Kyuubi

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Naruto sat on the swing underneath an out-of-view tree, far away from the crowd of newly graduated students.

He pressed his forehead to the metal chain and just sat there, trying not to cry.

Sakura and Sasuke believed in me and I failed. His eyes trailed to the crowd, spotting Sakura hug her parents excitedly. Her headband was still in her hand, though. Why won't she put it on? Please...Sakura-chan, don't do this for me.

Naruto's cerulean gaze swept across the other graduates, trying to find Sasuke. He wasn't there.

"Dobe,"

Naruto jumped, his swing spinning around as he spotted Sasuke standing right behind him, hidden underneath the shade of the tree. "WHAWHAWHAAWHA" Naruto's hands flailed before he crashed to the ground. "Owww!"

Sasuke pulled him up roughly, and Naruto noticed he also wasn't wearing his headband. "Teme, you're a ninja now," he reluctantly told him. You too, Sasuke?

"Whatever," Sasuke said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking away, leaving Naruto behind.

Sakura noticed him approaching her and waved him over. She kissed her mom and dad before sprinting over to Sasuke and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go!"

Sasuke pulled back, repulsed, "Aren't you going to say something to the dobe?"

Sakura only tightened her grip. "I'm sure you told him everything you wanted him to know," Sakura answered, not realizing those words were making Sasuke doubt himself.

"We can't waste anymore time!"

For what, our date?! Sasuke wanted to snap, but her eyes were wide and desperate with determination, and he clicked his tongue, letting her pull him somewhere else in a full-sprint.

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"Hokage-sama! Bad news!" A chuunin yelled.

"Don't tell me it's Naruto again," Sarutobi pushed aside his papers. "Let me guess, he didn't graduate so he pulled some more trouble?"

"No! He stole the Sacred Scroll of Sealing!"

"WHAT?!" Sarutobi ran out of his office and commanded the gathering crowd of ninja to find Naruto at once.

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Sarutobi ran back into his office to pull out his crystal ball just in time to watch Iruka discover Naruto.

The door slammed open revealing a scuffled Sakura and an impatient Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama!" Sakura screeched, her high pitch making Sarutobi drop the crystal ball and cringe. She stomped over to the Hokage, and grabbed the collar of his robes. "You will make Naruto graduate with us!"

Sarutobi was too shocked to react, but his ninja instincts kicked in and he knocked Sakura off his body. She crashed into Sasuke, but he held his ground and caught her firmly, before turning his dark eyes towards the Hokage.

"Naruto is stronger than half the graduates," Sasuke assured him, "Much stronger."

"Y-Yeah!" Sakura caught on. "You shouldn't fail him just because he's too strong to do a weak techni-..." she trailed off upon hearing some important keywords coming from the Crystal Ball.

Instantly, she and Sasuke were crowding around the ball, watching Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei argue with each other for the Scroll.

Sarutobi regretted letting kids get the better of him, he was the Hokage for kami's sake! But he was more interested in what was happening with Naruto than kicking them out, so he pushed them a little away from the ball to give himself enough space to watch.

"NARUTO, YOU ARE THE NINE TAILED FOX!"

Sakura gaped and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

The Hokage facepalmed. He never expected Mizuki-sensei to expose the SS-Rank secret to the container himself. Now how to deal with these meddling kids?

No, there was a more important manner at hand. It was a make-or-break moment for Naruto, and if he decides to release the fox and take revenge on the Leaf...

Naruto made a thousand shadow clones and three sets of eyes almost popped out in amazement.

What the heck! Sakura's eyes met with Sasuke and he nodded a millimeter. Only her glasses caught the motion.

Sarutobi's head shot up to gauge their reactions, only to see Sakura and Sasuke not reacting as hard and outrageously as they should

His stomach churned. These two were Naruto's first and only friends, so he'd have to get a Yamanaka to erase their memories.

No, that was like his Councillor Danzo, and Sarutobi was nothing like Danzo. He'd give them a chance.

"Kids, Naruto is not the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Mhm. We already know," Sakura adjusted her glasses. "It's his stomach."

Sarutobi was taken aback. His stomach?

Sasuke snorted. "Tch, don't give us that look. It's as if you expect us to react as though the Kyuubi is his brain instead."

Sarutobi crossed his hands under his chin. Hmm, good analogy.

"Yeah, Sasuke is right!" Sakura placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. "All that energy is focused on his stomach area, not his head!"

You were describing it literally, Sarutobi realized.

"Not to mention he's the stupidest person I've had the misfortune of encountering," Sasuke added slickly.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of that statement, but it was true nonetheless.

"Naruto, I have something for you. Close your eyes," it was Iruka's voice.

Sarutobi wasn't surprised as he watched Iruka-sensei tie his shinobi headband to Naruto's head.

But he was surprised by the two in front of him.

Sasuke took out his headband from underneath his arm-warmer, and Sakura pulled hers from under her bra.

They tied them on their heads at the same time with Naruto, both of them smirking in an adorably smug way.

Sarutobi's eyes filled with tears. Never in my sixty years have I seen a friendship so deep...What's more, it involves Naruto, and he's not even present...I've never been so touched. With that, the old man slapped his face to the desk and began weeping, overwhelmed by the feels.

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama?" Sakura folded her hands behind her back and leaned towards the old man. Old, huh? Her eyes softened, she was fond of the elderly. "Can I get you a drink of water?"

"No, it's fine, little girl," Sarutobi studied her, put off by her demeanor change from harsh to considerate. "Sakura Haruno, eh?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And Sasuke Uchiha," he watched Sasuke nod before making his decision. This is a special case, and with this batch, they'll bug me until I... "Starting tomorrow, all three of you will be together as Team Seven." He felt no need to say the third person's name, they already knew.

"WOOHOO! We did it!" Sakura jumped over and hugged Sasuke hard. He didn't try to push her off, in fact, he even smirked.

Our plan was to convince the Hokage to let Naruto graduate, and in the best case scenario, also convince him to keep us together. And it worked unexpectedly!

Not knowing they'd be put together regardless of their actions.

"We'll tell Naruto tonight," Sasuke informed her. "Else the idiot's going to think that we don't know his secret and fret over us finding out and in turn hating him," he only bothered to say as much aloud because they were in front of the Hokage.

"Mhm," Sakura nodded, "if that's okay with you, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi's eyes crinkled. "Of course it is."

She grinned and grabbed Sasuke's hand, running off as he tenderly put away his crystal ball.

I have no doubt this batch of kids will pass your bell test. You're in for a surprise, Kakashi.

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