Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Acknowledgement	By : trutenor Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1647 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Yes, I'm still alive! This is chapter 3 of Acknowledgement. It was done like 8-9 months ago, but I never took the time to post it here (my fault, severe laziness and horrible cpu connection). I'm posting chapter 3 here for 2 reasons:

1) This was something that I've been trying to do for the longest. Plus, for fans who like smut and lemon, this saves them from having to go to ff.net for chapter 3.

2) After my long hiatus from fanfiction, I am making a return. Chapter 4 of Acknowledgement Is back into production!

To everyone that sent emails, thank you! They really meant a lot to me, even when I was absent for long periods of time!
"Byakugan!" Hinata yelled as she activated the jutsu that came from her advanced bloodline.

"Hinata-chan! Do you see anything?"

"Naruto-kun! Behind you!"

Naruto turned around and saw smoke disappearing. As the smoke disappeared, a figure that had been hiding in there became clearer to see. When Naruto saw who it was, his mouth opened wide.

"Greetings, Naruto. It's been a long time..."

"Naruto-kun? What is the matter? Do you know who he is?"

"Ebisu-sensei...the closet pervert that fell victim to my Harem no Jutsu...why is that old hag giving him to me and Hinata-chan?"

Chapter 3: Path to Chunnin! The first day of training begins!

-----

"Looks like I'm the first one here..."

Hyuga Neji had just arrived at the Konoha bridge fifteen minutes early. Being the first one there, Neji closed his eyes and meditated for a bit to clear his mind and reflect on where his life journey had taken him so far...

At the tender age of three, his life had been changed forever...when his uncle Hiashi had placed the branch clan curse upon his forehead, signifying that he was "inferior" to the main house of the Hyuga dynasty. Despite all that, Neji rose to become the best and most powerful Hyuga warrior in the branch and main houses combined. There was a reason why Neji had been ranked the #1 rookie of the previous genin class...this kid could fight, and he did it well. His attacks were smooth like water, yet strong like a rock. To make a long story short, Neji was unsurpassed in skill, technique, and power, and was almost invincible...

That was what Neji had thought at first...until he suffered defeat at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto...

Naruto had graduated (just barely) at the bottom of the class. He was known as the biggest prankster in all of Konoha. For whatever reason that they had, everyone in the village hated this young man that had no family.

But inside that stadium during the chunnin finals, Naruto was a different person from the prankster and troublemaker that people often said that he was...

For one thing, his persistence to win had been annoying at first, but upon understanding the nature of his "never give up" attitude, Neji had to admit that Naruto had earned his respect that day...

Naruto did not fight for himself that day...he had fought for his cousin Hinata...as well as the rest of the Hyuga empire. Naruto had said he would one day "change" the clan when he finally achieved the rank of Hokage. This was the joke that everyone laughed at. Naruto was the last person that anybody would expect to become Hokage. What a funny joke...Naruto...Hokage...but then again...maybe it wasn't a joke after all...

Naruto's strength had come from his desire to help others...caring for others...that seemed to be true strength...

But despite his lost, Neji did not feel like a loser. In fact, Neji finally felt free...free from the curse that befell all Hyuga's that just happened to be born on the "branch" side. Why did this have to matter so freaking much? What difference did it make of who was born first and on which side? Konoha was supposed to be known for its strength and unity among the people, yet ironically, segregation was taking place behind closed doors.

But that did not stop the progress of Hyuga Neji...being one of the "chosen" few selected by newly appointed chunnin Nara Shikamaru, Neji went on a quest to rescue the only remaining member of the other clan said to rival that of the Hyuga: The Uchiha...

That battle with Orochimaru's men had been a true test of his skills as a ninja...Neji had thought that he would die on that battlefield, but the impact that Naruto's words had made in his heart had given Neji the strength, and the will, to defeat his foe and buy time for the others...

Everything went black after that last blow to his opponent. "Death is coming..." Were the words that entered the Hyuga prodigies mind, but his thoughts had proven him wrong when his comrades, who had succeeded in their mission to bring back the runaway Uchiha, waked him up a while later and helped him to get back to the village for some much needed rest and recuperation.

His skills had always been praised...only this time; they would finally be given the respect that they deserved. Upon returning to the village, Neji was appointed by Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, to be trained to become an Anbu member. Becoming an Anbu was the next best thing to being a sennin, or Hokage itself.

Being trained for a new position meant getting new teammates as well. One of those new teammates was from Kurenai's team, the same team that his cousin Hinata happened to be on. Aburame Shino was the name of this new teammate, and he came from the mysterious Aburame clan, a clan that used bugs as a way of life. "Shino could prove to be a very useful teammate..." Neji thought...

But it was that other new teammate that was going to be on his team that had peeved Neji off a bit. Neji's other teammate was going to be none other then Uchiha Sasuke...

Sasuke came from the Uchiha clan...the clan said to rival that of the Hyuga. While the Uchiha's didn't have the ability of "Byakugan", they were blessed with a different eye jutsu called "Sharigan". According to the stories that he had read about the history of Konohagakure, the Uchiha clan was slightly related to the Hyuga clan. Which meant that Sasuke was like a distant cousin or something.

If Sasuke was a distant cousin, then it had to be true since Sasuke was the new #1 ranked rookie of the current genin class. This was the dream match that everybody in the village had dreamed about. The Hyuga versus the Uchiha. Which clan was stronger?

Upon the beginning of the chunnin exams, a part of Neji had wanted to test the skills of the Uchiha prodigy, but he had more important matters to deal with at the time...being frustrated with his place in the Hyuga clan, Neji took all his anger out on his cousin Hinata.

Long after the chunnin exams had ended, Neji thought that one day he might get that chance to challenge Sasuke, but then Sasuke had decided to run away from the village and turn his back on it. So Neji and the rest of the members on his team found him, beat his ass, and brought him back to the village.

And now this guy...the same guy, who had run away from everything, was going to be on the same team as him? That was not right...that Uchiha brat didn't deserve to be on the same team. This was one of those times when Neji had to question the reasoning of the Hokage. Why would Tsunade put an ungrateful brat on one of the most elite teams in the village? Something just didn't add up here...

And speaking of Uchiha's, Sasuke was starting to approach the Konoha bridge now. Neji had opened his eyes upon feeling the strong aura of chakra emanating from the Uchiha boy.

Both boys glared at each other upon initial eye contact. They were both a bit upset with each other. Sasuke was still a bit unhappy that the Hyuga snob had assisted in preventing him from reaching Orochimaru while Neji was not delighted to see the ungrateful brat that he had risked his life for to rescue on the same team as him.

Let's just hope that the instructor for this team is extremely strong and powerful...already, 2 of its members were off to a rocky start, and things can quickly become chaotic at the drop of a hat...

-----

"Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino...It's good to see you 2 ladies again..."

Umino Iruka had just arrived at the Ninja Academy and was discussing the new plans for the school while enjoying a small breakfast of tea and rice balls.

"It's a shame that you won't be able to teach the students anymore, Iruka-sensei..." Sakura sighed while she drank a cup of green tea.

"Yeah. There isn't a better teacher then you..." Ino also added in while pouring a cup of tea for Iruka.

"Thanks for the compliments, girls." Iruka thanked the ladies as he accepted the cup of tea from Ino. "But you know what the state of Konoha is in. I'm needed out in the field more then I am in the school. But that's why you 2 are here. To ensure that the school doesn't need to close again."

"But...do you really think that we can do it?" Sakura asked while taking a bite out of a rice ball.

"There isn't a more qualified person to teach then you two." Iruka said while bringing the cup of tea to his lips. "When the Hokage showed me the progress reports of all of my students, I saw who was capable of teaching and who was not. You and Ino were the perfect match."

"What about Shikamaru?" Ino asked, while drinking some tea. "Isn't he the genius? How come you didn't have him teach instead?"

"I thought about that..." Iruka said slowly, being careful to choose how he said his words. "But...Shikamaru's skills are needed out in the field more. Also...being a teacher is about more then just knowing information. One must be able to have an impact on their students and give them a reason to want to learn. Nothing against Shikamaru, but he really isn't the most enthusiastic of ninjas. The ninja academy teacher must be able to reach out to the ones that they teach."

"I see..." Both Sakura and Ino replied while slowly nodding their heads forward.

"Now..." Iruka said putting down his cup of tea. "Let's get started on what you 2 will need to be able to teach."

Iruka pulled out a couple of books out of his bag and handed one to each kunoichi. Iruka then pulled out a third copy of the same book for himself.

"These are your ninja academy teacher guides." Iruka began as he opened the book to the first page. "Inside are suggestions for dealing with the students as well as a list of all of the basic jutsus of Konoha. There are also writings on describing the different types of ninja techniques such as Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu, as well as descriptions on the animal hand gestures needed to activate certain kind of jutsus. Are there any questions?"

"Just one." Sakura said, raising her hand up. "If I'm not mistaken, a minimum rank of Chunnin is required to be able to be a ninja academy teacher. Now...are we officially chunnins?"

"Not quite." Iruka said as he went back into his bag. "But if you teach at the ninja academy for a couple of years, you can slowly work your way up to a Chunnin."

Iruka pulled out 2 badges with the Konoha symbol on them and handed them to Sakura and Ino.

"Those badges give you the rank of a special genin as well as the rank of a Ninja Academy teacher. During a mission, you will have the rank of genin, but while you are teaching at Ninja Academy, your title will be a bit higher. You 2 are now officially qualified to teach students in Ninja Academy and help them become genins. "

"Is the role of a special genin similar to the role of a special jounin, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked while looking inside the teacher guide.

"Somewhat." Iruka replied back. "The only difference is that you and Ino are only qualified to teach students that are academy students and ninja's that are genin. Here is a guide to help you 2 understand a bit better..."

Iruka pulled out a big piece of paper from his bag and opened it up.

"Here are the ninja rankings. I'm sure that you've seen this before, but this one goes more into depth then the old version. Here at the top, you see the picture of Tsunade-sama, our fifth Hokage. Underneath her, you see a picture of Jiraiya, a sennin. Underneath him are Kakashi and Asuma, your team leaders who also happen to be Jounin, or elite ninjas. Underneath them is the special Jounin Ebisu. As a special Jounin, Ebisu is qualified to teach anybody in Konoha and help him or her advance to the next rank or improve his or her skills as shinobi. Underneath Ebisu is a picture of Shikamaru, a chunnin. Chunnins are qualified to teach as well as have a team of genin underneath them to do missions. Underneath Shikamaru is Naruto, a genin. And underneath Naruto is Konohamaru, Ninja Academy student. In between Naruto and Shikamaru we will put your pictures ladies." Iruka says while pulling out a marker and drawing 2 heads of Sakura and Ino. "You 2 are special genin. Your abilites are very similar to Ebisu except that you can only teach people that are below your ninja rank."

"Now I have a question." Ino says while raising her hand. "If Ebisu is a lot more qualified to teach then us, then how come you don't have him run the ninja academy?"

"Ebisu has just taken on 2 students personally, so he would not have the time to run the ninja academy." Iruka says, finishing off a rice ball. "But don't worry. You 2 will do fine! I have the utmost confidence in both of your teaching abilities ladies! Now are there any other questions?"

Both ladies shook their heads no.

"Good." Iruka said getting up from his seat and closing his bag. "Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back home and pack. I have a B-ranked mission to go to tomorrow morning. I will be gone for about 2-4 days."

"Thanks for the advice, Iruka-sensei!" Sakura happily yelled at Iruka as he started to walk towards his home.

"We won't let you down!" Ino also happily yelled while she waved her hands goodbye.

As soon as Iruka was gone, Sakura and Ino went back into the Ninja Academy classroom to clean up.

"We will do fine, Sakura! Those children are in good hands with us in charge!"

"Hell yeah!" Sakura replied back to Ino. "We will teach and raise the best students in Konoha village!"

,i>"At least...I hope we can do it..." Inner Sakura thought. "I just hope we haven't bitten off more then we can chew..."

-----

"Tell me something...Uchiha..." Neji asked with a hint of disdain in his voice. "Why did you leave the village?"

"Personal reasons...Hyuga..." Sasuke responded back also with some slight coldness. "Reasons that have nothing to do with Konoha..."

There was a bit of silence between the two genins as they digested the slight bit of conversation that they shared with each other. Neji closed his eyes again and meditated, while Sasuke just looked over in a different direction with his chin resting on his fingers. Finally, about 2 minutes later, Sasuke spoke again...

"Now I have a question for you..." Sasuke asked, still looking away in a different direction. "Why did you go after me?"

"Shikamaru asked me..." Neji answered back, eyes still closed. "He needed the best genin that he felt most worthy to go after you and bring you back to the village..."

"Just don't get in my way..."

"I should be saying that to you..."

"hmph..."

"hmph..."

'Hey guys..."

Sasuke looked in the opposite direction while Neji opened his eyes. Both boys looked towards the Konoha bridge and saw Aburame Shino, their third teammate, approaching them.

"Hey..." Was all that Sasuke said.

"Shino..." Neji responded.

Shino found a corner of his own to stand in. Once he was nice and comfortable, the sounds of silence entered the Konoha bridge once again...

"So..."Shino spoke up, breaking the silence. "Do either of you know who our teacher is going to be?"

"No..." both Sasuke and Neji said simultaneously, almost like they were twins.

"Oh..." Shino responded back. Everything suddenly went silent again...

Shino looked at his watch after a while. It was now 5:15 a.m. Their teacher was 15 minutes late. What kind of teacher was late?

"Sorry I'm a little late...but a fire broke out in Konoha village, and I used a couple of water jutsus to put out some of it until the Konoha fire department was able to arrive..."

Sasuke smirked when he heard that comment. Only one person made up excuses for his tardiness...

"Liar..." Sasuke said to the shinobi that had just arrived at the Konoha bridge.

"Sasuke..." the shinobi, known as Hatake Kakashi responded back. "It's been a while..."

"Is he always late for training missions?" Neji asked.

"Pretty much..." Sasuke answered.

"Then the rumors that Kurenai-sensai told my team were true..." Shino added in.

"What rumors?" Kakashi asked Shino.

"That you are always late to meetings, missions, or anything else that requires you to show up at a specific time. And rather then tell the truth, you always make up some kind of lame excuse for your tardiness..."

"Who is making up excuses? I'm telling the truth! There was a fire in downtown Konoha! I had to use a couple of water jutsus to put out some of it!"

"You might be an elite ninja," Neji added in, "But you are a horrible liar."

Kakashi sighed as he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha paradise. It looked like this team was going to be the same as his old team 7...

-----

"Hokage-sama!" Yelled one of the assistants as he ran into the Hokage office.

"...huh...what's going on?"

"Hokage-sama! You were asleep, weren't you?!"

"Me? Asleep? No...I wasn't asleep..."

"Yes you were! I just saw you!

"No I wasn't..." Tsunade said as she wiped some drool off of her face. "I was working on a new jutsu that goes deep into the subconscious. While it is in effect, it gives people the impression that one is asleep when really they are not..."

"A new jutsu, huh?" The assistant questioned Tsunade.

"Of course. Anyway, what is the commotion?"

"A fire started in downtown Konoha about 5 am this morning. Fortunately, Hatake Kakashi was able to keep it from spreading by using a couple of water jutsus until the Konoha fire department arrived to finish the job."

"So the fire is out now?"

"Yes."

"Was anybody injured or killed?"

"As far as we know, no..."

"Good. I want a full report at noon. And make sure that I'm not disturbed again until Nara Shikamaru arrives at 6 a.m. as I want to perfect this new mind jutsu that I'm working on."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The assistant said as he went towards the door. "I'll make sure of that."

As soon as the assistant was out of the room, Tsunade lay her head back on the desk again and went back to sleep.

"damn...this is what I get for gambling late last night...and what's worse is that I didn't win a single game of blackjack either...oh well..."

And just like that, Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, was asleep once more...

-----

"...I have no dreams for the future...my dreams are all in the past...but I do want to kill a certain individual..."

Neji had thought at first that he shouldn't give a damn about what Sasuke had said, but it sounded familiar somewhat...whoever Sasuke had a vendetta against reminded Neji of his feud with the main family of the Hyuga clan. Neji had felt the same way that Sasuke did. Once he had received that branch curse upon his forehead at age three, Neji had felt like any dreams that he might have had for the future would only become a thing of the past. But then after Naruto defeated him in the chunnin finals, his uncle Hiashi tried to "make up" with him. On that day, Neji realized that slowly, the Hyuga clan had just taken its first step towards change. Thanks to Naruto, Neji's dreams that he had put away in the past just might have a chance of making it into the future.

"It seems that the Uchiha brat isn't much different from myself...maybe I can set him free the way Naruto set me free..."

"Befpre we go any further..." Kakashi said, looking up from his book for a second. "...I think there is something that you should know...none of you...are Anbu..."

That comment got the attention of all three young shinobi's. What did he mean "not Anbu?" The Hokage had said that they would be training for Anbu! Was he lying?

"Let me clarify..." Kakashi said, holding up a hand to calm his team down. "None of you are quite ready for Anbu. But all three of you come from clans with advanced bloodlines that have abilities that would suit Anbu very well. After Orochimaru's attack during the chunnin finals, we lost a lot of Anbu, and replacing them has been even more difficult a task then regular ninjas. Some of the assignments that were reserved solely for Anbu have now been passed down due to our low number. But you from clans with natural abilities that are perfect for scouting. So the Hokage has decided to make a special genin team designed to take on a couple of the lighter assignments that the Anbu normally do. You three were her top picks in making a new "Anbu genin" team. Your team name is "team Anbu." You are all still regular genins, but you can become drafted to Anbu after being on this team for a while."

"So..." Shino spoke up. "This team is to see if we have what it takes to be in Anbu?"

"Precisely..."

Sasuke really didn't give a damn, just as long as it brought him one step closer to getting more power to defeat his brother Itachi.

"Now..." Kakashi said dusting himself off and heading across the Konoha bridge to the other side, "Prepare your weapons. Get your bodies ready for battle. Cause in one hour from now, I'm going to give you three an obstacle course to see if you have what it takes to even remain on this team..."

And with those words, Hatake Kakashi disappeared into thin air.

So for the next hour, the three genins got themselves ready for combat. Target practice on nearby trees with kunai's and shurikens, push ups, and meditation during the last thirty minutes to get their chakra ready. Finally, 1 hour had passed, and Kakashi had reappeared in front of the boys.

"I hope you three are ready. Let's go."

The 3 genin followed Kakashi across the Konoha bridge to an area that wasn't used that often.

"Gentlemen...we are going to do a little "role playing..."

-----

"Oh...it's only you..."

Ebisu immediately fell down to the floor anime style.

"What do you mean, it's only me?" Ebisu questioned Naruto as he started to get back up from the floor. "I'm a special jounin. I'm your best ticket to getting stronger! I'm..."

"A weakling and a closet pervert..." Naruto finished up, making Ebisu fall to the floor once again. "Not only did I beat you, but Ero-sennin did too! Konohamaru can probably beat you by now!"

"Come on Hinata..." Naruto said as he grabbed Hinata's hand and started to walk away from the Konoha stadium. "Let's get out of here..."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata asked, blushing from hand contact with Naruto, "Where are we going?"

"To Oba-chan's office! I'm going to make her give us a different teacher!"

"It's true, Naruto...you are stronger then me..."

When Naruto heard that statement come out of Ebisu's mouth, he stopped walked and turned around.

"...but...having strength alone is not the key to victory. One must also plan ahead before executing a move or else it will be used against them..."

"I already know that!" Naruto yelled back.

"Then prove it to me!" Ebisu returned. "Prove to me how well you know this! Fight me! If you win, you and Hinata will be free to find another teacher. But if I win, then the 2 of you will listen to everything I say without question. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll show him..." Naruto thought. This was the chance that he wanted to get rid of the closet pervert once and for all. Even though his idea about walking on water during the chunnin exams was pretty useful, Jiraiya upstaged Ebisu and knocked him out cold in one blow. Jiraiya helped Naruto to master the technique that Ebisu was originally going to teach him, as well as taught Naruto how to channel Kyubi's energy whenever needed. Aside from all that, "Ero-sennin" also taught Naruto "Kuchiyose No Jutsu" and the "Rasengan", a technique created by Yondaime, the fourth Hokage. What could the closet pervert do that Ero-sennin couldn't?

"Yeah...I accept..."

Five minutes later, Naruto and Ebisu were standing across from each other face to face in the stage of the Konoha stadium. Naruto and Ebisu had taken out their regular ninja weapons and instead replaced them with kunai's and shurikens that had the blades dulled down so that they wouldn't cause injury upon contact but were still strong enough to leave somewhat of an impact.

"Now the rules are simple, Naruto. We both have a bell around our neck. Yours is blue while mine is red. Your goal is to remove the red bell from my neck while my goal is to remove the blue bell from your neck. Whoever accomplishes their goal first wins. Go all out, Naruto. Don't hold back on me."

"You'll regret saying that, closet pervert..." Naruto thought to himself as he tightened his ninja headband. "This is gonna be easy!"

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata yelled to Naruto from the sidelines, "Good luck!"

"Thanks, but I won't need it, Hinata-chan! This will be over in a couple of minutes! Then I'll take you to Ichiraku for some ramen!"

Ebisu smirked as he got into a fighting stance.

"Overconfident are we...I'll show you...that you still have a lot to learn Naruto..."

"Begin!"

No sooner had those words been said do we find Naruto lunging towards the bell string on Ebisu's neck with a kunai. Ebisu was obviously prepared for this sort of offensive attack though, and jumped back just in time to avoid his bell getting cut off.

"Don't hold back on me Naruto..." Ebisu cautioned again. "If you don't try your hardest, you won't stand a chance."

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Naruto thought to himself as he crossed his index and middle fingers together to form a jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately four real copies of Naruto were summoned at his side in a poof of smoke. Ebisu smirked upon seeing Naruto use this technique. It was exactly what he wanted him to do...

"Just as I expected...Naruto always uses Kage Bunshin near the beginning of a match...and I can feel slightly less energy used to summon these then last time...Naruto, you have gotten slightly better at controlling the amount of energy you use for your techniques...but it is still not good enough...you still need more work..."

Naruto and his clones started to charge towards Ebisu now, but Ebisu crossed his fingers together the same way that Naruto just did earlier.

"Now I'll show you why I'm a special Jounin, Naruto..." Ebisu thought to himself as he channeled some chakra into his body. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Now four real copies of Ebisu were on the field. Naruto and his clones stopped dead in their tracks after Ebisu summoned them.

"What's the matter?" Ebisu and all of his clones said simultaneously, "Did you forget that you're not the only one that can use Kage Bunshin? It is a Jounin skill after all..."

"Shut up!"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he sent his clones towards Ebisu. Ebisu sent his clones towards Naruto's in retaliation and had them grab on to his.

"Now what are you going to do, Naruto? My clones have stopped yours and prevented them from attacking..."

"This!" Naruto said, bringing his hands together. "Bakuretsu!"

Immediately, Naruto's clones exploded, taking out Ebisu's clones with them and leaving behind a lot of smoke.

"Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu..." Ebisu thought to himself as the smoke from the exploding Kage Bunshin clones dissappeared. "The technique that makes Kage Bunshin clones explode...very impressive, Naruto..."

Just then, Ebisu felt a kunai to his neck.

"Give up..." Naruto said as he tightened his hold on Ebisu's body. "My Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin clones were merely a diversion to get up close...now your bell is mine!"

"Very nice, Naruto..." Ebisu spoke back as he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. "Indeed victory would be yours...if I wasn't a clone..."

Just then, Ebisu's clone disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"But..." Ebisu said as he reappeared behind Naruto with a kunai of his own. "Because of your miscalculations, victory has been delivered into my hands!"

"Heheheh..." Naruto grinned as he laughed. "I'm going to tell you what I've told everyone else in this village. Don't underestimate me!"

Now Naruto's body disappears into a puff of smoke confirming that Naruto was also a clone. The real Naruto reappears in front of Ebisu a couple of inches away with one finger pointed at Ebisu.

"I told you not to underestimate me!"

From the sidelines, Hinata is awed from the action that has taken place.

"Naruto-kun...you are so amazing...I wish I could be strong like you..."

-----

"We are going to simulate a realistic Anbu mission..."

"What kind of mission?" Neji asked.

"Simple...for the purpose of this game, I am going to play a missing-nin that has turned traitor towards Konoha village..."

When Sasuke heard this, he immediately wanted to go home. This was without a doubt, a reminder of what he had attempted to do a while ago. This was basically just rubbing salt in old wounds. His mission had failed. Upon waking up in Konoha hospital, he found out that all of the sound nin were defeated by the Konoha "rescue team". Basically in the end, Sasuke had just proven to the village that he was an idiot for attempting to leave. But what choice did he have? Sasuke needed to get stronger...and he was indeed tired of playing "Konoha games". He had no attachments to Konoha anymore...

Or so he thought...

Sasuke thought back to his old team...team 7...Kakashi wouldn't be missed cause he was going to be teaching team Anbu. Besides...Kakashi used to be an Anbu captain at one point...who better to teach this team? And...Sasuke had to admit...that nobody brought out his abilities as well as Kakashi did...

But...it was his former 2 teammates that he would dearly miss...

First, there was Haruno Sakura...that girl had been such a nuisance during team 7's existence. Always asking him to go on a date with her...always acting so "lovey-dovey"...always trying to get close to him. Why didn't she get the message? He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be hurt again.

But then she had to commit a sin...

She had to say that she loved him with all of her heart...

"Love...who is she kidding? Does she even know what love is? Does she truly know what she is getting herself into? Why does she claim to have this much affection for me?"

Love was a funny thing, it seemed... Every female genin had wanted to get with him at one point or had slight crushes...Sakura, Ino, Tenten from the previous genin class, even that sand kunoichi Temari...in fact, the only one who didn't have eyes for him was the cousin of Neji...

Hyuga Hinata.

For she had eyes for his teammate Naruto...

Naruto...

That was the other piece of the puzzle.

Naruto was a lot like him...alone...no family...determined to be the strongest. Maybe that's why Naruto had become his biggest rival...

And his best friend...

Who would have thought...that the person dearest to him would be the one that everyone in the village laughed at?

Naruto tried so much to better himself...it was funny...in the beginning...he could barely do anything...he was the dead last...but now...his strength was enough to rival his own...

And then he had the nerve to try and bring him back to the village...why did that dunce have to stop him? Sasuke needed to have completed his mission and get power from Orochimaru so that he could finally kill Itachi...

And then...he would tell Naruto thank you...for being his best friend...and then tell Sakura...that he also loved her...

But...things had not gone as planned...and now he was stuck playing "boy scout" for Konoha once again...

Kuso...

"Before we begin this game..." Kakashi said, as he brought his hands together. "Let's make it a bit more interesting. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately the field was filled with several clones of Kakashi. Then each clone except two and the original Kakashi used Henge no Jutsu to transform into random sound nin before scattering off into the field.

"The less you alert their attention, the better. Your goal is to defeat me, but you will also have to deal with several of my men. How many that is depends on your actions..."

The 3 genins said nothing as the final 2 Kakashi clones stepped forward.

The first one transformed himself into Mizuki.

"I'm sure you heard of how the chunnin Mizuki had tried to take over Konoha. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that he attempted to turn traitor and paid for it...for this exercise, let's just say that he has escaped...he wants to control Konoha...and to do that...he has taken a hostage..."

The second Kakashi clone transformed himself into Konohamaru.

"Mizuki has taken Konohamaru hostage. Your mission is not only to kill Mizuki, but also to rescue Konohamaru before he is killed. If the sound suspects that you are close to Konohamaru, they will send the message to kill him, and you will fail your mission, even if you do get to Mizuki.

Kakashi's clones disappeared.

"One final thing...in order to pass this mission, the three of you will have to work together...for this test is based on all of your skills. You will have to rely on Sharigan, Byakugan, and the Aburame clan techniques in order to succeed. Good luck..."

With those words, Kakashi disappeared.

-----

"Jiraiya really did an impressive job of bringing out the best in Naruto...he is nothing like our last meeting...his strength far surpasses mine...but now it's time to test his mind..."

"Hinata..." Ebisu called to Hinata. "Come here."

Immediately, Hinata stepped into the stadium battleground.

"Huh? What does he want from Hinata-chan?"

Ebisu then took off the bell on Naruto's neck and tied it around Hinata's neck.

"The rules are still the same Naruto. If you can remove the bell from around my neck, then you win. However, Hinata will also help you. If she can remove the bell from around my neck, then you still win, but if I remove the bell from around her neck, then you both lose. Now...let's continue!"

"You ready, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked his teammate.

"Hai." Hinata responded back. "I'll do my best..."

"Hokage-sama said there was something special about these two...let's find out what..."

-----

Naruto: We've got the closet pervert on the run, Hinata-chan! Let's team up and take his bell!

Hinata: Do you really think we can do it, Naruto-kun?

Naruto: Of course! I already beat him before! I'll do it again!

Naruto: This time, Hinata-chan teams up with me to take Ebisu-sensei's bell. Can we do it? Or will we fail? And it looks like Sasuke and his new teammates are about to take a test as well. Can they trust each other and pass? Or will they die trying?

Sakura: Sasuke-kun...

Sasuke: No stupid "Konoha game" will keep me from my ultimate goal of getting to my brother!

Naruto: Next time on Naruto: "Leap of Faith! The ultimate test of trust!"

Ebisu: Focus on your goal Naruto, or the 2 of you will fail!

Naruto: Don't underestimate us! We have some new tricks for you! Ready Hinata-chan?

Hinata: I'm ready when you are, Naruto-kun...

Naruto: Good! Then lets do it! Let's beat the closet pervert and get some ramen! Here we come!
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