Despite it All

Help had arrived quickly and saw to the aid of the group's men on the spot. Kushina was the only one who wasn't injured. Iruka had gone to give a detailed report for the night's events. Choji and Lee had both gone home to get some rest for the team scheduling tomorrow. Kushina had decided Naruto deserved ramen tonight. Something he had agreed to wholeheartedly and had gorged himself appropriately. Leading to a fitting food coma for the night.

Naruto wished he had the chance to talk to Lee more about the nine tails but to be frank, he preferred to not think of the giant fox in his stomach that had murdered many in his home village and apparently even his mystery father. He had learned to use some of the beast's chakra as he had been informed by Hiruzen himself that it would be necessary, possibly very soon... He was able to use some of its power. Power being the defining word.

Yet Naruto hated being one with a being that took his father as such he considered it his ace. A final resort to be used in hopeless situations. Last night had almost certainly counted as one. Mizuki had become incredibly strong; luckily, Naruto had good backup and didn't have to suffer using the beast's foul chakra. But it was close. Worse yet, Mizuki was only a Chunin and not an active field one. He may have been boosted by a drug, but if Naruto intended to keep his secret, he'd need to get stronger. Though he would most likely tell his team, a risk but a necessary one if they were expected to be comrades for their careers. It made him nervous. But he wouldn't let it get him down!

Naruto was on cloud nine, after all. The three boys for taking down a traitor had all been passed! Furthermore, Naruto was sure that Lee and Choji were fast-growing friends of the blonde; the time they spent being healed was full of joking and chit-chat. In his academy class, he wasn't hated but almost exclusively hung out with Shikamaru. The blonde reminded himself it was great, but having more friends would be awesome. Naruto chuckles to himself with his eyes close as he rounds the corner, only to smack into someone hard, knocking them both down to the ground.

"My bad!" Naruto apologized as he saw he knocked down another man. He had long spiky black hair with matching, intense black eyes. He wore a black high-collared shirt that was tucked into white combat pants.

"Stay out of my way, dobe." He said as he climbed to his feet and tried to walk by the blonde. But Naruto angrily grabbed him.

"Hey, you bumped into me too! Why are you acting so rude, huh."

"I'm a Uchiha; you are some kinda mutt," Sasuke says simply. Looking as if he was perplexed, the blonde didn't get it.

"Well, I'm gonna be Hokage, so why would I give a damn." The blonde said spitefully.

"Hmph, perhaps I'll show you your place right now." The Uchiha said as he tensed. Naruto saw this reaction and prepared to show this guy a thing or two.

"Sasuke!" a cacophony of female voices called. Uchiha's eyes widened as he suddenly whipped his hand free.

"Tch, your lucky loser!" Uchiha said before suddenly sprinting away. Naruto went to chase but dodged a crowd of females chasing after the Uchiha. Naruto sat on the ground, utterly lost. Before Ino and another turned the corner and saw him on the ground.

"Naruto?" Ino asked as she helped him off the ground. "Gotta learn to avoid the fan girl charge. Sasuke is pretty dreamy, but I swear they have no shame."

"It is pretty embarrassing. How can fangirls like that call themselves Kunochi?" The other woman asked. Naruto looked at her. She was his height with bright pink short hair that worked well with her green eyes. She wore a sleeveless red qipao dress that reached her upper thighs; under this, she wore black tights, elbow and knee pads, and leather gloves. "Oh, that's rude of me. My name is Sakura," she said with a smile. Naruto popped a big smile back.

"No worries, I'm not one for that stuff anyway."

"Obviously," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I heard you passed. Congratulations, if you'll excuse us we gotta try and get a seat near him."

"I thought you two hate fangirls?" Naruto asked.

"Yep, it's all about being a powerful kunoichi and winning the hot boy." Ino said with a wink.

"Ignore her." Sakura said dryly as she dragged Ino towards the meeting place. "Something's wrong with her. Naruto watched the two leave and relaxed in the hall. He wanted to talk to Shikamaru before the teams were picked and knew he would be running late. He heard them before he saw them. Well heard Choji's chips anyway.

He ran to the two, all smiles, and three walked to class, simply chit-chatting. As they walked in, he saw about thirty students. These were all graduates from various classes of the academy. Shikamaru and him were the only ones from their class. As he scanned, he saw Sasuke in the corner with a group of girls, seemingly fighting for his attention. Naruto snickered at this as he walked with the boys to some open seats in the center. On the opposite side, other girls were crowding some guy with long hair. Toward the front, Ino, Sakura, and two other girls were chatting animatedly. Naruto then glanced at where they were sitting. Lee and Kiba were both to his left, engaging in a desperate arm struggle that Lee seemed sure to win. A third boy Naruto didn't recognize in a hoodie and sunglasses was referring to an absurdly severe degree. Shikamaru was awake, knowing the teams would be announced soon. But looked to be longing for some sleep. Choji seemed happy to wait while snacking on a candy bar.

Naruto pondered about who he would want on his team. Shikamaru was probably the most significant want. They got along well and knew what they could do. Plus, Shikamaru was stupidly brilliant and would likely be helpful. But he wouldn't mind Choji, Lee, or Kiba. They may be new to him, but they seemed like solid guys. He had no strong thoughts about having women on his team; it'd probably be excellent. He would be pissed if Sasuke or some severe other asshole with a chip on their shoulder. That would be a damn disaster!

As this thought finished, Iruka walked into the class with a grand smile. "Students, you have studied in this building for six years. You came as young and ignorant children. And now you stand before us adults. Trained professionals looking to begin your shinobi career. Your rank is genin. But I have no doubt you all will not be resting at this rank. I am so incredibly proud of this class. You are the first of a new generation. You represent the hopes and dreams of the future. Now as genin, you are assigned a genin squad with a Jounin leader. These teams are not up for debates or complaints. Please understand this was not random; these teams considered and matched your unique skills. Even if you are unsure of the arrangement, handle it with patience and professionalism. You will see the wisdom in time. Now I will read off teams!" Iruka said. Naruto was so excited he didn't even hear the first five; luckily, his attention flicked back on the sixth team.

"Team Six will be: Sasuke Uchiha, Kabuto Yakushi, and Hinata Hyuga! Their sensei will be Shisui Uchiha!"

"Team Seven will be: Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, and Neji Hyuga! Their sensei will be Kakashi Hatake!"

"Team Eight will be: Shikamaru Nara, Tenten of the Leaf, and Sai of the Leaf!" Their sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi!"

"Team Nine will be: Shino Aburame, Choji Akimichi, and Yuno Uchiha! Their sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi!"

"Team Ten will be: Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno, and Rock Lee! Their sensei will be Might Guy!"