A/N - Okay, just as I said I would, I started another story. This particular story idea has been in my head for at least 2 years now, and I felt it was finally time to get this started. Sooo...there ya go! lol.

Anyways, Naruto in this story is...'unique'. He has developed an interesting kekkei genkai that incorporates the elements of the Borderlands series. Fire/Flame, Shock/Electricity, Corrosive/Acid, Slag, Radiation, Ice, and, most importantly, EXPLOOOOOSIONS! *coughs* Ahem. Anyways, there aren't many other elements of the Borderlands games (elements as in key components or what makes a game unique y'know?) that make an appearance in this story. The only things from Borderlands are the elements (fire and all that) and Sirens.

Each of the Sirens in this fic will be a different Naruto character. I don't plan to bring in any Borderlands characters, nor do I plan for space travel and all that. Buuut, if I get enough of a demand for it, I might bring in some characters from the Borderlands series. I dunno just yet.

Anywho, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 1 - A Delicate Mind

The mind is a delicate thing. If one has a strong will and a healthy amount of determination and fortitude, the mind can be a powerful weapon and source of strength. However, if someone with a fragile disposition were to be hurt severely enough, emotionally, mentally, and perhaps physically, one's mind can shatter into numerous pieces that would be hard to put back together again.

As said before, the mind is a delicate thing. One day, many years ago, a young child, a kindhearted, sweet little boy, was hurt so bad to the point that the small thread keeping his mind together...snapped. This poor, young boy lost his sanity and not even counseling from the kindhearted man known as Inoichi Yamanaka could help piece it back together again.

This young boy, a lad by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, developed a mental disorder known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or, more commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. At the age of 8 years-old, the cruel, coldhearted villagers of Konohagakure beat him so badly that he wished for death. Days later, he tried to take his own life in the hospital, much to the horror of the doctors that genuinely wanted to help the poor boy. Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man that cared very much for young Naruto, was horrified as well at Naruto's suicide attempt.

Everyone was shocked, however, when the chakra of the Kyuubi, a beast sealed inside of Naruto at birth, covered Naruto and began to heal him. But more than that, the Kyuubi emerged from Naruto's seal in a human body, naked as the day she was born, and began gently running her fingers through Naruto's spiky, golden hair.

She explained to the Hokage and those he trusted that she had saved Naruto's life and had even awakened Naruto's unique kekkei genkai. However, she also explained that Naruto's mind that had once been so strong...was now shattered.

When Naruto came to, his personality was completely different. He acted differently, talked differently, even moved differently as compared to how he was previously. At first it was just a subtle difference, but as he became more confident, Naruto became loud, oftentimes shouting what he wanted to say rather than simply speaking it.

What was stranger, though, was the fact that Naruto could wield elements that they were unfamiliar with. Naruto called them: Explosion, Slag, Corrosive, Flame, Shock, Radiation, and Ice. He could only use one element at a time, and depending on which element he was using, his personality would change. It would be like talking to multiple different people that shared the same body, hence Inoichi's diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

It quickly became apparent which personality was the dominant one, however, when he started pulling some 'interesting' pranks using the power of Explosion. What was interesting to Hiruzen was the fact that Naruto had complete control over his powers, able to make explosions as big or as small as he desired. So long as he could see it, Naruto could make an explosion anywhere, destroy anything, or whatever else he desired. He demonstrated similar control over his other elements, as well.

At first, Hiruzen was wary about putting Naruto in the academy with the clan heirs that were his age. He knew Naruto was not well-liked by the faculty and they would likely try to sabotage him in some way, but that wasn't what he was worried about. Naruto was quite literally insane and might have a hard time making sense of things, such as written tests or history. He wasn't stupid, oh no. Naruto was actually rather intelligent. However, his prominent personality could be hard for people to deal with, and he would likely alienate himself with his actions.

Sighing softly, the Hokage watched through his crystal ball as Iruka began his class for the day. In the back row, by a girl known as Hinata Hyuga, sat Naruto Uzumaki. It had been years since the attack that broke the young Uzumaki, and he was finally about to receive his headband. Iruka seemed to treat Naruto neutrally, neither liking him or disliking him. He gave the young man a fair chance in his classes and didn't hold the Kyuubi against him. However, at the same time, he just didn't care about Naruto, which meant he didn't care if Naruto passed or failed.

Hiruzen frowned and shook his head as he remembered having to deal with Mizuki and the other teachers that dared to try and sabotage the poor boy. The Third did everything in his power to ensure Naruto had a fair shot of passing and becoming a proud shinobi of Konohagakure. Thankfully, the Kyuubi, who had revealed her name to be Kiyomi, had done everything in her power to teach Naruto everything he would need to know to become a splendid shinobi. She had also proven herself to be a capable agent of death, if need be, as evidenced by what she did to Mizuki when she and Hiruzen learned that he was a traitor to the village.

Naruto, m'boy, you're going to be one hell of a shinobi.

Academy

Naruto grinned mischievously as he saw Sasuke making his way towards his seat. As soon as he went to sit down, Naruto whispered, "Explosion." and made a tiny explosion appear underneath Sasuke's butt, causing the genin hopefuls around him to look at him disgusted. "Ewww!" one of the girls said. "Did you just crap your pants?!"

Hinata looked at Naruto and giggled. "You're never going to get tired of that, are you Naruto-kun?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

The blonde looked into her eyes and tilted his head cutely. "Explosion?"

The beautiful young Hyuga, 16 years of age, just like everyone else in the class, giggled again and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. "You're too cute, Naruto-kun."

Blushing worse, Naruto slowly nodded before saying, "Explosion." with a proud grin on his face.

Their little moment was ruined however when Sasuke stormed up to Naruto and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "Stop pulling that shit with me, you stupid dobe! It's not funny!"

Naruto simply smiled at Sasuke before making an explosion occur on the tip of the Uchiha's nose, causing Sasuke to release him and clutch at his nose. "Dammit! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

The blue-eyed blonde grinned again and booped Sasuke on the nose as soon as Sasuke pulled his hands away. "Boopie! Explosion! Explosions are fun. Must. Make. EXPLOOOOOOSIONS!" he exclaimed before hopping on top of his desk and pointing at Kiba, making an explosion that destroyed the chair he was sitting on. "EXPLOOOOOSION!"

Kiba snapped out of his initial shock before glaring up at Naruto. "Dammit! Stop doing that! Do you know how many times we've had to replace my damn chair?!"

Naruto simply nodded sagely and said, "Explosion. Be happy with the power of EXPLOOOOOSIONS!"

Iruka came in and sighed as he looked at the chaos that was ensuing in his classroom once again. Shaking his head, he looked at his companion, an Anbu agent known as Tenzo, and pointed towards Kiba. "Naruto's done it again. If you will?"

The Anbu nodded and proceeded to make a new chair for Kiba to sit on. Afterwards, he looked at Naruto for a moment before stepping back and allowing Iruka to begin. "Alright, when I call your name, come forward and take your headband. Afterwards, I'll announce the teams." he said before looking straight at Naruto and shaking his head in pity for whoever would end up on a team with the insane teenager. May Kami have mercy on his teammates. Though his enemies will probably deserve Kami's mercy more than his teammates…

After some time, once everyone had their headbands, tied to various different places on their bodies, Iruka smiled and began to go through the list of teams. Naruto wasn't paying much attention for the most part as he kept making tiny explosions pop up on his desk to some tune only he could hear and make sense of. When Iruka got to Team 7, however, he tuned in and paid attention to what Iruka was saying.

"Team 7 is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Fair warning, he's going to show up late, so you might want to do something in the meantime. Go get lunch, play shogi, whatever you want to do to pass the time." Iruka said.

"Team 8 is Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. Kiba, I suggest that you treat your female teammates with respect, because Kurenai will not tolerate your behavior."

Kiba was initially excited about being on a team with the teenage hottie, Hinata Hyuga. However, when he realized their sensei was a woman, he first wondered if she was a hottie before the realization hit him that his sensei was a WOMAN. Meaning she wasn't as skilled or as educated as a male sensei would be. She would just hold him back! Yeah, Kiba the sexist, everyone!

Hinata pouted as she realized she wouldn't be on a team with Naruto. Pooey. I wanted to be with Naruto-kun. He's funny! And loads better than the perverted mutt.

"Finally, Team 10 is Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, and Shino Aburame. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. Naruto, please try and behave for him."

Ignoring Iruka, Naruto looked at his teammates, a beautiful teen named Ino, and a hooded male named Shino. As he looked at Ino, he noticed strange markings on her skin and realized immediately what she was: a Siren. She's like Hinata-chan & Kiyomi-chan! He thought excitedly. I wonder if she can make awesome explosions?!

That's right, Hinata Hyuga and Kiyomi, the Kyuubi, were both Sirens with mystical powers! Hinata had the ability known as Phasewalk, which allowed her to escape to another plane of existence before reappearing elsewhere moments later. There was more to the ability than that, but he wasn't thinking about that right now.

Kiyomi, on the other hand, had the ability known as Phasetrance. She could manifest ethereal limbs at will, usually arms/fists, and used them for a variety of purposes. She could send a fist into the ground before making it pop up underneath an enemy, sending them skyward before using that same limb to smash the airborne foe into the ground. She could also send an astral projection forward that would deal damage to anything in its way. Or, she could manifest multiple arms and leap up into the air before slamming the ground with her fists, creating a massive shockwave that would deal different types of damage depending on which element she chose to use. Of course, just like with Hinata, there was more to what Phasetrance could do, but that wasn't important right now.

Looking at Ino curiously, he couldn't help but wonder which ability she had and what she could do with it. "Phasey-phase-phase. Explosion." he said, nodding his head a couple of times as if what he said made any sense at all.

Hinata looked in at Ino and then at Naruto, realizing he finally figured out that Ino was a Siren like her. Then again, his mind was usually all over the place and he rarely paid much attention to anyone, so she wasn't surprised that he was only now finding out about Ino's Siren abilities. Still, the fact that Ino would be on a team with her Naru-kun was a bit disconcerting. She didn't like it!

Ino, sensing eyes on her, turned to look up at Naruto for a moment, locking eyes with him as she did. She didn't have a problem with either of her teammates, but she had hoped that she would get to be with Sasuke. Shrugging it off, she offered Naruto a smile before turning back around to face the front of the classroom.

"Alright everyone, that's all. Do what you want to kill time while you're waiting for your senseis to fetch you. Make the village proud." Iruka said before he left the classroom with Tenzo following behind him, but not before giving Naruto a look from behind his mask.

Once Iruka was gone from the room, Kiba decided to make his move and walked up to Hinata. "Well, well, looks like we're gonna be teammates, Hina-chan. What say we get to know each other a little better? Preferably away from this nutcase."

Without even looking, Hinata thrusted her palm into Kiba's stomach, ignoring him as he collapsed to his knees and cried out in pain. Instead, she focused on Naruto and winked at him. "I had hoped we'd be on the same team, Naruto-kun, but I guess that was too much to hope for. I'll be thinking of you though. I'll definitely make you proud. I hope you'll be thinking of me as well."

Naruto tilted his head cutely again as he stared into her eyes. "Yes. Hinata-chan is my friend. I'll make explosions for you." he said, smiling sweetly at her.

Hinata giggled and nodded her head in acceptance. "I'm glad to hear it. Now, I have a question for you. Do you think you could blow off Kiba's nuts? I'd rather not deal with such a horndog if I don't have to."

The spiky-haired blonde looked at Kiba for a moment before nodding. "Explosions!"

Kiba's eyes went wide and he quickly shouted out, "P-Please don't! I need my package if I'm to have any children someday! You understand, right Naruto?! Please, please don't do it!"

Naruto frowned and asked, "Explosions?"

Hinata sighed and shook her head. "I suppose that would be kind of cruel. Alright, change of plans, Naruto-kun! Use your Flame element to burn off his hair!"

"How is that any better?!" Kiba exclaimed in horror. "Now you're just being cruel to me! What did I ever do to you to deserve this?!"

Hinata turned to face him and raised a brow. "You've been hitting on me since day one. You're rude and disrespectful, especially towards women. I've got to teach you a lesson somehow. So unless you want my Naruto-kun to remove what makes you a 'man' or remove your hair or whatever else he can think of, you'll leave me alone. Do you understand me, Kiba?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him.

Kiba nodded his head rapidly before rushing back to his chair and sitting down in it, not moving an inch. Akamaru simply barked at him a couple of times, which made Kiba slump over with comical tears streaming down his cheeks. Whatever his dog had said to him obviously struck an invisible blow to him and his ego.

Hinata smiled brightly at this before turning to Naruto and placing a hand upon his leg. "Remember, Naruto-kun. If you ever need anything, I'll be there for you. If your teammates upset you in any way, feel free to set off a few explosions to keep them in line. And if that whore comes onto you...let me know so I can personally deal with it. Okay?"

Naruto wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but nodded after a moment and offered her a smile. "Explosions will happen. I like explosions!"

Reaching up, she patted his cheek a couple of times before smiling at him and saying, "That's a good boy. Remember, if you ever need anything, I'm always here for you." she said, stressing the word 'everything'.

Ino, hearing their conversation, frowned at Hinata's blatant way of trying to seduce the maniac. It also bugged her that Hinata would tell Naruto to punish her and Shino if they stepped out of line somehow. Approaching them, Ino sat down on Naruto's other side and said, "Hi there Naruto. I know we haven't talked much before...or ever, but I hope we can get along well and be good teammates. Um, if you don't mind my asking, why do you like explosions so much?"

Naruto quirked a brow and shrugged his shoulders. "I...don't know? I like explosions because they're explosions. They're fun to watch and fun to make." Turning towards Sasuke, he pointed and made a small explosion at the tip of his nose again. "See? Explosions are fun!"

Ino's first reaction was to get upset at him for torturing her 'Sasuke-kun', but she decided against it in favor of asking him another question. "Okay, so they're fun. How exactly do you make all these explosions? Do you have to do something special to make them work? Or do they just happen?"

Hinata looked Ino in the eyes and shook her head. "As far as I can tell, so long as Naruto-kun can see something, he can make explosions happen. The same with his other abilities. So long as he can see it, he can do whatever he wants to it. In this case, making explosions that destroy chairs or irritate somebody's nose. He also has full control over how big or small an explosion can be. As for your earlier question about why he likes explosions so much? It's just his personality. What you're seeing now is his dominant personality, the one that's active the most. He has 5 other personalities that he switches between whenever he's using another element. He has Dissociative Identity Disorder. At least that's what your dad calls it."

Ino blinked a couple of times before looking back at Naruto. "That's rare. Do you have any idea what might have caused such a thing?"

Hinata shook her head and said, "Naruto-kun knows, but he hasn't said anything to me about it. I can't help but wonder what happened in the past to break him in such a way."

"I'm not broken. Just...different." Naruto said in a moment of clarity. "Explosions for life!"

Hinata smiled at her best friend and patted him on the cheek affectionately. "You're right. I shouldn't have used that word. You're a special person, Naruto Uzumaki, and I love you for it." she said.

Ino blinked and asked, "Do you mean love in that way? Or just as a friend?"

The Hyuga simply smirked at Ino and asked, "What do you think?"

Blushing a bit, Ino nodded a couple of times in understanding before looking at Naruto again. "Well, it's okay to be different from other people. Like Hinata said, you're special the way you are. I still don't get the whole 'Explosions!' thing, but I won't fault you for it."

Naruto simply smiled at her while Hinata said, "Thank you." Standing up, Hinata gently grabbed Ino's hand before leading her back to her seat. "Ino, not many people accept Naruto-kun as he is. Treat him right, okay? I'm trusting you to watch out for him. Whether it's in training or on missions, look after him, alright?"

Ino was a bit confused at first, but looking at Naruto again, she couldn't help but smile. "Alright. I can promise that. He seems like a nice guy. Kind of silly in a way, but nice all the same."

Hinata looked at Naruto as well and offered him a warm smile. "He's special. I don't know what he's been through in the past, but I want to make sure he smiles no matter what. I have this horrible feeling that he's been hurt in the past, and I don't like it. Nobody should ever hurt a child."

The beautiful blonde looked at Naruto with a reassuring smile before turning back to Hinata. "I'll do what I can to help out. Naruto seems really nice. And don't worry about me stealing him away from you or something. You know well enough how I feel about Sasuke-kun."

Hinata looked at Sasuke for a moment before glancing at Naruto with a grin. After a moment, she looked back into Ino's eyes and said, "I don't get your fascination with that boy. He's arrogant and mean. So many fangirls and he doesn't pay any of them the time of day. I understand that he's the last of his clan and all that, but...yeah, I just don't see the appeal." With a shrug, she left Ino alone and returned to Naruto's side.

Sitting down beside him, she took his hand in hers and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. "Everything will be okay, Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked a couple of times in confusion. Instead of saying anything, he just smiled at her. Hinata smiled back at him and he felt as if all was right in the world.

About half an hour later, most of the genin hopefuls were gone, their senseis having picked them up earlier. Now, the senseis for Teams 8 and 10 had arrived and called for their teams. Standing up together, the two of them still holding hands, Naruto and Hinata walked down to meet their senseis.

Seeing the two of them holding hands, Asuma quirked a brow while Kurenai just smiled at the close bond the two seemed to share. "Hello Naruto. Hello Hinata. It's nice to see you two getting along so well. It's a shame you two couldn't be on the same team, huh?" Asuma said, a kind smile on his face.

Naruto simply nodded at him before looking over Kurenai with a curious gaze. He saw the same markings on her that he saw on Hinata and Ino. She's a Siren too…

Kurenai simply smiled at the young man before looking at Hinata. "Hinata-chan." she greeted. Looking at Kiba and Shikamaru, she nodded in greeting to them before saying, "Alright Team 8, let's go."

Naruto frowned as he had to let go of Hinata's hand. It was warm and it felt nice to hold it. After she left, he looked into Asuma's eyes before noticing the cigarette in his mouth. "Smoking's bad for you. Let's see an EXPLOSION!" he exclaimed, giggling to himself as Asuma's cigarette suffered the wrath of an explosion. When it fell in pieces to the ground, Asuma's eyes widened as he looked at his precious cigarette, or rather what was left of it.

"So, that's your power. I'll have to keep that in mind from now on." he muttered to himself. "Anyways, Team 10? Let's go!"

Ramen Ichiraku

Asuma stared in horror as Naruto ate bowl after bowl of ramen. With how much and how fast he ate, it was surprising that he could still show such good manners. It's strange. He's eating so much, and yet he's not making a scene of it. If it were Choji, I can only imagine the mess that would ensue.

Once everyone had finished eating, Asuma said, "Alright, now that we've all had our fill, let's start with some introductions. I'll start us off. My name is Asuma Sarutobi, and before you ask, yes, I am the Hokage's son. I like the taste and smell of cigarettes," here, he looked at Naruto sternly for a moment. "Anyways, putting that aside, I like shogi, various kinds of meat, and Kurenai. It's a shame she doesn't feel the same way about me." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Anyways, I dislike when people screw with my cigarettes. Try to keep that in mind, Naruto." he said, shooting a mild glare at Naruto. "I also dislike people being rude jerks. As for hobbies, I guess shogi would be one. I enjoy playing against members of the Nara clan, as they always provide a good challenge. And dreams? I'd love to marry Kurenai someday and start a family with her. Sadly, I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Naruto grinned at Asuma and said, "Smoke is offensive to my senses. I don't like it."

Frowning slightly, Team 10's sensei looked at Naruto for a moment before nodding. "I see. You've got hyper-enhanced senses, don't you?" Seeing Naruto nod in response, Asuma released a sigh before rubbing the back of his head. "Alright. I guess I'll have to refrain from smoking around you. Sorry Naruto."

Naruto simply smiled at him and said, "Explosions."

Chuckling at this, Asuma smiled at Naruto and said, "Alright, since you're so talkative, let's hear your introduction. This should be interesting."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I really like EXPLOOOOOOSIONS!" he exclaimed before using his power to blow off a nearby woman's dress, leaving her in her underwear. When she screamed and ran off, Naruto giggled to himself before looking at Asuma again. "Explosions." he said, nodding sagely. "I like Hinata-chan too. She's really nice and she also likes my EXPLOOOOSIONS!" he exclaimed again before making the corner of a nearby roof explode.

Before Naruto could go on and make anymore random explosions, Asuma held up his hand and said, "Stop. I get it, you love explosions. Please stop blowing things up for the time being."

The spiky-haired youth frowned sadly at that before nodding in understanding. "I enjoy having different personalities. We're all so much fun! Umm...what do I dislike? I don't like...I...I don't like being hurt. I don't like remembering that day…"

Ino frowned at this and reached out, placing a gentle hand atop Naruto's. "It's okay, Naruto. Go on."

Naruto nodded in thanks before saying, "Hobbies? I like making EXPLOOOOOSIONS!" This time, Naruto didn't make something explode, much to his team's relief. "I enjoy spending time with Hinata-chan too. She...likes me. She understands me. Dreams are next, right? Well...I don't know. I just want to be myself. I...want people to accept me. I want to keep making EXPLOOOOSIONS too."

Shino frowned slightly and said, "Acceptance. I understand the logic behind that all too well. We Aburame wish for acceptance as well, but we are ostracized for being different. For what it's worth, I accept you as you are, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto smiled brightly at Shino and said, "Explosions."

The bug-user was confused at first before he realized this was Naruto's way of saying thanks. Shrugging it off, he decided to introduce himself next. "I am Shino Aburame. I like those who do accept me. I also like insects of all kinds. I dislike those who mistreat insects. I also dislike being treated like a freak of nature. My hobbies include studying new insects and incorporating new insects into my hive. I do not have a big dream like others might. I do like the idea of being the future clan head of the Aburame clan."

Naruto grinned at him and said, "We can make explosions together. You're like an explosion. Beautiful and artistic!"

Shino blinked a couple of times before smiling at Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki. You will be a good friend."

Ino smiled at the scene before she decided to take her turn. "I'm Ino Yamanaka. I like Sasuke-kun, my family and friends, training in my clan's techniques, and more. I dislike Sakura. We...we used to be friends, but when we both fell for Sasuke-kun, she decided to call off our friendship. I was just a rival to her, getting in the way of nabbing Sasuke-kun for herself. I...I wanted to remain friends. But she stomped all over our supposed friendship and tossed me away like yesterday's trash. I also dislike when Sasuke-kun ignores me and treats me as if I'm just a bother to him. It...it really hurts."

Sighing softly, Ino was about to continue before she felt somebody's hand on hers. Looking at who the hand belonged to, she found herself blushing a bit at Naruto's smile. "Explosions will happen. You'll be okay."

Ino couldn't help it as she started to giggle. "You're sweet, Naruto-kun." Squeezing his hand lightly to show her appreciation, she soon continued. "My hobbies? I enjoy tending to plants of all kinds, especially flowers. I like flower pressing too. And my dream? I'd love to get married to Sasuke-kun, but...I really don't see that happening. As...as Hinata said, he's arrogant and doesn't really care for anyone but himself. I know that, I really do, but…"

Naruto frowned and squeezed her hand. "Sasuke...is a fool. Explosions are not for him."

The beautiful blonde woman frowned in confusion for a time before realizing that Naruto was trying to cheer her up. Smiling gratefully at him, she said, "You may be different, Naruto-kun, but you really are a sweetheart. It's no wonder Hinata likes you so much."

Asuma smirked and patted Naruto on the head. "Keep this up and you'll turn into a real lady killer, Romeo." Looking at his team, he offered them a smile and said, "Meet at Training Ground #10 tomorrow at 9 AM. We'll be holding your true genin test then. Make sure to eat a hearty breakfast, all of you. You're going to be expending a lot of energy tomorrow, so you need to be well-rested and have some food in your bellies to keep up your energy. Dismissed!"

Before anyone could ask him any questions, Asuma was gone, leaving behind enough cash to pay for their meal. Once he was gone, Naruto looked at his teammates and asked, "Explosion?"

Shino raised a brow and asked, "Should we try to formulate some kind of plan for our test? Or do you want to, er...how would you say it? 'Wing it'?"

Ino looked at Naruto seriously for a time before she grinned at Shino. "We'll make use of Naruto-kun's unpredictability. Rather than try to force him to follow some kind of plan, we'll let Naruto-kun do what he does best. Meanwhile, you and I will work together to ensure the three of us pass the test, no matter what."

The Aburame heir nodded in acceptance of that plan. "That seems like the most logical approach. Naruto, we're counting on you to create as many explosions as you want tomorrow. We may not know what Asuma-sensei's test will be, but I'm sure that you can pull off an easy victory."

Naruto grinned and shouted out, "EXPLOOOOSIONS!"

Ino and Shino jumped when a trashcan exploded, sending its contents flying everywhere. Looking at each other, Ino said, "That's going to take some getting used to for sure."

Shino simply nodded in agreement as he watched trash fall from the sky, littering the street below. "Indeed."

Uzumaki Compound

Naruto was happy to be home. He used to live in a dingy old apartment that was oftentimes vandalized by the assholes in the village, but after the 'event' 8 years ago, Hiruzen had decided, with Kiyomi's insistence, to give Naruto his inheritance. This included access to their bank accounts as well as their home in the clan district. The thing that really sold Hiruzen on this course of action was the fact that Naruto would be MUCH safer in his parents' home than he would be in that crappy apartment.

Now here he was, trapped in the embrace of Kiyomi almost as soon as he walked through the front door. She was a beautiful woman with vibrant red hair, deep crimson eyes with slit pupils, high B-/low C-cup breasts, and she stood at the height of 6'. Yes, she was a rather tall woman, but she was only slightly taller than Naruto, who stood at 5'10".

"My precious Naru! Welcome home! Did you have a good day?" she asked as she clung to him.

Naruto smiled as he hugged her back. He really liked Kiyomi, and he wasn't sure exactly what she was to him. She wasn't a mother figure. She was closer to a sister figure, but at the same time he felt something else that he couldn't quite discern. All he really knew was that she was dear to him and he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.

Looking into her eyes, he grinned and said, "Explosions rule!"

Kiyomi giggled and said, "They most certainly do. Come, let's get you something to eat. You can tell me all about your team over dinner. Sound good?"

A short while later, as they ate, Naruto looked in Kiyomi's eyes before saying, "My teammates are Ino Yamanaka and Shino Aburame. Ino is a Siren too, but I don't know what her ability is. She...likes Buttface. Don't know why people like him. He doesn't enjoy explosions."

Frowning slightly, she asked, "She's one of his fangirls, isn't she?" Seeing Naruto nod in response, Kiyomi sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "A Siren being a fangirl for Buttface Uchiha. That is such a disappointment. If she ever says or does anything mean to you, feel free to inform me. I'll set the girl straight. No proud Siren would ever want to associate with somebody like Buttface."

"When I made explosions on Buttface's nose, she seemed upset. She didn't laugh at my explosions. Didn't even smile. I tried to make my teammates laugh while at the ramen place by making a bunch of EXPLOOOOOSIONS! But….they didn't laugh. They didn't smile. It was sad."

"Awww." Kiyomi said before moving closer and hugging him tight so his face was nestled snugly between her breasts. "It'll be okay. Not everyone understands your beautiful artwork. I'm sure they'll come around given enough time. And if they don't, then you can just sic me on 'em, okay Naru-kun?"

Naruto nodded and simply hugged Kiyomi back. "Thank you." he said calmly. After a short while of just hugging her, Kiyomi could hear him snoring and giggled a bit. "You silly goof. You've tired yourself out." she said before lifting him into her arms and carrying him up to his bedroom so he could get some much needed sleep.

Looking down at his peacefully sleeping face, she sighed and said, "You deserve far better than the lot you've been handed in life. Your team had better treat you right, my precious Naruto-kun. I love you very, very much and I won't let anyone harm you ever again."

Leaving him to his dreams, Kiyomi left his room and decided to go and pay a visit to a certain someone. So, leaving the Uzumaki compound, she made her way towards her destination. Upon arriving, she knocked on the door and waited for it to open. When it did, she looked at the man standing before her and said, "We need to talk."

The man, an aged blonde with his hair in a ponytail, nodded and said, "Come on in. I assume this has to do with Naruto and my little Ino-chan?"

The man, now identified as Inoichi Yamanaka, stepped aside and allowed the Kyuubi to enter his home. Once inside, he walked with her to the living room of his house and sat down beside his wife. Taking a seat, Kiyomi looked at him and said, "As you know, Naruto-kun is…'fragile'. He's socially awkward and has a hard time trying to talk normally with people. Things are...complicated. And as I'm sure you've already heard, Naruto has been placed on a team with your daughter. She's a fangirl for Buttface Uchiha, and I am worried she might say something down the line that would hurt my Naru's feelings. She might hurt him in some way and I can't have that. Not again."

Setsuna, Inoichi's wife, nodded sadly and said, "I completely understand, Kiyomi-san. My daughter can be a bit...much when it comes to her supposed feelings for Sasuke. She hasn't taken her training all that seriously, and her Siren ability has been neglected as well in favor of dieting and doing whatever she can to get Sasuke's attention. She lost her best friend because they both developed an interest in Sasuke at the same time. And to make matters worse, Sasuke is incredibly rude to everybody and treats our little girl like trash. I don't know why she's so fascinated by him."

Kiyomi, upon hearing that Ino had been neglecting her training as both a kunoichi and a Siren, scowled and said, "If Asuma doesn't beat that mindset out of her, I will. I will not have a fellow Siren be weak and incapable of defending herself! So I'm going to give you an ultimatum. Break her out of her fangirl mindset and make sure she starts acting like a proper kunoichi...or I will do it for you. And trust me when I say this: I will work her so hard to the point that she will come home in tears, begging you to make me stop."

Inoichi and his wife's eyes widened a bit before they both nodded in understanding. "Very well. If we can't 'fix' her, we'll entrust you with the task of making her shape up. Just...try not to break our little girl. Please?" Inoichi said, hoping she wouldn't be too hard on his little girl.

The redheaded Siren shook her head and said, "I wouldn't break her. I'd tear her down and build her anew. She'll still be your little girl, but she'll be stronger, better than she has ever been. And I'm hoping she'll be Naru's friend. He has far too few of them, and, believe it or not, he is kind of lonely. Yes, he may be energetic and somewhat wild, but that does not mean he isn't lonely. Hinata-chan, the old man, and I can only do so much for him."

Setsuna smiled at her and said, "We understand. We'll do what we can to help Naruto-kun. Hopefully Ino-chan will be open to the idea of being Naruto-kun's new friend. I hope she understands that he's not insane or mean or anything like that. He's just...different. He's special. I think that they could be really good friends, and I'm sure she might even grow to like him a lot. I wouldn't try to push them together in a romantic sense, as I'm pretty certain you and Hinata-chan already feel that way about him, but I'd like for them to become close regardless."

Inoichi smirked at this and said, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if she ends up falling for him too. Despite all that Naruto-kun has been through, he's a sweet kid and things will never be boring with him around. Plus, his kekkei genkai is powerful enough that he can easily protect his friends and family if he ever needed to. The idea of having someone big and strong to keep you safe is something a lot of women, even men on occasion, want."

Kiyomi smirked and said, "Trust me. Nobody else in the Elemental Nations will be able to stop my Naru-kun. He's going to be a real force to be reckoned with, and with further training he'll be truly unstoppable. And even if something does happen that is beyond his power to control or deal with, I'll be there for him. We Sirens are the perfect match for Naruto-kun and his powers."

Inoichi looked into Kiyomi's eyes and asked, "Kiyomi-san? Once we correct Ino-chan's mindset, would you be willing to train her in the use of her Phase ability? I believe hers is called Phaseshift."

The Kyuubi closed her eyes and hummed in thought. "I remember someone long ago that had that ability. I can train her, but it won't be easy for her. She needs strong mental fortitude and she needs to start training seriously. Impress upon her the need to train, rather than diet, and have her read a variety of books from the library. She should also practice meditation and learn how to clear her mind of all unnecessary thoughts. Again, however, this is all dependent upon her and the choices she makes."

Inoichi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. We'll do our best, Kiyomi-san. If we fail, we'll leave it up to you. Anyways, it's getting rather late. If you want, we can walk you back to your home?"

Kiyomi shook her head and smiled at them. "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you for the offer. Have a good night you two." And with that, Kiyomi exited their house and began making her trek back to the Uzumaki compound that she lived in with Naruto. My precious Naru, nothing will ever hurt you again. You have my word on that.

The Next Morning

Asuma smiled at his team and said, "Good, you're all here. On time too, that's good." Looking at the three of them, he wanted desperately to pull out a cigarette and light it, but one look at Naruto reminded him that the teenage blonde would just destroy it for shits and giggles. So, with a sigh, he decided to just get on with it. "Alright team, here's what we're going to do. You three are going to try and capture me. It's as simple as that. I'll hide, I'll run, and I'll fight back. Your goal is to disable me and keep me from getting away. Like I said, your goal is to capture me. I'll give you 2 hours to do this. If you fail, then that'll be it and your careers will end early. If you succeed, we'll officially be a team and will start taking missions together. Though I warn you now: D-ranks are frustrating for a number of reasons."

Ino couldn't help but smirk as she chanced a glance at Naruto. This is going to be fun. She thought, as she thought about what skills he had showcased so far. With Naruto on their side, she felt that there was no way they could lose.

Asuma looked his three genin over for a moment before looking into Naruto's eyes. I have no idea what to expect from you, Naruto. I'm going to need to keep vigilant so you don't catch me off guard with whatever the hell you're going to do. Sighing, he looked at his team and set two timers on the ground. One of them he set to five minutes while the other he set to 2 hours. Afterwards, he looked at his team and said, "You'll begin as soon as the first timer goes off. Good luck!" he exclaimed before disappearing into the woods.

Naruto looked at his teammates for a moment before looking down at the timers. "Explosions?"

Ino shook her head and said, "Not yet, Naruto-kun. Wait for the timer to go off and then you can create all the explosions you want. While Shino and I try to pin Asuma down, you should keep him busy with whatever abilities you want to use. Explosions, acid, whatever."

The spiky-haired teen nodded and smiled happily. "EXPLOOOOSIONS!" he exclaimed, but refrained from setting off any explosions just yet.

After the 5 minutes were up and the timer began to go off, Ino looked at her two teammates and said, "Let's get started!" And with that, they were off. Poor, poor Asuma was about to learn the hard way why you do not cross an insane Naruto Uzumaki, and he would come to regret issuing such a challenge to the psychotic Uzumaki.

A/N - And that's the chapter! I think it turned out pretty darn well, despite it being shorter than my usual chapters. *shrugs* I've been rather ill lately and my head's been a huge mess because I've been so ill, so it was hard to focus on this chapter and not on the spinny spinny room that's making me a-dizzy.

Anyways, as you can see, a bunch of interesting things happened in this chapter. The Kyuubi is outside of the seal and is a Siren as well. Then there's three other Sirens: Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, and Kurenai Yuhi. Kurenai's ability wasn't mentioned in this chapter, but it will be later on. Here's the current list, just so you know:

Kiyomi (Fem. Kyuubi) - Phasetrance

Hinata Hyuga - Phasewalk

Ino Yamanaka - Phaseshift

Kurenai Yuhi - Phase...?

I'll add notes on this story to my profile so it's easier to keep track of some things. As you no doubt saw in the chapter, both Kiyomi and Hinata are interested in Naruto romantically, though he's having a hard time processing certain things. He's almost like a child with a toy, only in this case, the 'toy' is his kekkei genkai and he enjoys making EXPLOOOOSIONS!

Anyways, like I said, I am feeling like crap. So I think I'm gonna finish this here and say howdy-dowdy-doo! Erm, yeah. No idea what I'll work on next. As usual. XD