Author's musings: Yikes! Sorry I'm late, a lot of things happened the past week. Had to go out of town, problems with the net and then the loss of a portion of the chapter, which I had to rewrite.. Anyway, I think I like putting responses and ramblings at the bottom so if you want to see those, there'll be there. I will say one thing though, since I'm still getting some reviews about it.

There won't be any more personality clones. EVER. Those 5 are the only ones. At this point I don't have any plans for more and I don't know what could happen that would make me add more.

Enjoy!~

November, 2019 Edit: This chapter has been reviewed and edited for any mistakes or important bits I've missed, as well as to change some of the formatting.

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The Cure for Loneliness

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Chapter 9: Uzumaki rules

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It started as a chuckle that only grew in the following seconds into full blown laughter which managed to even catch the attention of some of the villagers.

"It's not funny, you know. I felt like my insides were burning! And since it wasn't direct physical damage, I couldn't even dispel," Yami said angrily.

"I still find it rather amusing. You must have really done something bad to that girl," Hiruzen said after he started breathing again.

"That's the worst part! It was all Naruto's fault and we were the ones that ate the damn salad in the end! I swear, those two will be the death of me. It may sound impossible, but if they continue with their stupidity I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time!" Yami folded his arms at his chest and looked away in a very Naruto-like manner.

The Hokage kept chuckling. It was a good thing he hadn't taken Naruko up on her offer. No doubt it would've been payback for going into Naruto's apartment uninvited. That girl could be really evil at times.

"And if they don't do it, I'm sure Honō's moronic behavior will. I had hopes for Sarge and he's all right normally, until he starts torturing his clones. He practically drowned one this morning to teach the others a lesson, but we all get their memories!" Yami kept complaining.

"Sounds like they're all a handful," the Hokage tried offering some sympathy, but Yami could tell his heart wasn't really into it. It was the constant chuckling.

"Kiyomi isn't really, but sometimes I get the feeling she doesn't listen to me either and just goes off and decides on things on her own. I think they're having a race to see who'll drive me insane first. Not that we aren't all insane anyway," he muttered the last part but the Hokage still heard him. "They're all acting like family. So I wouldn't mind playing along and protecting that little dream, even if they're all idiots."

Hiruzen hummed his understanding and stroked his beard in thought. He could definitely see that after having dinner with them. The family part, not the idiot one, although he could see traces of that as well. Yami made a really good case.

"So what's the verdict, Old Man?" the clone asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, we're not that stupid. You probably had us watched ever since you met Naruko this morning. I could tell you already knew our names when you came to visit," Yami said. "Hey, I completely understand, you have to make sure everything is good with your weapon."

"What?" Hiruzen asked, surprised.

Yami looked him straight in the eyes, "It's what we are to the village, isn't it?"

"Of course not!" Hiruzen almost yelled. "Why would you say something like that?!"

Yami let out a snort. "Jinchūriki. There's even a term for people like us. And you've said it yourself, the Kage bet on the Tailed Beasts during the First Kage meeting. I'm guessing they needed ways to contain and harness their power and we are what they came up with." He fixed the Hokage with his pupil-less eyes again. "What happened with the last one? The treatment of the villagers got too much and they finally broke?"

The Hokage didn't answer him but Yami didn't really need confirmation. It was a miracle the same hadn't happened with Naruto.

"And after your previous Jinchūriki let out the Fox, the village needed a new one quickly and the Fourth grabbed us. I'm sure it was an easy decision, no one would care for a nameless orphan after all."

"Don't you dare say that! Your parents loved you!" This time Hiruzen found himself shouting before he even realized it.

"So you do know who they were!" while Yami didn't say it in the form of a shout, there was note of the same outrage in his voice. "It's not much of a surprise, really. You already lied to us about the reason people hated us. It made even Naruto wonder what else you've lied about. Fortunately for you, he doesn't want to think about it." Yami paused. "Unfortunately for you, that's my job."

"I am everything Naruto ignores, consciously or subconsciously. So while he tried to bury those thoughts away, I couldn't help but obsess." Hiruzen's pale skin became slightly whiter. "You should've outright lied about that as well. Made up a nice little story about how our father was some famous shinobi that died before we were born and that our mother died at childbirth. Gave us some fake names and maybe fake pictures to really tie things up. It's not like there's a shortage of blue-eyed blonds in the village. Hell, we had another one in our class. You could've even told us our mother was single and no one knew who our father was, would've definitely made it easier for the pictures."

Hiruzen looked around. Thankfully, they had entered the park at this point and there weren't any people around this time of night. This was a dangerous conversation and while he had suspicions on what Yami wanted to talk about, he never expected things to go in this direction.

"But then.. If you knew them and they indeed loved us, the implications of that aren't that good for you. Because no loving parent would let anyone do to their child what was done to us. Unless they weren't given a choice! What was the reason we were picked?! I doubt the Fourth just found some infant on the street, there was meaning in picking us! Were they traitors?! Was it some kind of sick punishment for something they did?! Are they still alive then?!" Yami shouted these and other questions one after another. Questions that had plagued Naruto's mind years ago and that had plagued Yami himself once his Creator had started burying them deep down. It was hard being the repressed side of someone like that. It didn't take much to tip you over the edge.

Hiruzen listened to the shouts with closed eyes and did his best to ignore the feelings they brought. There were so many 'what if's' flying around in his mind, but it was really too late for that. Yami's reaction was expected, the only cause for surprise here was Hiruzen always thought it would come from Naruto and not a split personality of his. It was really fortunate there were no bystanders and if they were, he hoped Tenzō and the rest of his bodyguards did their jobs properly.

Yami took a deep breath and did his best to calm himself down. He looked back at Hiruzen, "Don't worry, Hokage, there is still light in the tunnel for you. Naruto doesn't have to know about this conversation."

"You're a shadow clone," Hiruzen pointed out.

"If you're worried about the memory transfer thing, it won't be a problem. I've prepared ways for Naruto not to find out. I do want some privacy from time to time after all," Yami grumbled.

"And what would you gain by that? From what I've observed of the other personalities, you all have Naruto's best interests in mind. How would lying to him help him?" Hiruzen asked skeptically.

"All of us are different parts of his personality and desires. Naruko is his need for someone to take care of him; Honō is his determination to train in order to protect us.. or his insanity, I'm not sure; Sarge is his silent side, no matter how absurd it seems, we actually do have one; and Kiyomi.. Well, she's the reason I exist. What kind of person do you have to be to tell a five year old child they don't deserve bedtime stories. That they'll never get one because no one would ever want to take care of them?" That chilled Hiruzen's blood. He looked at Yami disbelievingly and felt his mouth open and close, not sure what to say exactly.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore really," Yami waved it off dismissively. "You are right, we do have his best interests in mind. We all care for him in our own way and we all want him to be happy. It is our real purpose, to be the family he has always wanted and deserved. He's happy now and telling him this would spoil it. Because believe it or not, despite everything you've lied about, he still considers you one of his close people. So no, I won't tell him about this conversation. Are you going to tell me about our parents now?"

Hiruzen went to one of the benches and sat down. He took out his pipe and lit it, before drawing thoughtfully. "I'm sorry Yami, I can't. Not yet," he said finally.

"Why? Were they really traitors? Is that another reason everyone hates us? Why would it matter if you told us! Afraid we'll turn traitor as well?!"

"Would you?" Hiruzen asked.

"Would you blame us?" Yami asked angrily and stilled. This was dangerous territory now, perhaps a slightly gentler approach would be better. "Naruto loves the village for whatever reason. He's too happy-go-lucky to turn traitor. If he wasn't, he probably would've ran away years ago. And we'll stick to him, no matter what. So I suppose you're safe to keep on lying and hiding things."

Hiruzen slowly drew from his pipe again. No, it was still too early. With the way things were there was no telling how Naruto and his clones would react to the truth. He would tell them at the right moment, and this wasn't it.

"Yami, as the village leader I have to consider many things. There is a lot you and Naruto still don't know yet, many secrets lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the opportune moment to come out and harm Konoha. Revealing the truth now would have an impact on many things, both inside and outside of the village. I will tell you when the time is right," he said with a finality that suggested the matter was closed for now. "I will say this, your parents weren't traitors. They were considered as some of the Leaf's greatest ninja and they did love you."

Yami narrowed his eyes and looked away. He wasn't buying it. "Fine. This isn't what I wanted to talk about anyway. I have a proposal for you, one I think will be beneficial for both the village and Naruto."

Hiruzen lifted a brow and leaned backwards. "I'm listening."

"I can already guess how most people will react to us. Oh, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki went nuts, he really is a monster! What will happen to the village! We should lock him up!" Yami said in a mock high-pitched voice while he waved his hands in panic. "Idiots," he rolled his eyes, "but it's understandable. People fear monsters, especially the ones they created themselves. I want you to let us be, to let us keep what little semblance of family and happiness we have. In return, we'll be your obedient little weapon, ready to go to the frontlines and be used in whatever little wars you end up having."

Hiruzen was shocked at the way Yami had worded everything and was silent for a while. Yami took it as him considering the offer, so he decided to add, "I know you might not really need to accept something like this. You're the great Hokage after all. I'm doing it because as unlikely as it sounds, I want to believe Naruto might be right for a change. He still believes there's a trace of the kind old man left in you, before all the lies and secrets. The kind old man that cares for everyone in the village equally, including the Jinchūriki. We're still a part of Konoha, no matter how much everyone wants to ignore that."

Hiruzen felt the years weighing down on his shoulders. He really considered seeking even his wayward student and offering him the Hokage title. He was a candidate years ago, maybe Orochimaru would still have the desire for the title and leadership of the village, somewhere deep beneath the vile snake that he was. They certainly deserved each other.

"And is Naruto okay with that offer?" he asked.

"Naruto may be a dimwit, but he has learned a long time ago that in order to receive something, you have to give something in return," Yami answered.

"And the others?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with us. We will do whatever is needed for him," Yami shrugged.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and let it out. In all honesty, he had already made up his mind since the moment he had first met Naruko. After everything, Naruto did deserve some happiness and a family, and the boy had figured out a way to get them himself. It's how things always went with Naruto. He would always eventually figure out a way to do things on his own. "All right, I accept," he said finally.

Yami nodded and offered him his hand. Hiruzen looked at it for a fraction of a moment before he took it. "Is that all, Yami?"

"No actually. Two things. I was wondering if you would let us take a peek at the Forbidden scrolls. Naruto didn't read everything about the Kage Bunshin no jutsu. It would make things easier for us."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible. After Naruto stole it, the scroll has been hidden in a safe place. Besides, you said it yourself, in order to receive something you have to offer something in return and right now I don't think you have anything to offer me," Hiruzen said.

Yami let out a growl and frowned at the Hokage. Well, it didn't matter, they would just keep finding things out by themselves. "Do we have to be on a team with Sasuke and Sakura? Why can't we just be a team of our own, we would work better like that anyway."

Hiruzen thought about it only for a moment. "There are many reasons for that. First of all, Konoha cells usually operate into teams of three or four. That is especially true for genin teams which consist of three genin and a jōnin instructor. If Naruto went on a team of his own, there would be no one to replace him on Team 7. Secondly, I would have to assign a jōnin instructor just for one genin and that is not something that is beneficial for the village. Thirdly, even if you have your own personalities, you are still just clones with all their vulnerabilities. Lastly, bonding with your teammates is an important part of being a Konoha shinobi. I think it would be good for everyone if Naruto and the rest of you made some lasting bonds with the village. It would definitely ease the tensions."

Yami shook his head in disbelief. "Do you even know who our teammates are? Uchiha Sasuke, who Naruto can't even talk to without some sort of animosity, that is mutual by the way, and Haruno Sakura who treats us exactly the same way and is obsessed with Sasuke. I doubt team bonding with us will be at the top of their priority list.

"Nevertheless," Hiruzen said and that was that. No one could say anything on a matter after a nevertheless.

"Fine then! Be like that, I won't escort you back to your house in that case!" Yami pouted and looked away, which made Hiruzen chuckle. He really did like the other personalities, which wasn't much of a surprise since he liked Naruto. They all had their own flavor.

"Oh, I'm sure an old man like me should manage something like that. Especially since it's right over there," Hiruzen pointed at the park exit.

"Hmpf, see you later than, you old loon!" Yami yelled and dispelled.

Hiruzen chuckled again and stood up. One thing was for sure, life would definitely get more hectic for the village. He went on his way, reaching the Hokage tower. He didn't go to the floor of his quarters immediately though. He passed by his office first and after activating a sealing array, the Forbidden scroll appeared with a puff of smoke on his desk. He unfurled it, opening it on the bit that held the information of the Kage Bunshin no jutsu.

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The first one to speak was Naruko. "You lied to him. We can't keep our memories from Naruto. Not if he really wants to see them."

They were all sitting at the round table in Naruto's mind and they had just finished going over Yami's conversation with the Hokage.

"Of course I did. Every single thing could be an advantage for us and the less people know and the more they misunderstand about our abilities, the better. The Hokage may be more lenient with information if he thinks it won't reach Naruto. As it was just proven," Yami said.

"Why did you do that?!" Naruto asked angrily.

"What, lie to him? I just explained it," Yami said.

"No, why did you have to bring up our parents! We didn't have to know that! I didn't.." he stopped and looked away.

"Is that what you really think?" Yami asked. No one said anything for a while and Naruto looked back at the middle of the table.

"I did it because I've been thinking about it ever since you created me," Yami said. "I did it, because this was something we would have to face eventually. And the sooner we did that, the better. Naruto.." he paused closing his eyes for a bit. He didn't like talking about this. He opened them and looked at the Creator, finding he was looking at him as well. "If we're going to be a real family, we can't have any secrets between us. If there's anything that can break a family up, it's that. There are enough people keeping things from us as it is. I did it because I wanted to show you that and most importantly, because you want to know as well."

"Fine, you win. We shouldn't trust the Old Man or anyone else for that matter. You were right. Happy now?" Naruto asked angrily.

"No, but hearing you admit it is a start," Yami smiled wickedly.

Naruto frowned and looked away.

"So what should we do about this?" Sarge asked.

"Nothing," said Yami.

"Nothing?" came from a surprised Kiyomi.

"We just keep acting as if everything is normal. Life moves on, makes lemonade, all that shit. Just make sure you always keep this in the back of your mind - take everything with a grain of salt," Yami said and almost slapped himself. He shouldn't have used that expression.

"It means not to believe everything we hear. To always doubt and question things and to never trust anyone," Kiyomi explained and everyone else ooh-ed in understanding.

"But that's horrible!" Honō said.

"Well, luckily for you, it's why you have me. I'll be the skeptic, so you can all feel free to believe people blindly. You can always count on me to point out your stupidity. Always." The last word held a promise of a lifetime in it.

"Aren't we lucky," Naruko rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Yes you are." Yami wasn't just a master of using sarcasm, he was extremely skilled when it came to evading it as well. "You're welcome, by the way."

There were at least three glares directed at him. Yami smiled. It wasn't all bad.

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The next morning found the members of team 7 walking towards the meeting spot for their training. At least Sakura and Sasuke were. A still sleeping Naruto was being carried by Honō and Sarge, while Yami, Naruko and Kiyomi were each carrying a large backpack.

"Yosh! We have successfully reached our destination!" Honō yelled, lifting his hands in the air and subsequently dropping Naruto to the ground. There was a "whoops" heard from him.

Sakura felt her hand itch to pound the green-clad idiot. No one should be this loud and chirpy at such an early time. Even more infuriating was that Naruto was still sleeping, despite all of it! That seemed to be problematic for his clones as well.

"Niisan still hasn't woken up," Kiyomi said while pinching and pulling his cheek. Her hand was swatted away and there were words on the subject of five more minutes.

"I think I know a solution," Yami said, eyeing the river.

"That's a definite no, his clothes would get wet!" Naruko said.

"You're right, we should take them off first," Yami said. The Uzumaki's murmured between each other before they went to the shore, undressed Naruto and deposited him in the water.

The following scream resonated throughout all of Konoha. A second after he had touched the surface of the water, Naruto was propelled by some strange inner force back onto the shore.

"W-w-w-w-w-what t-t-t-t-t-t-t-the f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f.." he wasn't even able to finish from the shivers wracking his body. He was immediately wrapped with a few towels by Naruko and Kiyomi. Honō had already brought some wood and Sarge was busy making a fire. So naturally, Yami gave the explanation.

"Hey, good to see you're finally awake!" he said in a very cheerful voice. "You forgot your morning shower so we helped you with that."

A trembling finger emerged from underneath the towels. It was pretty obvious which one it was.

"Come on, move closer to the fire while I prepare breakfast," Naruko said as she took out a bag with apples from one of the backpacks.

"Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat breakfast," Sakura said as she and Sasuke approached them. Even if Konoha was in the middle of Fire country, early mornings were still a bit chilly so a spot near a fire was the preferred location. She was surprised to see Naruto sending her a look of gratitude that was immediately squashed when Naruko spoke.

"I don't see him here. What time is it anyway?"

Sarge shuffled through one of the backpacks and produced an alarm clock with a kunai sticking from it. The arrows were frozen at 4:30.

"It probably took us about 20 minutes to come here and wake Naruto up, so my guess is we should have 10 or so before he arrives," he said and took out a cigar. He grabbed a stick, poked it in the fire and used the flame on its tip to light it.

"If he isn't late like yesterday," Yami grumbled.

"Why did you guys bring so many backpacks anyway?" Sakura asked as she sat down and set her own bag to the side. Sasuke did the same and like her, he only had one.

"Hatake-sensei said to bring all of our equipment," Sarge shrugged and blew some smoke over their heads.

"Ugh, can you not do that?" Sakura asked him annoyed.

Sarge turned to her and took a deep breath. He moved the cigar away from his mouth out and gave her a calculating look. Sakura edged a bit, expecting him to say something. Instead the clone just ignored her, looking away and blowing some smoke. For the second time today Sakura felt her hands itch.

For a while after the only sound heard was from Naruto who was grumbling as he ate his peeled apples. It seemed their sensei was going to be tardy again.

"I'm still so cold," Naruto said. He wasn't shivering as much at least.

"Oh fine, I suppose you should have something warm," Naruko took an actual kettle from one of the backpacks and gave it to Honō who went to fill it with water. She also took out a few cups of instant ramen. Naruto's eyes practically shone when he saw them. "Don't think this will happen too often, we'll need energy for something like survival training," she quickly added.

Sakura couldn't help but look hungrily at the cups. She had not only obeyed Kakashi-sensei's instruction not to eat breakfast, but she had also skipped dinner in a moment of insanity.

Naruko caught her look. "You guys want some? We've brought plenty for everyone."

Yami frowned but before he could say anything Sasuke grunted and shook his head. Sakura was really tempted, but in the end she quietly said, "I'm on a diet and we were told not to.."

"Suit yourself, I'll just leave these here," Naruko shrugged and put two cups to the side.

By the time Naruto was slurping the noodles from his third cup, Sakura had already caved. No one could watch the way the blond devoured food and keep their resolve. Sasuke was the exception to the rule, since he stoically braved on through the hunger.

"Ah, that hit the spot! All right, let's do stuff!" Naruto stood up, refilled with energy and warmth, followed immediately by an excited Honō. There was a slight problem however. More like a chain of problems. First, the towels fell to the ground from the speed of his movement. Second, he was still naked underneath them. Sasuke immediately looked away, while Sakura didn't. Her eyes bulged and she swallowed the unchewed noodles in her mouth heavily at the shock.

"Anyone else feeling a draft?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Many screams of embarrassment and lots of blushing later, a fully clothed Naruto was racing with Honō and Naruko around the field. He would've probably been turned into a bloody heap if Sakura wasn't scared of Yami. Instead she was just staring at the fire, trying to burn the image from her mind. Well, it wasn't that bad really, but she would've preferred seeing Sasuke like that, not Naruto of all people. As for the Uchiha, he had remained silent throughout the whole episode, choosing to ponder on what he had done to deserve being put on a team with so many weird idiots. Kiyomi had taken a book out and Yami had opted to just lay down and take a nap, while Sarge had gone off and had summoned a couple of clones for whatever reason.

Such was the state Kakashi found his team when he finally appeared a couple of hours later. He had a rather restful sleep, only disturbed by some loud scream around 5 in the morning. He wondered what kind of lunatic did that. Normally the answer would've been Gai, but the eccentric beast of Konoha should still be away on a mission with his team.

"Hey guys, good morning!" he waved at them. He was also carrying a backpack with him.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screamed angrily at him. Naruto opened his eyes, which showed it wasn't actually Naruto and joined Sasuke in the glaring.

Kakashi's eye crinkled from a smile. "Yeah, there was a black cat that crossed my path so.."

Yami grunted with annoyance before he dispelled. Kiyomi put her book in one of the backpacks and did the same. A few more puffs were heard from the clearing and the woods, before Naruto appeared out of them. It was still a surprise to see that, even if Sakura and Sasuke had already figured out they were clones.

"You're late, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at the jōnin. Kakashi smiled again and went to the three wooden posts. The Uzumaki's had already disposed of the evidence that some of them had indeed had breakfast, but he still noticed the extra backpacks. Dismissing it for now, he took out a big alarm clock from his own and put it on the post. Seeing that, Naruto immediately summoned the rest of his clones.

"All right, the clock is set for noon," Kakashi said. He took out a pair of bells tied to some string, "Your task is to take these from me before the time is up. Those who don't have a bell by noon get no lunch. I'll tie you to those stumps and eat in front of you."

Sasuke felt his stomach grumble. So that's why he had told them not to eat breakfast. Sakura on the other hand was incredibly glad she took Naruko up on her offer. Yami was a rude jerk, Sarge was a cold prick, Honō was a loud idiot, Naruto was a shameless perv, but at least the female portion of his clones seemed normal enough. Ignoring their attire of course.

"You only need to get one bell to pass and get lunch. And since there are only two, at least one of you will definitely fail and get tied to a stump. They will also be sent back to the Academy."

The atmosphere around the genin immediately tensed. Yami narrowed his eyes. Hadn't the Hokage said genin teams operated with four people and that there wouldn't have been anyone to replace them if they had gone on their own? He felt his rage rising. Had that been just another lie as well?!

"You can use your weapons for this exercise. You won't succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill," Kakashi finished, tying the bells to his belt.

"Are you sure Sensei? There's a lot more of us than you, you'll be in trouble if we come at you seriously," Naruto said.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Just ignore mister dead last and start when I say.." Kakashi replied calmly.

Naruto's anger spiked and he took out a kunai, ready to charge at Kakashi. An instant later he found his arm twisted by the jōnin with the kunai pointing at the back of his head. No one had even managed to catch Kakashi's move. One second he was in front of them, the next he was behind Naruto.

"Don't be so hasty, I haven't said "start" yet.." Kakashi said but his eye widened in surprise. Naruto was engulfed in smoke and replaced by Sarge whose left hand was still held by Kakashi. His right one was already slashing with the tantō. That wasn't the only attack, Yami was charging with a kunai from his right while Honō was flying at him with a kick. So they used Kawarimi to bail Naruto out. Well, they weren't the only ones who could use that technique.

Sarge's tantō was the first to hit, this time however it was Kakashi that was engulfed in smoke to be replaced by Yami. The clone screamed in pain, which doubled when Honō hit him with the kick, before he finally dispelled. Kakashi who was now occupying Yami's spot noticed Naruko and Kiyomi were standing between him and Naruto, with various pointy objects sticking between their fingers. Bail out and immediately protect the Original, that was pretty good. It looked like Naruto was going to charge him again, before a shout halted him.

"Boss, stop!" came from Sarge. "We aren't at full force." Naruto nodded and summoned Yami back next to him.

"Not bad," Kakashi said. "It seems you're really prepared to come at me with the intent to kill. So you've finally taken me seriously. Well then.. Begin!"

Kakashi jumped away, putting distance between him and the genin. The most important thing for a shinobi was the ability to conceal their presence and hide well. It seemed his team was doing that well. At least Sasuke and Sakura were. Kakashi felt his jaw drop when he saw the Uzumaki's had huddled together and were discussing something into hushed murmurs. He could still make out things like "He's the real deal" and "definitely Gai-sensei's eternal rival". He felt his shoulders drop a bit at that. Maybe he should talk to them about spending too much time with Gai.

"Um.. I think you're a bit off compared to the rest," Kakashi said. They all looked at him silently and went back to their huddle, the murmurs only intensifying. Kakashi shrugged and took a little orange book from his weapon pouch. The title read "Make-Out Paradise".

"Hey hey, he's reading a book now. He's really underestimating us," Naruto whispered angrily.

"I wonder what it's about," Naruko said.

"Probably a book filled with youthful techniques!" Honō added.

"All right, Kiyomi. After we're done here your first task is to find that book and read it. It must be something huge if a jōnin of his calibre is reading it while doing an exercise where he told us to go at him with the intent to kill," Yami instructed, receiving a determined nod from Kiyomi.

"So what should we do about him?" Naruto poked his head slightly from the huddle to look at Kakashi. Yep, still reading. He was even giggling.

"I have a plan. It's called "trick the one-eyed ninja and steal the bells from him".. I'm still working on the name," Sarge said.

"That's fine, let's hear it," Yami said.

Kakashi looked up from his book. The Uzumaki's were still in a huddle, even after ten minutes had passed. Well, now they were crouching and the smoking one was drawing things on the ground with a stick. He doubted it would be anything effective but maybe he should check it out. He nonchalantly walked over and looked from over their heads.

"Once we get him to come here, we'll attack from this side and lure him into the pit of snakes. Then we dump the bag of cats over his head and I think we'll be set. Any questions?"

"Um.." Kiyomi hesitated, "and that's when we are going to get the bells?"

Sarge gave her a blank look. "What bells? Oh! Right, well.." he looked over his diagrams, "yes, that's when."

"To recap," Yami was pinching the bridge of his nose, "You want me and Naruko to go to a pet store and buy a bunch of cats and snakes, while Naruto and Honō dig out a pit? And you and Kiyomi will be distracting him until then?"

"Yep, pretty good plan, right?" Sarge asked with a smile.

The Uzumaki's looked at each other.

"I think it's a sound plan," Naruto said.

"I like the part where I have to go pick some cute kittens," came from Naruko.

"I like the part where we had to dig a pit," Honō said enthusiastically.

"Yes, you and hard physical labor. It's not much of a surprise," Yami rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure this will work?" Kiyomi asked worriedly.

"Well.."

"It does sound like an interesting plan. I think you should try it," Kakashi chimed in.

Sarge looked at him, "You really think so? I'm not sure about the part where we set the trees on fire.."

"Oh definitely, you'll never know what will work," Kakashi nodded. He hadn't heard about that one. His hand shot out and stopped Yami's only a centimeter away from the bells. "See, this was a good try."

All of the Uzumaki's jumped him but Kakashi was already a couple of meters away.

"Damn it, plan "trick the one-eyed ninja and steal the bells from him" didn't work," Naruto yelled in frustration.

"It's fine, I have plan B ready," Sarge said. He summoned a clone and put his cigar out on its forehead. The clone let out a scream and dispelled, making all of the Uzumaki's wince.

"Must you do that!" Yami said angrily.

"I didn't have a way to put it out," Sarge shrugged. To Kakashi it seemed the smoking one seemed to be especially cruel at times. While true, Sarge had also transmitted the plan "overwhelm the one-eyed ninja with numbers and explosions".

Naruto made five regular clones and they all charged Kakashi with Honō at the front. Kakashi noticed everyone of the clones had spread into pairs with the exception of Naruto, Yami and Sarge. The latter two had once again positioned themselves in front of the original. He didn't have much time to think about it as he was forced to start dodging and weaving around punches, kicks, swipes, grapples and even headbutts. Naruto's taijutsu(1) wasn't the greatest from what he had read in his file, but it definitely wasn't as bad. Perhaps Gai had helped with his stance.

Still it couldn't match up to someone like him. Ten seconds later and all of the attacking clones were dispelled. Kakashi let out one more giggle as he kept reading his book. Another six clones attacked him and again he dispatched them without breaking a sweat. This time a pair of shuriken were thrown at him as well, courtesy of the two female clones. Without even looking up, Kakashi simply caught them with two fingers. That was when things started going wrong.

He only had a fraction of a second to react after he realized they weren't really shuriken. A puff of smoke revealed the transformation and two Honō's tried to grab him. Kakashi dropped his book and quickly made the sign for Kawarimi. It seemed like they hadn't learned their lesson. This time he chose Kiyomi and smiled when he saw her get tackled. That wasn't bad for a surprise attack. Speaking of those..

"Gotcha Sensei!" Naruko shouted in an overly happy voice as she hugged him. Kakashi groaned. This again? Maybe the girl wasn't clear on the "come at me with the intent to kill" part. He looked down and spotted a very sadistic smile. His eye widened when he heard the sound of explosive notes about to go off.

Naruto, Yami and Sarge approached the crater after the giant explosion. The only thing that remained was Kakashi's jōnin jacket in tatters wrapped around a tree log.

"What the hell?! That was too big, I thought she liked Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi who was hiding in the bushes shuddered. If that was her liking him, he really wouldn't want to get on the girl's bad side. Still, their plan had been really good, filled with deceptions and surprises. They had also split into pairs - in case he switched himself with one of them, there would be a second one to catch him with an explosive surprise. Honō must've made the clones that transformed into shuriken while they were huddled. That's probably when they had layered themselves with explosive notes as well. They had adapted quite well. So was that even the real Naruto with Yami and Sarge? Well, he was about to find out.

"Look! He dropped a bell!" Naruto yelled and pointed at something that was shining on the ground. He was about to rush over it, but Yami held him by the shoulder. He looked towards Sarge who started making quick hand seals.

Kakashi swore, he should have expected that. In a burst of speed he appeared in front of the bell and reached to grab it. It was too late, instead he met a very familiar sadistic smile courtesy of Sarge this time, coupled with the familiar sound of explosive notes. Unfortunately for Kakashi, there was only one thing on the field he could replace himself with this time. The clones were too risky and the log with his jacket was already at his feet.

After the explosion cleared, Naruto's happy yells could be heard.

"We did it!" he whooped a few times in the air.

Kakashi did his best not to look at the crater that had gotten even bigger. It was important not to cry at this moment.

"Good job, Naruto. You passed!" he made sure to sound cheerful. "Can I have it back?" he extended a hand.

Naruto was going to give it to him but frowned. "Wait.. Didn't you say we had to have one when the alarm sounded? I think I'll hold onto this one, Kakashi-sensei!" Yami smirked. It seemed like last night's lesson was already taking effect.

Kakashi also gave him an eye-smile. It was good to see Yami wasn't the only sharp kunai in the Uzumaki box. "Very well, Naruto," he chuckled. "Feel free to go sit at the stumps until the time's up. Now it's your teammates' tu.." he was rudely interrupted by several kunai and shuriken that stabbed him in the face, belonging to one Sasuke Uchiha. Until a puff of smoke revealed the log with his jōnin vest in his place.

!~¡

The Uzumaki's were sitting around the middle stump. On their sides, Sakura and Sasuke were tied to the other two. Both of them had rather solemn looks. At least Sakura did, Sasuke's was more in the form of a permanent glare. Out of everyone possible, he had been outdone by the dead last of his class, the loud orange wearing idiot and his insane clones. To say it was a huge blow to his pride and ego would be putting it lightly. Now a traitorous voice began telling him that yes, Naruto may have in fact defeated a chūnin before he had even graduated and may have in fact learned a B-class technique in an hour. Because Naruto and his clones had also managed to get a bell from their jōnin instructor.

If Sasuke's self-esteem had taken such a blow, then Sakura's was practically non-existent. The only things she had managed to accomplish during this exercise were screaming, fainting twice and hugging Sasuke. The stupid, useless Naruto had managed to accomplish the task, while she and Sasuke, the tops of their graduation class had failed. Miserably.

Kakashi stood in front of his charges, with his hands in his pockets. This was a small mess, to say the least. It was his own fault for underestimating the Uzumaki's, something he really shouldn't have done. Yet they had still managed to display enough skill and initiative to take advantage of his mistake. And that by itself was commendable.

"Well, if this is what the dead lasts of the Academy are capable of, then I think they should probably re-evaluate their grading system. I'll definitely make a report to the Hokage, especially considering you two," Kakashi's eye swept over each one of them. The Uzumaki's reaction ranged from huge grins to self-satisfied and shy smiles. Sasuke's glare intensified while Sakura only withdrew further into the stump. "The collection of blonds managed to complete the task, so they pass. I underestimated them, yet that was my own mishap. But don't worry you two, you won't have to go back to the Academy."

"Huh?" Sakura lifted her head with confused hope clear in her eyes. "Really? All I did was pass out.. Was that enough?" Sasuke on the other hand was smirking. "So wait, that means we.."

"Yep! You two should quit being ninja," Kakashi gave them one of his eye-smiles.

That felt like a slap to the face and a bucket of cold water poured over them at the same time.

"Wh.. What?" Sakura asked bewildered.

"I'm a bit disappointed actually. None of you figured out the answer to this test, not even the blond society over there," Kakashi let out a sigh.

"What?! What meaning behind the test? We got the bell, didn't we?" Naruto yelled.

"Teamwork, isn't it?" Yami said quietly, his expression back to his usual frown. While they were waiting for the test to finish, he had spent some time thinking about the conversation with the Hokage last night as well as yesterday's meeting with Kakashi. "We were meant to work together. If out of 27 genin only 9 can pass, then you can't fail only one or two of us with a test. We'd have to fail or pass collectively, as a team."

"Ah, so one of you did figure it out," Kakashi said. It wasn't really surprising who it was.

"So what's the deal then? We should be able to pass then, Naruto and the rest of us used teamwork amongst ourselves and managed to get a bell, didn't we?!" he asked angrily.

"You did and you're right, it was all thanks to teamwork, even if you didn't know the purpose of this test at the time. Unfortunately, even if you did pass, the others didn't. You don't really have a team, which means you'll probably be held in the reserves until a slot opens somewhere," Kakashi said calmly.

"But why?! We could be our own team!" Naruto protested.

"No we can't," came from Yami, surprisingly. "Even if we can work together, we're still just clones Naruto. I hate to say it, but the Hokage was right. They probably wouldn't let us go on anything but D-rank missions if it was just us."

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled and slammed a fist in the ground. Even after everything, they still couldn't catch a break! At least they earned their official ninja status but what use would it be if they couldn't even go on missions?

Kakashi observed them all before he turned towards the big stone with the flag. It was black and in the form of a sun clock, with a small circle around it. "The life of a ninja isn't just fun and games. It's not a place for brats who can't work together with their teammates or don't want to support each other. This is a memorial stone. It has the names of many ninja of Konoha carved in it." His hand touched the stone and traced a few of them. "It is to honour their sacrifice for the village. They were all killed in action."

If Kakashi had turned around, he would've seen he had his genin's full attention. They were watching him as if hypnotized, drinking his every movement. Except for Yami. His focus was on the stone. A sudden thought had crashed into him.

"The names of my best friends are carved here.." he said quietly, but everyone still heard him. He turned back towards them. "Tell you what. You blonds did actually impress me and one of you even managed to figure out the purpose of the test. Maybe if you had one more real teammate, we could make a case with the Hokage to let you be a team. The catch however is," he tossed the second bell at them and Naruto grabbed it, "you have to pick your other teammate."

Everyone looked at the bell. The Uzumaki's then looked amongst each other, before they all stood up and faced Sasuke and Sakura.

"Hmm..." came from Sarge.

"There's nothing to think about, let's pick Sakura-chan!" Naruto said much to the surprise of the tied people. Well, not really.

"I think I agree. She might be extremely rude, but Sasuke's just an outright ass," Naruko said.

"What are you talking about! I should get the second bell, I was close to getting it myself anyway!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruko took out her duct tape and put some on his mouth. "Shhh, quiet now, the adults are talking," she said with a smile, patting him on the cheek." Sasuke really wished he had the power to incinerate people with his eyes at that moment. He would do anything for it.

"Don't do that to Sasuke-kun, you wench!" Sakura shouted automatically.

Naruko frowned at her. "I think I've changed my mind, can't we just wait in the reserves?"

"Nonsense, Aneki! I think Sakura is showing her youthful solidarity for her beloved! Her dedication moves my heart deeply!" Honō yelled and took the duct tape from the stupefied Naruko. He placed some on Sakura's mouth and gave her a "nice guy" pose. "There, now you can share the silence together, beautiful Sakura!"

The Universe decided it was her moment to intervene and the sound of crickets chirping echoed in the clearing. The worst part was, there was no doubt that Honō was sincere when he had said that. Yami contemplated whether there was a way to leave him behind as well.

"Anyway," he brought them back to the task at hand. "I actually disagree with picking Sakura."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" came from Naruto.

"Come on Naruto, you may not want to admit it, but we both know Sasuke is the better ninja. It would be good to have someone we could actually rely on in our team. Even if he is a self-centered jerk," he added the last part as an afterthought.

"But but.." Naruto was speechless. Never in a million years would he have thought there was a part of him that would actually prefer Sasuke to Sakura.

"I think I'm inclined to agree, Boss," Sarge blew some smoke in the air. "Strategically speaking a team is as strong as its weakest link. Uchiha-san did finish at the top of the class, that should count for something. Even if he is a stuck-up prick."

Sasuke would definitely find a way to do it. Make flames with his eyes and make them impossible to extinguish. Something told him the colour black would be appropriate for them too.

"No! No way are we going to be on a team with that stuck-up bastard!" Naruto stubbornly locked his hands at his chest.

"Even Sakura is better than him!" Naruko supported him.

"Perhaps we should have a competition between them to determine whose flames burn the brightest?"

"Shut up, Honō, that's stupid," came from Yami.

And the Uzumaki's began arguing. It was an interesting affair. All of them talked at the same time while constantly changing the person they were talking to. Kakashi watched with fascination. It wasn't every day you could actually witness an internal monologue. The others from team 7 shared his fascination, although it was amidst other emotions. For Sasuke it was anger that his fate was at the hands of the class clown and that said class clown had even recognized his abilities. For Sakura it was shame. While she appreciated Naruto coming to her support, the others had said less favourable things, some of which an inner voice was inclined to agree with, since it was Sasuke-kun that was really the better between them. She was in a bad situation really, she would either pass as a genin and be on a team with the Uzumaki's or fail and face the walk of shame back to the Academy. Sakura felt tears pooling at her eyes. Talk about a lose-lose situation.

The only one not participating in the argument was Kiyomi. She made a few attempts to say something that were promptly ignored through the shouting. She finally had enough, and snatching the bell from Naruto she yelled, "Quiet!"

Everyone fulfilled her request and began staring at her. Suddenly Kiyomi felt like she had done something wrong.

"Um.. Well, I was just thinking.. Um.." she hesitated, avoiding everyone's eyes, especially Yami's, "Maybe we could uh.. Pick both of them?" she offered weakly. The staring continued. "Uh.. You know.. I just thought that way everyone would be happy," she finished quietly and closed her eyes.

"Kiyomi.." Naruto was the first to break the silence. "That's brilliant!"

"Huh?" she managed in her surprise.

"You're right, everyone wins that way!" Naruto said and nodded a few times.

"I suppose everyone has their good ideas from time to time," Naruko flicked one of her pig-tails. Damn it, she should've thought of that! She shouldn't let her little sister outdo her!

"That is a very good solution indeed! As expected of our Kiyomi!" Honō yelled, pumping his fists in the air. Sarge settled for a much tamer agreement in a simple nod.

"Are you all stupid?" Yami rubbed the sides of his head. "Kakashi-sensei said we could only pick one!"

"Well, maybe we can convince him," Naruto said and turned to Kakashi. "How about it Kakashi-sensei? Can't they both just pass with us? I think we got the whole teamwork thing."

"Heh.. Not bad. They really did find the right answer," Kakashi thought. "Well.. I suppose you could take the test again. But! That would mean you already completing it won't count. Either all of you pass.. Or all of you fail."

The Uzumaki's huddled.

"This is insane," Yami whispered. "We're talking about letting go of what's tame to go and chase the wild!"

"That means.." Kiyomi started but she was interrupted by Naruko.

"Yeah, we got it."

"Come on Yami, it's not that bad," Naruto tried to convince him.

"Yes it is! It's being together with those two at the same time! Being in the reserves would be better!"

"If we failed, maybe we could convince the Old Man to let us stay in the reserves. We did get the bell the first time."

"You're insane!" Yami threw his hands in the air. "And stupid! The lot of you!" But then he palmed his face and said with a sigh, "And so am I for agreeing." The others let out a cheer. Unfortunately, Yami had to concede that was probably the only way, considering the whole teamwork thing.

"All right Kakashi-sensei, we agree," Naruto said and tossed his bell to him. Kiyomi did the same with the other one.

"Good. And what about the other two?" Kakashi looked at them. He received a pair of nods, since the duct tape didn't allow for much else. "All right, we'll do the test again after lunch. Since the blonds did actually accomplish the task the first time, they get to eat. The others are to remain tied to the stumps without any food. If you break that rule you'll be disqualified and sent to the Academy without even getting a chance," Kakashi said and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Not even ten seconds passed before the Uzumaki's looked at each other. Nodding, Naruko went to Sasuke and removed the duct tape in a sharp, clean move that made him yelp. She winked at him and went to Sakura. Hers was removed with a lot more care. Then she cut her ropes.

"Come on, time to eat," Naruko said.

"But.. Kakashi-sensei's rule.." Sakura muttered as a bento box was thrust in her hands.

"We're Uzumaki, you brainjuice," Yami folded his arms. "We make our own rules."

Sakura looked hesitantly towards Sasuke, who was frowning at his bento.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei isn't here. When he comes back he'll see two finished lunches, he won't know who ate them," Naruko rolled her eyes.

"We'll need all the energy we have to beat someone like him, especially you, Uchiha-san," came from Sarge.

Sasuke's stomach made its opinion on the matter known as well. That seemed to be enough as he finally dug in, followed closely by Sakura. She lifted her head after a few bites, "Aren't you guys hungry as well?" Kakashi had brought only two bento boxes.

Naruko grinned and made a peace sign, "We also make our own lunches." She produced a box three times bigger than theirs from one of the backpacks and opened it. "Behold! Naruko-chan's super special deluxe triple portion bento box!" It was immediately whisked away to be exiled forever in the pit known as Naruto's stomach.

"While we eat, we should go over some plans," Sarge unfurled yesterday's scroll with their surroundings between them. "We didn't have time to make proper traps, but maybe now we can."

"When did you make this?" Sasuke asked.

"Yesterday. We decided to scout the area during our practice," Yami said, kneeling next to Sarge.

Sasuke smirked. Perhaps this teamwork thing wasn't a complete waste of time. Especially if you had someone reliable, unlike the pink-haired screech. Sasuke still couldn't believe she passed out and left him to dig himself out of the ground.

"Such a nice scene," Kakashi's voice froze their spines. Everyone turned to see him standing on top of one of the stumps. "It's good to see you three working together.. and disobeying my rules." He disappeared from the stump and appeared in front of them. He took in their frightened faces and did his best not to cackle. "You pass!" he said happily with an eye smile.

The numb silence was broken by Naruto. "Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?"

"You are my first team to do that. Everyone until now did exactly as I told them and followed my rule. They were just idiots that couldn't think for themselves." He looked up at the sky, "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their friends are even worse than trash."

Silence followed his words as everyone thought over them. Well.. Not really.

"Sensei's so cool," Naruko said with stars in her eyes.

"Right! He might be even cooler than Gai-sensei!" Naruto agreed.

"No way, Gai-sensei is the best!" Honō protested loudly.

"They may be cool, but I think the title of real badass goes to Morino-sensei," Sarge stated.

Kakashi shook his head. He was probably the first jōnin in the history of.. well ever, that technically had eight genin under him. On the bright side, at least six of them understood his lesson about teamwork.. The other two probably did as well. Hm.. He wondered what would've happened if he had tied Naruto to the stump?

"All right everyone, from tomorrow we'll be starting our first missions! Good job!" he gave a big thumbs up. "You have the rest of the day off! We'll meet at the bridge near the Hokage tower at 8."

"Yosh! Let's have a race to training ground 27 and tell Gai-sensei!" Honō picked a backpack and ran off, immediately followed by Naruto, "I won't let you win this time!"

"Ooooh, I've been wanting to meet him for a while now," Naruko said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei. Sorry about your jacket, I'll try to make it up to you," she winked at him while sticking her tongue out, before she headed off.

Kakashi suddenly had a bad feeling along with another thought. Maybe he could delegate some of the blonds to Gai, since they seemed fond of him and he didn't have a shortage of energy.

"Wait, we don't know if he's even back," Yami tried to be the voice of reason but it was all in vain.

"Might as well roll with it Vice, there's no stopping them," Sarge lit his cigar again. "I'd join you, but there's something I've been meaning to do for a while. And now that we're official genin.." he trailed off and headed in a different direction. "I'll catch you later tonight. You know how to reach me." He waved with his arm as he walked away.

Yami let out a sigh and looked at the last backpack. His plans for a relaxing nap after this stupid test had been foiled. He picked it up and headed after Kiyomi, who had started walking towards training ground 27 as well.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Kakashi heard Sakura from his side. "What's up with Naruto and the others? He couldn't even make a single bunshin in the Academy and now he can make solid ones.. And they're a bit weird."

Kakashi noticed the question had caught Sasuke's attention as well. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. He wasn't sure what to tell them really. Was the truth a good idea at the moment? What if they thought less of him and it screwed with the team dynamic? Then again, there wasn't much of a team dynamic at the moment.

"Sakura.. To answer that question, you have to try and understand Naruto. What do you know about him?" Kakashi asked.

"Well.. He is loud and really obnoxious! He never studied or paid attention in class. Oh and he constantly pulled pranks and caused trouble for everyone! I guess it's easy for him since he has no parents to scold him. Hmph, must be nice having no one to tell you to do your chores or constantly tell you what to do," she said in annoyance, putting her hands at her hips.

Kakashi shook his head. This girl really didn't know anything. Sasuke was much more vocal in his annoyance.

"Talking like you understand everything. Having to do chores and being scolded.. That can't even compare to the pain of loneliness he's living with. Sakura.. You're really annoying," he growled out.

"Sa.. Sasuke-kun.." the girl said in surprise, but he wasn't even looking at her anymore. He had a shocked expression as he looked at Kakashi.

"That's why they exist, isn't it? Naruto created those clones exactly because of that."

Kakashi's only reply was in the form of a nod. Sakura was confused at first before she realized it as well and looked at the direction the Uzumaki's had disappeared to. Her conscious suddenly slapped her with the full weight of what she had just said. She felt light-headed from shame and embarrassment.

"Well, don't let it depress you too much. Seems like things are working out for the best," Kakashi's voice was heard. It did little to ease the giant lump she felt in her throat. "Anyway, I'll see you two tomorrow. Don't be late!" he said cheerfully.

Sasuke grunted and headed for home and Sakura did the same, walking numbly towards the village.

Kakashi waited until they were out of the training grounds and immediately ran off to the crater. He kneeled on the ground with the ashes of his beloved book falling through his fingers. A weep echoed through the clearing.

!~¡

Koharu shook her head. "Such shameful behaviour. Why are all of our top ninja some type of perverts?" she looked at Hiruzen, who felt he was somehow included in her grouping.

He let out a puff of smoke and waved off over his crystal ball. He and the two members of the Konoha Council had just finished watching the test of team 7. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. The Council's purpose was to help the Hokage when there were important decisions and matters to discuss. Like the one of Uzumaki Naruto and his clones.

"You know, I was thinking about the same thing myself recently, Koharu," Hiruzen said. "I guess we all need some sort of outlet."

"This troubles me, Hiruzen," Homura said, and the other two knew he didn't mean Kakashi's perverted hobby.

"It is quite the surprise. However, I have personally met with the different personalities. They all seem like nice children that could support Naruto."

"The real question is whether this matter would harm Konoha in the long run if we left it unsupervised," Koharu spoke.

"I'm sure Kakashi will fulfill that role. He is one of our top operatives," Hiruzen said.

"Kakashi's job was already hard with both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto on his team. Now he has to deal with this on top.. I worry it might be too much, even for him," Koharu said.

Hiruzen put his pipe down and looked at his old teammates. "All right, we've been through these kinds of conversations many times. Speak."

"We should consider all of our options," Homura stated calmly. "An unstable Jinchūriki could prove disastrous for the village. We cannot have a repeat of the Kyūbi attack from 13 years ago."

"We don't even know what they are capable of. If they are clones, it should mean they are exact copies of the original, with the chakra split amongst them. Including the bijū's chakra," Koharu added. "What if they access it and decide to use it against the village as an act of vengeance?"

"Their lives are tied with Naruto's. They will follow his wishes and will always try to act in his best interest," Hiruzen said.

"That's what worries me the most, Hiruzen. Their loyalty is to the boy, not Konoha. It relies on his loyalty towards the village and the inhabitants haven't exactly given him much to earn it. And what if they decide at one point the Leaf is too detrimental for his existence. What would their reaction be to act in his best interest?" Koharu asked.

"I think we may be past that point. As you've said the villagers haven't shown him the best of treatments," Hiruzen let out a sigh.

"All the more reason to act now before it becomes too late," Koharu said.

"And what should we do then?! Have a Yamanaka purge his mind of all traces of them? Lock him up and strip him of all of his emotions? That's exactly something Danzō would do! And if you remember, he has wanted to do it for a long time," Hiruzen said, which made both of the Council members grimace.

They may have agreed with some of Danzō's militaristic ways and actions, but they were far from supporting his ideology. What that man did to those under him went way past the line of inhumane into the very dark territory of monstrous. Still..

"You're being emotional, Hiruzen. Always when it comes to that boy," Koharu said. "The village always comes first."

"He is part of the village as well. One of our own ninja," Hiruzen said.

"Do I need to remind you of the teachings and ideology of our teachers! The Shodai said it best, no one person is above the village!" Koharu raised her voice for the first time in years. Not since the actions of one Uchiha Itachi.

"To what end, Koharu? It is precisely because of that ideology that we've found ourselves into this predicament," Hiruzen didn't relent.

"What is it that you propose, Hiruzen?" Homura's calm voice cut through the tension and his old teammates calmed down.

"I have made a deal with them. As long as we leave them alone, they will work for the benefit of the village."

"And you believe them?" Koharu asked.

"I made it with Yami. He is the side of Naruto that holds all of his repressed feelings and hatred. He out of all of them offered this deal, which means they all understand that cooperating with the village is in Naruto's best interest. I believe in their desire to support him," Hiruzen said.

"That seems rather naïve, Hiruzen," Koharu pointed out.

The Hokage slammed a fist on his desk. "We owe at least this much to him for his sacrifice! He considers himself a weapon, a tool to be used for the village, damn it!" his voice wasn't a shout, yet it was still firm and unwavering. "And we owe it to the Fourth for his as well!"

Homura and Koharu exchanged a look. A lot of silent words could be exchanged along with it. After a few seconds Koharu's features softened ever so slightly, something that hadn't happened, again, since the Uchiha Massacre. Sometimes, this job got too much. And that was exactly why they had to do it. Because there was no one else.

"Very well," Homura spoke. "You will have our support. When will you address the jōnin with the matter?"

"During tonight's jōnin meeting to discuss the new genin teams. The Clan Heads will be present as well, since it seems a lot of the Clan Heirs are in this year's graduates," Hiruzen said.

"A lot of promising students this year," Koharu said.

"Indeed, a lot of surprises as well. Kakashi actually passed a team this time," Homura said.

"I think we all know who gets the title when it comes to surprising," Hiruzen chuckled, picking up his pipe and taking a much deserved draw.

!~¡

They had almost reached team Gai's training ground when Yami spoke to her.

"Kiyomi," he said, making her tense immediately. "I have a task for you."

"Yes?" she turned to him and asked with her usual quiet voice.

"I think it's time we started looking into who our parents are," he said, making her gasp slightly.

"W-what? How?"

"Start with that memorial stone. If they were ninja that were killed in action, their names should be on it. Maybe even the names of any relatives. We don't have much to go on besides our last name and it may not even be our real name.. But it's as good a start as any," Yami said and received a nod. He continued, "If there isn't an Uzumaki on the stone, check the cemeteries. Maybe someone would be buried there."

"Why now, Yami-niisan?" she asked.

Yami lifted a brow at her way of address but ignored it. "It's something Naruto has always wondered about. It's also missing information about our past and that can be dangerous, I don't want someone exploiting it. The less leverage anyone has on us, the easier our lives will be," he explained.

"What about Naruto-niisan and the others? Should we tell them?" she asked.

"They'll find out tonight anyway, so don't bother for now," Yami waved it off. "It'd be nice if we had a name by then," he mused, which made Kiyomi swallow harshly. For some unexplained reason related to feelings, that made Yami backtrack almost immediately. "Don't feel pressured or anything to rush. If those happen to be dead ends, I'm sure there are other places we can check. We'll figure things out as we go, like usual. It's what we're best at."

Kiyomi nodded and gave him a small smile. "All right, Niisan. What about Kakashi-sensei's book?"

Yami hesitated for a moment and rubbed his chin in thought. "That's also a priority. I guess start by looking for the names and if that comes out as a dead end go and find the book and read it. How's the speed-reading going by the way?"

"It's going well, I should be practicing it as much as possible at the moment. There will be better techniques as I progress."

"Good uh.. Good job," for some reason Yami felt the need to say that, which earned him a slightly bigger smile. "Off you go now, you know what to do if something comes up."

"See you tonight, Yami-niisan," Kiyomi said and headed back towards the memorial stone.

Yami let out a sigh. He was close enough to team Gai's training ground to already hear the shouts. It seemed like Gai-sensei had returned earlier than expected. He braced himself for an afternoon filled with youth.

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(1) taijutsu - literally means "body techniques"; Any techniques involving the optimization of martial arts and one's natural human abilities.

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Author's ramblings: This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. I had a lot of the scenes and actions planned out since the moment I began the story, but for some reason putting it on paper took a while. My Word also crashed at one point and for some reason the save and auto-save functions did not work properly and I had to rewrite a large chunk of it. I hope it doesn't happen again, I felt like crying T_T

What do you think of this chapter? I had a lot of fun writing some bits. Literally. I laughed for about 10 minutes until my lungs started to hurt. I'm sure you can guess which bits I'm talking about.

I had a question about the clone's appearances. I guess I should recap them quick since they were spread around many chapters. Naruto and Yami's attires consists of the usual tracksuit from the first part coupled with a black leather harness strapped to their shoulders for the tantō, much like Uchiha Shisui's. Even though I like orange, I don't like the combination with the blue, so that will probably change at some point. Naruko is wearing a French Maid uniform, except everything that's normally white on it is orange. Her tantō is fastened in the big ribbon made from the apron's belts and instead of kunai holster she has leg garters that hold her stockings and her knives. The red swirl is on her apron at the front. Honō is wearing the green body-suit with orange leg-warmers and the orange jacket on top, with its sleeves cut at the shoulder to emulate Gai's jōnin vest. He also has the green goggles on his forehead to hold his hair since the forehead protector is around his waist and the tantō is strapped under his right leg-warmer. Sarge is wearing the dark grey T&I uniform, much like Ibiki's with the same harness for the tantō like Naruto and Sarge. Over it he's wearing a dark orange trench-coat with short sleeves and black flames at the lower edges and the edges of the sleeves. There's a red swirl on the back and he wears his forehead protector like a bandana. Finally, Kiyomi is pulling off the librarian look with a dark orange skirt, black mesh pantyhose, white shirt and an orange cardigan draped over her shoulders with the red swirl at the back. Her hair is in a bun with a pair of long senbon visibly sticking from it and many other hidden inside.

Huge thanks to my wonderful reviewers NUKninja, Gelasia Kidd, Remzal Von Enili, Mistroz, Waldo Santiago, LordTicky, Kyo no Kitsune, Umbra-Venator, Uber Ghidorah, tastybigsexy, DarkflowerofTc, GravityTonttu, TazalTerminals, Paradox009, gemava, ToAruKagakuNoPersona, turtlefan16, Tango Charlie, maleficus-lupus, GJMEGA, DPSS, Mental-Shifter, Lair of the East, gushing lilacs, wolfielove15, Guest(8), and doomsdarkrai! Here are some responses and as usual if you don't receive one, it means spoilers.

Remzal Von Enili: Maaaaaaaaaybe ;)

Kyo no Kitsune: That came up as I was writing. I wasn't too sure about it either, until a scene of Minato talking to Kakashi about his "little girl" popped into my mind. Poor Kakashi..

Uber Ghidorah: Mecha Naruto, Menma? Sorry, I haven't read those fanfics. The Mecha Naruto one sounds interesting and who's this Menma? You're the second one to tell me about Red vs Blue. I think I might go and watch that, sounds like something funny.

DarkflowerofTc: I made a quick recap for you and anyone else that needs it right before the responses. ;)

GravityTonttu: Whoops, thanks for the correction, I can't believe I made that mistake. Then again, I never paid much attention to how the First was called. There are no plans for the Rinnegan, but you might be on the right track. Look forward to the fight with Pain, that's all I'll say. ;)

TazalTerminals: Changes in what way? Personality, gender, etc.? Any changes that will occur will be a direct result of Naruto developing split personalities. You'll have to give me more details if it's something else you mean. =p

gemava: You know that's a very interesting idea, I've never considered something like that. I'll think about it and see if I can add it.

ToAruKagakuNoPersona: Haven't read that one.

Tango Charlie: I don't think all 6 of them will participate in team activities at the same time. For example not everyone would be needed for D-ranks.. Probably. I think future chapters will show that.

GJMEGA: I don't think that can be considered as simply an anime trope. For one, women pushing men around exists in and is the basis of many TV shows and literature. "Malcolm in the Middle", "The Simpsons", and Wodehouse are some examples. Second, women pushing men around happens to exist in real life as well, often with some very funny consequences. I believe there is an American term known as "whipped". Lastly, I have two sisters. Some of the things Naruko does may have been inspired by them. That scene with the hot sauce? Not even the only time I got food poisoning from one of their culinary experiments. It may seem pathetic, but it is also the sad reality of the male portion of the human race. I think Shikaku put it best when he explained things to Shikamaru.

DPSS: I feel the same way about Kurenai. However, I think as a young newly promoted jōnin it would fit her behaviour. The scene was also a response to her behaviour in a few stories I've read. I also had a lot of fun writing Yami's bit.

Lair of the East: I think this chapter should have provided answers to your questions. ;) That.. Or I didn't manage to show things properly. I'm sorry if that's the case, I'll explain what I meant in a PM if you still have questions. =s

doomsdarkrai: You know, I'm worried about it as well. But I can't help myself, it's just my style of writing to go into long-winded descriptions. I don't really plan for this to go too long though, I can't foresee more than 60 chapters and even that's pushing it. I have plans for some events and the story in general and I've even planned some of the ending.. I think. But really, the focus are the Uzumaki's and they will always be the main point.

So many responses! Done now! Unfortunately, the next chapter might take a bit longer.

Edit May, 2020: Understatement of the century there. Only 6 years (5 and a half technically). Well, back for good this time. Chapter 10 is done, while 11 and 12 are almost. When they're finished I'll post 10, I'd like to have a buffer.

Ta-ta !~

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