The Weight On His Shoulders

•_____________________________• Tests and Changes

The Next Day: 

I didn't see Shikamaru yesterday, but I did have a quick run in with team Gai.
Gai introduced himself in his hyper way as did Lee. It made me smile for a while.
Gai even invited me to train with Lee and him when I'm able. And of course I agreed, I need to be stronger. Tenten even agreed to show me a bit of her Kenjutsu when I admired her skill. 
Now I am sitting in my kitchen eating the breakfast that I made. I made four servings, one for me, one for Kura, and the other two were for Sakura and Sasuke.
I sealed them in a scroll and headed out, Kura in his spot on my shoulders.
Sakura and the Uchiha-teme were already there, and surprisingly Sakura-chan didn't yell at me. She only asked politely why I'd been late.
Setting the scroll out I took out both their breakfast and handed them.
"You can't train on an empty stomach, especially since you're dieting Sakura. The less you eat the more harmful extensive training will be on your aging body. We're only twelve after all." I pet Kurama unconsciously.
"But what if Sensei see's?" Sakura asks.
"Well he was late yesterday who's to say he wouldn't be today?" I look her in the eyes sincerely. "Plus if he does show up, blame me for it."
"Okay," she sat down next to Teme, "thank you Naruto..."
"Hn, thanks Dobe." The Uchiha followed suit and dug in.

Once they had finished I re-sealed the boxes into the scroll and threw it into the trash can a few yards away.
Sakura was speaking calmly to Sasuke and he actually seemed to be listening. I have no clue what they're speaking about so intently. And it would be rude to bud in so being me I went over to one of the trees near the edge of training ground seven.
I made eight shadow clones and advised them to begin climbing the trees with chakra.  
"Hai Taichou!" They yelled one unison.
Being back in my twelve year old body would mean that I needed to re-adjust to my chakra levels again. And I'd need to work on things like my Taijutsu to regain my muscle memory. And maybe add to my Ninjutsu arsenal and my Genjutsu too. 
I could feel my two teammates approaching me. I will have to re-perfect my sensory abilities as well. I couldn't sense them until they were a few meters away.
"What are you doing Naruto?" I turn to face Sakura.
"Chakra control... I saw a team doing it yesterday and wanted to see if I could do it too," I stated as if it were obvious what I had been doing. 
"But why are your clones doing it and not you?" She asked. 
"They're shadow clones, when they disperse their memories, physical and mental, transfer to me." I shrug.
"Cool, but where'd you learn this?"
"Hn."
"An," I scratch the back of my neck, "I stole a forbidden scroll... I didn't know it at the time."
"Of course you would Dobe..." the ravenette sounded exasperated even though his features were blank.
"After the whole test thing could you tell me how to do that," Sakura pointed to one of my clones on the tree.
"Ah, sure, I don't mind. And since you're already great at chakra I bet you'd get it in like your first time!" Kura yipped in agreement.
"Oh, that reminds me, why do you have the fox?" Sakura asked blatantly.
"Jiji, he felt that I needed more security. I've been having some problems with paranoia and nightmares that haunt me throughout the day," I said nightmares in a weird way, but they didn't seem to catch it.
"Oh, so what's it's name?"  She placed her hands clasped together in front of her in an innocent way.
"His name's Kurama. He's really nice, though he gets angry really fast if somebody's threatening me or someone he's protecting." I gush, happy to talk about someone that's not me. 
"Well Kurama is really cute. His little Hitai-ate around his neck makes him even more adorable," she squealed.
Kura growled at being called 'cute' and 'adorable'.
"H-he prefers to be c-called handsome... he is a b-boy a-after all," I don't understand why I am stuttering. 
It's just Sakura, she was one of my good female friends in the end. 
"Oh, sorry," she giggled. And Sasuke, as weird as it was smirked.
"Ya know, I've been thinking. Maybe, if... if you guys wanted." I looked to Kura for reassurance. "To ya know, hang out after our test thing... because a team is based off of teamwork." I look back at them, "like we should learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and we could help each other get better."
They both had incredulous looks on their faces.
I looked away quickly. It hurt too much to see the faces of the two people that had trusted me the most look at me so differently. 
"You don't have to though, it's just that we're a t-t-team now. So w-we should at least be a-able to work together. Dattebayo." I was ashamed of how I was acting, I was the seventh Hokage for cripes sake.
"Hn."
"I... um... It couldn't hurt," Sakura places her hand on my shoulder, "it's a good idea. If you wanna, I know we both have some growing to do."
"Really?" I look at her a little bit excited for the possibilities.
"Yeah you Dobe." And there was that smirk again.
"Yo!" We all turned to where our new Sensei had decided to show up.
"You're late!" Sakura yelled. 
As she was yelling I dispersed my clones.
"Ma maa, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way." His eyes smiled at us.
"Liar..." I mutter under my breath, only earning a snort from Kura and a weird look from Kakashi. 
"Well let's get started you have to get these bells from me in order to pass."
"But there's only two bells?" Sakura looked confused and worried.
"Well Sakura that would be because one of you will be sent back to the academy if they do not get a bell." Kakashi explained.
"Okay start in three, two-" he was cut short by a kunai headed straight for his head.
"I didn't even say go yet!" He looked at me bored.
"An enemy doesn't wait to strike," I stated just as bored. 
"True, now go!" He stated.
Sasuke jumped into some bushes as did Sakura. I smirked at Kakashi as he took out his book. Having marked several trees around site seven I Hikō raijin behind him and grabbed his book from his grasp.
"Didn't I say that this," I waved his book around, "is inappropriate to read in front of minors?"
"How?" This time I could actually see his surprise.
"Well, I learned from my dad. Well a scroll he left for me anyways." I shrug.
"What?"
"Hikō raijin, ya no? Yondamē Hokage? Your Sensei..." I smiled before transporting away again (with his precious book).
I found Sasuke first, and got him to help me distract Kakashi. And when we found Sakura we convinced her to grab the bells when Kakashi was too busy fending us off.  
꧁❤︎꧂

"Well what are you gonna do now that you got the bells?" Kakashi asked snarkily.
"Well you never said we had to keep em once we got them... so I give this one to Sakura-chan and this one to Sasuke. Now you can't really send any of us back." I cuddled Kurama closer.
"True, you pass." He sighed in defeat.
"Oh, before you leave. I think you probably want this back," I held out his perverted book.
He snatched it back, glaring at me a little. But his glare was obviously fake, it held no hate nor malice.
"Well I'm going back to working on my chakra control," I walk back to the line of trees.
I made twenty clones this time, I ordered five to work on chakra control, I ordered five more to work on stamina, I had the other five to work on Taijutsu, and the last five meditation.
I know I am still a skittish kid, I need to always be moving. And I need to retrain my body to stay still.
Then Kura and I settled not far from my clones watching intently.
"Ya know, Kurama, I really miss them." I look down at the now sleeping fox. "Lazy fox!"
"Ah, Naruto... can you show me what to do for that?"
"Oh right, I said I would didn't I?" I stood up and led her to an empty tree.
"Well basically you need to focus your chakra into the base of your feet, but if you focus too much you'll be pushed off. And if you focus too little you'll fall right off." I frown, "I'm not really good at explaining am I?"
She shook her head, "no I get it."
"Okay, I'll leave you to it."
"Hey Dobe," I turn to face Sasuke and... Kakashi, surprisingly.
"Where did you learn this?" The silver haired Jounin asked gesturing to the clones and the tree climbing.
"Oh, I saw a team doing the tree climbing and decided to try it yesterday. Still haven't gotten it yet." I pause to think, "The clone thing if you meant the jutsu itself then I learned from a forbidden scroll I stole... I didn't know it was forbidden at the time. The whole clone memory thing I learned when I had them help me clean my house. I remember everything they did and my muscle retained the memories."
Kakashi nodded as if he believed me. Well he might but I don't really know what Jiji wrote in that note yesterday.
"You wanted to do that team thing right?" Sasuke asked.
"Of course, but Sakura's a little busy right now so how bout we postpone it for tomorrow after training?" I look at Kakashi, "that is if you don't have something already planned for after training?"
"No, but what are you guys planning?" Kashi confirmed what I'd already known.
"Team bonding, learning each other's strengths and weaknesses and helping each other to improve. And if they wanna we could just talk at times too. Like we can become each other's support group." My head fell, "because some people don't have those..."
"Could I join these team bondings?" Kakashi looked kinda proud.
"Of course! I just thought you'd wanna keep your distance. You seem to be the type to wanna keep people as far away as you could." I shrug.
He looked surprised.
"Plus you probably have things to do..."
"Hn," Sasuke looked between us.
"Not that I'm trying to exclude you for that, it's just I don't wanna pressure you to be close to people you're uncomfortable with."
"Um..." He looked so confused on how I could see what he'd tried hiding.
"Sasuke could I talk to Naruto alone?" He didn't even look at the Uchiha.
With a huff he walked off towards Sakura. I watched as he asked Sakura how she was doing it.
I turned back to Kakashi.
"How? You barely know me yet you see..."
"Um," I scratch the back of my neck, "it's complicated, like your past," I meet his eyes with a measured look, "but worse."
"My past...?"
"Ah, see, there goes the 'complicated' again. And now that you've realized that I know ah. You're gonna be more uncomfortable around me aren't you?" I look up at him.
"..."
"Um, maybe you should talk to Jiji... I mean Hokage-sama."
"But then again you might not wanna know, I know Jiji was devastated by what I know..." I walked off back to where Kurama was still sleeping.