CHAPTER 1 START

NARUTO

These nights even the sky is cloudy. Just like the people in this village.

I look out the window, and reach for the moon.

The old man once told me that I have a very special type of chakra, but my chakra reserves are so small what could possibly be special about it?

I see myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a short-sleeved, beige kimono-like blouse with a black obi closing it, along with a black skirt and black stockings. My red hair stops at my waist.

The scenery is being ripped away as I fall into an ocean of my own memories.

Everything reconnects and the sun has replaced the moon. I'm on a chair looking out the window.

When did I pass out? It doesn't matter.

I finish the last of my sweet red bean porridge from last night and sit there in satisfaction.

My alarm rings and I jolt out the door, leaping from roof to roof until I reach the Academy.

"Hey, Naruto!" Iruka greets me.

"Hello, Iruka." I say.

"Are you ready for the graduation test? If you pass this you'll become a genin."

"I'm ready for anything!"

He opens the door and I run in, going down the halls until I reach the testing room.

One person other than me is not here yet.

I hear steps coming from behind me. Speak of the devil, here he is, Sasuke Uchiha!

"Idiot," I hear.

"Bastard."

He brushes my hair aside and walks into the room.

"Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and a lot of other girls call out.

"Aren't you going to fall for me too?" He smirks and walks to an empty seat.

The girls immediately try to fight for who gets to sit next to him.

I ignore him and join the empty seat beside Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara.

"This is such a drag," I hear Shikamaru mutter as always.

Choji looks at me and holds out a bag of chips then says, "hey Naruto, you want some chips?"

Why not? "Can I have the salt flavored ones?" He smiles and takes out a bag of salt flavored chips.

"Hey do you guys remember what Iruka said the graduation test would be on?" I ask.

A soft voice comes from above me. "T-There's going to be a written exam and a practical exam."

I turn around and thank Hinata Hyuga.

"You didn't have to help her, Hinata! She's going to pass out again anyway." The person calling me out is Kiba Inuzuka. An annoying fellow, but nice to have around.

"Quiet, Kiba," Shino Aburame whispered. I get chills up my spine whenever Shino talks. There's just something about him I suppose.

We continue with our idle chatter until Iruka walked into the room. He slams the door and looks at us. "Everyone, face the front." I turn to him on instinct as he holds out paper.

"This will be the written exam, we will be doing individual practical exams once everyone is done. Keep your eyes on your own sheet, and if caught cheating you will fail without exceptions."

He hands out the papers and pencils and goes back to the front and sits in his chair, keeping his eye on us the entire time.

The first question is asking what the two components of chakra are.

They're kidding me.

Is the written exam really going to be this easy?

Physical energy and spiritual energy are the two components of chakra.

I quickly breeze through the questions and then raise my hand.

Iruka comes over and takes my paper.

Not long after, several others finish the exam.

"Alright, we'll call each of you one by one to head to the practical exam room where you will be performing the clone jutsu and the transformation jutsu."

I wait for my name, after a series of people have gone until I finally hear, "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Time to do this!" I shout.

I run out of the room into the hallway and hear the door slam shut behind me.

I turn around, then turn back.

The hallway has changed into a large room with one desk on the opposite side of me.

"Perform the transformation jutsu."

I transform into Iruka flawlessly on my first try.

"Good, now do the clone jutsu."

I revert back to my original appearance and raise my hands to do the seal.

Ram. Snake. Tiger.

I'm almost out of the energy. I manage to create one clone, just enough for the requirements.

"You pass, Naruto, here's your forehead protector. Come back to the Academy on the fifteenth, and don't forget to get your picture taken."

I take a deep breath, bow my head and leave.

It's the outside. The sun is shining, the trees are rustling, and I'm falling to the ground. I collapse. "Idiot," the last word I hear before everything fades to black.

NARUTO

We're by the river. I'm sleeping on the grass looking at the reflection of the afternoon sun on the water.

"Looks like you're finally awake."

"Why'd you bring me here, it's so far away from the Academy."

"I felt like it."

He sighs, then says, "your chakra reserves are really low, are you sure you can continue?"

I laugh. "Is the Uchiha worried about me?"

"No." That was blunt.

"I'm going to become the Hokage after all, something like this can't stop me!"

My red hair is blown by the wind and touches his face. He's about to sneeze. I pull my hair back, and he sneezes.

"Maybe I should cut my hair," I say. "It'll get in the way of the missio-."

"Don't."

Sasuke turns his head facing away from me. "Idiot," he says, and walks away.

I stay there with lingering thoughts.

When I think about it, I should have done the graduation test near the start of the year. I guess it doesn't matter much anymore. There are three graduation tests in one year, but this is the first year that we were allowed to start doing the test. Waiting like the others was probably the right idea.

I notice someone overshadow me. A strand of black hair is sitting on my face. "Hey, Naruto."

It's Shikamaru's voice.

"Why're you here?" I ask.

"I was passing by, noticed Sasuke leaving, and I saw you."

I sigh. "You know who your squad will be composed of?"

Shikamaru goes beside me and lays down.

He takes a deep breath then speaks.

"They say that the squads are determined by how well you scored, but really it's predetermined based on how well individuals can work together. Based on that, I will most likely be in a squad with Choji and Ino because of our parents and how well our abilities compliment each other."

I see, it does make sense now that I think about it.

"So who do you think I'll be in a squad with?"

He looks at the sky. "Most likely Sasuke and Sakura. Partially because Sasuke looks up to you."

Does he really? Sasuke Uchiha looks up to me? That's a funny thought.

"You guys are sort of identical to each other in a way. His entire family was killed, and well, you have no family. You both know loneliness and yet you managed to get to where you are today."

The last part sounds like a compliment, so I might as well take it.

"Why Sakura, though?"

"She's at the top of the class you know. Just below you and Sasuke. But, her childish crush on Sasuke is holding her back. She can be so much more. If these squads really are how I imagine it then my squad will probably be more strategy based, Kiba's will be more tracking based while yours will be pretty well rounded."

"You know that I can't use a lot of my chakra."

"You just have to find a way to fight without expending a lot of it."

Easier said than done.

"Think of it like this," Shikamaru says. "Sasuke is proficient at ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. While you're proficient at ninjutsu and taijutsu, and Sakura is proficient in ninjutsu and genjutsu. It's really unusual though, you have a lot of stamina but you can't use a lot of chakra. The two components of chakra were on the exam."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my spiritual energy."

I hear my stomach grumble.

"You want to get ramen with me?" I ask.

"Sure," he responds.

CHAPTER 1 END