Tales of the Kunoichi: Formation

A single difference in birth, a difference in place, can change the entire future of the world...

AN: I know, I'm an idiot and should be working on other things. But I just sort of... lose myself sometimes when I make things public. I regret making choices, but I can't take them back the way I want. This story, however, will be written in a different style. I will not be simply writing it chapter by chapter, but as a whole. I will not publish any new chapter without re-reading it like three times. I actually didn't even want to submit this, but while writing the last 20 or so pages in a day, I figured I should stop being stingy with my work. Someone may get inspired by it!

But let's go over a few things, two things in particular I want to make clear: Naruto is female in this story, and the home she lives in is different than the canon. This is important, so I figured I'd make it bold. Also, I know I'm a bit of a chunky writer. I try to put in details I probably don't need... But that's just how it works out. Sorry, but I hope I space it out enough to not annoy anyone too much.

This story will take inspiration from other forms of writing. Ranma ½ in particular.

I do not own Naruto, though I wish I did... If only so I could have kept Kishi from forgetting everything.

"Talking is like this."

'Thinking is like this.'

"Flash backs will be like this. You get the drift."

"Demonic Talking is like this. Other things may qualify."

'Demonic Thinking will be like this'

"Techniques like the Henge Jutsu will be said like that."

Jutsu may be given a name like this: Henge! (Transformation) if it is the first time it appears, has a complicated name, or is unique. Techniques like the Kage Bunshin will not be given that. If you're reading this story, you should know what Kage Bunshin is.

If you want a more in depth 'Jutsu Library' at some point, then tell me through reviews. If enough people say 'Yeah!' then I'll start adding them in... But I will never repeat a Jutsu.

It was spring in the Land of Fire and it showed with the cherry blossoms falling down through the village of Konoha. It was a rarity that the trees bloomed, even in such nice weather, but it was a pleasant occurrence, so no one could complain. Well, there was one person who could.

That person was Naruto Uzumaki; the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and up coming Kunoichi of Konoha. The girl was widely known among the villagers, for both her prisoner and her looks, but not so much her skills. Her looks were a thing of envy among most of her fellow academy students, even if she 'ruined' them by wearing a bright orange jump suit all the time.

Her bright blonde hair and blue eyes more than made up for her choice in wardrobe and currently her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, reaching past her shoulder blades. Normally it was in two loose pigtails, but today she needed her bangs out of her face and the dark green goggles she normally wore were unfit to the task, leaving them dangling around her neck.

With a sigh, Naruto pulled up her broom from it's resting place on the roof of her large apartment complex and began to sweep away the cherry blossoms that had drifted onto her home. Normally this would fall to the land lord to do, but the man had passed away from old age two years ago, leaving no one to the task. Also, while Naruto was not privy to the reason, she was currently the only one that lived in the complex, despite it having eight separate apartments built into it and one 'extra' room that the land lord had originally lived in.

With the land lord gone, and no one willing to move in to own the place, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, decided to give all rights to the building to one Uzumaki Naruto. This meant she had to take care of it, but until she received a steady income the Hokage had stated he would take care of all payments, so long as she took care of the building.

Which she did everyday by cleaning up messes people would leave nearby, either on purpose or accident though she was unable to tell the difference, and replacing tiles on the roof when the rain wore them down. Another example was when the floor in one room, one she did not even go into regularly, completely fell through and she repaired it. It was a patch job, of course, but through events like that the blonde slowly grew in skill when it came to repairing, though getting the supplies needed was a task on its own.

The building was a large brown building near the edge of Konoha's living area. It was rectangle in shape with a curved triangle roof, and there were five doors on the bottom half of the building. The one on the very far left of the building, if you were staring right at it, was a square shack that was added to the house and thus did not really match the rest of it.

In front of that, however, was a set of stairs that led up to the remaining four apartments, all carefully measured to be directly above the doors below. All of the apartments were similar, with a small living room, a bed room, a bathroom, and a small rectangle kitchen. Despite their lack of use, the apartments still caused Naruto a bit of annoyance as something seemed to go wrong with them here and there.

Currently, however, her only task was to clean off the cherry blossoms before she had to go to class and hope that the wind changed direction after she left. Of course, the blonde still had a number of chores to do around the building, such as repairing the large fence in the back yard, but they weren't critical.

The academy, however, was critical and Naruto knew she couldn't be late again. Iruka, a scar faced Chunin, was a slave driver when it came to attendance. He even went so far as to drag Uchiha Sasuke back to class after he disappeared for a week, much to Sasuke's humiliation even though Naruto was the only one that knew and that was only because she had been dragged along side him.

A clacking sound resounded throughout the area as Naruto dropped her broom, letting it slide off the roof and land on the balcony below; soon followed by it's handler who landed beside it with a light step, careful not to land on the tool. "Alright." The blonde said aloud, smirking as she hopped down from the balcony and onto the walk way below. "Works done, time to go to class."

With that, she spun on her heel and began to walk down the street with her hands in the pockets of her orange jacket. It wasn't until she reached the more populated area that she pulled her hands free, forming a single seal as she walked. In an instant, the medium-sized blonde with bright blue eyes was replaced by a tall brown-haired man with a gray shirt and silk pants on.

The 'man' grinned lazily as he made his way through the crowd that paid him no mind, excluding a vendor that tried to catch his attention to sell him something as he walked past. Naruto had taken a liking to the Henge Jutsu and especially this form in particular. The image she wore had a simple expression and body, one you could forget easily.

Normally whenever she walked past someone, they would glare at her, but not with this face. She wasn't blind and it hadn't taken her long to realize they only glared at her, so she created another persona. It was hard to do, at first, but she did spend several years in the academy to perfect her Jutsu and Iruka always made sure everyone knew how to do the Jutsu before moving on.

Speaking of Iruka, the Chunin was currently standing outside the academy with a smile on his face and a collection of his students in front of him. Naruto frowned in confusion at the sight but allowed her Henge to drop when no one was looking and made her way into the field. The brown-haired Chunin seemed to notice her approach as he waved at her with a smile. "Welcome, Naruto. You're on time today." The man teased slightly, earning a grin from the Kunoichi to be as she stood in the back of the class.

Several eyes turned towards her but she paid them no mind as she grinned at Iruka. "I made sure that black cat didn't cross my path this time." She joked, placing one hand on her hip as she unknowingly took a page from a silver haired Jounin. Iruka simply rolled his eyes in response, causing Naruto to grin further. "So what's this all about Iruka-Sensei? A field trip?" The last words were said teasingly.

Ninja didn't take field trips.

Iruka chuckled and shook his head, pulling up a paper that she had not noticed before. "I was just getting to that, actually, so pay attention everyone." Clearing his throat, Iruka began to speak while Naruto took a spot beside a certain Hyuuga heiress in the small crowd that had formed. "Today will be a special training exercise to evaluate where you stand. We'll be testing all of your knowledge to see if you're ready for the exams in two weeks." The Chunin explained, though his voice was slightly monotone as he read from the paper in his hand.

"And if we fail the expectations?" One boy asked with a lazy tone to his voice and Naruto couldn't help but roll her eyes as she glanced at the one who spoke, Shikamaru Nara. Notoriously lazy and, if it wasn't for his extreme brain power, probably the worst when it came to actual tests. He didn't do the minimum, per say, but he didn't do the best he could do either.

Iruka gave Shikamaru a small smile, but it seemed like he had expected a question like that. "Well if you're deemed not ready, you might have to be held back but you'll still have to take the exam later either way. This is more of a test to let you all know where you stand and what you need to improve on in two weeks time." Shikamaru nodded and turned his head towards the clouds, seeming satisfied with the answer. Iruka sighed slightly as he saw this and quickly added, "but you have to participate for a grade." That got the Nara groaning, but he didn't say anything.

A couple of chuckles went through the crowd and Iruka waved his hands to get their attention back when they subsided. "We'll be going through Taijutsu first, so I'll be splitting you into partners to spar against one group at a time. No weapons, Jutsu, or crippling blows are allowed." There was a series of murmurs among the students, but it was Naruto that raised her hand, a frown on her face. "Yes Naruto?"

"Where's Mizuki-Sensei?" The blonde asked simply, as in previous Taijutsu tests they would have Mizuki and Iruka both watch them to cover more than one battle at a time. The fact that he wasn't here explained why they were doing one bout at a time, but it still raised a lot of curiosity as the white haired Chunin had yet to miss a day.

It seemed the rest of the class shared Naruto's curiosity as their gazes turned towards their Sensei expectantly, causing Iruka to sweat slightly from all the eyes on him. 'This is why I wanted a small class.' He thought to himself before answering Naruto's question with a smile, "Mizuki has an allergy to a certain plant nearby, so he can't come to class until it's removed." It was a bit of a lie, as Mizuki was actually already affected by the plant, but the students didn't need to know that.

Seeing the students satisfied, if not a little confused by his answer, he began to read off the paper once more. "The first two up will be Chouji and Naruto." There was a look of surprise on the student's faces, since the bouts were usually gender based, but Iruka didn't acknowledge them as he walked away towards the fields to the side of the academy. "This way."

When the students arrived to the field, most of them took to leaning or sitting against the five posts that were used for kunai practice while Chouji and Naruto stood in the center of the field with Iruka between them. "You may begin when you two are ready. Remember, no crippling blows, weapons, or Jutsu are allowed. I'll call the match when it's over. " Both nodded and Naruto grinned at the Akimichi, her eyes squinting slightly while she held up the "Seal of Confrontation."

"Don't hold back, big guy. I won't either." Chouji smiled in return and nodded his head while holding the Seal up himself.

"Sure, Naruto." With that, Naruto rushed towards Chouji and swung at punch at his chest, which he blocked with his left arm. It was rather surprising when Chouji slid back slightly from the blow, since most people couldn't get the Akimichi to move in most spars. The only ones not surprised were the females in the group who had been on the receiving end of Naruto's punches.

However, Naruto wasn't done with just one punch and soon began to swiftly punch at the boy, keeping him guarding and sliding back with each punch. Chouji was grunting from the throbbing in his arms and couldn't help but marvel at the girl's strength. 'It's like she's hitting me with a hammer.' He thought to himself before deciding that being completely defensive wasn't going to help him.

With a loud grunt he shoved his arms outwards, sending Naruto skidding back with a grin on her face. Not wanting to waste his chance, Chouji quickly closed the small distance and sent a heavy punch towards her mid section. The girl turned to her side, letting it fly past her chest before spinning around, slapping the side of Chouji's head with her right arm.

To his credit, Chouji only flinched from the pain and the ringing in his ears before wrapping his arms tightly around the girl, literally squeezing the breath out of her with her back against his chest. Naruto struggled in his grip but after a moment she just seemed to relax, placing her head back on his shoulder with a lazy grin on her face. "My, I didn't know you were so forward, Chouji-Kun." She breathed out, causing the boy's grip to lessen as a heavy blush spread across his face.

As he began to sputter out denials, Naruto gripped his arms and suddenly slung him over her, getting a glance of his surprised expression before he hit the ground with a oof. Naruto grinned down at him, her hands on her hips and her ponytail sliding over her shoulder. "Got you." The blonde teased, just as Iruka walked up to them with an amused smile on his face.

"Good work, both of you. I'm sure you could go on longer, but we're pressed for time." The Chunin explained and Naruto nodded, stepping to Chouji's side and helping the boy to his feet. The two held up the "Seal of Reconciliation" as their battle ended.

Chouji, still blushing, made his way towards his friend Shikamaru who gave the larger boy a flat look. "I can't believe you fell for that." He deadpanned, though years of being his friend allowed Chouji to see the boy was amused.

"I couldn't help it." The Akimichi meekly replied, glancing at Naruto who hopped on top of one of the wooden posts. She seemed to notice his look and gave him a grin, which caused his face to turn a brighter shade of red before looking away.

Shikamaru, noticing the exchange, just snorted slightly. "Well, you best get used to it. Women do that a lot. Troublesome." It was the Akimichi's turn to snort, though he had a teasing smile on his face despite his current embarrassment.

"Like you would have fared any better, Shikamaru." He lightly teased, as the Nara boy seemed to have a weakness when it came to women. He didn't do much work unless one of the female classmates yelled at him to 'Get his ass in gear.'

Shikamaru chose not to respond.

On Naruto's side, Ino rolled her eyes as the blonde grinned at Chouji while Hinata and Sakura made their way to the center of the field. "Geez, Goldie, what was that about?" The Yamanaka asked with a trace of annoyance in her voice while she used her pet name for Naruto. Hinata, Naruto, Ino, and Sakura were all friends, with Sakura and Ino reaching out towards the Sasuke Fan Club, while the other two didn't speak to anyone else for the most part.

Ino had met the girl years before in the playground and the two quickly became friends, even though Ino's father had seemed nervous during the first few months, but he seemed to get over it. After that, the two met Sakura and protected her from a group of bullies who were tormenting her. Hinata was another matter entirely, but it seemed like Naruto protected her from two boys that were picking on the shy heiress and the Hyuuga looked up to Naruto ever since, though she did seem to blush a lot whenever she spoke to the blonde.

At Ino's words, Naruto turned her gaze down towards her long-time friend and grinned further, showing off her sharp teeth. "Nothing, really. I learned it from a Kunoichi in the hot springs. She said everything is a weapon, especially a woman's body." Ino rolled her eyes again but didn't respond, deciding a simple shake of the head was all that was needed.

In truth, Naruto had only learned it in passing and the Kunoichi in question probably didn't even realize an academy student took her advice. Naruto just happened to be in the hot springs, under a Henge of a much older woman, when a Kunoichi was explaining something to a new brown-haired Genin.

"You're good at throwing kunai, but remember everything is a weapon." She heard the Kunoichi explain, though Naruto couldn't make out any features through the steam of the hot springs. "Like your body, for instance. If you throw that around like a kunai, there's no telling how many kills you'd get."

The Genin didn't seem to enjoy that and it was evident in her voice. "Sensei, that sounds a little... whorish." There was a bark of laughter from the older Kunoichi but it quickly fell into small giggles before the Kunoichi was able to respond.

"That's why you have to be in control. Control is key. Throw it around, but only let them touch what you want them to touch... See what you want them to see. A little husky voiced comment here and there can throw someone's concentration off. Seduction is a key principle to being a Kunoichi, so get used to it."

Naruto had taken her words to heart, especially the control aspect. 'So many things are out of my control' The blonde thought to herself as she watched Hinata dodge a punch from Sakura and counter attack with a palm thrust. 'So I'll control... everything.' She vowed in her mind, just as Iruka called the match when Sakura barely got back on her feet.

The rest of the tests went on very normally and other than the Chouji/Naruto match there were no more matches against the opposite gender. Ino fought a red-head named Ami on a rather even level, but Ino ended up being the victor. Sasuke fought Kiba to a stalemate, though with both using the academy style instead of their clan styles, it was hard to see who was better.

Shikamaru and Shino went against each other last, but without either using their clan specialty, it resulted in a rather long match with the two playing their wits against each other. In the end, Shino won by feinting a kick for the first time and sending Shikamaru skidding across the ground.

"That's enough." Iruka called out, writing something down on the paper as Shino helped Shikamaru to his feet.

"You fought well, but relied too much on me staying in the academy style." Shino quietly stated, earning a nod from the Nara as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Yeah, though I'd never beat you with those bugs of yours. Can't hold all of them and you." It was true, but Shino just raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I'm sure you could have worked around it."

"Too troublesome." Was the curt reply, earning a small chuckle from Naruto who had hopped over towards them.

The blonde grinned at them as they turned their heads towards her as her arms draped around them, startling Shino more than Shikamaru since no one usually got near him outside of a spar. "Nice fight you guys! I knew you had it in you, Shika." The blonde teased, sticking her tongue out at the pineapple headed genius who just rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to be the dead last. That would be way too troublesome." Naruto blinked in confusion at the odd reply and allowed the Nara to walk away towards Chouji. The blonde turned a questioning gaze towards Shino, not bothering to move her arm that was still draped across his shoulders.

Shino sighed, squirming slightly as he began to answer her unspoken question. "He says this because the dead last will be placed on the Rookie of the Year, male and female. Why you ask? To help balance the team strength." Naruto frowned, pulling her arm away as she crossed it in front of her chest, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"What? That's stupid." Shino arched his own eyebrows slightly, placing his hands into his pockets as Naruto spoke. "Why would they do that? I mean, shouldn't they take our personal skills and attitudes for account? Sakura is going to be the Rookie of the Year because of her brain, but..." She fell silent but Shino knew what she was going to say.

Though Naruto was Sakura's friend, even she had to admit the girl was awful at Taijutsu. She was decent with her aim and her Ninjutsu was passable, but she had an awful attitude, even though her friendship with Naruto, Ino, and Hinata had mellowed her out quite a bit. There was no doubt she'd be placed on Sasuke's team as well, since he was the strongest male, which would only further her infatuation with the last Uchiha.

Shino shook his head slightly and sighed in a rare show of emotion as confusion etched itself on his face, though few would recognize the look. "I don't know. Perhaps it is so the Sensei can focus more on the dead last?" It was merely a theory, but by the looks of it Naruto didn't accept that answer.

"I'll have to talk to Jiji about this." She muttered to herself, not noticing Shino's eyebrows raise again before falling back down as she looked up at him. "Thanks though, Shino! And good fight, maybe we should spar some time." She grinned happily and began to walk away with Shino staring at her back. He was tempted to follow her, but Iruka stepped in his way and called the attention of the rest of the class.

When they were all gathered in front of him, Iruka glanced to the sky before nodding and looking down at them. "Alright, that took longer than expected and it's nearly lunch time so you're all dismissed. I have to report to Hokage-Sama so you all may go home early today." There was a 'Whoop!' from Kiba and several others, though the Chunin noticed Naruto's frown and he repressed one of his own.

They could go home, but Naruto didn't have a home to go back to, did she? That sent a faint wave of depression through him but he kept his smile on his face as the students began to walk away. He was rather surprised when Naruto stood in front of him, her hands on her hips in that defiant manner she usually only did when she was serious. 'This can't be good.'

As if she was privy to his thoughts, Naruto's eyes narrowed and she pointed up at the Chunin, as if accusing him of something. "Take me with you to see Jiji. I need to talk to him about team placements." Iruka blinked in confusion and arched his eyebrows slightly.

"About the team placements? What about?" His question was just met with a shake of the head as the blonde lowered her hand.

"I don't want to repeat myself, so just take me there Sensei. Jiji won't mind." Iruka wasn't sure about that, but he supposed there was no harm in it.

With a sigh, he nodded his head, causing the blonde to break out in a grin. "But can it wait until after I give my report?" Naruto shrugged and the two headed for the Hokage Tower.

"Hokage-Sama will see you now, Iruka-San, Mizuki-San." Said the ever cheerful secretary of the Hokage. The two Chunin, one brown haired and the other white, nodded and rose from their seats in the room, walking into the Hokage's office soon after. The owner of that office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked up with a smile on his face as the two Chunin entered the room.

"Welcome, Iruka-San, Mizuki...?" The last word fell into a confused tone as the white haired Chunin closed the door behind him. Hadn't the Chunin taken the day off because of his allergies? Hiruzen's unspoken question was answered when the Chunin disappeared in a poof, only to be replaced by a blonde that he had grown to love. "Naruto-Chan, what are you doing disguising as a Chunin?" The God of Shinobi asked with an amused tone, politely putting his pipe away since he had company.

Naruto just shrugged and sat down in one of the seats that were always present in front of the Hokage's desk. He had a lot of visitors, after all. "That woman doesn't like me and I wanted to show Iruka-Sensei my Henge." Iruka chuckled, taking his own seat while Sarutobi raised his eyebrows.

"I had thought you went through a Ninjutsu test today?" The old man questioned with a faint frown on his face.

"Ah, we ran out of time. The Taijutsu test took longer than I thought it would, even though I cut Chouji's and Naruto's match short." Iruka explained, silently hoping his leader wasn't too upset. Fortunately, Naruto chose that moment to speak up with a loud whine.

"Whaaaat? I thought it was weird! Darn it, Iruka-Sensei! I wanted to fight more." Both of the older Shinobi chuckled at her childish tone, though it was Hiruzen who responded to the distraught girl.

"I'm sure Chouji-Kun wouldn't mind sparring with you sometime, Naruto-Chan. Now, Iruka, what do you have to report?" He was also curious why Naruto was here, but he was sure the girl would tell him eventually, even if he didn't ask.

Iruka nodded, pulling up the paper he had written on earlier and beginning to read off it, taking a moment to stand up to be more respectful to the Hokage. "We only did the Taijutsu test today, but I'd say there are only a few student's that won't pass that portion of the test. The only one I can see improving to fix that is Sakura Haruno, since she is nearly on par with Ino Yamanaka who gets right over the score needed."

Naruto frowned, thinking back to her pink haired friend who denied training her body more in order to chase after Sasuke. While Naruto had managed to keep Ino and Sakura from hating each other, mostly by slamming her hands down loudly whenever they began to argue over him, she wasn't able to break the obsession. Ino was slightly better than Sakura because of her father forcing her to train a minimum amount every day, but Hinata and Naruto both trained constantly and it showed.

So lost in thought, Naruto completely missed Iruka's telling of the other students that probably wouldn't pass, but didn't miss his report on her specifically. "Naruto here got a high grade in the Taijutsu test. Her movements are a little sloppy and she over committed in one attack, but she manipulated her opponent when she was at a disadvantage." Hiruzen chuckled softly at Iruka's report while a grin split across Naruto's face.

"Didn't see it comin'." She proudly stated, still grinning wide.

"It wasn't something I expected either from you, Naruto." Iruka admitted, smiling himself. 'Reminded me a bit of Anko, actually.' He kept that thought to himself as he looked towards the Hokage with a proud smile on his face. "She's also really good at the Henge. She even got a few of Mizuki's habits down." Naruto blushed slightly from the praise, scratching her cheek.

"Ah, I just noticed he taps his foot a lot when he's waiting on something." Usually for Iruka, admittedly, but she had noticed he'd tap his foot whenever someone was delivering something to him too. There was no point in 'being' him without knowing some of his habits and seeing Mizuki out with Iruka raised the least amount of suspicion when they were walking down the street.

Hiruzen seemed to realize this as well as he gave her an appraising look. "Very good, Naruto-Chan. It's impressive that you would consider all of that." Iruka gave him a slightly confused look while Naruto blushed more under the praise, lowering her head slightly to hide her face in her jacket.

Iruka chuckled slightly at her actions and nodded in agreement as he realized what changing into Mizuki had really done for the blonde. "If it wasn't for her history tests and the Bunshin she'd probably be Rookie of the Year." Iruka stated proudly, but at the mention of the "Rookie", Naruto perked up and stared at the Hokage with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah! I was going to talk to you about that!" She couldn't believe she nearly forgot. Darn Iruka-Sensei getting her distracted. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the blonde Jinchuuriki pointed dramatically at the man she called Grandpa. "The Rookie of the Year thing is stupid. Don't put teams together like that!"

Silence followed her statement and, if one listened closely, they could only hear a faint snicker of a hidden ANBU nearby. Iruka paled and Hiruzen stared at Naruto with an amused smile on his face. Naruto's face was slowly getting redder from embarrassment but her eyes stayed determined and she continued to point at him.

It was a few more moments before he responded, a curious and amused tone in his voice. "And why is that, Naruto-Chan?" He was honestly curious. It was the first time anyone had ever questioned the way the academy worked ever since he took up the mantel of Hokage. The fact that it was coming from an academy student was rather amusing.

Naruto put her hands on her hips and the expression on her face gave away that she was anything but amused. "You're not taking their actual skills into consideration!" She proclaimed and was secretly patting herself on the back for reading the collection of books the old land lord left behind. A dictionary was a wonderful thing for her limited vocabulary. "Iruka-Sensei said himself that I'm really good, but my book smarts aren't so that's why I'm not Rookie, but Sakura is getting Rookie on that alone!"

"Now Naruto, just because you're not getting Rookie because of that doesn't mean..." Naruto snapped her fingers, interrupting Iruka in a rather rude fashion that had him gaping in surprise.

"Not what I was saying! I'm saying she's super weak and she's going to get paired with Uchiha." There was no way to keep the venom out of her voice from saying the name Uchiha. He had, without even trying, crippled her friends... Plus he was a total dick. "She's got a fan girl crush on him and that's gonna make her even weaker." The blonde explained and Iruka groaned silently, glancing towards the Hokage for assistance.

The Hokage, however, simply stared at the blonde with a thoughtful look on his face. He stroked his beard for a moment before speaking up. "And how would you place the teams, Naruto-Chan?" Naurto blinked in surprise, having not thought he'd let her, of all people, say her opinion. Even if he did seem to like her a lot, and he was her Jiji, no one ever listened to her.

It was nice.

But, back to the point, Naruto rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she considered the Hokage's question. "I don't know all the students in my class personally." She admitted, starting to pace back and forth in front of the two. "But I'd say, from the people I do know, I'd probably put Sakura and Ino far away from Sasuke." She tapped her foot twice and sat down, crossing her arms together.

"Kiba should be with Sasuke, they seem to like each other. Maybe put Shino with them for planning, he's really smart." She leaned back, humming to herself. "Shikamaru needs someone that can push him, so probably put him with Ino or Sakura, maybe both." She grinned at the image of a dismayed Shikamaru being paired up with Ino and Sakura, but she shook her head to clear the thoughts.

"But they'd probably fight each other, so maybe not. Hinata is really good at Taijutsu, but she's kind of meek so she wouldn't do well with Shika. Chouji can't be with Shika since he'd let his friend relax too much..." The blonde hummed quietly. "But Shika also needs a distraction and Sakura is pretty good at control things. I think she could use Genjutsu right?" She didn't even look up to see Iruka's thoughtful nod.

"I dunno though, but you should take that instead of the Rookie thing. That's just silly. I mean, why put Sakura up with the heavy hitters? She needs someone to push her..." 'I only wish I could have.' The blonde thought silently but raised her head from it's dangling position to look at Hiruzen.

The Hokage was thoughtfully rubbing his beard, a small smile on his face. "I can see you put some thought into this, Naruto-Chan. I'll consider it, but you have to understand that tradition isn't something that can be undone easily." Naruto blinked owlishly at him and tilted her head to the side, frowning.

"Traditionally, I don't like my friends being hurt because some old guy said to do something a certain way." Iruka palmed his face while Hiruzen chuckled slightly.

"I wasn't under the impression I was that old, Naruto-Chan." The Hokage teased, causing the blonde to blush in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean you! I meant... you know! The guy who set that up."

"That was me."

… "What?" She blinked and frowned further, scrunching her nose up in an adorable fashion. "But... Doesn't that mean it's not tradition? No one did it before you told them to." Hiruzen blinked and then nodded slowly, chuckling.

"I suppose it wasn't always tradition... At any rate though, Naruto-Chan, Iruka, I have a meeting soon. It was nice talking to you two and I will consider your words, Naruto-Chan." Naruto nodded and smiled, hopping to the side of the desk and wrapping her arms around the old Hokage before joining Iruka at the door.

Iruka bowed politely and started to open the door just as Naruto turned back into Mizuki with a small puff of smoke. "See you later, Jiji." The 'man' cried out childishly, which got him a strange look from the secretary and a chuckle from the old Hokage and Iruka.

When they left, Hiruzen slowly reached under his desk and pulled out a familiar orange book. 'Time for my meeting.' He thought with a grin.

AN: There you have it. Chapter 1.

It gets more serious, just to warn anyone tuning in... But it also doesn't. Second chapter will be up sometime after this one, but not in the same day.