Good day, faithful readers! I know this is late, but I blame it entirely on a shoddy computer that needed a weeks for repairs. And work! Work was evil! But reguardless of my dislikes, I have persevered in bringing a new chapter for you all to enjoy.
After checking the shelves, I find that I STILL do now own Naruto or its characters, but I do have ownership of any chars I make myself. And no, there will be no Mary Sues on my watch. She's purely there for plot development and to scare the daylights out of Naruto and the rest of the team. -cackles-
Anyway..on with the show!
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"Blah" Normal Speak
"Blah" Thought Speak, Letters, Jutsu Names
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Preventer Squall presents: Son of a Monkey Chapter 2: Follow that Funky Monkey
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"CRAP! I'm gonna be late!"
The shinobi to-be nearly started tearing at his own hair as he sprang out of bed, moving around his bedroom in a blonde blur of fear induced panic while pulling on his clothes, kunai and shiruken pouches, and anything else that sprang to mind. Rather then run out of the room just yet, he paused to give himself a brief once over in the mirror.
In another reality, he would have been wearing an eye-searing orange jumpsuit. While the young man's favorite color was still orange, he had decided to be liberal in its usage in this story. He was wearing a black t-shirt that had an orange trace of the Konoha leaf on the chest, dark blue cargo pants, his sandals, and an open jacket that was as blue as his pants, save for the orange section that ran down from the elbow to the wrist. While he had yet to receive the coveted hitai-ate, he decided to prep himself for its arrival by wearing a pair of goggles that were currently resting on his forehead, taking a moment to adjust them before grinning in approval at his overall appearance.
"If you don't get down here in ten seconds, I'm giving your breakfast to the birds!" Asuma shouted, effectively derailing the youngster's train of thought. Of course he had no intention of wasting food like that, but it proved a useful incentive for days when his son had been training with him rather then the Hokage. He could hear the door being shoved open, calmly counting down the seconds before Naruto came barreling into the room like he had been set on fire, come to a screeching halt in the kitchen, and pounce on his food like a starved jaguar. ".2 seconds early. Shouldn't pass the exam without any problem." he thought with a small smile, glancing over the newspaper to see what was going on in the news. Konohamaru got into trouble again. He would have Naruto talk to his cousin about pranking his tutor like that.
At least Naruto could do it without being caught.
The aforementioned whirl of motion let out a pleased sigh at the feel of a filled belly, patting his stomach before getting to his feet. "I'll see ya later, pops!" he waved to his father before running out the nearest window, pushing charka into his legs in order to carry the spry blonde to one of the nearby roofs, beginning his mad dash for the school.
Why was he pushing himself so hard so early, when his father called off the morning practice session? It was because he was taking his genin exam a full year early of his class, and he had every intention of passing. Granted, he had to get up an hour earlier then normal class days, but he didn't complain. It was his first step into becoming the Hokage, not to mention it would give him something to lord over Sasuke with. "I'll show 'em all!" he shouted between jumps, not skimping about using charka to enhance his speed and distance. His father and grandfather have been training him since before he went to the academy, and he had the physical/chakra stamina of a marathon runner. That, and he found that the less chakra he had when he got to the academy, the easier it was for him to perform the beginner level techniques that the academy trained in. His grandfather said it was because he had so much charka that it tended to disrupt the jutsu he'd attempt to perform. It was embarrassing in some ways, and awesome in others.
Those thoughts were quickly pushed aside when the academy came into view, mentally praying that he wasn't late so Iruka-sensi wouldn't give him a righteously agitated lecture. Such willingness to chew him out, regardless of his lineage, was one of the reasons he had come to respect the scar-nosed teacher. When others had hesitated, Iruka charged in without a second thought, unwilling to take crap from any of his pupils. Always a cool feature, in the young boy's opinion. Three powerful leg vaults and a somersault later, Naruto soundly landed in the front lawn of the academy, barely sparing a second before charging inside and for Iruka-sensei's classroom.
"You're barely on time, Naruto." Iruka stated flatly, sparing a glance at the clock on the wall to be sure that it was a confirmed fact. "Two minutes to spare. Good. I really don't want to keep him from this." the instructor thought to himself as he pointed out an empty seat that was next to the young man who was wearing a formerly white, but now just dirty, gi. As displeasing as he knew the combination of two such..vocal young men could be, he didn't see much choice in the matter. He idly toyed with the idea of just grabbing his earplugs now, but decided to wait until he handed out the exam sheets first.
Naruto didn't have time to strike up a conversation with the boy next to him, since Iruka had gotten to his feet and was already speaking. "Alright class, this exam will be conducted in two parts. The first will be a written exam, which will be thirty minutes long, and the second will be a demonstration of a Bushin no jutsu. I hope all of you have prepared accordingly." he let himself stare at several of the self-appointed slackers in the congregation while he handed out papers, one of them being Sarutobi Naruto.
It was just something he couldn't comprehend. The boy had a lofty ambition, and since he had been trained by the Third himself, it was expected that his ranking would be nothing shy of the best in his class. But such was not the case, as he was barely in the top third of his group in any of his subjects. Uchiha Sasuke had taken a great deal of pleasure in flaunting this fact over the blonde, who didn't even seem to care. Glancing over at the youngster with the Moe Howard hair cut, who was chomping at the bit to get the exam underway, he wondered if the boy could inspire Naruto to show the same fire. "You may begin."
"Yosh!" Lee could feel the fires of youth brimming inside of him today, the day when he needed it the most. He had studied hard for this exam, and even though he couldn't perform a bushin, he would astound everyone around him with the expertise in which he dealt with the written exam. Even the younger student beside him, whose eyes were wide with obvious awe of his adolescent spirit, already seemed astounded at his prowess. It was a sign of divine providence!
Which seemed stronger to him, the weird look in his eyes, or those bushy eyebrows? Naruto couldn't decide, and was forced to refocus his attention on the paper when Iruka snapped at the two of them to begin their test. He took a breath to calm himself down before beginning his work, the thirty minutes practically flying by. After handing in his sheet, he turned to the older kid in the dirty gi. "How do you think you did?" he asked, feeling a sweatdrop form on the side of his head as the only response he got was a thumbs up and smile that glistened under the fluorescent lights.
"Enough talking. Everyone file down here and line up single file." Iruka watched his students as they silently complied, waiting for silence to reign before he began to list off the roster of the names. He wasn't surprised when Hyuuga Neji deftly formed a trio of bushin, and nodded slightly when Lee simply asked that he be skipped, feeling his heart to out to the boy. And from the look of it, so did Naruto, especially with the haughty expression on Neji's face.
Granted, Naruto was more confused then anything, but he decided to remain quiet as he waited for his name to be called, trying to keep his face blank as he stepped out of the lineup. He noticed the Hyuuga glaring at him, and could tell that ol' bushy brows was watching him as well. Part of him was tempted to use the Sexy no Jutsu just to shock Iruka-sensei, but he didn't want to attract too much attention. Just enough to rub it in the face of that Neji guy.
"Time to show them what I can really do." he felt a grin tugging at his lips, glad he had burned off some of his charka as he clasped his fingers together, grunting out the title of the jutsu before he soon found himself surrounded by a quartet of smug looking bushin, each one a perfect replica of himself. He took in everyone's varying expressions, feeling pleased to surprise both the Hyuuga and Iruka-sensei, deciding to return the thumbs up he had been given by Lee before dispelling the replicas.
"Very good, all of you. I will have the results posted for you at the end of the day. Everyone please return to your normal classes." Iruka instructed, looking over the pile of papers next to him. Something told him that Naruto would be just as impressive scholastically as he was with his bushin skill. He had to admit that he was pleased to be proven wrong this time around, and gave his class busy work while he worked on the test results, intent on having them prepared for the jounin instructors before he even took his lunch break.
--
Naruto couldn't keep the strut from his walk as he came into the classroom, already able to see his classmates assembled in their seats. He hadn't seen many of them in the exam with him, while one of the unattended was currently glaring as the blonde sat down in the seat next to him. As usual, he ignored Sasuke and propped his feet on the desk, rolling his shoulder and letting his backpack fall to the floor. He wasn't sure what was stuck in the haughty Uchiha's craw this time, though he figured that it had something to do the small group of girls that were sitting at the desk directly to the left of them.
Several other members of the Naruto Fan Club had been heckling their former attraction with questions about Naruto's whereabouts, only receiving muttered comments about not being his keeper, followed by Sakura and her ilk defending their brooding boy idol.
Why was there a Naruto Fan Club, you ask? Actually, it originally started as something more like a 'insulted by Sasuke to the point of understanding what a jerk he was' Club. This changed the day when Naruto had actually stood up for a member of the aforementioned group, calling Sasuke a callous ass, which was immediately followed by the Sasuke Fan Club ganging up and proceeding to beat the bejeasus out of him. Unused to this display of actual humanity, the spurned young girls joined forces to become a united front for the greatness that was Sarutobi Naruto, gathering up those that held an admiration for him as well. After all, he was cute, determined, from a prestigious family, and was actually willing to engage in conversation with those that had chosen him as the object of their affection, regardless of how all the attention embarrassed him.
But back to the present.
With his arrival, and a handful of minutes still on the clock, Yanmakana Ino ambled over to the desk, smirking down at Naruto. "And just where have you been, Naruto-kun?" she asked, trying to sound sweet, while making the boy internally cringe in fear of what he may or may have not done.
"Why wait to let the cat out of the bag?" he thought to himself, figuring they would find out soon enough anyway. "Just getting back from taking the genin exam." Naruto spoke as casually as he could about the matter, despite how he suddenly put the entire class into an uproar. Seeing Sasuke and several others openly gape at him, he scratched the side of his head. "What? Didn't you know it was an hour ago?" he actually seemed confused by this, scratching the side of his head as his head tilted to the side, stealing a glance at the bewildered Uchiha. "Geez, and I thought they called you a prodigy."
Sasuke's face contorted into a savage scowl at the blatant dig against him, prepared to lunge at the offensive blonde before was there was a surge of killing intent from Ino, as well as several other women that had somehow crowded around their desk. In proper male fashion, the two began to cower in fear before their combined aura, which began to glow a very disturbing shade of red. It was only by divine providence that their teacher had chosen that moment to come in, sending the shinobi to-be scurrying back to their seats. But the glares they kept sending Naruto told him there would be a very thorough apology, followed by promises of at least visiting when they weren't in school.
---
Iruka sighed as he looked over the various selection of newly included genin, among the top of the class being the familiar name of Sarutobi Naruto. From the look of his scores, it seemed that the young man may have been holding back during the previous semesters. The chuunin hadn't been paying any attention to the world around him, still sitting at his desk eating a rice ball he had made in his bento, and thus didn't notice someone had come in until the door had closed, causing the scar-nosed chuunin to jump in surprise and spin around toward the door.
"My apologies if I interrupted your meal, Umino-san." the man said with a smile, which glinted under the fluorescent lights.
How he did that, Iruka would never know. "It's alright, Gai-sama. I just finished grading, and intend to have their hitai-ate given to them by the end of the day." he reached for the piece of paper at his desk, holding up the list of newly inducted genin for the jounin's approval. "I'm pleased to say that Lee managed to make the grade as well. Even without completing the second part of the exam, he still had an excellent score on the written portion, which allowed him to pass."
Another illuminating smile erupted on Gai's face. "As I knew he would! Where my Lee seems to be hindered in one area, he excels in others, showing the uncontestable power that comes from tapping the flames of youth!" he seems to ignore the sweatdrop that rolled down Iruka's face, since several other names took his attention. "I see that Hyuuga Neji made the top of the exam scores, though it seemed that," he paused in order to examine the name properly. "Sarutobi Naruto was barely several points behind him." he gave a slight nod before looking back to the teacher. "I thought that this young man was in next year's graduating class."
Scratching his pigtail, Iruka gave a slight shrug as he thought about how determined the boy was to be Hokage. "He took advantage of the option to take the exam early, and made a rather impressive display with his bushin. Even surprised Neji, who did better on the written test then Naruto did." he said with a chuckle, though it died out when he saw the focused expression on Maito Gai's face. It was obvious the gears were turning beneath the hideous bowl cut, though the chuunin had no idea what his intentions exactly were.
Two full minutes passed in silence between the two of them, the jounin looking over the list several times, and Iruka just about to return to eating his lunch when Gai spoke. "Iruka-san, I know this is highly unusual, but I would like to make a request as to who I will be taking in for my team." he stated in a surprisingly calm tone, his expression unreadable.
"O-Of course, Gai-sama. I will have to run it by the Hokage afterward, but I've never heard him turn down a special request." Iruka replied in as diplomatic a tone as he could, though he had to internally wince at the strange vehemence that was Gai's newly respawned smile.
---
The following day was far less hectic then initially anticipated. Shinobi in training were given that particular day off, allowing the genin to interact with their teammates and jounin instructor without the distractions of the normal school day.
Naruto had actually gotten to Iruka-sensei's class ten minutes early, a cheshire cat grin on his face as he adjusted his forehead protector, which had replaced his goggles, for the fifteenth time. The feel of the cloth pressed to his forehead felt right, as though he had taken a huge step forward in achieving his dream. It seemed manageable now, and he had every intention of making it to the top.
He was so lost in his mental reverie that he didn't notice someone standing beside him until the person spoke. "I see you made it too, my friend!" Lee's voice seemed to boom with unnatural volume, causing Naruto to jump and nearly fall out of his chair. He turned to see someone standing next to him, a smile on his lips as he proudly displayed the hitai-ate on his forehead like Naruto did. "I do not believe we have been properly introduced, my name is Maito Lee." he said before sticking his bandaged hand out, which was quickly accepted and shaken by an equally exuberant blonde. "Sarutobi Naruto. Nice to meet ya."
"Indeed. Now you weaklings can form your own little club." the snide-ness in Neji's tone almost turned Naruto's stomach as he and Lee turned to face Hyuuga Neji, who was sporting the same kind of arrogant sneer that came from someone as deluded as Sasuke. The look made Naruto's blood boil, bringing him up to his feet and defiantly glaring back at Neji. He didn't take crap from anyone, especially from someone with an over-inflated ego, and particularly from some jerk of a Hyuuga.
Thankfully, he knew the perfect way to poke a hole in that superiority complex. In a sudden shift, Naruto's expression seemed bored, reaching back with both hands to support the back of his head. "Funny, but since I made better bushin, and more of them then you, dosen't that make you a weakling like us?" he asked, letting the smirk slowly curl on his lips as anger slowly filtered into the Hyuuga's eyes, which only grew as Naturo turned around, walked back to his seat, and leisurely sat down again.
In keeping with most Hyuuga, Neji merely swallowed his fury, replacing it with a blank mask before he stormed to his own seat. Lee looked from Neji to Naruto, then repeated this process several more times before his vocal chords unthawed enough to let him speak. "Naruto, do you know who that is you spoke to?" he whispered in astonishment, not wanting his rival to overhear them.
The bushy browed genin blinked when Naruto turned his attention to him, the irritation simmering in his eyes. "I don't care if that was Kami-sama himself. If he's going to insult me and my friend, then he better get used to the fact that I'm gonna insult him right back." he stated flatly, crossing his arms and nodding in affirmation to his own statement. He just made himself a new friend, and that jerk had no right to say what he did. It was as simple as that.
That was, of course, until he saw tears streaming down Lee's face, apparently moved that someone he just met would already consider him a friend. "Naruto, your words are truly inspiring!" he brought the sleeve of his gi over his eyes, and only succeeded in soaking the sleeve. "Such tenacity and heart have moved me to tears, my friend!" the torrent seemed to only increase at calling Naruto his friend. Had Iruka-sensei not come in and called in order, Naruto had no doubt the entire class would have eventually drowned.
"Alright everyone, since you already know who in the class is genin, let's commence to the assignment of teams, and let you wait for your appropriate jounin instructors." he watched as people suddenly grew tense in the room. Save for Lee, who Naruto was trying to keep from crying in joy. The listing of names took little time, though there was the occasional pause as they waited for classmates to group together upon hearing their appropriate team members. Naruto was confused when Lee gave the thumbs up to some girl with buns on her head when she was stuck on a team with Neji and some other guy, but it was quickly swept away when Iruka called out the next group. "Team 13, your members will be Maito Lee, Takemori Haruko, and Sarutobi Naruto." the instructor watched as the girl made her way down to sit with her new teammates, letting the two take in her appearance.
Standing several inches taller then Naruto(which irritated the hell out of him since he was the shortest in their group), the girl seemed even thinner then the other kunoichi, but that was mostly because of the large tan coat she wore. Beneath the open coat was a fishnet shirt with a purple tube top beneath it, and a pair of black baggy pants that were taped up over her shins and ankles. Her skin was pale, and the front of her ink black hair had been tied had been tied into dreadlocks, which framed the front and sides of her face, while the back had been kept short and done up. What got the two boys' attention were her eyes, which were gold and serpent-like, and glaring at the two of them before she wordlessly sat down.
The rest of the group announcements were ignored as Naruto smiled shyly at the willowy girl, who had her hitai-ate tied around her neck, trying to think of something polite to say to her. "It's nice to meet you, Takemori-san." he said, holding out a hand to her. It was several tense moments before she reached out and accepted his hand, then shook Lee's extended hand as well.
A small hint of a smile peeked on her lips as she saw there was no animosity in their eyes, but honest politeness that came from meeting a person for the first time. "You too. But don't call me Takemori-san. That's what people call my parents." she says, earning a chuckle from the others.
There was only one way to ruin such a moment of camaraderie, and only one man could do it.
"Ahh, it moves me to tears to see that my students are already beginning to unify their hearts, as a team should!" the voice made the entire room shudder involuntarily. The trio turned to see Gai standing at the door in all his spandex-clad glory. While the other two were just trying to wrap their minds around the outfit he WILLINGLY wore, Lee was practically star struck. "…you are our sensei?" he couldn't keep the hopeful tone out of his voice, tears pouring from his eyes as their crying sensei nodded, causing the young boy to vault out of the seat and run to him.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-kun!"
"Sensei!"
"Student!"
"Father!"
"Son!"
This continued for several more verses, but Naruto tried to block it out as he leaned in to whisper to Haruko. "So, those two are..family?" he tried not to wince, but the heightened pitch that came with the last word was good enough. He looked to Iruka-sensei for a glimmer of hope, that this was just some sick practical joke, though those hopes were quickly dashed when he shook his head, ragged topknot wagging as though it was some how mocking the distressed blonde.
Takemori sighed in quiet resignation of their fate, nodding when she was asked about their new sensei. "Yep. I hear he adopted Lee after Kyuubi attack. And now he's our teacher too." she muttered, sneaking a glance at the desk and wondering if she could just knock herself out for a few hours by hitting it with her skull.
Both of them were quieted when Gai's voice resonated throughout the room again. "Come along, my pupils, for we have much to do, if I am to mold the fires of your youthful sprits!" he could tell Lee was hanging off his every word before they marched off, with Naruto and Haruko trudging after them.
---
The newly dubbed Team 13 had situated themselves on the roof, the genin trio sitting cross-legged in front of their new sensei. They could feel something hanging in the air, like an unspoken something made every breath more foreboding then the last. For the first time that day, they were pleased that the silence was broken.
"I know the three of you are rather nervous about your first team, but I want to assure you that it my intention to make you the best you can be, and hopefully be a cornerstone in the realization of your dreams." he said with a smile, which glinted in the light.
Before Lee could launch into another tirade of love, Haruko interceded, a slight scowl marring her face. "How do you know if we even have dreams?" she asked, suspicion in her tone. To her surprise, Gai simply kneeled down so he was closer to their eye level, his smile having become more sympathetic. It grated on her nerves.
"By the very fact that you live and breathe, Haruko-chan." he said, ignoring her glower at the title he gave her. "One of the traits that make us human is that we have dreams. We all have aspirations with which we aspire to, and I would like to hear about them, as well as more about yourselves." their sensei calmly sat down, legs crossed and a smile on his face.
To no one's surprise, Lee was the first to his feet, a glint in the corner of his smile as he spoke. "My Name is Maito Lee, and my expertise is in taijitsu. I like to train, and my dream is to show everyone that you don't need ninjutsu or genjutsu to be a great ninja! I want to be one of Konoha's greatest ninja, with only taijutsu as my weapon!" he declared boldly, his courage having moved Gai close to tears, only able to give him a thumbs up.
Naruto, seeing what could be another flash flood on the horizon, quickly spoke up. "How come you don't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?" he tilted his head to the side, face scrunched in an obviously confused manner. Since he was technically a year behind them, he was unaware of whatever restrictions that Lee put on himself. "Seems kinda weird to me."
Gai merely looked to his still posing son and smiled as he spoke. "My son was born with weak inner coils that didn't develop properly as he aged. It means he cannot use charka, so he has become a taijutsu expert." the last part with said with obvious pride, causing his son to beam back at him. "And what about your dreams, Naruto-kun?"
The blonde scratched the back of his head as he stood up, obviously embarrassed about talking about himself, not to mention declaring his life's pursuit infront of the others. "My Name is Sarutobi Naruto. I like to use a bit of everything in fights, though my weakest skill would be genjutsu. I enjoy ramen, leaning new jutsu, and training with my family." Taking a page from Lee's book, he clenched his fist and grinned broadly, lacking in the lighting effect from his teeth. "My dream is to one day be Hokage. I may be adopted, but I want to prove that I've earned being a Sarutobi like my father and grandfather, the Third." he said with a firm nod.
As anyone who's been reading this story could guess, Gai and Lee were in awe of the boy's lofty ambition, and at the regal presence he seemed to bear as he stood with the sunlight beaming down on him. Even Haruko seemed shocked, but it was quickly covered up as she got to her feet, not wanting the Blunder Twins to make her stand up.
"I'm Takemori Haruko. I'm good at taijutsu and genjutsu, but I'm not all that good at ninjutsu. I have a bloodline trait known as the Hebitan, which allows me to do this." he opens her mouth and slowly extends her tongue, concentrating as the tapering appendage extended for about six inches before drawing back into her mouth. "I can stretch other parts of my body too." she finally looked up at her team, blinking owlishly when Naruto and Lee sat there with nothing but wonderment on their faces. Part of her felt bolstered by this, and quickly continued. "I enjoy reading and making new kinds of genjutsu, though I'm working on summoning as well." she mentioned the last part more as an afterthought. She was silent for several moments when it came to her dream, looking at each of her new teammates before finally breaking down with a dejected sigh.
"My dream isn't as big as either of yours, but laugh and I will kill you." she warned, fixing them all with a golden eyed glare. What she got was three men sitting around her, looking positively riveted as they waited to hear about her heart's aspiration. "My family's honor was destroyed when that monster, Orochimaru, abandoned the Leaf." she practically spat the name out.
Before the other two could ask, Gai decided to fill them in. "Orochimaru is an S-Class missing nin who left after the Fourth Hokage was selected." the jounin decided to be sure he had their attention before continuing. "He was charged with a large number of murder and kidnapping charges, and fled from the Third Hokage, who had taught him, and at the time was trying to arrest him."
Haruko nodded slightly to Gai, glad he had eliminated any confusion her new teamates would have had. "We have been stigmatized and humiliated because of him, and it's my dream to show everyone how strong the Takemori Clan really is, proving we're not defined by one rogue ninja!" by the end she was actually shouting, caught up in her own words and the determination that always followed. Her audience was staring at her in total awe, jaws handing open, causing her to blush glance down as she shuffled from one foot to the other.
Without warning, Gai was back on his feet, his megawatt smile on his lips as he overlooked his genin. "Yosh! I knew I chose wisely when I asked for the three of you!" he seemed to ignore the shocked expressions on their faces at this declaration. "With the three of you working together, I know in the depths of my heart that you will achieve your dreams, and become geniuses of hard work!"
"A what?" chimed Haruko and Naruto at the same time, uniformly blinking in confusion at what had to be the strangest four word combination they ever heard, aside from 'flames of passionate youth'.
Lee and Gai gasped loudly at this apparent lack of knowledge, making the befuddled ninja wince at what was going to be another long winded explanation. "A genius of hard work, my students, is a person that dosen't simply rely on the tricks of their bloodline to help them." he started, his expression surprisingly serious. "You see, people like the Hyuuga think themselves superior because of their innate abilities and intelligence, and are often given the title of being a genius because of them. It is my opinion that such things are merely facets of a true ninja, as useful as ones own hands or a kunai. To work to gain mastery in all of those areas, and not just what you know, will make you a genius of hard work.
"Naruto." he paused to look at the blonde, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your intention is to prove to everyone your own greatness, and not simply ride on the coattails of your family's name. I can tell you have the fires of youth burning brilliantly inside of you, and I wish to see them fuel your aspirations to becoming Hokage by making you a genius of hard work." he said with a warm smile, silently pleased at the awed expression on the boy's face.
"Haruko." his attention suddenly shifted to the young girl before putting his other hand on her shoulder, ignoring how she tried to shrug him off. "You want nothing more then to bring pride and honor back to your clan. That is a truly admirable ambition, simple, and yet inherently noble in itself. By becoming a genius of hard work, it will define you as your own person and allow others to see beyond the shadow that was cast upon you and your relations." he nodded slightly at her hopeful expression, reassuring her that he truly believed everything he said.
"And who could forget my Lee?" he looked over to his adopted son, unaware of the sweatdrops that formed on the heads of his other students. It seemed the Mini-Gai had started to pout a little at being left out, but now had snapped back to full attention. "You are already on your way to becoming a genius of hard work. You have a drive that is only rivaled by those who are now your teammates. Where you lack in one area, you have made another your personal trademark, and I know it will carry you to the destination you deserve." even Gai was amazed at how calm he remained as he spoke, having managed to use his controlled enthusiasm to leave his rally the three genin behind his beliefs.
Time for the finisher.
He drew his hands from the genin and took a step back, his chest swollen in pride as he pointed his index finger toward the sky, what almost seemed like a sunset appearing behind him. "Trust in your youthful vigor! You are now genin, and when you become geniuses of hard work, you shall be that much closer in achieving your dreams!" he gave the familiar smile of his, the shine brilliance leaving two of the trio more mortified then awed, though the third was awed enough to compensate for the others.
The trio exchanged glances, each of them speechless for various reasons.
"I can't believe this is our sensei!" "I can't believe this..." "I can't believe this! Fortune smiles upon us this day!"
"Now, I want you all meeting me tomorrow morning for a special test of your skill and tactical ability. I suggest you all have a hearty breakfast, or else you'll be too exhausted to even impress me." Gai smirked slightly at that, wanting his students at full capacity come the morning. "Until then, let us all take our leave for something to fill our bellies. My treat!" he said with a heart laugh, blissfully unaware of the fox-like smile that was creeping over Naruto's lips.
Rather then roof hop their way to Ichiraku's for ramen, they decided to take a leisurely walk, something more considered more of a opulence then a necessity for those in the ninja profession. When they opened the school doors and stepped outside, they were met with a gaggle of screaming girls, several holding up a large sign that was written in bold kanji. While Naruto was blushing and grinning like an idiot, Haruko decided to actually read the sign out loud.
"Good luck Naruto-kun?" she quirked a black eyebrow and looked over to Naruto, a frown on her face. "This had better not become a habit, Sarutobi." the growl in her tone was obvious, causing the blonde to squawk and try and reassure his team that this wasn't his idea.
Unfortunately, Gai and Lee were lost in their own little world. "Gai-sensei, it seems I have found a new rival!"
"But I thought Hyuuga Neji was your rival, Lee-kun."
"He is, but that is in battle. Sarutobi Naruto is my rival for the hearts of the young women of Konoha!"
"Then we shall add this to our training! We shall make you a genius of romance as well, even greater then your new rival Naruto!"
"Yosh! You are so wise, Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-kun…"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-kun!"
"Sensei!"
"Student!"
"Father!"
"Son!"
This continued for several more verses, followed by 'manly' crying and hugging, but Naruto tried to block it out as he looked at the banner, then to the girls that were glaring at Harko, who was glaring right back, and sighed.
"Maybe I should have waited a year."
To be continued…
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And that's our chapter, my faithful viewers. How was it this time? Did it whiten your whites? Brighten your brights? Reguardless of is capacities for the cleaning industry, I want to thank all the reviewers that have shown their support for my project. I really wouldn't have continued without your posts of approval.
And now, a brand new teaser:
Next time, on Icha-Icha Inno..I mean..Son of a Monkey: With a new team comes a new thoughts and feelings. Some of these feelings are warm and fuzzy, like a kitten just out of the dryer. Others are not, like a kitten out of the bathtub. Reguardless, Naruto's missions finally begin. New jutsu are finally revealed, battles are undertaken, and Naruto must face the most daunting challenge to date. Fan Club Meetings. That, and the mission that could take his life. Naruto gets in touch with his inner demon in our next episode: Spank the Monkey