Chapter 6: The Birth of Team Seven

Naruto's POV Academy Classroom

Naruto sat there and pondered his placement. Ino was familiar with the blonde, but their interactions were mixed. At least he knew what to expect. But the other one, Neji Hyuga. Naruto had yet to learn who he was personally but had heard he was some genius. He had spotted him earlier surrounded by fan girls as Sasuke was. The man in question, Naruto, glanced at him just to learn he was staring at him. He would admit the pupilless pale eyes certainly gave some oomph to his stare. Though his look both added and took away from this. He had long brown hair tied into a ponytail and wore a white and black kimono. It was a formal look yet an arrogant one. Naruto could just tell he was a real bastard. Luckily, Naruto had dealt with bastards before and never backed down. He matched the boy's glare; the two did so for ten seconds before Naruto frowned but waved at the boy. At least a small part of him knew they'd now be comrades. This means some effort was required to keep things running smoothly. But the young Hyuga seemed to ignore this, flicking back to a scroll on his desk.

"You are one unlucky bastard, Naruto," Shikamaru stated bluntly.

"What does that mean?" The blonde replied.

"From what I heard, he's really stuck up and harsh. The type to not play well with others." Shikamaru stated while he gazed at the Hyuga.

"That's because he's a Hyuga," Shino said suddenly behind the two. Naruto jumped, but Shikamaru seemed to know he was there. "They are considered the premiere clan in the village. Worse yet, he's not one of the main houses."

"You mean?" Shikamaru started.

"Correct," Shino confirmed.

"Why would it matter what house he's from?" Naruto asked.

"What a drag. It's because the Side House of Hyuga are treated as more servants than actual clan members." Shikamaru stated, sounding exhausted by the news.

"Wait, servants?! Why the hell would they do that!" Naruto demanded.

"That's because they are much more traditional than most clans. Even mine seems surprisingly modern in comparison. The Hyuga refuse to change the laws they live by even hundreds of years later. The Third Hokage intended to change this after the Uchiha Coup. Fugaku Uchiha attempted to overthrow the Fourth Hokage. Unfortunately, he failed, and as a result, he and the most active shinobi from the Uchiha were imprisoned or executed. The vacuum of power this left allowed the Hyuga to finally surpass the Uchiha as the most powerful and influential clan. The political sway this allows them, as a result, allowed them to keep the unpopular and antiquated practice of discriminating against the Side House. Neji, though, is an even more unique case." Shino informed, his voice completely monotone. Yet it clearly held an edge of annoyance, showing the man's thoughts.

"Ya, he's even more troublesome. Neji is the son of the head of the Side House. Hizashi Hyuga may have been born mere minutes after his older twin, but it had sealed his fate. He was a side branch. And so would be his spawn. Worse yet, Neji is a genius known to be able to match the main house fighters. It must really suck because two years ago, Neji had what they called a "mental lapse." A main house member apparently was attacked by Neji. Neji struck him down. But a group from the main house saw this and attempted to detain him. Neji injured ten men and only surrendered when the main house used some ability they wield that allows absolute control of the side branch."

"Can't believe that it still flies. How the hell do you two even know so much anyway," Naruto asked, attempting to digest the info.

"All clans keep tabs on each other, mostly for political reasons and blackmail. After all, as shinobi, we are expected to weaponize information, and as heirs, we will be expected to do so to the highest level of our abilities. After all, keeping an eye on a rival never hurts." Shino informed.

"Sounds stupid to me," Naruto stated with absolute certainty.

"The main point is, you drag, is that you and Ino need to tread softly around him. He might be a damn psycho. And could likely take you both out." Shikamaru concluded.

"CLASS!" Iruka yelled, his head seemingly having grown more significant for the shout's duration. This time-tested method finally allowed him to cut through their chatter. "Ahem, now the whiteboard contains your meeting spots with various senseis. I would suggest using the walkover to learn about your teammates. Personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and so on. You will be working with them often from now on. And as shinobi, we expect you to be flexible. Especially Genin."

With this, various students go to the board and leave to meet their senseis. Naruto walked down to Ino, who was waiting for him by the board. The blonde looked around for the Hyuga, but he seemed gone.

"Ya, I saw him leave. Didn't even bother saying hi to me! Why are the hot ones always so damn moody." Ino complained as she stomped her way out of the classroom. Naruto, deciding she likely knew where to go, followed her. He also felt pretty annoyed about Neji, but based on her angry ranting, Ino didn't need any more ammo. By the time she cooled off, they were well on their way to the training grounds. Naruto couldn't be sure which one, but Ino still led the way. As such, he felt no need to interfere with her flow. "You know what I mean?" Ino asked, apparently having actually been talking to the blonde.

"Um, no, sorry, wasn't quite listening." Naruto replied bluntly.

"You weren't listening! At least pretend to listen; no, you will listen, you dick!" Ino retorted.

"Wouldn't lying be worse?" A glare from the female blonde promised death if pushed further, so Naruto merely raised his hands in surrender with an awkward chuckle.

Naruto thought it might be a blessing that they had walked silently until they arrived, finding Neji already there, apparently napping against a log. The blonde considered walking him up earlier but brushed it off; sensei would be here soon. And the prickly Hyuga would likely take this incredibly poorly. As the time dragged by, more than thirty minutes, in fact. Passed by in absolute silence.

"Sooo," Ino broke the ice. "Are you excited to be training under Kakashi Hatake?"

"Not sure who it is, to be honest." Naruto replied, inspecting his tanto. He cleaned any smudges he found on the gift.

"I've heard he has mastered a thousand jutsu. That he was a genius who was part of the last academy's course. And get this, he did as a five-year-old." Ino immediately listed off. She had always enjoyed a bit of gossiping.

"Sounds cool to me." Naruto retorted happily.

"Can you both be quiet while I meditate? Besides, while it is true, I doubt there is any saving you." Neji interrupted voice stern.

"Kiss my ass!" Both blondes shouted at once, smiled, and then high-fived each other.

"Hmph, fitting words for peasants such as yourself." Neji replied snidely.

"Excuse me!" Naruto raged as he attempted to walk over to Neji, Ino holding him back barely.

"You should thank her. A shinobi of your level would be lucky to last 30 seconds against me. Do not blame me; it is merely your fate to be below average." Neji stated before closing his eyes again.

Naruto considered attacking him right then and there. But Ino, grabbing his arm and shaking her head, let him attempt to calm down. Naruto took a deep breath and managed to calm himself. He'd get a chance to prove him wrong. For now, he settled for a middle finger. Neji's face twitched as if reacting, but the blonde saw his eyes closed. Perhaps something related to the "Byakugan" he had heard so much about. Luckily, they did not have to wait much longer as a smoke bomb suddenly landed in front of the three logs they sat against. A tall man stood there. Long, spiky, gravity-defying hair swayed to the left. He wore a Jounin's flak jacket and standard Leaf fatigues. He glanced at the three, and Naruto could see he was wearing a facemask covering the lower half of his face and one of his eyes.

"Why, hello there! I'm sorry for being late; see, a dog robbed a bank, and me, being the shinobi I am, felt the need to assist." Kakashi said in an airy tone.

All three young adults stared back at the man, all thrown off.