A/N - Yeah, yeah, I know. It's a new story. You probably wanted me to work on one of my existing stories, but I thought up ideas for two new stories and I just HAD to write chapters for 'em. This is the first of two new stories that I came up with and I just had to roll with it. As you can see, it's a Naruto/Metroid crossover and I'm really glad with how it turned out. Hopefully you like it.

Chapter 1 - What's in the Scroll?

He had done it! Naruto had successfully managed to steal the Scroll of Seals and even made it to the rendezvous point where he was supposed to meet Mizuki for his makeup test. Of course, he did have to use his Sexy Technique on the Sandaime Hokage to knock him out when he was discovered, but who cares?!

Laying the scroll down, Naruto had an internal debate on whether or not he should open it for all of two seconds before he decided to open it and take a look at what was inside. The first thing he saw was the Shadow Clone Technique, which caused him to groan. The Clone Technique was the bane of his existence! Still, he decided he'd at least read about the jutsu and see what it could do differently from the regular Clone Technique. Seeing that it required only one hand sign and reading about the various benefits from using such a technique, Naruto went about practicing the technique for a short while.

Once he was positive he had the technique down pat, Naruto assigned a shadow clone to keep watch while he took a look at what else was inside of the Scroll of Seals. As he unrolled it further and further, he saw techniques that he could easily understand why they were forbidden. Such as the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique that he read about. Regardless, he continued his search for anything that might prove useful to him, and eventually stumbled upon something interesting.

There, towards the bottom of the scroll, was a strange seal that looked like a swirl, almost like a whirlpool. Feeling drawn towards it, Naruto reached a finger towards it, and when he placed the tip of his finger upon the seal, he could instantly feel his chakra being drained from him into the seal. After a good ¼ of his chakra had been drained from him, a strange medallion popped out of the seal along with a letter. Picking the letter up first, Naruto began to read it, his eyebrow rising slowly as he did.

"Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, then you're either the Kage of the village of Konohagakure or you've been entrusted with the scroll for one reason or another. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you have stumbled upon an artifact whose origins are a mystery to we who found it. My husband and I picked this medallion up after it fell from the sky and could feel a great power within it. We know not its purpose or what it can do, but we both know it is likely dangerous if in the wrong hands.

Whatever you do, don't put this medallion on. If you've found this, reseal it immediately! This item is only to be used in the most dire of circumstances, those being if the village is at risk of annihilation or its people are in grave danger of being wiped out. Only use this item to protect your precious people! Please and thank you. That is all I have to say.

~Mito Uzumaki"

Frowning at the warning, Naruto looked at the medallion and picked it up. It felt a little heavy in his hand, but he paid that no mind. Instead, he focused on the power he could feel coming from the small item. Whoever this Mito Uzumaki woman was, she was right. This thing held a lot of power inside of it, he could feel it! So, pocketing it, deciding to try it out later, he smiled and rolled up the scroll before pocketing the letter as well. Just as well, considering Iruka appeared in the clearing just seconds later.

"There you are Naruto! What the hell were you thinking, stealing the Forbidden Scroll like that?!" the brown-haired school teacher scolded sternly.

Blinking in stupefaction for a moment, Naruto tilted his head and looked into Iruka's eyes calmly. "What do you mean Iruka-sensei? I was only doing what I was told for the makeup test. Mizuki-sensei said if I stole the Scroll of Seals and met him here that I'd pass and become a Genin."

Gobsmacked at this, Iruka was about to say something before they both heard a dark chuckling coming from nearby. Together, they both looked up into a nearby tree and saw Mizuki standing upon a thick tree branch with two rather large shuriken on his back. "Very well done Naruto. Now, hand it over and you'll have passed your 'test'."

Iruka narrowed his eyes and quickly withdrew a kunai from his pouch. "Mizuki, what the hell are you thinking?! You should know better than this! How dare you take advantage of Naruto's trust in you to steal the Forbidden Scroll?!"

Frowning at this, Naruto looked down at the ground, allowing his hair to shadow his eyes. Clenching his fists, he spoke in a low voice. "So it was all a lie then." he stated rather than asked. "I figured as much. I hoped...I really hoped. But I guess it's just not meant to be, is it?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

Hearing this, Iruka glanced at Naruto and frowned for a moment before looking back at Mizuki, a furious scowl on his face. "Answer me Mizuki, why are you doing this?!"

Scoffing, the silver-haired traitor glared down at Iruka and pointed a finger at him dramatically. "Why the hell do you think you moron?! For power! Once I deliver the scroll to Orochimaru-sama, I'll be given all the power I could ever want! I'm sick of this damn village! Orochimaru-sama has promised me so much MORE!" he cackled gleefully.

Deciding not to waste anymore time talking, Iruka threw his kunai at Mizuki and watched as he dodged out of the way, leaping to another tree. It was at this point that the person he once thought of as a dear friend turned to Naruto and spoke up once more. "Hey, Naruto. Want to know something special? I know why everyone hates you. Why you're ignored. Why you're treated like you're less than dirt. I know everything."

Eyes widening at this point, Iruka leaped into the tree and began a taijutsu battle with Mizuki in an effort to silence him. "Don't you dare Mizuki! You know Hokage-sama forbade us from talking about it!"

Chuckling darkly, Mizuki landed a harsh kick to Iruka's face and sent him crashing to the ground near Naruto. "The night of your birth, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Then again, you already knew that. What you didn't know is that you cannot kill a bijuu. No, you can only seal them away. That's exactly what the beloved Yondaime did. You see Demon, the Yondaime sealed the blasted Kyuubi into you! You, Naruto, are the Kyuubi no Yoko!"

Hearing this, Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before realization came crashing down on him. All the hateful stares and words. All the beatings. The loneliness he felt every day. Everything made sense now. But one thing bothered him about what Mizuki just said. Looking up into his eyes, Naruto quirked a brow at him and cocked his head to the side, a frown on his face. "You're a moron, aren't you?"

"What?" Mizuki asked, completely bewildered by what Naruto had just asked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean you lousy demon?!"

"I mean exactly what I just said you bastard! Just because the Kyuubi was sealed into me on the night of my birth doesn't make ME the demon you stupid moron! If that's what you and the rest of the villagers think, then I pity you. The lack of brain cells must make it so hard to function every day of your lives." Naruto insulted with a small smirk on his face.

Snarling at this, Mizuki grabbed one of the large fuma shuriken from his back and threw it as hard as he could at Naruto, determined to end his miserable existence right this instant. Too stunned to move, Naruto clenched his eyes shut and prepared for the end, but when it didn't come, he opened his eyes to see a sight that shook him to the core. There, in front of him, stood his sensei, Iruka Umino with the shuriken sticking out of his back. Eyes widening in horror, he could only stand there, shaking like a leaf, as Iruka wrapped his arms around him and spoke.

"I'm glad you're alright Naruto. You need to run. Go and get help. I'll do my best to hold him off. No matter what happens, just know that I'm proud of you. Now go Naruto. Hurry!" Iruka urged, a frantic look in his eyes.

Naruto was about to do just that, but it was at this moment that he remembered something. Glancing down at his pocket that housed the letter, he remembered what it said about the medallion and how it should only be used to protect his precious people. Well, after what Iruka just did for him, Naruto figured that Iruka could be counted amongst that number now. And right now, Naruto was angry enough to say 'fuck it!' and roll with whatever this damned thing could do to him. So, reaching into his pocket that housed the medallion, Naruto pulled it out and threw the chain around his neck, letting the medallion rest neatly on his chest.

In an instant, the clearing was covered in a bright flash of light that blinded everyone. When it finally cleared, allowing everyone to see once again, the sixteen year-old Naruto stood clad in a suit of orange armor with a cylindrical barrel of sorts on his right arm, a visored helmet on his head, and powerful-looking chest and leg armor while his left arm was covered in the same armor as well. He was completely covered in this strange suit of armor from head to toe, and it looked incredibly powerful!

Looking himself over, Naruto chuckled a moment before he looked up at Mizuki and pointed at him with his right arm cannon. "Looks like tonight's not your lucky night bastard." When a message flashed in front of his eyes explaining how to fire an energy blast from his arm cannon, Naruto nodded once and fired upon Mizuki, watching as his blast nailed the man right in the chest. What he was not expecting was for the blast to tear right through Mizuki and to keep sailing past him into the night sky.

Chuckling nervously to himself, Naruto attempted to reach back and rub at his head, only to bonk his armored hand against his helmet. Continuing to chuckle, he looked towards Iruka and shrugged his armored shoulders. "Uhh...oops?"

Later - Hokage Tower

Naruto currently sat in the Hokage's office staring across the desk at the elderly Sandaime Hokage. The young blond was no longer in the power armor, which was good because that was awkward to move in right now. It would certainly take some getting used to, that was for damn sure! He couldn't even imagine trying to sit in this chair in that thing! Wait, he was getting distracted, his grandfather figure was trying to talk to him!

"Naruto, I hope you realize just what it is you did earlier. You stole the Scroll of Seals, an item that is incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. I'm glad it was returned safely, but that was very reckless of you. Still, I'm glad you managed to apprehend a traitor to our village. In light of your efforts and for what you've succeeded in doing, I'm going to deposit an amount of money equal to that of a B-rank mission into your bank account. Good job Naruto-kun." Hiruzen said with a kindhearted smile on his face.

Hiruzen frowned for a moment at this point as he decided to ask a question that was bothering him. "Naruto-kun, why did you go along with Mizuki's ploy if you knew that it was a trap? Try as I might, I can't wrap my head around it."

Frowning at this, Naruto lowered his gaze to his hands folded in his lap and shook his head. "I thought it was a trap, but I wasn't 100% certain of it. I wanted so badly for it to be real. I just wanted to be a Genin of Konoha that I was willing to go along with his ploy in the hopes that it wasn't a trick. So, despite my better judgment...I went along with what I knew in my heart and mind was a trap. Sorry gramps." the blond explained.

Hiruzen nodded in understanding before he decided to just move on with what he wanted to say next. "I understand Naruto-kun. Now, I want to say congratulations on officially being promoted to the rank of Genin. You've been trying for years to achieve this goal and it's finally upon you. I expect you to be at the academy in a week's time to hear which team you're on and to meet your teammates and sensei. Do you understand me Naruto-kun?"

Nodding his head emphatically, Naruto grinned and bowed his head slightly to his grandpa, as he so affectionately called him. "Sure thing gramps! Umm, before I go though, do you have any idea what the heck this medallion is all about? When I put it on, I ended up in some strange suit of armor. All I know is it's called Power Suit and I was able to kill Mizuki-teme with it. Actually...now that I think about it...I feel kind of sick."

Noticing that Naruto did, indeed, look a little green in the face, Hiruzen passed him his wastebasket and allowed him to throw up the contents of his stomach into it. Once he was finished, Hiruzen offered his surrogate grandson a soft smile and patted him gently upon the head. "It's natural to feel that way after your first kill Naruto-kun. First kills are never easy. While it does get easier, I want you to promise me something Naruto-kun." Seeing he had Naruto's undivided attention, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled at his young companion. "Never take pleasure in ending another's life for any reason. No matter how despicable a person is, don't take pleasure in killing a person. For it is only when you take pleasure in killing someone that you truly become the monster people say you are. Do you understand what I have just told you Naruto-kun?"

Nodding his head, Naruto replied. "Yes gramps. I understand completely. And I promise you here and now that I will never take pleasure in killing someone. Just...just the thought of killing anyone else makes me want to throw up again." he admitted.

Chuckling softly in response, the Sandaime Hokage nodded once before directing his gaze to the medallion resting against Naruto's chest. "You asked me about the medallion. I have to admit that I've never seen anything like it before. Can you demonstrate the transformation for me Naruto-kun? I'd like to see this Power Suit of yours."

Nodding, Naruto stood up and began to focus on the medallion. After a moment, the armor appeared on him once again and he used his left hand to motion towards himself. "Well gramps, what do you think?" he asked casually with a smirk on his face. The blond had to admit that he felt good whenever he wore this suit of armor.

Rising from his chair, Hiruzen walked around his desk and began to inspect his surrogate grandson carefully. The elderly male began to circle him and poked at the armor a few times here and there with his left index finger. When he was finished with his inspection, the old man returned to his chair and sat down once more before breathing out a heavy sigh and shaking his head. "While it is a truly remarkable piece of work, I'm afraid it's beyond my understanding Naruto-kun. According to the letter you showed me, the medallion fell from the sky. It's quite likely that it's from another world far more advanced than ours. If so, then you've stumbled upon quite the find and should take very good care of it. Don't lose it Naruto-kun, and don't let anyone take it from you. Especially that power-hungry Uchiha in your class. There's no telling just what he would do with such a gift." The Sandaime warned with a serious glare on his face and in his most serious tone of voice.

Naruto nodded in agreement and frowned after a moment. "I agree gramps. But...what are you going to tell the council? You know they're likely to try and order me to give this up." Naruto said with a scowl replacing his frown.

Shaking his head and taking a puff on his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with, "Don't you worry about that m'boy, I'll just tell them it's a clan artifact that belonged to your mother and was passed down to you by means of inheritance. Besides, I think it's high time I told you who your mother was, at the very least. After all, you've no doubt guessed that you have a relation to Mito Uzumaki based on what this letter says, haven't you?" Receiving a nod in response, Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "I'd tell you about your father as well, but I'm afraid you just aren't ready yet m'boy."

Sighing at this, Naruto looked down and clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. Why did his gramps want to keep his father hidden from him so badly? He just couldn't understand it! Still… "It's...alright gramps. I'll take what I can get. So...who was my mom and what was she like?"

Smiling at Naruto being mature about this, the Sandaime reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a couple of scrolls from a hidden compartment. Handing them over, the aged Hokage began to speak. "Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a feisty woman and was so passionate about everything she did. She loved your father very much. And...she loved you as well Naruto-kun. Don't ever doubt that. When she became pregnant with you, it was the happiest day of her life. And...there's something else you should know about her." Sighing again at this point, the Sandaime Hokage rubbed at the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he tried to stem off the growing headache. "She was the Kyuubi Jinchuriki before you. In fact, the Kyuubi has had three jinchurikis. Mito Uzumaki was the first, Kushina was the second, and you, m'boy, are the third."

Before Naruto could say anything in response to this, Hiruzen held up a hand to silence him for a moment so he could continue speaking. "I know it's been hard to deal with the hate and not knowing why people hated you Naruto-kun. And...I'm sorry for being such a fool. I thought if you didn't know about your burden that you could live a normal life as a normal child. I...didn't expect for the villagers to treat you as poorly as they did. It was an oversight on my part and I deeply regret leaving you in the dark for so long. I'm sorry you had to find out from a traitor about your burden. I should have told you a long time ago. Just as I should have told you about at least your mother before now. You deserved to know. Can you forgive this foolish old man Naruto-kun?"

Sighing at this point, Naruto lowered his head and allowed his bangs to shadow his eyes. For a time, he just sat there thinking about everything he had been told and thinking over past events and how shitty his life had been up until now. There had been so few good moments in his life and there were so few people that were actually nice to him in the village that he wondered why he even bothered some days. Still, he loved his gramps and couldn't hold this against him. So, with a reluctant nod, Naruto looked up into Hiruzen's eyes and offered him a lopsided smile. "Sure gramps. I forgive you. I still wish you would tell me about my dad, but I won't push the subject if you aren't ready to tell me."

Smiling at his surrogate grandson, the Sandaime Hokage nodded towards the door and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Thank you Naruto-kun. You should probably get going now though. It's rather late and you'll want to get some practice in with your new technique and that armor of yours. I want you to learn its functions to the best of your ability by the time team placements roll around next week. I'll let you use Training Ground #4 to practice Naruto-kun. If anyone gives you a hassle, just tell them that you're there by the will of the Hokage and if they have a problem with it, they can come speak with me. I'll set them straight." Hiruzen said with a grin. "And make sure you take these with you. They were left to you by your mother." he said as he pushed the scrolls over to Naruto, who took them with a smile on his face.

Chuckling softly, Naruto nodded at his gramps and began to leave the office. Turning back to face the Sandaime for a moment, Naruto waved at him with a smile. "Thanks gramps. Have a good night!" Naruto shouted before disappearing from sight and making his way out of the tower to begin his trek home.

One week later - Academy

Naruto had done exactly as his gramps had suggested and spent the week getting used to his Power Suit and making good use of his shadow clones. Sadly, he found out early on that, even though the medallion appeared on his clones as well, they couldn't use the copied medallions to transform into their own Power Suits. It seemed as if it was limited to only Naruto himself. Still, for as powerful as an artifact as it was, he didn't think that was a bad thing at all. Besides, with how his shadow clones behaved (which he found out just how rowdy and mischievous they could be), Naruto figured it was probably for the best that they couldn't use their own Power Suits.

While Naruto spent time getting used to the Power Suit and its functions, as well as getting used to moving around in it so it became something of a second skin to him, Naruto would have his shadow clones go to the library and study up on subjects that he wasn't allowed to learn at the academy. He wanted to catch up to his classmates and become as well learned as the rest of them were. But that wasn't all that he did! Naruto also took the time to borrow some low-rank jutsu scrolls from the library that were available to genin-ranked shinobi and had his shadow clones begin studying those and practicing those jutsus. Overall, it had been a very well spent week and he couldn't complain at all.

Naruto had also looked inside the scrolls left to him by his mother and was happy that she had left him a sizeable chunk of money to do with as he pleased. Deciding it was best to save the money to be used sparingly and only on things he needed rather than wanted...well, okay, he'd splurge on some things, but not often! Anyways, he decided to save it and quickly resealed the money for later usage. Then there were the scrolls on ninjutsu she knew as well as her fuinjutsu kit and all of her notes on said topic. He had been very excited to learn that particular ability and had spent just as much time trying to perfect his handwriting as he had getting used to his Power Suit.

Now, however, he sat in the classroom, waiting for his peers and Iruka-sensei to arrive so he could get assigned his team. As the students began to filter into the classroom, Naruto fingered the medallion and seemed to lose himself in a trance as he thought about what he had done a week ago. He still couldn't believe how easily he had killed Mizuki with a single shot of the Power Suit's Power Beam, as he learned it was called.

It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of his trance. Turning to face the person that had gripped his shoulder, Naruto found his friend Shikamaru staring into his eyes. "Hey, you okay Naruto? You seemed kind of lost there for a while. You had me worried."

Nodding in response, Naruto glanced back at his medallion for a brief moment before letting it drop against his chest again and turned to face Shikamaru once more. "I'm alright. Just...thinking about something that happened last week. That's all. I'm still a little shaken up by what happened. I...I killed Mizuki. He betrayed the village Shikamaru. He tried to kill me and Iruka-sensei. I...I didn't mean to kill him...but it just kinda happened. I'm...I'm just trying to come to terms with it still, I guess." the blond explained, knowing that Shikamaru would understand him better than anyone else likely would.

Nodding his head in understanding, the Nara heir sat down in the seat beside his friend and nodded in greeting to Choji who sat down beside him before returning his attention to Naruto. "You did what you had to do Naruto. I know it's gotta be hard on you, but it was obviously a kill or be killed situation. If I was in your place, I'd have likely done the same thing. Still, I can't imagine that it's been easy on you. I've heard that first kills are the hardest and can really make or break a ninja sometimes. Are you going to be alright?"

Chuckling softly at this question, Naruto nodded in response and offered a small smile to his friend. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks Shika. It's just still fresh on my mind y'know? I'll get over it. I have to."

Before either boy could say anything more, they heard a veritable stampede and glanced to the door with a sigh as they watched as Sakura and Ino tried to push their way inside, the both of them struggling against one another. Sighing softly, the boys looked into one another's eyes and shook their heads. "Gee, it's Fangirl #1 and Fangirl #2. One guess as to what they were racing here for." Shikamaru joked with a chuckle following afterwards.

Naruto barked out a laugh before he could contain it and glanced back down at the girls to see they had managed to stumble their way into the room, allowing those that had arrived after them to venture inside and take their seats. "It's the same thing they're usually fighting over. Who gets to sit next to their beloved 'Sasuke-kun'." Naruto said 'Sasuke-kun' in a swooning way and put the back of his hand against his forehead, pretending to faint backwards in his chair. Seeing he had earned some laughs from his friends, Naruto chuckled as well and grinned at them. "Thank you, thank you."

Together, they watched as Sakura and Ino began to physically assault one another via yanking on one another's hair, punching and kicking, as well as scratching and screeching at one another because they couldn't agree on who would sit next to Sasuke. It would have continued like this if Iruka hadn't appeared and chopped the two of them on the backs of their heads before telling them to just sit the hell down before he kicked them out for disrupting things. So they quickly took their seats with Ino just barely beating Sakura in sitting next to Sasuke, who really couldn't care less just who sat next to him. He really just wanted them to shut up and leave him alone!

Venturing to the front of the classroom, Iruka turned around and smiled at everyone before looking into Naruto's eyes and nodding at him in greeting. Before he could say anything, one of the civilian-born children decided to pipe up and point over at Naruto. "Iruka-sensei, why the hell is the dobe here? Didn't that idiot fail?"

Hearing shouts of agreement with this, Iruka sighed and shook his head. Ordering the class to shut the hell up, Iruka looked into Naruto's eyes for a moment before glancing around at the rest of the class. "It turns out that Naruto's tests were being rigged from the start. Hokage-sama and I went through the records and found out that Naruto should have been doing much better, but people like my old partner Mizuki were sabotaging his education whilst here in the academy ever since he joined. Don't ask me why as I'm not permitted to say. Just know that Naruto's being here as part of the graduating class has to do with why Mizuki isn't here beside me. I'd say more, but without Hokage-sama's permission, I'm afraid it's just not my place to say." Iruka explained as best he could, hoping that his students would understand and not ask any further questions.

Frowning at this, some of the students looked towards Naruto with sympathetic smiles before facing the front once again. Smiling at that, Naruto nodded once before turning back to face his favorite teacher. After all, Iruka had always been fair to him and never treated him like the demon sealed inside of him.

Offering Naruto a gentle smile, Iruka turned back to face the class once again and coughed into his hand. "Anyways, I wanted to congratulate you all on passing and becoming Genin of Konoha. You're all about to take your first steps into a brand new journey and are bound to experience a slew of new adventures. I want you to remember that you represent Konoha and to present yourselves in a respectable way. Do your best and continue to be the very best ninjas that you can be. I have faith in each and every one of you. Now, let's get on with team assignments, shall we?" Iruka said with a smile.

Naruto listened as Iruka went about listing off a bunch of nameless teams of people he wasn't really concerned with. However, when he got to Team 7, that's when he finally heard names of people he was familiar with and was actually interested in hearing about. "Team 7 consists of Sasuke Uchiha, Ino Yamanaka," cue high-pitched squeal and an insult thrown at Sakura, as well as a glare at Iruka to shut the blonde up. "And Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Good luck with that one. I hope you don't mind waiting for a while." Iruka said with a chuckle.

Seeing they looked confused by his statement, Iruka didn't say anything and just continued on with listing the team assignments. "Team 8 consists of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi." Smiling at them, he offered them a brief nod before continuing on. "Team 9 is still in circulation, so moving on, we have Team 10, which consists of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Shikamaru Nara. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you all have a good time with your teams and your new senseis." Iruka said with a smile before packing up his things and leaving the room.

Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged a fist bump before they both patted Choji on either of his shoulders in sympathy. They did not envy him for having to deal with not only the arrogant emo of an Uchiha, but also one of his die hard fangirls. Then Shikamaru and Naruto looked down at Sakura to see her sulking while Ino was gloating and mocking her. Frowning at this, Naruto got up from his seat and walked down the aisle, stopping beside Sakura's seat and pointing a finger at Ino. "That's enough Ino. Can't you see how your words are affecting her? Just leave her alone already alright? Yeah, we get it, you get to be with your crush." At this point, Ino looked about ready to protest something and Naruto held up his hand to silence her. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you say he's your one true love. Whatever. I don't care. My point still stands. Leave Sakura alone."

Looking down at Sakura, ignoring Ino who huffed in annoyance at Naruto's scolding her, Naruto reached out a hand and gently placed it upon her shoulder. "Come on Sakura-chan, let's go sit together with Shika. I know you're feeling pretty depressed, but I promise we'll do our best to make you feel welcome on our team. I hope you're willing to work with us too."

Hearing this, Sakura looked up into Naruto's eyes and seemed to be searching for something. After a moment, she took his hand and allowed him to help her up out of her seat. Following him up to where he was sitting with Shikamaru and Choji, she glanced at the one available chair and looked at Naruto curiously. "There's only one chair."

Smiling at Sakura with a kindhearted smile, Naruto walked over and pulled it out for her. "You sit Sakura-chan. I'll stand. It's okay."

Blinking in shock at this kind gesture, Sakura found herself blushing a bit despite herself and slowly took a seat, allowing Naruto to push her seat back in place beside her other teammate, Shikamaru. Looking at him, she saw the lazy Nara offering her a kind smile as well. "Why? Why are you two being so kind to me when I've been nothing but mean to you two all this time?"

Shikamaru decided to take this one and reached over, placing a hand gently upon her shoulder just as Naruto had done earlier. "We're teammates now Sakura. Besides that, we're not the kind to hold grudges against you for being like that. We're just good people. Besides, it's too troublesome to hold a grudge against someone just because they've been mean to you." he said with a smile.

Feeling tears prickling at her eyes, Sakura rubbed at her eyes to try and stop the tears from flowing. It didn't work as she soon broke down into sobs and hiccupped a few times as she released her pent up emotions. Smiling at her, Naruto and Shikamaru kept their hands placed on her shoulders to show their support and waited patiently for her to calm down.

It was at this point that they heard someone calling for Team 10 and they glanced down to see a beautiful woman and a bearded male standing in the doorway waiting for their teams. They could only assume that the woman was Kurenai, the sensei for Team 8, while the man must be Asuma Sarutobi. So, rising from his chair, Shikamaru waited patiently as he watched Naruto offer his hand to Sakura, who gladly took it and allowed Naruto to help her up. What made Shikamaru smile even more was the fact that Sakura refused to let go of Naruto's hand as they walked down to meet their sensei.

Smiling down at his team, who weren't much shorter than him, being a bunch of sixteen year-olds, Asuma voiced a simple question. "Team 10?" Receiving a nod from each of them, Asuma grinned and motioned with his head for them to follow him. "We're going to Yakiniku Q. We'll have our first team meeting there."

Mouths watering at the idea of eating at such a restaurant, the trio couldn't help but smile at one another as they followed after the man, eager to get this team meeting underway, even if only for the delicious food they'd soon be enjoying.

Minutes Later - Yakiniku Q

Asuma couldn't help but smile as he watched his team eat their meals together in a surprisingly neat fashion. From what he had heard about Naruto from his old man, the kid usually practically inhaled his food with no manners, but he wasn't seeing that from him now. In truth, he was thankful for that. But that isn't what his mind was focused on right now. No, what was on his mind was the fact that on the entire walk here, Sakura hadn't released Naruto's hand. In fact, she had even walked closer to him than what a person would usually be comfortable with. When they reached the restaurant, she even sat down beside Naruto. Smirking slightly, he wondered what was going on there, but decided not to pry, no matter how much he'd like to tease them.

"Alright team, let's begin with introductions. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams. I'll go first so you know how it works." Seeing each of them nod, Asuma cleared his throat before placing his hand against his chest. "My name is Asuma Sarutobi. I like Kurenai, although I haven't really talked to her about my feelings yet. I also like a variety of meats, though my favorite kind is sausage. I'm also fond of soba. Finally, I'm also rather fond of my family, namely my nephew Konohamaru."

"I dislike asparagus. Yuck." Asuma said with a chuckle. "I'm also not very fond of those who diss Wind users. Wind techniques are some of the best there is and you'd better believe it!" Asuma declared with a nod of his head. "As for hobbies, I'm rather fond of playing shogi. I hear you're quite the player Shikamaru. If you're ever up for a game or two, hit me up. I'll gladly play you." Asuma said with a grin. "As for dreams, I'd like to start dating Kurenai and, if things go well for us, potentially marry her and have some kids together. Other than that, I'd like to see you kids become the best team you can be. Now, why don't you go Shikamaru?"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered with a sigh. "My name is Shikamaru Nara. I like my friends, namely Choji and Naruto. I also like shogi, mackerel, and kelp. I dislike anything that's too darn troublesome. I also dislike anyone that tries to hurt my friends or family. Finally, I dislike eggs. Period. My hobbies are playing shogi and cloud watching. As for dreams? I'd like to get married to a nice woman and have a couple of children. Preferably one boy and one girl. Order doesn't matter. Just so long as we can all be happy, I'll be happy. I guess I'd also like to take over as clan head someday, but it just sounds so troublesome." Shikamaru said with a chuckle.

The group erupted into laughter for a while before Naruto decided he would go next. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like my the few friends I have, as well as gramps, or as you know him, the Sandaime Hokage. I also like Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku at the ramen stand. I love ramen too! Definitely my favorite food, but unlike what people think, I don't eat it all the time. Sure it's my favorite food, but I do eat a variety of foods."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto took a bite of his food and swallowed after a moment of chewing it before he continued. "As for my dislikes, one of them would be the time it takes for ramen to cook. It's supposed to be instant. Says right on the package damn it!" Naruto said with a chuckle following afterwards to show he was trying to say it in a joking manner. "I also dislike those that can't tell the scroll from what it contains." Naruto said, receiving a knowing stare from not only Asuma, but Shikamaru as well, which was somewhat shocking to Naruto, but he didn't focus on it. Instead, he simply carried on. "I also dislike people treating me like I'm stupid. I'm a lot smarter than people give me credit for. Shikamaru and my other friends can attest to that." Naruto said with a shrug. "Finally, I dislike those that try to hurt my precious people in any way."

"Hobbies? Hmm, I like gardening. I also enjoy writing. I've been trying to write my own book for a while now, but it's a slow going process. I'm almost done with my first book though, so I've at least made some good progress! I just hope that it'll become a good seller once I manage to get it published." Naruto admitted embarrassedly as he rubbed at the back of his head, a blush on his face at the looks he was getting.

"As for dreams...as everyone should know, I want to be Hokage someday. But, I also want to see my book become a bestseller. Finally, I want to become a world renowned author, even better than Jiraiya-sama." Naruto explained, a soft smile on his face.

Smiling at his dreams, Asuma voiced everyone's thoughts. "Those are very nice dreams Naruto. I hope to one day see your dreams come true. Though I have to ask, what is your book about?" Sakura looked interested as well as she turned to face him, an eager smile on her face.

"Well, I'd like it to remain a secret for now, but I suppose I don't mind telling my team. It's an adventure and romance story with a young woman as the main character. I know, it's normally a guy as the main character, and it's probably pretty weird for a guy like me to write about a woman being the main character of a story, but I thought it would be pretty neat to do things differently from everybody else. But in essence, this woman sets out to prove that women can be just as capable as men. She wants to be her own person and ends up on a journey that she never expected to be on. This woman ends up becoming a hero to the people by pure circumstance, and along the way she meets a lot of interesting people, some of which even join her on her adventure. I...don't want to give too much away though, so I'm sorry, but I'm going to stop talking about it now." Naruto explained, a deep blush on his face at having admitted so much about his story.

Sakura was practically bursting from joy by now at hearing about his book in progress. Asuma and Shikamaru were grinning, liking the idea of the story. However, before either of them could say anything, Sakura gave Naruto a hug and a kiss on the cheek, catching each of them off guard. "Your book sounds amazing Naruto-kun! I can't wait to read it! When you finish it, I want an autographed copy immediately when it comes out, you got that Mister?!" she exclaimed joyfully.

Naruto erupted in a furious blush at what she just did and began to splutter out incomprehensible gibberish, completely unable to form a complete sentence to respond to her. When Sakura realized both what she did and what she called him, she blushed as well and quickly turned away and began to stuff her face full of food again, trying to calm down. Meanwhile, the other two members of Team 10 began to smirk, unable to hide their amusement at the situation taking place before them. After all, they now had some good teasing material and they were definitely going to make use of it.

When they both managed to calm down, Naruto looked at Sakura and offered her a warm smile. "I'll gladly give you an autographed copy when I'm finished Sakura-chan. And...I'm glad you're feeling more comfortable around me." Leaning over, he gave Sakura a hug for a moment before he returned to eating his meal.

Sakura continued to blush for a little while before she decided it was her turn to make an introduction. Coughing into her fist to compose herself, she looked around at everyone before speaking up. "As you know, my name is Sakura Haruno. I like Sasuke-kun and my new friends Naruto-kun and Shikamaru. I also like my family and my favorite food is anko dumplings! I hate Ino pig, especially after what she was doing today. I also dislike those who make fun of my forehead. And I don't like spicy foods all that much. As for my hobbies, I like to read and I'm fond of studying up on a variety of topics. Finally, my dream is to one day marry Sasuke-kun and help him restore the Uchiha clan!" Sakura explained passionately.

Chuckling at this, Asuma looked between Sakura and Naruto and shook his head. I don't know if she realizes it or not, but I think she's developing something of a crush on Naruto instead. Who knows? She might just end up with him instead of her precious 'Sasuke-kun'. Asuma thought with a smile. Regardless… "If that's what you truly want, then I wish you the best of luck Sakura." he said before taking a bite of his food.

Swallowing after a moment, he glanced around at each of his students and smirked at them. "Now, I need to inform you of something. You aren't quite Genin just yet." Holding up a hand to silence them after they squawked in disbelief, he could see a look of realization appearing on Shikamaru's face and saw that he understood what was going on easily enough. "The true test will be held tomorrow. I want you to be at Training Field #10 by 10 AM. Make sure you've had a good breakfast and bring yourselves a packed lunch as well, you're going to need it." Asuma explained with a smirk appearing on his face.

Shikamaru decided to speak up at this point while the others went about finishing up their meals. "I figured as much. The test at the academy was simply used to root out the ones that didn't have the potential to become ninjas of the village. This second test is to determine who has what it takes to make it as Genin of the village, while the ones who fail will either go back to the academy or end up in the reserves. Am I right?"

Nodding his head, Asuma grinned at Shikamaru before taking the last bite of his food and swallowing it. "That's right. Very astute of you Shikamaru. Then again, I didn't expect any less of you. Now, I'll pay for the meals. You three should go on home and get plenty of rest tonight. Make sure you're prepared for tomorrow."

Nodding in agreement, the three of them thanked their sensei and rose from their chairs before bowing to Asuma in thanks. Quickly vacating the premises, Shikamaru said goodbye to his teammates before walking off towards his home. Before Sakura could go however, Naruto smiled at her awkwardly and rubbed at the back of his head. "Hey, want me to walk you home Sakura-chan? I don't mind if you don't."

Smiling at her blond-haired teammate, Sakura nodded her head and, blushing, reached out for Naruto's hand. Gently taking it with her own, she nodded again and began walking down the road towards her home. "Thank you Naruto-kun for offering. I appreciate it. And...thanks again for what you did earlier with Ino. You...I've never given you a reason to be so sweet to me, and yet you were. You know...she and I used to be friends, but that changed one day. I'm still not entirely sure when it happened, but it did. We both fell for Sasuke-kun and...well...it just kind of happened. One day we were friends and then all of the sudden we were enemies. I just never thought it would get so bad that she'd do, well...that." She could feel tears prickling at her eyes again, but Naruto quickly reached up and wiped them away with the backs of his fingers. This simple action caused her to blush deeply and she couldn't help but stare down at the ground and away from her new friend, unable to face him right now.

Naruto couldn't help but smile at this. When Sakura acted shy like this, she was actually really cute. He couldn't help but find her adorable right now and he just couldn't help but find himself admitting something before he could shut himself up. "You know something Sakura-chan? Despite what others might think, I think your forehead is really charming. It looks really kissable." When he realized what he just said, Naruto began to blush furiously and quickly looked away, unable and unwilling to face her for fear of what she might do and say.

At this point, Sakura's whole face was as red as a tomato. Inside her mind, her thoughts were a roiling mess. He likes my forehead! Nobody's ever said such a thing before! Sasuke-kun's never made such a comment about my forehead before! Oh Kami-sama, I'm blushing! I can't calm down! What do I do?! What do I say?! Sakura thought frantically to herself. Unconsciously, she squeezed Naruto's hand just a bit tighter, unwilling to let him go as they grew ever closer to her home.

Oh Kami-sama, why the hell did I say something like that?! Now she's going to think I'm a damn idiot! I just wanted to be nice, but I admitted something I was thinking and now...ugh. She probably thinks I'm stupid. I just wanted her to feel beautiful, because she is, but now… Naruto thought to himself nervously. When he felt her squeezing his hand, Naruto risked a glance at her and found her blushing just as deeply as he was. Smiling at this, he realized that she was likely feeling just as nervous as he was. Breathing a sigh of relief as he came to the realization that she didn't hate him now. In fact, she seemed just as nervous as he was about this whole situation. So, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in return to show his support, Naruto watched as she turned to look at him and gave her a kind smile to show his support to her.

"Sakura-chan, I don't know why things turned out the way they did between you and Ino. I'm sorry your friendship ended the way it did, and I'm sorry she turned into, well...that. But, I want you to know that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. I want to be your friend. Someone you can depend on and someone you can come to for anything and everything. So if you ever need someone to confide in or someone you just need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here for you, okay? I promise, and I never break my promises."

Smiling softly at him as her blush began to die down, Sakura stopped walking and gently wrapped her arms around Naruto, holding him tight and burying her face into his neck. He was a little taller than her, so that was about as high as she could reach on him. Breathing in his scent, she found herself smiling as it calmed her and she closed her eyes just taking in everything that he was. After a brief while, she pulled back a bit and placed a chaste kiss upon his cheek after leaning up on her tiptoes. "Thank you Naruto-kun. You're a really great guy. I'm just sorry I never noticed it before. And...you know something? I'm not used to people being so nice to me. I'm so used to being picked on by people that having people treating me as kindly as you and Shikamaru have is just...it makes me feel so happy. So thank you. I really mean that."

It was at this point that she looked around at where they were and came to the realization that they were right outside her house and ended up blushing furiously at seeing her mother standing in the front doorway smirking at her with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Uh, I'll see you tomorrow Naruto-kun. Have a good night!" she bade quickly before rushing to her mother and quickly began to deny that there was anything between her and Naruto as she and her mother entered their house, closing the door behind them as she did.

Chuckling softly at that, Naruto shook his head and turned around to begin his trek home. She's really cute. It's a shame she's so into the bastard. If she wasn't interested in him, I might just have a shot with her. Naruto thought to himself with a shrug of his shoulders. Ah well. It's his loss that he's not interested in a gem such as her. Too bad for him.

The Next Day - Training Ground #10

As Naruto walked onto the training ground the next morning, he couldn't help but wonder what the test would consist of. He had to admit, if only to himself, that he was nervous. The blond wanted badly to pass and become an official ninja of Konohagakure! Upon entering the training ground, he saw his two teammates and smiled at them, offering them both a wave in greeting. Looking at Sakura, he couldn't help but blush a bit as he remembered what happened yesterday. When she looked at him and began blushing herself, Naruto glanced away and began scratching at the tip of his nose in embarrassment.

Shikamaru saw this and smirked a bit, finding amusement in the situation. It was obvious that there was some attraction between the two of them, even if Sakura didn't see it yet. Still, the Nara heir hoped for his friend that something would happen there to bring them together, because Lord knows that they'd make a good couple and his friend deserved some happiness in his life.

They would have said something to one another, but Asuma soon appeared in the clearing and greeted his team jovially. Upon seeing how his students were acting around one another, the adult Sarutobi male quirked an eyebrow and looked between them for a moment before shrugging and coughing to gather their attention. Once getting it, he decided to begin. "Alright, now that I have your attention, allow me to explain the test to you." he began. "I already know that you two can work together efficiently based on what my old man told me." Asuma said, pointing to Naruto and Shikamaru. "What I don't know is how well you two can work with Sakura. So…"

Before the three Genin hopefuls could do anything, Asuma went through hand seals and declared "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullets!" before spitting out a bunch of low-powered bullets of air at the trio, forcing them to separate and leap away into the surrounding trees to hide and plan out their strategies. Good. Now to see if they can figure out the purpose of my test. Now to go after my target. Asuma thought with a grin on his face.

Disappearing from where he was standing with a Body Flicker Technique, Asuma soon appeared behind Sakura and tapped her on the shoulder. As soon as she turned around, the Sarutobi male went through a quick series of hand signs and declared in a soft voice, "Fantasy Illusion: Vivid Dream Technique." and with that Sakura collapsed, trapped in a genjutsu. However, unlike a nightmare illusion, she was trapped in a pleasant dream, one that she wouldn't want to wake up from. That was the beauty in this technique and that's why this was a genjutsu that was so hard to break out of. It was also why he chose to use it on her.

Picking Sakura up, Asuma slung her over his shoulder and hopped off with her back into the center of the clearing before laying her down beside him on the ground. He was planning to hold her hostage and using her to lure out the other two to see what they could do and how they'd go about rescuing their teammate. At the same time, he couldn't help but glance down at Sakura and wonder exactly what was going on in her dream. Was she dreaming about Sasuke...or Naruto?

In Sakura's Dream

Sakura glanced around at her surroundings and couldn't help but blink in confusion. She was sure that she was in the woods of Training Field #10 just a moment ago, and now she was suddenly in a house she had no knowledge of! She knew that she should feel panicked or feel that something was wrong, but for some reason she had this feeling of peace and serenity. She felt strangely happy as well, but she wasn't sure why. It wasn't until she heard the pitter patter of feet running down the hall nearby that she reacted in some way, and she couldn't help but let a smile come to her face as she heard this.

Soon enough, two children appeared in the living room she was in. One with spiky blond hair and the other with long, smooth pink hair. The one with spiky blond hair was a boy while the pink-haired one was a girl. Before she could say anything to them, she saw somebody else walk into the room. She recognized this person easily. It was her teammate, Naruto Uzumaki. It was at this point that she realized that these two children were theirs. Blushing fiercely, she couldn't help but cover her face with her hands and quiver a bit as she tried to wrap her head around the fact that she had been with Naruto. And yet...she was happy. She didn't understand why, but being with Naruto felt right. Still, what happened between her and Sasuke? Shouldn't they have been together? Wasn't he her true love? She was so confused! And this still felt like a dream! Just what the hell was going on?!

Back in the Real World

Naruto and Shikamaru had found each other and were currently watching Asuma as he stood protectively in front of Sakura's body. They were discussing a plan in order to try and rescue her so they could try and formulate a plan with her to take down Asuma and pass his test, but trying to rescue her from him was going to be, as Shikamaru put it, troublesome. And that was putting it lightly. Frowning, Naruto listened as Shikamaru put the finishing touches on their plan and nodded at him to signify that he understood. "Let's do it. I hate seeing Sakura-chan like that. Whatever he did to her, it can't be good. I hope she's alright."

Nodding in agreement, Shikamaru stepped out of the treeline and waved at Asuma. "Hey sensei, mind stepping away from Sakura? We kind of need her for the test." he said as he looked into Asuma's eyes.

Quirking a brow, Asuma couldn't help but stare at Shikamaru in disbelief. Okay, what are you playing at Shikamaru. And where's Naruto? "I'm afraid I can't do that Shikamaru. If you want her back, you're going to have to take her back by force. That is, if you two can." Asuma said with a devilish smirk on his face.

Shikamaru chuckled and nodded his head. "Can't say I didn't try. Guess we'll have to go with the hard way then. Oh well." Staring hard into Asuma's eyes, Shikamaru didn't give anything away as he watched a Naruto clone appear behind their sensei in mid swing with a kunai aimed at the back of Asuma's left knee. He wasn't surprised when Asuma spun around and dispelled the clone with a brutal attack, but he quickly took advantage of the moment to activate his Shadow Imitation Technique and attempted to connect his shadow to that of his sensei's. Asuma would have tried to avoid the technique, but more of Naruto's clones appeared and kept up the attack, forcing Asuma to defend himself and avoid the attacks in every way he could.

Eventually, Asuma was caught by Shikamaru's attack and the real Naruto quickly snatched up Sakura and disappeared with her and Shikamaru into the woods once again while Asuma was let free from Shikamaru's technique. As soon as they were gone, the smoker chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Clever. They do work together well, just as pops said. Now to see how the three of them do together."

With the three Genin hopefuls, Shikamaru and Naruto looked over Sakura and frowned. The both of them could see that she was caught in a genjutsu of some sort, but they both knew she should have been able to break out of it rather easily. She was smart enough to realize if she was in a genjutsu and should have been more than capable of breaking one. So what was stopping her?

The two of them looked into one another's eyes before Shikamaru put two fingers to Sakura's forehead and pulsed his chakra through her body to snap her out of the genjutsu. When Sakura shot up with a gasp, Naruto gently wrapped her close and whispered soothing words into her ears. "It's okay Sakura. It was just a dream. You're okay now. Whatever Asuma did to you, you're okay now. You're safe." Naruto said to her, hoping to calm her down.

Sakura blinked a couple of times before looking into Naruto's eyes, nearly losing herself in them. However, after a moment she realized how close they were and found herself blushing fiercely, quickly scurrying away and stammering out an apology. "S-S-Sorry Naruto-kun. And...it wasn't a nightmare. He trapped me in a pleasant genjutsu, oddly enough. But...it was weird. I...I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry…" she said somewhat shyly.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at this, but shrugged his shoulders and decided to just leave it alone. After a moment, he decided to get on with their test, as it was prudent that they get to it, rather than stay here and risk an attack by their sensei. "As much as I'd like to sit here and talk about this, we need to get back to the test before sensei attacks us again. Now that Sakura's awake again, we need to formulate a plan of attack. Our goal is to restrain him, and my Shadow Imitation Technique can only do that for so long. We all need to work together in order to overcome him. So let's come up with a workable plan and then get to work." he said before muttering "Troublesome." and releasing a sigh.

Moments Later - Clearing in Training Ground #10

Asuma was waiting patiently for his team to make their move. While he could have gone after them at any time, he really just wanted to see how they'd go about trying to capture him. He wasn't going to attack them with everything he had. After all, he wanted them to have a chance at passing this test! Still, he had faith that even if he went at them with Chunin level abilities, at least medium Chunin level abilities, they'd be able to pass this test. Still, he'd be taking it easy on them just in case all because he wanted to see them pass. He liked this team after all!

All of the sudden, he felt a strange sensation taking hold in his mind. Glancing around, he could see leaves flying around and saw a bunch of cherry blossoms swirling around him. After a moment he felt tree roots climbing from the ground in an attempt to entangle him. Realizing what was going on, he brought his hands together and shouted, "Kai!" and dispelled the genjutsu.

As soon as the genjutsu was released, he saw a fist flying towards his face and quickly used a Substitution Technique to replace himself with a log. Watching as Naruto's fist impacted with the log, Asuma's eyes widened as the log exploded into tiny pieces. Damn! I'm glad I didn't get hit by that. He thought to himself in horror.

Before Asuma could do anything in response, he had to duck to avoid a punch aimed at his head from behind. Shooting a quick glance behind him, he could see Sakura with a smirk on her face as she performed a high kick aimed at his spine. Quickly spinning around, he brought up his arm to block her attack and winced at the force behind her kick, not expecting for her to have the kind of power behind her attack that she did. Damn. She's strong for her petite frame. I clearly underestimated these kids. Asuma thought to himself as he threw Sakura away from him.

Sensing something coming at him from behind, the Sarutobi male prepared to leap away, but found himself suddenly unable to move. Glancing down, he saw he had been ensnared by Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique again. Grumbling to himself, Asuma prepared to flare his chakra to escape it, but felt himself being gripped in a tight bear hug by Naruto and a few of his clones. Then he felt Sakura pressing a kunai against his throat. Chuckling to himself, he grinned and declared, "Damn. Even though I was taking it easy on you three, I'm glad you passed my test. Congratulations team. We're officially Team 10 now. We'll start taking missions tomorrow. For now, enjoy the rest of your day and do what you want. Congratulations again."

After each of them pulled away from him and cheered with each other, Asuma grinned a little more and soon disappeared in a Body Flicker to go see his old man and report his team's success with the other team senseis. While he did that, Naruto decided to ask his teammates if they'd like to go get something to eat with him. "Sooo, wanna go get something to eat at Ramen Ichiraku with me? My treat guys." he said with a grin.

Sakura smiled at him and nodded once. "I'd love to Naruto-kun. How about you Shikamaru?" she replied happily.

Shikamaru was about to agree before a thought came to mind. This could be used as an experience to get them together. If I were to go with them, I'd just be a third wheel. Hmm...as much as I'd like to enjoy a nice meal with them, I'm more interested in seeing them get together. Sorry buddy. "It's troublesome, but my mother wanted me to get home immediately after the test today. Seems I've got stuff to do today that she doesn't want me to slack off for any reason in doing. You two go on and enjoy yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow." Giving them a wave goodbye and a small smile, Shikamaru turned and began walking off, planning on going to see his buddy Choji and see how his test went.

Looking to each other, Sakura and Naruto shrugged before smiling at each other and taking hold of each other's hands as they did the day before. "Well, let's go and enjoy some lunch together then. Lead the way Naruto-kun!" Sakura exclaimed joyfully. "I can't wait to try some of their ramen. I've heard it's the best in the village. It has to be if you like it so much." she said with a giggle.

"Oh it is, trust me. I'm sure you'll love it Sakura-chan. Just wait until you try it. You'll be in Heaven, I guarantee it." Naruto said, a bright grin on his face as he hurriedly walked with Sakura towards his favorite ramen stand in the village. Little did they know that a certain ramen waitress would tease them relentlessly upon their arrival...

A/N - Okay, now that you've read the chapter, I just wanted to clear something up. Sakura's confused about her feelings right now. She's still got a MASSIVE crush on Sasuke, but at the same time, Naruto's just been so sweet to her and she's conflicted. Nobody's ever been so kind to her before. She's not used to it and it's got her INCREDIBLY confused. So right now, she's not sure how she feels about Naruto. What she DOES know is that she likes how he treats her, which is why she's been acting the way she has around him. Make sense?

Anyways, as I'm sure some of you are curious about it, yes, I AM going to be bringing Samus into the story! Not sure when I'll be doing that, but I will. I'll also be bringing in Ridley as well at some point. I dunno about other Metroid villains, but expect to see some classic Metroid stuff in this fic. It'll be awesome and I can't wait to write it all out. Look forward to it!

I'd say more, but I'm dead tired and can't think of too much else to say. Sooo...peace out and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story. Love ya!