Chapter 30: A New Team

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Hmm…."- Bijuu

Chapter 30:

A New Team

"So you've already made up your mind about this, father?"

Arashi sighed as he gazed out the window to his home village. It was early in the morning of the day after his daughter's class had taken an exam to decide whether or not they would become a shinobi of their clan. He had been busy the entire afternoon after that and well into the night. The reason was that he had to figure out just who would be in which team as well as the best sensei for that team. Of course, Kaito was to be a team leader of one of the teams. But his son had been expecting to be placed in the same team as his younger sister. And while that had crossed Arashi's mind in the beginning, he had changed his mind these past few months.

"You know that I had originally wanted to place you in charge of Kushina's squad," Arashi began. "Mostly because I thought that you could handle her better than anyone else. But I've come to realize that it was mostly me just being overprotective again since I could count on you to watch out for her."

Kaito raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the first time that he was hearing his father admitting his mistakes while trying to correct them.

Arashi chuckled, already knowing what his son was probably thinking. "Yes, I know. I guess I'm growing as a father. At any rate, I know that I can't always baby her like I've been doing up to now. I have to let Kushina grow as well. Otherwise, she will be a kid forever. And then I really will have failed as a father."

"It's not entirely your fault," Kaito said while scratching the back of his head. "It's a father's duty to want the best for his daughter. No one can blame you for wanting to protect her forever. But there's always a time when you have to let them get hurt as well. No matter how painful it is for you. That way, they can really grow up for the real world."

Arashi smiled as he turned to face his son. "Sounds like you'll be a great father one day, Kaito."

The young jonin t'ched. "Don't give me that. Everything that I know is because of you and mom. So you at least have the comfort of knowing that you're not bad parents. You shouldn't be saying that you're a bad parent from now on."

Arashi chuckled. That was the thing with Kaito. He didn't handle compliments very well. And that was because his son was never complacent with himself. He always thought that he could better himself. It was an admirable trait all right.

"So?" Kaito asked. "Just which team do you want me to lead now?"

Arashi grinned as he took a seat, clasping both hands on his desk. "Kushina is not the only child I have now, you know…."

Kaito's eyes widened in realization. "Naruto? You want me to teach Naruto?"

Arashi nodded without any hesitation. "Yes. That boy…..it looks like he's been hiding stuff from us."

"What do you mean?"

"I received the results from the test yesterday," Arashi answered with another chuckle. "Aside from the written portion, Naruto scored the highest percentage among his entire class."

"But how?" Kaito said in amazement. "He's always had the lowest scores throughout the academy."

"I'm as surprised as you are," Arashi said in agreement. "But it seems like he's had his reasons for doing so. Mainly because titles don't mean anything to him apparently."

"Oh?" Kaito hummed, starting to get some interest. "That's a very interesting mindset. Not one that I would have expected from him honestly."

"You're not alone in that," Arashi replied with another chuckle. "The boy is showing more promise than I had first imagined. In some ways, it's the most than from the other graduates. That is why I want you to be his squad leader. Not to mention the other two that I'm putting under you."

"Oi, what are you thinking?" Kaito asked, starting to get a picture of what his father intended for the blond knucklehead in the future.

"That is nothing for you to concern yourself with right now," Arashi responded. "As I was saying, Kenji has already told me about these other two. It's why I've placed them together alongside Naruto."

Kaito sighed, placing both hands in his pockets. He had met the other two genin that his father was talking about. He didn't know them very well, though. He had just seen them from time to time with Naruto when the blond brought them over to their house. But from what he had heard, they were a handful on their own.

'Uzumaki Aika and Uzumaki Haru, huh,' Kaito thought to himself. "Is Kenji all right with me teaching his son?"

"Yes," Arashi said with a small grin, already knowing that his son wanted to see if there was a way he could get out of this. It wasn't like the jonin had a problem with Naruto. It was just that Arashi knew that his son had wanted to have Kushina all along. Preferably with Naruto too. Arashi had tossed the idea around in his head too. The other team he had come up with would have been composed of Naruto, Kushina, and Haru. But that was before Kenji had explained to him how Naruto, Aika, and Haru already had excellent teamwork. The man had seen them practice a few times before when Haru had brought them to his house. As a side note, it amazed Arashi how Naruto had been mindful to hide his skills from Kenji as well.

Kaito sighed once more, knowing that there wasn't any reason for him to say no. Not that his father would have taken a no to begin with anyway.

"All right, I got it. I'll take the team."

"Perfect," Arashi exclaimed with another smile. He had already known that he was going to get a "yes" either way. But it was still nice to get confirmation. "You'll meet with them at the academy today. From then on, it'll be up to you to see if you want to start taking missions or if you want for them to practice some more."

At this, Kaito smirked. Some part of him was really excited to see what Naruto could do. Especially since it seemed as if the boy had fooled him for over four years. The rest of him wanted a little bit of payback. And now, he had the perfect opportunity to carry that out.

Arashi merely leaned back in his seat, waiting to see what he would hear from the teams.

Naruto was humming to himself as he leaned back in his seat, waiting for the chunnin to arrive so that he could announce in what teams they would be in. He had arrived earlier today than he had yesterday. It was mainly because he was too eager to get his shinobi career started again. Glancing to his right, Naruto saw that his mother was in the same mood as he was. For once, she was seated next to him. It had only happened rarely during their time in the academy. But Naruto wasn't complaining. He knew that his mother had her own things going on. It was only natural. Not to mention that she was friendly to him when they were at home too.

Anyway, they had arrived early today because they were both excited. The blond was a bit surprised that they had even managed to get here before Haru. The boy had made a point of being early. But then again, Naruto was certain that Kenji was holding him up in order to give him some advice for the future, something that Kazumi had tried to do with them only for Kushina to drag them out of there before the woman had a chance to. Naruto had felt a bit bad about it, but he knew he would have plenty of chances to make it up to his grandmother once they returned.

It wasn't long before both Aika and Haru arrived. For once, Aika did not say anything spiteful to Kushina who also returned the favor. The girl simply took a seat opposite of Naruto with Haru sitting in the row in front of them. Naruto didn't want for the boy to feel left out, but he couldn't ask his mother to move either. Not to mention that Haru didn't seem the least bothered about where he was sitting.

The blond wasn't able to dwell on this for too long as the chunnin arrived at long last. For what was probably the last time, the man walked up to stand in front of the room before them, a clipboard in hand. Naruto was sure that it contained the list of names of the class and the teams that they were in. It went without saying that he had wanted to sneak into his grandfather's office in order to know beforehand just what team he had been placed in. But both Matatabi and Kokuo had talked him out of it. Or more like they had scolded him out of it. But that was neither here nor there.

The chunnin looked at his latest graduating class, each student now wearing a headband that signified that they were shinobi of Uzu.

"This is an important day for you all," he began with a rare smile. But the occasion warranted at least a smile. "Today you all began your career as a shinobi for our village. You have graduated from the academy, a very important first step. But don't think that it's over. That you can finally relax. The truth couldn't be farther from it, though. This is where everything begins, not ends. From here on out, you will all make decisions that will affect your life forever. But I trust that I have done my job well enough to where you can make the right choices. Remember all that I have taught you but don't let it stop you from growing either. Use my teachings as a basis to develop your own self. To make a name for yourself out there as you continue down your path. I know that each one of you will do great. And it is with this that you will now all be placed in individual squads. Take notice that all of these teams were picked by Arashi-sama himself. So they weren't random. You're together for a reason. So remember that as you begin down your path together. Understand?"

"Yes, sensei!"

The chunnin smiled a bit more at the unanimous cry. He had not been expecting anything else.

Having said that, the chunnin brought the clipboard in his hands in front of him, starting to recite the name of each genin and what team they were in.

Aika glanced at Naruto and Haru, praying in her mind that she was in the same team as them. Or at the very least that she ended up with one of them. She knew that she would not be able to have a great start to her shinobi career without either of them at her side. But the girl also realized that ending up in the same team with them both was probably impossible. So she could settle with just one.

Kushina was in the same predicament as she glanced at Naruto who was listening intently to the chunnin for once. This was the first time that the blond had actually felt the need since they began training with their elements. Kushina bit her lip in apprehension, not knowing exactly whom her father had picked to be her teammates. She had been too nervous to ask him. She doubted that he would have given her an answer anyway. At any rate, she hoped that she at least ended up with him. She didn't care whom their third member was.

"Team eight: Uzumaki Kushina….."

Kushina perked up when she heard her name being called out.

"…..Uzumaki Kaoru….."

The girl felt her hopes dim a little. But there was still a chance that her second teammate could be Naruto.

"And Uzumaki Sho."

And just like that, Kushina's hopes died.

Naruto glanced at his mother, seeing a dissatisfied look on her face. For a moment, he wondered why. As far as he could tell, she still had a crush on Kaoru. That statement rang true for pretty much every girl in the class save for Aika. So shouldn't she be happy just like Sakura had been when she had found out that she had been put in the same team as Sasuke?

"Maybe she wanted to be in a team with you," Saiken said, trying to help Naruto in figuring out just why his mother was in such a down mood.

If that were true, Naruto would have screamed out in happiness. But he doubted that that was the case. And it wasn't like he didn't want to be in a team with her. He would have been overjoyed. But at the same time, he wanted to be placed in a team with both Aika and Haru. And Naruto knew that he couldn't have both. Which was why he was happy with either. If he got neither….well, that would just suck. But if he had counted right, then that meant that there were only two teams left that needed to be called out since there were thirty of them total in the class. And neither his name nor the others' had been called out yet.

Almost as if reading his mind, Aika grabbed his hand with hers. Naruto looked at her, only to see her looking at the chunnin with an anxious look of her own. Sending her a reassuring squeeze, Naruto smiled softly at her when she turned to look at him. Aika smiled in return, feeling herself calm down.

"Team Nine: Uzumaki Haru….."

Said boy perked up from his spot in front of Naruto with the blond feeling his own heart pounding in his chest. This was the moment of truth.

"….Uzumaki Aika….."

Through his peripherals Naruto saw the girl let out a small breath of relief. The blond also noticed how Haru's shoulders relaxed. Well, at least they were together. But chances were that Naruto himself would probably end up with the last team and not be able to-

"And Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's train of thought left him when he heard his name called out. The whiskered blond blinked for a moment, wondering if he had heard right.

As for Aika, the girl's eyes widened in excitement, realizing that she had gotten what she had wanted: to be in a team with both Naruto and Haru.

Haru was thinking the same thing at the moment.

Meanwhile, Kushina looked even more annoyed than before, wondering just why his father had put Naruto with both Aika and Haru. But more specifically with Aika. It just rubbed her the wrong way. The girl knew not to voice her displeasure, though. Least of all to her father. She didn't want him to think that she was still a brat that wanted everything to go her way. Even though that was exactly what she was being at the moment. It just wasn't fair. Plain and simple. At least to her it wasn't.

Naruto on the other hand was cheering inside his head, chibi versions of himself carrying a flag with the word success as they danced around inside his head.

The bijuu were simply happy for the blond, even Shukaku who didn't voice it like the others.

"It looks like your number was the lucky one this time, Kurama," Son Goku said, referring to the fact that Naruto was now in Team Nine with both of his friends.

Said fox simply h'mphed, trying to hide the fact that he was happy with that. He still had a reputation to maintain among his siblings.

It was something that the others picked up on, chuckling in amusement. Even Shukaku cracked a grin, already knowing just how hardheaded his brother could be. And yes, the one tailed bijuu was already thinking of the others as his brothers. While in the past he would never do such a thing, Shukaku had come to realize that many of the things that he had previously thought were wrong. Being around Naruto for four years now had shown him that. But it wasn't something that he minded. After all, the last time that they had all been together like this was during the months before the Rikudo Sennin passed away. After that, everything had fallen apart with both of the Old Man's sons fighting to see just who would inherit his will. Now thinking about it, Shukaku deemed it to be a pretty stupid fight. But it was one that had split him and his siblings apart too. Not only that, but he wasn't guilt free of doing stupid things over the years either. It was a guilt that they all shared, humans and bijuu alike. A guilt that Naruto was now trying to rectify.

Having announced the final team, the chunnin turned his attention back to his students, knowing that this was more than likely the last time that he would see them all together. It was a sad thought really. But he had gone through this multiple times now.

"Your team leaders will soon be arriving to pick you up. From then out, you are to follow their instructions to the letter. They will be in charge of you from now on. In the meantime, you can just relax and talk amongst yourselves if you wish. And again, it was my pleasure having had taught you all. I wish you good luck out there."

With that, the chunnin made his way out of the room, having finished his job. The rest was in their hands now.

Everything went by quickly after that. The class began to scatter among their own groups that they had built over the years, totally disregarding if they were in the same team or not. But Naruto couldn't fault them for that either. He had done the same thing too. Even his mother had gone to her group, the look of annoyance ever present on her face. But the blond hadn't been able to dwell too much on it as both Aika and Haru gushed him with their excitement, one that matched his own. It was blatantly obvious to the others that they were probably, no they were without a doubt, the happiest group in the class with how the teams had been arranged. Not that the others could fault them. While Naruto had socialized with just about everyone in the class here and there, both Aika and Haru had not. For different reasons of course. Haru still didn't feel comfortable with the idea while Aika just didn't try to put any effort into it. She thought that it was a waste of her time, something that Naruto had tried to rectify. But the girl had not budge. At least she was friendlier with others than before. It was an improvement from her previous attitude.

Anyway, one by one the jonin that were in charge of each team came by to pick up the teams that they were assigned to. Kushina's squad one had been one of the early ones to leave. By the time that their join leader came, Naruto's team was one of the last ones still there. But it was an improvement from Kakashi's tardiness all right. Naruto couldn't ever see anyone beating the skilled silver haired jonin in that department. But Naruto was actually surprised in seeing that their jonin leader was none other than his uncle, Uzumaki Kaito. If anything, Naruto had been expecting for the man to be in charge of Kushina's team since the girl was his sister and more importantly the daughter of the clan leader. For reasons unknown to the blond, though, the man had ended up with them.

But the jonin did not say one word to them save for when he had asked if they were Team Nine before he had made them follow him to the training fields that Uzu had in the outskirts of the village. Thankfully it was nowhere near the training spot that Naruto and the others had secretly chosen.

It wasn't long before they reached their designated training field in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Naruto's stomach was growling at this point, hungry for lunch. But there were still two hours before noon came. Not that it mattered to the blond's stomach anyway.

Naruto and the others situated themselves on the ground while Kaito stood before them with his back facing them, his hands in his pockets.

"Well then," he began, speaking for the first time as he turned to face them, "it appears that we will all be a team from now on until the moment that you all become chunnin."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering if his uncle was planning on doing something similar to what Kakashi had done. Not that it would matter. He was confident that he could pull through.

"Our first objective for the day is introductions," Kaito continued, already knowing that these three were best friends so it was kind of a moot point. But this was the way that he had planned for things to go. So he was sticking to it.

Haru raised one of his arms, speaking in an uncertain tone, "Umm do you mind if you go first? That way we could know how to do it."

'Fair enough,' Kaito thought. "Well, my name is Uzumaki Kaito. I've been a jonin for about six years now. I hope to be the clan leader one day." That got a surprised look from Aika while Naruto and Haru had already been aware of this fact. "I guess that my hobbies are training and having a drink or two." Naruto restrained his laughter here, already aware of how his grandmother would freak if she heard that her 'baby' was drinking out there. It was an amusing thought really. "My only dislike would be those who don't appreciate a hard worker."

"Heh, it seems like he's not that bad of a guy, eh, brat?" Kurama said with a chuckle.

Kaito then pointed at Haru. "All right. Your turn."

Haru shifted for a moment before he began. "Well, my name is Uzumaki Haru. I'm a genin. I hope to be the world's best archer." Kaito raised an eyebrow at the dream. But it did tell him just what the boy specialized in. "I like my friends and hanging out with them as well as training." The boy had to fight a blush at the first part. "I guess that I dislike those who think that ninjutsu is superior to everything."

Naruto knew that he came close that. Or at least, he had been in the past. But having had fought alongside both Lee and Guy, the blond knew that ninjutsu wasn't always superior. It all depended on the person just like with any other weapon.

Nodding, Kaito then shifted his attention to Aika. "All right then. You're next."

"My name is Uzumaki Aika," she began in a casual tone. "I guess that my dream for the future is to be the best shinobi that I can be." Now that really took the jonin by surprise. Most girls her age were more interested in boys than their shinobi training. It was something that he thought that he was going to have to fix. But it seemed as if he wasn't going to have that problem with her. "I enjoy training with my friends, spending time with my father, and enjoying an afternoon nap every now and then." Naruto did chuckle at this while Haru cracked a small smile. Aika could be lazy when she wanted to. "And I don't really have any dislikes worth mentioning."

Naruto knew different, but he wasn't going to say anything if she didn't want to.

Nodding again, Kaito finally settled with Naruto who sent him a small wave with a grin. "Yo."

The jonin sighed. "All right, boy, your turn."

Shrugging, Naruto said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the dead last of the class." The blond noticed how his uncle narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Naruto was already certain that the jonin knew of his exam results by now. Which meant that he probably wasn't buying the whole 'dead last persona' any longer. Not that it mattered. Naruto no longer needed it. "I don't really have a dream for the future at the moment." Several snorts in his head went off at that, which Naruto ignored. "My likes are my friends and spending time with them. And ramen!" The last part had both Aika and Haru chuckling while Kaito sighed. "I dislike those who don't know the awesomeness of ramen and put it down as well as those who put my friends down."

'That was quite an introduction,' Kaito thought, looking at Naruto's carefree grin. 'If I didn't know any better, I would think that he was still the same brat.'

"Well, that concludes our introductions. With that done, we move on to the fun part of the day."

That had all the three genin curious as the jonin moved to stand in the center of the clearing. Looking among each other, the trio decided to stand up and follow him.

"This is the part where I see just how strong you are," Kaito said as Naruto and the others stopped in front of him. "That being said, you are allowed to use anything that you know so that I can have a better picture of what you can already do. Even if you think that it's lethal. Understand?"

The three glanced at each other, already aware that they were going to work together for this. They already had plenty of plans coordinated in tandem with each other. It was something that they had worked hard for throughout the years. With that in mind, both Naruto and Haru reached for their kunai pouch behind them, wearing them for the first time outside of training with one another.

Kaito took notice of this but didn't comment. He wanted to see just how well they could work together as a team. He suspected that it was good since even Kenji had been impressed.

"Let's begin."

Not even a second after the words had left his mouth that Naruto rushed at him with incredible speed. It was one that had Kaito stepping back in order to dodge Naruto's weapon that appeared out of nowhere, said weapon being none other than a bo staff.

'His academy record never said anything about this,' Kaito thought before realizing that it was stupid to think about that. It was plainly obvious that the boy had been holding back the entire time.

But he didn't have much time to dwell on it as Naruto suddenly jumped into the air with Aika rushing in from where he had been standing before, her hands already in the process of completing handseals.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

Kaito t'ched as he brought his own hands together.

"Suiton: Suijinheki!"

Aika smirked when she saw the jonin form a defensive water wall around him in order to shield himself from her attack. But of course, she had been expecting that.

Kaito shielded his eyes from the surrounding steam that resulted from his and Aika's attack clashing. But his shinobi senses kicked into gear again when his ears picked up the sound of something heading towards him. The jonin quickly ducked down as a trio of arrows were shot towards him from the other side of the steam. He already knew who was the one responsible for this. But he did have to give it to them. This was a good strategy. Keeping him unbalanced with Naruto's first assault before Aika rushed in with an attack of her own. There was no doubt that they had been expecting that he would counter with the water style, which would result in steam that gave Haru the perfect cover to try to at least injure him with one of his arrows. It was a nice combo, especially for freshly graduated genin.

Kaito had to be on the move again as even more arrows were fired at him at a fast rate and at differentiating numbers too. Sometimes there were two, other times three, and so on. He had to admit that they were doing a good job at keeping him on his toes so far. But this was only the beginning. Not only that, but the steam was beginning to clear as well. He was also beginning to pick up on Haru's firing rate and where he probably was. Which was more than likely behind cover as well.

But the jonin didn't have the time to get settled in as Naruto came flying down on him once more, making Kaito realize that he had almost forgotten about the blond jumping into the air. Kaito then found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of well executed attacks from Naruto as he continued to press on with his bo staff. Kaito could see that the boy had great skills with it. But unfortunately, the boy wasn't fast enough to keep up with the speed of a jonin. At least, that was what Kaito thought until he felt blood running down his cheek.

Realizing that he had somehow been cut with the bo staff, Kaito jumped back in order to make some distance between himself and the blond who took a defensive stance with his bo staff.

'How did he get me?' Kaito thought, wondering just how the blond had been able to actually land a hit on him. And draw first blood too. 'I'm certain that I was dodging all of his attacks. So then how could he have-'

Kaito's eyes widened as he realized what the blond had done. 'That little trickster! He's applying his wind style to his bo staff in order to extend the range in which it can reach!' Focusing on the bo staff, Kaito realized that he was right when he noticed the blond focusing his chakra through it. It seemed as if he was really underestimating this team too much. But it wasn't his fault by any means. Freshly graduated genin weren't supposed to have these skills yet. Only a few managed to be an exception. Kaito supposed that he was looking at those few exceptions and how he had the luck of having them together as a team.

'Now I see why Kenji was so impressed.'

Kaito t'ched when there was a sudden rumbling beneath his feet as gold glowing chains suddenly shot out from under his feet, wrapping themselves tightly around him.

'This power…..' he thought with narrowed eyes as Aika walked up from behind Naruto in order to stand next to him, both wearing matching grins.

"It seems like we've caught you, sensei," Aika said, her grin still in place.

Kaito meanwhile was staring at the chains with a serious look. He knew of these of course. His father had told him about them before. But this power only appeared in certain members of the Uzumaki clan, meaning that it was a rare power to have. There had only been a select number of members in the clan that had ever achieved it throughout the clan's history. And yet, this girl had already…..

'I need to inform father of this,' Kaito thought, already annoyed with the academy for not keeping good records of its students' skills. 'But for now, I better get through this.'

Feeling proud of her accomplishment for the moment, Aika felt her pride go down as Kaito dissolved into water a few moments later, signifying that it had only been a water clone and not the original.

"Oi, brat, you saw it too right?" Kurama asked.

'Yeah,' Naruto said. 'He created the clone after Aika-chan's fireball clashed with his water wall and switched himself with it right before he was captured by Aika-chan's chains.'

"Heh, it's still a surprise, though," Kurama said with a small grin. "Who would have thought that this girl possesses the same power as your mother. It looks like she'd be a fine candidate to be my host. I wonder why she wasn't chosen….."

Naruto didn't reply, not concerned about that for the moment.

Aika gritted her teeth as she recalled her chains back into her. "It looks like he got us. He really isn't a jonin for nothing."

They immediately turned around when the sounds of an explosion reached their ears from behind them. There was a large dust of cloud from the explosion. Both genin instantly knew that it had come from Haru's position, meaning that Kaito had gone for their support first. It wasn't a bad strategy save for the fact that Haru knew some close combat skills as well. He just preferred long distance combat.

And true to their guess, Haru instantly came flying out of the cloud of dust with his bow in hand, panting slightly. The boy had been caught unaware by Kaito, only able to set off an explosive tag at the last moment. It was dangerous, but the boy was confident enough in his skills to know that he could dodge it. Not only that, but Kaito was a jonin. He wasn't going to get caught up in that. And true to his words, Kaito came out of the dust cloud and towards him, intent on finishing him off at least before he went after Naruto and Aika.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

"Futon: Daitoppa!"

Kaito t'ched as another fireball, this time much larger and much more powerful than the last one due to being assisted by Naruto's wind attack, came flying towards him.

Seeing this as well, Haru instantly used some ninja wire in order to grab hold of one of the nearby branches in order to pull himself out of the way of the fireball. Kaito on the other hand was caught in the attack.

Haru narrowed his eyes at that as he retracted his ninja wire, landing down on the ground softly. There was no way that he had been caught in that attack.

"So you're still vigilant. Not bad."

Haru's eyes widened as the jonin's voice reached his ears from behind him. Quickly jumping forward, the genin twisted himself in midair in order to look at a calm looking Kaito with his hands still in his pockets.

Haru was soon joined by both Naruto and Aika as he landed back on the ground again.

"He seems to be very skilled with the water style," Isobu commented, already having known that the man had once again substituted himself with another water clone.

"Well, he's a jonin," Gyuki said. "You can't expect genin to beat him. Well, other than Naruto. But you're a special case, boy."

Naruto chuckled in his head. 'Yeah, I know. This takes me back to when I first fought against Zabuza. Looking back, I was lucky that I even survived that.'

"Your luck is all over the place, brat," Kurama stated. "I mean, look at where, or actually when, you are. I'm sure you'll find your answer there."

Naruto simply rolled his eyes.

Kaito sighed, realizing that doing things half-heartedly was not going to work here. These kids were good. Really good. And they had excellent teamwork too. So pretty much everything that he had first been planning on teaching them was thrown out the window. But he really did have to agree with both his father and Kenji. Their skills complimented each other. Not to mention that they knew this and came up with plans that best utilized them. They had a different level of maturity than other kids their age all right. And that included Kushina as well.

"You three really do know your stuff," Kaito said with some praise in his voice as he brought his hands together. "But it's time I see how well you can react to my own attacks."

The trio took a step back as they sensed the jonin gathering chakra.

"Suiton: Suishoha!"

Naruto t'ched when he saw the spiraling water vortex suddenly spring into life around his uncle. "Aika-chan! Haru! To the trees! Now!"

Not wasting any time, the two instantly sprung into action as well. Using more ninja wire, Haru flew straight for another branch in order to put some distance between himself and the now raging water wave heading towards them.

Aika pushed chakra into her feet which she used to give her a boost which had her skyrocket into the air and towards another tree branch on the opposite side to Haru.

As for Naruto, the blond felt the urge to show off a little. Which he did as he gathered his chakra into his bo staff, placing it in front of him as wind began to pick up around him. This was a variation of the Daitoppa that he had been working on for some time now. It pretty much worked as a defensive technique for wide range attacks such as the one that was heading towards him right now.

On the other side, Kaito raised an eyebrow in surprise again as he saw his technique go around the blond. The jonin could already see what the blond was doing, and it was once more impressive. The blond Uzumaki was pretty much pumping as much chakra as he could in order to form a perimeter of wind around himself with which he could use in order to push the water out of his way. It was extraordinary.

Unfortunately, it also left him wide open for an attack. It was something that Naruto already knew. Which was what his shadow clones were good for. But unfortunately, he couldn't very well use them here right now. Fortunately, he had something else that was just as good: Aika and Haru.

Kaito suddenly found himself once more on the defensive as Haru began to fire more arrows at him, this time from his vantage point up on the tree. Kaito knew that he really couldn't let these hit him as they were now also coated with lightning, which would leave him paralyzed if he were to be hit. But now he knew that they were stepping up their game.

'They just keep surprising me over and over again,' he thought before he brought out one of his kunai, turning around in order to clash with Aika who had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere from behind him.

'Fast!' he thought. 'I guess it's time that I end this. I already have a good idea of what they're capable of.'

Aika gritted her teeth in frustration as she tried to push the jonin back, trying to stall him so that Haru had the perfect shot. She managed to succeed as Haru fired a single arrow coated with more lightning chakra towards Kaito's leg, intent on paralyzing him.

Seeing what they were trying to do, Kaito admired their efforts before surprising them all as he suddenly pushed Aika back, which had her stumbling for a few seconds. Kaito used this opening in order to grab the girl by the wrist before pinning her down, at the same time dodging the arrow by a few centimeters. But it was more than enough to ensure that he didn't get hit.

Up on the tree, Haru frowned at seeing this, realizing that he had missed yet again. Not only that, but Aika was captured this time. Looking towards Naruto, Haru was about to signal him before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"That's quite enough, archer."

With Aika, the girl struggled against the jonin's grip. But it was no use. He was physically stronger than her. But she could still use her chains in order to get freed.

But before she could execute that plan, she t'ched as she saw how another Kaito, more than likely another clone, had Haru in custody as well.

"That's quite enough now," Kaito said as he let Aika go just as Naruto arrived again, having already withstood Kaito's water technique. "This exercise is over."

Haru relaxed just as the water clone behind him dispelled, sealing his bow away.

Naruto sighed before his bo staff retracted back in size, which was now small enough to place in his kunai punch. Seeing this, Kaito realized where the blond had kept it before he had brought it out. But another thing caught his interest…those were seals that he had seen in the staff. He had known about his parents teaching him and Kushina the basics about fuinjutsu, but…..

He glanced at Haru, realizing that the two boys had been working together in fuinjutsu as well. He let out a chuckle as Aika stood to rejoin her teammates once more.

"I have to say: you guys kept me in my toes the whole time. You only began to get too frustrated at the end, which is how I was able to get the upper hand," he said, looking at Aika specifically at this point. The girl sighed, knowing that that had been her mistake right there. Something she knew that she had to work on.

Haru sighed as well, knowing that his detection skills needed work. That was how Kaito had been able to sneak up on him the second time.

As for Naruto…well, he was just standing there calmly.

"That was a bit more interesting than I thought it was going to be," Son Goku said.

"They were lucky for once," Chomei added.

"But at least we now know that the technique we've worked on is useful in actual combat," Matatabi said, adding his own two cents.

"Well, you guys exceeded my expectations," Kaito began, "so there is nothing more that I have to add on today. You guys have been working hard. I can see that much. And your teamwork is excellent. So from now on, we'll be working on your individual weaknesses and go from there. Understand?"

"Wait, does that mean that-"

"Yes," Kaito said before Haru could finish. "From this day on, we are officially a team. Congratulations."

Kushina walked into her house in a sour mood, worse than the one she had been in this morning. And her reason was simple: her first meeting with her team hadn't gone so well. They had been tested to see just how well they could perform as a team. Needless to say, it hadn't ended so good. Kaoru had wanted to do everything on his own. It seemed as if being worshiped at the academy the entire time he had been there had gotten to his head. And then there was her second teammate…Kushina couldn't even remember his name anymore. He had been pretty much useless anyway.

The point was that their new sensei had chewed them out for their poor skills in working as a team. Kushina knew that if it had been a real examination, that they would have failed. Which didn't help her mood any.

She then heard her mother's laughter coming from the backyard. Wondering what she was laughing about, the girl made her way towards her, only to find both her mother and Naruto sitting next to each other as they enjoyed a cup of tea together.

"Ah, Kushina-chan," Kazumi said with a smile as she saw her daughter walking towards them, "would you like to join us?"

Naruto sent her one of his usual smiles which always lifted her mood up.

"Sure."

"Naruto-kun here was just telling me how his first team meeting went," Kazumi said, her smile still present. "It seems like he gave your brother a run for his money."

"You're exaggerating, baa-chan," Naruto said with a small blush appearing on his cheeks. It only made Kazumi laugh some more at his modest nature. She found it incredibly cute.

Kushina on the other hand wanted to confirm something. "Kaito? You got Kaito as your jonin sensei?"

Naruto nodded, not seeing why she would be bothered by that. It wasn't something that he had any control over anyway. It was all his grandfather.

Kushina looked down at her feet, wondering just why everything had gone so wrong with her today.

Kazumi looked at her daughter, already knowing that something was troubling her. But she knew her daughter. She wasn't going to answer anything that she asked as long as Naruto was here. And she wasn't going to send Naruto away either. It wouldn't be fair for the blond. So instead she decided to enjoy her tea before she asked her daughter what was troubling her when they were alone.

"It sounds like you're happy with your team, Naruto-kun," Kazumi said, trying to move the conversation forward.

Thankfully Naruto was more than willing as he nodded. "Of course! Aika-chan and Haru are awesome! I can't wait before we go on missions too."

Kazuki chuckled, already knowing what the blond's reaction was going to be when they first started taking missions. But knowing her son, she knew that he would refrain from doing that until he felt that they were properly trained for the time being. That was just the way her son was.

As Naruto continued to talk with her mother, Kushina looked down at her hands that were on her lap, wondering again why she felt so bitter towards Aika. She had felt resentment towards the girl all day. But it wasn't the usual feeling of rivalry that she always had whenever she thought of the girl. This was different. But the girl couldn't place it. Just what was it? She had no reason to feel this way towards the girl. The academy was over with now. Grades no longer mattered. So then why was she-

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to have dinner with Aika-chan today, baa-chan," Naruto said as the two continued to converse. "Her father isn't back yet, and I don't want her to feel alone after a great day."

Kazumi placed a hand on her cheek, a sly smile on her face. "Oh my. You're such a gentleman, Naruto-kun. But I don't know how I feel about you being in a house alone with such a beautiful young girl."

"Baa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed with another blush. "It's not like that! I swear!"

"Hahaha I know, I know," Kazumi said as she waved her other hand in dismissal. "I was only teasing you. But I understand. You want to be there for her. Well, you have my permission."

Naruto sighed in relief, worried for a moment that his grandmother would have been against it. He had already promised Aika that he could come over. He didn't want go break his promise with the girl.

As for Kushina, the girl finally realized why she was feeling what she was. It would make sense. But she couldn't understand why that would be. There was just no way.

But looking at Naruto once more, the girl realized that she could no longer deny just why she felt so bitter and jealous towards Aika.

It was because she was beginning to develop feelings for the blond.

Uchiha Madara awoke from his slumber to find White Zetsu standing before him with his usual grin. If he could have, he would have wiped that grin from his face. But unfortunately, he could no longer do such a thing. He was already one hundred percent dependent on the Gedo Mazo behind him as it continued to pump him with chakra in order to keep him alive. The only things he could do now were walk and breathe. Even so, he looked as intimidating as ever, his white hair and ghostly appearance just adding a bit more of that to him.

"What is it?" Madara simply said, his single sharingan staring intently at White Zetsu.

"It seems like Danzo hasn't given up, just like you thought he wouldn't," White Zetsu answered. "He's up to his usual tricks again."

"What is it this time?"

"It looks like he has a new plan this time," White Zetsu began, "and he has an Uzumaki aiding him this time around. Which means….."

"This plan of his might actually work," Madara finished with a hmph. "It seems like everything is proceeding just like I had expected, even if it did take a bit longer than I had calculated."

"So I'm guessing Kiri will take part in this too?" White Zetsu asked, already knowing the answer to that but still asking. He didn't have anyone else to screw around with, so Madara was it. Something which infuriated the Uchiha to no end. After all, the White Zetsu was nothing more than a creation of his from Hashirama's cells. But just as the original, they talked too much for their own good. Despite that, though, Madara still preferred the original any day of the week.

"Yes," Madara said, a small smile forming itself on his wrinkly face. "I did promise them that they would soon experience something that they would never forget. They've only delayed the inevitable. This time, they will be powerless to stop what's coming."

"Man," White Zetsu said with a low whistle, "I sure am glad that I've never pissed you off." Which he knew that he always did.

Madara sent him a glare. "Just go. Spread the word. Make sure nothing fails this time."

"Hai, hai."

With that, White Zetsu sunk back into the ground, intent on relaying Madara's orders to his network of clones including the one that was currently acting as the Sandaime Mizukage in Kiri.

Madara simply leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes as he enjoyed his peaceful slumber once more.

By the time he woke up again, he was certain that Uzu would be burned to the ground.