wish I knew why Iruka doesn't want me to be a shinobi."

"Naruto, he does want you to be one of us. Iruka just thinks that you're failing because you're not putting enough effort in, and wants you to succeed. He's hard on you because, as your teacher, he needs to push you to do your best." That, at least, he knew was the truth. Iruka really had always been one to push him to do his best instead of letting him slip by with excuses and shortcuts. The first person to truly inspire his creed as a ninja, to never give up and never give anything less than his best.

"But I am doing my best." Or not. "It's just never good enough. How can I ever be Hokage if I can't even get out of the academy?"

"You know…there is another way you might be able to graduate."

"What? You mean I can still do it?"

"It's a special test, one that we normally don't tell students about because having to go through it again can motivate them or weed out the ones who aren't really serious. But I can tell you've got the drive. You just have a problem with one or two techniques, and like I said earlier today, the improvement's obvious."

"T-thanks, Mizuki-sensei." Oh, how he wanted to just beat the man senseless here and now. He didn't hate Mizuki, per se, but the man had hurt Iruka and betrayed the village for power. And as far as he knew, unlike a certain Uchiha, Mizuki didn't have the excuse of being driven completely insane by a psychotic elder brother who forced him to relive the slaughter of his entire family for days on end. "So tell me about this test!"

"Her, I'll explain what you have to do…"

Then the games began. Nightfall came, and he retrieved the scroll just as easily as before, taking the Third Hokage down with his infamous Sexy Jutsu. Though honestly, he suspected that the man wasn't as severely affected as he seemed. He'd recovered awfully quick, after all, and he doubted they would name someone Hokage if they could be downed by little more than a pretty girl showing a bit of skin. And so it was that after a few hours of meandering around in the forest, a certain brown-haired Chunin instructor happened upon him lounging against a tree, scroll at his side.

"Naruto!"

"Iruka-sen—" A fist came crashing down on his head, but he could hear the fear breaking through the anger in the older man's voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto? The entire village is up in arms trying to track you down!"

"Man, you're really awesome Iruka-sensei! Guess I couldn't hide for you the whole time, but do I still get to pass?" Confusion etched itself across his teacher's face at the question.

"Pass? What on earth are you talking about?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me all about the special extra test for students who might not pass the normal one. I didn't master the whole scroll like he said, but I did manage to learn one." He pretended not to notice the look of horror dawning on the shinobi's face as he realized what Naruto was implying. "But that's still not too bad, right? So do I pass?"

"Mizuki told you this?" Naruto nodded, the excitement on his face completely real. It was showtime. "Naruto, I need you to give me that scroll. Mizuke played you, he's—"

"There you are!" Mizuki appeared on one of the branches above the duo, anger clouding his features. "Thank heavens you found him before he could do anything foolish, Iruka. To think you would steal the Scroll of Seals just because you couldn't pass a simple exam…you're going to be in serious trouble for this, Uzumaki."

"What? But-but you said—"

"But maybe," Mizuki's voice went softer, a hint of slyness coming through the obviously false anger and disappointment. "Maybe if you gave me the scroll and came quietly, we could spin this. You didn't realize how important it was, you were just having fun. How does that sound?"

"Don't listen to him Naruto, he's playing you!"

"No, Iruka's the one you shouldn't obey. He despises you, and we all know it! He hates you for what happened twelve years ago, just like so many other people."

"Twelve years ago?"

"Don't do this! The Hokage put down that law for a reason!"

"Haven't you ever wondered why so many people whisper behind your back? Why they kick you out of shops before you've even tried to buy anything? Why every prank you play is treated like it was a severe crime."

"W-why?"

"Mizuki, no!"

"Because you're the Kyuubi no Yoko! Yes, that's right. Twelve years ago the Fourth Hokage died, and you were the cause. And what's more, Iruka's parents died in the attack that night. That's why he hates you so much. That's why you'll always fail in the eyes of every person in Konoha! That's why you need to give me the scroll—he's trying to sabotage you."

"Naruto…"

"I'll give you the scroll." Iruka's eyes shot to his student, letting out a cry as Naruto tossed the school to his fellow instructor.

"Naruto, no!" Mizuki kept them in sight as he began to undo the scroll, curiosity more overwhelming than the desire to escape immediately.

"How pathetic. I admit I expected a bit more fight out of you. With this scroll I'll…I'll" Much to Iruka's confusion, Mizuki turned wide eyes on the smirking Naruto. "What the hell is this?"

"That?" Naruto took on a relaxed pose, eyes closed and hands folded behind his head. "Oh, you mean the fake scroll that I used to replace the real Scroll of Seals because you were obviously full of crap the whole time? Yeah, that's my bad."

"You—you little piece of shit!"

"Totally pulled one over on you, Mizuki-sensei! No way I'd give you the scroll that the First Hokage made off limits to everybody but the Hokage."

"Naruto, you really…?"

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei, that scroll's safe and sound. Oh, and all that stuff about me being the Kyuubi? That's nothing new to me. I know that the Fourth Hokage sealed it in my body twelve years ago, and I know that a lot of people hate me because they need something to blame. But, well, I am sorry about what happened to your parents, Iruka-sensei" Mizuki was sputtering in rage, but he wasn't making any sort of move. Iruka's eyes softened as he spoke.

"I don't, Naruto. Maybe I did at first, but I could never blame you after I finally got to know you. You may not be the greatest student in the world, but you've always given it your all and I know how much you care about this village. You're not the Kyuubi, you're Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf." Somehow, the words still brought tears to his eyes. Maybe it was because Iruka was the first shinobi to openly declare his acceptance, or maybe it was because the speech brought memories of a bleeding Iruka putting his life on the line to protect him, but the man's actions still tugged at his heart.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." He brushed his sleeve over his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his view before turning to the other academy teacher. "So whattya say, Mizuki-sensei? You think I'm the Kyuubi right? You want revenge and all that?"

"You really think you're not—"

"Well, duh. But since you obviously don't get it, I think I'll prove you wrong by not killing you after I beat your ass into the dirt. How's that sound?" The rage seemed to have left the older man, replaced by an arrogant scoffing.

"Please. That trick with the scroll wasn't half bad, but everyone still thinks you stole it. All I have to do is kill you and your precious Iruka-sensei, and that'll be the easiest thing I've done all night. You really think you can take a Chunin like me? You, a pathetic brat who couldn't even get out of the academy because of something as basic as the Clone Technique? I'll destroy you in one move."

"Heh. I do suck at the Clone Technique, don't I? See, I've always had this problem with chakra control. I put out a lot of chakra, but don't focus it well enough to put enough into the clone and usually end up losing a lot of extra. Thing is, I always failed because I wanted to pass it like everyone else. But I'll make an exception this time." He formed his hands into his trademark sign, one that he'd supposedly learned from the Scroll of Seals before replacing it with a fake. A little funny, considering he really did learn it from said scroll once.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu." Both Chunin's eyes shot around the forest, one in horror but both in awe, at the sight of well over one thousand copies of the boy standing between them.

"These are—These are solid clones!"

"Looks like this time I'm teaching you a lesson!"

"No, no!" The clones charged, and the "battle" was over in seconds.

"Naruto, that was incredible!" He turned back to Iruka, neither of them particularly concerned with the unconscious and slightly twitchy Chunin on the ground behind him.

"Yeah, guess it wasn't half-bad, eh sensei? Would've been nice if I'd managed that in the test though. And…thanks for looking out for me, and always pushing me, and always believing in me even when I screwed up. I know you've been nicer than most of the others at school."

"Naruto…hey, close your eyes for a second."

"What?" Here it comes. It was probably one of the greatest moments in his life, and the feeling was the same now. This was it, this was the moment that he became a Genin.

"Just trust me." Always. He closed his eyes, felt the forehead protector being wrapped around his forehead. "There you go."

If he didn't know better, he could've sworn they heard his cheering as far as Suna.

For once, he wasn't meeting with Danzou in an office, or a training room, or some other secure, closed-off location. Instead, they sat looking out at the village from the Hokage Monument, atop the Fourth Hokage's likeness in the early hours of the morning, as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

"He got the scroll back to you then?" Everything had gone exactly according to plan. Fox had followed close behind after he'd explained the plan and picked up the scroll, returning to Danzou while he took care of the traitor. Danzou would take care of returning it to the Hokage and explaining.

"It is safe in the Third's hands once more."

"That's good. And how did you explain that one away?"

"Hm? The Third has known that I've been tutoring you for some time. He kept you under close observation, of course, but he seems satisfied that I'm not attempting to make an agent out of you. I explained your situation during the chaos and he agreed to let you give it your best attempt."

"Cool. But wait, doesn't that mean I could've met you for training without sneaking around?" They stared in silence, Danzou took a sip of tea, and as per usual, Naruto gave up. Of course he could have just waltzed into his meetings with Root's leader, but that would've been too easy. "So…Iruka-sensei passed me after my little show. Cool, huh?"

"I suppose that means I don't need to handle your passing grade. You did an impressive job, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Heh. Thanks."

"I suppose a gift to celebrate your graduation is in order."

"Huh?" Danzou slipped his hand into his robes, pulling out a small scroll. He unrolled it as Naruto watched on curiously, and with a puff of smoke a wooden box maybe a foot and a half long appeared. Danzou ran his hand over the smooth wood for a moment and offered it to the younger shinobi. Naruto accepted the gift hesitantly, half expecting the man to whip out the cane and smack him off the monument as a lesson about accepting gifts without checking them properly for traps.

"Your training under Root, at least for the time being, was completed with your graduation. Traditionally it is appropriate to grant a young shinobi a gift of congratulations for progressing this far." Naruto pulled the lid open to reveal a tantō, about fifteen inches from end to end, with a dark blue-black blade. It had the normal tip one would expect, with the double-edged blade and diamond-shaped cross section of the Moroha design, so it definitely wasn't one of those used by Root.

"You're seriously giving me this? No catch? No insane lesson that I'll only learn by getting caned with a huge hunk of wood?"

"None. It should be a useful asset in your future endeavors. The metal is a special material designed to conduct chakra and absorb any excess, making it quite efficient for chakra flow techniques such as those you've learned in our sessions."

"Nice." He drew the blade, took a moment to finger the smooth surface of the metal and send a small, experimental burst of chakra through it. He could almost feel it collecting in the metal, just as the older man had told him it would. "Very nice."

"Don't expect to receive another. Not all weapons are as simple to replace as your typical kunai. The most effective weapon is one that you have been sure to maintain with care and efficiency." Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the senior shinobi's words.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about the sword?"

"Think whatever you wish." Naruto smiled, sliding the blade back into its saya.

"Thank you, Shimura-sensei."

AN: So, there goes another chapter.