Naruto wasn't quite sure when exactly Anko moved into his house, it was really more of a gradual thing anyway. She would occasionally come over and stay the night to get away from the orphanage, even though Naruto never said she wasn't welcome. Then after a few weeks, when she realised Naruto really didn't mind her staying, she began to come more often. Gradually, she began by keeping things in the guest room, scrolls and books from the academy and even a few clothes. Then one day, when they were both eating breakfast in the kitchen they simultaneously realised Anko hadn't gone back to the orphanage in over two weeks.
Everything she owned was now in Naruto's guest room which by now was no doubt hers. Naruto probably realised before even she did, he didn't mind though, it was like having a roommate. He gave her a place to stay where she wouldn't be mistreated, ignored or abused and in turn she brought back some of the noise into his life that had left him when his parents died. It only helped that the two had managed to become fast friends in their months at the academy, mostly inseparable in or outside of class.
Theirs wasn't the only bond formed; in those same months Naruto would repeatedly come over to the Uchiha district and train with either Itachi or Shisui. On occasion the two would even come over to the Namikaze estate, neither of them mentioning the strange situation of Naruto practically living with Anko. They too became friends, good ones too and by proxy they became friends with Anko, helping her train as long as it wasn't too inconveniencing. Nowadays in Naruto's free time he would either find himself hanging out with Anko or Shisui or training profusely with Itachi.
What had started out as a method to help train and find each others' weaknesses to overcome them had become a full-blown rivalry. It was all in good sport though, outside of training or the academy the two would be just as friendly as Naruto was with Shisui. Naruto had tried to introduce the two Uchiha to the wonder that was Ramen yet only Anko really took to it with the same passion as he did. Growing up with food in the orphanage Anko could find the simplest of dishes more than delicious, strangely that seemed to apply even more to anything Naruto cooked for her.
Of course, Anko wasn't an ungrateful or lazy tenant; she pitched in so she would feel she wasn't taking advantage of Naruto. Growing up in somewhat of a communal situation, despite not actually being a part of that community in the orphanage, Anko had picked up the skills to properly wash her own clothes and sometimes even cook for Naruto. The first time she had though Naruto had been quite violently sick that night, he hadn't even thought that was a possibility with the fox sealed in him but somehow she had found a way.
Over their time spent living together, Naruto taught her how to cook in the same way his mother had him. Eventually, her dishes were palatable yet both agreed it was better when Naruto cooked, not that he minded at all. Their training also kept them busy with their skills growing in leaps and bounds with each passing day. Sometimes, Anko would look on anxiously at him, feeling distant. He really was a genius like his father. She almost wanted to shrink away and disappear, he was so bright compared to her; so far ahead of her. However, compared to the rest of their class, she was the fourth ranked student behind Shisui with Itachi and Naruto always switching places for top ranked.
She had found her own, slightly less serious rivalry with the same brown-haired Inuzuka she had fought in their first sparring session, Hana as she had found she was called. They would be mock-enemies in class, always competing against one another, generally with Anko coming out on top. It did push the girl to train harder though, surprisingly reaching out beyond her limiting clan techniques although she still wasn't anywhere near Naruto, Itachi or Shisui.
Over time Naruto opened up more with his emotions, slowly breaking down the wall that had been built when his parents died. He shared more with Anko and eventually with Itachi and Shisui as well. He still hadn't told anybody about the burden he carried but he thought he eventually would; he just hoped they wouldn't think differently of him for it. Anko too shared more and more, of her experiences growing up, of the orphanage, and of her brief time with Aoi. They were happy as a group and it stayed that way through the year.
Eventually, their comfortable equilibrium was broken, by a knock on the door of all things. Naruto and Anko were out in the back of the house, training as usual seeing as they had just gotten back from the Academy. Naruto heard the door and held up a hand to stop, quickly jogging through the house to the front door. When he opened it he was surprised to see the Hokage standing there, smiling down at the young redhead. He hadn't seen Hiruzen since the memorial service almost six months earlier, or at least they hadn't spoken.
"Hello Naruto, I thought I would come by, see how you were getting along." the Hokage said gently.
Naruto smiled politely, stepping aside to allow the older man to enter which he did. Hiruzen smiled as he gazed around the house, having visited more than a few times before and after Naruto's birth. He noted happily that it was well-kept, even if a few articles of clothing were strewn across furniture now and again; he just didn't know those weren't Naruto's. It at least told him the boy hadn't gone into any kind of depression over his parents' deaths like he had feared.
He was also happy to hear that Naruto was top of the class, even if he shared that space with the Uchiha clan heir, really to be expected though from Minato's son. That told him he hadn't neglected his training at all, even reports of him visiting the Uchiha compound and making friends. In all Hiruzen was rather glad, he was very busy in the last few months dealing with the aftermath of the attack and didn't have time to visit Naruto so it was heart-warming to see he was doing just fine.
However, he didn't expect to walk into the house, only to see a young purple-haired girl walk in from the back door, looking at the Hokage first curiously then in surprise. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the scene, scanning the house again as he took note of all the slightly feminine clothing dotted around. He turned back around to Naruto but the boy simply walked past him, smiling at Anko before moving into the kitchen to prepare some tea as his mother had taught him to do when entertaining guests.
"Hello, Anko is it?" The Hokage had made a note to know every face in his village; the young girl was no exception. Anko just nodded quickly and respectfully, some of Naruto's polite personality managing to rub off on her, slightly. "It's good to see you." Anko smiled a little nervously, never having spoken to the Hokage before, even when the fourth was still alive.
"And you, Hokage-sama." she said with awkward stifness laden in her voice.
Hiruzen just waved a hand, dismissing the formal suffix; after he had retired he had hoped to be rid of it, as well as a certain amount of paperwork.
"Please child, no need for the pleasantries, I am no more important to this village than anybody else." Anko nodded slowly, obviously not believing the overtly humble statement but following him as they both walked into the kitchen anyway. Hiruzen was mildly surprised when he found Naruto already laying out three cups of steaming tea, smiling pleasantly at the Hokage and Anko.
"Very kind of you Naruto." The redhead simply nodded as he sat down at the table.
"Might I ask why you're visiting Hokage-sama?" Hiruzen sighed, knowing it would be a losing battle to try and get Naruto to treat him with anything but the utmost politeness; his father was exactly the same, even when he had been Hokage himself.
"I just thought I would come and see how you're getting along, with your studies, friends and the like." As he said friends he made sure to glance in Anko's direction; watching the girl as she sipped her tea like it was the most normal situation in the world. Naruto just smiled as he settled back in his chair, his defences really had come down with Anko's help, he was smiling a lot more now; not like he used to, but more.
"Please Hokage-sama; you have records of all out progress updated monthly, if you wanted to know you could simply flick through my file." The Hokage nodded with a smirk of his own, Naruto was sharp like his father but with just the hint of cheekiness he got from his mother.
"Ahh but it's nothing like hearing from the source." Naruto nodded with a smile, admitting that small fact.
"I guess... I have been keeping up with the training schedule my father had planned for me while also staying ahead of my studies, as you probably know I'm top of the class along with my friend Itachi." The Hokage nodded, indeed knowing this beforehand and he was curious about it.
"Tell me, how exactly did that happen? I knew your mother was very well acquainted with Mikoto Uchiha but before you started at the academy I thought you had limited interaction with them at best." Naruto nodded, in fact he had limited interaction with children his age period.
"He approached me at lunch on our second day, with a lunch prepared by his mother. We talked and became friends. We train together every so often too; I think he sees me as somewhat of a rival, I see him the same way." Hiruzen smiled as he sipped his tea, a rivalry was always good to push students harder as long as it didn't get too out of hand.
"Very good, and I assume you met Shisui through him?" Naruto shook his head with his own smirk, it felt somewhat good to have information the Hokage didn't, no matter how inconsequential.
"No, we became friends after the first sparring session of the Academy, he likes to have a partner who can keep him on his toes but doesn't have the same style of fighting as him." The Hokage nodded, somewhat surprised at how civil and mature Naruto could be as he talked. In his opinion it was nothing how a six, bordering on seven year-old should be but there was little he could do about the strange precociousness. Finally Hiruzen turned his gaze to Anko, the girl still sipping away at her tea slowly, so far staying out of the conversation.
"And how did you two meet?" Naruto just chuckled as Anko smiled sweetly before she explained about her unconventional arrival to the academy on her first day and seeing Naruto climb up the building. If Hiruzen was surprised that Naruto was already proficient with the tree-climbing exercise he didn't show it. He might've though if he knew that wasn't the extent of Naruto's chakra control exercises. Hiruzen however seemed concerned with the living arrangements and while understanding it made both their lives less lonely he still had to be the adult in the situation.
"Naruto, as much as it pains me to say this after hearing just how friendly you two have become Anko cannot continue to live with you." Both kids looked up at the man in shock and disbelief, Anko especially; she didn't want to leave. For the first time in her life since she was little she was happy and it was mainly thanks to Naruto. The redhead was also distressed about this turn of events.
"What? Why?!" Hiruzen sighed, arguments with children, especially those as stubborn and mature as Naruto were always difficult.
"Naruto, she is in the legal care of the orphanage; that is her home." Anko huffed loudly at that, nearly dropping her tea cup as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"That place will never be my home." Hiruzen sighed again, trying to get the right meaning across in his words that would get through to the two kids who had obviously grown very attached.
"While you may think that way it is still the orphanage's obligation to care for you and by living here you make that impossible for them." Anko still didn't look happy in fact she only grew more irritated.
"So what?! I've been living with Naruto for three months and the orphanage did nothing! They're probably glad I'm gone!" Hiruzen frowned at that, however unnoticeably, he should have been contacted if a child had gone missing from the orphanage for that long. Also the fact that Naruto had not only cared for himself but another child as well wasn't exactly good news, even if it did show his maturity in a new light.
"Come on Hokage-sama! It's not like we're hurting anybody, if anything everybody is happier this way. This house is too big for just me anyway and I don't mind having Anko live here," he shot an apologetic look at the girl before continuing "And from what Anko tells me her experience in the orphanage wasn't ideal, here she feels safer and with us training together she is improving at the academy as well." Hiruzen sighed; he argued with the same undeniable passion and logic as both his parents, it was like talking to Minato himself if he was shorter and a redhead.
"I can see the benefits Naruto, but there is a reason there is protocol and systems in place, if Anko's experience was as you say 'less than ideal' there are people she is supposed to go to." He turned and addressed Anko directly "Not included in those people, despite how good they're to confide in, are your fellow academy students." Anko just seemed to shrink into her chair slightly under the Hokage's warm but undeniably powerful gaze. Naruto didn't really feel like giving up on this though, as his mother wouldn't.
"Well isn't there some way she could come and live here properly then?" Anko looked up and around in surprise at the redhead. Before now, both had just sort of accepted their living situation without really discussing it. This was the first time either of them had openly admitted to wanting it like this and it made her feel a little warmer inside to know somebody actually wanted her around. Hiruzen just sighed, putting a hand to his forehead in both exasperation and thought.
"Until Anko becomes a fully fledged adult or has a legal guardian she is under the care of the system." Naruto narrowed his eyes at this, frustrated that the Hokage kept coming back to that same point.
"Then how can I be made her guardian?" Hiruzen looked up from his palm, genuinely surprised Naruto was fighting so hard for this. He didn't know if it was genuine affection for Anko or just his inherited stubborn streak in his Uzumaki genes.
"You need to be an adult to be made somebody's guardian Naruto." Naruto finally smiled in victory, even though Hiruzen had no idea what was going through the boy's mind.
"Then as soon as I become a Shinobi I'm eligible right?" Hiruzen's eyebrows shot up in incredulity as he finally caught on to what Naruto was thinking. "If I pass the Genin exams this year then I can legally be made Anko's guardian and she can stay with me?" Hiruzen finally sighed as he nodded slowly, only increasing the smile that spread across Naruto's features. "Then just you watch, I'll pass the exams, believe it!" Hiruzen tried to keep his mirth from showing as he stood up, walking towards the door with a smile.
"Very well, in the mean time I think it wouldn't be too much to allow Anko to stay with you, call it a trial run." Naruto was a little shocked and relieved at the Hokage's concession as he followed the older man to the door. "But be warned, if you don't pass the Genin exams the Anko will have to return to the Orphanage." Naruto just nodded with determination even as the Hokage left, leaving the two Shinobi in training with a lot of thoughts. Naruto returned to the kitchen where he found Anko, just staring at him with a mix of awe and gratitude.
"Why did you fight so hard for me? I mean why go out of your way just for me? It's not like I'd be disappearing. Aren't I just a lot of trouble?" Naruto only smiled kindly as he gently hugged the shocked girl, pulling away with a smile.
"You're my friend. And you want to stay, right?" He began to walk back outside to the training ground, not forgetting what the Hokage had interrupted with his visit. "Plus it would be way too quiet around here if you left." Anko smiled until she got the other meaning in Naruto's words as a playful scowl made its way onto her face.
"Hey!"
The months passed even more quickly after that, as Naruto really threw himself deep into an all-consuming regimen of training. He never forgot Anko though, making sure he always had time for his friends through his busy schedule. He mainly focused on Chakra control though, using every trick in the book for one reason; the clone technique. It was supposed to be the simplest jutsu in a Shinobi's arsenal, requiring literally the bare minimum of chakra to form; too little. He found that with the fox widening his chakra pathways every day, control became more and more difficult. Eventually, he struggled to lower his output to the required levels and eventually it became impossible.
He overloaded the clones he made and they came out sickly and useless. He just couldn't use that little chakra in his jutsu anymore, even with all the control exercises he went through. He sighed, knowing that all but the highest ranked Genjutsu would also be out of the realm of his learning and without working his way from basics the A-ranked ones would be impossible. Surprisingly, it was Anko who finally gave him a solution, of sorts; she was watching him train, trying again and again at producing a healthy clone.
She simply suggested that instead of using a small amount of chakra to produce one he should just mould a large amount of chakra and divide that to produce many clones at once. Naruto had stood stoically flabbergasted at the simplicity of the solution; asking if it was still Anko he was talking to. Or course, after earning himself a thrown rock to the head and a good laugh, Anko chased him around the training field. He put his hands into the correct sign, moulded the smallest amount of chakra he could before dividing it into the required amount.
Anko just watching in amazement as twenty, perfectly healthy and identical clones sprouted out of clouds of smoke, as did Naruto. He jumped in victory, finally having mastered each of the basic three jutsu he needed to pass the Genin exam. After that the rest of their academy year flew by and before any of them really realised it, it was already over. They all waited on the last day as the teacher ran through some boring speech about how proud he was and how they would go on to be the best class he had ever taught.
Finally he asked if there were any students who thought they could take the Genin test now, surprisingly only three people raised their hands, Naruto, Itachi and Shisui. Naruto turned, blinking in surprise as he looked at Anko, her arm not raised. She just smiled at him sadly, looking down at the desk as she fiddled with her hands.
"I never could quite get the henge down. I just don't think I'm ready yet." Naruto's eyes softened in understanding before hardening as the teacher asked them to come with him for their evaluation. He shot one last look at Anko as he joined Itachi and Shisui walking out of the room. She just gave him a thumbs up as he smirked, knowing that he had to do this.
Anko waited behind after class, sitting on a swing somebody had hung on a tree in the school grounds. She saw Itachi, then Shisui both emerge from the building holding their headbands. They smiled at her and waved before running off to tell their parents, happily tying their bands around their foreheads. She waited a bit longer before Naruto emerged, his face a mask of neutrality. She jumped off the railing and ran over as soon as she saw him, covering the distance in a flash.
"So did you do it?" She wasn't even sure why she doubted for a second as he smirked, a broad grin crossing his features as he pulled an arm from behind his back showing her his new forehead protector.
"Of course."
Anko grinned as she hugged him in congratulations, pulling him away from the school which earned her a confused look.
"Come on, we need to celebrate." She said excitedly. Naruto just smiled again as he allowed the girl to pull him away, but not before he tied his headband around his arm. He felt as though he had achieved the first part of his goal to surpass his father and make his parents proud.
Up on the roof of the academy two figures watched all of this, one with a beaming grin, the other with a more calculative smirk.
"Interesting crop this year, huh?"
Orochimaru turned to his teammate with a vaguely amused expression. "Are you saying that because of your godson?"
Jiraiya just smiled down at the scene of Anko pulling the slightly taller redhead away with her, a calm but happy smile on his features.
"How can I not be? Youngest to graduate the academy since the boy my student trained, Kakashi; even then it was only because of the war." Orochimaru just nodded along to his teammate, observing the young girl alongside the Namikaze.
"Yes, interesting crop, indeed."
Naruto arrived at the training ground he had been designated nice and early the next day. He had found it quite amusing when he found out he couldn't get drunk; they had found out when Anko had decided to take full advantage of the fact that Naruto was legally an adult. Anko surprisingly had taken to drinking quite well; Naruto also didn't mind the flavour of Sake, even if he couldn't experience the other effects. Anko on the other hand had no such luck so he left her groaning in her bed, sleeping off the effects of her first drink.
He greeted Itachi and Shisui pleasantly. They too had come early in order to meet their Jonin sensei. They were surprised then when a man suddenly melted out of the shadows of a nearby tree. He was roughly thirty years old with his dark hair tied back in a ponytail; his eyes had black markings around them making him look quite tired and he had the slight hint of a beard on his chin. Other than that he wore the standard Jonin outfit, if in slightly darker colours than usual, and bore the generally laid-back posture of most Nara clan members.
"Great, I finally take on a Genin squad and they send me a bunch of kids, how bothersome." He didn't pay attention to the tick mark that suddenly appeared over Naruto's head and the generally annoyed expression on Shisui's face. Itachi managed to stay quite calm as usual although inside he was slightly offended by the insinuation. "I'm Ensui Nara, your Jonin instructor if you pass my test." Naruto was a little surprised there was another test but he said nothing, allowing the Nara to explain.
"You're here because you managed to pass what you thought was the Genin exam, but I can send you straight back to the academy if I believe you don't have what it takes to be on a squad. It's all really quite bothersome but I'm overdue to have a team and you three are what I was left with." Again he got the same responses, Naruto getting agitated, Shisui getting annoyed and Itachi, well, he was Itachi. "Basically if you want to be Genin you have to land a hit on m-"
Before he could finish his sentence Naruto had shot forward in a blur of red forcing Ensui to suddenly duck back as the boy sailed over his head. The lazy Nara blinked in surprise before ducking to the side again to avoid a fast spinning kick. The boy's speeds were very impressive for a kid straight out of the academy, at seven no less, hell they were above average for a Chuunin. It made him wonder just how hard the kid trained.
Likewise he didn't get much more time to explain before Naruto suddenly dived out the way, revealing Shisui behind him, hands in a tiger seal. Ensui only had a moment to think before he had to dive out the way of an enormous fireball that would have burnt him to a crisp. Unfortunately that put him straight in the path of Itachi, Sharingan blazing as he quickly tried to intercept the man. Ensui easily batted the boy away and before anybody else could try anything he crouched with his hands in the rat seal.
Before any of the new Genin could do anything they were suddenly stuck in place; looking down they all saw their shadows linked to their Sensei's. As he stood up they all found they copied the action, settling into the man's natural slumping posture.
"Bothersome. At least you all have decent teamwork. However, like I was saying you need to land a hit on me..." He pulled out a stop clock from his pocket as the three seven year-olds copied the phantom action "... in one hour. If you do that then you are officially Genin of the Leaf." And with that the man promptly melted into the shadows, disappearing before the three were release from his possession technique.
They just stood there a moment, getting their bearing as they regrouped, nodding at one another as they knew what to do. They took off into the forest, moving in the direction they knew would be best to hide in. None of them were particular trackers but Naruto's ears were honed to the point where he could accurately tell the difference between animal and human footsteps. Using that he took the lead, listening out for any signs of their sensei. Shisui took the middle as he had the most powerful Jutsu in his arsenal, being able to create a larger fireball than Itachi. Itachi naturally took up the rear, using his Sharingan to make sure they didn't miss anything.
Eventually Naruto caught onto something, raising a hand to halt their small group on a branch. He looked at Itachi, who just nodded. Having also noticed the signs of somebody coming through here, his Sharingan picked up the minute details. They quickly formulated a plan as they slowly approached the clearing they were sure their sensei was hiding in. Shisui stood on a high branch looking down over the clearing as he began to mould his chakra, drawing in as deep a breath as he could muster.
Ensui simply hid behind a tree in the clearing, hoping the kids weren't good enough trackers to find him. That way he wouldn't have to take them as a team and he could just go back to lazing about and taking an ocassional bothersome mission when necessary. However, it quickly became evident that wasn't going to be the case as his eyes widened and he forced chakra into his feet. He managed to get up in time to avoid the massive fireball that obliterated the trees he had just been hiding in; leaving only scarred and charred, blackened earth behind.
He blinked dumbfoundedly in surprise before he had to suddenly dodge a fist that would have struck him straight in the face. He swivelled on his heel, staring straight into the one-tomoe Sharingan of Itachi as the young Uchiha narrowed his eyes. His attacks came fast but his counterattacks came even faster, it didn't particularly press the experienced Jounin as the boy was still just a Genin but it didn't leave him much room to think. Quickly the Uchiha was joined by his clansman, the two teaming up and covering the other's weaknesses.
This actually put the lazy Nara on edge, forcing him to think quickly to avoid the well-timed and almost choreographed moved that slowly forced him into the clearings, even if neither had actually landed a hit yet. He was so preoccupied with fighting the two of them and trying to prevent them from landing a blow that he almost forgot about the last member of the group. He could only look up in time to see Naruto falling from a high branch his fist cocked back for a blow.
Ensui suddenly grabbed Shisui, using the boy's lack of Sharingan to his advantage as he pulled on his arm, swinging the boy up and throwing him at the approaching Naruto. As if it had been planned all along and in a very impressive display of mid-air acrobatics, Shisui just reached out a hand, grabbing onto Naruto. The Uchiha twisted his body in the air, pulling Naruto down as he did so and only adding to the boy's already impressive speed.
Already caught off guard Ensui tried to twist out the way but Naruto just managed to clip the man's shoulder, earning them the hit they had been working for. He span, expecting another attack but quickly realised that the three Genin were just standing there, looking rather amused as Ensui sighed tiredly.
"Alright, alright! I'll give that you three are impressive to land a hit on me." He suddenly became very serious, more so than looked natural on a Nara's face. "You three are now Genin of the Leaf, fully-fledged Shinobi and legal adults and as such you are now expected to behave as such. You will report to the same training ground tomorrow at ten for missions, for now you have the rest of the day off." He relaxed again, returning to his slumping posture "Congratulations, even if it is incredibly bothersome."
The three newly minted Genin just smiled; they knew they were going to have fun with this.