This is the first fanfic that I've written. Hope you'll like it.

Charter #1: The New Team number 7

It still was early morning, but the sun was already high. The Shinobi Academy was quite crowded at this time… which should be understandable, since the final exam has finished just two days ago. Today young shinobies were supposed to meet their new teachers.

‘My, it’s been a while’ thought Naruto. ‘This place hasn’t changed a bit.’

Iruka was sitting next to his desk, filling out some papers, when the blonde jumped into the room by the window. Iruka looked at his direction. If you would judge only by the looks, Naruto hasn’t changed much: he still had a little messy, blonde hair, blue eyes… only his height changed.

But the chuunin did changed. His hair became grey and way longer then they used to be. He grew a beard and the scar on his faced seemed to be smaller the before.

‘Konnichiwa, Iruka-sensei’ he said stepping into the room.

‘Naruto, you should stop calling me that’ Iruka responded. ‘After all, you’re a higher rank shinobi then me now.’

‘I know, I know. But it’s hard getting used to being a jounin.’

‘I guess Hokage-sama choose you for being one of the new teams leader?’

‘Well, that’s why I’m here.’

‘Then here’ said Iruka, giving him some papers. ‘You’re team number is seven. That brings back memories, doesn’t it?’

‘Yeah. But a lot of things changed since then. Well, best I get going…’

‘Naruto, be aware of the fact, that you’re team is a bunch of troublemakers. You should watch out for them.’

‘No need to worry about that, Iruka-sensei. I know how to deal with such.’

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Naruto opened the door to the class, but didn’t walk through it. Only thanks to that, he was able to avoid the blackboard sponge, coming from above.

‘Oh, it didn’t work’ said sadly a blonde kid with small, green eyes.

‘Of course it didn’t, you bonehead. He’s a jounin, how could he fall for such a lousy bobby trap?’ responded a kid with long, black hair, clipped into a ponytail. What really drew Naruto’s attention in him, was a scar on his left eye… he definitely could use it, but the scar was really visible.

‘Forgive them, sensei’ begged a young girl with long, brown hair (way longer then scar-face), also clipped into a ponytail. She had brown eyes and was wearing a violet, female shinobi dress. ‘They’re always like that.’

‘That sure brings back memories even more’ signed Naruto.

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‘Okay, first I’d like to learn something about you, so why don’t you tell me about yourselves? Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, plans for the future and such. Maybe we should start with the ladies? You go first’ he pointed a girl with long, dark brown hair (again, a ponytail!) in a black dress.

Things did change since he became a jounin. One of the changes where that the gennin teams now consisted five members and a jounin.

‘My name is Tanken Ibuki. About the things I like and don’t like… I don’t feel like talking about that. Plans for the future? I have one, but for now, I’d rather to keep it to myself.’

‘Well, well, well’ thought Naruto. ‘An heir of the famous Tanken clan. Who would have thought that she would land in my group?’

‘Guess you’re next’ he said to the other, browned hair girl (the one in a violet dress), this time out loud.

‘I’m Murasakki Kumiko. I like… umm… I mean, my favorite thing is… uh…’

‘Sakura-chan, this girl’s so like the old you’ smiled the blonde jounin. ‘Okay, let’s continue.’

‘The name’s Haisha Kai!’ said the blonde kid. ‘I don’t have the time to waste it on talking about my likes and dislikes, but I will become the Hokage one day! What, you got a problem with that!’

‘Damn, this seriously is a déjà vu. And what’s with that name, was his father drunk when he gave it to him or something? ’ thought Naruto. ‘Next.’

This time it was the scar face:

‘Name: Gekido Takaru. There are a lot of things I don’t like, but none that I would especially enjoy. As for the plans for the future… well, I have someone to kill… and a person to surpass.’

‘Figures’ thought Naruto (he’s done a lot of thinking, didn’t he :D ?). ‘Well, you’re the last one on the list.’

And thus a boy with messy, short black hair and blue eyes began to talk:

‘I’m Hagane Kusari. As for likes… well, probably girls’ at this point, he looked at Kumiko’s direction, which gave her shivers, so he continued: ‘I don’t like too many rules. As for my aspirations… To win Kumiko-chan’s love!’

‘This guy… he creeps me out’ thought the blonde jounin. ‘Well, guess that’s enough of introducing…’

‘Wait a minute, how about telling us something about yourself?’ interrupted Kai.

‘Well, I guess it should be done’ responded Naruto. ‘I’m Uzumaki Naruto and I like ramen. About the things I don’t like… well, the list grew in the last years and there’s no need to bore you with it. As for hobbies… probably just laying on the ground, doing nothing. My dream…’ at this point he looked at Kai. ‘… I’ll keep to myself for now. Is that enough for you guys?’

The four of them nodded, but Kai couldn’t leave it without comment:

‘I’ve heard better introductions.’

‘Like yours?’ smiled Naruto. ‘Never mind. As for now I suggest a goodnight sleep. Tomorrow we’ll meet at a place mentioned here…’ at this point he gave each of them an information note. ‘… and play a little game.’

‘Game?’ Kumiko was surprised.

‘You didn’t know? Just because you’ve passed the final exam at the Shinobi Academy, doesn’t mean you become a gennin. In order to receive that title, you need to pass another test. The test that’ll take place tomorrow morning. And I’ll tell you this: the chances to fail it are over 50.’

‘Isn’t that right, Kakashi-sensei?’ he thought to himself.

‘I suggest bringing all the shinobi equipment and be prepared to go all out, or else you’ll fail.’

And with those words, he left them to their own thoughts.

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The next day the weather was also great (a little to hot though). All five rookies gathered in the place mentioned in the notes from Naruto. It was an opened field with a stone monument in the center and the forest surrounding it (a little they didn’t knew, it was the same place where Uzumaki took his gennin exam).

Soon after them, their jounin instructor appeared appeared.

He placed an alarm clock on the nearby trunk and set the alarm on noon. Still not saying anything, he picked out four, little bells.

‘I have four bells’ he finally announced. ‘Your task will be to take them away from me till noon. Each person needs only one bell, but there are only four, so at least one of you will end up with no bells… and the one to do so, will automatically fail this exam and will return to the Academy.’

‘But sensei, that’s not fair!’ yelled Kumiko. ‘How come one of us will have to return to the Academy!’

‘Who said that it’ll be only one?’ responded Naruto. ‘I said that at least one of you will finish this test with no bells, but it could be all five. To put it simply, all of you may fail.’

Kai swallowed his saliva loudly. Takaru just smiled under his nose.

‘As I announced yesterday, you can use shurikens and any other shinobi tool’ continued Naruto. ‘I’ll tell you right now, if you won’t go all out, there’s no way for you to get the bells.’

‘He sure is confident in himself’ thought Takaru. ‘Well, we’ll see what he’s capable of…’

‘I’ll get that bell even if I’ll have to kill him’ announced in his mind Kai. ‘At all costs, I have to become a shinobi!’

‘Calm down Murasakki…’ Kumiko tried to calm herself down. ‘You can do it…’

‘Getting some bells? That’s lame…’ thought Kusari. ‘But if I’ll do this, Kumiko-chan will find out what awesome shinobi I am…’

‘I can’t fail here…’ Ibuki reminded herself. ‘I have a goal to achieve…’

‘Well, you all seem to be ready’ noticed Naruto. ‘Guess there’s no point in keeping you waiting’ he looked at the clock. ‘From now on, you got three hours to take the bells away from me. Best of luck, you’ll need it. Okay, enough chit-chat. Ready and… begin!’

And hearing that commend, the five rookie scattered.