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Tension. Turmoil. Paranoia.

These three words described Konoha right now. It has been three grueling years since Orochimaru departed. It was an unfortunate event that had shook Konoha to its roots. Hiruzen sighed as it only seemed to get worse. He started to have a heavy heart as he had to tell his daughter-in-law her husband is dead. She collapsed under great stress and the baby contracted. The baby was born six weeks premature. The baby was named Konohamaru. It was the hope that this would bring peace within the Sarutobi Clan.

Hiruzen's headache grew at the tension in his own Clan. He looked up from his desk to see Karasu holding a pouty, crossed armed, blond haired kid by the scruff of his collar. Hiruzen looked at the boy and could not help but say that he is the main problem of those three words. It is unfortunate that it is the fault of the adults yet he has to live with their consequences.

He said, "What did you do now, Naruto-kun?" Naruto-kun was not adopted by the distinct secret order of the Hokage. So he has been basically on his own, making small mischief. Karasu sighed as he dropped Naruto onto the chair.

The blond haired boy was not your typical six year old. No, he was smarter than that of a typical six year old. As outgoing he seems to be on the outside he is more reserved in the inside. He looked at the man he called Ojisan as he spoke, "Why don't you ask Karasu over here what happened. You know Karasu I wish you stop being a weasel and telling the Hokage everything."

Hiruzen's facial muscles had to fight back a smile and Karasu glared at him just waiting for the right opportunity to smack him upside his head. Ever since what happened to Ryuu, Inu asked to disband the squad. Inu swallowed into self-pity has rigorously been on solo A-ranked missions. It was one right after the other. Neko and Karasu created another group with Karasu as the Captain. They were a group and highly successful. However it took its toll on Karasu. So he decided to give the team over to Neko while he was reassigned. It was cruel twist of fate that he gained the day guard of the Kyuubi Jinchūriki.

It was not all that bad however. Naruto was going to take the Academy test in a week or so. Naruto has been constantly in the library reading books that are well above his age. One time the librarian tried to force him out muttering about the son of a traitor and demon spawn. Karasu had a little "talk" with him.

As he saw the boy sit in the chair, it amazed Karasu on how much Naruto knows. He said in his stoic voice, "Hokage-sama, it seems young Naruto-kun here committed a prank last evening. The owner of the food shop, Ringo, said that Naruto spray-painted his house."

Naruto rolled his eyes as Hiruzen rubbed his temples. He said in a soft tone, "Naruto-kun, why did you spray paint the man's house?"

Naruto stood a little straighter in the chair. He had been tagged with a lot of mischief lately. Yes, Naruto had committed some problems but to be honest, he really hasn't had the time to commit the acts anymore. He said, "Ojisan, as much as I want to commit these acts I haven't had the time. I've been in the library reading books. In fact the new librarian bought me a blanket and a pillow for I could sleep there from time to time. Plus, the picture does not have my style on it. My art is extremely descriptive. Whoever was the 'artist' of that piece of junk should be arrested. Not for the vandalism but the crime against art and anyone created art!"

This time Karasu face grew a smile on his face under his mask of course. Hiruzen chuckled as he grabbed the bridge of his nose. He said, "Oh Naruto-kun, what am I going to do with you?"

Naruto chirped, "You can let me go and buy me ramen." The boy started to like ramen when turned four when Hiruzen took him to Ichiraku's. Karasu rolled his eyes as Naruto looked at the young male. Naruto said, "Karu, why are you rolling your eyes? You owe me like three ramen dinners!"

It is not that he owed Naruto the ramen dinner that got him. It was the fact that Naruto was able to see his eyes. With the mask on no should be able to see his eyes or face. The masks have a genjutsu seal placed so no one could identify the person unless they want to be seen like Inu. Karasu was not one of those.

Hiruzen was equally alarmed as he asked, "Naruto-kun, how did you know that Karasu rolled his eyes."

This time Naruto rolled his eyes. He said, "Ojisan, it's simple. I looked him in the eyes as saw his jet black eyes go all the way around. By the way Karasu, you need to start to sleep more or else you will never get rid of those wrinkles under your eyes. For that matter how old are you? Do you have a girlfriend, or a wife? Do you have children? Yea I can see you have kids. How many? One? Two? Three million?"

Karasu could only blink. 'Three million kids! What the hell is wrong with the boy? I'm not even that old. I'm only 17! 17 damn it! Why the hell would I have a wife? No what why am I even processing what he's saying? Know what I'm going to take my girlfriend out to fancy restaurant. I need some alone time.'

Karasu was silent as Naruto asked his questions. Hiruzen had enough of the questions and said, "Naruto, that's enough. Stop asking Karasu personal questions. I'm sure he doesn't want to talk to a six year old about his life." Naruto simply pouted.

Naruto's eyes became as serious as any six year old's could be. He had a problem and it keeps coming back. He said, "Ojisan, I had one of those dreams again." Hiruzen's eyes became wide as did Karasu's. Hiruzen sighed as he pressed the button under the top of his desk. In an instant, four shadows disappeared out of the room. Naruto said, "Those guys need to work on their stealth capabilities. I mean come on their stealth is like wearing one of these orange jumpsuits. They are probably just lazy or lax."

Hiruzen almost choked. This kid was not even a genin. He was just a six year old who is not in the Academy yet. Dear Kami he was able to see them. 'He has the mouth of Jiraiya, the intellect of Orochimaru, and the perception of Tsunade!' That is something we're going to talk about that later date.

Hiruzen asked, "Naruto-kun, you were talking about those dreams. What was this dream about? "Naruto had been having these dreams that a mysterious man was teaching Naruto something. This isn't the first time more like the ratio of three times a week. Inoichi had probed his mind to see where it's coming from. He wasn't able to find any indication of this. They tried to seal his mind before, only for his chakra to utterly annihilate the seal. They could only mask and restrain his ability to see Orochimaru in his memories.

Naruto said, "Well it felt so real. I was in a room with desks. The man was in front of a board. He was describing how to do...math problems like one plus one and something called multiplication." Hiruzen could tell something was off with Naruto's story. Naruto's slight pause gave it away. 'What are you hiding, Naruto-kun?'

Hiruzen replied, "Well Naruto-kun, it probably something you learned from one of your books and your mind was creating picture of how you could possibly learning it." Naruto's look was an unbelieving one.

"Well Ojisan, I'm going to go to bed now. I have a week to study for the Academy. Bye!" In an instant Naruto rushed out of the door. Hiruzen knew Naruto forgot about the ramen as he was hungrier for Knowledge. Karasu took off his mask to reveal none other than Itachi Uchiha.

He bowed as he said in his stoic voice, "Hokage-sama, do you think he is having these dreams? It seemed like he was faking just now." Hiruzen tapped his pipe as he started to light it.

Hiruzen said with steel eyes, "Itachi, do not be mistaken, he is possibly the biggest danger we have ever seen. He is having those dreams as we saw a jump in brain waves while he slept. However we will never know what goes on in those dreams as each dream walker either gets blocked out, usually a potent chakra blast, or dies. So unless Naruto-kun tells me the truth I won't ever know."

Itachi saw Hiruzen's point. One cannot keep using dream walkers and kill them off. That is why Konoha has kept the Yamanakas safe. He sighed as he considered Naruto as his other brother. He had to admit Naruto could be more fun than his other brother. He said, "Do you think that Orochimaru has anything to do with it?"

Hiruzen was not surprised with Itachi's questions. Itachi has a huge soft spot for Naruto after the mission at Orochi's house. He had to choose his words carefully. "It would seem that way as he was extremely close to Naruto. However there is no telling because the man is a shadow. It could even be Jiraiya. Jiraiya is known for his telecommunication skills. I wouldn't put it past him to teach Naruto via dreams. After all he is the boy's godfather."

Only a few people knew about Jiraiya's connection to Naruto. Itachi just so happened to be one of them. The news brightened Itachi up a tad bit but not that much. He asked, "Do you want me to follow him and see what he is up to?"

Hiruzen smoked his pipe to think about it. "No. You are taking the day off. Spend some time with your younger brother and your girlfriend. You haven't had time to yourself. Naruto will be fine when you come back tomorrow. Now go have some fun."

Itachi nodded as he disappeared as the man took a puff of pipe.
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Naruto went to his little hiding place. It was behind the Hokage Mountain. It was such a beautiful place where there were thousands of different colored flowers that sparkled when hit by the Sun's rays. There was a crystal blue ravine, where the water was crisp and clean. The wind was gentle. It was a peaceful place that only a few knew. The rumor has it only future Hokages can know about this place.

Well the possible future Hokage known as Naruto pulled out some books from his backpack. Naruto thought, 'I can't let Ojisan know what I've been taught or he might make it stop! Doesn't everybody have those dreams now and again? Well from the look on Ojisan's face I'm guessing that's a no. Well what makes me different? I mean sure I have those lines on my face but those dog people have triangles on theirs. Does that mean I'm related to them? If so then why didn't they adopt me? Maybe it's because I have blond hair. But the Yamakas have blond hair. So they could have adopted me. But I'm still by myself. Did I do something to them to not like me? Ok Naruto, you got to stop having these thoughts. One day someone will adopt you and you will have a big family. So let's see what I was taught last night.' As Naruto recollected his dream/memory, something was coming towards him.

Naruto said to himself, "Ok Futon is the ability to use wind jutsu. He said wind is unpredictable and that you will know its nature right after it hit you. He also said that you can use Futon with taijutsu and kenjutsu. Whatever the hell kenjutsu is, it sounds so cool! Now the question is how do I start using Futon? I guess I'll look at some books on Futon at the library. The test is going to be adding, subtracting-"

"Maybe I could be of assistance."

Naruto frantically looked around. He knew he heard a voice, a male's in particular, but he didn't see him or her. He yelled, "Who is it? Where are you? You can't be the wind." He pulled out a rusted kunai and got ready to defend himself if he has to.

"Look down."

That was all it took for Naruto to see who was talking to him. His eyes went wide as he fell to the ground. He stuttered as he started to move back, "Y-y-you're a talking snake!"
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Orenji looked at Naruto with a sense of happiness. He had been sent by Yamata to locate the boy and be his 'pet'. He was going to train him in the ways of the snake. Unfortunately he had not been able to find Naruto for over six months. He had to be extremely sly and sneaky as Konoha has become more…anti-snake. He has seen some ordinary snakes die in such inhumane ways for slithering in the grass. It made him shudder at the thought. He could see the boy was afraid. He knew why one would be afraid of a talking snake but he had to reach him somehow. He played obliviousness as he said, "You are correct young man. My name is Orenji. What is yours?"

Naruto stop moving back as he looked the snake in the eyes but with a good amount of distance between him. Naruto was quite popular with animals as mammals and amphibians. More than one species from each have visited or helped Naruto. However this is the first time since he could remember that Naruto has dealt with a reptile; a talking one no less. He instinctually sat cross legged. It took him a moment to start speaking, "Well Orenji-san, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage."

Orenji's eyes went wide at his proclamation. His enthusiasm and conviction was impressive since a person has a one in a million chance to become the leader of a country. Unfortunately, Naruto has not only as one but two deciding factors that are against him; the Kyuubi and Orochimaru. Orenji hopes he can help in any way possible. The first was helping him with his fundamentals. He said, "Well Naruto-san, do you know what is going to be on this test of yours?

Naruto rolled his eyes as he took out a brush, ink, and a scroll out of his backpack. Orenji was naturally curious as to what Naruto would write on this scroll. As he watched Naruto draw, he was amazed how smooth he wrote. Each stroke of the brush felt like it was writing on ice. Naruto was finished with the scroll and gave it to Orenji. Orenji opened the scroll and his eyes were wide. Naruto said, "Well the test is going to be on basic things such as one plus one, two minus one, and things like that. From what I've heard they are going to start asking questions on elements and things of that nature. Now you said you were going to help me or something. What do want to teach me?"

"Well what do you need to know, Naruto-san? Do you know how to add? Subtract?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment. 'What could I learn from this snake? Maybe he might know about this Futon thing. If so, it will be one less trip to the library! Wait a minute, what does he want in return?' He said, "Orenji-san, I've learned that you don't get anything free. So may I ask what do you want back from me?" Orenji slithered around Naruto. This made Naruto comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. He didn't know what the snake was going to do to him but he felt as if he knew the snake before.

Orenji was proud. This was the boy he remembered, the always curious but cautious boy. He saw a chance that he had been waiting for. He said, "Well Naruto-san all I want is to have an owner. I've been by myself for a little over six years. I would hope that we could be in a mutual relationship, whether it is being a pet and owner or teacher and student or even both. You can gain so much knowledge from me while I gain a family to call my own. So what do you say?"

Orenji had the pleading eyes. Naruto's eyes became low. He knew the feeling of wanting a family. 'He knows how it feels to be alone? Orenji had played with the right heart strings. Naruto asked with a slimmer of hope in his soft voice, "D-do you really want to be family with me?" Orenji frowned slightly at the boy's slightly broken voice.

Orenji curled up around Naruto's side. Naruto took it as a sign of confirmation. For the first time in a long time Naruto had a happy smile on his face as he softly petted his snake. 'Yea he's my snake. I like that.' Orenji looked at his master and remembered something important. "Naruto-sama, there is something we need to discuss. Listen closely not under any circumstances or time, do you tell anyone about me and how I am with you."

Naruto's eyes went wide at this. It made him feel good to be called "sama" but it was not the most prominent thing on his mind. 'Why can't I talk about having him as my pet? Is it because people are scared of snakes?' He said barely in a whisper, "What, why Orenji-kun? Is it because people are afraid of snakes? I don't think Ojisan is afraid of snakes. He said I could come to him with anything."

Orenji could see the natural curiosity in the boy's face. To be honest Orenji was curious about who is Naruto's Ojisan. He knew Orochi's parents were dead and that Naruto was not adopted at least legally. He asked, "Naruto-sama, who is your "Ojisan"?"

Naruto blinked. He replied with confusion deep into his voice, "The Hokage is my Ojisan, of course!" Orenji's eyes went wide. 'No! He definitely can't let that old monkey know. That will be catastrophic!' Orenji said, "Naruto-sama, I think the Hokage would be even less happy to see me."

Naruto didn't understand why but he believed him. He nodded his head as he spoke, "Ok Orenji-san, I won't tell him but how are you going to eat? I mean I barely get enough as it is." That was a good question for a six year old to think about making Orenji think about how Naruto still surprises him. He said, "Well Naruto-kun, I'm able to weave around the forest undetected so don't worry about it. " Naruto sighed as he lied down in the grass. Although it concerned him that he couldn't tell Ojisan, he was happy with the thought of having a family. He saw the sun shine as Orenji curled up next to him. Finally there was a bright side in the young boy's life. Just like the sun his life was looking up.
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While the sun was looking up at a certain blond haired boy, the sun was going down on a certain blacked haired teenager. Itachi had entered his home with a sigh. As he looked around, he saw his mother playing his little brother. It had become common knowledge for the higher ups that there has been a huge amount of tension between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha all together. Fugaku has been adamant to the Uchiha Council that all I would take is a small incident and there would be a civil war. Itachi knew this and was naturally afraid. Don't get him wrong he's not afraid to battle. That was the least of his problems.

No he was afraid of what will happen with his family and the backlash of the civil war. The Sharingan although powerful was not nearly enough to defeat a whole nation. It would put a dent in it for sure but over run it, he highly doubted it. It did not help he was treading the line between his family and Konoha. He has been leaning towards Konoha as he saw the actions of his father and the Uchiha Council to be fowl and downright wrong. He knew that his father wanted the "Kyuubi Brat" with him to control him. He didn't like how his father kept asking about the boy's tendencies and things like that. It made his stomach flip a few times.

"Oniisan, you're home!"

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw an almost miniature version of himself without the trenches under his eyes running towards him. Itachi smiled as he crouched down and hugged his little brother. Sasuke is probably one of the most important people to Itachi. Sasuke was an innocent who was brought into a clan with so much guilt, hatred and most of darkness. It made him internally frown as he thought about how ignorant and blind his little brother will be. He put on a fake smile as he rubbed his head. "It's good to see you too, Otouto. What did you do today?"

Sasuke had a big wide smile on his face. He really hasn't seen his brother except for during the night. Sasuke knew his big brother was important and had to be away but it didn't mean he didn't feel a small bit of selfishness as he couldn't spend a lot of time with him. He said, "I learned my ABCs and my numbers up to fifty! Mom said that you will teach me so I can pass the Academy test next week!" Itachi looked at his mother with a slightly confused look on his face. Her eyes, though soft, held a certain amount of sternness to them. Itachi looked closely to his mother. Mikoto is a fair-skinned woman with long, black, hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face and black eyes. She wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron over it.

Itachi loved his mother dearly but he always felt she was hiding something from him. She was enigma to him and it didn't sit right with him. He could clearly tell she wasn't happy but the fake smile tugged at his heart strings. He had learned from Naruto how to tell a real smile from a fake one. As he looked closely his eye widened slightly. 'Why is she wearing make up?'

He said with a fake smile on his face, "Ok, Otouto let's go outside so I could teach you how to throw a shuriken. Then I'll teach you some academics." Sasuke nodded enthusiastically as he followed his brother outside. Itachi gave a quick glance at his mother who sincerely smiled at seeing her eldest son teaching her youngest son. Itachi mouthed, "We will talk later." She instantly grew a frown on her face as she nodded.
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"Ok Naruto-sama, you have done very well on your math and writing." Orenji said as he tested Naruto. It has been three days since Naruto met his 'pet'. Orenji has come to learn that Naruto was great at the academic stuff even with subjects that are advance for his age like multiplication and some basic division. He knew most of this stuff but wanted to know more about the aspects of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Before Orochimaru's departure, Orenji was made one of the highest commanders in the snake army. Hell he was one of the few that trained Orochimaru in the Hebi Style. He saw that Naruto was eager to learn which made him smile.

"Ok, Naruto, I'm going to teach you about the basics in elements. To start there are five main elements. They are Katon (fire), Futon (wind), Doton (Earth), Suiton (water) and finally Raiton (lightning). Now each element can be super powerful or not so powerful against each other. Basically all the element go into-"

"A circle. I remember hearing this when I was younger but I don't know who said it." Naruto said.

Orenji's eyes went wide. This kid kept surprising Orenji. 'He remembers that lesson from Orochimaru? I wonder if he remembers Anko. Well let's see what I can pry out of his memory.' Orenji coughed as he said, "That is correct Naruto-sama. May I ask do you remember how the circle goes?"

Naruto started to think about it. He remembered this over and over in his sleep. He said, "I think it starts with Fire. Fire beats wind. Wind beats lightning. Lightning beats earth. Earth beats water. Finally water beats fire." Orenji nodded with a bit of pride that Naruto knew it.

"Excellent Naruto just excellent. You are a step closer to being the Hokage." Naruto beamed at the praise of his pet snake. Orenji smiled as he continued, "Now Naruto-sama, I think the Academy will teach you more about how this circle came to be and how to use it effectively." Naruto pouted slightly as he was not going to go into the subject deeper. Orenji slithered away from Naruto a bit.

"Naruto, we're going to work on the final part of the test, which is taijutsu. It is important for you to know hand to hand combat. So we are going to start with the different types of punches. Did you get the book on punches from the library?" Once he saw Naruto pull the book out he continued to speak, "Ok Naruto we are going to start with a normal stance. What stance does it say to start with? Read it out loud."

Naruto looked at the first page where it said stances. He read out loud, "The first thing you need to learn before anything else is the basic stance. The basic stance is the Side Squat Stance. To begin your body weight should be distributed 50% on each leg. Your legs should be spread shoulder width apart and the knees should be bowed outward so as to strengthen the stance. This is a side fighting stance, 75% defense and 25% offense. The feet should be pointing straight or at a slightly outward angle in front of the body and the hips should be tucked in so they are in line with the heels. The knees should be bent so they will allow slight viewing of the toes."

Orenji nodded as Naruto got up. He saw the photo in the book and imitated it. Although it looked correct Orenji could see many flaws in it. He slithered over to him and hit him in the stomach not hard enough to leave marks but to make him stumble back. As Naruto fell over he said, "Naruto the point of the stance is for you to not fall back and stumble. Let's try it again." Orenji was happy to see Naruto not complain but merely trued it again. Once he was in position Orenji tried it again only for Naruto to stumble only slightly.

"Much better Naruto. Try it again." Naruto once again got into position. He moved his leg over a bit and was set. Orenji once again hit Naruto. Naruto did not move. Orenji said, "Good adjustment Naruto." Orenji slithered to the book and gave it to Naruto. He asked, "What is the first punch you see? I want you to read the description out loud."

Naruto looked at it and said, "The first is the arm punch. It says the body is not used for leverage, and the force of the punch comes from the arm. Arm punches are notably weaker than punches in which the whole body is used. Arm punches are initially intended to hit the same side of the face by which the arm is thrown from - for example, if a left punch is thrown, the fist will make direct contact on the left side of the opponent's face."

Naruto saw a pictures of the motions of the arm punch as Orenji said "Naruto-sama that is a basic punch. What you must do is bring your right foot forward and punch with your right. Then you do the exact same with you left." Naruto nodded as he did exactly what Orenji said. He moved his right leg and punched with his right. Orenji liked Naruto's initial form. 'If he could keep progressing he will be able to pass that test with no problems!'
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While Naruto was training with Orenji, Sasuke was training with his brother. "Otouto come at me with your strongest hit." Itachi said with a stoic voice. Itachi was more of a hand's on type of a teacher. He always felt that if you can feel you mistake, you can remember it the next time and not do it again. He got into a regular stance as he saw Sasuke ready to attack. He said calmly, "Go"

With that Sasuke came at Itachi. He threw a punch only for it to be deflected by Itachi. He stumbled a bit only to see Itachi legs sweep him. He fell with ease as Itachi caught him and threw him. Itachi only used a little power as he did not want to truly hurt his brother. Sasuke was able to catch himself from hitting the tree behind him. He started to breathe a little harder as he felt the feeling in his legs starting to come back. Itachi looked almost passively as Sasuke came back at him this time with a kick.

'Not a good move, brother!' Itachi caught his brother's kick at his side. He squeezed it hard enough for Sasuke to feel it and yell in pain. "Oniisan let me go your hurting my leg!" Sasuke cried out. Itachi thought about it for a moment but decided against it. He pulled him closer to him and flipped him on his back. Itachi said, "Sasuke, your enemies are not going to be nice and let you go. Next time try to counter my attack. You got to be a lot quicker than before. Get up and try again."

Sasuke got up albeit shakily. His ankle felt like it was broken but he knew that this was one of the few times he was able to spar with his brother. 'I won't let you down Oniisan!' He charged his brother even with his noticeable limp. Itachi saw him coming but he was more concerned about his ankle. 'Was my grip a little too hard? Note to self: Remember your brother's age. I wonder was he's going to do next.' He heard his brother yell, "I got you this time Niisan!"

He did a sidekick only for his brother to catch his leg. Sasuke smiled as he used the opportunity to lift his other leg up and kick Itachi in the face. Itachi was so surprised that he did not have enough time to maneuver. It was a direct hit. Itachi instantly let go of Sasuke's leg only to see feel that same leg kick him behind the knee. He fell to one knee as he saw his brother coming with another punch. It happened in an instant, Itachi forgot who he was dealing with as he, with speed that Sasuke could not comprehend, grabbed Sasuke's arm, twisted it back, kick the poor boy's knees and put him into a submission hold. As Sasuke started to cry Itachi blinked and realized what he was doing. He let his brother go as a thousand thoughts went through his head. 'Oh Shit! What the hell did I do?'

"Otouto, are you ok?" Itachi's voice was one of concern. He saw his brother's head come up. There were tears flowing down his eyes. The boy hiccupped as he tried to stop the free falling tears. It was like a dagger to Itachi's heart knowing he was the cause of his brother's pain. He gently turned Sasuke over to check to see if there was any damage. He did a couple of hand signs and his hand had a green light. As Sasuke sniffled Itachi checked everything. It took a few moments for Itachi to finish his diagnosis. He sighed as there were no broken bones or anything like that. Sasuke finally fell asleep from his pain. He sighed as he gently lifted his brother up onto his shoulders and carried him into the house. Itachi's only thought was, 'The darkness of the Uchiha is growing within me too.'
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It was Friday morning and it was time for the Academy test. Naruto had wakened up extra early. Today he felt amazing. He had been studying extra hard and was ready. "Orenji-kun, it's time for breakfast." Orenji slithered to his master. He could feel the excitement flow through his master. It was so warm and bright. All Orenji could do is embrace it. He coiled himself around Naruto's leg. Naruto smiled as he pet his snake's head. Naruto took a quick shower and got dressed as Orenji ate an orange.

Naruto said, "Orenji take care of the place while I take one step closer to being the Hokage!" Orenji smiled as he waved his tail at the leaving Naruto. He made sure Naruto was gone and exhaled. It took a few seconds until he heard something.

"The boy is growing up so quickly Orenji. It seems like yesterday that I saw Naruto as a little baby with those innocent blue eyes. Wouldn't you agree Orenji-kun?"

Orenji nodded as he slithered towards the voice. He knew who it was but it still was a shock to see him. He looked up at the being with the voice and said, "It is a shock to see you outside of the summoning world Yamata-sama but yes Naruto-kun is growing in front of my eyes. Not to be rude but may I ask why you are here? You normally never leave Ryūchi Cave*."

Yamato was about twelve feet tall. He was a white snake with gold and purple stripes. One would call him regal as when he stood up on his tail his posture commanded respect. His left eye was red, like the winter-cherry, while his right eye was gold. On his back he had the kanji for "eight" on it. Orochimaru very rarely summoned Yamata as Orochi was closer to Manda. It would be 'disrespectful' to Manda to summon Yamata of all people.

Yamata replied to the orange snake, "It is quite alright Orenji, I now you weren't trying to be offensive. I came here to see the boy myself. After all it is highly unusual for the Hebi Clan to take a liking to a boy. I don't know about power or I should strength wise if he is capable of beating Manda and Orochi but I can feel his charisma three miles away. Let's be realistic, since you know him better than me, what should we work on to get him up to speed. I don't want him to be the dead last. Usually the dead last gets the worse teacher and I don't want that."

Orenji replied, "Yamata-sama, you're counting your snake eggs before they could even hatch. I'll work with his taijutsu and ninjutsu and fuinjutsu. If he is adept to it I'll find some to train him in genjutsu. I think he should learn kenjutsu but that's a little bit later. He will be ready!"

Yamata stroked his chin with his coiled tail. He liked the idea of having Naruto being trained in each subject. He said with a commanding tone, "Excellent idea Orenji-kun. The more he knows the better off he will be. Now how long can we prolong the inevitable? Orochi has been stymied due to that group he had joined but I have a feeling that is going to last long. We need to get ready for the war and you are one of my most powerful soldiers."

Orenji smiled inwardly as Yamata respected him. He said, "Yamata-sama, it will take a while. I would say six years to get Naruto into a position to fight. He more than likely will not be able to fight Orochi face to face but he'll be able to be an asset to the rebellion."

"Does he know about the rebellion?" Yamata asked with much curiosity,

Orenji admitted, "Not yet. As much as he trusts me I can't trust him with that. He's only six years old. I honestly don't like the thought of telling a six year old about a rebellion that would wreak havoc all over the place. To be honest, I'm on edge as to him talking about me to anyone at this point. You know the backlash would be catastrophic to our cause!"

The white snake nodded his head sagely as he saw Orenji's point. With a whip of his golden tail, he said, "Good point Orenji-kun. It hard to imagine he is only the innocent age of six. Orenji-kun, I will be popping up time to time to see his progress. I will be sending you some scrolls for Naruto to learn from. I hope to see amazing results. I trust you with his and my life."

Orenji used his tail to salute him. He bowed his head as he spoke, "Thank you Yamata-sama. I will not let you or Naruto-kun down."
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Naruto finally made it to the academy. It was no a far walk as it was than a mile away. However he could feel eyes peering at him. He shuddered slightly inwardly as it was, not by any means, something normal. However they didn't Naruto Uzumaki. He kept his head up and was ready for anything.

Well almost anything.

Naruto looked around and saw something that broke his heart. He saw all the kids with their parents. With his sensitive hearing he heard the 'I love you', 'you always make me proud', and the 'you'll do fine, I promise'. He heard it all. His fists were bawled because even he didn't want to admit it to anyone out loud, he would give almost anything to hear one just one I love you. He sighed dejectedly as he went onto the swing and read the book "Fūton and You: How to be Properly Aligned with the Wind". He was so into the book that he almost did not notice two shadows blocking the sun.

Almost.

"Hello Naruto-kun. I see you are ready for the test." The voice was soft and almost lacked any emotion.

Naruto looked up to see not one but two black haired people in front of him. He blinked as he recognized one of the boys. He said with incredulous deep into his voice, "Is that you Karasu? Wow I've never seen you without your mask on! I mean without looking through the mask of course. I see that you still haven't gotten any sleep. You just never listen!" Naruto huffed as he looked the other boy up and down. The boy looked so much like Itachi. He was a lot younger than Karasu and Karasu was with him to take him to his test. Naruto's eyes went wide as it all made sense now. He put one and one together and said with such finality, "Oh it's about time Karasu. I thought you would never let me see your son!"

Silence.

Itachi's eyes went wide as the pocky he was eating fell out of his mouth. This was the second time Naruto had said this. If Naruto keeps saying stupid things like this, rumours will start. The last thing he or the Uchiha need is rumours about incest. Sasuke looked at his brother with great confusion. What did this mysterious blond boy know that he didn't? Sasuke said with much uncertainty, "Oniisan, you're my Tou-san?"

Just like that.

Itachi gave Naruto a glare as he said, "Naruto, this is my brother, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke this is Naruto Uzumaki. He's here to take the test like you." Both Naruto and Sasuke mouthed O as they understood why they both were here. He got off the swing and held his hand out to the black haired boy. The black haired boy was not used to this. He was taught extensively to bow when you meet someone you have met for the first time. So it was natural to him that he bowed to Naruto. Naruto cocked an eyebrow as it was unusual to him but nonetheless bowed to Sasuke.

Sasuke said, "It is nice to meet you, Naruto-san. I hope we will be in the same class together." Sasuke was polite but it was still weird to him that his brother knew this blond haired boy. For that matter why didn't Itachi mention him sooner? Did Itachi rob him of a potential friend? For that matter where are his parents? He asked with curiosity, "Naruto-san, why are you here by yourself? Why aren't your parents here?"

Itachi visibly flinched at the notion but it went unnoticed by his little brother. Naruto was thankful to have the book back in his face at the time so he could recollect himself. He looked over the book with a fake smile planted on. He said with a fake chuckle, "Oh, they are on a mission so they couldn't come today." That calmed Itachi down for a moment. However that made Sasuke even more curious. Itachi was learning as time has gone by that the curiosity of child was like chakra of a Bijuu; massive.

"What kind of missions do your parents do? Are they super strong ninjas? What are their names?" With each question, it became harder for Naruto to keep the fake smile on his face. Itachi saw that Naruto was about to start shaking. Before Naruto could respond the voice over the loud speakers said it was time for the test to start. Itachi had an audible sigh as Naruto was saved from the hot seat by the test. He said, "Come on Otouto. It's time to get take the test. We'll see you around Naruto –kun."

Naruto nodded as he ran with his book hugged close to him. 'I got to work on my fake smile. I don't need anyone's sympathy. Just because, I don't know who they are, doesn't mean I don't have any! Right? Right! Arrgh, I Got to keep focus on the test!' As Naruto was trying to focus he did not look at where he was going.

Crash!

Naruto went sprawling to ground with the book falling next to him. He looked up to see a tall regal man looking down at him as he held his daughter's hand. He wanted to say something but his mouth could not move as the pupil-less man peered down at him. The man ordered one of his servants, with a great amount of strictness, to help the boy up. The man said, "Watch where you are going next time, Uzumaki-san." Naruto could only look at the man with a scowl as the man's daughter hid behind her father with a blush. He just picked up his book and went into the building.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

After Naruto signed the proper forms for the test and went into the classroom. He watched as the parents gave their children their last words of encouragement before the test. He sighed as he saw one kid right next to him fell asleep on the desk. 'Did he just fall asleep?' As a curious boy, Naruto did the only sensible thing to do. He poked the boy with a pencil. The boy did not move. Naruto could only blink as the body stayed still. He poked him one more time. The boy looked up to see blond hair. The boy said in a bored one, "Why did you yawn wake me up? It was starting to get good." Naruto eyes went wide. 'The boy was sleeping! But why would he sleep especially during the test?'

Naruto said slowly, "You know today is the test to get into the academy, right?" The boy sighed as he heard the boy talked. He really wanted to sleep before the two he considered his brother and sister comes in and take the test with him. He knew his 'sister' will wake him up and keep bothering him. All he wanted to get five more minutes. Unfortunately he got the wrong kid to sit next to. When he didn't answer Naruto, Naruto took it upon himself to poke him…again.

"Yes, I'm up! Are you happy?" The boy said with a slight irritation in his voice.

Naruto didn't pay him any heed. He was too caught up in the fact that the boy wasn't excited but instead went to sleep. He said indignantly, "Dude, I don't want you to fail the test because you fell asleep! This is where you find out if you will become a ninja!"

The boy replied irritably, "First off dude, my name is Shikamaru. Second I highly doubt that one test will tell us if we are going to be ninjas or not. If it is that easy then everyone can become a ninja. Don't you think?' Shika had a point. It would be too easy for anyone to become a ninja. This made Naruto think about the test a little more.

"So Shika-"

"The name is Shikamaru"

"Yea whatever Shika. Now Shika if this test is the only way into the academy what do you think is going to be on it? There has to be a trick somewhere." As much as the boy has irritated him, the blond boy was right. 'What else could be on there? Heh, the boy is not an idiot after all but he is definitely something. I just can't think of the word.'

Shika looked the boy with lazy eyes and said, "What's your name?"

Naruto smiled as he said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage!" Shikamaru chuckled at the boy. Naruto would have frowned but he decided to smile instead. He faked laughed as he continued, "Just wait Shika, when I become the Hokage, you will eat your words!"

"Did someone say munch thing about eating?" Naruto looked up to see a big boy eating a bag of chips. The boy has a much more robust physique than anyone Naruto has seen. The boy had little swirls on his face and had brown hair. Naruto looked over to his acquaintance and could tell that they knew each other. The brown haired boy asked Shika, "Who's munch this? I've never seen him before."

Shika pointed at Naruto and said, "Chouji that's Naruto and Naruto that's Chouji." Naruto shook Chui's hand. Naruto had a huge smile on his face. He was starting to gain friends. Before he could do anything else a teacher walked into the classroom. Shika wondered if where his 'sister' was. 'She's probably in another classroom.'

The teacher gave out pieces of paper to the children and said, "Ok boys and girls, you will see the top page is bigger than the others. On the top it asks for you name. Write your name and fold it to the dotted line." The ninja was surprised how quiet and in controlled these kids were. He watched as the kids did what they were told. When he saw the last one finish, he said, "Now I want you to look at the questions and answer as many you can before I say time. You cannot ask any questions about the test. After you are done you will keep them and take it to the next part of the test. Are there any questions?" There were no questions.

"Begin!"
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The test was about an hour and a half long and Naruto was smiling. The first test was easy. He knew that he passed that test with flying colors. The test was on adding, subtracting, spelling and other simple stuff. He and Shikamaru were the first to finish. They were told to go downstairs to start the second part of the test. When he got of the classroom, he saw Sasuke coming out of the other classroom. He waved to the boy but he didn't see him. He shrugged at the boy. He look to his left and saw the shy pupil-less girl who hid behind her father earlier coming out of her classroom. 'Why is she of shy?' Naruto said, "Hey what's your name?"

The girl squeaked like a mouse as she knew the boy was talking about her. She became red in the face as she twiddled her fingers. She said with a stutter, "M-m-my n-name is H-Hinata H-Hyuga." Naruto grinned at her causing her to get redder. He smiled as most kids wouldn't tell him their names so this was like heaven to him.

He said, "It's nice to meet you Hinata. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He was compelled to bow. All she could do was bow and twiddled her fingers. Naruto looked at the time and his eyes went wide. He said as he started to run towards the stairs, "I have to get going Hina-chan. Hopefully, I'll see you in the academy!"

Her face went flush as one thought came to mind, 'He called me Hina-chan!'
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto walked downstairs only to get hit with darkness. 'What the hell is going on?' He got into a defensive stance only to see a bright light. He shielded his eyes from the brightness. When he opened them completely he was able to see what looked like outside. He was definitely confused as to what the hell was going on. He was soon knocked off his feet as a voice boomed out of nowhere, "Ok kid, welcome to the second part of the exam. Before we can begin, please take out the paper from the first test and put it on the table to your right." Naruto wiped the sweat off of his face. He did what he was told only to see a shadow take the paper from him.

The voice said, "The second part of the Academy test is to see your throwing abilities. In front of you are thirty kunais. The first part of this test is to see the accuracy of your throws. You will see a target on the dummy, try to hit the red dot. We will tell you when you are finished with the first part. Begin."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

It has been an hour since Naruto finished the academy test. To be honest the test was not like anything Naruto had expected. 'Man, my arm is sore! He kept telling me to keep throwing. Then we had this 'pulse' test. I don't even know what it was for. All that guy did was touch me and he burned his hand! How did he burn his hand for that matter? Know what it doesn't matter. I'm going to go home and go to sleep!

As Naruto trudged his way home, he failed to notice two people looking at him on top of the rooftop. The first one had short brown hair and dark eyes with protruding bags He wore the standard Konoha Shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wore as a bandanna, flak jacket and regular shinobi sandals. He also carried a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back. He said, "I can't believe it has been cough three years since the event.

The man next to him nodded sadly. He is a tall, fit ninja, with his tall and spiky white hair, forehead protector regularly covering his scarred left eye, and his chronically visible mask. He always wears the standard Konoha shinobi outfit along with iron plated gloves from his ANBU days On his arms he wears black sleeves with metal arm protectors over them. He also has leather straps around his back and chest. He sighed as depression overwhelmed him. "Look Ryuu, I-"

The one formally known as Ryuu interrupted him as he said, "Kakashi, I'm at peace at cough what happened. You got to learn cough how to let it go." He put his hand on his back to comfort him. "We didn't know what to expect cough when we went into his house."

Kakashi replied with guilt, "I know but it still should not have gone down like that. Maybe if I-"

Ryuu snapped, "If you did what Kakashi? We completed over seven hundred missions together without a serious casualty in a row. That is the second highest only to the Sannin who did over a thousand. It was bound to happen sometime or another. I was just lucky that we were in Konoha and near the hospital."

Kakashi nodded as he thought about it. He said, "Hayate, what did the doctor say about your condition?"

Hayate coughed as he said, "She said that my dream of becoming a real boy is over." Hayate cracked a smile as Kakashi did one of his famous eye smiles. That was one of the things that Kakashi liked about Hayate other than his versatility was his jokes and calming demeanor. Hayate said, "Doc said that I'll live but I have to be careful. If I took one more fume, I would have been DOA. I'm lucky enough to say that I survived. You know what it reminded me of?"

"What's that?" Kakashi asked curiously.

Hayate laughed while he was coughing. He said, "Do you remember our one hundredth mission to Cha no Kuni (Land of Tea)?" Kakashi blinked as he thought about it. It dawned on him as a smile slowly grew on his masked face as he started to laugh.

He said, "You don't mean that mission? Thank Kami for Neko knocking that crazy bitch out! She had that turkey baster waiting primed for us. She was mostly smitten over Karasu. She nearly broke that boy off."

Hayate laughed as he said, "Yea what a way to cough pop your cherry! The Hokage lit into our asses cough especially when Mikoto almost sued us for getting her baby boy in her words 'fucked by a scheming, conniving banshee of a harlot'. Fugaku was only mad cough because their might be someone who has gained the 'Uchiha' sperm."

Kakashi could only laugh, "I bought him an Icha Icha Paradise book. He told me that he gained a new `respect' for the series. Now he has the whole collection!" They both bust out laughing.

Once they caught their breath, Hayate let out a sullen sigh. He said, "Kakashi, Neko told me about your plan to leave the ANBU to be the sensei of Naruto in a few years. I find it weird that you are taking such a leap of fate that he even passes the test." Kakashi shook head at the notion that Neko could keep her mouth shut. Hayate continued, "I thought about it for a little bitcough and I came to two conclusions. The first was that because of cough how close Naruto looks to the Yondaime, you cough feel compelled to be his teacher. The second is the cough infamous grudge that you are known to carry. So you decided that you cough would vindicate the Yondaime and myself by hindering him. Neither of the events was of his own doing. I would hope cough it is the former of the two.

But I brought it for a more personal reason. Along with Karasu, I've been cough asked to watch him during the night as a few threats cough have been followed through while the boy is asleep. I've seen him do some things that I have to admit that I was impressed about. I'm going to keep cough shadowing him. If I still find him impressive, I'm going to-
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

It has been two days since the entry exam for the Academy. Due to the fact that this is a ninja business and not a civilian business, the Sandaime Hokage has issued a meeting with the Shinobi Council. It did not help that most of the Clan Heads' children were also taking the test. He saw everyone in the Shinobi Council even his advisers present and silently waiting for him to speak. He lit his pipe as he always did before a meeting. He took a puff before speaking, "Good morning council members. As always, it is great to see all of you in great health.

As you all know two days ago we gave the young ones the entry exam to get into one of our foundations known as the Academy. Since the Academy is from ages six through twelve, we let that age group test. This year, because of the piss poor way of testing that has pushed forth less than exceptional students into the academy, we have implemented a new blind system. We told them to fold their names so it could not be seen. They took the written test and held onto the test. We then put them in the dark hall way where they can only see the practice field and a voice telling them where they are told to put their test on the desk. What they do not know is on the desk there was a seal. Once the paper touched the "desk" it automatically bonds the folded paper and only those with authorization can open. In this darkness, four trained shinobi are watching the child. One is grading the written test, while the other three are watching the speed and accuracy of the kunai. The three ninjas put the child accuracy and speed into the files I have here today."

With a look of confusion on the Shinobi Council's face, Hiruzen sighed as he took out five files and responded, "I know it sounds complicated but it was highly effective. With that out of the way, I'm going to talk about the percentages. Out of three hundred students only eighty nine passed. This means about twenty nine percent of the children passed. The older children had a harder test and I was much stricter for them but that is beside the point. In my hand here are the five top exams. The top five get to use the academy training ground with no limits. The top three also get an unlimited library card where they are able to take out an unlimited amount of books for two academic years. The top grade will have the unlimited library card for life and full time access to the elemental jutsu side. He or she will carry a key of the library so they can access it during the night."

The Shinobi Council was in a state of awe at the reward for the top grade. The one who wanted the top spot the most were the Hyuga and the Uchiha Clans. Both had a huge chance for their 'children' to win as each was tutored by extraordinary tutors in Kurenai and Itachi. They were extremely anxious as to who will win. Fugaku thought, 'The top student will have full access of the library? What the hell is he thinking? That means one student will have the ability to access the forbidden side of the library where some of the most powerful jutsus lie. From what I have heard it contains second tier elements like Enton Release. Imagine all the possibilities! That boy better get the top score.'

Well the Uchiha more than then Hyuga. The Hyuga had stayed into his stoic form as the Hokage cleared his throat. "The way the test is determined is by a total of forty points. The written test is worth ten points. The accuracy is worth 15 points meaning 5 from each of the ninja judges. The speed is also worth 15 points once again5 from each judge. Without further ado let's name the top five academic students. Number five had a score of 32.5 out of 40 or an average of 82 was Hinata Hyuga! Congratulations Hiashi."

As the members of the council clapped, Hiashi was bitterly disappointed. 'Even with a tutor in Kurenai, she still could not be the best among six year olds. What a waste! I bet Fugake-teme's spawn got the top prize. Kami, how much I hate that arrogant tool!' Hiashi thought.

Fugaku had an all knowing smirk. '1It's all over Hyuga the Uchiha is much better than you losers. The Hokage might as well hand it over to me. Shows that old monkey who's who. That's what you get for trying to put me in my place. I can't wait till I see that old monkeys face. The Uchiha is gaining power!'

"From the report, Hinata-chan did well on the written and accuracy but fell slightly on the speed. That will improve with the fourth top student, who had a score of 36.5, is….Shikamaru Nara. Congrats on your son's achievement. He got a perfect score on the written portion and exceptional work with accuracy. He seemed to become 'lazy' on the speed test just like a typical male Nara." The Hokage had a huge smirk on his face as he took a jab at Shikaku. The Nara shook his head as he was happy for his son although he wished he didn't get the male Nara curse.

As everyone clapped at their fellow Clan Head members child getting the top five, Fugaku smirked even more as another competitor bit the dust. 'That Nara kid was another possible threat. With him out of the way no one of these Clan Heads' children is going to win!'

The Sandaime got the third highest. He said, "This one scored a 38 on his or her test. The report says that the person has great potential as the throwing ability is good but not the best and the written test was a perfect. Now as you remember the top three get an unlimited library card where they are able to take out an unlimited amount of books for two academic years. So congratulations to Sakura Haruno!" It surprised many that Saya's daughter was actually going to take the test after Saya's early retirement. They congratulated her nonetheless.

The Sandaime held up the number two folder. "I must admit that I love looking at future shinobi files. It makes me feel good when I look at all of your files when you were this age and see you all of you grown up. It makes me feel even older to be reading your children files. Now stop all the mushy stuff. The number two had an outstanding 39 points! The report from the ninjas read that he or she has a perfect written test and perfect speed. The accuracy of the throw was one off by a slight point. To be honest, if this is number two, I'm anxious to see what the top score might be. The second highest score is none other than Sasuke Uchiha!"

The Shinobi Council clapped as Fugaku turned red. It was not of happiness or pride. It was of hatred, resentment, detested, and most vividly anger. His anger was scaling off the charts. 'No! How can he not have the top spot! THIS HAS TO BE A TRICK! Yea that's it! A TRICK!' Hiruzen could clearly see the anger and anguish in Fugaku's eyes. He inwardly smirked as he thought, 'Yeah, I bet you thought your spawn was the best around. Ha! However I am deeply interested in the number one.'

"Well I guess it's time to find who the number one student is. His or Her report reads that he or she might be the next coming of the Yondaime! I feel that is a stretch though. The report also read that due to how accurate and how fast his or her throws were, they were forced to him or her to test again 25 times!" This awed everyone but Fugaku. His hands couldn't stop shaking as this person could possibly be better than his child and he couldn't have that. Danzō had a feeling as to who it was but kept his mouth shut. Sandaime continued, "The young one also had a perfect test score. His overall grade was a 39.9. The only reason it was not a perfect score was one of the ninjas never gives a 10 but it was still extremely impressive as no has gotten anything higher than a nine before. So without further ado the number one student is…" The tension grew as they council wanted their children to be around this kid so they could learn from him/her or in the Uchihas case kill him or marry her.

The Sandaime's eyes went wide as he looked at the name. He could only utter one name

"Naruto Uzumaki"