The shadows

ch9

It was the weekend again, and Naruto had to go friend hunting. At least, that's what he liked to call it. He knew that, for now, he should avoid Ino. Having 2 of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho know him already was good, but if those three became the only people who knew him, it would rise suspiciously.

He also knew that Ino spent a lot of time in their flower shop, so finding her wouldn't be a problem. Another problem he had was that since the academy would start soon, many clan heirs were busy training with their families.

Naruto busied himself walking around the village until he found Kiba's chakra signature. The boy was in the forest with a bunch of civilians, probably challenging them. Naruto decided to use this opportunity.

He followed the chakra to the area and hid in a tree. "And then we will run around this course, and whoever comes first will be the leader until next week when we can race again," Kiba said.

"But that's not fair. Everyone knows that you're the fastest." One of the boys whined.

"Then you should all train more, but I'm sure that even then, I will be the best," Kiba said.

Kiba was always brash when he was younger—acting first and thinking later. He was quick to anger but quicker to forgive. He was fierce and loyal, just like the rest of his clan, and the only way to get his respect was to beat him into submission.

They were close during the war, just like the rest of rookie 12. Kiba lost Akamaru in a battle, and he lost a part of himself. When he was dying in Naruto's arms, his last words were that he would finally see his partner again.

He died bravely with a smile on his face. During the war, he changed the most. He became a fierce warrior, and while he wasn't a great strategist, his instincts helped him get through. He was able to track the enemies anywhere.

He led a number of forces which were mostly trackers and heavy hitters. His division was mainly in charge of recovery missions or hit-and-run. Shino was his right-hand man, although Shino would sometimes work in frontlines as well.

Naruto decided to make himself known. "I will challenge you." He said.

"Hah? Who the hell are you?" Kiba yelled, pointing at him.

To be honest, Kiba reminded Naruto of himself at that age which was amusing. "My name is Naruto. I'm a genin. I heard you were looking for a challenge, so I'm willing to be your opponent." Naruto said.

" Huh, you are a confident one, aren't you? I'll have you know; no one has ever beaten me. And who are you? You told me your name, but I've never seen you before." Kiba said, folding his arms over his chest.

" I told you my name. I'm a new genin, and I wasn't allowed much outside in the past due to some health problems, but I am doing much better now." Naruto said.

"Fine, if you are so insistent on losing, I'll show you. My name is Kiba, and this is Akamaru," Kiba said, pointing to the puppy on his head.

Naruto nodded, and then they headed to the starting line. One of the civilians gave them the signal, and the race started. The course went through a path in the woods, about 5km long.

Naruto decided against using chakra or his ninja skills. He even held back a lot. Kiba was fast, but Naruto was trained from a young age, so there was no way he could beat him. since Naruto wasn't using his skills, it was a good match for him.

He kept ahead but not by much and actually had to try. He could go faster and longer, but that wasn't the point. Even at this age, Kiba had a low genin speed which was impressive. Naruto knew that he would become one of the fastest shinobi with time, but this could push things along.