7 Chapter 7: Rising Trouble

I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter. As I explained in my latest Harry Potter chapter, I've been recovering form not only being sick, but my pet cat teetering on the edge of death. The good news is he's recovering nicely, but what inflicted him could strike again. Guess we'll see what happens to him. For now, just need to get him fattened up again on food and try to keep him calm until he's fully recovered.

So, here is the newest chapter of Shinobi's Creed. I hope you all enjoy it. *nods*

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.

Chapter 7

Rising Trouble

One Week Later

Raphael looked at the three recruits sitting before him. "Before we can further your training as Assassins, you must understand the philosophy and tenants of the Assassin Brotherhood."

Anko, Yugito, and Naruto each nodded and listened as he began. "It is unknown when exactly the Assassins were founded. But earliest records show the Assassin Order in my world existed for over a thousand years. It was founded upon what is not so much a belief, but was an observation of the world. And that observation is still the primary maxim of the Assassin Order: "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted"."

Naruto blinked at that, before raining his hand. "What's a maxim?" he asked.

Raphael chuckled a bit. "A maxim is a general rule or a code of conduct," he said. "An example of a maxim would be something like 'stealing is bad'."

Naruto nodded, understanding, as Anko spoke up this time. "So what does it mean? The Assassin's Maxim?"

Raphael chuckled softly. "I remember asking my mentor Ezio that as well. To me, it sounded like he was saying I could do whatever I needed or wanted to do as an Assassin, that I was 'free'. But in truth, that is not what those words mean. He explained it to me in two parts. The first part, 'Nothing is True', is an observation of society. It was a realization that many of the things people take as 'truths' are not actually true. What one person believes to be true, another will think is a lie."

Seeing the confused looks on Yugito and Naruto's faces, he placed a hand on his chin in thought. "…let me give you an example," he said. "Naruto, you would say the Yondaime Hokage is a hero, yes?" He asked. When Naruto nodded, Raphael turned to Yugito. "But do you believe that Yugito? Do you think Minato Namikaze was a hero? Or does anyone in Kumo believe that?"

Yugito shook her head. "No, Kumo would not. Minato Namikaze defeated our current Raikage in one on one combat, and killed hundreds of Kumo ninja in the Second Battle of Taki. The only country who hates him more than Kumo is Iwa."

Raphael nodded. "Thank you. That is what is meant by 'Nothing is True'. It is meant to open our eyes to the world around us, instead of succumbing to the blindfold that people in power or who are seeking power, would put over you. It is to realize, as my mentor Ezio said, 'that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be shepherds of our own civilization'. That the laws and traditions put into place by those who came before us are not absolute truths that must be followed, but in fact may be hindrances that hurt our ability to grow and learn."

Anko and Yugito nodded quietly, seemingly understanding what he was saying. But Naruto was confused. "Raphael-sensei…I don't understand," he said.

Raphael just gently patted his head. "I don't expect you to Naruto. I did not understand either when Ezio told me. I did not fully understand for a few years. Give it time and thought Naruto. One day, you will."

He let go of Naruto's head and faced them all. "Now to the second part of the maxim. 'Everything is permitted'. Hearing these words, you would believe that it is saying you are permitted to do anything, correct? That you can do whatever it takes to complete a mission. That you can do whatever you like. And if you believe the first part, 'Nothing is True', then why shouldn't you be allowed to do whatever you wish? If the laws and moralities society forced upon you are not true, then you can do whatever you wish, yes? But what happens then? What happens when you kill fifty innocent people to get to one man? What happens when you decide to steal something from someone? Do you think that nothing will happen? That there won't be consequences?" He asked.

As they all listened to him, he continued. "The second part does not teach the Assassins to be free. It teaches us that we must be wise. We must recognize that any action we take, anything we say, has consequences and that we must take responsibility for our actions. We can perform any action we want, but we must be ready to accept the consequences of our decisions and actions. That is what it means." (1)

As the trio nodded, Raphael continued. "Following the maxim that is the foundation of the Assassins, the Brotherhood has spent its lifetime fighting against those who threaten the safety, freedom, and free will of the people. Those who crave war, who oppress the people, who enslave them for money or power. From the shadows, we safe guard humanity against these threats. That is our primary mission as Assassins."

As the three of them nodded again, Raphael quietly sat down. "Besides the maxim to guide us, we Assassins also have three rules that we must always follow us. They are as follows: 'Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight. And never compromise the Brotherhood'. The first rule is clear. We do not strike down those who are not our targets, and who pose no threat to us, whether directly or indirectly. We do not strike down those who do not need to die," he said simply. "If you are on an assassination contract, you may need to kill or disable guards who stand in your way. Or a servant who is rushing off to warn the guards of your presence, if you are discovered. There is a reason for them to die, though it is preferable if you can sneak past them. But we do not kill indiscriminately. We do not kill people when there is no reason to kill them. They are innocent."

Anko snorted a bit. "Not some of the ones I know," she muttered softly, causing Raphael to sigh.

"I suppose the term innocent is not completely accurate for all," he said. "There are people who are prejudice and bigoted, it is true. But again, it is human nature. We cannot kill a man simply because he makes a horrible remark. It is only when he actually becomes a threat, when he attacks others; when he imposes his will over others, only then can we silence him. But we cannot silence them for merely having an opinion, or we become no better than those who we are fighting against."

Anko just looked down, as Raphael continued. "The second rule directs us to be stealthy. The power we hold over our enemies is our ability to seemingly materialize out of nowhere, strike them down, and disappear again. To accomplish this, we learn how to be able to hide in plain sight. To be able to blend with the crowd, to move freely without drawing attention, until it's time to strike. In doing so, we gain power over our enemies, making them scared or paranoid. This causes them to make mistakes, creating openings to exploit. If we were to lose the advantage that comes from this, our task would be that much more difficult."

The three of them nodded in understanding. Naruto figured it was just like being a ninja. Ninja were supposed to be stealthy, right? For Yugito and Anko, they understood what Raphael was getting at. The ability to move freely would be a huge asset, not just for when they were performing their Assassin duties, but during their Shinobi Missions as well.

"The third rule of the Assassins is 'Never compromise the Brotherhood'. What it means is your actions must never bring harm to your fellow Assassins, whether directly or indirectly. You must not lead the enemy to your fellow Assassins. You must not betray information about the Assassins. If you are captured, it is expected that you will die before betraying the Brotherhood," Raphael finished.

The trio nodded, as Raphael smiled. "The final verbal lesson I wish to convey to you three today is something I want you all to think about as you train: the three ironies of the Assassins."

Naruto blinked. "What's ironies?" He asked.

Anko explained this time. "Irony is when something is the opposite of what you expect it to be," she said, trying to explain it in a simple way for him. "For example, you remember how those drunk men Raphael and I saved you from were saying those horrible things about you?"

Naruto nodded, looking down a bit. Anko placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's an example of irony there. They were calling you horrible things, when they themselves were about to attack you and beat you up. Actions that are considered horrible and monstrous. You see?" She asked.

As Naruto nodded in understanding, Raphael continued. "The Assassins have realized that there are three major contradictions about our Order. Things that make the Order seem hypocritical. But instead of letting them undermine us, we embrace these ironies, as they help remind us that the world itself is full of them as well. Men might claim that they are fighting for the people, by taking away their freedoms and killing them. Religions will offer salvation and freedom through bigotry and violence. The world is full of these ironies, and by embracing our own, we remind ourselves that we have seen the truth of the world, and have opened our eyes. Now, the three ironies of our Brotherhood. The first is that the Assassins promote peace between men, but we achieve it through the use of death and violence. The second is that we seek to open the minds of men and free them of the false rules that bind them, yet we ourselves demand obedience to our own rules. And the third is that though we seek to reveal the dangers of having blind faith in something, we ourselves practice the act of having blind faith in our Order."

As the trio blinked in surprise and some confusion, Raphael raised a hand to forestall their questions. "As I said, I wish for you to think about these contradictions. Learn from them and everything else that I've taught you today. These are the fundamentals of our Order and belief. These are the things you must accept and believe before you can become a full Assassin. As such, I want you all to think about it, and if you find you cannot accept these things, then you may leave the Order."

The trio slowly nodded in acceptance of his words. As they did, Raphael smiled. "Now, onto more practical lessons. The pieces before you are the components to make a Hidden Blade bracer," he said, as each of them turned their attention to the small box containing various metal pieces, a blade, and a hardened leather bracer covered in metal. "The hidden blade bracer is the signature weapon of the Assassins, and one of the keys to our success. The next few lessons will be spent studying each component and how they fit together to create your hidden blade bracer. First, find this piece," he said, holding up one of the pieces of his own bracer.

Elsewhere on the edge of town sat the series of buildings that made up the Uchiha District. It was here that the Uchiha clan, one of the two founding clans of Konoha and the Military Police Force of Konoha, lived when they weren't on missions or in the village. The district had been a 'gift' to them from the Nidaime Hokage, but the Uchiha viewed it as a statement that Tobirama Senju had no trust in them. They would not be wrong in that belief.

However currently, there was cause for celebration in the clan. Specifically, for the family of the head of the clan.

Fugaku smiled as watched his eldest son. At thirteen years of age, Itachi Uchiha had achieved the rank of ANBU captain. A feat only matched by Kakashi Hatake becoming a jounin at the same age, whereas Itachi was a chuunin before gaining his newest position. Many had hailed Itachi as a prodigy, equal in potential to such figures as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, or Jiraiya of the Sannin. Fugaku couldn't be prouder. Not only had his son brought great honor to the clan, but this also could be of use to him.

Itachi meanwhile smiled graciously to his mom as she congratulated him. His younger brother Sasuke though had simply been told his brother got a very important position. The position of ANBU, especially ANBU Captain, was one that needed to be kept secret. Hence only family members of sufficient rank, as well as other ANBU operatives, could be told of an ANBU member's true identity.

As Sasuke kept going on about how cool his big brother was, Itachi just smiled and ruffled his hair a bit, causing him to whine and bat his hand away.

That was when Itachi felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, finding himself face to face with a grinning girl about his age. "I hope you have some time for your betrothed, mister big shot."

Kiseki (Miracle) Uchiha was so named because her parents had been told their chances of having a baby were low. And yet they had been fortunate to be gifted with a daughter. The twelve, almost thirteen year old female Uchiha had long straight black hair reaching about mid back, with straight styled bangs that covered her forehead. She was a little short for her age, standing at about four foot even. She was currently dressed in a blue long-sleeved top and black skirt that reached her knees, with black zori on her feet.

Kiseki and Itachi Uchiha had both actually been betrothed to each other only a year after Kiseki's birth. Her father was one of the foremost jounin of the Clan, and her mother, one of the non shinobi members of the Uchiha clan, ran a successful clothing business for the clan. Considering how successful they were, and that Itachi was the son of the Clan Head, it made sense for them to be betrothed to each other.

When Itachi and Kiseki were old enough to be told about the betrothal, at around the age of eight, both had different reactions. Itachi calmly accepted it though he did raise concerns about being married to someone he knew nothing about. Kiseki had thrown a tantrum about it, wanting to marry a prince and be a princess.

When the two were introduced, things started off rocky as Kiseki didn't want anything to do with Itachi, while Itachi tried to make conversation. It would remain this way for the next two years. However, Itachi finally got on her good side when on her 10th birthday, when he got her the one present she had wanted above all others. He had gotten her a kitten.

In that instant, Kiseki had acted like she and Itachi had been best friends all their lives. And in the next three years, one would think that, watching them. Even though Itachi had graduated much earlier than Kiseki, he always made time available to train with her. And during their leisure time, they could be seen walking and talking and occasionally sharing a box of pocky, a treat both of them greatly enjoyed. Eventually, friendship began to give way to very young love.

Now, Itachi smiled at his chuunin ranked future wife. "Of course," he said, as the two of them headed off. Mikoto just smiled, watching them. They were such a cute couple.

In another part of the house, the pair sat down. "So, ANBU captain? You'll probably be very busy," Kiseki said quietly.

Itachi sighed. "I probably will be. Since I'm new though, they'll hopefully keep me in or near Konoha, until I have the experience I need. So we'll be able to see each other. Not to mention every member of ANBU is given two months mandatory vacation each year. So it's not all bad."

Kiseki smiled. "Well, you just be ready for when they ask me to join up, and be the ANBU Commander. Then I'll get to order you around."

Itachi smiled, only to blink in surprise as Kiseki hugged him. "If they send you on any really dangerous missions, you'll be careful for me, won't you?" she asked, her voice a bit muffled as she had her face buried in his shoulder.

Itachi returned the hug. "I will. I promise," he said.

Kiseki smiled a bit, before pulling back. She suddenly pecked him quickly on the cheek, blushing the whole time. Itachi did as well as this was the first time she had kissed him in any way.

Kiseki quickly let go of him and stood up. 'C'mon, I'll race you to the sweet's shop. Loser has to buy pocky for the both of us," she said, suddenly bolting.

Itachi sat there, a little stunned, before suddenly getting up and chasing after her, a small smile on his face. He didn't know how she did it. Itachi was normally a very reserved person, not given to expressing his emotions. And yet Kiseki always made him feel…happy. Carefree. He grinned as he chased after her, enjoying this moment of happiness. Unaware of the problems he would soon find himself embroiled in.

Hokage's Office, Next Day

Sarutobi quietly worked on the paperwork that had waiting for him on his desk when he came in that morning. As he did, he felt a light stirring of air on the back of his neck. He chuckled to himself a bit. "When are you going to enter my office like a normal person?" He asked.

The person he was asking was a tall man who looked to be in his late forties to earlier fifties. He had a long mane of spiky white hair, and wore a greenish-gray outfit with mesh under the shirt, arm guards over his forearms, and a red vest. His outfit was completed by wooden sandals, a metal headband with horns and the symbol for oil on it, and a massive scroll strapped to his back. This was Jiraiya, the famous Toad sage and one of the three Legendary Sannin, the trio of ninjas taught by Hiruzen Sarutobi and who fought Hanzo the Salamander almost to a standstill.

Jiraiya just smirked. "Aww sensei, you know it's more fun this way. Didn't you do this back when Hashirama and Tobirama were Hokage?"

Sarutobi just sighed. "What news do you have?" He asked.

At that moment the easy going look vanished, being replaced by the face of an experienced and hardened shinobi veteran. "Well, I've learned of a couple of possible new dangers out there. I've been looking more into that group Orochimaru joined up with, Akatsuki? It raised red flags when they accepted someone like Orochimaru, and now I know they're trouble. It seems the entire organization is made up of S-rank Missing Nins. And what's more…I can't be certain but I think they're hunting jinchuuriki," he said.

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "Where did you hear that?" He asked.

Jiraiya sat down in front of Sarutobi's desk. "Some of my contacts have mentioned hearing about people asking around about certain individuals from the shinobi villages. It didn't seem like much till they mentioned that one of those they were looking for was an Iwa shinobi named Roshi. That one we confirmed was the jinchuuriki of the Yonbi biju. I did a little digging on some of the others they were asking about. Each of the ones they were asking about is a jinchuuriki."

Sarutobi nodded quietly. "I want you to divert your available resources into tracking this group. S-ranked missing nins asking about jinchuuriki is not good for anyone."

Jiraiya gave a nod of understanding. "I'll get on it sensei. The other news I've heard is some rumblings coming from the Land of Iron. There's talk of some ronin samurai spouting about how ninjas are abominations and that all chakra users should be wiped from the face of the world. Most people just pass it off as a raving lunatic's words, so I'm not sure what to make of it."

The aged Hokage sighed, sitting back quietly. "If it's occurring in the Land of Iron, it's none of our business. They are neutral territory, and to break that neutrality would be bad for us. If you hear more, let me know. But for now, focus on Orochimaru and Akatsuki."

Jiraiya accepted his orders, before sitting back. "So…how is he?" He asked quietly.

"Naruto? He's doing very well actually. He just entered the Academy, and from my reports so far, he's working hard, especially in the practical lessons. Of course it helps that he has at least three people training him outside the Academy," Sarutobi commented.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?" He asked.

Sarutobi grinned a bit. "Chuunin Anko Mitarashi, our new chuunin Yugito Nii, and someone I actually would like you to meet," he said, signaling one of his ANBU and ordering him to go retrieve Raphael. Upon hearing the name, Jiraiya blinked in confusion. What kind of name was Raphael?

Sarutobi saw the confusion in Jiriaya's eyes, before sighing and pulling a file from his desk. "Read this," he said simply, handing the file to Jiraiya.

Meanwhile, Raphael was headed towards the Hokage's Tower after being summoned there by an ANBU. He was quietly contemplating the training his three recruits were undergoing.

Anko and Yugito both already had excellent grasps on stealth, and simply required training in being able to walk and move in plain sight without drawing attention, and without the use of the henge jutsu or any genjutsu. While both would be invaluable to an Assassin and were definitely something Raphael was going to look into for future training, the associated usage of chakra with each could be a beacon to enemies skilled in detecting enemies using chakra. So Raphael had begun devising a training method for moving stealthily in the open.

The pair of kunoichi were both also already skilled at fighting, and had begun working hard to incorporate the Assassin style of fighting with their own methods. The only other physical training they needed was in parkour and free-running. Raphael found it surprising at first that such methods of travel were not more commonplace in the shinobi world, but then reasoned that since they could use chakra to climb surfaces and propel themselves dozens of feet with a single leap, it wasn't as surprising as it initially was. But as he pointed out to Anko and Yugito, being able to move freely without chakra would be an asset should they find themselves low on chakra, trying to conserve chakra for fighting, or if like with the henge or genjutsu, they were trying to avoid alerting enemies skilled in detecting chakra.

Naruto however was pretty much a clean slate. He had no formal training before he began with Anko and Raphael, which was both a hindrance and an asset. It would take longer to train him to fight, move, and think like an Assassin. But at the same time, he hadn't developed any habits or skills that would clash with his training. Raphael was thankful that there were actually quite a few things in the new Academies curriculum that would cover skills an Assassin could or would use, and thus leaving Raphael free to teach Naruto the skills unique to Assassins, and polish up the rest that the Academy gave him.

Breaking form his train of thought, Raphael found himself at the Tower, and quickly entered, making his way up to the Hokage's Office. Upon entering, he blinked at the unknown person. "Hokage-sama? You summoned me?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Indeed. Raphael-san, this is Jiraiya, one of my former students. Jiraiya, this is Raphael."

Jiraiya extended a hand to Raphael, wearing a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Raphael-san," he said. On the outside the sannin seemed friendly, but on the inside, he was analyzing the young man who stood before him. If what he read in the file was correct, this was a man from a time and place with wars that put shinobi wars to shame. He was a killer, trained in how to end a person's life with speed and stealth. While the shinobi world was full of people trained to do that from young ages, there were very few who actually were truly masters of the art of stealthy and silent kills.

Raphael meanwhile nodded back as he shook Jiraiya's hand. As he did, he felt the calluses and a few small scars that came from a man used to fighting. This man may look friendly and old, but he was not a push over. "And you as well, Jiraiya-san," he said.

Sarutobi sat back. "I was just talking to Jiraiya about you. He was quite interested to learn you were training Naruto," he said.

Raphael blinked. "Ohh? May I ask why?" He asked curiously.

Jiraiya continued to smile. "Well I just find it interesting you would train someone so young in a field that primarily involves killing people."

Raphael stiffened a little at that. "If I'm not mistaken, this village and the others around the world are training children as young as Naruto to fight, kill, and die for their village. How is what I'm doing any different?" He answered back a little coolly.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, but Sarutobi stopped him. "He has a point Jiraiya," he said. "How is what Raphael doing any different from what the Academy or Naruto's future Jounin sensei going to do?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth to respond, but a hardened gaze from Sarutobi silenced him. Raphael saw this and stored it away for future reference, as Jiraiya reluctantly nodded. "My apologies Raphael. I spoke out of place."

Raphael nodded. "It's alright. Was there something you wished, Hokage-sama, besides introducing me to Jiraiya?"

Sarutobi gave him a nod of confirmation, as he pulled out a file. "There have been recent problems between us and Sunagakure no Sato. Problems that I wish to address personally. I was hoping you might accompany me as part of my guard. I know that such a task isn't exactly something you do, but it would help you to familiarize yourself with Suna, should the need arise for you to venture there," he said.

Raphael thought about it for a few moments, before nodding. "Very well. When should I be ready to go?" He asked.

As Sarutobi gave him the information, Jiraiya studied the young man. This person would require some watching. He was an unknown variable, an unknown variable who was affecting his godson. He knew he hadn't been there for the boy, largely due to his network of spies. But he would protect his godson.

At the Academy

Naruto and the other students of his class were outside for one of their physical and taijutsu lessons. Last week, their instructor, who went by the name Ryu, had asked if any of the students had already been taught taijutsu. Out of the thirty or so students in their class, only five raised their hands. Naruto was learning the taijutsu style Raphael was crafting, and Hinata was being taught the Jyuuken, the fighting style of the Hyuuga. The other three students who had answered were also from clans.

The first was Sasuke Uchiha, youngest son of Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke had black hair that Naruto had jokingly said was styled like a duck's butt, earning him the young Uchiha's ire. He also wore a long sleeved charcoal colored shirt and white shorts.

The next was Chouji Akamichi, only child of Chouza Akamichi. The rather large boy wore white shirts with a dark green long sleeved shirt that had light green over the shoulders and collars. He also had spiky brown hair and red swirl marks on his cheek.

The last was Kiba Inuzuka, son of Tsume Inuzuka. He had dark brown spiky hair, slit like pupils, and red upside down triangles painted onto his face below his eyes. He was wearing a dirty white colored long sleeved shirt and gray shorts, and had a tiny white puppy currently sitting on his head.

Ryu, after assessing their skills in their stances against training dummies, informed them that they would be allowed to practice against the dummies while he taught the other students the basic Academy stance. However, they were to participate in the sparring sessions and physical exercise parts of the class.

Currently, they were all stretching and warming up together in a group. Naruto grinned, enjoying these physical lessons more than sitting in the class room. He didn't like sitting still for too long. Not only that, but he got to talk to Hinata during these lessons.

After seeing her on their first day, Naruto had made sure to sit next to her, or save the seat next to him for her. She was the only one of the students he had met before the Academy, and so he bonded with her. She seemed really nice to him, even if she was always so quiet and stuttering. He did see her smile once though when he had decided to pull a prank on their sensei Kurenai involving a fake spider he had put on her chair before class had started. He thought she had a great smile, and decided he wanted to see it more often.

He grinned at Hinata, as they finished warming up, and their sensei started to lead them in the more physical exercises such as push up and sits ups. Hinata just gave a shy little tiny smile, as they started working out.

Ryu led them through several physical exercises, before having them run ten laps around the yard. The thirty academy students started off in formation, but soon the less physically fit ones began to lag behind. Hinata kept pace with Naruto until around the seventh lap, where she began to slow down. Naruto slowed his pace down as well, staying with her and encouraging her on.

When they all finished up, Ryu let them rest and recuperate, before nodding towards the nearby sparring ring. "I think it would be good if those of you who do know a taijutsu style would demonstrate your skills to the rest of the class in a sparring session. To start with, could I have Kiba and Hinata come forward to spar first?" He asked.

Hinata gasped and tried to hide a bit behind Naruto, while Kiba puffed his chest out. "Cmon Ryu-sensei, you can't expect me to fight a girl," he said. Almost immediately, the girls of the class glared in Kiba's direction, as Ryu sighed.

"And why not Kiba?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

Kiba smirked. "Because she's a girl. And most girls are weak and can't fight as well as boys can. The only girls who aren't weak are from my clan, and that's because they act more like guys. Just look at my mom! A girl like Hinata won't ever be able to beat me."

Hinata began to tremble behind Naruto, looking down a bit, as she felt like crying. She was weak. However, she was forced to look up as an angry growl in front of her grabbed her attention.

"You take that back you jerk! Hinata's not weak!" Naruto shouted angrily, defending his first friend ever after seeing how upset she was. "If she wanted to, she could beat you up in no time at all!"

Kiba glared at Naruto. "What do you know?! You're not even from a proper shinobi family!" He said, causing Naruto to get angrier.

"Anko nee-chan and Yugito nee-chan both helped train me, and they're really strong! Ryu-sensei, let me fight Kiba!" He said, wanting to get back at Kiba for the stuff he had said about Hinata and himself.

The Chuunin Instructor sighed. "Fine then. Naruto, you and Kiba fight. After that, Hinata and Chouji can fight," he said.

Naruto and Kiba both quickly ran to the sparring circle, taking up positions at opposite ends. As they did, everyone else lined up to watch while Ryu took his place to the side of the circle. "The spar will be until one of you is unable to continue, or one of you is knocked from the ring. Is that understood?" He asked.

Both of them nodded, glaring at each other, as Ryu nodded. "Then…fight!" he shouted.

Immediately, Naruto settled into his stance, right leg forward, knees bent, and hands up, ready to deflect and block. Kiba growled as he lowered himself, taking a more animalistic stance. He then rushed forward with a growl, moving faster than Naruto expected and landing a punch in Naruto's stomach before he could expect it. Naruto grunted and staggered back, but quickly regained his footing. Kiba came in again, this time the wild left punch was deflected to the side by Naruto, who swung in with a left of his own, catching Kiba while he was off balanced and landing a blow to his cheek. Kiba staggered back, as Naruto stepped forward, following with a right to Kiba's stomach, as Raphael's lessons and tips echoed in his head.

'Remember, do not give up the moment to your enemy. If you've landed a blow that has left them open, continue the attack. The faster you can defeat an enemy, the better. But choose your attacks well. Do not leave yourself open to surprises.'

With Raphael's words in his mind, Naruto followed up with another left to Kiba's chest, followed up by a right uppercut that sent Kiba sprawling onto his back. The young Inuzuka tried to scramble to his feet, as Naruto resettled into his stance. As he did, he spat out some blood from where the first left had caused him to bite his cheek. Growling angrily, Kiba lunged in again, driving Naruto to the ground and unleashing a vicious punch to Naruto's face. Naruto quickly got his hands up, blocking more of Kiba's attacks. He struggled to push Kiba off, managing to get him back enough to bring his feet up and shove Kiba off with both feet. Naruto got back up, one of his eyes blackening from the initial punch.

Ryu bit his lip. He hated seeing these young kids beat each other up like this. But it was part of the life they chose. If they became shinobi, their enemies wouldn't pull punches. There wouldn't be someone there to stop them. Shaking his head, he watched as the two engaged again.

Kiba lunged at Naruto again with a vicious right cross, but instead of just deflecting this time, Naruto actually sidestepped, grabbing Kiba's arm with his right hand and landing a powerful left jab, followed by a right cross. Kiba staggered back, head ringing, before falling on his butt, looking very dazed. Naruto advanced, only to be stopped by Ryu.

"I think that's enough," he said, glancing at the other students. Many of them were stunned at what they had seen, and a few looked fearful. Ryu shook his head as he glanced at the two. "Naruto, you've won the match. But I hope you both realized your mistake here. Or in Kiba's case, mistakes."

At their confused looks, or dazed and confused in Kiba's case, Ryu explained. "You both allowed your anger to cloud your judgment, and force you into a fight. You cannot allow yourself to get angry out in the real world, as it will cause you to lose control. While allowing anger to motivate you is a good idea, allowing it to control and consume you is not. Kiba, you also underestimated not only Naruto for not being part of a clan, but all of your fellow female classmates as well, simply because they are girls. Do you know that one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha is a kunoichi named Tsunade Senju? She has the ability to level entire mountains with a single punch. With a flick of her finger, she could put you through the wall of the Academy."

Kiba's eyes widened as he heard that, as did everyone else's. Ryu looked at them all. "Take that lesson to heart. Never underestimate your opponents. It will be the death of you, and possibly your teammates. Naruto, Kiba, report to the Nurse's Office. The rest of you, line up to practice the next set of moves for the basic Academy Taijutsu," he said.

As the students lined up into formation, Naruto and Kiba began to head into the academy. But as Naruto glanced back, he saw a very shy Hinata glancing at him, and smiling a bit, before blushing and looking away. Naruto lopsidedly grinned, as he headed off inside.

I actually had a bit more planned, but I thought this was a good place to stop. The stuff I wanted to add in would just be too much, and would be better spent next chapter.

Sorry for taking too long to update. One of my friends got me into Dungeons and Dragons Online, so that slowed me down.

Thanks again to my awesome betas Kyuubi123 and bill Alain for their hard work and taking time from their lives to help me out.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and will continue to read. Till next time!

1. My entire explanation of what the Assassin's Maxim means (Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted) is not canon. Quite honestly, we do not have a full canon explanation. What we have is various people's opinions on what it means both in and outside the games and such. And what I said here is what I believe it to mean. *nods*

Please review.