In Naruto: With Shanks Template

"So, you have two bells, Who will you give it to? Sasuke or Sakura. You can choose one, while the other will go back."

Sakura's mood plummeted while Sasuke showed no emotion other than his usual you-owe-me-money look. He knew the correct answer was to show team spirit.

But the plot didn't move forward according to any of the options given to Naruto. What happened next stunned all three of them which left their mouths agape.

Naruto closed his fists and crushed the two bells. As he opened his palm, the powder flew out while Naruto still had his characteristic smirk.

 .........

"So, what did Naruto say after that?" asked Hiruzen with a hint of worry regarding Naruto's behaviour and strength.

Snatching bells from an Elite Jonin is no simple task and that too from Kakashi is an achievement on its own. According to Kakashi, The worst part is that he couldn't see Naruto move and didn't sense any chakra, so body flicker or any other chakra-related technique was out of the question.

Kakashi might not be a top sensor, but his skills in the field cannot be disregarded.

"He said, 'If you want, you can send the Last Uchiha and the Nine tails Jinchuriki back to the academy, if you can that is.' This left me baffled. He was aware that he would not be sent back to the academy due to his special status. The worst part is that he knows about being Jinchuriki, which was not mentioned in the report."

Kurenai, Asuma and Guy, who were present there were stunned by Kakashi's words. They also know about Naruto's special status, both as Jinchuriki and the Fourth Hokage's son. But what shocked them most was Naruto's strength. If it is calculated, then he is definitely an Elite Jonin. Or maybe he has already reached Kage level? No. That thought is scary.

"Sigh! I thought as much. He started getting stronger a couple of years back and also started making weird Taijutsu moves. I knew it was Nine Tails chakra that might be enhancing his strength. But maybe, he has already met the Nine Tails in the mind space.

I think it is his puberty or his open-minded nature. His Uzumaki lineage also activated during that time, his hair turned fully red. I think because you were late Kakashi, he doesn't have a good impression of you.

In addition, he is quite powerful at such a young age. Arrogance is quite a normal behaviour. You must guide him, both as his teacher and Minato's disciple."

'You stopped me from interacting with him for the past 12 years and now you are reminding me of my duties.' Kakashi inwardly grumbled but didn't show it on his face. With half-closed eyes, he reluctantly agreed and then the Jonin senseis moved out of the Hokage office.

But the Hokage office has another hidden member apart from Hiruzen present there.

"Hiruzen! The nine-tailed brat has become too powerful. Give him too root. He will become an asset to the village under my control."

Hearing the voice, Hiruzen's brows furrowed. He wanted to rest in this old age. But somehow problems don't let him. And the problem this time was his old friend Danzo.

'Seriously, why am I regretting befriending him? Maybe that was my biggest mistake. Sakumo, Uchiha clan, Senju clan and even the Uzumaki might still be there and someone suitable to take the mantle of fifth Hokage would be present.

But what can I do? He is still my friend, one who was my partner in countless life-and-death battles. Guess feelings never change'

Hiruzen didn't know how correct and wrong he was at the same time.

"Danzo, Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's legacy. He has ties to Konoha and even a girlfriend. He is a cheerful boy, always laughing, partying enjoying his time and even writing books. All his books are based on the theme of friendship.

He has inherited the will of fire. There is no need to control him."

"His power is way beyond what we expect. Such unexpected factors need to be under our control. All I do is for Konoha."

This line again. It hit Hiruzen. 'Yes, Danzo has contributed to Konoha, quite a lot. And he used to give in whenever Danzo said this line. But today I will not give in. I see Naruto as my grandson. I cannot let you control his cheerful emotion and make him another one of your emotionless puppets.'

"Danzo! I am the Hokage!" shouted Hiruzen. Hearing this Danzo's expression turned ugly and he turned around and left. Before closing the door, he said, "You will regret it Hiruzen!"

........

After that little episode was over, team seven was officially formed, which startled Sakura who was preparing for another year in the academy.

Team Seven started performing D-rank missions in the village. From finding cats to taking out the weeds. Both Naruto and Sasuke sent their clones for the mission, while only Sakura gave it her all for the missions.

After seeing Naruto's strength, Sakura became quite polite to Naruto though Sasuke's fangirling never stopped.

One month passed by just like that and Kakashi just like the original work never taught them anything.

But this time Sakura was not just trash. She has become a somewhat trained trash. Seeing the strength difference between her and Sasuke and Naruto, she started pestering both of them for some training which resulted in Hinata intervening and redirecting the trash towards Ino.

In the last month, Sakura has learned both tree walking and water walking. Sasuke was surprised by this. Because her time of learning both the chakra control exercises was just 1 week. In one week, she perfected her chakra control exercises.

Naruto seeing this recommended her to learn medical ninjutsu. He was not proficient in that and so was Sasuke. Both of them knew only basic first aid, so in case of an emergency, there could be someone who could treat them.

Naruto might be physically strong, but poison is still his weakness. Hinata might be quite adept in the medical arts but the more the better.

Sakura was also quite pleased with the suggestion as she found her role in this strong team.

Today, Naruto wanted to go out and stretch a little. He has been holing up and training and researching fuinjutsu for a long time.

'I guess liberating the Land of Waves needs to be done. And Gato has a lot of money. As someone with Shanks's inheritance, how can I not raid a wealthy merchant? Plus he is a bad guy, yes I am doing good deeds.'

"Sensei, we are bored doing D-rank missions. We need a higher rank mission today."

Hearing this actually surprised Kakashi. He knew Naruto and Sasuke had been sending shadow clones for the missions. But today he seemed to be the real deal. Maybe Naruto wanted to do a real mission. Teenagers' moods are really unpredictable.

Seeing this as a good opportunity for some team bonding by performing a C-rank mission can be a good experience for the team.

Kakashi presented his request to the Hokage and he readily accepted this time. Naruto and Sasuke's strengths are known to him, so he does not fear them for a simple C-rank mission. With that, the famous Tazuna the bridge builder was called.

The same canon character, a drunk old man carrying a huge backpack. He gave a few nasty words to the team seeing a young girl and a young boy. Naruto has grown considerably during this time so he was spared from his words. Sasuke remained calm in the situation and only Sakura seemed to be offended.

Everything went as canon. Kakashi assured him of his strength. They started walking towards the Land of Waves.

It was a good walk with Naruto humming his songs which impressed even the drunk old man. His teammates were no exception, his vocal skills were exceptional.

All this happy atmosphere changed when they encountered a puddle on the road.