Back after a long hiatus! Alright, here's the first chapter in the new arc, hope it goes over well!

As always, I own nothing…

xXxXxXx

Naruto could barely keep his head up as he looked over the classroom. Last night he had a terrible dream about his mother again, and it had kept him up the whole night at Shikamaru's place. The blonde had chosen to sit in the back, up by the highest window, letting him look down over all the others. He noticed Sakura sitting in the middle area of the room, all the way up against the far wall. Sasuke was at the very front of the room, as always, and seemed to be focusing on his fingernails and trying to ignore the blushing and interested fan girls surrounding him. It honestly made Naruto sick, which was one reason why he always came to class late. It allowed him to avoid his fan-club and keep to himself. Added to that was the fact that Naruto chose a horrendous orange colored jumpsuit to keep the number of his fans to a minimum, unlike the fashionably dressed Uchiha. 'Still, you'd think that he'd wear something besides that outfit that Sakura picked for him way back when…but at least it goes with his sword.' Naruto adjusted his headband and stifled a yawn, fighting to keep his eyes open as Iruka walked in with the team placements.

"Alright, listen up for your team placements. All of you passed the exam, so you all will know be placed on teams and given missions to follow, is that understood?" Iruka looked over the class as he got a less than empathetic response to his call and sighed. It was always this way with his class, ever since the group started modeling themselves after the two biggest slackers, Naruto and Shikamaru. Both of them performed the bare minimum of class participation, never really acting on something unless Iruka forced them to care.

As Iruka called out the names, Naruto could barely force himself to care. Another year had passed, and he had graduated the academy at the regular age of twelve, much to his father's disappointment. 'Still, not like I care what the old man thinks…just because he graduated at age ten doesn't mean I have to…though honestly, I could have completed all of this stuff back before Mom died…' Naruto sank further into his funk, barely even catching the names being called out.

"Team Seven will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Namikaze" That got Naruto to perk up a bit. 'So, the whole gang is together huh? Guess dad was forced to do that since the three of us have been inseparable the last few years…' Naruto smiled a bit at that, remembering how Sakura had comforted the two of them after the return of the Konoha mission those many years ago. She had helped Naruto through the pain of losing his mother, and Sasuke through the pain of losing his older brother and most of his clan.

'She really is the only thing that held us all together…guess even dad can see that we needed her to keep going. Not like he cares now that he and Anko are settling down' Bile rose in Naruto's throat as he considered that, forcing himself look out the window in disdain. 'Mom hasn't even been gone that long and the guy is already settling down with a younger woman to boot! And then he wonders why I'm always staying over at Sasuke's or Sakura's, or even Shikamaru's place! The nerve of the man!' Naruto was well into one of his more infamous anger sessions now, his hands going white from their clenched fist grip.

Naruto came back to reality as he noticed a bunch of the other kids leaving. Looking around, he noticed that only Sasuke and Sakura were left in the room, and the boy sighed loudly breaking the silence. "Looks like our teacher abandoned us, huh?" Sasuke shot a look back at Naruto with a similarly chagrined expression, and then shrugged.

"What else is new? Besides, if we have some spare time, I say we leave a little surprise for the stupid jonin!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Sakura stifled a small laugh in response. The girl moved from her seat at the top of the class down to the front row where Sasuke was sitting. She had on a simple pink battle dress with no sleeves, and knee length black short underneath. Her hair was cropped around her neck length and a new Konoha headband was strapped across the front of her forehead.

"Still, I'm glad I got paired with you two at least. I don't know what I would have done had I been stuck with Ino as she clamored on about boys and shopping." Sasuke smirked and laughed lightly to himself at this, catching Sakura's attention. "You know, you really could be nicer to her Sasuke, I mean, she does lead your fan-club and all." The girl ribbed him lightly in the side with her elbow, causing the boy to brush her off.

"Just because she leads my fan-club doesn't mean I have to be a fan of her. Besides, half the time I can barely tell if she wants to be with me or with Naruto." At the mention of his name, the blonde ninja shushed the other two as he carefully placed an eraser between the cracks of the sliding door. "She's way too obnoxious and loud, like most of the blonde's I know." Naruto shot Sasuke a dirty look as he walked over and sat next to the others.

Sakura laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around both of the boys' shoulders. "Won't she be jealous then with me having both of you all to myself?" The two struggled to get out from under her grasp before Naruto got a mischievous grin in his eyes. The blonde reached over and started tickling the pinkette, causing her to laugh and pull away. Normally, this would have been a perfect escape, but Sasuke had gone for the same thing as Naruto, and ended up tickling her chest instead. The girl blushed terribly, and then darkened into a mood of rage, turning on both of the perpetrators. "Oh Sasuke-kun…I think we need to have a talk about personal boundries…" Her voice was venom, and luckily it gave Naruto the chance to create a shadow clone for Sasuke to swap with. Sakura paused for a moment at this, and both boys took it as their chance to escape, quickly fleeing in opposite directions.

"This is all your fault Sasuke! Jeez, why do I stick my neck out for you sometimes, it doesn't even make any sense!" Naruto jumped over tables and chairs as the angered girl chased the two of them at top speed.

"Don't waste time talking Naruto, just run! If she catches either of us, we're in big trouble." Sasuke's face was an image of abject terror as he raced through the classroom, avoiding the wrath of his friend. Both of them knew, from personal experience, that an angered Sakura was the last thing anyone wanted chasing after them.

During their running around, they missed the quiet opening of the door and the drop of the eraser onto a clearly unaware jonin. Turning as one, they looked fairly farcical as Naruto held a struggling Sakura back from choking Sasuke. Still, all of this stopped as Sakura and Naruto turned as one and yelled at the silver haired ninja in standard garb. "HAH, YOU FELL FOR IT!" Sasuke had the decency to right his clothes before turning and smirking haughtily at the ninja.

The man paused for a second, rubbing his fingers along his chin. Naruto had never even seen this ninja before, but for some reason he felt like he knew him. It stood to reason that he would remember the guy though, that strange headband placed across one of his eyes. "Let me see, I'd have to say that my first impression of you guys is…" all of the gennin leaned forward to hear what he had to say "…I hate you." All three of the individuals glared daggers his way respectively, and the man sniggered inwardly a little. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an orange little book and turned to leave the classroom. "Follow me, we're going to head to the roof and do some basic introductions." Naruto still felt like he recognized the guy from somewhere, and the orange book only furthered his suspicion.

Once they were all settled on the rooftop, the man sighed and put his book down, giggling a little as he did. "Alright then, why don't we start by introducing ourselves…you know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that…" all three of the gennin eyed the man wearily once more, but Sasuke shrugged and went first.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I like fried rice and salted meat, and I dislike candy or chocolate. My dream for the future is to lead the Uchiha clan once more to greatness, and to bring Madara Uchiha to justice for what he has done to this village," This caused the whole group to pause for a second and give Sasuke a strange glance. "My hobbies are Kendo and shuriken manipulation. I'm also a fire type, and have mastered several fire ninjutsu." The boy looked up for a moment as if remembering something. "I also have these to give to my teammates before we continue." The boy pulled out chakra slips, surprising everyone else. Naruto and Sakura remembered them from the far off birthday party, causing both of them to smile lightly.

The jonin for his part raised a single eyebrow, and motioned for them to continue. Sakura channeled a bit of chakra into the paper, and it soaked and dripped on her, causing her to drop it rather quickly in a gasp of surprise. Naruto took his and it split straight up the center. Sasuke gripped his expecting it to turn to ash, but was surprised when it indented sharply first before burning up in his grip.

"Well, I have to say, I'm starting to like this group a little bit…having access to chakra paper and learning your elements early on could make training you lot a bit more bearable. Tell me, how did you all do in your classes?" Sakura turned and looked at the man sharply, shaking her head.

"No way, not until you introduce yourself at least. Especially when you don't have the decency to know not to read book's like that in front of women." Her comment drew the attention of Naruto, who looked suddenly as if he had been hit with a two by four.

"I know who you are now! You're that perverted ninja Kakashi who always comes by whenever Uncle Jiraiya visits!" Turning a serious look towards Sakura, Naruto whispered conspiratorially with her. "This guy's the second biggest pervert I know, so whatever you do, don't let your guard down around him, alright?" Sakura nodded, and Sasuke fixed Kakashi with an even harsher glare than before. Putting his material safely back in his vest pocket, Kakashi sighed and turned to look all of them in the eyes.

"As Naruto here mentioned, my name is Kakashi Hatake, as for my likes and dislikes, that's nothing I'm sharing with any of you just yet…My dreams for the future…" the man paused as if deep in thought "…are also none of your concern, and I have many hobbies and pastimes". All three of the individual students in front of him face faulted at this, thinking along the same lines. 'He didn't tell us anything!'

Naruto sighed and ran his hands through his hair. The wind on the rooftop played with it lightly and the village behind him looked to be in full swing of life. "My name is Naruto Namikaze, though I prefer to go by Uzumaki if given the chance. My likes are ramen and candy, and my dislikes are perverts and people who never have time for those they care about. My hobbies are cooking and gardening, as they give me a chance to earn my keep when I stay at a friend's house. My specialties are shadow clone techniques, and high level explosive seals. I also like practicing difficult taijutsu styles that involve wielding talon kunai." Naruto paused to fix the jonin with a harsh stare. "My goals for the future are to punish all perverts excessively, and to become the greatest Hokage ever." Kakashi was a little struck by the diminutive shinobi's powerful determination, and patted his chest pocket absently to reassure himself of his book's safety.

"Guess that means I'm next. My name is Sakura Haruno, and my likes are dumplings and umeboshi. I dislike all food spicy and all men perverted. My goal for the future is to surpass the legendary Tsunade Senju in terms of medical ability, and to keep myself on par with Naruto and Sasuke. My hobbies are trivia games and needle-work. My current specialties are basic genjutsu and medical ninjutsu, as well as my own thread based trap jutsu." Her gaze took on a softer tone, with a bit of haughtiness behind her emerald green eyes. "And just so you know, I graduated top of the class, ahead of Sasuke. Naruto was ranked around the bottom since he never really tried, the idiot." Naruto smirked slightly and ducked his head blushing a bit.

"Sounds like I have a rather strong team of gennin then…I hope you make it through tomorrow's test." All of the other's snapped up at this, worry registering in their eyes.

"Oh, so Iruka didn't tell you huh? All of the jonin give one final test to the graduating rookies. Only a third or so of the teams usually make it through, and it really depends on the person giving the test." Kakashi was thankful for his mask as it allowed him to keep a relatively straight face while smiling so much sometimes.

"How hard is your test?" Sasuke was the one asking, and had a hard look set in his onyx eyes.

"Well for the last nine teams I've tested…none have passed." Fear definitely played through all of them, save Sasuke, whose look only became more determined. "If you still want to risk it, you could show up early tomorrow, around eight, at training ground forty four…" Kakashi couldn't help but starting to laugh at the looks on all of their faces. "I always love how much rookies flip out when they hear about the test. Well, the papers are there for it, so I'll see you tomorrow I guess." The jonin handed out the slips of paper and turned to leave.

"Oh and one last thing; if you don't want to throw up, you should skip breakfast." With that, the mysterious man disappeared into a puff of smoke, his orange book out and giggling as he left.

Naruto was the first to break the silence as the three friends held onto the slips of paper. "We would get the most bat-shit-insane instructor, wouldn't we?" His accompanied sigh got a smirk out of Sakura and a grin from Sasuke. The Uchiha rose to his feet and stuffed the permission slip in his pocket.

"Come on, we have some work to do looking up on this guy. Our headbands will get us into the Shinobi library where they keep the bingo book on our village's ninja" Sakura blinked in comprehension, stuffing her piece of paper away as well.

"Do you think they'll have any information on the upcoming test there?" The girl was focused on the taller boy, who merely shrugged in response.

"It'll still be worth it to check it out. Besides, we can get some basic jutsu scrolls for our elements there." Naruto rose to join the other two, his own permission paper crumpled up and stuffed in a pocket.

"The runt's got a point Sakura" Sasuke stepped quickly to the side and grabbed Naruto in a friendly headlock. Naruto for his part strained to get out of the hold, but Sasuke was a good four or five inches taller, and a bit more muscular. "We could probably even get started on some basics of those elements tonight…" Naruto finally found a slip in the older boy's defense and twisted out of Sasuke's grasp.

"No way! You two knuckleheads can try to learn a new technique in a day if you want, but I'm resting up and eating a big breakfast before tomorrow." Both boys turned and gave the girl a quizzical look. Before they could ask she hushed them. "Let's get to the library and I'll explain once we get there."

Hidden in the nearby trees, Kakashi smirked as his gennin group departed. 'Those are the most coordinated and organized gennin I've seen in a while…I may actually be bested tomorrow if I'm not careful.' A slight smile was on the copycat's lips as he slinked away to the Hokage's office.

xXxXxXx

A purple haired woman sashayed into the office of the Hokage, drawing the eyesight of the male chunin guards on duty outside the office. "He's not too busy to see me now, is he?" Both of the men on guard duty shook their heads in the negative, inviting her in, and trying very hard to keep their eyes on the modest portions of the woman. This was rather difficult as her current dress was nothing more than an open trench coat that covered mesh shirts and tight black shorts. That they hugged a very curvaceous female body made the matter all the more difficult. The simple golden band on her left hand, along with her Torture and Interrogation Specialist Badge helped to ease the difficulty slightly, but also added a great deal of fear and apprehension on their parts.

Yes, today was not a good day to be the attendants to the Hokage. Anko Namikaze was paying her husband a visit at the office, and she was smiling. The only times that Anko smiled publicly were when she was royally pissed off.

As the oak door of the office opened slowly, Minato had the feeling of a cold draft blowing into his office. He looked up to see his smiling new wife, and for a second was happy to see her coming to pay him a visit. They had only been married a month or two, and she was already coming to visit him at work. The kunai that landed beside his desk reminded him that he had not remarried to a particularly sane woman.

Noting that the door was closed, Minato pulled the kunai from the desk, and turned to face his very angry wife. "Anko-chan, is violence really necessary?" The second kunai that whizzed by his head and cut his cheek silenced the older man.

"Violence is always necessary Minato-kun" the honorific dripped a passionate vehemence, "…especially when the one I promised to serve and protect decides to keep secrets from me." Minato had the sense of mind to not turn and grab the other kunai, but smirk back at his new wife.

"The Hokage is honor bound to keep some secrets from the shinobi who serve under him." This time, Minato turned aside as a much slower kunai sailed towards him, obviously meant to throw him off from the grab his wife made at his arm.

"Not like putting me in charge of a bloody apprenticeship!" Her anger was out in full force, and the kunoichi had a share of hurt in her eyes as she stared down the leader of the leaf village. "I was apprenticed to Orochimaru, and look how that turned out! Now you want to have me take on one of Naruto's best friends as an apprentice?" Minato let out a defeated sigh and gestured to the chair across from his desk.

"I have faith that you will not turn her into another version of yourself. Besides, in order for the council to allow me to place Naruto on a team I had to assure them that his teammates would not be a hindrance to the village's weapon." Anko seemed to tense slightly at the word weapon, but nodded for him to continue. "Sasuke Uchiha is already going to be apprenticed in his spare time by his father and mother no doubt, both of whom are able ninja. Naruto will receive basic training in a number of areas from Kakashi. Sakura though comes from a family with no background in the shinobi world." The woman's eyes widened before she turned away, a boyish look of chagrin crossing her face.

"So, she's the same situation as me then, huh? Where the other great individuals of my age get put on teams and those who don't come from any shinobi family get training so they don't fall behind?" The woman turned and glared at the man across from her. "I'm really getting sick and tired of the council jerking this family around, Minato." Her eyes were rimmed with the pretense of tears and bored into the man's uneasy conscience.

"I know. I'm sorry that you again got roped into the politics of this mess as well." Anko smirked across from him, taking the moment to sexily stretch her legs and cross them. In her seated position it made the already high rising shorts become truly scandalous.

"It's not too bad of a deal, being forced into a political marriage and all…especially when we get to play out all sorts of lewd scenarios of teacher and student in the bedroom…" Anko's grin unnerved Minato slightly, but he caught her subtle reference to her predominant worry.

"Yes, but fortunately for me, you're a better mentor than the snake bastard ever was." She smirked slightly, letting some of her tension about being a teacher drop from her shoulders.

Crossing around the table, Minato brought his hand down to cup her face. "As for the rest of your comment…" Closing her eyes and wetting her lips slightly, Anko was disappointed when he chastely kissed her forehead. "Sorry Anko, but I'm still not ready yet. It's still…" Before he could move, her arms were around him, pulling him into an embrace. Any trace of sexual tension was gone in that instant as she comforted her childhood mentor.

"I understand Minato. I really do." The kunoichi pulled back, her eyes comforting and accepting. "Honestly, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet either…I like you a lot, but I still don't know if I feel comfortable with the whole ordeal…" Minato nodded and smiled apologetically. She blushed prettily and reached out to cuff the man in the back of the head. "Though I am glad to see you still act like a total flake." Minato smirked and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Still, I'm glad we could at least honor Kushina's wish, even if it did give the council an apoplexy." Anko rolled her eyes and fixed him with a glare.

"Ah screw the council! It's not like they ever do us any good anyway!" Anko's favorite oath brought a smile to Minato's face as he recollected the importance of that fateful statement.

xXxXxXx

Naruto had walked into the village, surrounded by the diplomatic treaty group, exhausted and tired from the journey. The group had done nothing but run since they got back, and it was obvious everyone had been expecting a warm and happy welcome. At the gate however, Minato had forced a mask of calmness and authority over his face as he watched the group approach. Part of tore inside as the group approached.

"I'm glad to see that you all returned safely" Naruto was started from a tired reverie by his father's voice. He looked up expectantly, hoping for a kind word and smile from his dad and mom. His eyes hardened though when he recognized his dad in full diplomat mode. "You all will be staying at a local hot spring hotel, in order to rest before the diplomatic missions begin tomorrow. Fugaku, Mikoto, Sasuke, you will not be going with the group. There are certain matters that I need to discuss with you concerning matters with your clan." The Uchiha had nodded, and Naruto had looked over to see a tired Sasuke shrug his condolences. Minato was glad to see that interaction though, as it gave him hope that the two boys would help each other through the coming pain. 'Hopefully you were right Kushina, hopefully the two can grow up to be good friends.'

As the groups left, Minato noticed Naruto break away to approach him. Minato shook his head sadly and pointed towards the group that was departing. Naruto's head fell, turning to run and catch up with the others without turning back. Before the boy had gone too far, Anko came out of the shadows and wacked the man across the back of the head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? The kid's obviously been gone for a while and misses you, chase after the kid and give him a damned hug." Minato looked down and shot her a glance that held sadness and pain. "Don't tell me, the council thinks that you interacting with him might tip him off about Kushina!" At his nod, the lady turned and spat on the sidewalk. "Screw the council! It's not like they do us any good anyway!" Minato seemed taken aback for a second, long enough for Anko to pull him upright and glare angrily in his face. "You're the Hokage, act like it Minato! I for one know that you're better than letting a bunch of old blowhards order you around!" Minato smirked slightly at this, nodding his agreement. As he turned and jogged towards the retreating group, he shot a thank you over his shoulder. In an instant he had pulled out his famous kunai, and was gone in an instant.

xXxXxXx

Two years had passed since the death of Kushina, and Minato could not stand to look at the document in his hands. It was a letter from the Daimyo himself, the only individual who held any control over Minato's decisions. It appeared that the Lord of the Land of Fire had been informed that there was trouble brewing between the nobles of the fire nation and the militarized factions within the hidden village. The solution was to find and marry a wife who would be of noble upbringing and have good access to the traditional aspects of the nobility's culture.

As he scanned the list, Minato sighed in frustration. He did not know any of these women, and doubtless none of them would understand Naruto. As he made his way out of the office, Minato felt a swirl of emotion run through him. He was frustrated by the fractions that were developing within his village. Over the last few years, more and more military might had come to rest within Konoha. There were the new Kumo-nin, who had integrated very well into the local culture, taking on roles in the upper echelons of Konoha's strike forces. There had also been one or two political marriages between the young shinobi of the Uchiha clan with the Kumo-nin, leading to a consolidation of new power within the village. Minato had been slightly surprised by this decision of Fugaku's, seeing it as a breaking with the traditional Uchiha favored view of seclusion. However, it had managed to stall the disintegration of the Sharingan within Konoha.

Pausing at the steps at the bottom of the Hokage tower, Minato looked out over the village and sighed. There were powers arranging against him, both inside and out. Many of the villagers, with good reason, feared the introduction of the Kumo-nin to the village, and were wary of the treaties that Minato had formed. While he was still feared as a legendary shinobi, many were beginning to doubt his political skill, feeling he relied too much on the trust of his allies, and on agreements made to strengthen the bonds between groups. Sighing, the man enjoyed his quiet walk home, coming to the small house where he and son lived. A certain caretaker often stopped in to take of Naruto when he was away, making Minato smile.

'Anko, I don't know how Naruto and I would have made it through this without your support.' The paper that was folded in his pockets, listing his potential suitors, dampened his mood slightly for a moment. Shaking his head clear, the thirty eight year old entered his house. He was immediately greeted by a water bucket dropping on his head, along with the chorus of "YOU FELL FOR IT!" Minato spluttered under the batch of cool water, before turning to the side and glaring at his son and Anko Mitarashi. Despite the age difference between the two, they both held that infamous grin and smile of Kushina, easing the man's mood slightly and drawing a rare chuckle out of him.

"Since you two made the mess, you get to clean it up!" Both sets of eyes turned puppy dog eyes on him, though he could tell they were mostly glad that he had finally come home. A glance around the small room showed that Naruto and Anko had been going over sealing basics again, focusing on storage scrolls. The non-descript room was well lived in, and Minato smirked at the two as he shook his head, denying their wish for any reconsideration. "I'm going to go get changed and then we should get some dinner." Minato walked away from the two, who sported matching chagrined expressions. "And no shadow clones either!" Grumbles followed Minato as he headed upstairs to change. By the time he had returned, the place was cleaned up and dinner was ready on the table. They talked of random things throughout their days, and were generally happy and talkative. It was surprisingly Anko who lent any manners to the group, both boys seeming to want to dig heedlessly into her well prepared meal. Anko whacked the would be food thieves with a wooden spoon whenever they hovered around the next course that she brought to the table. Minato was loath to admit it, but she cooked better than Kushina. He was glad when she agreed to take on the house-watching responsibilities for Naruto, fearing that his life-long friend would want to train more often. She had merely shrugged and told him that there were many ways to protect someone you care for, many of them not involving training in the least. After Naruto had gone to bed, the two stayed up talking, and Minato brought out the paper slip that the Daimyo had sent him.

Anko had snatched the list out his hands before he could react, a snake mouth grasping the pronouncement suddenly. The snake retreated back into her sleeve as the woman looked over the list, before setting it done and silently rising to get a cup of tea. It was not a promising reaction, as Anko only went to her tea when she was truly pissed. "Don't listen to them…They obviously are not thinking straight as they left off the most important noblewoman living in Konoha." Minato was surprised that this was her source of anger as Anko returned to the table, her grip on the tea mug white.

"Who did they leave off the list?" Minato asked, carefully pulling the list back from her reach. Anko shook her head, and took a sip of the tea. When she set it back down she fixed Minato with a hard stare.

"How long do you have to decide?" Minato was still non-plussed by her reactions. There was something she was keeping from him, and he really had no clue for once in his life about what it might be.

"They want me to go through the list, courting each lady for at least a month before I decide whether to pursue an option or not. Still, I don't know any of these women, and I refuse to listen to the council's suggestion on matters of the heart. I guess I'll have to give them each a try though." Anko shook her head, turning away from him to hide the tears in her eyes. "Anko, why is this upsetting you so much?" He tried to turn to get a better look at her, but the woman cast her eyes down, and reached up to let her hair down. It was very unusual for her to take her hair down, she only did it when she was really upset.

"Just don't listen to them alright. Don't marry any old noble woman or whatever, it's not worth it. Kushina wouldn't have wanted you to marry again unless you loved the woman anyways." A brush for hair appeared in Anko's hands, and she handed it to Minato. "If you're just going to stand there and stare, you might as well be useful." The man rose and began to brush out Anko's hair, trying not to notice the soft platter of tears on her knees. When he was about to speak again, Anko straightened and cut him off by reaching a hand out to grab onto the brush. "The name they left off of that list, Minato, was that of the Mitarashi family." Minato felt his breath hitch, and stared at the hand that clenched tightly over his. "I'm the only daughter of the family, and since my father wanted to keep the power of the family centered around his descendants, he sent me to Konoha in the hopes that I would fall in the line of duty. However, I am still of noble upbringing and lineage." Her eyes turned back to him, and he could see the tears clearly in her face now. "If you find yourself unable to be with any of the women on that list, I'll take the place of them so you can at least have a friend with you for the rest of your days. Better that than some step-mom that would squash all of the fun out of Naruto." Her quiet sobs were the only sound in the room as Minato held onto her hand, the brush cast aside.

"Screw the council, it's not like they ever do us any good anyway!" Minato surprised Anko with his sudden vehemence, as he turned to face her. "I'll still go through and meet these women Anko, but you are the one I want to be with. You care for me and Naruto more than anyone I know, and understand us better than anyone else I know. I doubt any of them will live up to you." The passion in his eyes caught Anko off guard, leaving her staring into those perfect blue orbs.

"Minato…" her breath hitched as she lunged forward and kissed him on the lips. Minato stiffened at first, almost pulling back. After a moment's hesitation though, he leaned into the embrace. The kiss was full of longing, and it was a while before either pulled back to look one another in the eye. Anko smiled from the flushed look on his face, and took the second to catch her breath. "I guess that means I'm a bit more than a housekeeper now, huh?" Minato chuckled and held her close, even as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'd still like to take it one day at a time if that's alright with you?" Minato nodded and held onto Anko as her breathing quieted. As the night faded, two hearts that had been torn by sadness began to mend.

xXxXxXx

The two newly-weds found themselves wrapped in a calm embrace when a knock came from the outside door. Pulling away from Anko and settling into his seat, Minato called for them to enter. Kakashi strolled casually into the room, shutting the door behind himself and giving an arched eyebrow towards Anko. 'Sensei always did know how to pick the crazy ones…'

Anko stayed in her seat, but motioned for Kakashi to take the other one next to her. Kakashi did so, and gave a silent thank you to the kunoichi. "I am happy to report that my team was given the documents and were then spotted heading towards the library to do some reconnaissance on me. It seems that they also plan to disobey the rule about eating already, and may actually have a plan of attack for facing me tomorrow." Minato smiled slightly from behind his desk, nodding in satisfaction.

"That's good Kakashi. Have you worked with Anko before on missions?" The non sequitor drew up Kakashi's eyebrows again, but he nodded in the affirmative. "Good. She will be joining your team on missions, as she will be apprenticing young Sakura." This drew a puzzled look from Kakashi. "Normally, only one jonin is given to each team, but yours will be special. As Naruto is on your team, the other individuals need to be quickly honed into weapons for the village." Kakashi nodded in acceptance with the Hokage, but Anko noted the slight disapproval he also gave to the term 'weapon'. Minato paused to take a document from one of the drawers before handing it over to Kakashi. "She will not be involved in the team selection exercise, but after the group has passed she will take up an apprentice time slot with Sakura. Naruto will receive personal training from you, and Fugaku and Mikoto will train Sasuke personally as well. I've cleared time in all of your dockets to allow for this." Kakashi accepted the piece of paper with a frown on his face.

"The council is ordering this, aren't they? In order to insure that Naruto becomes a functioning 'weapon' for our village?" Minato nodded, a grim look on his own face. Inwardly though he was pleased to see that Kakashi did not entirely approve of the plan. "It is also my own will Kakashi, though for a different reason. Naruto is going to be targeted by various groups as he grows up, as are all Jinchuuriki. As such, he will need powerful teammates if they are going to protect him." Kakashi smirked ruefully at this and nodded once more.

"Alright, I expect the team exercise tomorrow to not take too long, so I'll expect you to show up every day from tomorrow at Training Ground Three. As I'm supposed to take this sort of training seriously now, I guess you'll have to show up around noon. I should have them nice and worn out by then." Kakashi turned and cleared his throat before addressing the Hokage. "I would also like to request that for the first two months my team not be given any missions, even D-ranks. I plan on working them into the ground during that time so that they will be competent ninja's before they leave the village." Minato nodded in agreement, and the three rose from their seats.

"I expect a progress report on their developments every two weeks Kakashi. Hopefully with a forced training schedule like that, the three will develop quickly. I know that Sasuke and Naruto have a slight rivalry going, so forced training like that will surely end up pushing both of them to excel at a rapid pace." Minato smiled at the two of them and nodded, signaling that they could leave. In an instant, the two had leapt from the room through the windows, and Minato was left with a once more empty office. "I do hope that those two can work well together."

xXxXxXx

xXxXxXx

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura poured over the information in front of them, scanning for any weaknesses or striking points. They were all unwilling to admit defeat yet, but it seemed that their new sensei was quite capable. Sasuke sighed, pulling back to rub his eyes in frustration. "We have a man who is talented in all five of the elemental disciplines, whose created several original jutsu, was trained by both the current Hokage, and one of the Sannin, not to mention his access to the Sharingan…we are totally screwed."

Naruto shook his head, pulling back from the details in front of him. "Maybe…but it does seem like he has one weakness we could exploit." Sakura and Sasuke both sent him a questioning look. "It says here that despite all of that training, his chakra reserves are still a little under that of an average jonin. If we can trap him in a couple of chakra drain seals, we can run him down in no time."

"That's assuming your test is the standard combat one though…you never know what you might get hit with." Team 7 turned as one at the intruding comment. Shikamaru Nara, along with Choji and Ino sat reclined by a similar table, a bingo book in hand. "Glad to see that others thought this was a good idea too…it's way too troublesome having to face a jonin in order to determine our combat readiness." Naruto smirked at the boy, while Sakura and Sasuke had already gone back to pouring over the information.

"So, there are different tests that will go to different teams?" Shikamaru nodded at the other boy. "What are the other possible tests? And why do they make different tests?"

"Simple really…each year they only let three teams graduate, and those teams each have to have a specific purpose. There has to be a tracking group, a capture group, and an attack group." Shikamaru nodded to his teammates. "We're the capture group, and I'm fairly sure that Kiba, Shino, and Hinata are the tracking group. That leaves you three as the attack group." Shikamaru's eyes turned hard for a second as he stared at Naruto. "That also means that you'll have the most dangerous missions, so try not to die, okay? It'd be way too troublesome if you did." The blonde nodded, just in time for him to catch Sakura stand up to leave.

"Come on Naruto, we've already gone over all the data we can. We need to start setting up traps and getting the lay of the land." Shikamaru shrugged, turning back to his work. "We've got to determine what sort of training ground we'll be at, and set up some practice runs for how we'll fight this guy. Sasuke, you think you could get your family to deliver us some food out there?" Sasuke nodded silently, rising with the others. As they were about to leave, Sasuke grimaced, turned over his shoulder and called back a good luck while staring at Ino. The Yamanaka girl blushed and smiled back, earning a twitch of a smile from the Uchiha.

xXxXxXx

Naruto sighed as he stretched out on his sleeping bag, content to be out of the house for one more night this week. He looked over by the fire and saw Sakura turning in for a bit as well. Sasuke would stand first watch on the training ground, making sure Kakashi didn't sneak up on the group the day before the test. Laying back against his built in pillow, the Namikaze heir smiled and let the tension of the day release from his body. He was very wound up about the upcoming fight, and hoped that his team did well together. They had always stuck by each other, even through the roughest of times. A light rain began to fall, and Naruto groaned, his night beanie falling off his head as he pulled out a hammock and tarp set. Sakura joined him over by the tree as well, whispering a good night as she tucked into her own sleeping apparatus. The rain had started to fall heavily by now, and Naruto grimaced as he listened to the pattering water, his mind casting back to less pleasant times.

It had been raining for hours…Everyone gathered outside, talking about the death of his mother. The other kids stood a bit off from him, unsure of how to comfort the boy in his pain. There had been rumors about the town that Kushina's death had unsettled Naruto, making him extremely violent if others approached him. He knew why the rumors were circulating, but Naruto didn't much care. He was just glad for the rain as it hid his tears. 'How'd they expect me to react anyways? By taking it calmly that my mother died? That my father was unable to stop the bastard who did this? That we can't even get revenge on the guy since he's already dead?' Red light began to gather around Naruto's fists, and the boy had to take several halting breaths, willing the rage away. 'And now that stupid fox is acting up as well…isn't this great?' He had been told a week after the diplomatic hearings had completed. His father was there when he was told, and he had placed several restriction seals on Naruto before they had gone to visit his mother. They had all blown off when he had seen her with his own eyes, seen that she was truly dead and wasn't coming back. The fox had almost gotten loose; he realized that because he remembered blacking out for a few minutes, and when he awoke his father had cuts up and down his arms, and was panting heavily with a seal graft emblazoned on his palm. Afterwards, his father explained that the seal had loosened, and there was no way to tighten it for a while. Naruto would have to learn to control his anger, to keep the power of the fox in check. Just in time for everyone on the hospital staff to spread the rumors like wildfire. 'Apparently people notice when a kid punches a wall in two while in a fit of demonic rage…' The melancholy sarcasm did nothing to improve his mood. The rain was the only thing that was currently helping; it hid his silent tears as rain tracks. As the service wound down, Naruto noticed a few people remaining. It was a while before he realized that two of them were standing by his side, not moving away with their parents as they left.

Sakura and Sasuke each stood silently with Naruto, looking towards the monument. "The rain's really helpful, isn't it?" Sasuke's question caught Naruto off guard, and when he turned to look he noticed the red in his eyes as well. It was obvious that the boy had been crying. The service was for Kushina only, but Naruto knew that Sasuke would be going through the death of his brother as well. "I wish it had rained like this on the day of Itachi's service. Would have made it a bit more bearable to be in public…" Naruto grimaced and looked away, fresh tears brimming in his eyes. He was surprised when he felt Sakura grab his shoulder.

"I'll be here for both of you. We just became friends a short while ago, so I don't want to lose you both already." Naruto looked up at her face, his eyes wide. He rushed in and grabbed her in a hug, and she held onto him. Sasuke came over and stood by the two, watching as his best friend wept openly for the first time. He felt himself let tears fall anew; they were only children, but they had both already lost someone held one of her arms out to the other boy, and Sasuke lunged in, breaking down alongside Naruto. Sakura merely held onto her friends, silent tears trailing down her face as well.

As the storm moved off, Naruto felt himself curl more into his sleeping bag, his hands clutched in a tight grip, and a single tear trailing down one of his cheeks.

xXxXxXx

The dawn came early over Training Ground Three, and in its morning light Kakashi smirked happily at his new team. They were taking this challenge very seriously it seemed. There were several traps hidden in the surrounding areas, some deliberately hidden well and others on display. His team was intelligent as well, as he detected several landscape altering genjutsu, as well as a heavy feeling in the air. All three of them were up now and dressed, looking far more serious than they had the other day.

Naruto had foregone the orange outfit for a black one instead. Black shinobi cargo pants bulging with straps of kunai and exploding tags covered up metal shin guards. The sandals were also black, and had obvious metal plates in the bottom from the slight click they made when he walked. His shirt was also black, but bore dark red flames that covered his chest and arms, ending at the elbows. Mesh armor showed underneath the shirt, and black gloves with metal backs covered his hands. His hair was covered with a bandana carrying his leaf head band, and his torso was covered with a bandoleer that was tight to his chest. Underneath were several more scrolls, these ones bearing obviously high-explosive seals. 'So he's their entry and demolition expert…have to make sure not to get too close.' Kakashi also noticed the trench knives in his hands and grimaced as he watched chakra trace the edges of the blade. It was rumored that Asuma Sarutobi had given Naruto some pointers in how to use those in his style. All in all, a very lethal wide area combat warrior.

Sasuke for his part had a very Spartan look to his ensemble. Mesh armor covered by a long sleeved black shirt and pants, with similar clanking sandals to Naruto's. His hair was out and falling free, his headband strapped to his right forearm lengthwise, like a wrist guard. He sat, polishing a sword, and it was then that Kakashi noticed the pattern covering the Uchiha's outfit in small flecks here and there. All of Sasuke's clothing was adorned with life-size images of a fully active Sharingan, littered across various locations. As Kakashi lingered over one of the eyes he felt himself being drawn in, and immediately broke the genjutsu expertly. Sasuke did not look up though from polishing his katana, though Sakura did, and she turned to look straight at him.

She was also dressed spartanly, though she went with a forest green outfit. It was a simple shirt and shorts combination, but mesh armor and heavy gloves completed the ensemble. He noted with some trepidation that her hair was being held back by her headband, and her eyes were steel jade as they bored into his location. He watched her lips move from where he was at and sighed in frustration. 'Minato is right, this team is going to pass the bell test with no trouble what-so-ever'. Jumping down from the tree he was in, Kakashi surmised the group in front of him. It was only two hours after they were told to meet here, and all of them looked about ready to murder him.

"So, you all decided to show up a day before the test and get ready for me…well, I'm quite flattered. I also assume that this heavy feeling in the air is moisture that someone's prepared for a specific jutsu." None of them answered him, and inwardly Kakashi was beaming. His team was going to kick the crap out of the other Jonin's and he honestly couldn't wait to show up Gai's team. Keeping his face placid, the silver haired ninja reached into his pocket and produced two tiny bells. "These are your mission. You must retrieve a bell in order to eat lunch. In addition, whosoever does not retrieve a bell will be sent back to the academy for further training for one year." Kakashi waited and was surprised when there was no outburst.

Sasuke smirked at him, his voice coming out in a low drawl, almost as if bored. "Are those the exact rules, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi nodded, hoping for the usual outburst he received. "If you're done trying to cause dissension in our ranks, we'll take those bells from you now." Kakashi felt his eyebrow's rise as suddenly there was a heavy mist covering the area. He watched as the three ninja in front of him faded out of existence, and a voice seeped out through the fog.

"Hidden Mist Technique. A perfect counter to the Copy-Cat Ninja." Sakura's voice floated in, and Kakashi reacted immediately to the sound of incoming kunai that were almost masked by her pronouncement. Kakashi moved again and again as kunai rained down on his location, always from a different direction. Footsteps were heard in the mist, far too many for the three ninja he supposedly faced. 'Shadow-clone jutsu and kunai, how much worse could this get…' Kakashi took a deep breath and exhaled it at the incoming kunai, blowing the mist back and away. When he did, he got a sinking feeling as he noticed the beginning of a sealing jutsu being laid by the thrown kunai. Thinking to jump over it, he encountered several trip wires surrounding his location, obviously placed during the passing of the kunai. 'This team is very, very good…' Kakashi's hands flew through various seals at a rapid pace. 'But I'm better.' At the end of the sequence, rocks rose from the ground, disrupting the sealing jutsu and tearing through the various trip wires. As he did, he caught a glimpse of a Sharingan out of the corner of his eyes, and winced as he fought off the effects of a genjutsu. Sasuke was quickly upon the jounin, and the blows from the boys katana pushed the ninja back in a worried fashion.

"You're impressively fast for your age Sasuke, however, you're a might bit hot-headed. You need to learn to control that temper you've got, you know?" Sasuke smirked as the two traded blows, sparks flying between his katana and Kakashi's kunai.

"You think I'm hot-headed, huh? Well in that case, why don't I turn up the heat?" The raven swung his blade past Kakashi's shoulder, surprise lighting the Jonin's face as the blade in front of him began to blaze. "Hot-headedness is a trait of the Uchiha, it's probably why we can use the Sharingan better too…" Twin tomoe spun in the boys eyes as he faced the elder Jonin, and the man grimaced in frustration.

"I must be losing my edge if a couple of kids can push me this hard…" Kakashi didn't move as Sasuke charged, and at the last instant the boy got a sinking feeling as he ran the man through, water dousing his flame blade. "Then again, the Sharingan is only really great when it's used by a level-headed fighter, eh Sasuke?" Sasuke felt a kunai press against his neck, and looked back in fear at the man holding him. "Sorry kid, but your part in this little battle ends here…" Kakashi moved for a knockout strike to the back of the boys head but was stopped when several Shuriken flew in from the side. A hissing sound filled the space between the two. Both jumped apart as the clearing was filled with actinic fire and pressure, blowing them backward. When Kakashi found his feet again, his ears were ringing, and he knew something was wrong. Try as he might, the Jonin couldn't hear clearly out of his ears. Thinking it a genjutsu, he quickly tried to dispel it, but it was to no avail. 'Guess he really did deafen me…' Turning back to the battle at hand, Kakashi dodged expertly as his senses kicked in, avoiding several senbon. From their trajectory, he figured they would have landed in rather unpleasant regions.

"Sakura, I was wondering when we'd get to fight…you and Naruto seemed content to sit back and let Sasuke do most of the fighting…" Kakashi dodged to the side as her axe kick missed his head. As it did, he noted a small depression form under the impact. 'So, she's started to figure out how to enhance her fighting style with chakra…definitely not going to read during this fight.'

"Yeah, well, we had to make sure we got the trap set up nice and neat, didn't we?" Sakura's tone made Kakashi's blood run cold. He had not noticed any trap yet, which meant that there was a definite problem. The girl moved in quickly, cutting off his line of thought as she unleashed senbon after senbon. Kakashi noticed the lines attached to them, and swallowed heavily when he noticed that they all seemed to move in time with Sakura's will, confining his movements to certain patterns.

"What trap would that be? Beyond your little wire tricks, I don't see anything too dangerous at the moment…" The thick fog had started to roll in again, and Kakashi grimaced as his peripheral vision was lost.

"Isn't it odd that if your hearing was damaged by the explosion that we can talk perfectly well right now?" Shock ran through the Jonin, but he steeled his nerves, facing down the pinkette. He noticed with some worry that there were once more far too many footsteps in the surrounding fog. "When you pushed the seal back with that earth jutsu of yours, Naruto planned it so that his seals would cover a wide area with silence deadening. That means that as I push you back, you'll eventually enter a zone where you can't hear anything. Combine that with the mist jutsu and you won't be able to see anything." Kakashi grimaced as a senbon finally struck home, embedding deeply in his forearm. "And now you won't be able to feel anything…Not a terribly advanced poison, nor lethal, but it should numb your entire body completely in a matter of a few minutes." Kakashi actually chuckled at this, causing the confident girl to back off a bit.

"Pretty good, but you are fighting a Jonin, you know?" The man dissolved into water again, and Sakura punched the ground in frustration, sending tremors through the earth. Kakashi smirked in the distant fog, trying to get a feel for how far the silencing seal extended. After several throws, Kakashi determined that he had a ten by ten square of hearing available to him, and that the rest of the surroundings were completely negated by sound cancellation. "I think it's time to end play time for now…" With a surge of chakra, Kakashi drew in the surrounding mist, converting it all into a large jutsu that he rather liked employing. While not exactly deadly, it did serve to force apart close quarter combatants. A shadow clone appeared next to the Jonin, and the two turned and faced one another. "Synthesis technique: Typhoon jutsu" Wind and water raced together around the two dopplegangers, and in an instant a massive wall of wind and water raced out, blowing away the mist and knocking over trees and surrounding areas. When Kakashi finished, he was surprised to find a smirking Naruto standing in front of him. In his hands were the two bells.

"How the hell did you get those?" Kakashi flashed through several seals, getting ready to jump on the little brat. As he did though, he noticed he was surrounded by several dozens of the Naruto's, all holding the bells.

"Sorry sensei, but we knew you'd get frustrated and blow away that mist eventually. It was a pain to have to keep repositioning my clones so that they were close enough so that when you did we could jump in while you were distracted." All of the clones jumped back and Kakashi saw the clones place a bell on the ground in front of Sakura and Sasuke. "And now, we have all retrieved one of your bells…possibly. We won't tell you which one is the clones and which one is real until you pass all of us." Kakashi felt his ire rising, but suppressed it quickly when a surge of pride went through him.

"Fine. I know when I'm outmatched. You all pass." Grins broke out on the team, and Kakashi smirked as all of the clones dispersed. When they were gone even the bells disappeared, and Kakashi noticed a sudden jingle at his waist. Glancing down, the ninja noticed the two bells hanging on his waistband, a senbon needle penetrating slightly into his hip. On the senbon needle was a complex seal that Kakashi recognized immediately as a silencing technique.

"That was very well done you three, even if you didn't manage to get the bells." All three of the kids smiled up at the jonin as he pulled the senbon from his waist. "You still pass, so lunch is on me. After some food we'll return here so I can explain how and when team seven will meet for training." Kakashi shook his head as the two exuberant teammates cheered, while Sasuke merely chuckled lightly and smirked at the teacher.

xXxXxXx

As the group approached the dining fly, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto began paying very close attention to their new teacher. The words he was saying did not quite register with the group, as they were more focused on the mask of the man. When he had mentioned that they would go out to eat, they realized that they might be getting the chance to see under the famous Hatake mask.

Settling down into the seats at a local yakiniku bar, the group began scanning around the room, trying to note any distractions that they could preemptively remove. As they did, they noticed Shikamaru's team and Kiba's team sitting and eating together as well. From the looks of it, all of them were worn out; probably from similar training exercises as team seven they figured. Focusing on the man in front of them, they moved through ordering food without ever letting their eyes leave the Jonin's face. When the tea arrived, they waited on baited breath as he reached up to lower the first mask, only to reveal a second mask. Confused, they watched as the man proceeded to lift the tea cup and seemingly drink through the face covering.

"How the heck does he do that?" Sasuke shook his head in bewilderment in answer to Naruto's question. Kakashi's eyes formed into tiny smiles, as he watched his protégé's.

"It's a family secret I've not passed down yet, but we place seals within our masks so that food matter can pass directly through it. Pretty cool huh?" All of the gennin twitched slightly at this, though they jumped in surprise when the food arrived. Naruto focused on his meal of pork and rice, trying to get the strange thought of a seal master making such a useless design.

"Well, now that we're all seated, I can explain what one of our first missions is going to be." This caused Naruto to look up sharply, a puzzled look on his face.

"How can you know what mission we're going to have? Did the Hokage already assign us a mission?" Kakashi noticed how the title Hokage dripped venom, but let it slide for the moment.

"Yes, well, we won't be starting this mission for a month or two. Need to get you academy students up to speed with being a full fledged ninja and mastering some of your basic elemental ninjutsu." Naruto kept his gaze locked on the man, cerulean blue steel not flickering once. "Once you are ready though, we have a diplomatic mission that will take us south of wave country. There are certain artifacts in a destroyed village that the Hokage wants our group to retrieve. As we could be gone for quite some time, I have to make sure you three are capable to handle things on your own if we were to get separated. To this end, we'll also be taking one of the other rookie teams along with us on this mission. Consider it one last class trip if you have to…" Kakashi faded off, noting the mixed reactions of his group. Naruto seemed to be rather quiet, his gaze focused back on his food. Kakashi sensed some edginess creeping out of him, along with a shrinking away from his other teammates. Sasuke had simply shrugged and looked away, though Kakashi noted that the older boy seemed merely lost in thought about something. Sakura was smiling slightly to herself, obviously happy and looking forward to the trip.

"Anyways, we'll be meeting the other rookies after our meal is finished. If you look around now, you'll be able to see who you might be working with ahead of schedule too." All of them perked up at this and glanced around. Naruto noticed Ino and her group, as well as Hinata off in one of the corners.

"But since you three did manage to trick me earlier, I guess I'll pay for the meal today. Focus on your food for now, and we'll get introductions and team dynamics figured out later, alright?" Naruto turned back to the food in front of him, grinning as the barbeque was passed around.

xXxXxXx

Well, there it is, the first chapter in a long time. Not entirely happy as it was mostly a set-up and back story arc. If I ever get the motivation, I might do a side story for the Anko/Minato relationship development.I know, I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger for team assignments, but hey, it's all for the good, trust me. Also, I'll be opening up a poll for which team should be worked with, either the team with Ino on it, or the team with Hinata. I won't reveal how this will affect the storyline, or why it is a decision that needs to be made. Mostly, it's being done because I have a hidden idea for how the story will play out, and I need your help (the reader) with it. Also, the team members for those two are not important for this development per se, but it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

With that, expect another update in two weeks or so! I'm hopefully gonna be able to keep that up as a schedule, so let me know what you think! As always, read and review!