A/N - So this is a new story idea that I recently got in the shower and just couldn't get out of my head. So I formed a plan, if I ever have any writer's block I can write a little for this story and it'll work itself out... that's what I'm going for anyway. To those of you who read my other story, at this point I'd really just say don't bother; don't get me wrong I love the ideas of it and I put a lot of effort into it but looking back some of it's really cringe-worthy and poorly done. What can you expect though, it was my first attempt at a fanfiction.

I've been told this story really starts to kick off by around chapter 6, if you don't like it after that then I'd recommend that you stop reading, however I ask that you do give it a fair chance.

Anyway, I'll let you get starte-, I do not own Naruto. There, now you can start.

Chapter One - Too Good For Your Own Good

He was ready, the act prepared.

"So Kioshi-kun, how have the new academy class settled into their first day?"

He had seen this face quite often over the years, but never did it look so forced and rugged, like it had been broken and hastily repaired. The owner of said face was Kioshi Matsu. Troubled would be a good way to describe him and he had a fair idea of what caused it, that being said, it was best to be discreet when talking to a fellow elderly Shinobi.

Letting out a sigh Kioshi removed the metaphorical mask before sitting down. It was customary to ask his Hokage for a seat but after what he'd just been through he really didn't care. He was just an average guy with an average build. He had the standard dull brown hair of Konoha and just to rub his individuality in a little he inherited brown eyes too. In fact, the only thing that he kind of liked about his appearance was the nifty "battle" scar just above his left eye...sadly he got this from a training accident. As if to show the world he accepted his bland appearance he brushed it off lightly with the standard Konoha Chunin uniform. 'What in Kami's name did I do to deserve a day like today?'

Giving his throat a sound clearing the Hokage simply lifted his pipe and lit it with a wordless Jutsu. Looking up to see the somewhat down form of Kioshi he thought it best to get started, "Every day each year you come in looking... something like you do now." No one word could describe his unfortunate predicament. "Every year I then ask what's wrong. After this is done you always proceed to explain everything that went wrong that day and how the new students misbehaved. I then spend a large portion of my evening consoling you, supporting you and ultimately giving you the confidence to look past all of this and persevere for their sake. At the end of the year you are relieved and happy only for the process to repeat within the next few weeks. The reason I'm telling you this is that by the look of your face, I don't think that will be enough."

All he received in return was a slow shake of the head.

It wasn't like Kioshi was ever one for complaining; in fact he was one of his hardest working and longest serving Ninja, truly wanting the best for every student he taught. However sometimes there was a limit to how much one man could take.

With another puff of his pipe he then rested it in between his interlocked fingers before giving the command, "Okay old friend; explain." He really wasn't looking forward to this.

He took a few drawn out breaths, trying to find the right words to what exactly just happened. He'd never encountered such bad behaviour before, "Well, it started out like a pretty standard opening day to be honest. Everyone got a tour of the academy and were shown their lockers while my assistant Iruka prepared the classroom; by this point I was pretty happy. Although a little nervous with the amount of clan heirs It was going smoothly that was until that boy showed up late. I was annoyed at first and gave him a quick scolding off but he didn't seem to really care too much so I made an effort on watching him, you know what their like. By this point we had everything done and on good time so we headed back to class. That's when things got a little worse." He grimaced, just thinking about later events that happened in that classroom.

"As usual, my opening speech about what we'll be learning and doing grabbed the attention of all the academy students, even this year's Nara was very intrigued and didn't look slightly bored. But that boy fell asleep; he even had the gall to start yawning." This was quite a surprise to him and, by the looks of it, the Hokage too. Nobody fell asleep during the academy opening speech. Every kid present had been anticipating this day for the majority of their lives, in their eyes it was the start of a Ninja fantasy world. To fall asleep during the speech was like falling asleep during your dream come true.

"Now I'm not too used to children falling asleep during my speech so I didn't really know what to do. I called his name and he didn't respond. I then shouted. No response. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was getting a little worked up at this point and my climactic speech was all but ruined because of the brat so I simply decided to finish it and deal with him after."

The Hokage could only let out a sigh, Kioshi prolonged everything. "Please, just tell me the basics. Maybe this boy was just feeling a little tired, cranky perhaps. Just list off what he managed to do in one day." It couldn't be that bad right.

Wrong.

Kioshi wasted no time, "He refused to move seats when asked; he provoked other students, particularly Sasuke Uchiha. When asking students questions he answered before they got a chance, I'm nearly sure he knocked out the Hyuga heiress; he often referred to Shino Aburame as Bug fetish. When he asked to go to the toilet he didn't come back for over an hour. When asked why he gave me an in depth detailed report on his restroom break and how he had created something called Chuthulu."

By this point the Hokage and Kioshi were going red, one through holding in laughter and the other by short breath. "Thankfully lunch came and passed without much of an incident, after lunch he had seemed to quieten down a little during Shinobi history but as soon as chakra theory started he went to sleep. It was at this point he committed yet another act even with a warning that I would put him into detention." Once he ended it was clear the man was on the verge of tears. He had a bad day all because of the brat. He would refuse to teach IT!

The Hokage finally let a gentle smile grace his face, "I suppose you want me to go and speak to him?"

Kioshi vigorously nodded his head. "Yes Hokage-sama. Please if I may ask, would you excuse him from the regime, or make him wait another year so he learns his lesson. I don't know if I can take another day of that."

He had a fair Idea of who he was talking about, he also had to get the full story from the boy himself, "We'll see Kioshi-kun. But you know what Naruto's like. He's probably got about fifty different backup plans to get himself out of trouble."

"Haha, that old geezer is such a fool; he thought I wouldn't be prepared for something as traditional as this." To anyone else the boy would have looked insane; after all, he was standing in a classroom alone seemingly talking to no one.

Naruto was a smart kid, very smart. He knew that he would probably press a few buttons on his first day by simply being there so of course he came prepared. Slinging his bright orange and black school bag off his back he set it on the floor before pulling out what appeared to be a simple wooden stick; All along its frame were small holes; holes that he had crafted to be the perfect size for holding a pen.

Opening it up to full length it was at least a metre long. "I knew it was a good idea to bring you, lines were an obvious one but to think I got it in the first day... Oh well." By his facial expression it was clear he simply didn't care. Why would he?

Continuing his scheme he manoeuvred around the classroom opening everyone's desks taking the required gear he needed, by required gear it was all of Sasuke's spare pens and the odd one from Ino for safe keeping, 'these things aren't cheap after all.' Popping them into the different holes he then held the stick vertically along the board before slowing writing his "mistake" so that he would remember not to do it again. "The middle finger is not a Ninja hand sign. There all done." Taking a few steps back he wiped his brow in a satisfied fake sweat. He had just filled an entire standard sized academy board in the space of a few minutes. It was supposed to take him hours.

"Naruto, I expected better from you, but I can't say I'm surprised." The stern yet amused voice was a familiar one. It was also one that his mind had learned to associate with punishment.

Jumping at the unexpected voice his head slowly turned around in a comical fashion. "Ehh, ehh ehh...hahaha, It's not what it looked like old man. I was just, y'know, practising a technique." His voice was strained and obviously forced to make himself seem incognito.

Trying to buy himself some time he took in the appearance of the Third Hokage. Although it was fairly normal for a Sarutobi, bar the big smoking guy that is. The Third Hokage was fairly small in stature; however that didn't deter from the powerful presence he seemed to exude. With tanned skin and grey spiked hair it was evident he was in the elder years of his life, accompanying this look was a small goatee. Another testimony to his old age was his gaunt and wrinkled face, one look and you would know the man was under pressure but that didn't stop his face always falling into a warm smile.

Shaking his head the old man would simply have interrupted but what stopped him was the one simple fact, it was Naruto. The kid, although incredibly lazy and unpredictable, was a natural genius. If there was a way to get out of trouble, whether that be lying, slandering or really anything, he would do it. "Well Naruto, what is this marvellous technique and what does it do... pray tell."

As if the clogs in his brain started turning his face provided the visual representation, this being his face turning from frightened into a big shit eating grin. "I can indeed provide this information." He was Naruto Uzumaki, being admittedly overconfident may have been one of his flaws, but why not? He had yet to unsuccessfully bullshit himself out of these sorts of instances.

He gleefully paced across the room, scratching the back of his head as he did, "Ya see old man, it's a secret. Plus if I told you, then you wouldn't believe it."

Without a second spared the Kage let out a low chuckle before questioning for some elaboration, "Oh, and why's that?"

If Naruto could describe himself in one word, it would be an oddball. Self-admittedly, he was anything but normal and he was fine with that, in his mind, being unique and different was the best, however it did come with its downsides. He didn't really have many friends not because he didn't want them, more along the lines of they didn't want him. Yes he was a prick most of the time but in his mind they deserved it.

Due to this isolation a reluctance to be loved formed, he didn't have time for that friendship crap, especially the way the villagers treated him. He just liked causing havoc with the occasional little tad of understandable evil mixed in.

On top of this he was a realistic kid. Somewhere deep down there was a well mannered, adorable boy that longed for friendship and love, sadly growing up on his own knocked that kid down a peg or two, add on his stressful responsibilities at a young age, little to no support, not to mention the majority of a village calling you a demon... Yeah, he turned out pretty damn fine all things considered.

That's what brought him here, standing in front of the Hokage because of his attention seeking ways and relishing in that few seconds that he was the centre of attention.

What did it get him?

A bad reputation with his academy instructor, a terrible one with the majority of his classmates in addition to putting even more of a target on his back. No doubt his posh and prestigious clan heir class mates would go home and tell their parents of their day... and that's why he was smiling so wickedly. He really didn't give a damn.

Translation? Yes, he really did not give a damn. Not about that stuff anyway.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind he hopped up on to one of the student desks, moving around until he got comfortable he then rested his hands behind him and leaned back, "Well I was thinking about that thing you told me the fourth Hokage did, ya know, the way he could make all this freaky stuff and flash about the place!"

"Yes. I believe you're referring to Fuinjutsu." As if on cue the little devil clicked his heels in realization before giving the table a small thump. Something about the action seemed practiced, as if he had prepared a response for his statement. He duly noted another one of Naruto's traits, this being that he was very hard on himself.

"That's it, Fuinjutsu. Well anyways, I was thinking about what you told me about needing really good writing skills for it so I created this thing," he again withdrew his stick. "If you notice, every letter in every word is the exact same width, and height. There exact copies. Writing with this thing is faster plus it influences my handwriting to be similar, unbiased and in a sense correct to its own law's. In a sense it minimizes anomalies." Damn. His eight year old brain cogs really had to work for that sentence.

Seeing where this was going the old Kage could only chuckle before finishing the explanation for him. "I see, so you're carefully drawing multiple words and sentences at a time at a very slow place, this requires a steady hand and in return will grant you one through practice and use. So hypothetically, you'll be able to perfect your handwriting at a much faster pace, very impressive Naruto-kun. Although I'm a little surprised at this, to be honest you're usually quite lazy and wouldn't go out of your way to do something as...strenuous as this."

The whole way through the Kage's analysis his head was held high, 'Oh I do love basking in my greatness,' then came the last bit, "Huh, lazy. I wouldn't call painting the entire Hokage monument lazy, old man. I'll do it again if I hear any more of that." He waited a few moments before he finished in a small laugh when he saw his Kage's reaction. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding." Besides, that prank cost way too much money.

The Kage sweat dropped in relief. He remembered all too well what Naruto did last time and it would be something remembered for generations. As one would suspect through the topic of their conversation, he painted the monument orange.

There was far more to it than that though.

It was fluorescent orange, it just happened to be chakra laced so no amount of Jutsu or water would take it down. Then there was the finisher to the onslaught. Naruto had set up the prank to happen the day of the Chunin exams, the time when Konoha had to put on a strong front and look like a paradise on earth; Naruto made sure that no matter where you where in the village, a giant blob of orange was in your vision. The amount of complaints he received caused a few sleepless nights.

Naruto burst into laughter at seeing the comical rain cloud atop the poor Kage's head, "That paint really must've been a bitch to get off, huh?"

At that the Kage's face immediately fell into a scowl.

Naruto held both hands over his mouth realising his mistake. Never curse in front of the old man, he'd received many a warning for his foul mouth but dammit it wasn't his fault. Cursing had all but turned into a verbal tick years ago.

"Naruto, what have I told you about swearing!" The boy knew about every profane word in their language and he was pretty sure the kid invented some new ones too.

Naruto slowly got up from his seat before going to grab his bag. "Well maybe if the village provided a better apartment and maybe even in a better area I wouldn't have had to grow up hearing it, then my young easily guided mind wouldn't have considered it normal." Heading over to the window he opened it before hopping up on the sill, he had figured out a good way to escape punishment was to guilt trip the old man, and besides it was time he got going before the old man remembered to punish him. Looking back over his shoulder he muttered, "But as you know, I don't have anybody willing to do that." He knew it was a dick move; then again, it was also true. While he and the Kage had close bonds, they never developed anything more than that, in his opinion anyway. He was treated like a grandson by the man, that didn't mean he treated him as his granddad.

Why would he? He was lucky to see the man once or twice in a month due to his heavy workload and apart from that he was on his own.

Being as experienced as he was, he knew Naruto was in deep thought, seeing the blonde's face slowly turn into a scowl confirmed that. Naruto's thoughts were never happy. Opening his mouth to say something he was silenced by the blonde deciding to take his leave and leaping out of the building. He could only let out a sigh at his wild nature, "Ahh Naruto, what will I do with you. It's clear you don't have any friends and it's apparent that you don't want any either." To say he was worried was an understatement; he knew how much good friends mattered, how a friend could pull you up when things were down.

He shook his head for what felt like the hundredth time today, standing to his full height, which wasn't that much, he gave his back a small stretch, "It's time to get back to work now that Naruto's been dealt with - let's see, what do I have to do? Permission slips, check. Ranking new missions, check; now what else... I forgot to give him the warning from Kioshi." The little devil had played him like a fool...again.

With his school bag over one shoulder and a wicked smile plastered back onto his face Naruto was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. Racing down the streets and alleyways he kept his eyes peeled for any Genin, after all, he needed a few Kunai for practising and they were pretty damn expensive.

Pulling into the market district he came to an abrupt halt when he saw a Genin squad entering an alleyway, obviously taking a shortcut to the tower. It was always so simple to tell too, a Genin would parade around showing off their forehead protectors and their casual demeanour was so much more natural. A Chunin or Jonin had experience and lived the life of a Ninja, walking around the village and living a normal life was only something they did in their spare time, thus it was easy to differentiate their demeanour.

This was usually how he figured it out, this time however it was pretty simple, they were carrying a cat, if he remembered correctly, Torra the demon cat, "Haha, dead giveaway." The temperamental grunts and occasional hisses of pain coming from the group backed up his theory.

Taking into account that there was no Jonin sensei, probably due to slacking off, Naruto hunched down on the ground behind a few stray boxes before his hand flew back into the open rucksack. Not thirty seconds had passed when he had pulled out ink, paper and a brush before drawing a seal and with a silent whisper of "Kami I love Fuinjutsu," he was ready to go.

That was another thing, he was very skilled in Fuinjutsu, not that he'd let the old man know that.

The Kage had recently let slip a little knowledge to him about Fuinjutsu. He remembered fondly at the memories when he inquired only to be given these words, "Naruto. Whatever you do, don't get involved in Fuinjutsu. You're too young, too reckless and without a sensei with years of training it would be lunacy." He remembered that brief stop, accompanied by a stern piercing gaze and a bang of his fist against his office table. He had never seen the Sarutobi this angry and was all but sure to forget about the art until a later, more suitable date.

That's when he finished his speech, "I know you never listen to me, or anyone for that matter! But if you ever take one piece of advice let it be this, do not attempt Fuinjutsu. One minor mistake and a simple sealing tag could cause a big enough explosion to wipe out an entire home."

And that's where the Kage messed up, something that awesome just had to be explored, and he did.

A few trips to the library, albeit sneaky, unseen trips and he bagged himself a few beginner books on the art along with a fancy new instruction manual by somebody called Jiraiya. A little research later thanks to his history books and he knew everything about the owner of that name. Sensei of the Fourth, one of the legendary Sannin, holder of the frog summoning contract and an expert in Fuinjutsu. As far as he was concerned the mans books left him in pretty decent hands.

His mind snapped back to his task. 'You may have done this before but that doesn't mean you should take it lightly.' Sneaking up on Genin was very challenging. He had to focus.

He snuck out from behind the box ready to attack his prey. Although he was well hidden and moving with little to no sound anyone able to see him would be intrigued at what they saw. Gone was the wicked smile and playful eyes, instead there was a scowl etched on his face accompanied by dead azure eyes.

Naruto was unaware of this. If anything, its cause was natural rather than forced.

Letting out slow calming breaths Naruto gave himself the go ahead, 'Okay, you know the drill.'

Slowly but surely he crept along the side of the alley, using the cover of shop stalls and other objects such as trash cans to hide his presence. Coming into range of the slacking Genin he gave a quick dart forward and with sleight of hand that could only be gained through experience Naruto reached into the Genin's back pouch before withdrawing well over a dozen kunai.

He moved back and they were placed into his bag with fluid efficiency.

He stayed close but remained silent, waiting for another time to strike.

"Hey slowpoke, come over here and take this thing, I've gotten enough cuts from it already.

It appears luck was in his side.

It was standard for a Genin group to use formations; while in the village and little to no danger it was a great team building exercise that also taught squads the basics of working together in formation, thus the Genin had swapped places in order to protect the package.

That's what he assumed anyway...

Like last time he waited for them to fall into place as no mishaps would occur. He repeated the process.

He let lose a smirk, he managed to get another dozen or so kunai along with at least five shuriken, it was a good hall. This amount would do him for at least a month considering he could keep reusing them until they eventually got worn out.

Turning around he was about to leave, he was more than happy with his loot, and then there it was, the corner of his eye just had to pick up the sweet, sweet image that would have him set for months. The only problem was that it lead the pack in their single file formation. It would be tough to get too without alerting his victims.

He took in everything about the target.

'An average height but a strong build, also a little on the heavy side so he'll hit like a bull but be as slow as a slug, probably an Akimichi... perfect.' He couldn't help but let a wicked grin lose before it slid back into a scowl. His eyes darted to his target of admiration. It was an academy standard issue of a training sack, packed to the brim and bulging every time his target thudded the ground with heavy feet. Although it itself was made of dirt cheap material, what it held was of value.

Not uncommon for Genin to have, the real surprise was that it was present. Usually they were an object just to place a mass amount of weapons into, definitely not to be carried around, especially while on missions.

"I can't believe sensei made you carry his rucksack while he prepares the training ground. He could have at least brought it with him."

His eyes gleamed at information unknowingly let loose by the unsuspecting Genin, his wicked smile returned, this time staying. If the rucksack belonged to a Jonin sensei it had to have had more than kunai and shuriken.

The Akimichi kicked a stray stone out of frustration, "Well I guess that's what I get for talking back, right? At least his lazy ass won't be able to complain about carrying the bag, besides I don't want him any angrier at me than he already is."

'This really isn't your lucky day pal.' Although he didn't altogether agree with what he was doing he shoved that to the back of his mind to be forgotten. It was the villages fault at the end of the day. He was in the academy, he was expected to train and practise at throwing shuriken and Kunai. How was he meant to do so with none? The little money he got each month was spent on rent, food and when he had spare, clothes. If he was left with any, which was rare, it was put away in a jar to be saved for a rainy day. So far that jar wouldn't even hold enough for one Kunai let alone a set.

'Damn monument stunt.'

He never was one for plans. He was a hybrid. He loved stealth, it was natural to him, but when he was caught or needed to reveal himself he didn't do so with a formulated plan that would be executed to the second, he just went in an unleashed hell.

Well that's what he would do if he could. 'At least I'll get an A for effort.'

With that thought he sprung forward as fast as his legs could carry him, all effort for stealth forgotten. Approaching the single lined formation he tapped the closest ones shoulder causing him to look away, he then gave a loud shout of, "Sorry," which caused the middle one to turn around...into his closed fist.

He didn't have enough strength to do any real damage, but with momentum it was enough to knock him to the ground.

He didn't have to call for his next target's attention though. The panicked scream of his previous Genin victim followed by a hissing cat, no doubt being dropped provided that. His childish gleeful laughter probably helped a little too.

Not slowing down in the slightest he continued forward and like the little gremlin he was he pounced onto the startled Akimichi feet first successfully knocking him to the ground before landing on him, using his full bodyweight to straddle his waist was the only way to keep the giant pinned. He didn't have a hope of outmuscling an Akimichi, especially not one that was double his height and probably triple his weight. That's were his speciality came in, his back up if you will.

With the permanent grin still on his face he made direct eye contact, giving a cheesy wink he placed his trump card directly onto his forehead before running on.

All of this was done in a few seconds.

"Haha gotta love a flasssssh bang." Who knew Fuinjutsu would come in so handy.

If one was looking from afar the entire incident would have been comical. Something about seeing a pint sized kid knock over two Genin double his height just didn't seem right, add on the big cheesy grin and it looked plain wrong, physics shouldn't allow it.

Running from the team Naruto could be seen carrying in front of him a huge rucksack that was easily his size, if not a little more. That didn't stop him from laughing maniacally. Looking behind, while still moving he saw two figures groggily get to their feet and one still standing with mouth agape through the thin cloud of smoke... "Oh crap. There wasn't supposed to be any smoke in that seal, guess I must have messed up the pattern or something... Oh well."

At least it didn't blow up.

Heaving pants and ragged breaths were the sound echoing through his barren apartment, "Gah, to think the fat one was so fast." It had been going pretty well up until he looked behind him a few minutes later. Thinking about that sent a shiver down his spine.

Something about seeing a young yet developed Akimichi Ninja running after him like a raging Rhinoceros really freaked him out. "You know shit just got real when somebody ninja runs." He normally just ran with his arms flailing at the side but this guy had the technique on point.

Now he was pretty fast for his age but the fact that he had to carry a rucksack full to the brim with tools really slowed him down, add on the fact he decided to shout back at him that his chaser was fat probably didn't help.

He managed to evade the charging behemoth by dipping in and out of crowded areas, running through large groups and he even ran through a corner side bar to avoid the kid, not that all that did much either.

He stood straight and put on a face the old Sarutobi would often do when recalling fond stories, "But alas, the chase ended." He was getting pretty good at his elderly impressions.

The boy was on a mission to get that rucksack back, and probably cripple him with all the trash talking he was doing, that all ended however when he came to a small pond outside a play park. At the time the kid was close to touching him and he was all but caught, that's when he decided to change things up a little and put his unpredictable mind to use, he jumped into the puddle splashing up water everywhere around him effectively drenching his victim; it didn't stop there though.

His unexpected, unorthodox action caused the boy to fall in said puddle and when he saw it he couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't like before. He actually had to stop, set the bag down before laughing hysterically.

It was that bad...

Of course this made the raging rhino way angrier, if that was possible.

Again, it didn't help when he compared his appearance to that of a sun bathing walrus.

That seemed to be the final straw for the kid. He had been pushed over the limit, he was tired and he had been humiliated. The anger left, as did the adrenaline and instead of chasing the blonde he gave up, deciding instead to bask in his own defeat.

"Oh how I do love happy endings." Not for the Akimichi of course, but for him. Not everyone could be a winner after all.

Looking around his rundown apartment his adrenaline fuelled smile slowly slid of his face. He lived in a dump, literally.

And like that his mood changed from ecstatic to the right opposite. It was normal when he was at home... or nobody was around to see.

His front door led directly into the kitchen, living area combo which was the shape of an L. When entering there was an old brass coat stand to the left that had a few goofy hats and masks and to the right a standard plastic bin. Then there was a row of counters made up of an oven, washing machine and clothes dryer, all of which were broken. You would then come to the back wall where a simple counter for chopping and preparing meals stood, you could tell it was used due to the amount of scratches, scrapes and burn marks littered from place to place. From the back heading to the right was a fridge and beside it was a freezer. The former was faulty, often leaving food unusable and the latter just straight up didn't work. All of this was fitted into the long part of the L with a old TV, faded cloth couch and a bookshelf accompanying the empty wall.

That was the one thing he took pride in, his book shelve. It was packed, meaning it could hold no more. All of which was different accounts, recollections and viewpoints on Shinobi and world history.

He loved history.

He loved histories people even more.

He had information on the founding of Kumo to the appointment of the Yondaime Hokage. He even had detailed accounts of the third great Ninja war from multiple viewpoints. Konoha's being the easiest to get and Iwa's being the hardest. Nevertheless he managed to scrape together a pretty damn good collection all things considered.

Making his way over to his bedroom door with a rucksack slung over his shoulder he opened the door, threw the sack in the empty corner before falling onto the bed, haggard breaths still echoing. He had abnormally good stamina for his age, and all things considered, he was beat. "That rucksack is just too damn heavy." He wanted to check his spoils of 'war,' however that would have to wait.

He was exhausted.

Surrounding him was a barren room. By barren it was empty bar the single bed he was lying on and a wardrobe that looked like it was about to fall apart. There was a small window and a back door along the far wall which led to a small balcony which actually had a pretty nice view. That being said, the rates and tax he paid because of that view nearly doubled his overall payment each month. "Damn council and their stupid laws."

With fatigue quickly fading he rolled over to his side and picked up the nearest magazine. He glanced at the front cover before reading aloud, "Hmm Never Ending Fantasy 7 remake, awesome." Because the game had come out ages ago he had played it quite often, in fact he owned the original as he was able to pick up a copy and the old console for it at a charity shop. The downside, and there always was one happened to be that the thing pact in and broke a few weeks later.

He took in the appearance of the guy standing in the front cover, "Cloud Strife? I swear that guy looks exactly like me only older. That's so freaky." He flicked the page before he let his obsession take a hold of him. Maybe in like twenty years when the game and the current console were cheap he could play it.

He continued his reading, each page making him slightly more depressed before he got to the real killer, "Blackout 4 now available for the X-crate one and the PlayTable 4."

'Hmm doesn't look too bad, post apocalyptic.'

Now he was really kidding himself. He wanted that game so much, not that he would admit that.

He continued, eyes travelling to a review, "Rated 8/6 by IGM, just the right amount of water, very moist... would bang."

He hated IGM, "Damn money whoring bastards." With that the Magazine got thrown to the back of the room. "If ya don't know where to put it, shove it in the back." He let out a giggle at the double meaning. Being raised in the area that he was came with a very imaginative mind. That was the simple way to put it anyway.

Although he didn't have much of an interest in newer games such as the ones he was reading he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. He could never afford a console anyway but he didn't care. 'I have other ways to amuse myself.'

Translation. When he wasn't training, sleeping or pissing people off he kept himself company.

He looked around the barren room; his motivated smile dropping like it did before. "Okay now I'm just pulling my wire. I've got nothing."

"SHUT UP BRAT! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TALKING TO YOURSELF?"

And that was his ever so thoughtful and loving landlord who just happened to live in the apartment next door. Hate was a very strong word, but he hated his landlord. He refused to fix anything not to mention verbally abusing him like he had just done. Hell, he was just trying to keep himself some company and that was the reaction to it, "Fucking asshole."

He really wanted to tell his landlord where to put it, he wanted to burn this very apartment to the ground and any others the man owned just to spite him but when reality kicked in he just couldn't. He needed this place to live and he doubted anyone else in the village would allow him to rent an apartment for price he was currently paying.

All he knew was that when he was rolling in the dosh this place was getting burned to the ground and he was building a mansion on it's ashes.

Giving his legs a few kicks he could feel the stiffness leave them, he had nothing better to do so he might as well be productive. Shaking his head the deep scowl on his face was replaced by the usual when at home: a small frown. Getting up he walked over to his newly acquired gear, his chin length bangs and spiky mop bouncing as he went.

Just as he was about to reach down there was a knock at the door. Only one person ever knocked on the door.

"Aww crap, I thought I tricked you earlier?" Now he was in real trouble, he internally prayed the Kage didn't know about his... collecting of certain resources. He glanced at the rucksack before nudging it further into the corner.

By his voice you could tell he wasn't happy. "You did, but I remembered shortly afterwards."

He wiped off the thin sheet of sweat on his brow, thankful he had dodged the main bullet. "Okay...cool."

There was a minute's silence. "Are you going to let me in?"

He responded in a perfectly normal voice, "No."

Just as he was about to kick open the door in a rare moment of rage that only a certain blonde could bring out, the door was swung open by said blonde.

He took in the rather strange appearance that was quite different than what it was thirty minutes ago. The somewhat weird, spiky blonde hair with Uzumaki red tips was the usual, no surprises there. For some reason Naruto's hair always held and it had to be the weirdest most unnatural hold of all. He had two chin length bangs framing either side of his face, this was normal. The rest wasn't. On top of this he had a spiky mop of hair that looked uncontrolled and wild yet tame at the same time, like it was following a pattern. These multitudes of spikes continued back in the shape similar of a certain Uchiha academy student and strangely reminded him of that fictional character everyone talked about. Although he had red tips at the end of each hair it was less apparent at the shorter sides. The dazzling azure eyes were the same, obviously, and so was the blank look verging on a scowl that he always held when annoyed.

What was different was the amount of dirt that was on him.

He was wearing the usual black long sleeve top that was quite tight fitting as well as a pair of originally white, now light grey shorts finished with a pair of black sandals, however the kid was plastered in dirt like he bathed in it.

Before he could say anything the blonde cut in, "I'm dirty because I was training." Technically he wasn't lying. "I was about to get a shower but then you came."

"I assume this is why you wouldn't let me in." The voice was stern.

He scratched the back of his head not even trying to mask the lie, "Yeah, sure." They stood in silence for a few moments, it was clear he didn't get visitors often. "Umm, do you want to come in?"

Receiving a nod he stood aside letting the Kage walk into his rundown apartment, he had made sure to close the door to his bedroom so at least his loot was safe, now all he had to do was play it smart and he'd have the old man on his way so he could get to business. Walking in after the Sarutobi Naruto followed him to the couch, instead of sitting beside him on the couch like he had asked he chose to lean against the near wall.

He had only just entered the apartment when he let off yet another sigh. The first was caused by the state of Naruto's home; the next was by Naruto's attitude, or lack of attitude. He knew the kid didn't resent him, he just didn't know the proper way to treat a guest, or a friend for that matter. The conditions he lived in weren't good but he could afford to give him any more money, the village council were on his back enough and even though he would gladly spare money from his own account he couldn't be seen as biased to one orphan over the many others. He could do this if he could afford to give equal money to them all but even a Kage's wage couldn't afford to fuel orphans from a military based village. Not after the third ninja war and the Kyuubi attack. Not even close.

Although that wouldn't stop him from having a stern talking to the landlord, the broken things would at least be getting fixed, that's for sure.

After looking down at his feet in internal shame he looked up at the sun kissed blonde who was locking eyes with him, clear boredom etched on his face. "Now Naruto, I'm sure you know why I'm here." The voice he used was stern, but it held a tone that had a hint of guilt. He didn't like shouting at the kid, especially because he had no right too.

Naruto picked up on the guilt. He ignored it, after a few years he was well aware of the Kage's techniques or trying to make things sound better that what they actually were, 'Whatever helps him get to sleep at night.'

Responding he stated simply, "I am aware. But I damn well don't deserve to be." He was usually a lot more cheery than this, he liked to pick at people, have a little fun and now that he thought about it he was the damn king of sarcasm. But what happened today really pissed him off.

The Kage repeated his words from earlier in the day with a little extra. "Pray tell... and this time, be truthful." When he finished the sentence he at least expected some sort of involuntary response, like a widening of eyes at his more serious tone or maybe even a shiver as a sign of nerves, but Naruto took after his father that way, he was just naturally oblivious to what would affect others.

Naruto pushed himself off the wall and started pacing across the room, "Oh I'll tell you what happened and that prick you call a teacher better be gone by the end of the week!" It was the first time in a while he had let something work him up or get him frustrated, but he didn't struggle through life to get another tough run as soon as things were supposed to get good, he would at least get treated close to equal.

"That wrinkly turd, the one with the tree up his ass and looked like he was about to break down the majority of the day? He put you up to this?" He received a nod. "Fucking asshole, when I see him I'm so gonah shove a Kunai so up his ass he'll taste it!"

The Hokage in all his experience and time spent in the job had heard many different descriptions of the Chunin teacher, none quite as politically incorrect or bad as that. This time he didn't even try to reprimand the student for his language either; it was already a lost cause.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Naruto's rapid fire question knocked the elder out of his thoughts.

The Hokage let off another sigh, "You want the whole thing?" When he received a nod he was about to start however he couldn't help but notice Naruto's frustratoin. It was his first day at the academy and he was already having to defend himself.

He prepared himself for the blonde's reaction, "Apparently you refused to move seats so he could keep an eye on you. You provoked other students, particularly Sasuke Uchiha. When asking students' questions you answered before they got a chance, he seemed to think you knocked out the Hyuga heiress and you referred to Shino Aburame as Bug fetish. When you asked to go to the toilet you didn't come back for over an hour. When asked why you gave him an in depth detailed report on your restroom break and how you had created something called Chuthulu."

Naruto wasn't happy. He cracked his knuckles before starting, "Well spank my ass and call me slutty sally. That guy is sooo getting a beat-down." He muttered it but the Kage heard.

He now had a new target, better yet; he had a reason to be angry and damn he was. He hadn't had that combination for too long so it was time to get to work.

Putting it simply, Kioshi was fucked.

"I'll explain later old man, were going to confront this prick and then I'll explain, plus I'll be able to call what was true and false from that liar." He hadn't got this worked up in years and boy did it feel good.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could only shake his head in self defeat, "I knew coming here was a bad idea. I knew it would get you riled up and that always ends badly. Stupid, stupid, stupid." After a few face palms he looked up at the scowling blonde with a defeated face, "Can't we just be patient, work this out tomorrow when it's not late?"

"Patience is a virgin, where getting this done now."

A/N - Just a quick message that I saw on another fanfic and I agree with. Reviews make me happy. You can leave reviews on any chapter, no login required, and there's no need to finish reading it all before you start a review. Sorry if this comes of as being an asshole but any fellow authors will agree with me when I say that reviews are motivation, they give me ideas too so please don't be afraid to drop them even if they aren't necessarily positive ones.

Now like I said above this story takes a while to get going so don't expect Naruto to be full in a full Kyuubi chakra cloak, blowing up villages and delivering really epically generic speeches of war all while smashing every hot girl in the story by chapter ten. If you're in it for the long haul I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this story but don't expect everything at once.

Things start to get moving by chapter 6, I ask you to give it at least that much of you're time if you truly want a story to read and remember to review.

Okay mini-rant over.

All criticism is helpful!

Thanks!