A/N Here's Chapter 5. Sorry for so much lateness, my creativity ran off halfway through writing and I couldn't catch it. Reminds me of a badly behaved cat sometimes. Sheesh. Anyway, review responses!

jhawk046: Thanks man. I just managed to finish up this chapter but I know some good stuff is coming that will be so much fun to write.

RandomWriter21: Glad you like it!

Illuminated: Kurama was slightly preoccupied at the moment which is why he made that comment to Iruka in a rather distracted manner. He can in fact do a henge (such as when he showed what he really looked like to Hinata) and he is also capable of a Kawimari as well.

Anpu: The reason the first chapters came so fast is because I had written three of them completely before I decided to upload it. Now that I've caught up to the ones I'm working on it will be much slower unfortunately. I probably should've spaced out when I uploaded the first ones but I just got so excited when I saw how much people liked it that I couldn't help myself.

Dragon Man 180: I've not even considered how I would write real romance yet, though I think HinataxNaruto is pretty much inevitable. Kurama isn't human so isn't really going to be involved with romance I don't think. Maybe. Just so you know, I'm definitely not writing anything that goes beyond T rating. As for your last comment, you will see in this chapter.

Kat: Thanks. Anko has always amused me, and due to her past she can understand some of what Naruto has gone through. As to teams…wait for it…

Guests 1 and 2: Thanks to you guys and all my reviewers I've finally captured my creativity and gotten it to sit still long enough to finish the chapter. Lets do this!

As morning arrived, Hinata and Kurama woke up, and the Hyuuga once again saw the flash of azure in her friend's eyes before the fox took charge. They headed over to the Hyuuga compound for breakfast once again where Kurama's attempt to copy the blank stare of the family caused Neji to become silently annoyed and Hanabi to start giggling. Soon enough they were on their way back to the Academy for the last time. They went in via the window to find that Sasuke had sat in the same seat as the last two days. Kurama smirked as he sat beside the Uchiha, Hinata taking the seat on his other side.

"Hey Duck-ass, you counting on me to once again save you from rabid fangirls today?"

"You're easier to ignore," The broody orphan replied flatly. Kurama chuckled.

"Is that so? I must not have been trying hard enough."

"Oh leave him alone Naruto, He's got to savor these last few moments of silence, since it's fairly likely he'll be put on a team with one of the fangirls," Hinata commented impishly. Kurama nodded sagely.

"Ah yes, you're perfectly correct Hinata-chan. We must honor the last few moments this poor boy has of sanity. Uchiha Sasuke, we salute you and your sacrifice for the greater good of the rest of us," He said in a mock-formal tone. Sasuke just ignored him now but Hinata collapsed into giggles. Soon enough the rest of the class had arrived, no one attempting to force Naruto out of his seat. Iruka stood at the front of the room and began a speech about how proud he was of them and the responsibilities that are now theirs as Shinobi and Kunoichi. After he was finished, he looked around at them

"Alright, I will call your teams one by one, and after lunch your senseis will arrive to take you to begin your teams. Here we are: Teams one through six are still in circulation. Team Seven is Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi." Sakura looked like she was torn between being protesting being on a team with Naruto or happy for being on a team with Sasuke. Kurama's face became completely expressionless, but Hinata could see that he was not happy about this at all.

"Team Eight is Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuuhi. Team Nine is still in circulation, so Team Ten is Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." Iruka looked up from his list to see that Naruto was merely staring forward stiffly. Iruka sighed slightly.

"That's all. You're dismissed for lunch." Naruto was on his feet in an instant with his fingers in a cross sign.

"Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu," He said emotionlessly. Several people gasped as a single clone poofed into existence beside him. Naruto turned and opened the window before darting out of it followed by Hinata who grimaced at his actions. The clone merely gave Iruka a flat look before heading out as well. While the original picked a secluded spot to eat with Hinata, The clone travelled away from the campus and when he got to the main part of town, took to the roofs with chakra assisted bounds and strides. He made his way to the Hokage Tower and entered via the window which he opened with slightly more force than necessary. The Hokage glanced up from where he was meeting some other shinobi.

"Excuse me for a moment please, something urgent has come up," He said to them, and they went into the hallway to wait.

"What is it Naruto?" The Hokage asked.

"If you put me on the currently planned Team Seven, all progress we have made will be lost," Kurama replied flatly, referring to getting Naruto to begin losing his fear. The Hokage looked uncomfortable.

"And what do you propose as a solution?"

"I would think there is obviously a far better choice: Switch Haruno with Hyuuga," Kurama replied with an edge of scorn. Hiruzen sighed and decided to take on a business-like manner, as he would when discussing proposals with Elder Shinobi.

"List the benefits that this move would have," He said seriously.

"First the benefits to me: I won't have to deal with someone who obviously hates and fears me. Next the benefits to Haruno: She will be away from the distraction that is Uchiha Sasuke, and she will have a competent Kunoichi as her team leader to provide a role model as to what being a Kunoichi requires and what sort of behaviors are appropriate for one. The benefit to Hyuuga is that she will be nearby the source of her mental fortitude and can continue to work on our progress. The benefit to Uchiha is that he will be free of certain stressors and has two teammates that take being a ninja seriously, which should do wonders for his disposition. The Benefit to our sensei: He'll have a team that is more cohesive and less of a headache. And the benefit to Konoha in general: They'll get a team that has greater teamwork instead of one that can't stand each other," Naruto listed off with a practiced air as if he'd given this matter a great deal of thought. The Hokage considered this.

"The rationale behind the current setup was to have teams that specialize. Team Seven was supposed to be an assault team, where Team Eight was to be a tracking team. To switch things up would also imply a certain amount of favoritism, as well."

"I think Naruto could stand to have a little favoritism in his life," Kurama interrupted. The Hokage nodded and smiled.

"I'm aware, however not all will agree with us on that point. Also, I can think of another benefit that you were not aware of: Yuuhi Kurenai is the foremost Genjutsu user in Konoha, and Sakura's potential as far as chakra is concerned is for control rather than sheer power, which puts her in the ideal position to learn something that is right up her alley from a master in the art. Now that you speak of it, the benefits of this move will more than offset the detriments, not to mention that it puts my mind at ease. Here, give me one moment." The Hokage took out a small scroll and quickly jotted down a message before sealing it.

"Give this to Iruka discreetly," He said, holding the scroll out to Kurama. The Fox nodded in satisfaction and took the scroll.

"Thanks old man. This already is putting me at ease," He said, before heading out the window. Hiruzen smiled and let the other ninja back in to continue where they had left off. The clone quickly made his way back to the school and entered the classroom while everyone was still out to lunch.

"Iruka-sensei, I brought a message from the Hokage," He said, holding the scroll out with a smirk. Iruka sighed and accepted it.

"Let me guess, you convinced him to make a switch in the teams."

"What makes you say that?" Kurama replied playfully.

"The fact that you were angry when you left and now you're quite happy," The teacher said, opening the scroll.

"Sakura to Team Eight and Hinata to Team Seven? That's not what I expected," He noted in slight surprise.

"What did you expect?"

"I expected you to want to switch with Kiba." Kurama shrugged.

"This move makes more sense, and a lot more people will benefit from it. I don't really mind Duck-Ass but I think he'll like not being on a team with a rabid fangirl."

"I see. Well you'd better go out and get your lunch, there's not much time left," Iruka replied with a smile. Kurama nodded.

"Yep, see you later." And with that he vanished. Iruka blinked.

"Oh right, that was a shadow clone. I forgot he could do that."

Meanwhile out in the schoolyard, Kurama grinned triumphantly. Hinata gave him a questioning look.

"What are you so happy about all of a sudden?"

"Who knows? It's such a nice day today isn't it?" the fox replied happily. The girl sighed.

"Suit yourself. How's Naruto doing?"

"He's doing much better than he was five minutes ago. Something must have happened to cause him to relax a bit," Kurama noted with a shrug. Hinata rolled her eyes but smiled.

"You obviously know the reason for it but aren't telling me. That's fine, as long as he's doing well."

It didn't take long for them to finish their meals and return to class. Once everyone was seated, Iruka cleared his throat.

"The Hokage sent me a note over lunch, and there has been a slight change regarding the teams. Team Seven has been changed to include Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuuga. Team Eight is now Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Naruto cut in quickly.

"And this is the part where Uchiha does a victory dance in his head!" He said loudly while Hinata just rolled her eyes but grinned happily. Sasuke gave Naruto a bored look.

"Shut it Dobe," Kurama just laughed.

"Aw Come on Duck-ass, this is the most perfect outcome you could have possibly have asked for. Out of all the aspiring Kunoichi in the room, the one on your team is the only one who doesn't stalk you and is actually serious about becoming strong. You're finally free from the annoyance of pathetic fangirls! Aren't you even a little happy?" He prodded.

"I'm ecstatic. Shut up and let Sensei talk," Uchiha replied flatly. Kurama blinked.

"Whoah, he actually admitted it. Is it Christmas?" Sasuke just gave him one more bored look before glancing at Sakura, who he was pleased to see looked devastated by his statement. He smirked underneath his laced hands and looked back at Iruka-sensei who cleared his throat.

"Alright then, Team Eight, your sensei is here." A young woman with long brown hair walked into the room.

"I'm Kurenai Yuuhi. Kiba, Shino, Sakura, follow me." She led them out of the room, the pinkette lagging slightly behind sadly. A black haired man entered afterward.

"I'm Asuma Sarutobi. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, with me." Team Ten left. Several more teams went and soon Hinata, Kurama, and Sasuke were the only ones left. Iruka checked his watch.

"It looks like your sensei is running late. He should be here soon." However as time passed and their sensei didn't show up, Kurama went from happy to slightly irritated. Iruka had had to leave after an hour after wishing them good luck. It had been two hours since then. Kurama , now thoroughly ticked, growled slightly and got up from his seat before going over to the chalkboard and selecting an eraser. He picked some string out of his pocket and used it to fasten it to the classroom door so that if it was opened the eraser would drop on the head of whoever entered releasing a cloud of chalk dust. Sasuke gave him a flat look.

"You really think that will work on an elite jonin?" Kurama shrugged.

"If it does then he's in for an incessant mocking. If not, I've got more sophisticated things to try."

It was at that moment that the door opened and a masked face with grey hair poked into the room before being impacted by the eraser and pausing. Kurama snorted loudly.

"Really? You got hit by something as simple as that? What kind of ninja are you?" Sasuke looked like he was silently agreeing. The man glanced down at the eraser, then back at them.

"My first impression…you're all annoying. Meet me on the roof in five." And he vanished with a sunshin. Hinata sighed.

"Way to go Kurama, you made our sensei mad."

"He can suck it up. Let's go see what he wants," Kurama replied indifferently. Soon enough they were gathered on the roof. The man regarded them.

"Well, let's start with some introductions hm?" He said thoughtfully.

"You first, Mask", Kurama retorted. The man raised a hand to his head.

"Me? Well my name is Hatake Kakashi. I like some things and dislike other things. My dream for the future is…to have lots of hobbies. I have lots of hobbies." Kurama snorted loudly.

"Fine then, I'll go next. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like trustworthy people. I dislike people who are untrustworthy. My hobbies include sarcasm and training. My dream is to kick your ass if you try to screw with me." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Not what I expected from that one. I wonder what he'll do if I screw with him in the final genin test?" He glanced at Hinata. "You next."

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I like Naruto-kun and dislike anyone who treats him badly. My hobbies are training and hanging out with Naruto-kun and my dream is to help him become loved by this village."

"Alright, so she's decent enough. That likely explains why the switch happened." "Next, brooder."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I like very few things and dislike many things. My hobby is training and by ambition is to avenge my clan."

"Duck-ass needs to get himself a girlfriend. A real one, not a whiny fangirl," Naruto stage-whispered. Kakashi had to restrain himself from chuckling as the Uchiha shot him a glare.

"Well, now that that's settled I want you three to meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow morning at six AM. Bring all your ninja gear and if I were you I wouldn't eat breakfast or you'll throw up," Kakashi said with a smile which could only be discerned from his eyes before vanishing. Sasuke left soon afterward. Kurama seemed unimpressed with Kakashi while Hinata was thoughtful.

"Was his promise of us vomiting a statement of the toughness of the test or a statement of our own weakness?"

"Who cares, I'm eating anyway. A full stomach will put me at top form," The fox replied boredly. "Want to practice for a few hours before dinner?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me, let's find this Training Ground 7, it'll be good to take a look at the layout of the place," Hinata suggested. Kurama nodded and they quickly headed for the ninja training fields. They found the one Kakashi had said they were using the next day and walked into it. There was a section of the river inside the grounds and a bit of field next to it until it became dense forest. In the field were three wooden posts and nearby the posts was their Sensei looking at something on the ground. Hinata blinked at him and looked at Kurama who shrugged.

"Let's just ignore him unless he bothers us. We'll fight in the trees, that'll be harder to get the feel of than this field. Unfortunately with him here I can't practice as much as I'd like or I'd reveal one of my weapons," Kurama said quietly. Hinata nodded and the two took off into the forest to begin practicing. Kakashi meanwhile stood still, thinking about his team.

"So, Uzumaki and Hyuuga came today to scope out the area of the battle tomorrow and get some training in so that they can familiarize themselves with the landscape. More than I expected from Academy Students. They seem close, very close. I probably won't have to worry about them teamworking well, but will they include Uchiha? Will Uchiha include them? I think I'll go take a look at their training."

The teacher turned and walked into the woods before concealing himself and going to find his two students. When he located them, they were standing in a clearing engaged in taijutsu. Kakashi observed them for a while.

"Hyuuga using the gentle fist, no surprise there. But she seems to be adapting the movements of the standard stance slightly to conform to her body type better. Obviously she's not aiming to kill though, she's only hitting non-vital areas. Uzumaki's style is strange. It's more sophisticated than I expected from his profile, but the way he holds his hands. Fingers splayed and arched, like claws it looks like.

"Kurama, you aren't going to cause enough damage to an enemy by scratching you know."

"I could if I put effort into it."

"Right, but normally you're better off with a punch, or by using a kunai."

"Fine."

"So she noticed it as well, but seemed to almost expect it. And why does she keep calling him Kurama? I've never heard of anyone by that name before."
It was at that point that Naruto glanced around and frowned before leaning close to Hinata and whispering something. She nodded and the two relaxed before turning and darting away. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Hm. That was short for a training session. Did something happen? It can't have been me, no genin of that level could've detected me in hiding. This is very strange. I'll have to keep a close eye on the both of them during the test tomorrow." Mind mulling over the confusing parts of his two students, Kakashi began heading for home.