"Sasuke, do you know anything about my mother?" Naruto asked with hope. 

"Sorry, Naruto. I don't know her identity. However, I know about the Uzumaki clan." 

"Clan? I am from a clan?" Naruto asked, shocked. 

Sasuke moved his head with a little disappointment. "Naruto, your last name should have been Namikaze. There are two options for your current last name. Either it is a fake name or it is your mother's last name. However, I have confirmed that you are an Uzumaki, so it is indeed your mother's name." 

"How did you confirm it?" Naruto asked with confusion. 

"Do you remember the scrolls that I asked you about? Uzumaki is a clan known for their instinctive understanding of fuinjutsu. That's why you were able to understand them." 

Naruto was in awe. He realized that Sasuke never truly sought his help. It was all a plan to confirm his identity and help him. 

"What else have you found? Do I have any relatives?" Naruto asked with newfound hope. 

"Your clan was prominent in Uzushiogakure, which was a small hidden village. However, because of your clan's great strength, the village was feared. Because of that fear, during the 3rd ninja war, multiple nations worked together to destroy it. Your clan was one of Konoha's best allies, and there was even a marriage between the 1st Hokage and Mito Uzumaki."

Naruto's newfound hope was lost. However, Sasuke continued. "Don't lose hope. You can still try searching for survivors and restore your clan. Also, it's easy for you to learn more information about your mother and your clan." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why do you think that the Hokage didn't tell you about your parents?" 

Naruto was thoughtful and frustrated. "I don't know, but I am really disappointed with him." 

"Naruto, don't be hard on the Hokage. He was retired and he was forced to return. During the fox's attack, he lost his wife. He has too many burdens to carry. The reason that he didn't tell you is because your father was the number 1 public enemy of Iwagakure. If they knew that he has a son, you would be their first target for assassination. You were a brat, and they could not trust you with the secret. The sensitive information was your father's identity. Now that you know about him, you can reveal it and ask about your mother and your clan." 

Naruto nodded in realization, but the more he thought about Sasuke's reply, the more problematic it seemed. His expression changed, and now the fury was evident in his face. He finally said, "It's understandable not to tell me when I was younger. But why the old man didn't tell me about it now? Why he still does not trust me? The same thing happened with the information about the fox. I only found out about it from Mizuki. I understand that he is old with many problems, but that does not justify that I am treated like this…" 

Sasuke looked at him with sadness and said nothing. 'I have already planted the seed of distrust in him, and I also have gained his trust. It is very risky, and I should not push him further right now.' 

"Naruto, I have a favor to ask you." 

Naruto nodded for him to continue. 

"Please wait a few months before revealing your knowledge about your father. Also, don't tell anyone that I was the one who told you about it." 

Naruto was very confused. "Why?" 

"Naruto, this is a secret that the Hokage decided to hide from you. How do you think that he will react towards me if he learns that I have revealed the secret to you?" 

"Sasuke, I don't think that the old man is like that," Naruto said, but there was a very subtle doubt in his voice which wasn't there before. 

Sasuke didn't reply but looked him in the eyes. After a few seconds, Naruto gave up. "Okay. I still believe that you are overreacting, but I will do it for you," 

"I also have a plan that you need to follow," Sasuke said, and Naruto gave him all his attention. 

"Look carefully at your father's picture. What you need to do is go and buy similar clothes with him. Also, you need to let your hair grow longer like him. It is a matter of time until the people around you start calling out the resemblance. I believe that the Hokage won't allow that, and he will find a way to make you change your style. This will be your chance to reveal to him that you have figured out the truth." 

Naruto looked at him like he was mad. "Sasuke, I understand your worries, but isn't it a little too much?" 

"Naruto, I know that I am paranoid, but I can't afford to take any risk. As the last Uchiha, I have to become Hokage and bring glory to my clan and the village. I can't afford even the slightest chance of offending the current Hokage." 

Naruto nodded. "You have trusted me more than anyone else in this village. Even though I don't agree, I will do it your way."

---

Late in the evening, an Anbu entered the Uchiha compound. He spotted Sasuke's trousers and carefully searched in the pockets. 

Hiruzen was waiting with patience and had lost his sleep. When he learned about Sasuke's game, he couldn't expel the idea that something was suspicious. 

He finally received the paper and began reading it. There were circles, and Hiruzen immediately spotted the hidden pattern. "SASUKE, CHEAT, NARUTO, ALPHABET, SELECT, LETTER, ACCOMPLISH, WIN." 

'I am really getting paranoid with my old age. Maybe Kakashi is right, but after what happened with Danzo, I really have a bad feeling about the young Uchiha. He reminds me too much of my old student.' 

"Turtle, return the paper back."

---

The week ended, and it was finally the graduation day. 

Ino, Sakura, and Tenten were sitting next to Sasuke and they were very stressed. All of them were afraid of the idea of not being in the same team as Sasuke. 

Daikoku-sensei finally started announcing the teams. 

"Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Tenten. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi." 

Tenten, who was next to Sasuke, immediately gave him a kiss on the cheek, and she was excited. 

Sakura and Ino were instantly depressed. 

"YES, OUR TEAM IS THE STRONGEST," Naruto shouted with excitement. 

Sakura was already frustrated, but after hearing Naruto's cries, she couldn't hold it anymore. "Don't be so happy, you moron. Even if Sasuke was alone in the team, it would still be the strongest." 

'This girl is really testing my patience. Right now, my relationship with Naruto is much more important than her. I need to put her in her place,' Sasuke thought, and after a quick look around, he could tell that the rest of his classmates shared the same negative opinion about Sakura. 

Naruto looked at her with a hateful gaze, ready to explode. He tightened his fists in a try to hold his anger. 'I must ignore her. Even though I hate her, she is still Sasuke's girlfriend, and I shouldn't make things hard for Sasuke.' After a few seconds, Naruto exhaled heavily and managed to suppress his anger. 

Sakura was even more infuriated. 'NARUTO, THIS MORON! HE DARES TO IGNORE ME.' She was ready to explode, but then Sasuke's hand was on her shoulder. 

"Sakura, that's enough. We will talk about this later," he said with a low whisper only audible to her and the rest of the girls. However, Sakura noticed that his voice was very cold. 

Tenten was very happy with Sasuke's reaction. 'It's about time for Sasuke to put an end to her rudeness,' she thought. 

On the other hand, Ino was very sad. 'Sakura, what happened to you? How can you behave like that? No wonder Naruto refused to help us before.' 

The announcements continued. "Team 8 is Rock Lee, Mika Inuzuka, Ryota Tanaka. Your sensei is Maito Gai." 

Rock Lee had a big smile and nodded to his teammates. He already knew about Gai-sensei, and that was what mattered most to him. 

"Team 10 is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno. Your jonin sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." 

Ino looked at Shikamaru with a smile and said jokingly, "I will never get rid of you." 

Shikamaru wanted to ignore her, but he knew how troublesome this woman is. He looked at her with an ugly smirk and created a heart shape with his fingers. 

Tenten and Sasuke, who were watching his reaction, were laughing. 

On the other hand, Sakura didn't react at all. Her mind was still on Sasuke's coldness.

---

All the jonin came together in the class to get their teams. Kakashi appeared with the rest of the group and told them to follow him. 

Kakashi led them to Ichiraku's and said, "I am your new sensei, Hatake Kakashi. I have been informed that Naruto really enjoys this restaurant, and I decided to treat you to a meal to get to know each other." 

Naruto was excited and was jumping with happiness. 

The group sat down at a table, and Naruto immediately asked, "How do you know about me?" 

Kakashi smiled. "I was informed about all of you. But it's a custom for every member of the team to introduce themselves. So, Naruto, please tell me about yourself, your dreams, your likes, and your dislikes." 

Naruto nodded and said, "I am Uzumaki Naruto, and my dream is to be the Hokage. My favorite food is ramen, and we are currently at my favorite restaurant. 

I like my friends and people who care about me like the old man, Iruka-sensei, and Ebisu-sensei..." 

There was a pause for a few seconds, and Sasuke and Kakashi looked at Naruto with sadness. Tenten was confused at first, but then she suspected that something happened. 

Then Naruto continued with intensity in his voice, "I hate Orochimaru, people who want to take advantage of me, traitors like Mizuki, and villagers who are ignorant."

 Kakashi was a little troubled, but he already expected Naruto's answer. He looked at Tenten and nodded at her to begin, but then they were interrupted by Ayame. 

"Naruto, is this your new team?" The girl asked with a big smile. 

However, Sasuke immediately noticed that she kept giving glances to Kakashi. She and Naruto had a small talk, and then Naruto introduced her to the rest of the team. When she learned Kakashi's name, the girl immediately blushed. 

After making their order, Sasuke turned to Kakashi and said, "Sensei, this is your chance to train Oni dekopin." 

Kakashi smirked. After the discussion with Gai and Inoichi, he was sure that he overdid it with his jokes. However, it seems that Sasuke is mature enough to appreciate his humor. Kakashi was instantly glad and relieved. 

Both Naruto and Tenten were confused, but Sasuke told them that this is an inside joke. He also told them about his meeting with Kakashi, Lee, and Gai at the waterfall and their sparring. 

They then continued with the introductions. "I am Tenten. I love medical ninjitsu, and my dream is to become as great as Lady Tsunade. I also like all kinds of weapons but especially swords. My favorite hobbies are training and studying about medicine. I love Sasuke, and he is my boyfriend. I dislike rude people." 

Kakashi nodded with a smile and said, "I have been informed about your excellent talents. Also, it is nice to have two lovebirds in my team." 

Tenten blushed, Sasuke smirked, and Naruto laughed. It was now Sasuke's turn. 

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. My dream is to restore my clan and become the best Hokage. I plan to make Konoha the strongest village in the elemental nations. I like Sakura, Ino, but especially Tenten, but please don't share this information because I will get in trouble." 

There was a small pause, and Tenten giggled. Naruto admired Sasuke's talent with the girls, and Kakashi discreetly imitated Oni dekopin. 

"I also like Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, and all my friends. I enjoy training really hard and pushing my body to its limits. I really dislike liars, hypocrites, and people who try to control me. However, my biggest dislike is towards traitors." 

Kakashi was very glad with his decision to reveal his jutsu to Sasuke after hearing his dislikes. This kid shared his sense of humor, and he really liked him so far. 

It was finally Kakashi's turn. "I am Hatake Kakashi. I enjoy making dirty jokes, trolling my friends, and training. I also have a book addiction which I try to stop. I like Konoha and my small group of friends. I currently don't have a dream for the future but I am trying to discover it. I hate people who disregard their comrades, and I also hate people who don't respect the dead." 

The group nodded with smiles and acceptance, and Kakashi continued.

"Normally, there is a test before I accept you as my students. However, I know how strong all of you are, and I believe teamwork won't be a problem for you. There is not much to say between Sasuke and Tenten. Also, Sasuke and Naruto, I know that you are friends and rivals. The only thing missing is for Tenten and Naruto to get to know each other better. However, I know that both of you have good character, and I am confident that you will easily develop a friendship as we all train together. So, we are officially a team, and you are genin."

The three genin had bright smiles on their faces, and the whole group started chatting. Sasuke apologized to Naruto on Sakura's behalf and assured him that he would take care of it. Tenten also agreed with Sasuke and supported Naruto.

Naruto was extremely pleased with his new team, but suddenly he had a realization. 'With all the things that happened to me in the last days, I have forgotten my promise.' 

He then turned to Sasuke and said, "Do you remember our promise?" 

"Of course, I remember. When Kakashi-sensei dismisses us, let's go to my training ground." 

"What promise?" Tenten asked with curiosity, and Kakashi looked at them with interest. 

"Me and Sasuke promised to have a fight when we reach the rank of genin," Naruto explained.

Immediately, Kakashi's expression looked a little troubled.

 ----------

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