Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its associated characters or properties.

Sunset of the Uzumaki: Part One: Sunrise

Chapter One: A Tepid Welcome

Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes is all it took for Naruto's romantic dreams of Konoha to be crushed. The initial walk into the village had hyped the blond up; the massive gate manned by two ninja who obviously hid massive strength behind a façade of half interest certainly screamed "ninja," although Naruto still thought that a brigade of ANBU would have been a cooler welcoming party. The streets of the village were just as Naruto had imagined; rows of merchants and crowds of civilians offered a nice change from sleepy Uzushiogakure, although he could do without all of the attention he got. Naruto could hardly stand still during his short meeting with the Hokage, and his trip meet his new team filled the boy with even more excitement.

But now, faced with three strangers who didn't look all that cool, Naruto started to doubt his fantasies. Sakura seemed alright, but her shockingly pink hair, somewhat grating voice and cheery disposition didn't exactly scream, "cool ninja." She had come off as nice, but a little too reverent of Naruto's Uzumaki heritage for his tastes. At least her intentions were good; protecting the weak seemed like a fine enough reason for being a ninja to Naruto. Kunoichi of the year sounded good as well, but the difference between her scores and Sasuke's gave the blond pause.

Speaking of the Uchiha, Sasuke had shaken Naruto's hand early with a lack of enthusiasm that rivaled a dead fish. Sure, he did seem kind of cool, but not in a cool friend way. More of a cool-like-an-glacier-that-you-try-to-ignore way. Sasuke's scores certainly impressed Naruto, but the Uchiha's icy voice when speaking of elevating the Uchiha clan had worried the blond. Naruto suspected that that comment had been aimed at him, and while he couldn't blame the Uchiha for his anger, it could really hurt the team dynamic.

And then there was Kakashi. Naruto couldn't get any sort of read on the apparently lazy-yet-legendary ninja. Naruto had heard of the man, but he hadn't heard that he was so…bland. Whereas Sakura stood out in a cute, but not very threatening way, and Sasuke made Naruto want to strangle all the cold shoulder out of him, Kakashi, despite dressing in way that begged for attention, seemed to doing a poor job of acting like someone who only half cared. This attitude, combined with his lack of a true introduction, made Naruto wary of the jonin. Ninja didn't make it to the level of Kakashi by being uninteresting and lazy; Naruto just hoped that Kakashi would make a good sensei despite his unwillingness to reveal his true self.

"Congratulations on passing the genin test, I guess," drawled Kakashi, breaking Naruto out of his reverie. "Now that we all know each other, we can begin your ninja training. Before we take any missions, though, there's one more test remaining."

"What? You just said we were genin? Why do we have to take another test?" Naruto indignantly complained.

"I said you passed the genin test, not that you were genin," Kakashi replied with a smile. Or, at least Naruto thought it was a smile. Maybe Kakashi just really had to fart.

"Ah, sensei, what happens if we don't pass this test? Are we still ninja?" Sakura nervously asked.

"Not exactly," Kakashi replied, still keeping up his eye smile.

"Not exactly! What does that eve-"

"Uzumaki! Shut up for once! Sensei, what is the test?" Sasuke said, finally proving that he could speak more than his name.

"I can't tell you that until tomorrow," Kakashi answered before finally schooling his features. "I can tell you this: if you fail, team seven ceases to exist." Kakashi slowly passed his eye over each of his students, as if trying to read something in their faces. "Meet at training ground three at 6am sharp. Oh, and I wouldn't recommend eating breakfast first."

Kakashi made a single hand seal before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The remaining genin traded glances for a few moments and then walked separate ways, each deep in thought.

Naruto walked back to his apartment forlorn, his romantic dreams of Konoha finally ground into the dust. He hadn't even gotten to know both of his teammates and now they might be separated. Not to mention that failure on Naruto's part meant a disgraced trip back to Uzushio to face his disappointed mother. Shaking his head, the Uzumaki tried to ignore the furtive glances of nearby civilians, their cheerful greetings only serving to weigh the boy down more. Naruto passed through Konoha's market district in a daze, nearly getting lost on the way to his apartment on the village's outskirts, away from prying eyes and unmet expectations.

Unlocking his door and trudging in, Naruto set to making a cup of instant ramen to cool his nerves. Three agonizing minutes later, the blond munched on his noodles while staring at the only thing he had brought with him to remind him of home: the framed picture of his mother and him on the day of his graduation. Naruto wished he could grin as widely as he did in that picture, and he would give all the ramen in the world (ok, all the ramen in his cabinet) to have his mother there to give words of wisdom and a warm smile. Her sharp wit always put Naruto at peace, and her stories of her ninja escapades could sooth him to sleep no matter how anxious he was.

"Get it together, Naruto! You're a real ninja now! Real ninja don't need their mothers to put them to bed!" Naruto scolded himself while slapping his cheeks. Rising from his meal, Naruto set about his nighttime routine in a daze and tucked himself into his bed without enthusiasm.

Naruto's sleep that night lacked the usual dreams of cool, Konoha ninja; instead, his nightmares of failure featured his mother's disappointed face.

Sakura's stomach grumbled as she wished, for the third time, that she had ignored her sensei command about breakfast. She stole a quick glance over to her male companions to see if they suffered from a similar fate; Naruto's look of discomfort could be from the lack of food, although Sakura doubted it, and Sasuke somehow still looked like a slightly pissed of ice sculpture.

Sakura had been the first to arrive on the scene, reaching the training ground at 5:30 just in case their sensei tried to pull a fast one. Sasuke had arrived 15 minutes later and responded to Sakura's attempts at starting conversation with terse replies. Sasuke had gone completely silent when Naruto arrived directly on time, and while Naruto had briefly spoken with Sakura, his unease had been so obvious that Sakura gave up after a few minutes. Initially, Sakura had rejoiced when she had heard of her team assignment; the golden boy Uchiha and an Uzumaki were pretty good pulls for teammates. But now, she wasn't so sure, not to mention the fact that if they failed the test, they wouldn't be a team at all.

Kakashi had chosen a rather average training ground for their exam, save the three, worn stumps and polished black stone sculpture in the center. Sakura scoped the place out when she first arrived, checking the clearing, woods and even the nearby river for traps. She'd found nothing at all, leading her to doubt the competence of a sensei who showed up late and failed to trap the training grounds. Speaking of Kakashi, the elder shinobi chose that moment to arrive…three hours late.

"Kakashi-sensei! How are you this late?" Naruto whined, although even that seemed halfhearted to Sakura.

"Oh, sorry. You see, a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around," Kakashi replied blandly. His eye smile didn't exactly help his case. Sakura glanced at her teammates in disbelief, finding shocked expressions on both of their faces. "Well, now that we've all arrived," Kakashi continued, "I guess we may as well start the test."

Kakashi pulled an alarm clock and two bells from his kunai pouch and presented them to the genin. "My test is simple: those who can capture one of these bells in under an hour pass. If you fail to get a bell in the hour allotted, it's back to the academy for you," Kakashi explained. "Or," turning to Naruto, "back home in your case."

"Ah, Ka-kakashi-sensei," Sakura nervously began, her stomach dropping in anticipation of Kakashi's answer, "You're only holding two bells."

"Oh, I am, aren't I?" Kakashi replied, amusement only slightly hidden behind a façade of nonchalance. "Only two of you can pass. The other must other forfeit their hitai-ate and their status as genin." Kakashi then paused for emphasis, smiling at the looks of despair on his students' faces. "Anyway, come at me with intent to kill, or else you'll never have a chance." Kakashi then placed the alarm clock on a stump and turned to face the jumpy genin again.

Sakura knew that she only had one chance at passing. Sasuke had been the rookie of the year for a reason and Uzumaki were legendary for strength and chakra capacity. Naruto and Sasuke had much better chances getting a bell from Kakashi. Sakura would have to use her wits to pass, and she had the beginnings of a plan to do so. She turned to Naruto only to see him pull out a kunai and rush Kakashi. The jonin shimmered and, in a puff of smoke, subdued the genin, turning his kunai back on him.

"I didn't say you could start yet," Kakashi admonished, humor gone from his sole eye. Releasing Naruto, Kakashi dusted his hands off and returned to his relaxed posture. "Alright. There are no rules; just do your best to get the bells. Begin!"

Sasuke didn't exactly trust Sakura's plan, but it appeared to be the best option. After the jonin gave the signal to begin, Sasuke had leap into the trees and observed Sakura's flight from the clearing and the Uzumaki's initial charge on the jonin, his army of Kage Bunshin catching Kakashi off guard. However, after weathering the initial assault, the silver-haired shinobi had settled into a rhythm of destroying clones, ducking and deflecting, tossing clones into each other and using his superior speed and agility to make the fight look easy. Naruto, to his credit, did pop out an impressive number of solid clones, even for an Uzumaki, and his taijustu looked competent, but not jonin level. Kakashi ended their exchange by bursting through the remaining clones in what looked to Sasuke like a Body Flicker and hit Naruto with a "forbidden jutsu" to the behind.

Sasuke decided to use Naruto's embarrassing launch from the clearing as a distraction as he leapt into the battlefield, attempting to catch Kakashi off guard with a quick barrage from the Phoenix Flower jutsu. Kakashi, in a testament to his skill, easily weaved between the fireballs, quickly approaching Sasuke. In a mild panic, the Uchiha leapt away, covering his flight with more fireballs. Sasuke kept fighting this way for a while, trying to corral Kakashi with his Phoenix Flower fireballs in order to set him up for something more serious. Finally, in his evasion Kakashi strayed close to Sasuke, charging him in a burst of speed. IN a flash, Sasuke whipped through the hand signs for his clan's signature jutsu.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Shouted Sasuke as he fire a massive fireball at Kakashi, forcing the jonin into the air. Knowing that this was likely his only chance, Sasuke raced through the hand signs for his graduation present, a jutsu he had been itching to use in a real battle.

"Fire Release! Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Sasuke shouted as he fired the flame dragon out of his mouth. Kakashi's eyed widened as the flames engulfed him, incinerating him in moments. Shock flooded Sasuke's system as his eyes darted around the clearing, searching for the jonin. He glanced to the right and the left before he pulled a kunai out and jumped forwards, twisting in the air to face… nothing. Sasuke relaxed a little, even as dread crept into his heart. Maybe he really had killed Kakashi.

"Earth Release! Headhunter Jutsu!"

Sasuke's heart sank with his body as Kakashi emerged from the ground, burying Sasuke up to his head in the process. "I must admit, I'm a little disappointed, Sasuke. You did well there until the end, but you lost track of your surroundings." Kakashi intoned, eying Sasuke gravely. "You should never assume the enemy is dead until you see a body. I guess you aren't all that serious about becoming a ninja after all." Kakashi commented, single eye looking down at Sasuke with disgust. The jonin then made a few hand signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke remained there in the ground, wallowing in his defeat for a few minutes. Suddenly, Sasuke started as he felt a shadow fall over him from behind. "Sasuke, it's me, Sakura." Sakura whispered as she rounded the boy's head. "I have a plan for beating Kakashi, but I'll need your help."

"Why should we team up? The Uzumaki's probably stronger than you. Why should you pass?" Sasuke bit at Haruno.

Haruno flinched a little at the comment, but she quickly steeled herself before replying. "Because I have a way where we can all pass. Besides, do you honestly think that you could take on Kakashi even with Uzumaki's help?"

Sasuke starred long and hard at Haruno, daring her to back down or take back her comment. After a full minute of silence, Sasuke rolled his eyes in the most dignified manner one could while buried up to their head. "Hn. Fine, what's your great plan, Haruno?"

And thus Sasuke found himself crouched in a tree with Haruno, waiting on an Uzumaki to engage Kakashi. Haruno's plan galled Sasuke, but he had to admit that he stood no chance against the jonin alone, and he wouldn't be caught dead on a team with just the Uzumaki. The sound of snapping tree limbs tore Sasuke out of his reverie as Kakashi came crashing through the trees of the training ground in hot pursuit of one orange clad ninja while being harried by a barrage of Uzumaki's clones. Sasuke shot Sakura a quick glance and got curt shake of the head in response. Sasuke knew that he, like most Uchiha, lacked patience, but he just wanted to get this test over with and get out of the god forsaken training grounds. Right as the Uzumaki tornado made it within 10 feet of their tree, Sakura finally gave Sasuke the signal.

"Fire Release! Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted as he dropped out of his tree and launched a fireball out of his mouth. He only hoped that Sakura could pull off her part of the plan effectively.

His fireball destroyed most of the remaining Uzumaki clones, although Sasuke wouldn't have complained if the real one got a little charred. Kakashi, for his part, dodged Sasuke's attack with an ease that implied preparedness. Haruno had planned for that, though, so Sasuke continued his offensive, launching into a barrage of roundhouse kicks as Naruto, presumably the real one, rushed Kakashi with his own taijustu.

"So you two decided to team up, eh? Wouldn't have guessed that the Uchiha and the Uzumaki would be such fast friends." Kakashi mused, his one visible eye crinkled in a smirk. Sasuke frowned at the comment, but focused on the mission at hand, pressing Kakashi with his taijustu forms on autopilot. He just needed to buy his teammates a little more time. Sasuke had just missed Kakashi with an axe kick when he saw Uzumaki out of the corner of his eye giving Sasuke the most obvious wink he had ever seen. Sasuke almost aborted the plan right then to avoid being paired with such an incompetent ninja as the Uzumaki (seriously, what kind of ninja wears bright orange?), but Sasuke's higher reasoning won out. Throwing Uzumaki a return wink, the Uchiha running at Kakashi once again, this time hesitating a little before attacking.

Uzumaki began the assault, rushing Kakashi with an obvious sucker punch. Kakashi's arms came up to block the attack, only for Sasuke to come in with a leg sweep, forcing Kakashi to jump over Sasuke's leg.

"Aha! Got ya, Kakashi-sensei!" Uzumaki yelled as his clone burst from the ground and grabbed Kakashi from behind. "A ninja never lets his opponent get behind him!" The real Uzumaki stuck his arm out at Kakashi and opened his hand, revealing a small piece of paper covered black markings. Sasuke immediately turned away and covered his ears, not managing to fully escape the loud boom of the flashbang seal. Sasuke turned back around to see a completely different situation. Kakashi stood once again, wreath in smoke, presumably from Uzumaki's late clone. Uzumaki stood beaming at Kakashi and, rounding out the scene, Sakura grinned at Sasuke before tossing him and Uzumaki on of the three bells she held.

"Well, sensei? Do we pass?" Sakura asked Kakashi innocently.

"How can you? I said only two of you could pass." Kakashi said darkly, leveling his heavy stare at Sakura.

"You also said that those who can capture one of these bells in under an hour pass, and we all have one of the bells."

Kakashi glared murder at the three of them for a few seconds. "You think you can twist words against a jonin? Do you think this is some kind of game?" Kakashi asked in a low, calm voice, face grave. The genin in turn steeled themselves as well, preparing once again to engage their teacher. Then, out of nowhere, Kakashi broke out into a massive smile. "Well done. You all pass." Kakashi said, before turning to look at Haruno. "I'm most impressed with you, Sakura. Not only did you see through the exercise, you also bent the rules to ensure your victory. When shinobi clash in combat, there are no rules or regulations, just the rule of the sword: the strongest live." Kakashi then turned to address Sasuke. "Sasuke, you impressed me with your jutsu and your tactics, but you failed to see the point of the exercise and only helped your teammates begrudgingly. You also failed to fully check your surroundings; had that been a real fight, you would have been dead as soon as I drug you underground." Sasuke, for his part, blushed briefly before nodding and refusing to meet Kakashi's eyes. Kakashi finally turned his gaze to Uzumaki. "Naruto, you executed your part of the plan well; I didn't expect the seal, and your use of clones to assist Sasuke was impressive. However, you fought too honestly in single combat; you simply charged me and hoped that your clones would be able to overwhelm me. You have a lot of chakra and it's a waste if you use it so simply.

"You all have a lot of potential; no other team has passed my test. Tomorrow, we will take our first mission and begin training. However, I have one more thing to teach you today." Kakashi lead the three genin to a polished, black rock at the center of the training grounds. "On this rock are the names of fallen heroes. This is what it means to be shinobi. The day you put on that hitai-ate, you died." Kakashi paused as the genin's eyes widened in confusion. "You no longer live for yourself, but for the village. You live to serve the Hokage and protect the villagers and your comrades. This test isn't about skill or drive, but a test to determine if you are willing to put your comrades ahead of yourself. Remember this: Those who break the rules are garbage. Those who abandon their comrades are worse than garbage." Kakashi once again paused, no humor in his face as he allowed the severity of his words to sink in to his students. Then, as quickly as his face had turned solemn, Kakashi's eye perked up again as he spoke. "Anyway, we'll meet at training ground four at o-seven-hundred sharp tomorrow to take our first mission. See ya!" Kakashi disappeared suddenly in smoke, leaving only leaves and three somber genin behind.

Uzumaki glanced between his two teammates, seemingly uncertain on how to proceed. Then, suddenly, he leapt up in the air, pumping his fist. "Yeah! We did it! We passed!" Uzumaki shouted as he jumped up and down, massive smile and energetic movements begging his teammates to join in. Haruno broke out into a grin, and even Sasuke managed a little smirk. "Now we're a team for real. Let's show the world that we're the coolest shinobi of all time!" Uzumaki then stuck out his fist in anticipation.

Sasuke just stared at Uzumaki's outstretched arm like it was an ambush waiting to happen. "What are you doing, idiot?" Sasuke asked, although his tone lacked some of the bite that it held earlier.

"Duh, you're supposed to fist bump it."

Sasuke just continued to stare. Sakura, on the other hand, stuck her fist out as well. "Come on, Sasuke. We couldn't have done it without you," Sakura added with a smile.

Sasuke still stared at his teammates.

And stared.

Finally, after a full 30 seconds of pure silence, Sasuke relented. "Fine. If it will get you two to stop this silliness. We're not children anymore: we're shinobi," Sasuke said, but he still stuck out his fist, connecting the three. Sasuke wouldn't admit it until far later, but the smiles he got from his teammates was well worth it.

CHAPTER END

Justu List:

|Technique Name: Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique | Type: Ninjutsu | Rank: B | Description: The user compresses and molds fire chakra in their body before releasing it through the mouth in the form of a dragon. This compression of fire chakra leads to the jutsu being extremely hot, even for a fire type technique. However, this compression makes the Great Dragon Fire Technique difficult from a chakra control perspective and more costly.

|Technique Name: Flashbang Seal | Type: Fūinjutsu| Rank: C |

Description: The seal emulates a real flashbang, confusing targets with a bright flash that can blind for moments and a loud noise that can cause temporary deafness and disruption of equilibrium. The seal's effects extend out in a cone in front of the user, so it is useless against targets behind the user.

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! This is my first fanfic, so I'd really appreciate any feedback you have to offer, so PLEASE REVIEW! Yes, I'm taking to you, reader.

As a small style note, I want to clear up the use of Japanese in this fic. I thought about using Japanese for the jutsu because I watched the anime subbed, but I decided on going almost entirely English on this fic. There will be some honorifics sprinkled in, but don't expect it to be all "Kakashi-san" and "Sakura-chan." I also decided on hitai-ate instead of forehead protector because forehead protector is kind of a pain to write every time and I've always felt that jutsu techniques.

AN 2 (9/10/15): Made a few small edits to the chapter. I decided to add some jutsu descriptions. For reference, the great dragon fire jutsu is the jutsu that Sasuke uses to heat up the air during his fight with Kakashi.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

-Salty Lightning