A/N: Well, here is the redone version of the first chapter of my first story. I don't know what you all will think of the changes so far, but I'm hoping for the best.

For all of you who have already been following it, I'm especially hoping you're all satisfied with it since you were all the support in keeping it going in the first place. If you're a new comer, I look forward to hearing what you have to say as a first impression as well. You're also welcome to check out the original version as well to see the changes.

I guess I should also tell you that at the beginning I wasn't trying not to do too huge a makeover and just added some stuff here and there, but about halfway through I had just started reading the section I was on to get the feel for what I was doing originally, and then just deleting it and rewriting the whole thing from scratch. That's where the larger differences will really start to come into play. Oh, and it's also about 5,000 words longer than the original version, not counting the A/Ns in either of them.

…I'm rambling now. So I'll just let you read it, shall I?

Disclaimer: I said it the first time. I'll say it again. I don't own Naruto. Happy?

Chapter 1: Darkness Unseen

"Naruto, get your ass out of bed or I'm gonna come in there and make you!"

Naruto groggily opened his eyes at the sound of the shout, muttering something about "Five more minutes" before turning over and closing them again. It probably wasn't the smartest decision, since he knew full well that his older brother would follow through on his threat, but he just couldn't find the will power to put his body into motion, so he didn't.

The door to his room slammed open, startling the drowsy blonde from his slumber again, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps getting very close, very fast. "Damn it Naruto, get your ass up NOW!" The next thing Naruto knew, his body was lurching through the air before landing painfully on the floor with his mattress coming down on top of him and his bed frame standing up on its side from having just been tipped.

Groaning in both pain and due to still being partially asleep, Naruto pushed the mattress off of him and sat up, rubbing his sore head. "Have you even once considered being nicer about waking me up, Nii-san?" Naruto whined.

"Sasuke's already waiting in the living room," his brother's irritated voice replied from the other side of the over turned bed without a trace of sympathy, "and if we don't hurry we won't be able to get to the academy without being spotted. So, get your ass moving!" Fading footsteps and the forceful closing of the door marked the other person's departure.

Naruto sighed and began digging through his dresser for his cloths. There were times, usually when the day started like this, that Naruto would miss the days when he was living alone with no one telling him what to do. He could sleep as much as he wanted, eat as much as he wanted, and staying out as late as he wanted since there was no one at home that would…

And just like every time before, Naruto's longing for his days of total freedom would dwindle away like a dying flame as the memories of coming home every day to an empty home came flooding back to him. No, he wouldn't give up what he had now no matter how much it sometimes inconvenienced him. He wouldn't give it up for anything.

Now, much more somber after his short trip through his painful memories, Naruto finished getting dressed and headed into the living room. As soon as he walked out of the hallway, he found Sasuke sitting on the couch in his usual blue, high collard shirt, white shorts, and wearing an impatient expression.

"Jeez, Dobe, can't you ever get up on time?" The raven haired boy asked in an annoyed voice. "I don't think a slug would have as hard a time getting up in the morning as you do."

"Bite me, Teme!" Naruto growled.

"No thanks," Sasuke smirked back, "I might get food poisoning."

It was a well known fact that, despite Naruto and Sasuke having become friends years ago, they still made insulting each other there favorite past time.

"Quit arguing and get ready to leave." Sasuke and Naruto turned to see the fourteen year old boy that had taken the role of Naruto's older brother four years ago, Jagaa, walking back into the living room with cup of instant ramen in his hand.

As always, Jagaa was dressed entirely in black.

From his baggy hooded sweatshirt, to his loose Shinobi pants, even down to the combat boots on his feet, not a trace of any other color could be seen in his almost silhouette like appearance. Even the hilt of three foot Ninjato strapped to his back was the same dark color. Naruto was just glad that, at least, his brother didn't have black hair as well, that would have just been too much. Instead, Jagaa's hair was a unique sort of dirty-blonde color that Naruto was grateful Jagaa had never felt the need to dye.

Still, his love of the dark color wasn't what people found odd about the teenage boy. No, what was strangest to everyone who knew him, or knew of him, was that the boy, whether it be the brightest day or the darkest night, indoors or out, foul weather or fair, always wore a dark pair of sunglasses that completely hid his eyes from the world. In fact, one of the most popular topics of conversation at the academy was what his eyes might really look like underneath the dark lenses, with theories ranging anywhere from simple shyness to being a Hyuuga spy.

Jagaa just laughed whenever he heard the newest rumors.

"Here." Jagaa said as he handed Naruto the cup of ramen he had brought with him. "I don't want to hear you complaining because you didn't get breakfast again."

Naruto began to slurp down the noodles as fast as he could without spilling anything on his clothes, knowing his brother may very well kick the crap out of him if he did. For some time now, Naruto had taken to wearing an outfit that looked almost exactly like his brothers. The difference being that his clothing was all a dark blue and his famous red swirl was displayed proudly on the back of his own sweat shirt. Instead of boots though, he wore a standard pair of Shinobi sandals, something Jagaa had frowned at because he didn't think sandals offered enough protection, and his spiky blonde hair was tied back with a bandana the same dark blue as his clothing.

Naruto had never told anyone this, but years ago Jagaa had actually burned his famous orange jumpsuit and told him if he ever caught Naruto in something like that again he would beat him to within an inch of his life, wait until he recovered, and then do it again.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice.

"So how are we going to get there today?" Sasuke asked as he stood up from the couch.

"I think we should go with Route 3 today." Jagaa said as he looked at the map of Konoha hanging on the wall. "We haven't used it in a while, so it might not be as heavily guarded as the others."

The two other boys nodded their approval and Naruto tossed his empty ramen cup in the trash. "All right, let's get going already." Naruto yelled, pumping his fist in the air, only to receive a glare from Sasuke and punch to the head from Jagaa.

"You were the one who made us late in the first place, and what have I told you about yelling all the time?" Jagaa snapped as Naruto rubbed his head in pain.

"Sorry, Nii-san." Naruto said wincing, already used to having restraint and patience beaten in to him…literally.

Jagaa had told him once that the reason he had so much trouble making friends was because he was always acting like an idiot and, as Jagaa had put it, annoying the shit out of people. After telling Naruto of his faults, Jagaa had decided to take, rather painful, steps in order to help him overcome those faults. In Naruto's opinion, it had worked wonders, since he noticed that people were more willing to be nice to him now. In Jagaa's opinion, they still had a long way to go.

"As much as I love to see you smack Naruto around, I think he's right about leaving." Sasuke said from the side, his voice laced with amusement that earned a glare from the whiskered blonde.

"I guess your right." Jagaa replied, shifting his sword on his back. "Let's go."

X X X X X

Half an hour later, the three boys were nearing their destination with just under ten minutes to spare. Now, for a normal student, ten minutes was more than enough time to get to their class, and even have a little time left over to talk to their friends. Naruto, Sasuke, and Jagaa were not so lucky. The reason being revealed yet again when, just as they were about to round the last corner, Jagaa let out a curse and threw his arm up to block the other two from passing the concealment of the wall. "I don't believe this!" He whispered frantically, "They're guarding the fucking entrance!"

Naruto and Sasuke paled, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Almost too frightened to look, they cautiously leaned past Jagaa to peek around the corner to find a sight that made their blood run cold.

Fangirls!

They were everywhere, completely blocking the front of the entrance, spread out over a wide area to allow as little entrances as possible, and even posting scouts on top of the walls to scour the surrounding buildings and streets for signs of their prey. That prey being the none other than the three boys who were currently pressed up against the side of the building concealing them as if hoping to somehow merge with it.

Naruto felt like crying as he thought about the mass of girls that had set up base to bar their path. Oh how he missed the days that the worst he had to worry about from a girl was being pummeled a bit as they tried to go through him to get to Sasuke. All of that had changed though when Jagaa destroyed his jumpsuit, forcing him to completely change his appearance. Even now, he couldn't understand how just a change of cloths had made such a huge difference.

/Flashback/

"Naruto get in here or I'm gonna drag you in by your hair!" Jagaa yelled at the younger boy while standing just inside the classroom door that Naruto was refusing to enter.

"I don't wanna! I feel weird in these clothes!" Naruto's sullen voice replied, causing a curious stir throughout the classroom. As far as anyone could remember, Naruto had never worn anything but the same tacky orange jumpsuit, so the thought of him wearing something new sparked most of the student's interest immediately.

"Well you look a hell of a lot better than you did in that orange monstrosity! Now, you have five seconds to be through that door or you're seriously going to regret it!" Jagaa's tone left absolutely no room for argument and, reluctantly, Naruto walked into the room wearing the cloths that closely resembled his brothers.

A gasp of surprise ran through the room that didn't go unnoticed by Jagaa, nor did he miss the very approving looks Naruto was getting from practically all the females present, both causing him to smirk victoriously.

As the two boys started moving through the aisle to the empty seats in the back, the body of a boy who had just been shoved out of his own seat landed in front of Naruto, making him stop in surprise. Shifting his eyes over to where the boy had just fallen from, Naruto found, to his shock, a girl giving him the kind of look he had only ever seen girls giving Sasuke and patting the seat next to her. "If you want to, you can sit by me, Naruto."

Still dumbfounded by his surprise, Naruto slowly opened his mouth to ask why she wanted him to sit by her, when he felt a strange weight on his arm and looked over to see another girl from class had latched on to it and was giving him the same strange look as the first girl. "I think you should sit by me instead, Naruto-kun." She said, giving the first girl a smug look and earning a glare from said girl in response.

Suddenly a chorus of female voices erupted around him. Yelling things such as "No sit by me Naruto!" and "No way Naruto wants to sit by me, don't you Naruto?"

As the girls began to close in around him, eyeing him hungrily and begging him to sit with them, he heard what sounded like almost maniacal laughter and looked up only to find it was coming from none other than Jagaa. When he realized Naruto was looking at him, Jagaa held back his mirth just long enough to mouth the words 'Good luck' before resuming his laughter as he walked to his seat in the back of the room.

And thus, Naruto's days of being stalked, glomped, and having various possessions and articles of clothing stolen began.

/Flashback End/

"Damn it!" Sasuke muttered, fear showing clearly in his eyes. "They've gotten smarter! There's no way we can slip by without them seeing us now! What're we going to do?"

"Well, there is one chance we might have to get in, but it's gonna be risky." Jagaa said in the tone of a man facing death. "We'll have to try to rush past them using Bunshin no Jutsu as a distraction. If they go for the wrong ones, we you might be able to make it, but if they catch the real you…" Jagaa shuddered, unable to form words for the horrors being caught would bring upon them.

"Nani, but I suck at Bunshin! I'll be caught for sure!" Naruto practically cried.

"Try using Henge to turn into me or Jagaa." Sasuke suggested, "At least then if you're caught by one of our Fangirls, there's a chance they'll let you go out of disappointment and you can make an escape before one of your own catches you." Naruto mulled the idea through his mind and decided that it was really the only chance he had. He indicated his approval with a quick nod, receiving return nods from the other two.

With that last bit of planning, the three looked at each other with determined expressions and Jagaa extended his hand with the other two putting there's on top of his.

"It has been my greatest pleasure to know both of you." Jagaa said in a solemn voice. "May we survive to see each other again." The other two nodded in response, and the three of them charged into the mass of raging hormones.

X X X X X

Naruto, Sasuke, and Jagaa walked into their class with the air of triumphant war heroes, the danger of their ordeal showing in their torn clothing and lipstick marked cheeks.

There had been so many Fangirls that the Bunshin had turned out to be a useless decoy which resulted in a quick capture of all three boys. Fortunately, due to sudden inspiration and a good deal of luck they were able to use the Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace themselves with some of the other girls, and barely escape from certain doom.

However, unlike Jagaa and Naruto, Sasuke's relief was always short lived due to the presence of his two most aggressive and unyielding Fangirls ever. Those who wielded such power that could even intimidate other rabid Fangirls into backing down when they were around for fear of their wrath, Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

"Evasive action!" Jagaa shouted and he and Naruto dove to the floor on either side of the walkway just before two blurs, one pink and one blonde, shot passed them and collided into the hapless Uchiha, knocking him to the floor.

"Back off Ino-pig, Sasuke-kun wants to be with me not you!" Sakura shouted, glaring at the other girl as both of them lay with their arms wrapped tightly around a gasping Sasuke.

"Fat chance Forehead! You just can't accept the fact that Sasuke likes me better! Isn't that right Sasuke-kun?" The blonde replied with a smirk, reveling in the fact that she was making the other girl absolutely furious.

Truth be told, Ino had started to realize lately that irritating Sakura seemed to be the only reason she took every opportunity to hang on Sasuke anymore. Sure, Ino still thought Sasuke was gorgeous, and definitely still wouldn't mind winning him for herself, but it just didn't really seem as important as it once had, and she knew why. For quite a while now, her thoughts had been being invaded by the image of another boy. One that was slowly replacing the image of Sasuke when she would fantasize about what her future might hold.

That boy, being none other than the former loudest and most obnoxious person in Konoha, though some would still claim he held the title, Uzumaki Naruto.

It was strange that, even in the midst of both glomping Sasuke and annoying Sakura, she could still clearly remember the day that her opinions had started to change about the spiky haired blonde…along with her feelings.

/Flashback/

A ten year old Ino was helping her mother in the flower shop by watering all the plants while her mother took care of the customers, when she heard the door to the shop open. Looking over to see who had come in, the customary greeting she was about to give died on her lips when saw a mass of bright blonde hair, and a very nervous Naruto standing just inside the door looking as if he was going to bolt at any moment.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Ino asked, her confusion and surprise at Naruto being in her families shop evident in her voice.

"O-oh, hi, Ino. W-well, the thing is." Naruto started nervously, surprising the young girl even more. She couldn't remember a time she had ever seen Naruto looking even close to nervous before. Usually he was just bragging, or shouting how he would be Hokage someday. "The thing is that Nii-san says I need to find something to do that will help me learn to be more calm and patient." The obvious distaste in the boy's words almost made Ino laugh, but she managed to hold it in since he was still talking. "After that, he told me to come down here and try learning about gardening. Since a lot of people do it to relax, he thinks it might be just what I need." Naruto looked like someone had a kunai to his throat and was forcing him to do their bidding, and this time Ino wasn't able to hold in her amusement as she let out a small snort.

Naruto glared at her and the girl held up her hands defensively, a smile still playing on her face. "Well Mama is busy with other customers right now, but maybe I can help you." She said kindly as a sort of peace offering for laughing. "I always help mama take care of the plants, so I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff." The platinum-blonde girl puffed out her chest proudly and Naruto grinned.

"Thanks, Ino. You have no idea how clueless I am on these things." Naruto replied, accepting her help with obvious relief.

The next thing either of them knew, they were deep in conversation about the various types of plants and flowers that the shop had to offer as well as ways to take care of them. Speaking on topics such as the best fertilizer to use, how much water plants needed, which type of plant food worked best for different species of flowers, and anything else that Ino could think of that would be useful for the boy to know if he should seriously consider gardening. The two blondes continued to talk enjoyably about the various plants for several hours before Naruto finally realized how long he had been gone and decided it was time to get back home.

"Thanks for all your help, Ino." Naruto said, holding a small potted plant and a beginner's guide to gardening he had just bought. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Ino smiled as she held open the door for him to leave. "No problem, Naruto, it was actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be." She gave the boy a friendly pat on the back as he walked past her. "Make sure to come back if you ever need any help or you decide to get more plants."

"Sure thing Ino-chan, I'll see you later." With that Naruto began to jog of in the direction of his house, being careful to avoid running in to anyone so as not to drop his new plant.

Shaking her head as she laughed at the energetic boy, Ino started back on watering the plants when she suddenly realized how Naruto had addressed her as he was leaving. 'Did he call me Ino-chan? That's the first time he's ever called me that.' Mulling the term of endearment over in her mind for a little while, a small smile came to her face. 'It doesn't sound too bad though.'

/Flashback End/

Ever since that day, Naruto had visited the Yamanaka Flower Shop many times, and during each visit the two blondes would always end up in long and enjoyable conversations until Naruto would feel it was time to go home, leaving with his newest plant or book on gardening and a promise to return soon. Ino could admit that she had started to look forward to Naruto's visits, so much so in fact, that she tended to get disappointed whenever a new customer would walk in and it wouldn't be him.

However, there was one thing that bothered the blonde girl. Despite all the time they had started spending together talking at the flower shop, in school, Naruto acted almost like they had never even met. The 'chan' that he had started attaching to her name while they were surrounded by the flowers became non-existent while surrounded by their classmates, and any conversation they had was limited to friendly, but very casual greetings. Ino had even tried once to start a real conversation with Naruto like the ones they had in the shop, but ended up failing when Sakura started saying Ino had given up on Sasuke in favor of a Dobe. Almost on reflex, Ino had shouted down the claim, ending up in another heated argument with her pink haired rival.

After the fight, Ino had tried again to start a conversation with Naruto, but the boy simply said he had somewhere he needed to go before running off. Since that day, Naruto had been more distant at school than ever before, even while still maintaining a friendly and easy to approach attitude at the flower shop. The whole situation was confusing the girl to no end, but she had refrained from trying to talk to Naruto again while they were at school, deciding that their must be a reason that Naruto was avoiding her and figuring it would be best to wait until he decided to approach her.

That didn't mean the whole thing wasn't starting to irritate her though.

Off to the side, Jagaa and Naruto had gotten up from the floor and were watching as Sasuke struggled to free himself from his assailants when Naruto started chuckling lowly, which soon turned into full blown laughter.

"Poor, Sasuke." Naruto said with a large grin. "We get a relief in the classroom because Ino and Sakura are so frightening that even our Fangirls are afraid to try anything with them around because they're afraid those two will think they're really trying to make a move on Sasuke. He's is the only one who has to suffer while we're in class." Naruto's laughter redoubled when Sasuke managed to break away from the two girls only to be tackled back to the ground again by Sakura when he tried to run.

Jagaa made no comment as he watched Naruto double over at Sasuke's failed attempt to escape. He'd known Naruto to long to be fooled by the fake laughter, and he knew that if Sasuke wasn't currently occupied, he wouldn't have been either, seeing as both of them had come to the same conclusion a long time ago.

Naruto really likes Ino. It was so obvious to the pair that they couldn't believe the rest of the class hadn't realized it as well. Then again, not everyone knew the boy quite as well as them, but that wasn't the problem.

The problem was, being the type of person he was, Naruto would never act on it. That fact alone was enough to make Jagaa and Sasuke want to strangle the spiky blonde, especially since they could also tell that Ino didn't put as much heart into glomping Sasuke as she used to. Jagaa and Sasuke had tried several times to get Naruto to try to talk to Ino while they were in school, knowing full well that he talked with her just fine whenever Naruto went to get a new plant or gardening supplies, but to their mutual annoyance the sunny blonde refused to do so.

Sighing as he pulled himself out of his thoughts, Jagaa decided he'd seen Sasuke being tortured enough for one day. Clearing his throat, he used his ace in the whole to stop the glomping session on Sasuke and pull Naruto out of his concealed depression.

"Well today is the day of the exam, so I guess it is time to prove to you both that I'm right about how we can get Iruka one last time." He knew that the bait would work, so he just sat back and waited for them to bite.

Sasuke and Naruto's attention immediately turned from the Fangirls to Jagaa, with Sasuke practically throwing the two girls off him in order to respond. "There is no way I'll believe it until I see it!" He stated defiantly.

"I agree, Nii-san!" Naruto said, "There's just no way it could be true!"

"Well Iruka should be here any minute, so we will be able to test my theory wont we?" Jagaa said with a bit of a smirk.

As if on cue, Iruka walked through the door and started yelling for the class to settle down, only to freeze when he saw the evil looks his three archenemies, as he jokingly liked to call them, were giving him. He had seen that same look several times in the past, and he knew all to well what was about to happen.

"Iruka-sensei, today is the day we will finally finish this once and for all!" Jagaa stated challengingly to the Chuunin.

Taking up an authoritative pose, the Chuunin Teacher met the three students' eyes. "Do your worst boys." Iruka stated confidently, a smirk playing on his lips. "I withstood your last attack, and I'm not afraid of this one." He wasn't lying either. Well, he wasn't completely lying, since these boys were a force to be reckoned with and only a fool would be completely unworried about what they may have concocted. Still, considering the last attack had been one of dangerous proportions and Iruka had somehow managed to hold onto himself and grit through the assault in order to claim victory, he wasn't quite as worried as he would have been before.

In response to his challenge, the trio took their positions next to each other. "Are you prepared, Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke asked. The entire class was on the edge of there seat, excited to find out what would happen with this final challenge.

"Do your worst boys." Iruka said confidently.

"Let's do it!" Naruto yelled, and three voices yelled 'Henge' all at once.

Smoke filled the air as the transformations took place, Iruka using the time to mentally brace himself as much as possible since he knew exactly what was about to happen. Even still, Iruka had to forcefully fight back the nosebleed that threatened to spew forth once the smoke cleared.

Beautiful blonde hair pulled up into two cute pig tails streaming from both sides of her head. Deep ocean blue eyes that seemed to draw you in and never let you go. Three slim whisker marks running along each cheek that made you want to gently run your fingers across them. The image of Naruko was one that could fell men by the thousands when her scarcely concealed form was brought into being.

Next to her, with her long, free falling brown hair. Janaa's sparkling emerald green eyes alone could make men melt in desire before they were finished off with an eruption of blood due to her lush body.

Finally, there was Sasune. Her piercing, pitch black eyes that held you in place by the fire behind them as her raven hair caressed her back in one long pony tail. Her body, just as alluring as the two beside her, taunted men with the smoke that hid her incredible assets from the world.

Iruka grit his teeth, holding back the rush of blood to his nose by will power alone as he prepared for the worst. The last time, the three beautiful girls had rushed him, rubbing their perfect bodies against him as they let out sensual moans that almost made Iruka loose it in more ways than one. Somehow though, he managed to stand firm and endure the wonderfully horrible torture and claim victory. Today though, it seemed that the three luscious girls were trying a new tactic. One that was far more powerful and devastating than anything they had ever tried before.

The three beautiful girls began rubbing on, each other!

Janaa was standing directly behind Naruko, her right arm wrapped around the blonde's waist and her left slowly caressing down her side and across her stomach as she nuzzled her face into the blondes neck. Naruko herself had her eyes closed and her tilted back, moaning lustfully as she wrapped her right arm up and around the brunette's head as if lost in desire. Sasune was crouched low with her back to Iruka, her legs spread wide in front of Naruko as the raven haired girl hugged herself into the blonde with one arm and stroked Naruko's leg with the other. Her head deliciously close to Naruko's most forbidden area, Sasune looked back over her shoulder with passion in her eyes.

"Iruka-sama," Janaa called sensually, raising her eyes to the Chuunin and licked her lips tantalizingly slowly. "why don't you come and play with us?"

Iruka's mind went blank and his will shattered. Two seconds later he was launched backwards and over his desk by a powerful torrent of blood that made many doubt he would survive with how much he lost.

With three puffs of smoke, the trio of boys once again stood where previously the objects of all men's desires had been, Naruto and Sasuke standing with looks of shock on their face, and Jagaa with a triumphant one on his.

"And you didn't believe me." Jagaa said with a huge grin. "Now pay up." The two other boys grumbled sullenly as they took out their wallets and handed the older boy some money.

"I just don't get it!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "Why would it work when we rubbed on each other, but not when we rubbed on him?"

"He's right, it doesn't make any sense." Sasuke gave voice to his own confusion. "Wouldn't any guy rather have the beautiful women rubbing on him than each other?"

"Oh, my poor, innocent little boys." Jagaa said with a sympathetic shake of his head. "It's times like this that shows how much you truly have to learn. However, you need not fear, for one day you to shall be able to understand the joys of seeing women engaging each other in such activities, and far more. When that day finally comes, then, truly, you shall be considered men!

Naruto and Sasuke looked at the boy in front of them who was grinning from ear to ear at their confusion, then at each other, then at the rest of the class to see there reaction to Jagaa's speech. Most of the boys looked as confused as they felt, though there were some that were nodding their heads solemnly in agreement, and a few were even blushing deep scarlet, along with every girl in the room.

"The three of you get back to your seats, NOW!" Iruka yelled, popping up from behind his desk with large wads of tissue shoved into his nose and a much paler complexion. He kept his glare on the three boys, who were all smirking victoriously at him, until they had all taken their seats in the back of the class. 'At least this will be the last time I have to deal with this.' The Chuunin thought with a mental sigh. 'Though, honestly, I may miss the challenge a little once they're gone.' With a small shake of his head, Iruka spoke to the entire class. "All right, now that we're all here. It is time to start your graduation exams!"

The students tensed up in excitement at Iruka's announcement. Finally, after four years of training, they were finally going to be able to become shinobi.

Naruto was easily the most excited, and the most nervous of them all. He wanted nothing more than to pass and make his brother proud, but he knew he would be royally screwed if they gave the Bunshin no Jutsu for the exam final. Even with the help of Jagaa and Sasuke, who had managed to pull Naruto out of the position of dead last, he still couldn't get the Bunshin to work no matter how hard he tried. Every attempt resulting in sickly, almost dead looking clones.

Naruto's thoughts once again turned to Jagaa, the two years older boy who had come into Naruto's life almost four years ago and taken on the role of an older brother to the sunny-blonde. Sometimes Naruto still couldn't believe how much of a difference Jagaa had made in his life, especially in terms of increasing his skills at the academy. In fact, it was actually kind of funny when Naruto thought about it, because when the Hokage had asked Jagaa initially if he wanted to join Naruto in the academy to become a Shinobi, the ten year old boy had answered by asking what a Shinobi was.

Hence the reason Jagaa had been placed in the first year with Naruto.

However, it had also been revealed fairly early in the first day of the academy, that Jagaa may have more knowledge than he thought on the subject.

/Flashback/

"As a Ninja, you will use several types of weapons and tools to accomplish your missions." The Chuunin instructor lectured the children sitting on the grass on the other side of the table in front of him. "The most well known and widely used of these, is the Kunai." The teacher picked up the weapon from amongst other various weapons on the table and held it up for the students to see. "Today we will be getting a base assessment of your skills. In order to do so, you will all be throwing ten Kunai at the target behind me. Now everyone line up and let's see what you can do."

The students instantly complied, smashing themselves into a line as quickly as possible while talking excitedly. One by one, they children took their turns throwing ten Kunai, some doing poorly and only hitting a couple of times, others doing very well with almost every weapon striking the target.

"Sasuke-kun, you're so cool!" A chorus of girl voices squealed when the last Uchiha put all ten of his Kunai into the target, none of them going outside the second ring. The boy himself just grunted in response.

"He's not that great." Naruto muttered to Jagaa. "Just watch. I'll do way better than him." Marching up to the table, Naruto confidently picked up the Kunai and started throwing, missing all but the three that had hit the in the furthest outside ring.

Jagaa walked up behind Naruto and looked at the target for a moment before speaking. "Yes, you definitely showed him who was better. That's clear enough." Naruto turned a bit red and looked away muttering.

"I guess it's my turn." Jagaa said, moving in front of Naruto to the table and picking up a Kunai. As soon as he did, a slight frown came to his face, and Jagaa turned the weapon in his hand uncertainly.

"Is something wrong, Jagaa?" The Chuunin asked.

"…Not really. I just don't like the way these feel I guess." Jagaa admitted before drawing back his arm.

The following throws were some of the worst the academy had ever seen, even amongst first years, as the closest miss Jagaa made was just over a meter away from the target, and the furthest being almost four.

Laughter erupted through the area as the other students held their sides or pointed at Jagaa. No one could believe anyone could really be that bad. Even Sasuke was smirking amusedly at the older boy, taking satisfaction in his superior abilities in weapons and deciding that the blade on Jagaa's back must obviously be for show. The only one's who weren't laughing were Naruto and the teachers who were in to much shock at the horrible display.

Jagaa himself however seemed completely unconcerned about the laughter directed at him or the terrible attempt he had just made. Instead, he had looked down at the table again and picked up a Shuriken, examining it interestedly. A smile suddenly appeared on his face and he grabbed the stack of ten, holding them up to the Chuunin teacher. "Can I try throwing these?" Still disconcerted by Jagaa's horrible Kunai skills, the Chuunin nodded hesitantly and Jagaa's arm pulled back again.

And everybody's jaw dropped.

Ten Shuriken were stuck in the dead center of the target so close to each other that it looked as if they had been glued together and thrown as one. A stunned silence took the place of the previous laughter as both the students and the teacher stared at Jagaa with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Nodding to himself at the sight, Jagaa turned to a stunned Naruto and gave him a slight smirk. "Now those I like the feel of."

/Flashback End/

To this day, Jagaa was still completely unrivaled at using shuriken…and completely hopeless when it came to kunai. In fact, his favorite thing to do when they had throwing practice was to put all the shuriken he carried into the targets to very legibly spell 'I Hate Kunai '.

Naruto still laughed hysterically every time he did it.

Across the room from Naruto, Sasuke was also looking back at Jagaa and remembering the day the older boy had arrived. However, unlike Naruto, his thoughts were not on the kunai incident. Instead, Sasuke's thoughts were focused on an event that happened later in the day, and the reason Jagaa always sat in the back right corner of class where no one could easily get behind him.

/Flashback/

Sasuke was angry, there was no denying that, and he knew why.

Ever since that night, he had devoted himself to getting stronger, to being the best, and so far he had been succeeding. However, that had changed only half an hour ago when that new boy, Jagaa, had come along and showed a level of skill with shuriken that even most Jounin couldn't claim, and certainly not Sasuke. It didn't even matter that the older boy couldn't throw a kunai even at an academy level, his abilities with the other projectile weapon more than made up for it.

'And if he's even half as good with that sword, he wouldn't even need to use a Kunai for close combat, much less a projectile.' The Uchiha thought furiously, a feeling of inferiority settling in his stomach that only added to his anger.

"That was so freaking cool, Jagaa-nii-san!" Naruto's excited voice reached Sasuke's ears and the raven haired boy turned to glare over his shoulder at the two blondes as Naruto continued ranting. "How did you get them all so close together? Not even the Teme can do that." Sasuke's teeth clenched tightly, knowing who Naruto was referencing.

Jagaa shrugged lightly at the younger blonde, his expression neutral. "I don't really know. I just threw them in a way that felt comfortable."

Sasuke's anger was starting to turn into full out rage. Not only had this new boy come in out of nowhere and outshone him, the older boy didn't even seem to know how he did it. It hinted that the black wearing boy might be a natural, and that meant he could become stronger than Sasuke himself.

"Well, you might suck with kunai, but with how good you are with shuriken, I don't think that will matter much." A brown haired boy who was sitting behind Naruto and Jagaa said good-naturedly, as he stretched his arm out to give Jagaa a friendly pat on the back.

It happened so fast that Sasuke almost couldn't follow it. Jagaa's left hand shot over his right shoulder, grabbing the other boy's wrist and wrenched forward allowing Jagaa's right hand to grasp the arm as well as he threw the boy over his shoulder to land flat on his back on the desk. Before the boy had even fully landed, Jagaa's right hand had left the boy's arm and shot up to the hilt of his sword, pulling the blade free at frightening speed and rotating it in his had so the blade was reversed before bringing down.

Fortunately, it seemed the sound of the blade being drawn was enough to snap Naruto out of his shock. Grabbing Jagaa's arm with both hands he managed to stop the descending blade moments before it stabbed into the helpless boy's throat. "Nii-san! Jagaa-nii-san!" He called desperately to the older boy.

Jagaa's body stiffened at Naruto's voice and his head slowly turned to face the sunny blonde. "…Naruto?" He asked, his voice sounding as if he wasn't sure of exactly where he was. Sasuke was almost certain the dirty blonde was blinking heavily underneath his dark sunglasses as his head rotated to look around the room before finally he looked down to the terrified boy on the desk. "…Sorry." He said in a low tone as he let the boy go, who quickly put a fair amount of distance between the two of them.

"Jagaa-san," The Chuunin teacher called in a somewhat fearful tone, "what just happened?"

Jagaa paused for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I…have problems with people being behind me."

The Chuunin was taken aback by the admission and gave Jagaa a look that was both curios and analytical. Finally the teacher came out of his thoughts and spoke again to Jagaa. "I see. Well in that case, would you mind changing your seat to the one in the back row, furthest to my right? That way, not only would no one sit behind you, no one will even have to walk behind you to get to their seat."

"That would be fine. Thank you." Jagaa relied as he stood up and made his way to his new seat.

Sasuke watched as Jagaa walked to the back of the classroom with Naruto following after at a safe distance, unable to believe what he had just seen. Unlike the rest of the class, Sasuke had been staring directly at Jagaa's face before the boy had attacked, that's why he saw something that had gone unnoticed by everyone else. That being the cold, deadly intensity that had come to the older boy's features as he drew his sword. It left no doubt in Sasuke's mind that Naruto had very truly just saved that other boy's life when he caught Jagaa's arm.

It also brought something into perspective for the Uchiha. That being, that if the speed he had shown when he attacked that boy was any indication, Jagaa did not hold the possibility of being stronger than Sasuke…he already was.

It was a revelation that both angered…and frightened the raven haired boy.

/Flashback End/

From that day onward, every boy in class other than Naruto, and eventually Sasuke, had made it a point to avoid even getting near Jagaa, let alone behind him. Sasuke could even admit that even he still felt a small twinge of fear when he recalled that day, despite his current friendship with the two blondes.

However, in a complete reversal to the male half of the class, the females of the class had started taking every opportunity to get very close to Jagaa in their attempts to win his heart.

It seemed that Jagaa's reaction to people getting behind him had been like issuing a challenge to the more adventurous girls in the class, for that matter, the girls of the academy in general, and all of them seemed intent on overcoming it. It also didn't help that, due to Jagaa's somewhat reclusive tendencies and flat out refusal to talk about his life before Konoha, he had become something of a mystery to them that was just begging to be solved. Sasuke had even overheard a few girls talking about how Jagaa must have suffered some horrible childhood, and just needed the right girl to come along and warm his heart with her love. Helping him to overcome his traumatic past and bring out the kind, gentle soul underneath the barely approachable facade.

Sasuke had found that particularly amusing, because it was practically the same thing that they used to say about Sasuke himself.

"All right, everyone listen up!" Iruka called out to get the class's attention. "For the exams, we are going to be calling you individually into the next room to perform the chosen technique." Iruka looked over to Jagaa before he continued. "We will be calling you in order of clan names. So, Jagaa, seeing as you don't have a clan name, you will be going first."

"Hai, hai." Jagaa sighed, standing up and heading for the door. Iruka's comment reminded several people about another peculiarity of Jagaa's that no one could understand. Even though he had legally become Naruto's brother four years ago, Jagaa refused to take on the younger boy's clan name. Many attempts had been made to find out the reason behind this through the years at the academy, but whenever he was asked, Jagaa would simply say, "I won't taint anyone else's name, especially Naruto's." and then walk away before the person asking could say anything else.

Which, of course, was just one more log on the fire for the already determined Fangirls.

Still in his seat, Naruto felt his nervousness growing steadily as he waited for his name to be called. Not even the encouraging smile Jagaa had given him before leaving the room being enough to calm his nerves. Crossing his fingers, Naruto silently prayed to whatever god might be willing to listen. 'Please don't let it be the Bunshin no Jutsu.'

X X X X X

"Look over there." A woman said snidely.

"Yes, it's that boy." A second replied, her tone hateful.

"I hear he's the only one who didn't pass." The first woman's voice almost became happy when she made that fact known.

"It's only right. I can't believe they even allow him into the academy." The second woman sneered. "After all he is the-"

"Shhh, it's forbidden to say any more than that." The first woman warned.

"No, please, by all means, feel free to continue." The two women froze at the voice that had just come from behind them and slowly turned around to find Jagaa standing behind them, his arms folded across his chest and his expression hard. "I was just starting to get into the conversation."

The two women's faces paled and they slowly started backing away from the boy before turning and leaving hurriedly. Jagaa stared after them for a few moments before leaving the area to stand next to Sasuke who seemed to have reverted to his brooding days.

"How is he?" Jagaa asked as he joined his dark haired friend.

Sasuke shook his head and looked over to where a dejected Naruto was straddling the lone swing tied to a tree in the yard.

Jagaa grit his teeth in frustration at seeing the pained look on Naruto's face. "God damn it! Of all the fucking choices they have, they just had to use the only one he can't do!" Sasuke nodded his agreement solemnly, his own frustration at not knowing how to comfort his best friend showing clearly in his eyes.

"Hey, did you hear?" A girl's voice carried to the pair just loud enough for them to catch. "Naruto-kun failed."

"Yeah," Another responded sadly. "All because they chose the one thing Naruto-kun has trouble with. It's not fair."

"That's right! It isn't fair!" A third girl added, her voice carrying a distinct edge. "It's like they picked it because it was the only one he can't do! They sabotaged Naruto-kun!" The other two girls, along with a couple others who had been listening, chorused their agreement.

"I think that we may have found the only redeeming quality Fangirls have." Sasuke smirked. "They're loyal, if nothing else."

"Maybe," Jagaa replied, "but if they try to cheer him up it's only going to make him feel worse. It would be best if everyone just left him alone for a…Hmm, on second thought, maybe somebody trying to cheer him up wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Sasuke gave Jagaa a sidelong glance. "Why do you say that?" Jagaa responded by pointing, and Sasuke immediately understood.

Ino was standing a little apart from the crowd, her lower lip being held by her teeth as she nervously watched Naruto, uncertain of what to do. She wanted to go talk to him, to try to make him feel a little better, but she was afraid she would just make it worse. Also, going over to him now would send messages to her classmates that she wasn't sure it would be good to send. Not that Ino minded personally, but the way Naruto always seemed to be so distant with her outside of the flower shop made her wonder if he did. Still, she had been getting fed up with the whole situation anyways, and this would be a good way for her to show everyone that she was his friend, whether he wanted people to know or not. Still, it also came back to that it really could hurt him more to have somebody trying to comfort him than to leave him alone, at least for a little while.

And so, she continued to wait, trying to come to a decision.

"Should we encourage her?" Sasuke asked, looking over to Jagaa.

Jagaa gave a quick nod before answering. "Yeah, we probably should. I think she's worried about hurting him more, like I was just saying, but I think if anyone will be able to help Naruto, it'll be her."

Sasuke gave his own nod of agreement and the two of them started moving to where Ino was still standing indecisively, but stopped in confusion when they saw her expression become surprised. Quickly looking back to Naruto, both boys swore at the sight of the white haired Chuunin instructor, Mizuki, standing next to Naruto and talking quietly to him.

"That asshole is ruining everything!" Jagaa raged.

"This is bad!" Sasuke said urgently when he saw Naruto nod and start to get off the swing. "I think they're leaving!"

"Shit, we have to stop them!" Jagaa grated and the two of them turned to go after the pair, only to be stopped by a wall of Fangirls that seemed to materialize out of nowhere to block their path, giving them praise and congratulations on passing the test.

'Where the hell did they all come from?' The two boys thought simultaneously as they tried to push their way through the crowed of chatting girls.

"Damn it! They're already gone!" Sasuke growled bringing Jagaa's attention to the now vacant swing and surrounding area. Even Jagaa's Fangirls found the need to take a few steps back when he started cussing out every god and deity that he could conveniently remember, just to make sure he got the one that seemed so eager to screw up Naruto's life today.

Looking back to Ino, Sasuke and Jagaa could see the disappointment in the blonde girls eyes as she turned and walked back into the crowed of happily chatting families and friends.

Jagaa's teeth grit as he watched the girl leave. "I'm going to shove a kunai up Mizuki's ass for screwing up a good chance like that and adding to this shitty day!" Jagaa paused and looked over to Sasuke again. "No, wait. I'll use shuriken so that I know I won't miss. You use the kunai."

Sasuke growled lowly. "My pleasure."

X X X X X

On a rooftop somewhere in Konoha, Naruto was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs as he stared at the slowly setting sun with Mizuki beside him. Neither one of them had said much since they got there, they simply sat, each one deep in there own thoughts.

After almost half an hour Mizuki finally sighed and turned his head to face the boy at his side. "You know, Iruka didn't really want to fail you, Naruto." The white haired man said comfortingly. "He actually sees a lot of him self in you, that's why he wants you to become strong. It's just hard for him to show it."

"I know that." Naruto said quietly, his voice breaking. "I just…I wanted so badly to show Nii-san that he didn't make a mistake when he chose to become my brother, to show Sasuke that I wasn't the same Dobe that I used to be." The cracking of Naruto's voice became more pronounced and the boy buried his face into his knees. "I just wanted them to be proud of me."

The white haired man looked down and the whiskered boy, his eyes narrowing slightly despite his the reassurance in his voice. "You know Naruto, there may just be a way for you to still pass the exam and accomplish just that."

Naruto's face shot up instantly, his reddened eyes shining with hope.

X X X X X

Jagaa was starting to get frustrated. He and Sasuke had been searching for Naruto ever since he had disappeared with Mizuki, but had yet to even find a strand of golden hair, much less the boy himself. After several hours, the two searchers had finally split up about an hour ago to cover more ground.

As he continued jumping across rooftops in the fading light, Jagaa caught a flash of movement in his peripheral and looked over in time to see Mizuki leaping buildings on a course that seemed to be leading directly towards the forest. Not even needing to think about it, Jagaa changed his own course and followed after the white haired man, intending to find out where he had last seen Naruto in an attempt to quicken the search for his brother.

The plan to shove shuriken up Mizuki's ass would have to wait until later.

X X X X X

Naruto's mind was locked in a state of shock and the world seemed to have slowed down as he tried to understand what Mizuki had just told him. It couldn't really be true, could it? He couldn't really be the Kyuubi, the demon that attacked Konoha twelve years ago…could he? Even as he tried to deny it to himself, the images of the hate filled glares of the villagers flashed through his mind, his body recalled the pain of every beating he had ever received, and his heart remembered the feeling of being shunned and alone.

It finally made sense. Every terrible thing he had endured throughout his life, it all came crashing together as understanding finally took hold, bringing the boy to his knees in despair.

Mizuki stood sneering down at the motionless boy, spinning the giant shuriken over his head before his arm shot forward and released the deadly weapon. "Die you Demon!"

As he kneeled on the forest floor, still limp from the shock of what he had just been told, an almost surreal feeling washed over the boy as he watched the blade coming at him. He could almost make out each individual blade on the large shuriken as it rotated through air on its deadly course straight for his heart. He could see Iruka struggling to reach him despite the Chuunin's injuries, even though Naruto knew the man wouldn't make it in time.

However, for some reason, Naruto didn't mind that. In fact, he was almost feeling, grateful, for what was about to happen, because it would be the end of everything. No more glares, no more beatings, no more spite filled words…no more pain. Even if he wanted to move now, the weapon was to close and his body was still unresponsive, so, at the very least, Naruto could find comfort in that one fact alone. A small resigned smile came to the boy's lips as he closed his eyes and waited for the end.

But it never came.

The sound of steel striking steel rang through the forest sending sleeping birds flying as clumps of dirt and roots showered Naruto, making him to raise his hands defensively on instinct. Once the debris stopped falling, Naruto slowly opened his eyes to look through his raised arms…and his breath caught in his throat.

In front of Naruto, bathed by the moonlight, was the form of Naruto's older brother, Jagaa. His sword gleaming like silver from reflecting the soft glow of the moon as Jagaa held it just away from his side, pointed towards the ground. The giant shuriken that had only moments ago been racing to claim Naruto's life was now buried half way into the ground half a meter behind the older boy, giving testament to Jagaa's action of striking it down.

The sight of his older brother standing in front of him sent a whirlpool of emotions through the whiskered boy. Joy, surprise, gratitude, even pride were all there, but the one emotion that stood at the forefront of those emotions…was fear. Fear of how much the older boy had heard, fear that the one he called his brother would also see him as a demon, but most of all, fear that Jagaa would leave, and Naruto would be alone again.

Silently, Jagaa turned around and looked directly at Naruto who tensed visibly. Still without saying a word, Jagaa started closing the short distance between them, slowly sliding his blade back into its sheath as he did, until he was less than a meter away. Naruto was trying to find something, anything, to try to convince his brother that he wasn't really a demon, that he was still just Naruto, but any attempts he might have made were stopped cold when Jagaa's right hand shot out and grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt with an iron grip and pulling him forward.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Jagaa shouted at the younger blonde, who was too shocked by the action to even blink. "That thing would have killed you if it hit, and you were just standing there!"

"I…" Naruto floundered, completely unprepared for a reaction like this.

"You what!?" Jagaa snapped. "And I swear to Kami, if you tell me that you thought dieing would have been better because he told you all that bullshit about you being the Kyuubi, I'm gonna kick the shit out of you!"

Naruto's eyes went wide and his throat dry. "You…you heard that?"

Jagaa nodded. "I showed up just in time to hear Mizuki talking about it."

Naruto hung his head, tears standing in his eyes. "Then, you know I'm a-" Naruto never made it to the end of the sentence due to the painful blow Jagaa delivered to the top of his head. Yelping in pain, Naruto clasped his hands over the now throbbing point of impact.

"You? A demon?" Jagaa asked, his voice sounding almost amused. "You who cant even get your ass up in the morning without me tipping your bed? You who used to think wearing orange was a good fashion choice? You who can eat your bodyweight in ramen and still have room for more? You who still want to be the Hokage even after all the shit this village has put you through? You're honestly going to sit there and tell me that you think you could actually be a demon?" Jagaa shook his head at the younger blonde and gave him a small smirk. "Sorry, Outoto, but you just don't have the qualifications to be a demon. You're to damn nice. Just ask Sasuke, or even your Fangirls if you're feeling brave."

"Nii-san." Naruto's voice was filled with relief and gratitude. It was like all his fears and worries were thrown into the wind as he stood there looking at his older brother. It didn't matter anymore if he was the Kyuubi or not because he knew, just from Jagaa's words, that the older boy didn't care, and neither should Naruto.

Despite the pain of his injuries, Iruka found himself smiling at the pair before him, unable to help but feel proud of the pair of blondes.

A disgusted grunt came from the trees, drawing attention to Mizuki who had just jumped out of the tree to the join them all on the forest floor. "Hmph, I had hoped that the only reason you were nice to that thing was because you didn't know what he really was." Mizuki fixed Jagaa with a contemptuous sneer. "But I guess you're no better than that demon you call your brother."

Jagaa and Naruto turned so that they were fully facing the sneering man, Naruto's expression with fury while Jagaa's almost seemed impassive, his thoughts on the matter being made clear when his right hand started moving up the hilt showing over his shoulder.

"You think you little shits can beat me?" Mizuki mocked. "You're welcome to try."

"No." Naruto replied as he grabbed Jagaa's rising arm to stop it before he could draw his sword, the glare never leaving his eyes. "I'm gonna kick your ass myself. I think I owe you at least that much."

Jagaa looked over at Naruto for a moment before shrugging and walking over to take a spot in front of Iruka, acting like a shield for the injured man. Looking back to Naruto again, the older boy gave the younger one a small smirk. "Kick that fucker's ass."

"Believe it." Naruto answered in a low, confident voice, his eyes never leaving Mizuki.

"Do you really think you have a chance of beating my by yourself?" Mizuki spat at the whiskered blonde.

Naruto's lips curved into a confident smile as he answered the traitorous Chuunin. "By myself? No, I probably couldn't yet. Buuuuut, thanks to you, Mizuki-teme, that's not a problem anymore." Naruto's hands formed a cross shaped seal in front of him as he yelled. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!'

Three separate pairs of eyes widened simultaneously as the huge burst of smoke that had covered the area cleared away to reveal at least a hundred Narutos surrounding the area, filling the trees and littering the ground with the identical figures. Jagaa seemed particularly shocked by the event and had started shaking his head several times as if trying to clear it, even going so far as to reach up with one hand and rub his eyes under his sunglasses before looking again.

"So tell me, Mizuki-teme…" One of the Naruto's called.

"If one of me isn't enough to beat you…" Another followed up

"Then how about a hundred of me!" Every Naruto in the forest said in unison, cracking there knuckles with a gleam in their eyes. Seeing that the Chuunin had gone speechless fright at so many opponents, the army of blondes attacked, and Mizuki screamed.

X X X X X

"Okay, Naruto, you can open them now." Iruka said to the boy in front of him. As requested, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, and found himself staring at a widely smiling, Hitai-ate-less Iruka.

"Congratulations, Naruto, you passed."

Naruto shakily reached up and touched his forehead, gasping in surprise when his fingers came into contact with cool steel. For a moment, Naruto made no other reaction than his eyes going wide in realization at what it meant, before hurling himself at the Chuunin and shouting in gratitude as he hugged the man. Despite the large amount of pain the action caused him due to his injuries, Iruka couldn't help but smile fondly down at the sunny-blonde boy currently latched around his middle.

Naruto probably would have continued to hug Iruka for a good while longer, but cut it short when he felt a firm but friendly slap on the back. Separating himself from Iruka Naruto sat on his knees and cocked his head up to see Jagaa looking down at him with a small smile. "Congratulations, Otouto. I'm proud of you."

Naruto grinned foxily up at his older brother. "Thanks Nii-san." Naruto could barely believe any of this was really happening. Less than half an hour ago, Naruto would have truthfully said that this was the worst day of his life, but now, he didn't think it could get any better.

Groaning a bit, Iruka stood up and did a few exploratory stretches before looking at the two boys with a friendly smile. "Well, it doesn't look like my injuries aren't quite as bad as the first seemed. So, what do you say, once we've made sure Mizuki has been handed over to the ANBU, we go out for ramen to celebrate Naruto's passing?"

Scratch that. Now the day couldn't get any better.

"YATA! RAMEN! RAMEN! RAMEN! RAMEN!" Naruto's continued to chant at the top of his lungs while dancing around on the forest floor.

"…You just had to say it, didn't you?" Jagaa deadpanned to the pineapple haired Chuunin, who sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Shaking his head at Naruto's antics, Jagaa looked back to Iruka. "Why don't you two just go ahead without me, Iruka-sensei? I'll hand Mizuki over to the ANBU."

Iruka frowned a little at the suggestion. "I couldn't do that. That would mean leaving you alone with a dangerous traitor."

"It'll be fine, Iruka-sensei." Jagaa assured the man. "After that beating Naruto gave him, a first year academy student wouldn't even have trouble with Mizuki now. Besides," Jagaa jerked his thumb at Naruto, "the longer you make him wait, the louder he's gonna get…and now he can make more of himself to help."

Iruka paled as the image of hundreds Narutos all doing the ramen chant at the top of their lungs. "…Good point." The Chuunin sighed before giving Jagaa a serious look. "All right, just be careful."

Iruka waited for Jagaa's nod before walking over and patting the shouting boy on the shoulder. "Okay then, Naruto, Jagaa said he'll meet us there, so how about the two of us go to Ichiraku's?"

Naruto's shouts of joy increased almost three fold and he instantly started dragging the Chuunin out of the forest as fast as he could manage, requiring several pained shouts from the man to get the whiskered boy to slow down.

Standing silently beneath the trees, Jagaa watched the pair until they were out of visual range, and then waited until they were far beyond audible range as well by using Naruto's fading shouts as his way of gauging. After a few minutes, Naruto's voice had faded completely and Jagaa turned and started moving towards Mizuki with slow, deliberate steps. As the distance between the two lone figures closed, Mizuki started groaning in pain as consciousness returned to him.

"That…God damned demon brat." Mizuki growled as he tried to move his pain racked body. "I swear I'm gonna kill him if it's the la…" The man's throat constricted and cold feeling of terror washed over his body. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move, his breathing became short, unsteady gasps, and his heart pounded in his chest as if his body was reacting to the presence of a vicious predator with a thirst for blood. Almost too afraid to do so, but being driven by his need to understand, Mizuki forced his eyes to open at an agonizingly slow pace.

He wished he never had.

His face half shadowed in the moonlight and the rest of his body almost invisible due to his black clothing, Jagaa towered over the prone Chuunin, everything about him having changed to a terrifying degree. His posture, his expression, even the very air around him seemed to scream of blood, battle…and death. Finally, under Mizuki's frightened eyes, Jagaa finally spoke, his voice low and deadly.

"What's the matter, Mizuki-sensei? You seem bothered by something." Mizuki's mouth opened and closed, no words coming out of his mouth as he stared up with wide, frightened eyes as Jagaa's hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he spoke again. "Could it be that, you're afraid of death?" The blade gave a low steely hiss as it slowly came free of its sheath, the sound chilling Mizuki to his very soul.

Glinting in the moonlight, the blade came fully free and gently lowered down to Jagaa's side. "Let me tell you one thing before you die, Mizuki-sensei." Jagaa's left hand rose to the dark sunglasses, grasping the earpiece. "I'm more of a demon than Naruto could ever be." The boy pulled away the concealing glasses, and Mizuki's blood froze.

Mizuki's terrified scream echoed through the darkness, before coming to an abrupt stop.

Jagaa stared down at the corpse of the traitorous Chuunin with a grim smile of satisfaction as he removed his blade from his heart. Neatly wiping the blade on the dead man's cloths, Jagaa re-sheathed his sword, simultaneously bringing his sunglasses back up to his face and, after one final look at Mizuki, putting the dark lenses over his eyes again, hiding them from the world.

A stirring of wind behind him caught the teen's attention and he turned around with a satisfied smirk to face the new arrivals. "What took you so long?" Without responding, four figures stepped out of the shadows to join him under the moonlight, each one dressed in standard ANBU armor and animal masks. Jagaa knew it would be them.

It always was.

One of the figures stepped forward, his short red hair looking black under the moonlight as he gazed steadily at the teen through his Hawk mask. "You do realize you destroyed any chance of finding out if had an accomplice or outside contacts by killing him before we had a chance to interrogate him, don't you?"

"Then you should've gotten here faster, shouldn't you, Birdbrain." Jagaa replied evenly, his voice still low as he walked directly towards them, the satisfied smirk never leaving his face.

Behind the one in the Hawk mask, an ANBU with muddy brown hair wearing a Dog mask had put his palm to his forehead and whined piteously. "Ah man. Do you have any idea how much paper work this is going to be?"

Next to him, a man with hair only a little lighter than his partner, also wearing a Dog mask, voiced his agreement. "No kidding. I don't think were even gonna be able to sleep tonight." The man shook his head resignedly as he sighed. "Why is it, that shit like this only happens when were pulled away from following you for some reason? If they hadn't called me to help look for your brother, I would have been right on your ass when you found Mizuki, and this whole mess wouldn't have happened."

"Thank Kami for small favors then." Jagaa replied, a light trace of amusement in his voice as he continued walking, his path set to take him through the middle of the group. However, just as he was about to pass the Hawk masked ANBU, the man's arm shot out to catch Jagaa's left shoulder in an iron grip.

"Why do you insist on being like this even after all this time?" The man asked with an angry edge in his voice. "Why must you always be so quick to kill without even considering the alternatives or the repercussions that could come to you or those around you? Do you even consider the danger you put your brother in?"

Jagaa's sword ripped through the air straight for the man's neck, but was stopped by the ANBU's quickly drawn ninjato before it could reach its mark.

"Don't you ever imply that I care more about myself than I do for Naruto or I'll fucking kill you, ANBU or not." Jagaa's low voice was laced with a growl as he spoke to the Hawk ANBU. "Don't forget, Naruto is the only reason I'm still here. You may have been the one to drag my half dead carcass through those gates, but it's only to protect Naruto that I don't walk out of them, and I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt him, because at least then I know they won't be coming back to try again. That's how I live!" Jagaa paused for a moment, and the edge in his voice softened ever so slightly. "It's the only way I know how to live."

For some time, the two of them stood unmoving as the stared into each other's faces, one through the slits of a mask and another through dark lenses. Finally, ANBU nodded and withdrew his ninjato with Jagaa following suit a moment later. Once the two blades had been put away, earning an almost inaudible sigh of relief from the other three ANBU, the Hawk masked man spoke again in a much calmer tone. "I understand, Jagaa-san, but you have to remember, you're not out there anymore, where killing the enemy is the only way to survive. You're here, in Konoha, with your brother and your friends."

Jagaa didn't respond to the man, instead turning and continuing his walk to leave the forest. As he was about to pass the last member of the four man ANBU team, a woman with long black hair who wore a Cat mask, Jagaa stopped and looked over to her. "I'll be going to see the old man in the morning, so don't bother reminding me that I have to. Is that all right with you, Kitten?"

The woman gave a short nod to the teen. "I appreciate it. I'll inform Hokage-sama that you will meet with him tomorrow morning." After returning her nod with his own, Jagaa disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

The four ANBU stared in the direction he had gone for a few moments before the Hawk masked ANBU sighed and called for the other three's attention. "All right, let's get this mess cleaned up. Neko, you go ahead and inform Hokage-sama of what happened. Inuichi, you and Inuni take the traitors body to the morgue, and be sure not to be seen. I'll stay behind and erase the evidence, not only of Jagaa's actions, but Naruto's as well. Does everyone understand?"

The other three ANBU all gave the Hawk masked one a quick salute. "Hai,Taka-taichou!"

X X X X X

Jagaa smiled as he approached Ichiraku's ramen stand, listening to the conversation between Naruto and Iruka. Well maybe conversation wasn't very accurate, more like an ignored lecture, seeing as Iruka's attempts to tell the whisker marked boy about the dangers and responsibilities of being a Shinobi were falling on deaf ears as Naruto noisily slurped down his noodles with a huge grin on his face.

"You may as well give it up for now, Iruka-sensei." Jagaa grinned as he took the open seat on Iruka's left. "He's not gonna hear a word you say as long as there's ramen in front of him."

Iruka let out a long, weary sigh before turning to face Jagaa. "I suppose you're right, but I felt I should at least try." The two of them shared a quick laugh together as Jagaa ordered a bowl from Ayame, the attractive young brunette behind the counter. Waiting until she had gone through the curtain to the kitchen area, Iruka spoke again. "So what happened with Mizuki? Did the ANBU finally show up?"

Jagaa nodded. "They actually showed up just a few minutes after you left. So I left them to deal with the clean up and came here. I have to go see the Hokage tomorrow and tell him about what happened though."

"Well that's to be expected." Iruka replied. "I'm certain I'll have to give a report as well." The Chuunin's normally kind voice took on a noticeable edge as he gazed down into his bowl of ramen. "I just hope Mizuki gets what he deserves after everything he did."

"Oh, don't worry, Iruka-sensei." Jagaa responded, snapping a pair of chopsticks and stirring the steaming bowl of ramen Ayame had just set in front of him. "I'm sure he got exactly what he deserved." Bringing a couple noodles to his mouth, Jagaa slurped them up enthusiastically and looked back at Iruka with a satisfied smirk. "This stuff really is pretty good."

A/N: Okay, there you have it. The new and (hopefully) improved version of the first chapter. Let me know what you all think okay cause I really want to know. Usually I don't care (too much, since I'd be lying if I said they didn't motivate me) about reviews, but in this case I really really want to hear what you all think.

Here's hopin for the best. Ja ne.