Thanks for reading and posting reviews as well as voting on the poll! You're the best readers ever! A month in and I'm already on the 6th chapter (technically 5 and a half since AN doesn't count but oh well)! As I said before, I value my readers' opinions so I'll response to what you have to said via PM if it's suggestions on what need to be change or cleared up. But since there are probably people out there who wouldn't believe me, I'll just write a version of what I sent in the PM here.

LordGhostStrikers: Hinata was a choice in the poll because she was a female and if I hadn't put her there, people would have left reviews or PM me about the pairing anyways. Honestly, I think the pairing with Hinata is a little overdone also but I want to make a story where both my readers and I can enjoy. I'm fairly easy going so I honestly don't mind.

seagate: I know Naruto is weak at the moment and not much of an improvement from the canon but I don't want him to get too strong in such a small amount of time. I don't want him to be god-like and always winning because that'll be boring to write. After all, you learn from trial and error. Right now, if he fought with Kiba like he did in the canon, Naruto's win would be more believable which is what I'm trying to get at. I mean, standing up after being knocked down by someone superior can only get you so far. You'll need skills to win. Also, the story that I mentioned in Author's Notes, some of them had Naruto training for a longer period of time. Realistic progress might make it disappointing but at least it's entertaining and believable.

SomeRandomBagel: Part I is just about character development with a bit of flirting every now and then to mess with the readers and keep them guessing on the pairing :P *Evil laugh* Part II is the whole pairing thing will be announced bit but you make a good point. I honestly don't know if I should make a pairing with Naruto or not. Maybe I'll use your idea. Don't know. Only time will tell.

luqie10: Naruto changed his outfit because the Hokage and Iruka wanted him to since his jumpsuit was awful hence the use of "orange monstrosity". But since Naruto loves the color orange, they had to make a compromise. Beside, he looks better without the jumpsuit.

Development Arc: 5 of 6.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the stories mentioned in Author's Notes.

Naruto groans as the sun shines into his face. Realizing it was morning already but not feeling like getting out of bed, he turns away and covers his face with a pillow. Five minutes later, after noticing how he wasn't able to go back to sleep, he lifted his pillow a peak to glance at the clock.

9:35 am.

He groaned once more. He had gotten home at 11 pm last night and had passed out the moment his head landed on the pillow. He was busy all day yesterday completing missions by himself because:

A) It was a two-man team and Anko said Jōnin-sensei were only supposed to supervise during D-ranked missions. She told him this while drinking sweet bean soup...

B) Anko prohibited him from using clones since D-ranked missions were about building teamwork. When he brought it up to her that it was a two-man squad, she shrugged and told Naruto to "think of it as physical training while you pull out the weeds".

C) Anko had meant it when she said she wanted her team, meaning Naruto, to get some missions under their belt.

Saying Naruto was tired was a major understatement. Right after the three hours long survival test, Anko immediately dragged him into the Administration Office and grabbed as many D-ranked mission scrolls as she could before handing them over to him. It took Naruto nearly 10 hours to finish pulling out the weeds, walking the dogs, painting a fence, and various other chores that their clients could have done themselves!

Naruto groaned again as he relived the memories of all of the chores he had to do. Sure the money was good, but he had to do it by himself with no clones! It was completely insane and long, not to mention extremely boring. He literally had to watch paint dry because the client wanted two layers of paint on the fence and claimed it can only be achieved once the first layer finally dries. Naruto fell asleep while waiting for said paint causing Anko to throw a senbon at his butt thus rudely waking him up.

As Naruto finish doing a quick reminiscing on yesterday's activities, he halfheartedly got out of bed and made his way toward the bathroom. Since he didn't take a shower when he got home last night, he was still covered in dirt, sweat, and a few more of Mother Nature's creations. As a result, he ended up spending 40 minutes in the bathroom since some of Mother Nature hardened and made it difficult to get off. As he opens the door to the bathroom to exit, steams flowed out of the room behind him, showing how hot the shower was. Feeling much better and refreshed than ever before, he enters the kitchen with a smile and made two clones to help prepare a big breakfast since he didn't get a chance to eat dinner last night as well. He then told one of them to look up something he had noticed yesterday.

After wolfing down a big and nutritious breakfast, he went over to his closet to change since he was still in his robes. Looking at himself in the mirror as he made sure he was as presentable as he could, he then grabbed the items he needed and strapped on his kodachi to his back before heading out of his apartment to rendezvous with Anko at the Administration Office once more. As much as he hated those D-ranked missions, he still needed a source of income and this was the only thing he knew of so far that could give him the money he so deeply wished for.

Meanwhile, at Hokage's Office...

Currently standing inside the Sandaime's office are the Jōnin who were assigned to be the sensei to a group of graduates yesterday. Each Jōnin were assembled to give their report on whether or not their team had passed.

"Alright settle down." The voice of their leader caused all commotions to stop. "Even though we are one person short," the collective Jōnin rolled their eyes and some exchanged amused glances since they already know who's absent. "I would like us to begin our meeting. Starting with Team 1, go." His secretary clicked her pen and hovered it above the clipboard.

"Team 1 fail."

The Hokage nodded. "Next."

"Team 2 fail," reported Aoba.

"Team 3 fail." Genma reports.

"Team 4 fail."

"Team 5 is in circulation. Next."

"Team 6 fail." Raidou reported with a head-shake.

"Since Kakashi isn't here, we'll come back to it later."

"Team 8 pass." Kurenai wore a proud smile when she announced her team.

"Team 9 is in circulation so we'll move on."

"Team 10 pass." Asuma had a bored expression but if one were to look closely, the corner of his lips were twisted upward.

"Team 11 pass. And we've already started on missions," said Anko with a wide smile. Sensing that people were staring at her, she turns to look at her colleague with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Anko-chan... You're supposed to report whether or not your team pass first before assigning them on mission," said an exasperated Kurenai.

Anko chuckled nervously and scratched her head. "Hehe, oops." Everyone shook their head, save for the Hokage who had an amused/proud smile.

"It's fine Anko-chan. Now if they're anything you'd like to discuss, now would be-" POOF! A pop smoke appeared in the room and with it came the form of one late-as-usual Kakashi.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted, still reading his book.

"Kakashi, you're late." The Hokage pointed out although there were no real malice to it. "Since you're here, give us Team 7's report."

Kakashi snapped his book and put it away before stepping forward. "Team 7..." He paused for dramatic affect. The others rolled their eyes since they had assumed his team would fail like usual. "Passed." Kakashi eye smiled as the other Jōnin looked at him in disbelief.

"Did he just say-" started Aoba.

"Yes. He did," confirmed Raidou.

"Who would have thought..." muttered Genma with a head-shake.

"Alright alright settle down. Like I was saying before, if there's anything you would like to discuss, now would be a good time to say it." No one spoke up. "Then on to our next order of business. Anko," said person stood at attention. "Since you have only one student under your wing-"

"Apprentice." Anko cut in. Everyone in the room blinked at the declaration before a smile spread across the Hokage's face.

"Right. Since Naruto will be the only member on Team 11, I've decided to have both you and Naruto work alongside the other rookie teams in various joint missions as a way for him to build teamwork. Even though you can still perform missions by just the two of you, I still would like Naruto to become acquainted with others considering he's working by himself. He has to learn to work with others he wouldn't normally or would usually get in arguments with since that is a skill all Genin must eventually learn," declared the Hokage.

Anko considered the Sandaime's words before nodding in agreement. "I agree Hokage-sama. It will be beneficial for him as well as eliminating the drawbacks of him being the only person on the team."

The Hokage let a puff of smoke escape from his mouth before continuing. "Would anyone like to add anything to this topic?" Shakes of head was his only answer. "Then this meeting is adjourned. Dismiss." The Jōnin bowed and began to leave.

"Hey, Kurenai-nee-chan."

Kurenai turns toward the voice and saw Anko. "What is it Anko-chan?"

"Are you planning on doing anything with your team after this?"

Kurenai shook her head. "Not really. Why?"

"You up for a joint mission with me and the gaki in about an hour from now?" asked Anko.

Kurenai contemplated on the suggestion before nodding. "Sounds good. I'll gather my team."

"Perfect! Now if you would excuse me, I have to go greet my apprentice." Anko had a sadistic grin on how face before she left in a pop of smoke causing the remaining occupants to shake their heads at her antics and for Kurenai to wonder how this joint mission will turn out.

Hopping from roof to roof, Naruto tries to meet at the rendezvous point as quickly as he could. He was told yesterday by Anko that shinobi should be on time for appointed meetings or else...

Naruto involuntarily shivers at what the "or else" part could be before doubling his efforts to arrive there as soon as possible. As his feet touches the ground, he saw the gleam of an object out of the corner of his left eye causing him to turn to see what the object was. Realizing it was a projectile and that he had no time to dodge it, he moved his face to the left as much as he could causing the projectile to nick his right cheek, drawing some blood. As he was about to touch the wound on his face, he felt a presence behind him and suddenly froze with wide eyes.

"Well, what do have we here? It seems someone dropped their guard," said the mysterious figure with an oh so familiar voice. Naruto didn't have to turn around to know it was Anko because there was only one person he knows that would throw a kunai and nick someone on the cheek like that. However, knowing the identity of said figure behind him didn't help at all in this situation. In fact, it only made things worse because he was caught off-guard by his sensei.

"G-g-good morning, A-Anko-ch-chan," he greeted nervously. "W-what you've b-b-been u-up to?"

"Oh nothing," she replied in a carefree tone. "I was just on my way to the mission office when I decided to test my protégé on how well his reaction speed was." She leaned into his ear and whispered, "I must say, it's an improvement but not very impressive," and then started licking the blood on his cheek.

Still not being completely used to her antics, Naruto shivered as he felt her warm tongue licking his cheek. "W-w-w-well, I'm h-h-happy to r-r-report that your p-p-protégé arrived here a-ahead of t-t-time." Her molesting did nothing to ease his nervousness. A few shinobi who were passing by looked at the duo for a second before shrugging and moving on. They've gotten too accustomed to Anko's behaviors to actually care about what was going to happen to her victim.

Pausing to consider his words, she then nodded her head and released him, causing him to breathe out a breath of relief. "Alright gaki. Since you've arrived ahead of time," Naruto turned to face Anko. "We'll take it easy today. Might as well since you did a good job on those D-ranked mission yesterday." She finished with a grin while Naruto shuddered at the memories.

"Hai, Anko-chan. So what do you think we should do first?" asked Naruto, hoping to do something cool.

"Hmm." Anko began tapping his finger against her chin. "It's 11:10 right now and I'm planning on us meeting with Kurenai-nee-chan's team later for a joint mission so we got about an hour until the appointed time."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "A joint mission? What for?"

"Since it's just the two of us gaki, the Hokage believes it would be best if we occasionally join up with other teams on missions every now and then as a way to build teamwork and learn cooperation and all that crap." She waved her hand dismissively at the end.

"Why would I need to learn cooperation? I already get along with some of them." Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Because one of these days you'll be forced to team up with someone you'll won't get along with and if you let your personal feelings get the best of you, the mission will be jeopardized," she lectured in a stern voice. "Don't forget, gaki, that Konohagakure is known for its exceptional teamwork. And you, being a Konoha shinobi, must learn the values of it." As she finished, Naruto was looking at her with his mouth slightly opened.

"Wow... Really?" She nodded. "Then that means there's another reason why ojii-san wanted me to work with other teams as well," he commented.

Anko raised her eyebrows, not at the ojii-san part since the Hokage already filled her in on that, but at the other meaning. "Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?"

"You said that Konoha is renowned for their teamwork right?" Anko nodded, curious as to where Naruto was going with this. "Well, by working together with others, ojii-san basically wanted me to learn about my classmates' strengths and weaknesses and how they work so that, if a crisis should arrive, I'm able to help them better and they, in turn, can help me better as well," replied Naruto.

Now Anko has both eyebrows raised. "That's actually a good deduction gaki. Where did you learned that from?" Anko asked in proud curiosity.

Naruto gave an embarrassed look and scratched his head. "I learned from the Shinobi Tactics 101 book that the jiji recommended for me. The book said that shinobi are supposed to 'look underneath the underneath' to find the true meaning of stuff that were otherwise hidden or coded." As he finished his explanation, Anko knew then and there that there was no doubt in her mind of how strong Naruto was going to be once he becomes older.

"I'm proud of you... Naruto." And she ruffled his hair, making him blush at the attention and praise he received from his sensei.

"Thanks Anko-chan." He face was still a little red even though she had removed her hand.

"Alright, enough with this sappy moment." And with that, their little moment was gone in an instant. "I'm going to teach you something while we wait. But first, give me a recap of what you know so far."

Naruto nodded and stood at attention. "I know the Transformation, Substitution, my very own Sexy and Harem as well as Shadow Clone and a variation of it called the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. I also know how to use a kodachi decently, how to set up traps, and have fairly good stealth and evade skills. I don't know how well my taijutsu is and my genjutsu skills are lacking majorly due to the fact that I can't perform nor dispel them. I have basic knowledge in fuinjutsu and nothing more. I've mastered the leaf floating chakra control exercise as well as the tree walking one. I am decent at water walking but haven't fully mastered it yet since I can't fight while standing on water for long periods of time," he reported.

Anko nodded at his assessment on his skills. 'That sounds about right. Although the Sexy and Harem Technique of his... Eh we can probably have some fun with that.' "Alright gaki. Since we have a lot to work on, I'll start by teaching you a jutsu that I think will help you in the long run."

Naruto perked up. "Really? What is it?" he asked excitedly.

Anko smiled. "It's called the Body Flicker Technique. What this technique does is allows the user to travel at short or long distances at high speed." Performing the ram hand seal, she disappeared in a body of smoke only to reappears with another pop on top of a building. "As you can see, a pop of smoke accompanies the technique when it is performed but there are other variations for it as well. For example, ANBU usually perform the Body Flicker with little or no smoke whereas some Jōnin use leaves instead. It's all depends on preference." Forming the ram seal again, disappeared and reappeared at her spot on the ground in a swirl of green leaves. "It's a good method of transportation but the longer the distance and the difference in elevation, the more chakra is used," she explains.

"Cool! That sounds really useful!" exclaimed Naruto with a wide smile and an excited look on his face. He then tilted his head in curiosity as an idea came to him. "But can it be used in combat, Anko-chan? I mean, disappearing and reappearing behind an enemy seems like a useful ability to have while in combat." He took up a thinking pose.

Anko nodded. "Sure it can. However, not many people have the chakra reserves to use it repeatedly. As I've mentioned before, the distance and elevation determines how much chakra will be used. If you were to say, use it to appear near an enemy a mile away, while you might be able to take him down, there's still his teammates to worry about if he's not alone. And if you managed to spend all of your energy on that one shinobi, the others can pick you off like child's play. Not to mention the tunnel vision you'll receive while traveling at high speed." Anko explained in her teacher mode which still fascinates Naruto at how she can be goofy one minute and serious the next.

Naruto nodded his head since he can see the drawbacks of the technique. "I guess with those flaws, that means no one is able to use it in combat huh?"

Anko shook her head. "Actually, there were a few shinobis who were able to utilize that technique in their arsenal." Naruto looked at her in wonder at who those people were. "You know the Uchiha are well-known for their Sharingan eyes right?" Naruto nodded. "Well there was this one Uchiha who managed to master the technique to a degree that earned him the moniker 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' since he was so adept at using it." Naruto's eyes widen. "He had the ability to mask his presence whenever he performed the jutsu as well as seemingly dodge any incoming projectiles, not to mention outpace his opponents. And then there was the Yondaime Hokage who was regarded as the fastest shinobi within the Five Great Nations."

Naruto beamed as he heard he was about to learn something from his idol. "The Yondaime used the Body Flicker in combat too?!"

Anko nodded. "Well, a more highly advanced jutsu that was similar to it anyways. As you might have learned from your reading, the Yondaime used special kunai tagged with seals on them to marks the location of a place. He was then able to teleport himself in an instant to whichever location he chooses given he had marked them beforehand, either by kunai or by touch since he also mark objects via physical contact." By now, Naruto had stars in his eyes. "The Yondaime Hokage was known as 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' and was given the flee-on-sight order by Iwagakure and Kumogakure during the Third Great Shinobi War. The technique that earned him that moniker was the Flying Thunder God since it made him appear and disappear in a like a flash of yellow light. His technique was said to be derived from the Body Flicker but was more closely associated with Summoning Technique," she explained and shook her head before taking in a breath of air. "However, we're not getting into that for now since it requires advanced knowledge in jutsu theories which I'm sure you're not even there yet."

Naruto took all of that information in and was awestruck. "So when can we start Anko-chan?!" he asked, excited for the chance of learning said technique that was similar to his idol's signature move and granted him his reputation, completely ignoring the fact they were not actually connected to each other except with the ability to move at high speed.

Anko smiled. 'He'll do anything to follow in the Yondaime's footsteps.' "First, since you're just starting off, form the ram seal. Once you're proficient enough with it, you can perform the technique without the seal." Naruto nodded and formed the seal. "Second," Anko looks around and pointed the top of a building. "You see that building over there?" Naruto nodded. "Try and memorize that place. It helps if you're familiar with the location of where you want to go or have an image of it in your head."

Naruto nodded. "Right! Body Flicker Technique!"

"Wait! Gaki!" but it was too late. The smoke had already engulf Naruto and he was already in motion. Two seconds later, a crash could be heard from the location of the building Anko pointed to. As she turns toward the building, she instant fell on the ground and started rolling in laughter.

There, stuck to the side of the building, was Naruto with his arms and legs spread out comically. As he slowly fell back and became unglued from the wall, there was an imprint of himself on the side of the building. The moment he hit the ground, he rolled over to cover his face with his hands since he was pretty sure he had broken something because it hurts like hell. Groaning as he removes his hands from his now red face, he pushed himself off the ground and turns to look at his sensei only to find her on the ground laughing like a maniac.

"Th-th-that w-was cl-clas-classic gaki," she said in between laughter.

Naruto grumbled something incoherent as he observes the scene in front him while nursing his still hurt face. "Are you done yet?" Anyone could tell he was annoyed by his tone.

Laughter began to turn into chuckles, snickers and finally giggles as Anko tries to regain her composure while getting up from the ground. Holding a hand over her stomach from the hilarious scene she had just witnessed, "Sorry about that gaki." Her grin widen as she replayed the scene in her head. "I just never would had imagined you running face-first into a building and then embedding yourself into it," Anko replied amidst fits of giggles. Naruto had a tick mark on his head as he could also hear the kitsune's laugh from within his head as well.

'Can it furball!' Naruto mentally shouted to his tenant.

'Make me brat,' the Kyūbi shot back. He could feel the grin on the kitsune's face.

Zoning out the voice inside of his head and refocusing his attention on his sensei, he found her trying her best not to smile as he could see the corner of her lips twitching upward. Naruto sighed and crossed his arms. 'Probably still thinking about the incident just now,' he mused. "So Anko-chan," she shook her head and returned back to reality. "Should I keep practicing on that technique or are you going to teach me something else while we wait for Kurenai-san's team?" There was still a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Anko shook her head. "Just keep practicing. Now, as I was trying to say before as you completely jumped the gun and attempted it," she puts her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes at Naruto who in turn gave a sheepish look. "You'll usually crash into stuff before you begin to get the hang of traveling at high speed. Normally, beginners would try and do it on ground level first before they attempt it at various heights but I wanted to see how you would do on your first try." She grinned cheekily.

"So you basically knew I was going to run face-first into a wall." Naruto stated in a deadpan expression.

Anko shook her head once more, resulting in Naruto raising his eyebrow. "I assumed you would do something similar to that, gaki, but I had expected you to listen to what I had to say beforehand." Naruto lowered his gazed to the ground, feeling as though he was being scolded. "Paying close attention to details and not rushing into stuff is vital for a shinobi. If you were to ignore the mission's briefings or had charged head-first into an enemy without any sort of plan, you would have gotten both you and your team killed for your actions." Naruto lowered his head even further as Anko continues on with her lecture. "Take it to heart gaki. If you want to be the Hokage, if you want to be the best shinobi there is, then you'll need to use your head and not charge into situations which could endanger the lives of people around you and yourself."

Naruto slowly nodded his head. "Hai. I understand Anko-chan. I'll listen to the instructions properly and think first before I act from now on."

Anko felt like giving herself a pat on the back for getting that concept inside of Naruto's head but decided not to and just smiled. "Good. Now, since we have time to spare," Naruto lifts up his head to look at her. "I want you to make some clones and start practicing." Naruto nodded and was about to comply when Anko sudden held up her hand as an idea just came to her. "Actually gaki, make some extras and have them go around the village." Upon seeing Naruto's questioning look, she decided to elaborate. "Since the Body Flicker Technique allows you to move at high speed to a place, if you were to have your clones memorize areas of the village, not only will you be able to practice getting there, but if a crisis should arrive, you'll be able to know key locations and defend them with ease since you'll know the background," explained Anko, quite proud of herself for thinking of it and for having a student with the ability to make so many shadow clones at once.

Naruto nodded, seeing the logic in her explanation as well as how useful it can be to know key parts of the village. "Hai Anko-chan. Shadow Clones Technique!" Several pops could be heard as Naruto summoned over 50 clones to aid in his training. "Alright! I want half of you to practice the Body Flicker Technique while the other half go around the village memorizing area of interests," Naruto commanded, not at all turning around to notice Anko's worried face. With shouts of "HAI!" and a salute, the clones went off to do their job as Naruto begin stretching to resume some practicing himself.

"Naruto." He turns around and saw Anko looking at him with concern in her eyes. "You sure it was wise to make that many clones? The mental exhaustion might knock you out or worst." The worriedness in her in voice warmed his heart as he put on a reassuring smile before explaining.

"Don't worry about it Anko-chan." Still seeing the worried expression on her face, he continued. "I've learn another secret about the Shadow Clones Technique as I was catching Tora yesterday and decided to research more about it. It turns out the amount of feedback I receive depends on two factors: how long my clones have been out and what I told them to memorize." Anko pays close attention as Naruto was about to explain as she figure she could also use this later. "If I make a clone to last an hour and told him to gather information on a target and another to patrol the area, the clone patrolling the area will transfer more memory back to me as opposed to the one trailing the target since that clone only had to know information about said target whereas the other had to pay close attention to key details."

"There's also the option of choosing what I want my clones to remember when I chose to dispel. For example, if the clone was out scouting, I can have them forget how many trees and plants they saw since I'm really not interested in knowing that. I've noticed that the more I use the clones, the less mental fatigue I received so I've decided to look it up as well. It turns out that the mental exhaustion becomes easier the more I use it due to my brain becoming more accustomed to the amount of feedback I use. Of course, I'm not stupid to test this theory completely out by dispelling all of my clones at once so I'll still dismiss them in small groups. That way, I'll keep the collective exhaustion on low and still be fit for duty." As Naruto finishes, he closes his eyes and took a breath of air and exhaled. He then opens his eyes to look at Anko who had a thoughtful expression on her face. "What are you thinking about, Anko-chan?" he asked.

Focusing her eyes on Naruto, she then smiled. "Just on how strong you'll be once we get through some proper training." She then grinned her sadistic grin. "That is, if you survive." She licks her lips as fear crept up Naruto's face.

"Right..." he said, avoiding eye contact as he continues his stretches before joining his clones.

10 minutes later, Naruto was slightly panting while Anko was sitting on a nearby bench with a scroll and ink brush out. Every once in a while, Anko would look up to observe her student's progress before returning back to the scroll and writing in it. As he continues his training alongside his clones, a report came into his head from the other group of clones via mental link. Turning toward his left, he nodded at the clone beside him as he went over to the bench underneath the shadow of a tree Anko was sitting under and took up a meditative pose. Deciding it was a good time to stop and reflect on what he has learned, he began closes his eyes and gave the clones the mental order to dispel in groups. 30 minutes passes before Naruto finally opens his eyes. He turns to the left and saw Anko staring at him with a slightly worried look.

"I'm fine Anko-chan. I know how to reduce the amount of mental exhaustion I'll get so don't worry." He smiled a warm smile at her. Anko observes him closely, as if seeing whether or not he was lying before nodding and returning back to her writing. "What cha writing?" he asked in curiosity from seeing how focused his sensei was being.

"Nothing," came the simple response.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Naruto sighed. 'I'll never understand girls,' he concluded. "Can you help me with something Anko-chan?" She only response was an eyebrow raised which indicates she was paying attention. "I'm thinking about having a signature Body Flicker but I don't know what I want it to be or how to perform it. I want something cool and preferably without the use of smoke." Naruto explained his dilemma to Anko who wasn't looking at her book and was just staring ahead in contemplation.

"What, no orange?" Anko asked before her eyes widen and she quickly shuts her mouth while inwardly belittling herself for make that suggestion.

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted with a pumped fist in the air. "I want something with orange also!"

As soon as he had said this, Anko facepalmed. Sighing, "I'm pretty sure you can think of something gaki. Maybe change the color of the leaves to orange or something when you perform it." She shrugged and waved her arm dismissively before returning back to her writing. Naruto thought about it in scrutiny before nodding his head.

"How much time do we have left until Kurenai-san's team arrive Anko-chan?" Naruto asked.

Without taking her eyes off of the scroll, "About 10 minutes gaki," she answered and sticks your tongue out to show how hard she was concentrating.

"Thanks!" She waved her hand in response. Naruto then got up from the bench and walked a few feet away from Anko before summoning more clones. The clones, already knowing the order, began doing the technique while Naruto took up a thoughtful pose and observed his clones' progress and designs on the soon-to-be signature move. Every now and then, he and a few clone judges would make comments on the various designs appearing in front of them.

"Too bright." Judge 1 said. The clone that performed it hung his head before walking behind the judges to inspect his fellow clones' ideas.

"Too dark." Judge 2 said. The clone just shrugged it off before joining in with the other rejects.

"Too.. What's the word.. Fruity? Where did you even get that watermelon from?" asked Judge 3. Said clone gave a sheepish pose before joining the others in the stand. "Next!"

Appearing in front of them in a swirl of leaves was a clone who was just called on; however, this entrance was different. Instead of the usual bright orange color, this one had just the right mixture of both light and dark. In addition to the orange leaves, there were also a good ratio of black leaves which did well to accompany Naruto's outfit. The judges and spectators looked at one another before they turned toward the original who was in deep thought.

Slowly nodding, he finally spoke. "I like it. It's perfect. Not too flashy but also not too boring. It's just perfect. Good job." The clone who performed the technique had a proud look and jumped with a fist pumped out shouting "Yeah!" As the clones began to congratulate one another and give each other their opinions, Naruto suddenly cleared his throat. "Alright guys. Thank you for helping me learn the Body Flicker Technique as well as making our own signature one. I couldn't have done it without you." Naruto smiled and thanked his clones. "You're dismissed." A few clones were crying but soon composed themselves and everybody then saluted the original. "HAI!" they chorused and soon dispelled all at once. Naruto was glad he gave the order to forget everything that was useless information before they all dispelled simultaneously or else he would have felt that later on.

Kurenai made her way toward the Administration Office where she was scheduled to meet up with Anko and Naruto soon. Taking a look behind, she couldn't help but smile at the scene.

On the left was Kiba and Akamaru who was facing his teammates and trying to get a conversation started. He was the most energetic of the bunch as he seems to be almost as hyperactive as Naruto. On the far right was Shino who would every now and then throw in facts that would sometime silence Kiba or infuriates him because of his logic. He was the most stoic and always talk in a monotone voice, courtesy of being a typical Aburame who rarely shows their emotions. And in the middle of the two boys was Hinata who had a smile on her face as she watch Kiba and Shino bicker. She was the mediator of the team as well as the shyest member. She had low confident in her abilities and was not stoic as most Hyūgas were which was rare.

Kurenai would never have imagined she would get a team like this. The three of them were all clan heirs and sensors making her team ideal for recon and scouting missions. Not to mention all three of them passed their test which included trusting their team with a secret of theirs. Trust is important in all cells actually. Without trust, how can you rely on your teammates to work together with you or to help you through a tough situation? While trust may be a double-edged sword at times, it is essential for making bonds with others and knowing who you can count on in times of need. After all, if you can't trust your team while behind enemy lines, who can you trust?

Snapping out of her musings, she turns back toward the front as the rendezvous place came into view. As Team 8 came closer and closer to the building, they saw something on the sidewalk that made them stop and blinked, but of course for different reasons. Sitting on the bench underneath the shades of a tree was Anko with a look of concentration on her face as she wrote stuff down in a scroll. Above her in the tree sitting on a branch with his back against the trunk was Naruto with his eyes closed and arms behind his head. Kurenai had never seen Anko being so focused on something for once and the sight of said person focusing made her blink and had to make sure she wasn't in a genjutsu. Her three students blinked because they were not yet inform of the joint mission and was wondering why Naruto was here with his sensei seemingly taking a nap while she was busy with something.

"Naruto?" asked Kiba in clear confusion. Naruto opened one of his eyes to observe the newcomers before he opens the other eye and turns his head to greet them.

"Hi Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Shino, Kurenai-san!" he waved. "We were waiting for you to arrive." Four of the five names called blinked and turned to face the last one only to find out her eyes was still glued to Anko. "Is there something wrong Kurenai-san?" Naruto asked.

Said individual shook her head as if she was in a trance before looking at Naruto and answering. "Oh, nothing Naruto. I was just surprised and shocked at seeing Anko-chan so focused for once." The group then look at Anko who was still in contemplation and amidst writing. "Do you know what it is she is writing for?" she asked, hoping to find the answers at this phenomenon in front of her.

Naruto shook his head. "No, sorry. She wouldn't tell me about it either." He then turns toward Anko. "She seems really focused on it though. I was half-tempted to take a peak but I rather not play another game of death tag with her." Naruto shudders at the memory while the others looked at him with puzzled looks. "Anyways," he started. "Anko! They're here! Are we going to get our mission or what?" he asked.

Anko mumbled under her breath. "Just one second... Almost finish... And... There. Done." Anko exhaled and wiped some sweat off of her face. Looking at her work, she skim through the scroll to check for any errors before nodding to herself and rolling it up. "Here. Catch." She threw the scroll up at Naruto who caught it, wondering what it was about. "That there is a schedule of what we will be doing that I've just whipped up. It took me awhile to think of a plan that will work but in the end, that's the best I can think of." Anko answered the unasked question and stood up. Stretching, she popped a few bones just to show how stiff she was sitting there for a long time. "We'll talk about the schedule more later but right now we have to wait for Kurenai-nee-chan's team to get here and," she turns and noticed that said team was already there. Waving, "Oh hi Kurenai-nee-chan! When did you get here?" she asked excitedly. Six sweat drops were formed as they observed her antics.

'Only Anko-chan/Naruto's sensei,' they all thought in unison before heading toward the Administration Office for their joint mission.

Naruto groans as he stops to take a short break and wipes the sweat pouring down from his forehead. He looks up toward the sun and squinted his eyes at the brightness. The mission was to help a new family near the outskirt of the village prepare their newly brought land for farming. The miles of acres that the family brought at a good price was crowded with weed, tall grass, fallen trees, and various other hindrances that would have made this area the ideal place for agriculture. With the sun bearing down on him overhead and with no clouds above, the task at hand was made that much more exhausting. Not to mention the heat and lack of wind which in turns causes a few mirages due to the distortion.

He turns to look over the horizon and saw his classmates doing their own roles. Hinata was pulling out the weeds and every once in a while wiping the sweat running down her face. Shino was using his clan's technique to control the insects and make them increase the land's fertility as well as get rid of various trees that had fallen over. Kiba was busy cutting down the tall grass with a scythe while Akamaru was sniffing the ground in case someone hid a trap or something. Naruto then turns toward the barn and saw both sensei standing in the shades observing their students from afar.

Naruto wanted to use clones to help finish the task but he knew Anko would have told him, "You can't rely on clones all of the time and the point of these joint missions was to build teamwork." He returns his gaze to the sun in the sky and realized they have been at this for two hours and haven't make any sufficient process. Looking back at Anko, he cupped his dirty hands over his sweaty mouth and shouted, "Hey, Anko-chan!" Anko turned toward him as well as Kurenai and her students. "Can I please use clones to help pick up the pace? We'll be done by New Year at this rate!" he requested/complained.

Anko thought about it for a moment. She knew that the reason why Naruto didn't make any clones in the first place was because of what she had told him about teamwork and knew she would had say something about relying on them too much. She also knew that the reason why Naruto waited this long to ask her was so he could prove that he doesn't always rely on clones to speed things up and that something this massive requires more hands. She observed each of the Genin and noticed that, with the rate they're going, chances them finished by New Year were high and if she was being honest with herself, she'll admit she was getting bored waiting for them to finish.

As she came to a decision, she turns to look at Naruto. Sighing, "Alright gaki. Use your clones to speed this up." Naruto beamed while Kurenai's students just had puzzled looks on their face as to how normal clones can help whereas Kurenai just raised an eyebrow and stares at Anko. "But remember, send some to help you teammates as well. Understood?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "HAI!" he shouted and forming the cross sign while grinning like a maniac. 'We'll be done in no time,' he mused. "Multiple Shadow Clones Technique!" The whole area around area was engulfed in a big pop of smoke as the spectators coughed due to having inhaled some of it. When a wind suddenly picked up and the smoke was blown away, everyone had their eyes bugging out and mouths opened and gaping like a fish. The field that once stood a single Naruto now had hundreds of solid copies of himself, all grinning at the looks on his companions' faces.

"Alright clones!" he shouted. All clones stood at attention like well-trained soldiers when they heard his voice. "I want you to form in groups of 50 and start working. I need four groups to accompany me, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. The rest of you can pick a place and start. Understood?" A resounding "HAI!" was heard all around as each clones saluted the original and fanned out to engage in the work. Naruto nodded in satisfaction before turning toward his team and the client. "Client-san, do you have any more tools we can use?" he asked, completely ignoring the still shocked faces all around him.

"T-t-th-ey're i-in th-the b-b-ba-barn." He was still blinking to determine whether or not he was hallucinating.

"Thank you client-son." Naruto slightly bowed to the owner and headed toward the barn but then suddenly stops and turns to face his teammates. "If you guys want to finish this mission, then come help me get the tools we need and for the clones as well." Not waiting for an answer, he then turn back and continue forward. His teammates snapped out of their trace-like state and glanced at each other before following Naruto, who was then unofficially named the team captain. Kurenai also managed to snap back to reality and turns to face Anko who was still staring at the area that once held the army of Narutos.

"A-A-Anko-nee-chan?" Her voice was still filled with uncertainty and disbelief at event that had just transpired. Anko blinked several times as she too eventually came back to reality and her shocked look was slowly replaced with a smile.

"That's my little protégé."

The moment Naruto was allowed to use his clones, the two teams were able to finish at a record pace. What had taken them two hours to even clear a small fraction had taken the army of 500 clones an hour to finish. Since there weren't enough tools for all 500 of them, most of the clones had to work with their bare hands or share the tools. It wasn't until Naruto noticed how his equipment was also copied and could be used by his clones that he came up with the idea of having each clones use the kodachi to cut down the grass and other obstacles.

With the problem of the amount of tools available solved, he then focus his attention on clearing away debris. With the help of Shino and Kiba's family techniques, most of the trees and boulders were removed and the clones helped with the cleanup. Hinata surprised most of the team members with her knowledge in herbs so she had a group of clones with her making sure the others don't accidentally kill any potential medicine herbs as well as possible cash crops. As for Naruto, his job was to supervise the clones and to make sure everything was running smoothly. That doesn't mean, however, that he stood back and allowed others to do the work for him. He would keep an eye on each group and if a group needed extra hands, Naruto would come and personally assist.

The teamwork and efficient of the four Genin impressed both the client and their sensei. Even though Jōnin-sensei were supposed to just supervise, seeing how hard the Genin were working made them take a more active role on the mission. As for the client, after the job was done, they brought out refreshments and snacks as well as promised to pay for the equivalent of a B-ranked mission as a way to express their gratitude. At first, the Genin were unsure of the offer but the persistency of the client of refusing to take no as an answer made the four eventually accept.

After thanking their client for their hospitality, the six of them then made their way back to the Administration Office to give their report on a success mission. Since they still had plenty of time on their hands and the Genin had worked hard, the Jōnin decided to take a leisurely walk home since they deserve it. Taking point in the front was Anko and Naruto walking side by side. Bringing up the rear was Kurenai and in between were Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. The walk home was quiet to say the least since the three Genin were still wondering about Naruto's abilities while Kurenai, Anko, and Naruto were busy enjoying Mother Nature.

Deciding to ask the unasked question, "Hey Naruto." Naruto turns around to look at Kiba and noticed how Hinata and Shino were also looking at Kiba. "How exactly did you make those clones? They weren't like the normal clones we learned at the academy." Kiba asked in complete curiosity. Hinata and Shino, who also wanted to learn how Naruto was able to perform that technique, looked at him, waiting for his answer.

Naruto turns and look at Anko for advice. Anko, knowing what Naruto was asking, shrugged. "It's your secret gaki, not mine. You decide."

He took a moment to consider her words before nodding and taking a deep breath. Looking back at the trio, "I'm sorry but I can't tell you." He averted his gaze toward the ground and his eyes became distant. "It's just not something that I can share with just anyone." He then looks at the trio. "I promise that I'll tell you in the future. I'm just not ready right now." And returned his gaze forward.

Just as Kiba was about to retort, Kurenai suddenly spoke up. "I wouldn't do that." The trio turns around to look at their sensei. "Each shinobi is entitled to their own secrets. You can't expect someone to just tell you something that they're not ready to share. I know for a fact the three of your only told the team a minor secret and not a deep one." Said trio flinched slightly and averted their eyes away from each other. "See? That how Naruto feels. It's not that he doesn't trust you but rather he's afraid of your responses. Just give him time. He'll tell you when he's ready." The trio exchanged glances before returning forward and looking at the back of Naruto.

After a moment of silence, "A-ano... What a-are y-ou g-g-going to d-do Kiba?" asked Hinata, worried that Kiba might try and persuade Naruto to open up.

Kiba turns to look at Hinata before returning forward. "Nothing. You heard with Kurenai-sensei said. Naruto will tell us when he's ready, he even said that himself. Besides," Kiba turns toward Hinata. "Naruto is my pal. I know for a fact he'll tell me when he's ready. But until then, I won't do anything to convince him otherwise." He shook his head and looked forward. "I'd do the same thing if I was in his place. I'll wait until he's ready."

Shino observed Kiba for a moment before lifting his glasses and nodding in consent. Hinata smiled at Kiba's decision and Shino's agreement before looking at Naruto. 'And whenever you're ready, I'll be here,' vowed Hinata.

Naruto, having heard what Kiba had said and having felt how Shino and Hinata were in agreement with him, smiled a warm smile. 'Thank you... I promise that when the time comes, I'll tell you everything. But until then, please. Just bear with me.'

"... And that how the mission went, Hokage-sama," reported Kurenai, still with a hint of disbelief in her voice from what she had seen Naruto do. A moment of silence was taken as the Hokage absorbed all of the information before chuckling while holding his pipe in his hand.

"Like I've said before Kurenai-san, Naruto-kun here will do things that will surprise you." The smile on his face never left. Kurenai's lips twitched upward slightly as she nodded in agreement. "Unless you have anything more to add, you are all free to go."

Anko turns to face Naruto. "So gaki, what do you want to do next?" she asked.

Naruto hummed while placing a hand under his chin before digging into his pouch and pulling out the schedule that Anko made for him. "Well," Naruto opens the scroll and starts reading the plans for week. "It says here that we won't be doing any mission for the rest of the week and will be training on Training Ground 44." Naruto looks up at Anko. "Do you think we can do another mission, Anko-chan?" he asked.

Anko shrugged. "I don't see why not." She turns back to face the Sandaime. "Another D-ranked mission please jiji!" Anko requested with a grin. Kurenai shook her head at Anko's antics while her team were surprised and yet not surprised to hear Naruto's sensei call the Hokage by that name.

The Hokage merely chuckled. 'Sometime the two of them are one and the same,' he mused. "Alright Anko-chan." He looks at Kurenai. "And you, Kurenai-san? Would you like another mission as well?"

Kurenai shook her head. "No thank you, Hokage-sama. I think I'll dismiss them for today. We'll come back tomorrow.' The Hokage nodded. "We'll be taking our leave now." Kurenai bowed and said her goodbyes to Team 11 before heading toward the door. Her team mimicked her actions before dismissing themselves as well.

"Now then," the Hokage began to scour through a box of scrolls. "Let see here. We have requests to help clean an abandon house, help with building constructions, preparing the crops for harvest, deliver packages to-"

"Ano, ojii-san?" interrupted Naruto.

Anko and the Hokage turns to face Naruto. "What is it?" he asked.

"I've been thinking and I was wondering if I can use my clones to perform multiple missions at the same time," replied Naruto.

Anko and the Sandaime blinked before exchanging glances and turning back to Naruto. "Well," he started. "If you think you can handle the collective fatigue then you have my permission. We receive an overabundant supply of D-ranked missions on a daily basic and they're starting to take up a lot of spaces. If you want to make this a regular routine then I'll leave a note in the Administration Office to allow you to take on multiple tasks at the same time." The Sandaime exhales a puff of smoke. "Tell me Naruto, for what purpose do you want to do so many missions at once?" the Hokage asked in curiosity while Anko look at her apprentice with the same expression.

Naruto shifted nervously and averted his gaze before answering. "I need the money." Was the simple response.

Anko and the Sandaime's eyes widen a fraction before they exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Returning his attention to Naruto, "Very well." Naruto perked up. "I'll leave a note saying that from now on, you'll be accepting multiple missions as once. I trust that you know your limit so that I won't have to place a restriction on how many you can complete per day?" asked/demanded the Hokage with a stern look.

Naruto shook his head and gave a wide smile. "Don't worry about it jiji! I know my limits. I promise that I won't over do it!" Naruto exclaimed. He then blinked and turns toward Anko. "So what are you going to do Anko-chan? I mean, I'm pretty sure you don't want tag along with me when I'm on several missions at once."

Anko nodded. 'You got that right gaki. My time of doing D-ranked missions has long passed,' she mused. "Well, I'll accompany the real you on missions from time to time when I'm not working at the T&I building. I still have to fulfill my role as your Jōnin-sensei which mean I'll still have to supervise and teach you. You do realize that you have to be there in person while we're on joint mission correct?"

Naruto shrugged. "I kind of figured that one out. Not that I mind though. It gets pretty boring working by yourself all the time."

Anko raised her eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean gaki? Do you not like working with little ole me?" She gave Naruto her trademark grin.

Naruto quickly and repeated shook his head while waving his hands. "No! Of course not Anko-chan! It just that, ano," Naruto begin to back away as Anko approaches him. Turning toward the Hokage, "Hey jiji! A little help here?" he pleaded.

Said person just smiled at the scene before him as Naruto drew closer and closer into the corner. Sighing, "Alright Anko-chan, that's enough. Please refrain from harming him at the moment." Anko pouted and reluctantly back away from Naruto. Naruto out a breath of relief and joined Anko as they stood in front of the Hokage's desk. "Now, how many missions would you like to take Naruto-kun?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment before replying. "I think about seven should be enough. I don't want to end up working overnight since I'm spending a week at Training Ground 44 so I want to have a good night's sleep."

The Hokage nodded at his reasoning. 'Trust me Naruto-kun. You're going to need all the help you can get if you're spending a week there.' His eyes shifted toward Anko and noticed an evil gleam in her eyes that went unseen by Naruto. He inwardly sweat dropped at his misfortune. "Very well." He reach into the box and randomly pulls out seven scrolls. "Seven D-ranked missions as requested. I wish you the best of luck Naruto-kun." He gave Naruto a grandfatherly smile.

"Thanks ojii-san!" Naruto quickly grabbed all of the scrolls and made a dash out of the office so that he could get started and finish them as soon as possible.

After Naruto had left, the Sandaime turns to face Anko. Sighing, "If only his parents had lived..." he trailed off.

Anko's eyes soften and she nodded in agreement. "I know. When I was a kid, I was an orphan just like him. I didn't have a family to support me so I had to fend for myself, until HE came along..." Anko's eyes darken as she reminisced the past. "It wasn't until I made Chūnin that I was able to have enough income for all necessaries. The gaki is fortunate that he is able to make those clones of his or else he'll struggle more than he is now." Anko shook her head. Looking at the Hokage, "But I wouldn't worry too much about him. He's as tough as it gets. Who else could take that much abuse and stay sane? I know I couldn't. I'd probably lose it and started leaving bodies in front of the hospital." She chuckled bitterly at the end.

The Sandaime merely nodded at her statement. Deciding to change the topic, "You sure he's ready for that place?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

Anko waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it jiji. The gaki's tough. He can handle himself. Beside, by training there, he'll leap bounds ahead of his classmates." Anko gave the Hokage a reassuring smile.

He exhales. "Very well. I trust your judgement. Am I correct to assume you won't be taking a direct approach in bringing him there?" A hint of amusement was in his voice as he asked Anko.

Anko's smirk was the only answer he needed.

When Naruto had requested seven missions earlier, he never expected the fatigue to be this huge. He supposed it was due to the fact it wasn't the first time today that he used several groups of clones at the same time. While the joint mission did leave him slightly winded, the seven mission took their tolls on him. Most of it was basically physical labor which demanded Naruto to lift heavy objects with his clones. He ended up going with the group to a construction site where the workers needed someone to help carry supplies to areas while they themselves were setting up the materials to start building. The other missions involved transporting large quantity of water from the river back to storage, raking leaves, clearing debris, cleaning house, assisting a store owner, and trimming the lawn.

While the paid was good, the collective fatigue he stored up wasn't. It had taken Naruto and his clones about five hours to finally finish all seven missions and, due to the clones being out for a long period of time, Naruto was almost knocked unconscious when he dispelled the first group. It took Naruto awhile to be able to dismiss all of them and even when he did, he still had trouble standing up after assuming the regular meditative position. He stopped by the Ichiraku Ramen stand on his way to filed in his mission reports at the Administration Office before heading home.

Dragging his feet across the ground, Naruto slowly made his way home. The sun was already gone and the moon has risen. Several lights were out as people began to turn in for the night. Walking up the stairs to his apartment, he turns the knob, opened the door, and walked inside. Searching on the wall with his hands, he eventually found the light switch and flipped it upward. The light momentarily blinded him as his eyes began to slowly adjust. Once he could see, he took off his clothes and walked into the bathroom with his pajamas to do his bedtime routine. 20 minutes later, he came out and lay on his bed with a sigh, enjoying the feel of finally having some rest. Closely his eyes, he allowed sleep to overcome him. As he entered the world of dreams, the apartment door creaked opened and a figure slowly made their way toward his sleeping form.

The Next Morning...

Feeling the sun's heat on his face and the light in his eyes, he lifted his left arm to cover his face as he slowly began to get up. Stretching his body and letting out a big yawn in the process, he opens his eyes to observe his surroundings. Blinking a few time and pinching himself, he came to the conclusion it wasn't a dream. Expecting to wake up in the comforts of his room, he found himself wondering how he ended up in the middle of an unknown forest. Looking around, he saw that he was no longer sleeping on a bed but rather the ground and the only things in sight were his equipment and a note attached to a tree with a kunai acting as a pin.

Getting himself up and dusting the dirt off, he made his way over to the note. Pulling out the kunai, he took the note and began to examine it. His eyes widen and he began to frantically search the area for his sensei. Not sensing her anywhere in the area, he returned his attention to the note to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Dear Gaki,

As you can probably tell, you are no longer in your room. This area is Training Ground 44 otherwise known as The Forest of Death. We will be spending the week here in my little playground on a camping trip. This area is filled with dangerous wildlife and hazardous environment not to mention the local residence of one Anko Mitarashi. Your task is to survive in this unknown land while the inhabitants test you on your performance. This trip is designed to allow you the experience the perils behind unknown territory as well as being accustomed to fear. I suggest you get used to this place because we'll be spending A LOT of time here (Naruto could feel her sadistic smirk when she wrote that sentence).

Now, don't be upset that I sneak you into my playground. I did say we were going to train here. I just never said when (now Naruto could see her grin). A shinobi must always be aware of their surroundings. Consider me putting you here without your knowledge as punishment for your lack of awareness. I had the courtesy of leaving you a book on edible plants as well as how to hunt so I suggest you use them to your advantage. Enough chit-chat. Your camping trip is starting. Best of luck gaki.

Yours truly,

The one and only Anko Mitarashi.

P.S: Oh and one more piece of advice: Just don't die.

Crumpling up the piece of paper, he threw it as hard as he could in a random direction. "Of all the things..." Closing his eyes and taking in deep breaths he managed to calm himself down. Sighing, "Might as well get this over with," he muttered. He made his walk toward his gear and noticed the two book that Anko mentioned. Not feeling like reading at the moment, he stuffed the books into his backpack and equipped all of his gear save for his kodachi that he decided to hold in his left hand.

Hearing some rustling to the right, he turns toward the noise. "Anko-chan?" he asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

There was no answer but the rustling continued prompting Naruto to have his hand on his kodachi and ready to draw at a moment notice. As the rustling came closer and closer, he readied himself for the expected encounter, though it was something he wasn't expecting. Out of the bush came a giant, eight foot, yellow furred with brown strips tiger bearing his teeth and growling at Naruto.

Upon seeing the size of the tiger, he slowly began to back away. "Nice kitty..." he started. Said feline approached even closer and bared their teeth even more at the nickname. Not wanting to become the tiger's chew toy, Naruto quickly popped a smoke bomb and took off to the trees. Taking a glance behind him, he noticed the tiger hot on his heels and gaining ground. Cursing under his breath, he picked up his pace and began performing fancy maneuvers between each branches in hope of throwing the feline off course.

Unaware of how close it was getting, Naruto continued what he been doing until a sharp pain came from his rear end. Letting out a yelp of pain and picking up even more speed, he looked behind and saw three claw marks across his pants. Turning around screaming at the top of his lungs, "DAMN YOU, YOU PSYCHO SNAKE LADY!" His voice echoed throughout the forest as birds began to take off to the sky.

Outside the forest, said kunoichi was sitting on a boulder eating dangos and drinking sweet bean soup as the sounds of Naruto's screams reached her ears. Wiping her lips, she then broke out her signature grin. "Looks like the party's just getting started."

Revised 6/13/2015 - Minor changes and added arc.

Revised 1/1/2016 – grammar, spelling, and all that good stuff. Kit is changed to brat.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Age: 12

Birthday: October 10th

Rank: D-

Titles: Genin, Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead, Prankster King from Hell, Jinchuriki, Demon Child, Blond Menace, Boss, Gaki, Brat

Affiliation: Konohagakure

Taijutsu: E+

Ninjutsu: D*

Genjutsu: E

Kenjutsu: D

Fuinjutsu: E+*

Other Skills: C-*

Money: 87,000 ryō*

* signifies changes. The titles will be there until people stop calling him that, which could take awhile.

Sorry about the lateness on posting this chapter. I originally planned on posting this 2 weeks ago but ran out of time. Spring break was over so I had to go back to get my education and all of that crap. So not many changes in Naruto's stats expect for money. I did some more research and learn the going rate for missions. Hence why the giant leap in money from the previous chapter to this one. One D-ranked mission is paid 5,000-50,000. I went back to my previous chapters and change that as well. I'm a perfectionist and like to be as accurate as I can so I go for the small details. It's a habit .-. Not yet BETAed.

Ninjutsu stat increase because he learned a new technique and is becoming closer to mastering the Shadow Clones. Added fuinjutsu because I'm pretty sure readers wanted to know his progress. I know I do. The Other Skills category is composed of stuff like dodge, evade, intelligence, calligraphy, analyze skills, etc. It's basically the average of all of those combined. Just for those curious as to how I do the Other Skills thing.

The whole time thing in this chapter took some time to plan since I wanted it to be as realistic as I could.

In case you're wondering about teams 1-11, Team 5 is Kabuto's team (not said what team he was on so I gave him a random number), Team 9 is Gai's team, and I just had to put a few Jōnin names in there so Genma, Aoba, and Raidou never actually had a team in the anime or manga.

Naruto learning the Body Flicker was something I believed to be useful to him. Of course, explaining the reason for choosing so in Anko's explanation was pretty difficult. Thank you BETA tester SRB!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before so I'll mention it here. The reason why I'm having Naruto act considerate toward his clones is because of that one Naruto Shippuden filler episode where Naruto realized that each of his clones had a personality of their own as well as feelings. I think it was episode 220, Revenge of the Shadow Clones, or something.

I'm basically making stuff up about the Shadow Clones Technique .-. it sounds really good and true so... Just putting it out there.

Naruto's signature Body Flicker involving orange and black leaves was based off of hazeleyes180's Outfoxed story. I liked their idea because it matches with Naruto's outfit and the image of it in my head appears very Halloween ish.

Joint missions was a suggestion by one of my readers. The only reason why I picked Naruto to start off with Team 8 was because the Inuzuka and Aburame clan's background in other fanfic showed that they were loyal and Hinata will be there for Naruto no matter what. Basically, if Naruto gain the members of Team 8's loyalties, he'll have friends he can count on. Team 10 with Asuma... he's laid back and probably wouldn't start on missions on the second day. According to the anime, Kakashi started the team 7's survival test on the second day and missions on the third day, therefore, he was out of the question. Kurenai was more responsible than the both of them so she was the winner.

The way the characters were portrayed in my story is based on the actual canon. For example, Hinata still has a crush on Naruto and Ino and Sakura are still fangirls at this point. They will change later on, just not right now.

"Objii-san" was changed to "ojii-san" which is the actual honorific for grandfather. Changes were made to previous chapters as well. My Japanese sucks ok... Oh and "jiji" means old man.

I might have put too many restrictions on Naruto's growth which was why I changed the mental fatigue and usage of the shadow clones a bit to give him more free space. I still won't make him grow up too fast though but faster than before.

Fabricating missions was annoying but I had to do it since I know some readers wanted to know that little bit of information.

Anko placing Naruto in the Forest of Death while he's sleeping was something that interested me and I just had to use it as a closing.

Since I'm going back to school, I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter. SRB and I are co-writing a story of our own so there's that. I apologize for not being able to get to wave like I promised but on the bright side, I'm planning on starting the Wave Arc after the next chapter :D Naruto is finally going to get some training and start changing his stats! It's set up pretty well so I'm planning on completing the "camping trip" next chapter and start on the Wave Arc. I've also updated my profile so now you can see where I'm at in the next chapter as well as how many words it will be. With the development over, I can proudly announce that things will pick up from now on. Well, hopefully. I HAVE been winging it so...

I'm also going to remove the poll. After pondering over the idea awhile, I've decided to take SRB's suggestion and make the main story pairing free. After the main story is complete, I'll write 4 chapters worth of pairings. This is what I'm planning: throughout the main story, Naruto will interact with ALL female characters. He will be on good terms with them and have a few cute scene but nothing more. AFTER the main storyline is completed, I'll go back and copy those cute scene but have different outcome. For example: if I write about Naruto saving Kurenai in the story (not sure if I will yet), I'll have them act professional and have Kurenai express her gratitude. After the story is complete, I'll have the same scene but have Kurenai confessing her feelings or something. I'll do this for ALL female characters even some that can switch (i.e maleKyubbi, femKyubbi) and those that have been killed off (No spoilers on who).

This eliminates the readers for not liking the story due to pairings and if there's a specific pairing they want to read about, they can skip through the rest and read the one they want. I'm thinking about devoting at least 2,000 words per pairing scene so that should make up for removing the poll. I won't be writing lemons and will be keeping this rated T until someone says otherwise and have a good reason for it. Down below is a sample of what I am planning on doing about the romance for those still confused.

Naruto x Kin

Yadda Yadda Yadda

Naruto x femHaku

Blah Blah Blah

^ that kind of stuff. It will be at least 2,000 words long and will feature Naruto x whatever female happens to be alive during the timeline. I'll separate the pairings into specific chapters based on where they're from, age, uniqueness, etc. It will help you search for the one you're looking for. I also might need a list of female characters that was featured in the anime/manga and those you want to read about so that I can add them here. Yeah I know. Sounds like a lot of work but I want a different Naruto version of the anime. Beside, this sounds really fun :P

That's all I have to say. Sorry about deleting the poll ._. I just figured that this way, everybody will get what they want.

Anyways, let me hear what you think! Until next time!

One last important note: I will be posting chapter 7 and chapter 8 at the same time. Chapter 7 is a filler and will cover Naruto's adventures in the Forest of Death for a week. Chapter 8 will involves the Wave Arc. Reason for posting two chapters at once is if someone doesn't want to read the filler, they can just skip to the next chapter.