"Naruto-Baka! Wait up!"

A black haired boy chased behind Naruto as fast as he could, but the blonde kept running into the wooded area. Sasuke Uchiha stared at the back of his best friend as he chased after him. He could have sworn that the red Uzumaki swirl was burned into his memory. The blonde was simply too fast for him to catch up with.

Ever since Naruto moved into the Uzumaki compound, their friendship had slightly dwindled. Not completely, and not even a lot; but enough for Sasuke to notice. And he didn't like that. That was why he was so happy whenever Naruto showed up at his house to take him out and play with him! Well, more like training, but who didn't like training?!

Naruto had told him that he'd recently got down the basics of the Uzumaki clan's signature chakra chains, but he wasn't sure why he'd taken him so far away from their compounds just to show him that.

"We're here!" Naruto shouted as he halted to a stop. Sasuke stopped running once he reached Naruto and realized that they were in a training area, on the outskirts of Konoha. It wasn't very fancy, though. It was flat, with a single small stream flowing down it. There were trees on one side and a few test targets lined up near the edge of the water.

"What so special about this place?" Sasuke asked, a little bummed out by the plain looking environment. Naruto turned to his friend and shook his head in fake disappointment.

"Nothing really. But I figured that we could spar in a place that wasn't hindering either of us." Naruto told Sasuke, whose eyes shot up instantly.

"We're going to spar? Finally! I've been waiting to kick your ass since Itachi taught me that new technique!" Sasuke said cockily. Naruto shook his head at Sasuke and smiled, his excitement growing.

"Okay, the rules are easy. No killing and no bad injuries. I'm not sure if your mom would let us train anymore if you came home bloodied." Naruto teased with his tongue out, into which Sasuke scoffed.

"As IF you could beat me. I'm the Hokage's son!"

"Well, I'm the Yondaime Hokage's son! And I've beaten you a bunch of times before!"

"Pssh yeah right! That was before Itachi started training me!"

"We'll see about that!"

Naruto and Sasuke jumped back from each other and got into positions a good distance from each other. Sasuke got into the classic Uchiha stance, albeit a little crooked. Naruto settled for a stance with his right leg and arm extended in front of him. His right hand was a firm fist, and his left was loose. His legs were prepped as if he was ready to run.

'This should be interesting.' The dog-masked ANBU silently sat in a tree nearby and watched.

"BEGIN!"

Both boys ran at each other at the same time. Naruto seemed to keep the same pace as Sasuke, until they began to close in on each other. In what seemed to be an instant, Naruto sped up and closed the gap in a moment. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as the Namikaze swiveled on his heel swung his elbow at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke barely had time to lean back, but he did, and Naruto's elbow went flying just above his nose. Once successfully over the attack, Sasuke turned to face Naruto's exposed back and went for an ax kick. However, just in time, Naruto dodged to the side.

"Too slow, teme!"

Naruto pulled out a dull wooden kunai from his pouch and cut at Sasuke's chest. Sasuke jumped back just in time, but before he could counter again, Naruto was already in front of him, swinging his knife in an effort to hit Sasuke.

The Uchiha heir dodged barely, and it seemed like the more time passed, the faster Naruto was getting. 'Tsk… He's too fast!' Sasuke could hear the rushing water behind him as he inched back step by step towards it. He knew exactly what Naruto was going to try to do. Put him in the water and end the match there. But Sasuke wasn't about to let that happen.

Sasuke reached into his pouch to pull out a wooden kunai, but before he did, Naruto grabbed his arm tightly, disabling his ability to pull out the kunai.

"Checkmate, Sasuke! You lose!" Naruto gloated with a smile on his face. He was confused when he saw Sasuke smiling at him back.

"Yeah right! I already told you! I'm not like I was before!"

Sasuke positioned his leg between Naruto's open legs and swept to the left, catching Naruto off guard and sweeping one of his legs off the ground. With his free hand, Sasuke swung for Naruto's stomach and landed a clean blow, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Without missing a beat, Sasuke dropped down onto his back, with Naruto following him down, having only loosened his grip slightly. Once on his back, Sasuke put both of his legs on Naruto's stomach, and rolled back, before kicking his legs out. This maneuver launched Naruto away from Sasuke and over the surface of the stream.

'It worked!' Sasuke thought in his head in glee. A moment later, he rolled back onto his feet and jumped up. He looked out onto the lake and saw Naruto… Standing on the lake? Confusion and frustration flashed across Sasuke's face, which only caused Naruto to grin.

"How did you-"

"Never talk to your opponent during a spa!" Naruto interrupted him with a shout and charged at Sasuke much faster than before. While he ran across the surface of the water, Naruto threw the kunai in his hand at the confused Uchiha, who didn't have time to dodge it. The wooden kunai struck him in his shoulder and the shock of pain traveled through his body.

'Argh! He threw it so hard!' By the time Sasuke managed to look up to where Naruto was a second ago, the blonde was already gone.

"Where did y-" And that was when Sasuke saw the shadow. He snapped his head up as fast as he could, but by then it was too late.

When Sasuke looked down because of the pain, Naruto had used his chakra to propel himself into the air and above Sasuke's immediate vision. By the time Sasuke managed to look up, Naruto was only inches from his face, with a tight fist and a victorious grin.

The punch wasn't nearly Naruto's strongest but when it hit across Sasuke's face, it sent him to sleep pretty quickly. The young Namikaze chuckled as he settled Sasuke's unconscious body onto the grass, and went to stand next to a tree nearby.

"It isn't nice to go easy on your opponents."

Naruto pulled out a real kunai quicker then he could blink, and turned upwards to look at the tree above him. However, when he saw who it was, he put the kunai back in his pouch slowly.

"Kakashi-San!" Naruto announced with a smile, as he looked up at the white-haired ANBU. His dog mask was sealed back into his arm, the seal still visible on his sleeveless arm.

Kashi wore a black Chunin vest and black pants with many pocket holes in them. His arms were sleeveless, but he had on black gloves. His forehead protector lazily sat over his eye.

"Oi."

Kakashi jumped down to Naruto's level, but the boy didn't stand up to hug him as he'd usually do with others. Instead, Naruto offered Kakashi a thumbs up, which Kakashi gladly returned.

"Was you watching us this whole time?" Naruto asked Kakashi curiously, into which Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"Was I?"

"I asked first," Naruto said with a casual dismissal. Almost every conversation with Kakashi went like this, no matter how many weeks or months had gone by since they'd seen each other. "Anyways, what were you saying about the spar?"

"You shouldn't go easy on him. You're not helping anyone." Kakashi told Naruto, who sighed and turned his head away from Kakashi. He knew it was true, but…

"But it would be unfair for me to keep beating him. He'd start to hate me." Naruto grumbled, despite knowing the truth in Kakashi's statement. Kakashi looked off at the sleeping Sasuke as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Tell me. If he went up against an enemy ninja and died because he thought his skills were good enough to compete with you, would that be fair to him?" Kakashi asked the younger boy, who sighed and sat back against the tree.

"I know… I won't go easy on him from now on." Naruto decided, which made Kakashi nod his head in approval. Naruto turned his head to the ANBU and gave him a quizzical look. "Why are you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be off on a mission?"

"We came back last night. Just in time to see this little show." Kakashi teased, followed by an eye smile. Naruto shook his head and closed his eyes.

"So I was doing some reading and I found out that you became a Genin at 5 years old? How did you become so strong at so young?" Naruto asked Kakashi finally, having wondered it for a very long time.

"Truthfully, I wasn't as strong back then as the stories make me out to be. Because of the Third Ninja war, Konoha was pumping out Genin like honey in a beehive. The average graduating age back then was seven. I was just two years ahead." Kakashi said as he shrugged his shoulders. Naruto wasn't convinced, however, and he pressed on.

"I know about that, but you were still two years ahead of everyone else. Who did you train with? How did you organize your training schedule?" Naruto pressed on, and Kakashi's turned to face the smaller boy.

"Oh, that's simple. I had a teacher."

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The only teacher he had at the moment was the old man that had helped him and Idoru get the basics of the chains. But he didn't know much else and refused to teach them more about the Adamantine Chains abilities until they were Genin.

"Dang… Well, I haven't been able to find a teacher… But I wish I had one." Naruto thought out loud, which got Kakashi thinking.

Truth be told, Kakashi had been thinking about training Naruto whenever he could, but he wasn't sure if Naruto would be interested in learning under someone else. Kakashi knew from watching Naruto, that the boy was particularly gifted, and if steered in the right direction, he would only get better. But now that he knew Naruto was actually interested in getting a teacher, that changed the game.

"Hey, Naruto-Kun. If wanted, I could always be your teacher. Until you get a real Sensei, of course." Kakashi suggested. Naruto's eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sound of the idea, and he jumped up and turned to Kakashi. There were stars in his eyes as he looked at his potential new teacher, but before he could speak, Kakashi interrupted him.

"But first, you have to get past my test."

Kakashi's snickering was clear, even under his mask. Naruto's face suddenly got serious; much more serious than Kakashi had ever seen it previously. Naruto stood up straight and gave Kakashi a waist length bow, before looking up at him with a plain expression.

"Whatever the test, I'll pass it," Naruto said emotionlessly. Kakashi almost died laughing when he realized who he was trying to imitate.

"Oh man, that's a killer Itachi expression." Kakashi chuckled as he recovered from his laughter. "Drop the formalities. I'm still the same Kakashi. Just because I'm teaching in the Ninja Arts doesn't make me some form of royalty."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, an awkward and broken smile on his face. He'd really thought that was the correct way to address a sensei. Man, he'd been hanging out with Itachi too much…

But nonetheless, he would take this test as seriously as he could. He needed to protect his family, which didn't just include Arashi and his mother now. But all of the Uzumaki clan. And to do that, he needed to be stronger. And to be stronger, he needed a teacher.

Kakashi was just that, and a strong one at that.

"The test is this… You have to come at me with all you've got. If you manage to get a scratch on me, then you can become my student." Kakashi declared simply and was shocked to see the determined look in Naruto's eyes. It reminded him of Minato. He could practically see his sensei in the boy.

"Hai. I'm ready." Naruto told Kakashi, who raised an eyebrow and stepped out into the field.

"You don't want to go back home and collect your weapons first?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head and looked up at Kakashi with a cheeky grin on his face.

"I keep them on me at all times. They're contained in seals on my arms." Naruto revealed while showing Kakashi his arm. Kakashi looked down at Naruto's forearm, but couldn't see anything. However, once he started looking for any signs of chakra, he noticed faint signatures all over Naruto's arms.

"Did you make these yourself?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded, and although Kakashi was shocked, he didn't let it show. It was rare to be able to seal in Konoha, and Naruto was already showing good progress in the field. He wondered what else Naruto knew in the art of sealing.

"Are you sure that you need no more time before we begin?" Kakashi asked Naruto, who nodded his head in confirmation.

His face turned serious, and he got into his favorite styles as of yet. His legs were propped up on the ground like springs, ready to burst into action. One of the seals on his arm began to glow, and a moment later, the white tanto sword that Kakashi had given to Naruto on his fourth birthday appeared in Naruto's open palm.

"Begin," Kakashi said lazily. He put both of his hands in his pockets and eyed Naruto carefully.

Naruto didn't fall for the bait of feeling underestimated and simply continued as he would have. 'But how can I even hit him? I'm not even an academy student yet!' Naruto shook the negative thoughts out of his head and steadied himself for the battle to come.

It wasn't a question of if he could hit Kakashi. He simply had to. But how!? The Namikaze thought out a plan of action in his head quickly and then he began the operation.

Naruto kicked off the ground as hard as he could, using chakra to propel him towards Kakashi at the fastest speed he could muster. In a few moments, he was right in front of Kakashi and went for a simple stab at Kakashi's side. The advanced Jonin simply took a step to the side, dodging it effectively.

However, Naruto anticipated it, and a kunai poofed into his left hand. 'At such a close range, it will be harder for him to dodge!' Naruto thought as he swiveled his body to the left and slashed at Kakashi's torso with the kunai.

Kakashi took a step back and the Kunai missed him. Naruto didn't give up there, however, and dashed closer to Kakashi, slashing his two short blades in an attempt to cut into the cyclops.

'He's good. Fast and his formation isn't bad. He's done well to get this far without a teacher' Kakashi thought to himself as he dodged another slash that barely missed a blade of his silver hair. A few moments later, Kakashi jumped backward, gaining some distance away from his opponent.

Naruto wasn't even panting yet, and he looked more determined than ever. Kakashi's hands didn't leave his pant pockets, and he mockingly curved his eyes into an eye smile, trying to provoke the kid.

"Bunshin No Jutsu," Naruto whispered to himself as he formed the seal over with his kunai. Four perfect Bunshin appeared next to him, without the illusion of the smoke to cover them. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this.

"You know, you're usually supposed to use that Jutsu with smoke so that the opponent isn't sure which one is you." Kakashi pointed out, into which Naruto let out a sliver of a smirk. A moment later, they all sped into different directions, forming a loose circle around Kakashi.

'The Shunshin? He's already got two of the academy techniques down, and one without seals…' Kakashi analyzed silently. The clones all got into a fighting position, each with a kunai and a tanto blade in hand. Kakashi couldn't tell which ones were real and which one was the real Naruto, and he sure as heck wasn't going to pull out his Sharingan on a 6 and a half-year-old.

All of the clones bent down and rolled up their pants, and took off the weights on their legs. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this, having not expected Naruto to even wear weights. Heck, he hadn't started weighted training until he was a Chunin.

One of the Naruto's seals lit up, and a large straight edged Fuma Shuriken popped out of it. That Naruto held the huge shuriken in his hand and prepared to throw it. Before he could, though, one of the other Naruto's suddenly blurred into Kakashi's field of view, high in the air and coming down in a slicing motion for Kakashi's torso.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the skill at which Naruto was using the Shushin, but had to snap out of his shock to dodge the sword from slicing across his face. What didn't help either, was that because he dodged the attack, he couldn't tell if it was a clone or not…

'Is this what he had planned the entire time?'

'Good, as I thought. He's going to continue dodging…' Naruto thought to himself as he sat in wait.

When the first Naruto hit the ground after his attempted attack, the other three burst into action, using their own high-speed movements to attack at much faster speeds than before. Kakashi was beginning to sweat at the intensity of the battle, having not expected this much resistance. He was going to make Naruto his student either way and was simply using this test to see how far along he was.

This just showed him that Naruto was a little further along then he originally thought.

One of the Naruto did a backflip into the air and simultaneously threw his kunai at Kakashi. Kakashi dodged by bending his body backward. However, a few moments before said kunai flew over Kakashi's body, the same clone threw the tanto knife at the midair kunai with much more power and strength.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at the maneuver, knowing exactly where it was going. The tanto hit the kunai perfectly, which changed its direction and send it straight for Kakashi's compromised and bent body. Kakashi had to think quickly, or risk getting a kunai right in his chest.

One of his hands came out of his pockets and supported his body as he twisted just in time to dodge the Kunai by a mere blade of hair. Kakashi cursed when he saw another Naruto blur into action right above him, going in for a stab at Kakashi's neck. The older ninja barely managed to roll out of the way in time, and quickly jumped to his feet.

"Gotcha!"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as the voice not far behind him shouted. He turned his head enough to see the Naruto with the Fuma shuriken already mid-throw, the shuriken already leaving his fingertips. The Shuriken span at insane speeds across the field and Kakashi didn't have time to wonder how Naruto could have possibly throw it with such strength.

It was coming way too low for Kakashi to duck under it, and three of the Naruto's were still surrounding Kakashi, so he jumped up into the air. It wasn't until he was already in the air when he realized two things.

One, the Fuma shuriken phased right through one of the clones, proving that they were both fakes.

Secondly, weren't there five Naruto's?

Kakashi turned in mid-air, just in time to catch Naruto's knife-wielding hand, the white tanto only inches from his face. He didn't have much time to think, as Naruto twisted in the air and send a kick at Kakashi's face. Kakashi used the momentum of the fall to bend backward and avoid the kick.

As they approached the ground, Kakashi tried to pull away from Naruto, but the blonde growled in defiance and he dropped the tanto, opting to clutch on to Kakashi's arm instead.

"I won't lose that easily!" Naruto shouted, and Kakashi's eyes widened. A few golden chains wrapped around Naruto's arm like a snake, and swiftly wrapped around Kakashi's arms. Kakashi recognized his chains immediately as the Uzumaki Adamantine chains, and for the last time in this fight, his eye widened in pure shock.

"You can't dodge at this range!"

Naruto used the momentum of the fall and used his free hand, which still held the kunai, and drove with all of his might down into Kakashi's stomach. The chains kept Kakashi into place, and his eyes were still open in surprise when the kunai entered into his stomach.

"Gah!" Kakashi gasped loudly as his body went limp. They hit the ground a moment later, and Naruto was engulfed in white smoke. The blonde flailed around in confusion, which dispelled the smoke quite effectively.

"And that was the end of the test."

Naruto untensed and sighed, as he put away his weapons and dispelled his clones. He looked around for Kakashi, who he found sitting down on a nearby tree with his face in a book.

Naruto had sweat beads dripping down his forehead, and was very confused as to how Kakashi managed to burst into a cloud of smoke… But a few moments later, the realization that he'd actually hit Kakashi came to him, and his body lit up in happiness.

"I did it! I did it!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up and down in happiness. "How did I do Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto asked suddenly, as he ran up to Kakashi and jumped to the branch that Kakashi was sitting on.

"I'll take you on as my student. You fought well. From now on, whenever I'm not on a mission, we'll meet here at 8 am." Kakashi declared from behind his book as if he was uninterested. Naruto straightened up and bowed before he became overjoyed and ran off to find Sasuke on the other end of the training ground.

Inside, Kakashi's mind was reeling in pure shock and surprise. He'd known the boy was good, but not to this level. Not a single Genin had managed to touch him before, trying or not. Yet this kid managed to not only trick him but also form an ingenious strategy and dispel one of his shadow clones!

'He's definitely your kid sensei… Dang, what did I just get myself into…? '

Night before Naruto's Academy Orientation

"Why can't you just sign up to be the sensei for a genin squad?"

"Because I don't want to be the sensei for a genin squad."

"But you'd be a good teacher. Definitely lazy… But reasonably good." Naruto bugged Kakashi as they walked through a training area early in the morning. Teacher and student walked side by side, Kakashi's head in his orange book and Naruto frantically trying to convince him to become a real sensei in four years.

It had been a year and a half since they started training, and Naruto was now 8 years old! Naruto now stood a good deals taller then he did before. He was about 4 and-a-half feet tall, just over the average for people his age. The blonde and red hair on his head grew slightly longer, now roughly covering his eyes when he let it loose.

As his typical 'shinobi clothes' he wore a black fishnet shirt, which had a black shinobi jacket on top (think what Kakashi wears underneath his Jonin). His pants were almost identical to the jacket, except the fact that it had two Uzumaki patterns on it near the pockets. On his back, there was a long Katana strapped. Apart from that, he didn't have any other ninja equipment on his body.

The katana looked like an ordinary blade, but with a blood red hilt. It was smaller than most blades, as Naruto was till child-sized. The cover for the blade was actually a dark black, as Kakashi had told Naruto that too much attention could cost him his life.

Kakashi looked pretty much the same, except for the fact that he had a new orange book in hand… Naruto never quite understood what Kakashi found so interesting in that book. Whenever he tried to catch a glimpse at it, Kakashi would hide it. Soon enough, he'd given up completely.

"I quite enjoy going on my ANBU missions, thank you very much." Kakashi sighed, as Naruto kept bickering him. Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whatever. You better change your mind in the next four years, because I won't accept any other sensei!" Naruto said in defiance, into which Kakashi scoffed. Naruto raised his eyebrow and turned to Kakashi in confusion.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, suspicious of his sensei.

"You won't last four years in there. Trust me." Kakashi chuckled to himself, into which Naruto looked on in confusion.

In all truthfulness, Naruto didn't have any idea what to expect from the academy. All he really knew was that his friends would be there. Idoru refused to talk about school whenever he was home as if it had traumatized him. Naruto didn't understand why Idoru hated learning so much but shrugged it off.

"So will this be the last time you teach me?" Naruto asked Kakashi, who shrugged his shoulder in response.

"I'll keep training you until you get a 'real sensei'. Wasn't that the deal?" Kakashi asked, into which Naruto sighed and looked down at the ground.

Truthfully enough, Naruto didn't want a new sensei. Kakashi was a good teacher to him and like a big brother. Sure, there were plenty of other things he could learn from other people, but… 'No, stop being so closed minded, idiot. Kakashi isn't the only capable Ninja in Konoha.' Naruto thought to himself.

"We've gone over quite a lot in the last year in a half, hmm, Naruto-San?" Kakashi asked, which caught Naruto's attention. They finally reached where they had been walking too. They looked up at the waterfall that fell down above them, as they stood at the bank of the river that sprung from the bottom.

"Yes. We covered much more then I could have wished for." Naruto said with a nod. Every bit of that sentence was true. When Kakashi had a student, he had a soldier. Every morning they'd meet and train their butts off until Naruto was too tired to carry on. Whenever it got too easy for Naruto, Kakashi would always increase the difficulty.

Naruto had continued to increase the weights on his legs, every week. However, even with them on, Naruto was still unnaturally fast for his age. Especially in combination with his Shunsin, which he'd now perfected to an incredible degree.

The first thing that Kakashi helped Naruto in was his limited Ninjutsu arsenal. First, they perfected the three basic Jutsu that Naruto knew, getting them all down seal-less. Kakashi couldn't help him much with the Adamantine chains, but he sure helped him learn a few more Jutsu.

A low-rank medical Jutsu which could heal him in a battle, if needed. His Uzumaki genes helped him heal faster, but that was over time, not immediately. In a battle, an open wound isn't going to heal without a medical Jutsu or an incredibly strong healing ability.

They went over a few other basic useful Jutsu before Kakashi decided that Naruto could discover his nature affinity. Kakashi remembered the day vividly, as it had been the most bizarre result he'd ever seen.

They had been both sitting down in the training ground that they'd met in. Naruto insisted on using his own elemental paper, which he'd created using a sealing formula he'd been working on. Kakashi didn't object….

That was until the impossible happened. First, the paper got a million tiny cuts in it, and then parts of it started to crumble into dust. After that, the paper started to wrinkle. This showed three affinities. Earth, Lightning, and wind. Kakashi had just opened his mouth to explain the meaning of this before the paper transformed.

It split into three different parts. One-third of the paper started to vibrate at unimaginable speeds. The other third turned into steel, while was heavy enough to tear itself free from the others. However, before it hit the floor, the last piece of paper began to glow slightly, and the steel began to float towards it as if the paper was now a magnet…

Kakashi ordered Naruto to try it again, but with Kakashi's own elemental paper. The same result occurred over and over again. When Naruto asked what it meant, Kakashi wasn't how to answer.

What he settled with was that Naruto seemed to have developed three Kekkai Genkai out of thin air. The combinations of his three elements. And from what Kakashi could tell, one was Magnet Release, the other Steel Release, and the last one seemed to be something to do with speed. In the history books, they called it the Swift Release.

But how did Naruto get these Kekkai Genkai? He didn't remember Minato telling him anything about any Kekkai Genkai, and one visit to the Uzumaki compound and they told him that Kushina didn't have any Kekkai Genkai that they knew of…

It only started to make sense when Naruto told him a part of the letter that Minato had left for him.

Naruto's chakra was definitely a mystery, and for whatever reason, it someone how managed to combine Naruto's elemental affinities into three separate Kekkai Genkai. Naturally, Kakashi had to report it to the Hokage immediately.

Fugaku was just as shocked and confused as Kakashi had been. He'd requested for Tsunade to come back a few months short of when she originally intended, to come and figure out what was going on inside of Naruto's body. This was only a few months prior, so she hadn't arrived yet, and they still didn't know why Naruto had so many Kekkai Genkai.

But Naruto wasn't complaining. When he found out, he ran back to his home and was practically bouncing off the walls. They'd all celebrated with him, but the next Kakashi dropped the news on him. Just because you have a natural affinity for an element, doesn't mean you automatically can use that element with ease. He still had to train his ability to use the element.

And that was the stage that Naruto was currently at. Improving his elemental manipulation with various exercises. Sometimes he was using his chakra to try to cut a leaf open. Other times he was trying to turn a rock into rubble with just his chakra. And his least favorite of the three, he had to try to create sparks in his palm, without burning himself.

Fortunately, Kakashi had taught him the Kage Bunshin ability, so he didn't have to hurt himself directly. Naruto found the Jutsu incredibly useful, mainly for reading and studying up on even just to give him time to spend with his family. And it was DEFINITELY useful for improving his sealing. He could study a few sealing books at the same time. If he did say so himself, he was becoming quite prominent in the art.

Of course, Naruto could create quite a lot of Kage Bunshins, due to his overabundance of Uzumaki chakra, and the pure potency of his own unique chakra, but always settled for a more healthy number of 4 clones, whether it for learning, elemental manipulation training, or in a fight. At the moment, that was just the right amount that wouldn't give him an instant headache when they dispelled.

He found the clones particularly useful when it came to sealing, but even more so for his Taijutsu training. He could learn and perfect styles four times faster then he would normally be able to do on his own. And improving on his already existing styles was always a plus.

Also, now he always had a sparring partner!

"You want to do a spar tonight? I'll get to show you a new seal that I've been working on!" Naruto suggested eagerly. However, Kakashi waved him off, much to his annoyance.

"Not tonight. You have school in the morning, so you need some rest." Kakashi told Naruto, who grumbled but agreed. Kakashi looked down at the kid and smiled down at him from behind his mask.

He was truly proud of this one. Since Kakashi took him in, Naruto's already impressive Taijutsu styles skyrocketed. It was much more concrete and well-defined as they'd been before. Kakashi could confidently say that before he started training with him, Naruto was probably a little below Genin in terms of Taijutsu, now he was definitely a high Genin in terms of Taijutsu alone. He reached a cap in his already existing Taijutsu forms, after a short time. Some things can only be improved with field experience, which Naruto wouldn't have a chance to encounter until he became a fully-fledged Genin.

However, whenever he mastered one form, he'd always move onto the next. Naruto was prominent in quite a few different styles and was even starting to invent his own. It was coming along slowly, but it was a unique and interesting concept that Kakashi looked forward to seeing developed further.

"Just remember, if you get bored, you can always ask the teachers to give you the Genin exam." Kakashi threw in, into which Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Yeah right, it's not THAT boring… Is it?" Naruto asked and when Kakashi didn't reply, a huge anime sweatdrop appeared on top of his head.

"I'll see you around, my little student," Kakashi said his goodbye's to Naruto, as he reached over and messed with Naruto's hair. Before he could complain, his sensei vanished in a Shunsin, leaving Naruto all alone.

"I guess I'd better get home…" Naruto sighed to himself, as he turned to look at the waterfall for one last time. For a split second, Naruto could swear that he could make out a man standing on the top of the waterfall.

The man wore a long white kimono and had short spiky brown hair on his head; and from what Naruto could see, two braid locks that were covered by bandages. Bandages wrapped around his forehead too. The young looking man looked at peace as was staring down at Naruto.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked back up at the spot where the man was, only to find nothing there. He passed it off as his brain acting up, but the strange occurrences left a weird feeling in his stomach.

Who was that man in the white kimono?

"How was your training today, Naruto-Kun?"

They all sat in the living room of the house together. Idoru was now considerably taller, and his red hair had slightly smaller spikes as if he'd cut it recently. And even then, the little spikes were jelled back, which made the spikes point backward.

He wore a black Konoha forehead protector proudly; despite the fact that they were simply having family time now.

Idoru became a Genin of the leaf a few months prior, at the end of the last school year. They'd thrown a small party for him on the night, and ever since, he hadn't taken his forehead protector off… 'Hopefully in the shower…' Naruto thought to himself with a chuckle.

He'd been placed on a team with a female Uchiha and an Inuzuka, with their sensei being another Uzumaki. It looked like their team was being groomed for a 'Search and Destroy' position, with Idoru doubling as a healer and a destroyer.

His body obviously much better worked out than before, and you could tell that he took becoming a Ninja seriously. Even with a shirt on, you could still see the development of muscles underneath.

In the house, he wore a simple white T-Shirt, which sported the Uzumaki swirl on the chest area. Naruto wore an identical shirt, and they both sported some ordinary shorts.

Karin had much longer red hair now, albeit slightly uneven. According to her, it was a design that she'd intended. Naruto wasn't complaining, he even said it looked 'kinda cool'. She'd grown to be a little shorter than Naruto, which made sense, as they'd been born at almost the same time.

She wore a simple pink kimono today and a pink flower was placed in her hair.

Kizura looked pretty much the same, Uzumaki vitality and all. The one that looked the most different, after Idoru, was little Arashi, who came zooming into the living room at the mention of his brother.

His hair was still as crimson and as straight as ever. Now, it was slicked back and reached just above his shoulders. He was growing about the same pace that Naruto had been, as Arashi was now the same age Naruto was a few months before the Kyuubi attacked.

Arashi had an incredible amount of endurance and stamina, even for an Uzumaki. If you put him down, he'd just get right back up. He couldn't stay still for longer than a minute, but they were working on that.

"Niisan!" Arashi squealed in delight, as he ran into Naruto's waiting arms. Arashi hugged him tightly, and Naruto hugged his little brother back tightly, before letting him go. Arashi went over to his two other 'siblings' and then to his 'kaasan', whom he hugged also, before returning to sit back down next to Naruto.

They still hadn't told Arashi that Kizura wasn't his birth mother, or that Idoru and Karin weren't his real siblings. They were planning on waiting a little longer for that. They weren't quite sure how his little 4-year-old mind would handle it.

"How was training? Did you learn any cool Jutsu? Any? Come on, I've been begging Idoru-San to show me one all day!" Arashi shot out like a machine gun. Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Maybe later, Arashi-Chan," Naruto said with a smile. Although he didn't agree with the decision, Arashi smiled back at his brother and sat down next to him

"Are you ready for your first day at the academy?" Idoru asked his two younger 'siblings', who nodded furiously.

"I'm ready to show them just how powerful an Uzumaki Kunoichi can be!" Karin declared with fury in her voice. The others in the room sighed at her overexaggerating expressions, but let it slide.

"I can't say I'm excited. More like nervous… I don't know what to expect…" Naruto told Idoru with a shrug. Idoru smiled as he adjusted his forehead protector.

"Oh, don't worry. The academy will be a cakewalk for someone like you!" Idoru tried to cheer Naruto up and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I guess so.." Naruto chuckled to himself anxiously, once again rubbing the back of his head due to nerves. A nervous habit that he got from his father; or so they say.

"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous. You're going to do fine! I expect nothing less from my Ototo!" Idoru teased as he squeezed Naruto's cheeks; much to Naruto's dismay.

"Hey, can I go to the park with my friends?" Arashi got up from his seat and ran over to ask Kizura She smiled down at Arashi, who was beaming up at her with a large grin. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease!"

Kizura looked up and gave Naruto and Idoru a quick glance, and they knew what it meant. One of them would have to go with Arashi, just in case, another incident arose. Said incident occurred a few months ago, and fortunate for Arashi, he still didn't understand what the civilians meant by 'Fox-child' and 'Demon-spawn'.

Fortunately, Idoru had been nearby and got to Arashi before the drunk idiots managed to actually do more than push the young Jinchuriki to the ground. Arashi defused the situation by taking the crying Arashi home.

The bigger problem had been stopping Naruto from going out and committing his first act of homicide...

When Naruto saw Arashi crying, and heard what happened, Idoru was sure that he hadn't seen Naruto look more furious in his life. Kizura, Idoru, and Karin almost had to fight Naruto in an effort to calm him down. It had been the first real argument that Naruto had with Kizura.

Idoru shook his head and dispelled the memory. He looked to Naruto, whose face had turned a little sour. Before Naruto could volunteer, Idoru stood up and dusted himself off. He went over to Arashi and scooped him up and put Arashi on his shoulders before he quickly said his goodbyes and left the house.

"Bye guys!" Arashi managed to squeeze out before he vanished away and to the park with Idoru.

The room fell in silence again, and Naruto's face fell into a frown. He seemed to stare into nothingness for a few seconds, deep in thought. Kizura frowned and crossed her arms across her chest. She tried to make out whatever the boy was thinking, but as always, she was left with nothing.

"He'll be okay, Naruto-Kun." Karin stole the words right out of Kizura's mouth. Karin had a worried look on her face as she tried to comfort Naruto.

'Maybe he'll listen if it's not coming from me.' Kizura thought hopefully, but the idea was completely squashed when Naruto stood up and shrugged off Karin's hand. He headed to the door quickly, but Kizura managed to get a word out before he left.

"Naruto-Kun!" Kizura called to him urgently, and to her surprise, he stopped halfway out of the door. She took a breath, and before she could open her mouth to speak again, Naruto his face towards her and glared at her with an incredibly serious face. His eyes were shadowed over, but she could still see the fury within the single blue eyes exposed to her.

Her words were caught in her throat, and she became unable to speak. She hadn't seen him glare at him in such a… Vicious way. Before she got the courage to speak again, Naruto was out of the door and slammed it on his way out. Suddenly, the knot in her throat released itself and she sighed, a headache forming.

"He's going to get himself in trouble one day…" Karin said as she walked up behind her mother and rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "I understand that he wants to protect Ara-Chan, but I'm afraid that he's going to do something really rash one day…" Karin spoke.

Kizura couldn't help but agree.

The Next Morning

Naruto and Karin stood outside of the academy, Karin with a big smile on her face, and Naruto with a nervous frown. Naruto wore what he wore usually as his Shinobi attire. His katana hung on his back as always.

Karin wore a dark red kimono with black straps on her arms and legs. She hadn't started her Kenjutsu training, so she had no weapons on her at all.

"Ready Naruto-Kun!" Karin asked with a thumbs up. Naruto sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. Before he could speak, however, Karin grabbed him by the ears and began to drag him towards the academy doors.

"Arghh, Karin-Chan, slow down! Arghhhh!"

Okay! I managed to do it before my trip! Here you are. Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review, if you can. I've really enjoyed the reviews I've gotten so far. As for the Spanish reviewer, I appreciate your information, but in my story, that's how Konoha's Hokage position functions. I appreciate the review though :)

And before anyone complains about 6 and a half-year-old Naruto 'beating' Kakashi, I'm sure you realized that Kakashi wasn't even attacking back, right? Or even blocking, really. That was what allowed Naruto to come up with his strategy. I'll tell you now, that if Kakashi was trying, he would have demolished the small blot of Sunshine with ease. As for when he was 8... Wouldn't be AS easy.

But you'll see what I mean soon. Review! I'll be back in two weeks!

Also, lemme know who you think Naruto saw at the waterfall! And if yout think he was a figment of Naruto's information or not! See ya!