22 2/2
Yugito and Naruto both bowed with their right hands on their chest. "Mentor," they said, as Raphael rolled his eyes, heading off. At that point, Naruto grinned at Hinata, who was tugging him away, asking him questions about his mission. Anko and Yugito both just grinned at each other, both thinking how cute they looked.
Meanwhile in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi sighed quietly as he read the report in front of him, before setting it aside and quietly trying to wipe away the weariness he felt. He shook his head, slumping in his chair, only to look up as his secretary knocked on the door. "Yes?"
"Hokage-sama, Raphael-san wishes to see you. He says he has information to share with you," the secretary said.
"Send him in," the aged Hokage said, sitting up a bit straighter, as the door opened and Raphael entered, bowing. "What is it Raphael-san?" Sarutobi asked politely but tiredly.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto and Yugito returned from their mission today. I have here information they gathered," she said, setting the reports on Sarutobi's desk. As the Hokage wearily reached for them, Raphael blinked. "Is something wrong, Hokage-sama?" He asked.
Sarutobi chuckled softly. "I think we've worked together enough for you to just call me Sarutobi, Raphael-san," he said, before sighing. "I was brought back to some painful memories of my past today, by this, a report about a captured spy, who was passing information out of Konoha. My interrogators told me that the person he was sending the information to was one of my three students: Orochimaru, the Hebi Sannin."
Raphael's eyes narrowed at that. "Anko's former sensei," he said softly and dangerously, causing Sarutobi to blink at that.
"Indeed…he was my favorite pupil…until I passed him over for succession to my position, and instead gave it to Minato Namikaze. He betrayed Konoha after that, leading to the unfortunate incident with Anko. And now it seems he's not quite done with his old home. What's worse though is the spy was not acting alone. We have a traitor in our midst," he said. "But we can discuss that in a bit. First, let us deal with this new bit of information. Where did it come from?" He asked, reading it.
"Yugito and Naruto's mission," the Assassin said. "They returned today unharmed and Naruto's target is dead. Without their leader, the rest should head back to their base for new orders."
"Indeed. It seems Gato-san is getting desperate for hired muscle," Sarutobi said, reading the report. "Unfortunately, he may get it. One of our few remaining contacts in Mizu no Kuni reported that at least a hundred men, mostly displaced farmers and such, have sailed from Mizu towards Nami. It is likely he'll employ them for whatever his plans for Nami are."
Raphael nodded quietly. "Unfortunately, Nami has become very difficult to enter recently. One of my spies tried to do so, and found that more and more the country is being put into lock down. There is no land access, so the only way to arrive is by boat or ferry. And more and more…the ships travelling to Nami belong to Gato, and no one else."
"He is taking over that island, but for what purpose? It serves him no purpose as a shipping base, unless he's trying to avoid taxes he'd have to pay using the ports of Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni. But those he can easily pay without worry," Sarutobi said. "I do not like this Raphael. Not one bit."
"Hopefully, an opportunity will present itself soon, to handle this," Raphael said. "Sarutobi-san…I would like to discuss something else. I…believe Naruto to be ready for his assessment," he said.
The Sandaime Hokage looked at him, before letting out a quiet sigh. "Young Naruto, ready to become a full member of your order, is he?" He asked, shaking his head quietly. "Then perhaps fate or luck is smiling down upon us both today. I just so happen to have a target for him," he said, sliding a file to Raphael. "I was simply going to have my ANBU pick him up and imprison him, but…I believe young Naruto can handle him."
Raphael opened the file, and blinked. "You want him to assassinate one of the Academy Instructors?" He asked.
Sarutobi nodded to him. "Mizuki Touji. He is the traitor in our midsts. He's been feeding Orochimaru information on Konoha and our Academy students for almost two years now. What is worse though are the rumors that he has killed wounded comrades on missions. Several shinobi whose bodies we recovered had wounds that would be easily treatable, but would slow down those shinobi, only to then been killed by another fatal wound to the jugular or heart. A few were even suffocated. All of them on missions in which Mizuki was involved."
Raphael glanced at the file again. "Why not simply have your ANBU or shinobi pick him up? Don't you want to interrogate him?"
"No, we've already learned all we needed to from Orochimaru's spy. Besides, we know that he is planning to leave the village very soon. The night of the day after the Academy Graduation exams, he intends to leave the village after acquiring a 'gift' for Orochimaru. We don't know what it is he wants, but whatever it is, he intends to leave the village with it. I plan to station ANBU at all available exits from the village to ensure he doesn't escape, but still…if Naruto is ready, then this is an opportunity for him. It might be some time before you or I come up with a target for him," he said quietly.
Raphael kept looking at the file, before nodding quietly. "Alright then, I'll inform Naruto, tell him to get ready. He won't have long to prepare for this," he said.
Sarutobi gave him a quiet nod. "I'll have a team of ANBU on standby to watch him, to keep him safe. If Mizuki proves to be a threat, they'll move in and secure him. Though I'll assume you'll be there as well?"
"Yes I will. Have to see if Naruto is ready to be an Assassin, don't I?" The young Assassin said with a grin, before bowing. "I should get going. Hokage-sama," he said.
"Good day, Raphael-san" Sarutobi said, as Raphael headed off. Sarutobi let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his forehead.
Outside Konoha Academy, Monday
Naruto was sitting on a swing outside the Konoha Academy, taking a deep breath as he did so while staring at his feet. He was waiting for Hinata to arrive, while trying to steady his mind and nerves.
It was the day of their graduation. Their chance to finally prove they were ready to join the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. But for Naruto, he had another graduation looming over him.
Last night, Raphael had called all of them together. There, he announced that Naruto was ready to take his assessment assassination, to see if he was ready to become an Assassin. Naruto couldn't believe that this was about to happen, that after six years of training, he was finally going to graduate and become a full Assassin.
But then he had learned who his target was: Mizuki-sensei. He wasn't attached to the man by any means, as Mizuki, while trying to play as a kind sensei, had subtly tried to hinder Naruto in the Academy. Years spent learning how to play chess, play Shougi, and plan out an assassination had helped Naruto to notice details. Every time Mizuki looked at him, he could see the chuunin's face flinch for a second, as if he was trying to hide his true feelings. He had also noted that every time Mizuki was in charge, something occurred that was intended to hinder Naruto. Training kunai and shuriken were improperly weighted to throw him off, some questions on tests were far more advanced than they should be for a genin student and in taijutsu lessons, he always seemed to be sparring against Sasuke and Kiba.
While most of his classmates he got along with fairly well, those two were the only ones he didn't. Kiba hated Naruto, for constantly causing him to get into trouble with his mother and the chuunin sensei. Not to mention that due to the Inuzuka being very canine like in their behavior sometimes, Kiba felt threatened by Naruto. He saw him as a challenger to his dominance, his place as a strong male, an alpha male. This drove him to wanting to defeat Naruto, to humiliate him and prove the blonde boy was a lesser male.
Sasuke meanwhile was different. It wasn't that he and Naruto specifically didn't get along. It was that Sasuke didn't get along with anyone. Sasuke seemed focus on only training and learning. He constantly pushed himself to be the best, and it showed as he was considered the top student in their class. Yet that didn't seem to be enough for him, as he kept pushing himself. When one of his fangirls, before they left the Academy, asked him why he was always training, he responded he had to be the best, because his father told him the Uchiha clan was the best around. And he wanted to prove his father right, and protect his clan.
But with regards to Mizuki, Naruto wasn't sure what he thought about having to kill the man. On the one hand, he did feel sick about killing someone he knew as more than just a name and profile. And yet…knowing that this man was betraying Konoha, putting them all in danger helped Naruto stiffen his resolve. He would do this, because he knew it needed to be done.
He glanced up, smiling as he saw Hinata approach, and he waved at her. She came over with a smile as he stood up. "You alright Naruto?"
"Nervous…but excited. Today's the day Hinata. We're gunna become genin," he said with an infectious grin that made Hinata smile and nod. And with that, the pair entered the Academy, ready for what lay ahead.
In their classroom, the remaining students had all gathered. Most were talking with each other, nervous or excited about what was to come. In the case of Shikamaru, he was just groaning, trying to sleep, while Chouji nervously sat next to him, nervously munching on a bag of chips. In front of them, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were busy chatting happily, trying to ignore their own nerves. Kiba was brashly proclaiming how he'd pass with no problem, while both Shino and Sasuke just quietly sat, waiting for the tests to begin.
Shortly after Hinata and Naruto took their seats, Iruka entered with a stack of papers. He grinned at them all as he set the papers down. "Alright, settle down everyone!" He said, as the students quickly did so. Had the old Academy curriculum been in place, the students might have been disruptive, but these students had been trained hard and knew the meaning of discipline.
Iruka nodded as he began to hand out the tests face down. "We're about to begin the first of your four part Graduation Exam. These exams will cover a written test, a taijutsu test, a test of your stealth and assassination capabilities, and lastly a ninjutsu exam. Before we begin, I just want to say how proud I am to see all of you make it to this point, and that even though I've only been here a couple years, you all are the best class of students I've ever had," he said.
Seeing that they all had tests, and all looked eager to start, Iruka grinned. "So…let's begin!" He said, as they turned their tests over.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Academy, Sarutobi was sitting behind a desk, studying the array of jounin ranked shinobi and kunoichi standing before him. "As I'm sure you've all guessed, I've gathered you here because you all have applied to become a jounin sensei of this year's graduating class. Currently, your prospective students are about to begin their graduation exams. I want you all to watch them, study them, and start to think of which students you'd like to teach and that you believe will form the best teams. Please also be ready to defend your reasons for the teams you plan to suggest," he said.
All of the jounin nodded, with Anko grinning in excitement at the prospect of teaching her first team. She already knew two of the students she wanted, but she would need a better reason to ask for them beyond that she was already a mentor and teacher to both of them. When Sarutobi dismissed them, she was the first one out of the room.
Sarutobi sighed as the last one disappeared, before turning his head. "You should have been in the room with your fellow jounin, not skulking in the shadows," he said.
A man with tall spiky grayish silver hair and his headband covering his left eye lazily jumped through the window. He wore the standard attire for a chuunin or jounin ranked shinobi of Konoha, except he had on fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back of his hands, and had a cloth face mask that covered his lower face. His one visible black eye was lazily reading an orange book he had in one hand. He just gave a weird eye smile to the Hokage as he closed the book and put it in his weapon pouch on his belt. "Well, I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but see I accidentally walked under a ladder and had to back track for one hundred steps to get rid of my bad luck, and then I had to avoid a black cat, and when I arrived I figured I would just sit outside and listen, so I didn't disturb you," he said.
Sarutobi just sighed, closing his eyes. "Kakashi, I do not have time for your excuses," he said, looking at the now identified Kakashi.
Kakashi Hatake was one of the foremost jounin of Konoha, known to have mastered over a thousand jutsu, and was the only surviving student of Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage himself. His teammates, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara had both been casualties in the last Shinobi War. Ever since their deaths and the death of his sense, Kakashi had taken the attitude of a lazy slacker, seemingly uncaring of anything, and constantly showing up late to everything but the most important of meetings. Despite this though, he was a dangerous and lethal shinobi.
Sarutobi looked back up at Kakashi. "Kakashi, if you're going to be a sensei, you need to understand the students you'll be teaching. You can't do that if you show up late to assessing them."
Kakashi shrugged in an unconcerned manner. "I already have a fairly good idea of the capabilities of the students. I don't need to watch them. Besides, I also already know what team I want to suggest."
"And what if you shouldn't get the team you want? What then?" Sarutobi asked, as Kakashi gave him another eye smile.
"I'm pretty sure I'll get the team I have planned," he said. "But I guess since I don't have anything better to do, I'll go give the kids a look over. If that's all, Hokage-sama?" He asked.
Sarutobi sighed and just waved him away, causing Kakashi to disappear in a swirl of leaves. Sarutobi just quietly rubbed his forehead. Kakashi's reputation was well deserved, but the man was arrogant, due to the reputation he had gained as an ANBU operative, and as one of the youngest shinobi in Konoha to ever achieve the rank of jounin. When mixed with his uncaring attitude, it made him difficult to deal with at times. All Sarutobi could hope was that something would knock him out of that attitude, and soon.
Academy Training Grounds, that afternoon
One of the Konoha Academy chuunin instructors quietly made his way through a wooded area of one of the few training grounds attached to the Konoha Academy. The reason for his being there was simple: he was the target of the graduating class's stealth and assassination exam. Each Academy student was given a five minute head start to enter the training ground, and prepare for the exam. Five minutes later, the target would enter, and try to find the student, while said student would need to find the target without being detected, and 'assassinate' them. Currently, the instructor was dealing with the last student of the class, Naruto Uzumaki.
He quietly glanced around the tiny clearing he was in, surrounded by trees and bushes on all sides. It had been almost fifteen minutes, and still no sign of the Uzumaki boy. It honestly unnerved him a bit, how stealthy the boy seemed to be.
As he turned his back to one tree, he missed the shadow slowly settling on a branch, watching him. But he didn't miss the rustle in a nearby bush, causing him to immediately draw a training kunai and hold it at the ready. "Come on out, now," he demanded.
The bushes rustled some more, and the chuunin threw the kunai into the bushes, only to cause a young fox to hop out, yipping in distress before rushing off behind a tree. The chuunin blinked, before his eyes widened and he whirled, catching a figure dropping down on him with their own dummy kunai. He flipped the figure over, pinning down Naruto and holding his kunai to the boy's neck.
"Not bad, but it looks like you fail," he said, only for Naruto to smirk.
"Do I?" He asked, only to poof into smoke, making the chuunin's eyes widen as he felt a dummy kunai at his throat. "Cuz I think I pass," Naruto said from behind him.
The chuunin let out a smile. "Impressive. A shadow clone?" He asked. The instructors at the Academy knew about Naruto's problem with his chakra control, and his inability to utilize normal bunshin. It was part of a program initiated during the reformation of the Academy to its current standards. Academy students who had such handicaps like Rock lee's inability to utilize ninjutsu, or Naruto's inability to utilize regular bunshin would not be penalized, so long as they proved they were capable enough shinobi despite their handicaps. Naruto had proven that with the use of the kage bunshin no jutsu, while Rock Lee under the guidance of Konoha jounin Might Guy, proved he was lethal enough with taijutsu and weapons. It was this program that also would let Yakumo Kurama become a shinobi if she could meet the physical requirements.
Naruto nodded as he stepped back, while the instructor grinned. "You used the henge, turning yourself into the fox, while a shadow clone made the strike. When it failed, you utilized the distraction to finish me off. Very clever," he said. "However, be warned. Such a tactic would be inadvisable against a target surrounded by allies."
Naruto nodded again in understanding, as the chuunin smiled. "Still, you did well. Congratulations, you pass the stealth and assassination portion of your graduation exams," he said, offering Naruto his hand. Naruto smiled and shook it, before the pair returned to the others.
The chuunin unsealed a clipboard, marking something down. "Alright everyone! Return to your class for your final exam! And good luck!" He said.
As they headed off, Hinata came over to him, grinning. "I take it you passed?" She asked.
Naruto nodded with a grin. "Yep. Caught him with a shadow clone fake out," he said. "He was impressed by it."
"I'll bet. He probably never expected it," she said with a giggle. That giggle faded though when they entered the classroom and saw both Iruka and Mizuki. She felt her good mood fade, and she could see the same for Naruto. The two quietly took their seats, as Iruka smiled at them.
"And now we come to your last exam of the day, the ninjutsu exam. You'll each come up here one at a time, and perform the three basic ninjutsu. I know it doesn't seem like much, but these basic ninjutsu can save your life in the field, so knowing them is essential," Iruka said. "Now, Shino Aburame, please come up," he said.
Shino slowly stood, his face almost completely hidden by the high collar of his coat and his large sunglasses, as he stood at the front of the class. Iruka nodded as he held up a clipboard. "Please demonstrate the henge, the kawarimi, and the bunshin jutsu in that order."
Shino quietly nodded, first transforming into Iruka, and then switching himself with a nearby chair. After he retook his spot and the chair was put back, he created three clones, before dispersing them. Iruka nodded at that. "Very good! Please retake your seat," he said, marking Shino's grade in his clipboard.
Shino did so, as Iruka called the students down one at a time. Most had no trouble at all, having constantly practiced these jutsu over and over again. A couple of the civilian kids though had some trouble on their henge jutsu, which were weak and distorted. Hinata did a perfect transformation into Yugito though, causing Iruka to blush a bit as 'Yugito' winked at him, before turning back into Hinata.
When it was eventually Naruto's turn, he came down with a grin. For his transformation, he turned into a perfect replica of Minato Namikaze, causing a few students to gasp. Iruka blinked in surprise, when he noticed similarities between Minato's appearance, and Naruto's when he transformed back. Afterwards, Naruto substituted with a chair at the back of the classroom. When he returned to the front of the class, he created three shadow clones, grinning.
Iruka smiled at him, nodding. "Well done Naruto. You pass," he said, marking it down on his clipboard.
Mizuki meanwhile was trying not to glare. He couldn't believe the damn Kyuubi brat was getting away with this. He wondered if the village was going mad, allowing this brat to be an Academy student, let alone letting him pass. Still, it wouldn't matter. Not for long anyways.
When the last of the students finished their ninjutsu exam, Iruka nodded as he marked the final score. "Well done everyone. We'll need to take some time to tall your scores from all four exams, so just wait here while we handle that," he said, as he and Mizuki left. Once they were gone, the entire class broke out into excited chatter.
Sakura was nervously fidgeting with the hem of the red top she was wearing. "I really hope I did okay. I know I got the written exam part down okay, and the ninjutsu part, but everything else…I don't think I did as well," she said.
Ino scoffed. "C'mon forehead, you did great, I'm sure of it!" She said, using her back hand affectionate nickname for Sakura. The reason for the nickname was due to Sakura's rather large forehead. When she was younger, Sakura used to hide it with her pink hair, which resulted in her being made fun for her shaggy hair. Ino however had protected her, and helped Sakura become more confident in her appearance, even giving her a hair ribbon to tie her hair up with. Sakura was still wearing it currently, a sign of friendship.
Sakura just smiled nervously at that. "Thanks Ino-pig," she said, using her own backhanded nickname, due to Ino's name meaning boar, or pig. She glanced over at Sasuke, blushing a bit as she did so, only for Ino to roll her eyes.
"Still pining over him?" She asked, as Sakura blushed softly at that. "You know he's a jerk yes? Remember how he shoved me to the ground after me, Naruto and Hinata beat his team? Or how about he ignores everyone who's tried to be nice to him, even you?"
Sakura sighed. "I know, I know. Still…if I could just get him to open up I'm sure he'd be a great guy," she said.
Ino rolled her eyes. "C'mon Sakura, that'll never happen. Stop worrying about him, and focus on being a kunoichi. Besides, I'm sure there are other guys out there who are better," she said.
Sakura just shrugged, sighing softly as she did so (4).
About ten minutes later, Iruka, Mizuki, and the other chuunin instructors returned with a box of headbands, each baring a metal plate with Konoha's emblem on them. As one of the instructors set the box down on Iruka's desk, Iruka smiled at them all. "We have finished grading your exams. Will the following students please step forward," he said, before reading off the names of the graduating students from the clipboard. "Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akamichi, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Mitarashi, Naruto Uzumaki, Manabu Akamon, Fuki, and Gennai. I am happy to say you all passed your graduation exam, and are now genin of Konoha." (5)
The twelve students joined them, grinning happily, while three students remained at their seats, looking dejected. Iruka looked at them with sympathy. "Don't worry you three. You'll have a chance next year to graduate," he said. "But for now, you're dismissed. Good luck," he told them.
As the three students left, Iruka looked back to the twelve graduates. "As for the rest of you, congratulations on successfully passing the Academy graduation Exam! We will now present you with your headbands," he said, as Mizuki took the box, and began handing the headbands out.
As Hinata got hers', she stopped for a moment. "Is there any way we can get these modified? Like change the cloth part of it?" She asked.
"Yes actually, just take it to a tailor and they can easily handle it for you. Blacksmiths can do so as well, though they aren't as good at it," Iruka said, as they finished handing out the headbands. "Now, you'll have the next three days off, and on Friday, you are to return here for your team assignments. Until then, go celebrate and enjoy your graduation," he said.
The students all cheered, and quickly rushed to collect their things, before rushing out of the classroom. Iruka just shook his head, grinning as he remembered his own graduation day. "Live it up guys, you earned it," he said softly.
Outside, Naruto and Hinata, who were both wearing their forehead protectors around their foreheads, grinned as they found Anko, Raphael, and Yugito waiting for them. Kiseki was over with Mikoto, congratulating Sasuke for a job well done in graduating, though she did smile and nod to Naruto and Hinata.
Anko grinned at the pair. "Well look at you two! Genin now huh?" She asked.
Naruto nodded excitedly. "Yeah, we did it!" He said, grinning.
"Well I think this is call for a celebration! Dinner is on me, and we'll throw a party back at our meeting place," Raphael said, causing all of them to grin happily.
As they were leaving though, they heard a couple of women speaking. "I can't believe they let that thing graduate," one said in what she thought was a whisper.
"I know. He'll probably kill us all in our beds. They should have locked him away," the other muttered.
Naruto flinched a bit, his good mood disappearing as he knew what they were talking about. That is until Yugito put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Naruto smiled back at her, remembering that he wasn't alone. Yugito had come to talk to him about his burden shortly after she became a full Assassin, and had revealed she was like him. He had been shocked at first, but then was happy since she could help him. It had made him feel better, knowing she could understand what he was going through, and could help him out with dealing with the Kyuubi.
He just smiled, as they headed off to celebrate their graduation.
The following night
Mizuki smirked as he slipped out of the Hokage Tower, a massive scroll strapped to his back along with a pair of giant shuriken. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to steal the Scroll of Seals. This sacred scroll held many of Konoha's most powerful and forbidden techniques. Mizuki knew with this scroll and Orochimaru's favor, he would have the strength he deserved. His whole life, he had hated those who were weak, and felt that power was everything, yet had been denied the chance to get true power over and over again. Well not anymore. Soon he'd be a powerful shinobi, and get the rewards he rightly deserved. Posing as Naruto Uzumaki as he knocked out the guards was just icing on the cake, a way to hurt that demon brat.
As he began to sneak away from the Tower, he didn't notice the shadow moving along the rooftops after him, always moving to keep him in sight.
Mizuki smirked as he headed towards the wall of Konoha, imagining the scene when the Kyuubi brat was arrested for stealing the scroll. He almost wished he could stay to see it. But he had to quickly meet with his contact, who would help him sneak out of the village. He rounded a corner and arrived at the alleyway where he was supposed to meet his contact, and grinned when he saw the man with a cloak and hood. He quickly approached him. "I've got the scroll," he whispered excitedly. "Let's get out of here, quickly."
The man didn't say anything, as Mizuki scowled. "Are you deaf, we need to get going!" He said.
And that's when the man suddenly stepped forward, stabbing Mizuki in his lower torso. Mizuki gasped, trying to push the man away, only for his other arm to come up, revealing a blade extending from underneath his arm that he drove into Mizuki's neck.
Mizuki gurgled, blood seeping from his mouth and neck, as the man slowly lowered him to the ground. As he did, smoke engulfed him, before revealing Naruto Uzumaki. The young boy looked down at Mizuki in pity, slowly shaking his head. "Mizuki…you betrayed Konoha…consider this your reward," he said.
Mizuki just gurgled, trying to spit at Naruto but failing. He slumped back, the darkness beginning to engulf him, as Naruto spoke. "Do not fear the passing, but embrace it…and may you…may you…may you find peace in the afterlife," Naruto struggled out, his eyes closed. He slowly reached out, and closed Mizuki's eyes as the last breath left the man's body. "Rest in peace."
At that moment, several ANBU, as well as Raphael and Sarutobi appeared. One of the ANBU removed the scroll form Mizuki's back. "The decoy scroll is secure Hokage-sama," the ANBU reported.
Sarutobi just nodded quietly, staring at Naruto, who was still crouched next to Mizuki, his head down. Raphael gently touched Naruto's shoulder, making the boy look up at Raphael. The Assassin hugged Naruto, who shuddered a bit, while two ANBU Covered Mizuki's body and began to carry him away.
Sarutobi came over, causing Naruto to look up at him as the aged Hokage glanced down at Naruto apologetically. "I'm sorry Naruto, for what you had to go through."
Naruto quietly wiped his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath. "It's….it's okay, oji-san…I graduated," he said with a weak smile.
Sarutobi just placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "That you did my boy…that you did." He said, as the trio walked out of the alleyway and into the village. Naruto squared his shoulders, holding his head up. He was a shinobi, and an Assassin. What he did, he did for the good of the village and mankind. With new resolve, he moved forward, ready for the challenges ahead.
Well…this seems like a good spot to end.
I don't know, I feel…off about this chapter. Maybe it's the abundance of information stuffed in, or maybe I didn't handle the emotions and such correctly, just something feels off. I don't know.
Still, I hope you all enjoyed it, and hopefully things will pick up next chapter. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to everyone!
Thanks again to my betas Bill Alain and Kyuubi123! Thank you guys so much!
And till next time!
1. I had originally considered having Anko mentor Yakumo as well, because I've always felt Kurenai never deserved the right to be a jounin or a jounin sensei, based on what she did to Yakumo as well as the fact that her overall skills focus almost entirely on genjutsu, with almost no visible abilities in taijutsu or ninjutsu. But I thought this worked better.
2. Transformation, clone, and body replacement.
3. Yes, Naruto didn't have a second affinity in canon, but honestly the fact that he only had one affinity that was really rare in Konoha and thus hard for him to learn bugged me. So I gave him a lesser affinity of a more common element.
4. If you all don't remember, Ino never got her crush on Sasuke, which drove her and Sakura apart in canon. As such, I don't think Sakura would ever really become the loud, rather conceited girl she was in the canon Academy. Hence Sakura's rather OC attitude here.
5. The last three names in the list are taken from actual Academy students/genin of Konoha who are little more then background characters. So don't worry about them.
