AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first Naruto fic, so please be nice!

*coughs*

A note that Sakura has been replaced by an OC of mine via...er...magic. So, I may take a spin on the episodes/chapters so that it will fit into my character's personality. I haven't seen that many Naruto fics that take on the entire series, so I just decided that I'll take my shot at it. Spoilers up to Chapter 227 and 247-250.

Words that I will use that's not English will be in italics. A full summary of what means what will be at the end. Hopefully, I'll try to keep them to a minimum (as I know that some of you do not like people throwing out random Japanese here and there), but those that are usually used in Naruto will stay in their original Japanese form...so hopefully be familiar with those terms! Also, if there's anything wrong (mistakes and whatnot), please do tell me!

I'm also writing this as if you've never heard of Naruto before, like a novel. So there will be things I will discuss about that's already been heard, but bear with me.

Enjoy and R&R!

[thoughts]

words not in English (will be italicized only once per chapter)

Chapter One ~ The Groups: What?!? She's On Sasuke's Team??

It had been an ordinary start for Miyamoto Azumi of Hidden Leaf Village. She finished her main goal on graduating from the Ninja Academy on her first try, although it did take her a while. She was looking forward for the missions ahead and hoped that her two dreams of becoming the first female to master her clan's sword skill and becoming a famous kunoichi like the sannin Tsunade had become would be accomplished. The latter dream she shared with her friend Tenten.

Thinking back to her small circle of close friends, Azumi wondered to herself what her teammates and their jounin-sensei would be like. She heard and witnessed the bitter one-sided rivalry that Tenten's teammates had and her optimistic jounin-sensei sometimes seed to add fuel to the fire. Yet despite some problems and difficulties, Azumi saw that the older girl dealt with her teammates pretty well and her team in general was very nice -- even if Azumi did not like the previous number one rookie all that much.

Azumi was sure that she and her and Tenten's friend, Hinata, would be fine with their teams, but she couldn't help but worry about Hinata. Hinata was from the Hyuuga clan and also the unfortunate successor. The Hyuuga clan was one of the most famous and largest of the clans in Hidden Leaf, save for the near extinct Uchiha, and possessed Hidden Leaf's double-edged sword: an advance bloodline technique called the Byakugan. The Byakugan made its user capable of seeing its opponent's chakra points and having a wide range of eyesight of around 360 degrees within a 100 mile radius. It was Hidden Leaf's strongest aid, but if fallen in the hands of enemies, it would also be a major threat. In order to protect their technique from falling into enemy hands, the Hyuuga -- being so large -- split itself into two houses: the main house and the branch house. The main house members watched over the branch house while the branch house are forced to protect the main house. Branch house members each have a cursed seal imprinted onto their foreheads which would seal off the Byakugan upon their death. The cursed seal was also a manipulation tool for the main house to use in case a member of the branch house decided to attack the main house. Overall, the feud between the two houses of the Hyuuga proved to be a major burden on Hinata. She was looked down by the main house and her father for being weak, favoring her younger sister Hanabi to take over the leadership. And because she was a main house member, the branch house despised her.

However, Azumi did not care what the Hyuuga clan thought of her friend. She knew Hinata better than they probably did and she knew that Hinata was actually a strong fighter. The Hyuuga heir was just timid and reluctant to acknowledge her strength.

Azumi looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She was small for her twelve years of age with a slight athletic build and black hair that fell just slightly below her chin. Chocolate almond eyes stared back at her in the mirror and she tied her newly acquired forehead protector around her head. She wore a light blue sleeveless top that split on both sides around her hips, falling down to about knee length. Black pants covered her legs and a red sash was tied around her waist to prevent her shirt from flying up. Usually along with the sash was a tether to strap her weapon of choice, a katana she received from her grandfather on her sixth birthday, but today it was not needed. Today was the explanatory meeting for the new graduates, not training class.

Making sure that her headband was in the right place, Azumi grabbed her satchel and keys and headed for the door.

"Wish me luck, oniisan," she said to the photograph on the nightstand in her apartment before she closed the door.


<Hidden Leaf Ninja Academy>

The anxiety that had been building inside of her since she woke up earlier in the morning was now reaching its breaking point. Her eyes darted back and forth around the classroom, searching for someone familiar and whom she was comfortable with to sit next to. Hyuuga Hinata was not quite sure why she was so nervous, but then again maybe she did.

Hinata was just a bit taller than her friend, Azumi, with short black hair that came just about mid-cheek and fairly light, almost white, lavender eyes. She wore a hooded beige jacket that had a fur trim on the bottom and navy blue capris. Her sandals, like almost everyone in Konoha had, were of the same color. The rest of her supplies she usually carried were at home, and at the moment she wished that she had brought them along with her for comfort. She considered going back home to get them, however that meant that she would again see the faces of her father and younger sister Hanabi. It wasn't that she wanted to avoid them deliberately, but she always felt their oppressive stares -- stares that always made her confidence fade to nonexistence.

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata jumped at hearing the voice behind her only to be relieved that it was Azumi.

"A-Azumi-chan..."

Azumi smiled back at her shy Hyuuga friend and classmate, "Sorry, did I scare you?"

Both girls walked deeper into the classroom to find seats near the mid-back of the room. Out of habit whenever she was nervous, Hinata began twiddling her fingers as they found a spot near the wall and sat down.

"Um...a little bit," she meekly replied.

"I'm really sorry about that," Azumi apologized as she took her seat. "I thought you saw me wave at you."

Hinata gave a small smile. She always admired Azumi's sense of confidence even on a day when she was left unprepared and uninformed, and it was contagious. It wasn't the kind of arrogant confidence that some skilled ninja had because they KNEW they were gifted. It was the kind of confidence that always seemed to adapt to the situation. It was flexible, quiet. It was the kind that very few people had nowadays and because of that, Hinata found it easy to confide with Azumi than their other friends. The girls had been acquainted the longest and sometimes were mistaken for sisters.

"I'm just...a little nervous," Hinata continued to explain. "I don't think that I'll be of any help as a genin."

Azumi laughed not out of ridicule but out of reassurance.

"Don't be silly, Hinata-chan! You'll be a great help!" Then she frowned with as much seriousness as her young face could muster. "And don't let ANYBODY put you down. If someone tries to, even if it's one of your teammates, me and Ten-chan'll hunt them down."

Hinata smiled again, this time much more brightly. Tenten and Azumi were very protective of her because she often went silent whenever her relatives would make a snide comment aimed at her -- another habit she developed over the years. The girls often wondered where Hinata had gotten her shyness from, since she was VERY different from her father and younger sister, and they concluded she had gotten it from her mother who died shortly after Hanabi's birth six years prior. Hinata did not remember her mother quite well, but she assumed that she had gotten quieter after her death. Her self-esteem was usually never very high to begin with. Azumi and Tenten often gave her that boost of confidence.

"If you're on my team, Azumi-chan, then I won't worry as much."

The possibility that the two would end up on the same team was small if not rare. Rookie genins were usually divided so that everyone would get a chance to know someone that they did not know at all too well or to get along with someone that they did not like much. It was to improve the unity among all of the Konoha ninjas no matter what rank they were. However, Hinata did remember that Azumi's older brother had told them that he and his younger twin sister, Azumi's older sister, were on the same team as genins so the chance was possible. Slight, but possible.

It seemed that Azumi was thinking about the same thing as Hinata was as she nodded.

"Yeah, I hope so, too! It'd be easier because we ---"

"A~zu~mi-cha~n," a voice singsonged behind them.

A boy with blonde hair was squatting on top of the counter behind them with a goofy grin on his face. He was a little tanner than everyone else and on each side of his cheeks were three faint, horizontal lines -- what Azumi presumed to be scars or odd birthmarks since for as long as she could remember they were always there. His clothing was also somewhat different from the rest of the class; orange was the primary color with bits of red, white, and blue. The orange jacket had a white, fur-like trim and blue fabric covered the shoulders. The pants matched the jacket except that they were entirely orange. A kunai bandage and holster were wrapped around his left leg. He looked ready for battle even though it was just an explanatory meeting. However, that did not matter to the boy nor did his unique appearance. It was just how Uzumaki Naruto was: different.

Perhaps his perseverance and determination was why her friend Hinata liked him so much, at least, that was Azumi's perception.

Azumi quickly noticed that Hinata had immediately looked away from Naruto then, a light pink brushing her cheeks. She inwardly smiled to herself. Maybe she could try and see if she can handle being a matchmaker for the both of them.

"Naruto, you passed, too?" she asked in her typical cheerful manner.

The boy's grin widened as he nodded, adjusting the head protector on his head. Azumi couldn't help but smile, sharing his happiness. It was hard to resist his happy-go-lucky and loud personality and unlike the other girls in her class, she found Naruto very interesting to watch. Like Hinata, she liked his unwavering persistence and for the past couple of weeks since her return, Azumi found the energy to move on through his example.

However, she wasn't quite sure why he was acting as if he was nervous in front of her. Actually, a lot of the boys in the village did that around her.

"Would you like to sit with us?" she asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. She could feel Hinata's petrified reaction on the other side.

As if she had read his mind, Naruto's blue eyes brightened in delight. "Really?? YES!!!"

He literally hopped into the seat next to her, which made her giggle and her friend fidget even more. Now I can put these two together...she thought.

"Oh,. look who's here," a voice passing by said with disdain. "The lost kitten."

Azumi visibly stiffened at her newly acquired "nickname" and turned in the direction of the voice. Hinata, being closest to the owner, frowned and Naruto was left lost, looking back and forth between Azumi and the owner of the voice.

The owner was a girl the same age as almost everyone else was in the room while light blonde hair tied up in a ponytail that fell to her hips and blue eyes that were a lighter shade than Naruto's. She wore a purple top very similar to Azumi's, split at both sides at her waist with white, bandaged shorts underneath. She wore white armbands that had a purple trim and holding her top together was another wrap of bandages around her waist where her forehead protector also was tied around. The only difference between Azumi's top and hers was that hers had a much longer and wider collar.

A small, tense silence fell between them before Azumi managed a sarcastic smirk while still maintaining eye contact with the girl.

"Well, if it isn't Yamanaka Ino," she addressed with equal disdain, folding her arms across her chest. "Who would've thought that just primping yourself up for a guy who doesn't even acknowledge your existence can pass the exam?"

Ino clenched her teeth in anger, fists curled tightly at her sides. Azumi waited for the girl to explode in emotion, but the "guy" Azumi mentioned nonchalantly passed by them without a word. Ino's anger quickly subsided as she chased after him.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called. "Wait for me!"

Azumi rolled her eyes. "Gee, one minute she's ready to fight me and the next she's chasing after the most popular guy in our class."

"So, Uchiha-kun passed," Hinata murmured quietly as she forgot Naruto for the time being.

The Uchiha clan was another large clan like the Hyuuga in Hidden Leaf except that it faced a disastrous tragedy six years before -- annihilation. Azumi's brother never relayed to her any details except that only one member of the clan survived, the twelve year old that she was watching now: Uchiha Sasuke. He was a bit tall for his age, but then again Azumi was a very small person, with black hair that fell to the front around his face and equally dark eyes. Being the only survivor of a once prestigious clan known for one of the most devastating advanced bloodline techniques in Hidden Leaf, the Sharingan, Sasuke was very quiet and only answered if he had to. The latter was what Azumi didn't like and what the majority of the girls in their class loved -- excluding the fact that he was very handsome. Azumi could sympathize with Sasuke, having nearly faced the same fate as he did around the same time, but she didn't like his tone of voice, how he portrayed life. She noticed he liked to be alone and once in a while overheard him saying to a fan-crazed female classmate that he did not need anyone with the underlying meaning of "I'm better than you, so you're weak". It was that kind of arrogance, or an air of it at least, that Azumi despised.

"Of course he would, Hinata-chan!" Azumi pointed out, leaning back with arms behind her head. "You can't expect any less from someone in the Uchiha clan."

Today she noticed that he was wearing his usual attire which consisted of a blue shirt with a wide collar, white shorts, and white armbands with a blue trim. His forehead protector was tied neatly around his head. A swarm of girls began to pile around him as he took a seat closest to the windows, ignoring the girls as always.

A sound next to her distracted her attention. "Naruto?"

He had gotten out of his seat with a grim look on his face, muttering, "I'll be right back."

She and Hinata watched as Naruto hopped from counter to counter like a frog until he was up and over the crowd and squatting on the counter in front of Sasuke. The girls didn't seem to appreciate his interruption.

"Naruto, just what the hell are you doing?!?" Ino shouted.

"Sasuke-kun, go beat him up!" another girl added.

At the sound of his name, Sasuke opened his eyes only for his expression to change from seriousness to annoyance. Naruto glared back with equal bitterness and their staring contest ensued among the shouts of the fan-crazed girls who were asking for Sasuke to punch Naruto or for Naruto to go away. Their contest abruptly ended when a classmate in front of (or rather, behind, considering that Naruto's back was turned) them, oblivious to the crowd of crazed Sasuke fangirls, bumped into Naruto's legs, causing the blond to collide into Sasuke -- with a kiss.

The classroom feel silent for that half second as both boys jerked back and gagged for air, disgusted with themselves that the worst has happened.

Hinata covered her eyes at the time, but Azumi felt a mixture of horror, confusion, and fear all at the same time as she watched the other girls' reactions from her seat.

That's...not good...

Sure enough, after Naruto began to recover from his experience, he was at the mercy of many punches, kicks, and other randomly thrown objects.

---------------------------------------

"All of your are still rookie genins," their teacher, Umino Iruka, announced to the class of graduates. Iruka was a man in his early twenties with brown hair that was tied upwards, like a broom. A scar slashed across the bridge of his nose from one eye to the next and he was wearing the standard green vest that was given as uniforms for ninja chuunin rank and above with a navy blue sweater and sweatpants underneath -- another standard for those who were chuunin and up, although it was becoming less common nowadays. Iruka was a kind yet strict sensei who tried to maintain order and discipline among the class while knowing each student thoroughly. Azumi personally liked him out of all the teachers she had, excluding those within her family.

"You may have passed now, but the road ahead is going to be a long and hard one no matter how talented you may be or how adaptable you are." A pause to let the weight of his words sink in. "All of you still need the experience that is essential to mission success and to survival so this is why you are all here today. As of today, you will be split into teams of three and each team will be accompanied by a jounin-sensei.

A wave of murmurs passed through the room by those surprised by the information. To Azumi, Hinata and Ino, this was nothing new. A few minutes passed before Iruka waved for silence as he continued on.

"The teams have been decided based on your grades and your strengths so that each team will be equal. After I've announced all of the teams, you will come back here at three this afternoon to meet your assigned jounin-sensei."

As their teacher began reading off of the list he held in his hands, Azumi's mind began to wander elsewhere. She should be paying attention just in case her team was called, but Azumi had the feeling -- because she reentered -- that she would be towards the end of the list. She began to think of her ideal team, her eyes searching across the room.

Hm...me and Hinata-chan, of course, she thought. We work together pretty well. But...who else...?

Her eyes stopped at the back of Ino's head, who unfortunately, had to sit in front of her. Anyone but Ino is fine.

"Team Seven," Iruka's voice boomed, snapping Azumi out of her thoughts. "Uzumaki Naruto. Miyamoto Azumi --"

"YESS!!" Naruto shouted, standing with fists pumped in the air. He reluctantly had to sit next to Sasuke because Iruka came in, much to the fangirls' dismay.

Azumi smiled at his outburst. Yeah... Naruto might be a good person to have.

"...And Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka finished.

The fangirl population for Sasuke immediately stood up from their seats, shocked. "EH?!?!?"

Azumi, also surprised, blinked. And blinked again. Naruto had slumped back into his seat while the fangirls turned their attention from Iruka to Azumi with stares of horror, jealousy, or dismay that it wasn't them. Reeling back from the unwanted attention, Azumi heaved out a big sigh, head in her hands.

"Great, that just made me public enemy number one," she muttered under her breath.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto shouted and stood again, drawing the attention back to him.

Iruka looked up from the list. "What is it, Naruto?"

The blond slammed his hand down to make a point and with the other he pointed at their teacher in accusation.

"Why does an incredible ninja like me," his free hand swung to point at Sasuke, "have to be on the same team with someone unworthy like HIM?!?"

Iruka sighed, setting down the list on his desk. "The teams have to be even. Naruto, you had the worst grade in the class." He paused as Naruto winced at the word "worst". "Sasuke has the best."

So that makes me in the middle? Azumi wondered to herself in disappointment as her eyes glanced back and forth between her teammates.

With Naruto at a lost for words and the classroom erupting with laughter, the Uchiha heir added his own input to the situation. "Just don't get in my way, blockhead."

Naruto immediately retaliated. "What?!? Who the hell's a blockhead??"

A faint smirk, the closest thing that Sasuke ever had to a smile, flitted across his lips. "You wanna fight, blockhead?"

The class roared even louder until Iruka yelled at Naruto to sit down. He reluctantly complied yet still glared daggers back at the raven-haired boy next to him. Azumi sighed for a second time that morning, sinking even further in her seat. Don't tell me that they're always going to be like that...I'm going to have a lot of work to do...

Hinata watched her friend fall further into despair, half concerned if she was going to be all right in her team and half disappointed that the two people she had wanted were on a team separate from hers. She was startled out of her worries when Iruka continued down the list.

"Team Eight: Hyuuga Hinata. Inuzuka Kiba. Arubame Shino."

"Shino?" Azumi murmured, taken away from the stress she was suffering at the moment, and glanced around the room before her eyes stopped at a boy sitting across the room.

The boy had a large trenchcoat on, much of his lower face covered by the high collar of the coat. His black hair stood up straight but his eyes couldn't be seen as they were covered by a pair of black, circular sunglasses. He had pushed the ridge of his sunglasses up at the call of his name but did nothing else.

Azumi had known Shino even longer than she had known Hinata, but they were not as close. Her clan and his used to live in close proximity with each other until the "incident" six years ago that reduced the size of the Miyamoto clan to only a handful of people. She always loved to tease Shino about his love for insects even if they weren't used as weapons in the Arubame clan when they were younger. However, since she moved away from the former Miyamoto prefecture in Hidden Leaf, Azumi only talked to Shino on occasion.

Azumi poked Hinata on the arm as Iruka began to announce the 9th team, mouthing the words "good luck" to her. The Hyuuga heiress smiled, a small boost of confidence returning to her.

"Man, why does it have to be you of all people on Sasuke-kun's team?" Ino said, intentionally speaking out loud to be heard.

She wished that Ino wasn't sitting in front of her but Azumi rolled her eyes anyway. "Oh please. Just because I'm on his team doesn't mean that I'll do something about it."

"That's exactly what I mean! You're just too stupid to realize it, Azumi-neko," Ino replied as she pointed at herself. "If I was on Sasuke-kun's team, then I would try everything in my ability to get Sasuke for myself."

"He'd just ignore you."

"What's so special about him, anyway?" the boy next to Ino asked, looking bored.

His hair was tied up like Iruka's except that it was black and not brown. He wore a mesh shirt with a beige jacket that was cut halfway to his chest. The jacket had an olive trim and on each sleeve was a distinct patch that signified his clan. His pants were black and wrapped around his right arm was his forehead protector.

"I don't know, Shikamaru," Azumi answered the boy and pointed at Ino. "Why don't you ask Uchiha Sasuke fan #1 Ino-pig here?"

Ino frowned at the nickname she acquired from Azumi not long after the latter got her "lost kitten" nickname. "I am NOT a ---"

"Team Ten," Iruka's voice interrupted her. "Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru --"

"WHAT?!?" Ino cried out, sinking in her seat.

Shikamaru smirked, leaning back in his seat. "And you said before we came in that you would never be stuck with someone like me. I guess you're stuck."

"---and Akimiji Chouji."

Ino slumped further in her seat. "Just my luck..."

Azumi inwardly smiled in satisfaction. She gets what she deserves.


 

List of unknown words: (if I'm wrong in any, please tell me!)

kunoichi: female ninja

sannin: if you've followed Naruto, then you should know, but this title refers to the 3 ninjas taught by Sandaime Hokage: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru

jounin-sensei: the term "jounin" in Naruto refers to the highest rank of ninja below Hokage and ANBU; "sensei" just means teacher

oniisan: big brother

[name]-chan: suffix used with children or with very close friends; most common suffix with girls

genin: in Naruto, the lowest rank of ninja

[name]-kun: suffix typically used with young men; a little bit less formal than -san

chuunin: rank in between genin and jounin

sensei: teacher

neko: a cat