A knock on the door sounded throughout the Hokage's Office. Hiruzen looked up from a stack of papers on his desk: "Come in."
The door to his office opened and Nara Shikaku walked in. The Jōnin Commander bowed his head.
"Sandaime-sama. I hope you are well." He greeted.
"Shikaku, no need to be so formal." Hiruzen chuckled as he gestured forward. "Have a seat. How are you today?"
"Doing well." Shikaku said as he took a seat in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk. He eyed the stack of paperwork on the Hokage's desk before he shook his head: "I can see you're busy today, so I'll keep this brief; I just had one thing I wanted to talk about."
"No need to rush. Any break from that pile is appreciated." The Sandaime chuckled. He breathed out a poof of smoke from his pipe before speaking: "What did you want to talk about?"
"It's about the academy graduation." Shikaku said, bringing his together: "More specifically, the genin team assignments."
"What about them?" Hiruzen asked. "I already made arrangements to assign your son with Ino and Chōji. I figure that'll be pleasing to you, Chōza, and Inoichi."
Shikaku shook his head: "That's actually what I was going to bring up. I was going to request that Shikamaru get placed on a team with Uzumaki Naruto and Hyūga Hinata."
Hiruzen's eyes widened in response. He breathed out another cloud of smoke before his eyes narrowed on the Nara Clan head.
"A lot of care was put into team assignments, Shikaku. Is there a reason you wish to make such a request?" He asked.
"I do not know if you were aware of this, Sandaime-sama, but Yoshino and I have been training them alongside Shikamaru these past couple of weeks. And I have to say, I think the kids have a really a good chemistry together. And they complement one another." Shikaku answered. "I think they'd make a rather effective genin team."
"As would Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji." Hiruzen mentioned.
Shikaku nodded his head: "Theoretically, yes. But I also think that's partially me, Chōza, and Inoichi pushing for that trio to be made again."
"Hmm?" The Sandaime's eyebrow raised slightly.
"I mean, the three of us want to remake another 'Ino-Shika-Cho' like our team was. And that's why we've been pushing it." The Jōnin Commander admitted. "But I'll confess that I don't think the chemistry is like ours. While Shikamaru and Chōji are friends, they don't appear to get along with Ino much, or at least Ino and Shikamaru don't get along." He shrugged his shoulders. "Which I'll acknowledge that being on a team with each other would probably improve their working relationship, but it's nothing like what Shikamaru already has with Naruto and Hinata."
"I mean, I play 'relationships' into account when assigning teams, but I don't try and simply put friends together based solely on teamwork." Hiruzen said, his eyes narrowing further on Shikaku: "You know that as well. There's more to your request, is there?"
Shikaku was quiet for a moment. He sighed as he brought his right hand to the back of his head.
"I've been watching those two interact with my son. And I've seen them make some noticeable changes to his personality and work effort." He admitted. "Did you know Shikamaru got me to teach Naruto the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"You taught Naruto how to make Shadow Clones?" Hiruzen asked, eyebrows raising. "You are aware of the risks that technique can pose to its user; any reason why you would teach him that?"
Shikaku nodded his head: "Because Shikamaru argued for it and he made sense. He was very concerned about whether or not Naruto could even learn the regular clone jutsu and wanted me to help him practice." A chuckle escaped his lips: "Shikamaru's a pretty sympathetic person, but it's been quite a bit since I've seen him try and help someone like that. And Naruto and Hinata are pushing him as well, making him work harder in training and not just rest the entire time."
Hiruzen stared at Shikaku, processing his information. The two were quiet for a few seconds before Shikaku cleared his throat and pulled himself out of the chair.
"That's all I wanted to discuss. I've seen those two make some good improvements with my son that Yoshino and I are impressed with, and I think he can help them just the same. And I think it'd be a waste to not pair them together and see exactly how much stronger they can grow together." He stated.
"It's close to the deadline, so I do not know if I can easily change my team plans, Shikaku." Hiruzen admitted with a sigh. "However, I will consider it."
"That's all I ask." The Jōnin Commander said, nodding his head, as he turned around. "Thank you for your time, Sandaime-sama."
As Shikaku walked out of the office, Hiruzen turned his attention to a clock in the room.
'It's about time for the academy exam to begin.' He noted to himself. He then turned his head back to the piles of paperwork and sighed. 'Great. More to think about. That would just be more work.'
The Sandaime returned to his work, but in the back of his head, he kept hearing Shikaku's words.
Something told him that today was going to be a long day.
Umino Iruka glanced at the clock in his classroom, reading nine o'clock. He then turned his attention towards the students sitting down at their desks.
Everyone was quiet. It was a rare moment to not have at least a single student making some type of noise, but today was not a normal day; it was the day of their graduation exam. It was comforting to the academy instructor to see that every student at least understood the seriousness of this date and exam.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, drawing attention towards himself. "The graduation exam will be divided into three parts. The first part is a written exam based on the information that I, and the other academy instructors, have taught you over the years of basic shinobi theory and history. The second is a test on your efficiency with weapons. The final test will be an exhibition of the three required jutsu: Substitution, Transformation, and Clone Jutsu. Does anyone have any questions?"
Everyone remained quiet. Iruka waited a few more seconds before nodding his head in understanding.
"Then let's not waste any time, shall we?" Iruka said as he reached into desk and pulled out a collection of papers. "For the written exam, you are required to answer at least seventy-percent of the questions correct. You will have one hour."
As Iruka began to pass out the papers, Naruto turned his head to the table behind him, facing both Shikamaru and Chōji. The two nodded their heads at him and Shikamaru gave him a thumbs-up, which Naruto quickly returned. He then turned his attention to Hinata, who was sitting in the chair to his left.
"Good luck, Hinata." He whispered, a large grin on his face.
"Y-You as well, Naruto-kun." She whispered back with a smile of her own.
A few more seconds passed as Iruka finished passing out the papers. The chūnin moved back to the desk at the front of the room and turned his attention to all the students. His eyes then focused on Naruto, who was staring intently at one of the first questions.
'You don't need to a get hundred percent, Naruto. Just do your best.' Iruka told himself. As if on cue with his thoughts, Naruto penciled down an answer and moved on to the next question. A smirk developed on Iruka's face. 'You got it this time!'
Naruto was practically beaming as he made his way back into the academy classroom. The class had just finished the Second Exam and he shown excellency with both kunai and shuriken, impressing the exam proctor.
The first exam, admittedly, could have gone better, but he knew that he passed it. Combined with the rush of adrenaline from the second exam, he was now more confident than ever that he was finally going to become a shinobi.
"It is now time for the third and final test. Please, come follow me out of the room and over to the examination area when I call your name. After you finish, whether you pass or fail, you will be asked to leave the building. You can wait for friends outside if you must." Mizuki announced. He then looked down at his papers for a brief moment before looking back to the students: "First up is Aburame Shino!"
Shino nodded his head before getting out of his chair and walking forward, following Mizuki out of the room.
"Just one more exam then we can go home and sleep." Shikamaru said with a yawn as he laid his head down.
"Hell no! We're celebrating when we get out!" Naruto stated, grinning. "We're gonna have a victory bowl at Ichiraku's Ramen!"
"That sounds good, but I won't be able to go." Chōji admitted. "It's tradition for when an Akimichi graduates from the shinobi academy and becomes a genin to have a 'celebratory feast', so I have to go to that." A dreamy sigh escaped his lips as he almost started to drool: "Both my Mom and Dad are cooking for it, so I can't wait to taste it."
"That s-sounds like so much fun." Hinata said, smiling. Her eyes dropped slightly as she brought her hands together, her voice dropping to a whisper: "I wish my family did something like that…."
"Hmm?" Naruto turned to the Hyūga: "Did you say something Hinata?"
A blush developed on her cheek as she shook her head: "N-No, nothing important-"
"Akimichi Chōji!" Mizuki called out as he came back into the room.
Hinata yelped, having been interrupted. Everyone then turned their head towards Chōji.
"Really? That fast? Did Shino already finish?" Naruto asked.
"Probably. Shino's good and he doesn't waste time. He probably did it in near record time." Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. He then turned his head to his childhood best friend and gave him a thumbs-up: "You really don't need it, but good luck Chōji!"
The Uzumaki gave the same thumb-ups to him: "Yeah, good luck Chōji!"
"D-Do your best!" Hinata added, looking back up to him.
The Akimichi smiled as he stood up from his chair: "Thanks guys. Good luck as well!"
Chōji left the room and all remained quiet. A few more minutes passed by before Mizuki returned to the room and called for the next student.
Names continued to be read. More and more students continued to head to the examination room. A certain tension and nervous feeling seemed to grow in the room with the various students. Amongst her friends, Hinata was the only one to seemingly feel it. As Naruto looked towards the examination room with confidence and Shikamaru continued to try and take a nap, the Hyūga heiress sat quietly looking down at the ground, fiddling with her fingers.
"Hyūga Hinata!" Mizuki read-off.
"Eep!" She gasped, pulling her head-up.
Naruto turned his attention back to his friend. A smile developed on his face. "Don't worry Hinata. You're gonna do great, y'know?"
"I… um…" Hinata blushed in response.
Before she could reply, Shikamaru spoke-up: "He's right. You're a great ninja and you know the three jutsu."
"I… thank you." Hinata finally looked at her two friends, smiling at both of them as her blush reddened. "I'll d-do my best. Good luck to you two too!"
Hinata walked back, following Mizuki. Before too long, the academy instructor was back, reading off a new name.
"That was quick." Naruto grinned. "She must have done great!"
"Naturally. She knows her stuff." Shikamaru said with a yawn. "You're the one I'm worried about."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in response: "Why?"
A snort escaped the Nara's lips: "Because you're an idiot."
"Oi!" Naruto nearly yelled. "I'm not! And you can bet on me passing, dammit!"
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Shikamaru shook his head, chuckling. "I know you're gonna pass. You're probably gonna do a better job than me, to be honest."
Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before he shook his head, grinning back: "Yeah, only cause you'll be lazy. If you put the effort into it, you'd get the best grade in class."
Shikamaru snorted in response. The two friends remained quiet as more students continued to get called back. After more waiting, Mizuki returned to the room to read off the next name: "Nara Shikamaru!"
"Alright, let's get this troublesome exam over with." Shikamaru groaned as he forced himself out of his chair.
"Good luck Shikamaru." Naruto said.
Shikamaru waved back in response as he walked out of the room.
Sitting alone now, Naruto began to finally feel the pressure of the exam. A sigh escaped his lips as his eyes moved back-and-forth between the clock in the room to the examination door, watching as Mizuki came back in to call back more-and-more students.
'I did fail it two times before. I could fail this thing again-' Naruto shook his head, forcing that thought to the side: 'Hell no! After all the work I've put into this, I can't fail! Not this time, dammit!' His mind then flashed images of Hinata's, Shikamaru's, Chōji's, Shikaku's, and Yoshino's faces, all of whom were looking at him with confidence. He tightened his fists. 'They all believe in me, so I know I can do this it this time!'
"Uzumaki Naruto!" Mizuki finally called back, a smile on his face as he looked at the blond.
"About damn time." Naruto grumbled to himself as he pulled himself out of his chair. A grin developed on his face as he rushed over to Mizuki's side: "Let's do this!"
Naruto followed the instructor as he led him into a small, open room with a large, wooden table in the center. Sitting out the chair was Iruka, alongside two other academy instructors. Mizuki walked over to the table, standing next to it.
"Uzumaki Naruto, please perform the three academy jutsus. First, the Substitution Jutsu. Trade places with a log that's placed in the corner of the room." Iruka requested.
The blond turned his head to the corner. His eyes focused on a small stack of logs in the corner before he turned back to the academy instructor. He gave them a smirk and vanished in a poof of smoke. A log was seen in his place while the boy was currently in the corner of the room, sitting on a different log.
'Without hand signs? As an academy student? Impressive Naruto!' Iruka smiled in response.
The other academy instructors wrote down on their papers, no seeming reaction on their faces.
"Very good. Now, the second jutsu: The Transformation Jutsu. Please turn into a copy of one of the teachers in the room. And please, do not use that stupid 'Sexy Jutsu' of yours!" Iruka requested, glaring slightly.
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto rolled his eyes as he walked back to the center of the room. "I'm not an idiot."
The boy made the necessary hand sign and soon vanished in a poof of smoke. In his place stood Umino Iruka. The man was an identical version of the academy teacher in every way: height, body structure, and clothes were all spot-on.
'He even got my scar just right as well.' Iruka noticed, rubbing his nose slightly on instinct. He coughed a little before speaking. "Great job once again, Naruto. Considering that it is me, I can tell that you did an excellent job and could probably pass off as me!"
"I did my best." Naruto spoke in his best imitation of Iruka's voice before dispelling the jutsu, returning to his original appearance.
"Now, the final jutsu." Mizuki spoke up, a slight smirk on his face. "The Clone Jutsu. Please, make as many clones as you can in the room."
Naruto took the second to look at the teachers in front of them before nodding his head. A smug grin developed on his face as made the hand sign for his newly acquired jutsu.
'Hmm?' Mizuki frowned. 'What's he doing?'
Before any of the teachers could verbally react to the different hand sign, the room filled with smoke. When it cleared up, ten clones of Naruto surrounded the boy. Each of them were all staring at the shocked faces of the teachers, grinning smugly just like the original.
"So, what do you think?" One of the clones asked proudly.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu? Impossible! You are an academy student. There's no way you could pull that off! I cant even do that jutsu!" One of the academy instructors shouted in disbelief.
"No… they're real." The second instruct said, shaking his head. "To see a genin use the Shadow Clone here… unbelievable…"
"Naruto, you just went above and beyond what we required for graduation. I can't think of any student who deserves to graduate more than you right now!" Iruka informed the boy proudly as he picked up a Konoha forehead protector and tossed it to the boy. "Congratulations! You are now an official genin!"
Naruto caught it and did not waste any second putting it on his head, replacing his goggles with the forehead protector. He ran his hand over the forehead protector, his finger tracing the 'Konoha' insignia. Tears developed in his eyes as he looked back at the academy instructors.
"I'm finally a ninja! Thank you all! Just watch me, you'll see me become the greatest ninja Konoha has ever seen!" Naruto declared.
Iruka grinned as he watched Naruto rush out of the room: 'Naruto, I'll treat you to ramen when you're free. You finally did it. I'm so proud of you.'
Mizuki, likewise, watched Naruto leave the room with a look of disbelief on his face. He took in a deep breath, resisting the urge to shout.
'I knew he was improving, but he should never have been able to pass. He can't produce a single clone. But no, he had to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu somehow…' Mizuki mentally snarled. He took in another deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. 'So what if he passed? That doesn't ruin my plans. It just means I have to change them a little… It doesn't matter though. In the end, I will get my scroll!'
"Mizuki, I believe there's one final student waiting. Let her know it's her turn." Iruka requested.
"Ah. Understood." Mizuki nodded his head as he walked over to the door. "Since she's the last student of the day, do you all care if I excuse myself for the day? I had a prior arrangement with Tsubaki."
"Of course. We are basically wrapped up anyway." Iruka nodded his head, smiling to his friend. "Tell her I say hi."
Mizuki wordlessly waved goodbye to his colleagues, his mind trying to piece together a new plan.
"Naturally his surname starts with a 'U'. Means we have to wait until basically the entire class is done." Shikamaru said, sighing.
Hinata frowned in response: "D-Don't complain too much Shikamaru-Kun. S-Sasuke-San just l-left, so Naruto-Kun must be close to done."
The two friends stood outside the academy entrance, waiting as patiently as they could for Naruto to finish his exam. Both were wearing their new Konoha forehead protectors: Hinata around her neck and Shikamaru tied around his left arm.
The majority of the students had long gone, having left with family, friends, or on their own accord. Even Chōji had left, as just as the Akimichi had mentioned, his mother and father had met him to pick him up and bring him to his 'Graduation Feast'. Only a few students were still there, waiting for their family to come and meet with them.
Minutes continued to pass as Shikamaru and Hinata continued to wait together. Shikamaru yawned and laid his head down to take a nap. Hinata continued to stand still, watching the door, before she too got tired and started to lay down on the ground.
"HEY! Guess who's a genin now?"
Just as Hinata had laid down on the ground and Shikamaru had finally fallen asleep, the two jerked upwards at the sight of Uzumaki Naruto, sprinting from the academy doors with a forehead protector tied around his forehead.
"Naruto-kun, that's amazing!" Hinata stated as she rushed over to him. A grin developed on her face as she stared at his forehead protector: "I'm so proud of you!"
"Ugh. Just when I was finally sleeping…" Shikamaru mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he walked over to his friend. "You just had to be at the end of the list, didn't you?
"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto scowled. "I didn't ask you two to wait, y'know?"
"Doesn't change the fact that we did." Shikamaru said, yawning. A smile then developed on his lips as he looked at the forehead protector: "Seriously though, congrats Naruto. You're one step closer to being Hokage."
Naruto's scowl disappeared and he was grinning once again: "Thanks! And congrats to you both as well! You both are still free to have a victory celebration at Ichiraku's, yeah?"
Hinata nodded her head: "I'm free. F-Father said I had the day off b-because of the exam."
"I'm good with that as well. If Mom and Dad complain that I was gone, then I'll just say I was hanging with you guys. They shouldn't complain about that." Shikamaru said, smirking.
"Awesome! Then let's head over there fast before the ramen gets cold!" Naruto declared, stepping forward. "ONWARD-"
"Naruto, can you wait a second?"
The three newly-appointed genin turned around and saw Mizuki walking out of the academy. All three looked over at the man with raised eyebrows for a second before Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"Guys, give me a second." Naruto said as he ran over to Mizuki. "This won't take long, so we can still get ramen in a moment."
Hinata and Shikamaru nodded in understanding as they watched Naruto hurry over to Mizuki. Before he could say anything, the academy instructor gestured for him to follow. Naruto blinked for a second before he followed behind, moving to the other side of the academy and away from anyone who could overhear.
"So… uh… what's up Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked as Mizuki finally came to a stop.
"Well, first off, I wanted to congratulate you on an amazing job, Naruto. I mean, being able to pull off the Shadow Clone Jutsu… that's beyond impressive." Mizuki informed him, smiling. "You have a bright future ahead of you if that's how you start your professional career as a ninja."
Naruto's grin returned as he began to rub the back of his head sheepishly: "Heh, thanks a lot Mizuki-Sensei."
"In fact, you impressed us enough that you were nominated for a 'secondary' exam we have here." Mizuki said, his smile widening.
Naruto blinked in confusion: "Huh?"
"There's actually a secret secondary exam." Mizuki admitted as he pocketed his hands. "It's only offered to one graduate each year, and only if there's someone particularly special. If the graduate passes the second exam, then you will automatically be promoted to chūnin rank!"
Naruto's eyes widened: "For real? And you're saying I was chosen? Why?"
"Why?" Mizuki's eyes widened at the question before he shook his head, chuckling. "Didn't you see everyone's faces after you performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu? That's beyond the skill set for a genin. You showed that you are a genius to be able to accomplish that. It was between you and Uchiha Sasuke, but we all agreed you deserve the honor this year."
"Oh!" Naruto shook his head, trying to process everything: "Well then, what's the second exam?"
"Well, you actually have to agree to participate in it before we can make it official. It's actually like a small 'test' in of itself." Mizuki admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "It's like how you don't always get to pick your missions; when the Hokage has work for you, you must do it. Likewise with this exam, once you commit, you can't back down. You understand?"
Naruto nodded his head, a look of disbelief on his face. Mizuki noted the widened eyes and the surprise present, causing him to chuckle.
'A single good jutsu changes nothing; he's still the same idiot he's always been.' The chūnin resisted the urge to grin. 'Everything is still going to go according to plan.'
'It doesn't make sense. There was even a question on the written exam today; the only two ways to get promoted to chūnin is through the Chūnin Exam or through field promotion. The academy doesn't have the authority for this… plus, why the hell would the teachers vote for me for this thing? They hate me! There's no way they'd pick me over Sasuke!' Naruto wondered, shaking his head. His eyes narrowed in on Mizuki. 'Something's fishy about all of this. What are you trying to do here Mizuki-sensei?'
"Naruto? Are you okay?" Mizuki asked.
The question pulled Naruto away from his thoughts and back to reality. He laughed in response, forcing a grin onto his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine! Just thinking about how I'm gonna pass this thing." Naruto stated, gripping his fists tightly. "I'm ready for this next exam! I already just became a genin and I can't wait to be a chūnin already!"
'If Mizuki-Sensei is really up to something, then I need to know what he's doing. And if accepting his stupid exam is the only way to find out, then I'll do it!' Naruto inwardly noted.
Mizuki's smile turned into a grin: a grin that almost seemed maniacal.
"So you'll take it? Excellent!" He stated excitedly. "Alright Naruto, before I tell you about the exam, let me ask you a question. What do you know about the Scroll of Seals?"
After his conversation with Mizuki had ended, Naruto had dragged his friends to Ichiraku's. Upon arriving, he immediately spilled the dirt on what he was just informed about.
"Mizuki-sensei wants you to steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's Office for a secret exam to become a chūnin?" Shikamaru asked Naruto. Naruto nodded his head, which elicited a sigh from the Nara: "What a pain. That sounds completely fake."
"I know, right?" Naruto exclaimed as he crossed his arms: "There's no way the academy has the authority for that!"
"They don't. That would mean that Mizuki-sensei is trying to get you to steal the scroll for himself." Hinata said, frowning. "But why? He was our sensei for years and he is a loyal Konoha shinobi. Why would he try t-to s-steal it?"
Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders: "Guess he's not that loyal." He then turned his head to Naruto. "So, what are you going to do about this?
At this moment, Teuchi came forward and delivered three bowls of ramen for the new graduates. Naruto immediately started to dig into his bowl rapidly. Hinata giggled in response while Shikamaru proceeded to shake his head. Only when the Uzumaki was finished did he continue to speak again.
"Well, I plan on telling Old Man Hokage about it. After that, I plan on taking down Mizuki personally!" He admitted, a scowl developing on his face: "He thought he could trick me into stealing the scroll for him, so I feel like I should be the one to take him down-"
"B-But Naruto-Kun, that would be dangerous!" Hinata spoke-up, her frown deepening. "Y-You shouldn't go alone!"
"She's right; Mizuki's a chūnin. You may be a ninja now, but on paper, he should be able to defeat you easily if you fought on your own." Shikamaru added.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, his scowl shifting into a frown: "I guess I could ask the Old Man if he has anyone willing to assist me. But I personally want to take down the guy, so hopefully they won't interfere too much!"
"W-Why not let us help?" The Hyūga asked.
"Eh?" Naruto blinked, staring blankly at Hinata.
Hinata blushed a little at having her crush's attention so focused directly on her. She tried to speak, but no words came out. She then looked downward, her ramen bowl seeming more interesting than ever before.
"Why do you want to help out, Hinata? You said it yourself; it's going to be dangerous." Naruto asked.
After his question, she pulled her eyes away from her food and looked up at him. She took a deep breath before she looked at him with determination present in her eyes.
"Mizuki-sensei may be a chūnin and stronger than us individually, b-but if we all fought him together, we could take him out ourselves. We would just need to use teamwork." She answered. She then clapped her hands together: "Please Naruto-kun; don't fight him on your own. We can help you!"
Naruto continued to stare at his friend in surprise for a few seconds, which only caused her to frown. After thirty seconds passed, Naruto stopped staring and smiled widely at her.
"Thank you Hinata. Sure, you can tag along. We can take down him together with no problem!" He told her.
Hinata smiled back in response, her blush getting a little darker.
"Naruto, you realize she said 'we' right? That would also include me as well." Shikamaru pointed out, finally speaking up as he put his bowl of ramen to the side.
Naruto turned to the Nara and smirked at him.
"You've been quiet for a bit, so didn't know if you were listening to us. Sure it's not too 'troublesome' for you Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.
Shikamaru snorted in response: "I mean, this whole situation is troublesome, but Hinata's right. Teamwork's the best option and I'm not going to let you two do something like that without me being there to help."
"Thanks." Naruto's smirk turned back into a smile: "I appreciate it. And you're both right; teamwork's the best option! And together, we're going to kick his ass and personally drag Mizuki-sensei's ass right back to the Old Man!"
"Speaking of the Hokage, we should really discuss this with him first though, like you said originally." The Nara noted.
The blonde genin nodded: "Yeah, yeah. Well, we can't waste any time! We have to hurry and talk with him, cause it's going to get closer to time for me to meet up with that lying sensei!"
The three new graduates paid for their meal, thanked Teuchi, and hurried over to the Hokage tower, ready to talk to the Hokage about their plan.
Mizuki could not hide his grin as he rushed through the forests around Konohagakure, looking for the meeting point. Everything was going according to plan and he was one step closer to being done with Konoha.
'In the end, it really didn't matter if the brat passed or not; I still convinced him to steal the scroll! In the end, that demon brat is still too naïve to be a proper shinobi.' He noted, chuckling to himself. 'I still convinced him to steal the scroll for me. Now, to collect my prize!'
The chūnin did have a slight concern that Naruto could deny the request, as his original plan mostly relied on capitalizing on Naruto's desperation to become a genin, using that to make him go against any better judgment. He was relieved to hear the boy still stupidly believed his lie about promoting him to a chūnin. Everything was going according to plan. All that was left to do was meet up with Naruto, take the scroll from him, possibly kill him, and head off to Otogakure.
Mizuki continued to move through the forests around Konoha, searching for the clearing he told the boy earlier. After a few minutes of searching, the white-haired chūnin found him at the meeting spot, holding a large scroll.
"Hey! Naruto!" Mizuki shouted to him as he jumped down into the clearing. Naruto tensed-up in response. "You really did it; you got the scroll. I knew you would be able to do it!"
"Heh, what can I say? I'm going to be Hokage after all dattebayo! And now I'm one step closer to getting there!" Naruto informed with a large grin.
"That is true, and you're going to make a great Hokage." Mizuki chuckled as he held out his hand. "Now, hand over the scroll to me. I can test you on one of the jutsus then."
The Uzumaki shook his head, his grin widening further: "No need for that sensei! Watch this: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three shadow clones appeared in a poof of smoke standing right behind Naruto.
"This is crazy, I know, but the Shadow Clone Jutsu was actually one of the jutsu in the scroll. So technically, I already passed the second test when I did the first one! Pretty awesome, eh sensei?" Naruto informed the man in front of him.
Mizuki blinked in response. He stood still for a moment, his brain taking a few extra seconds to process Naruto's words, before he chuckled again in response as he shook his head.
"I… see. That's pretty lucky. And maybe just a little bit too convenient." Mizuki noted as he extended his hand outward further: "As a matter of fact, I'm going to have to see if that jutsu is actually in the scroll to confirm that."
"Sure thing Mizuki-Sensei! I'll show you when we get back to Konoha, though." Naruto responded, bringing his hands behind his head. "It's getting kind of late and any longer and the Hokage might actually start to need his scroll back, y'know?"
Mizuki's eye twitched. He took in a deep breath, trying to think of an appropriate response to the boy's statement.
The response he chose was to reach for the fūma shuriken attached to his back.
"Hand the scroll over to me now!" Mizuki shouted.
'Yep, we were right about all of this.' Naruto bit his lip, resisting the urge to smirk. Instead, he brought his hands directly in front of his face defensively: "Wh-What's going on Mizuki-sensei? L-Let's just get back to Konoha, and I'll sh-show you the scroll there."
"Haven't figured it out yet, Naruto? Well, then let me spell it out to you; there is no chūnin graduation exam!" Mizuki shouted, spinning the shuriken in his hand in a clockwise fashion: "What you did was help me steal the scroll! And now, you're going to hand it over, or else you're going to die right here!"
Before Naruto could even reply to his threat, Mizuki chucked the shuriken forward, causing it to fly directly at Naruto's body: 'Say goodbye, brat!'
To his surprise, the scared, nervous Naruto steadied himself and jumped out of the way of the giant shuriken. He then tossed his own, smaller shuriken at the chūnin.
'What?' Mizuki's eyes widened as he jumped away, avoiding the blond's weapons. 'That reaction time makes no sense! He should've been too shocked and scared to react! What the hell?'
Once again, to the chūnin's surprise, more shuriken flew at him at different angles from the forest. The white-haired man jumped out as quickly as he could but managed to still get hit by one shuriken in his side. He winced in pain for a second as his hand went to his wound. His eyes were darting all around the area while he grit his teeth.
'That bastard… he brought company…' Mizuki's teeth grinding grew louder-and-louder until he turned his head back to face Naruto: "Who else did you bring out here with you, brat?"
Naruto smirked in response: "Just a few friends that were looking forward to kicking your ass with me!"
On cue with his words, Hinata and Shikamaru came out of hiding. They jumped down from their positions in nearby trees and landed side by side to Naruto. Hinata landed with her Byakugan activated while Shikamaru looked noticeably focused.
"… So that's how you went about this, huh?" The traitor mumbled in anger. "You've been playing with me this whole time, haven't you? This is all some game to you? This is how you treat someone who said they'd promote you?"
"Just drop it Mizuki!" Naruto shouted back, his eyes narrowing on the chūnin: "There was something fishy with your offer and you even admitted that you had no intention of promoting me. This was a set up for me, so I'm just turning the tables on you! And I have some backup with me to make sure you get rightfully taken down!"
Mizuki's eyes moved from Naruto to Hinata to Shikamaru. He continued to grind his teeth while he tried to take a deep breath.
'Relax, Mizuki. It's just three genin. You can easily kill all three of them. Just calm down and focus…' As he took another deep breath, his eyes widened as an idea came across to them: 'Or… why don't I try and have some fun when I kill them? Turn them against one another and then pick them off!'
"Brought your best friends with you, I see. Your 'best friends' in the whole village, huh? Your only friends!" Mizuki noted, chuckling. The genins' eyes narrowed in response but before they could react, he continued to speak: "But maybe they wouldn't be your friend if they knew the full truth about everything." He then brought his hand to his chin in exaggerated thought: "Hmm… wonder if I should tell them…"
"Truth?" Shikamaru's eyes narrowed further. "What are you talking about?"
"Ever wonder why everyone hates your little blond bestie?" Mizuki asked, his chuckling turning into laughter: "Because no one hates a kid for no reason; there has to be one. It's your generation doesn't know the truth, since the Sandaime made the law thirteen years ago. You don't even know! But if you all did know…"
'Law? What law?' Hinata bit her lip in response: 'What nonsense is he going to say? What is he going to say about Naruto-kun?'
'He's trying to psych Naruto out.' Shikamaru noticed, a scowl forming on his face: 'Get him distracted or disturbed and somehow turn myself and Hinata against him. But how?'
Unlike his two friends, Naruto ended up dropping his guard. He could not help himself; despite Mizuki trying to set him up for stealing, he was offering information that the boy always wondered about.
"Why am I hated? What are you talking about? What law?" He asked.
Hinata shook her head: "Naruto-kun, ignore him-"
"The law prevents anyone from telling your generation that you are the Kyūbi, the demon that attacked Konoha years ago!"
Time seemed to stop when Mizuki's words left his mouth. Hinata's and Shikamaru's eyes widened in pure shock. Naruto merely stood still, completely stunned.
"You've all been lied to you all your life! The Yondaime couldn't kill that damn fox. The thing was too powerful for him, so he sealed into a newborn baby to stop it. That baby was you Naruto! It's why everyone hates you!" Mizuki exclaimed, pointing at the blond: "You destroyed so much of Konoha! Civilians and shinobi alike, including Iruka's parents, died because of you. Konoha has so many damn orphans because of you. You are the reason the Yondaime is dead. Everything that happened that night is your fault, you damn demon!"
Naruto continued to stand frozen in time, still in complete shock.
'He… He has to be lying… That can't be…' Naruto bit down on his lip, shaking his head frantically: 'B-But… some of that… it would m-make sense… why so many of them stare at me with so much hatred… why they've always hated me… But why…'
'… It's not some lie. It makes sense. It matches everything. Everything makes sense!' Shikamaru realized, his eyes widening as he turned to face Naruto. 'It explains his freakishly large stamina...'
'… It helps explains Naruto-kun's insane amount of chakra...' Hinata realized as she turned to stare at the blond.
'...Why he gets singled out by the teachers and glared at...'
'… Why he grew up alone…'
'… Why he is so hated.' The two kids reached the same conclusion.
The two kids turned their heads toward Naruto and stared at him for a second. Any fear or ill feelings that could have been within the two were completely eliminated the second they looked at him.
'Naruto-kun… you were treated so badly by the people around you and you had to deal with the fox within you… and you still wanted to be Hokage? You still wanted to fight and defend these people? To earn their respect? Naruto-kun… you are truly amazing!' Hinata felt new feelings for her crush. She felt even more pride in him, more awe by his kindness and strength, and something more; something she didn't know how to describe.
'He should hate everyone in Konoha for everything they've done to him. And he doesn't. As a matter of fact, he actually wants to change their minds. Naruto… you are one of a kind.' Shikamaru noted with a slight smirk.
Naruto didn't take the news in anyway like his friends. The boy continued to stand completely still.
'They… they really do deserve to hate me. Everything's my fault. I'm… I'm just a monster…' He reached his conclusion.
"Now that the truth is out, I'm sure you all won't mind when I remove this monster from the world! Goodnight demon!" Mizuki shouted as he took his second fūma shuriken and tossed it at Naruto.
The Uzumaki boy continued to stand still; still in shock as he stared at the oncoming shuriken.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out.
"Move, dammit!" Shikamaru shouted as he made a hand sign: "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Shikamaru's shadow rushed for Naruto's body. As quickly as it connected, Shikamaru ran to his right, forcing the Uzumaki to move as well. Naruto's eyes widened as Shikamaru forced him away from the fūma shuriken just in time. His eyes widened further as Hinata jumped in front of them, pulling out a kunai.
"Wh-What are you guys doing?" Naruto asked, biting his lip.
Before they could respond, Mizuki began to shout.
"Why are you helping him? Didn't you hear me? He's the damn demon who nearly destroyed the village! He killed so many Nara and Hyūga!" The chūnin's voice grew louder-and-louder: "YOU SHOULD BOTH HATE HIM! WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING A DEMON?"
"You said the demon was sealed within him. That doesn't make him a demon; only a container at most. He's not the Kyūbi!" Shikamaru stated sharply.
'Shikamaru…' Naruto looked over to his lazy friend in awe. 'You… You really think that?'
"If anything, he's a hero to the village!" Hinata shouted, causing Naruto to turn towards her: "He keeps the demon locked within him. Naruto-kun is the furthest thing from the Kyūbi! He's our savior who keeps it from attacking us!"
'Hinata…' Naruto's eyes started to redden slightly as tears started to form. 'I… I… thank you… You… You and Shikamaru… You have to be right…'i
"So naive." Mizuki snorted: "Don't think too much into this: he's the demon! And it would be wise to get away from him before you get hurt while I kill him!"
Immediately, Naruto turned his attention back towards Mizuki, a scowl on his face as he made a hand sign.
"Don't you fucking dare!" He growled in response: "I won't allow you touch them!"
Hinata and Shikamaru looked back to Naruto and gave a warm smile towards him. They then turned back to Mizuki, ready to strike. T
"Tch, whatever. You're all dead!" Mizuki roared as he tossed smaller shuriken at the academy graduates.
Mizuki blinked when he saw what exactly his shuriken hit, though. Instead of the three individual genin, the shuriken made contact with the three shadow clones Naruto made earlier. In seconds, all three clones disappeared in a poof of smoke. All three genin were nowhere to be seen.
'They used substitution with the clones the demon made earlier, back when he was showing me the scroll...' He noted. The academy instructor inside him was actually a little impressed with the skilled use of the jutsu and the quick, unnoticeable exchange. That did not change the fact that he was also extremely pissed.
"It's pointless to hide brats, cause I'm going to find and kill you all!" He shouted. Mizuki made the necessary hand signs before turning his attention to the forest around him. "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
The chūnin breathed out a barrage of fireballs into the forest. Nearby trees caught on fire. Some trees were completely burnt in seconds while others collapsed from the damage. Mizuki watched as he cleared the area around him, looking for the first sign of one of the genin.
Within seconds, a group of twenty Naruto clones shot out and charged directly at the chūnin.
"More shadow clones? Is it seriously all you can do? You're screwed, demon brat!" The traitor taunted as he dropped into his personal taijutsu stance.
All Naruto clones attempted to assault the chūnin at once. He immediately went on the defensive, blocking them to the best of his abilities. Mizuki was able to avoid too many direct hits while striking back. He was able to destroy six of the clones after a few blows.
The Konoha traitor noticed that one of the clones was not disappearing. It would keep getting up after each hit and would charge back, ready to strike with its palms. 'Guess that's the original demon. Weird fighting style for him, but whatever. It's not helping him any!'
The assault by the clones continued. As time passed, Mizuki was getting more physically tired. He started to take a few more hits than usual from the clones, including the Naruto that was striking him with his palms. Despite his weakening state, Mizuki was able to bring down the number of clones to six. It was at this point that the chūnin noticed something very wrong with himself.
'What is happening to my chakra? Why can't I use it? I haven't used any since my fire jutsu! The demon shouldn't be able to do this!' Mizuki groaned on the inside. He was getting slightly nervous at this new development. Then, an idea hit him of what was happening. 'Then...that means...'
Before Mizuki could continue his train of thought, he found himself completely immobilized. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried or struggled.
"Caught you!"
The chuunin found his head turning around on its own accord. He saw his shadow mixed with the shadow of one of the Naruto clones. At this moment, the clone dropped its transformation, revealing a smirking Shikamaru.
"You!" The traitor hissed.
"Didn't notice me, did you? Or Hinata I'm guessing?" The Nara asked as he turned his head, forcing Mizuki to turn his head as well. They were now facing the Naruto that Mizuki originally thought was the original. This Naruto dropped the transformation and revealed itself as Hinata.
"You knew that Naruto was skilled with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, so you assumed that all twenty 'clones' of Naruto were simply clones. It never occurred to you that two of those clones could have been Hinata and myself under the Transformation Jutsu." Shikamaru explained the tactic to the traitor. "Therefore, you failed to notice that Hinata, under the guise of one of the clones, was sealing your tenketsu, and therefore sealing your chakra, with the gentle fist with each attack. You also never watched the shadows, since I was 'nowhere to be seen'. Because of that, you are caught in my Shadow Possession Jutsu, and you have so little useable chakra that you can't break through."
"Damn you… Damn you all!" He hissed once again.
"You tried to mess with me, and then mess with my friends as well." Naruto stated as he walked forward, his remaining clones following close behind. They all cracked their knuckles simultaneously. "Time to show you what happens when you try and mess with us!"
Mizuki's screams could be heard for miles throughout the forest.
"I, er… might have gotten a little carried away?" Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Mizuki was lying face down on the floor of the forest, unconscious in a pile of blood. Naruto and his clones beat down on the traitor hard. The man, while still alive, would not be waking up anytime soon. He would wake up in a few hours later probably, locked up in a cell or in a room alone with Morino Ibiki.
If Mizuki was conscious, he would be praying for the former.
"You might have, but he deserved it." Shikamaru shrugged in response.
"Right." Hinata nodded her head, looking away from the traitor's battered body.
Silence filled the air for a moment as Hinata and Shikamaru stared at their friend, who seemed as if he was trying to come up with some words.
After a minute, he finally broke the silence.
"So… about what Mizuki told us…" Naruto started, looking downward slightly.
"Naruto, if you think we are going to think any differently of you just because of the Kyūbi, then you are stupid enough that you should've been the dead last." Shikamaru told the boy bluntly. Naruto immediately looked upwards once more, glaring at the Nara: "Look, we aren't stupid. We know you aren't the Kyūbi. You are just the container, and there is a major difference. You are definitely not a demon! You are way too troublesome, but also too nice to be one."
"Shikamaru-kun's right. And what I said earlier was true as well. You are the savior of Konoha, who keeps it back. If anything, Naruto-Kun, knowing about it only makes me respect you more…" Hinata said, a wide smile on her face and a slightly reddish blush on her cheeks.
Naruto's eyes reddened once again as tears fell. He had finally found out the reason why everyone hated him and it was overwhelming to him. He, himself, was starting to accept the demon label until his two friends spoke up for him. 'Just like before during that lecture…'
His fears of being rejected by them were gone. Naruto almost did not care if he ever earned the respect of the village or not right now. For right now, all that mattered was that he had two friends who he would protect with his life: two friends who knew why he was hated and didn't think anything different of him.
"Hinata-chan… Shikamaru… thank you!" Naruto nearly shouted amongst tears as he charged forth and tackled his friends in a hug: "THANK YOU!"
Under normal circumstances, Hinata would have flipped out that Naruto had used the 'chan' honorific with her and would be blushing beyond red at the physical contact. She probably would have passed out.
Under normal circumstances, Shikamaru would be complaining that he was having trouble breathing in Naruto's hold. He would struggle to get out and complain about his friend being 'troublesome'.
These were not normal circumstances, however; the two simply returned their friend's hug, giving him a warm smile.
It was almost ironic; Mizuki's attempts to divide the group apart ended up bringing them closer to each other than ever before.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as he stared into his crystal ball. After Naruto and his friends came in and told about Mizuki's plan, he had kept careful observation of the three. He had felt some wariness with allowing three newly graduated students from the academy to take on a traitorous chūnin shinobi, but he also felt confidence that they could handle it. Something within him told him that the three would be fine.
Just like he predicted, the kids were fine. They were now heading towards Konoha, holding onto Mizuki's body, who was going to be delivered to the first Konoha shinobi they could find. The kids succeeded in their mission.
'More than just succeeded.' Hiruzen noted with a chuckle. The three genin demonstrated great teamwork with each other. Hinata and Shikamaru went out of their way to save Naruto's life and the three were able to overwhelm Mizuki with great teamwork, such as the strategy utilized with Naruto's clones and Hinata's and Shikamaru's transformations. They complimented each other well and were able to take down a ninja with more skill than them.
The Sandaime was also pleased when he realized that Hinata and Shikamaru did not treat Naruto differently when Mizuki revealed the news of the Kyūbi. Sarutobi, although a rather smart man with great foresight, failed to predict that Mizuki would reveal the information about the demon to the kids in desperation. For a few seconds, the old man was rather nervous and was tempted to head out there himself to end the man's life before any damage was done.
Thankfully, Hinata and Shikamaru took the news very well and actually praised Naruto for being able to be the container. They helped Naruto handle the information as well and not let him get overwhelmed by it.
'They truly went above any expectations. They were perfect. They worked well together…' Hiruzen noted with a smile. '… They really should be a genin team. The three of them together… teamwork like that is so rare to find in kids so young. It could only get better and stronger as they grow older. I can't separate them...' Hiruzen thought. 'Perhaps Shikaku was right after all.'
The Sandaime sighed. It would mean more paperwork. It would maybe take a little while to explain to anyone who already knew his original plans. Nevertheless, he knew something now and he was going to go by it: Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru had great teamwork together and needed to be on the same team.
'Although, now I have to think of a sensei for them too.' Hiruzen realized with a frown as well.
Hiruzen started making notes of the jōnin available to be a sensei. Kakashi would probably be an excellent choice, due to his love for teamwork. However, the Hokage felt that Kakashi should train Sasuke in order to work with the Sharingan once it becomes activated.
Asuma and Kurenai would also be perfect senseis for Shikamaru and Hinata respectively, but not for the other. Asuma's bluntness and his overall behavior would probably intimidate Hinata while Kurenai would not have the patience to effectively train Shikamaru.
'I suppose none of those three.' The Hokage thought to himself. 'Who is currently available? Maybe-'
A knock sounded on his door. A sigh escaped Hiruzen's lips as he shelved his thinking and turned his attention to his door: "Yes?"
"Hokage-Sama, sorry for coming so late. I have just returned from my mission and I know you wanted my mission report immediately!" Said the voice from the other side.
"Now?" Hiruzen's eyebrow raised in response: "Your mission wasn't critical enough that I'd need a report this late at night-"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened as an idea came to his mind. An idea started to form into the aged man's mind. An idea that he played over multiple times to make sure how it would work. A smirk then developed on his face.
'It's perfect. They're perfect for them!' Hiruzen chuckled to himself: 'Well, it's official; I have a sensei now.'
"I mean, if you want me to come back tomorrow, I can." The voice on the other side of the door spoke. Hiruzen could almost imagine the person shrugging: "I'll stop by first thing-"
"Actually, why don't you come in now." The Hokage said, shaking his head: "I actually have something else we can discuss after your report."
The room was quiet for a moment until the doorknob began to shake. The door opened and a single shinobi walked through the doors before taking the seat in front of Hiruzen's desk.