Double update, so this will be my first A/N for both chapters.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto, that mad genius.

Warning: For this chapter and the next...? Hmm. This chapter, nothing too big. Next chapter? I will attack your feels. Muahaha.

Beta: Searching. For. Enadi.

Since meeting Kurama, my study in Fūinjutsu had taken an expected lurch skywards. I had practically given up on medical ninjutsu, deeming myself hopeless because I couldn't find any test subjects to practice on (I healed too quickly and there wasn't any way of getting fish in Konoha that wouldn't need more, illegal activities).

I couldn't tell if my genjutsu was working because, once again, I had no one to practice it on aside from my brother, and I didn't want to do that to him. Ninjutsu was too flashy and would draw attention, so I settled for the only other brain numbing topic for studying I could think of.

It helped that I had a more positive reason for doing so - not just to numb myself.

Time passed again until finally, Grandfather set up a meeting with Kakashi.

In fact, I was heading off to said meeting at this very moment. I was nervous; I wanted Naruto beside me for comfort, but class was still going on and Grandfather only took me out today to meet Kakashi.

"I thought you set up the meeting at ten," I said, holding tightly on to Grandfather's hand.

"Yes, but it's a casual meeting so he'll be late by two hours on default," Grandfather replied.

"I... see." So Kakashi was even late for the Hokage. Or at least on casual meetings with the Hokage.

"Does he, um... know about me?" I asked.

After my first meeting with Kurama, I had decided that I would go ahead and flat-out ask Grandfather about him, only telling Grandfather that I had found the seal on my stomach and came to that conclusion. The man had confirmed it, giving me a long-winded lecture on how I was still me and not Kurama and whatnot. When I asked if I could tell Naruto about it, he immediately rejected the idea, saying that if I really wanted to tell Naruto, I could tell him after graduation.

Which didn't seem fair to me, but he was the Hokage.

Besides, I trusted Grandfather. And I wanted to have someone to confide in if Kurama was ever a problem. I would rather have Grandfather know flat-out that I knew, so I could turn to him for questions - not lie to him and try to figure out questions on my own.

"Yes," Grandfather replied.

"'Kay," I murmured, ducking my head down as Grandfather entered a small tea shop. After the usual bows of respect and gushing and just plain old ass-kissing, we sat at a small booth a ways away.

"Go ahead and order, Miwako-chan," Grandfather advised.

I nodded my head, looking up at the pretty waitress. She seemed indifferent to me, which was nice, and even offered me a polite smile at my gaze. I smiled back. "Sweet tea with sweet dango, please."

Grandfather chuckled at my choice of food. "Just tea for me."

She nodded politely before heading away, intent on our orders.

"Ohaiyo, Hokage-sama."

At the sound of a familiar voice, my gaze snapped towards it. The faint smell of dogs and dew filled my nostrils as I stared at the Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi turned his gaze on me, and briefly I noticed that he was wearing his usual Jōnin attire.

"Kakashi-san," Hokage greeted warmly. "Please take a seat. Kakashi-san, this is Miwako-chan, the girl I was telling you about."

Kakashi glanced at me, taking a seat across from us. "Ohaiyho, Miwako-chan."

I ducked my head shyly, smiling. "Ohaiyo, Hatake-san."

"Maa, maa. Kakashi is just fine. Hatake makes me feel so old," Kakashi said, smiling at me with his single visible eye. "Hokage-sama tells me you're interested in tracking?"

I nodded my head. "Uh-huh, bayo."

I bit my lip after the phrase left me. Bayo was the embarrassing slip of tongue I had developed when I was nervous, angry, or scared. Something I tried desperately to hide, as the other girls at school would tease me mercilessly about it when I was nervous about giving an oral report.

I knew it was genetic. Kushina, my biological mother here, had the same issue. Naruto was just as bad as me, and as he grew older I thought his dattebayo was getting a bit worse. It wasn't so bad when he first started talking, but now it seemed to pop in more often.

Blushing brightly in embarrassment, I quickly ducked my head. "Sorry. It just sort of slips out when I'm, um, nervous, bayo."

Kakashi was staring at me; I could feel his eyes on me, but when I looked up to meet his gaze, it seemed like he was seeing through me. Off into the distance, almost. Lost in the past. Did I, perhaps, remind him too much of Kushina?

I didn't look like her. I looked exactly like Naruko, minus the curves as I was still considerably young. If anything, I looked like Minato more than Kushina. But who could say? Memories were strange things.

"It's fine," Kakashi managed after a long moment, now looking at me. "You just reminded me of someone."

The waitress arrived, delivering our drinks and glancing at Kakashi. He shook his head and she smiled before leaving.

"So, Kakashi-san? Will you train her?" Grandfather prompted.

"She seems like an excellent student, from what Iruka and you have told me," Kakashi said carefully.

The Iruka comment caught me by surprise, but it wasn't enough to throw off my nerves. Especially considering how they(my nerves) just doubled from his scent and tone alone.

I shifted nervously. It was just as possible for Kakashi to turn down teaching me as it was for him to accept it. He hadn't taken a part in Naruto's life or my own so far in the slightest.

Even in the anime/manga, he hadn't taken a strong role in Naruto's life in the beginning. He trained Naruto almost as an afterthought, despite Naruto being the son of his sensei. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that it was possible Kakashi was ignorant of Naruto's heritage, but I immediately dismissed it.

After Jiraiya turned down guardianship, it would be by default offered to Minato's students. And Kakashi was the only living one left, so he had to have known Naruto and me, but turned down the guardianship regardless.

Besides... I remembered him. His scent, at least. Or at least, I vaguely remembered being held by him once or twice in my infant days. He had to have known about us. He just chose not to do anything with us.

"And?" Grandfather prompted.

Kakashi was silent, staring at me. His expression was unreadable, but from his stiff shoulders and scent, I could tell he was uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do about me.

It was easier to ignore us when we ignored him. But here I was, an obligation he originally had turned away, asking for his specific help.

I frowned at that. That seemed too much like guilt-tripping. Maybe I should have insisted on finding another sensei?

"It's fine," I managed at Kakashi's continued silence. "I don't want... I, um, don't want to burden you, bayo."

Grandfather swung his gaze on me, a frown marring on his face. "Miwako-chan..."

"It's fine," I repeated, steadily looking at anywhere else, but Kakashi. It hurt, I'd admit that much. That Naruto and I were so unwanted that even someone who would have been family turned us away. If our father had been alive, there was not a doubt in my mind that Kakashi would be singing a different tune. But he wasn't. We were alone and unwanted children. Nothing more.

My hands curled into fists. It stung. It really, really stung. I could ignore the stares of the villagers. The whispered words. The snide remarks. The flat-out ignoring. They were strangers.

I didn't care about them in the slightest, but I admired Kakashi. And it hurt, being turned away.

But did I really expect anything different?

They'll always hate you.

You're not helping, Kurama, I retorted. I did not plant a communication seal over the regular one just so you could be snarky.

Kurama's laugh echoed around in my head. But they will. And this man is no different. You don't need him.

My hands tightened. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Kakashi-san, bayo. Jiji, I think we need to go back to the academy now."

"Now, Miwako-chan," Grandfather admonished. "I'm sure..."

"I'm not," I finally snapped. "He's no different. He's made that clear, bayo. I know I'm not a monster. I know Nii-chan isn't a monster, but the rest don't. And I'm not going to force myself on anyone who clearly doesn't want me, bayo!"

"I never said that," Kakashi interjected.

"You don't have to," I snapped, temper flaring. "Your scent. Your posture. Your reluctance, bayo. Everything, but your words scream no, bayo!"

"But you can't really know that," Kakashi pointed out. "Maybe I'm just nervous like you."

My nose crinkled in clear disdain at the obvious lie. "You would have smelled differently, bayo."

"Like how?" Kakashi asked, looking at me intently.

"Sour," I answered.

"What if I was just tired?" Kakashi asked.

"Heavy," I replied. "I can't really explain it..."

"I know what you're talking about," Kakashi said. "Mad?"

"Bitter." My brow furrowed. "Why does it matter, bayo?"

"She clearly has an excellent nose," Kakashi remarked. "She has the potential of a tracker, that's for sure, but..."

"But you don't want to train me, I get it, bayo!" I snapped angrily, glaring defiantly at him. So what if he didn't want to train me? I could find someone else! Someone better! I wouldn't let myself be hurt by this... this...

"I didn't say that," Kakashi said patiently.

"Then what?!"

"You're still at the academy," Kakashi said, his eye smiling down at me. "Training you would be a bit difficult as you won't have much time and I won't either between missions."

I blinked. What?

"What?" I managed.

Grandfather smiled. "Does that mean you'll train her?"

"I... suppose," Kakashi said, looking decidedly uncomfortable. He turned to me. "I'm not... good with kids... I've never trained..."

"Just train me like you would your ninken, bayo," I suggested eagerly, my stomach fluttering at the fact that Kakashi just agreed to train me!

"N-Now Miwako-chan, I don't think—"

"I could work with that," Kakashi murmured, staring at me. "It would certainly be... easier."

My eyes lit up. "Whatever helps, bayo! But you mean it? You really, really mean it? You'll train me? Really, really?"

"Really, really," Kakashi assured me.

I grinned so widely that my cheeks hurt. "Th-Thank you so much, Shisho! I won't let you down, bayo!"

"Sh-Shisho? Ah... I don't think that's quite..."

"When do you want to start, Shisho, bayo?" I asked excitedly.

"Well... Whenever I'm free of missions I'll... train you. I can start today, after the academy..."

"Okay!" I agreed quickly. "Bayo!"

('･ω･')

After leaving the academy, I raced off to training ground seven (oh the irony) and waited exactly one hour and forty-four minutes before Kakashi showed up. Not even scolding him for his tardiness (way too excited for that), I looked up at him with my trademark foxy grin.

"Ready to start training?" Kakashi asked, smiling at me with his eye. "You know, training time will be significantly cut short when I get my Genin team."

"Are you going to start testing for your own team, Shisho?" I asked curiously.

"Maa, that's right."

"Then we'll just have to make do with the time we have," I decided. "So what do we start with?"

"First, we're going to practice recognizing scents," Kakashi said, squatting down to make eye-to-eye contact with me. I tilted my head curiously. "Tracking won't do you any good if you don't recognize your target."

I nodded in understanding. Kakashi pulled out a small scroll, unsealing it and presenting me with a fairly large wooden box. The box had a total of fifty small doors on it. Reflexively I sniffed it, and my nose crinkled at the strong smells it gave off. Kakashi's eye-smile somehow gave a more mischievous gleam.

"Find a scent that matches this cloth here. You have two guesses before I start to punish you."

"Punish how?" I asked cautiously.

Kakashi presented me with a squirt bottle. I stared at it.

"This is how I trained my ninken."

I blinked. "... Okay."

I took the cloth inside my hand, sniffing it carefully. I then looked at the box, inhaling deeply. My eyes watered instinctively at the mix of horrid smells.

This... would be a while.

('･ω･')

More months passed and between training with Kakashi, my own studying and the academy, time got eaten up and rarely did I have a moment to myself. Nothing of note happened during these months aside from my training with Kakashi improving steadily and Kurama holding a somewhat nicer tone with me when we conversed.

However, at the end of those months came the massacre.

Something of which that made me pause.

I had never been close to Sasuke; he was too snooty so I didn't bother to try. But when he showed up at the academy... a hollow, shell-shocked version of his old self, I felt myself soften. Just a bit. He might have been a jerk, but that didn't automatically mean he deserved the worst.

And in a way, none of the terrible things he'd do in the future had happened yet. I didn't really have the right to hold him accountable for any of those things.

But it was so hard not to.

So instead, I chose to remain neutral to him. I interacted no more or less with him than I did before. I didn't treat him any differently. Didn't dote on him like his fan girls. Didn't glare at him jealously like the rest of the boys in class. I just treated him the exact same way I always had.

Maybe giving this sense of normalcy was what convinced him that somehow, I wasn't dirt on his shoes.

Or maybe, just maybe, he somehow opened his mind a bit more. In the process of doing so, he realized that the world didn't revolve around him because of the massacre. Because to me, it seemed like he didn't treat me as if I was the dirt on his shoes anymore. He treated me like how a normal person would treat another one.

Which was a step up for the both of us.

We weren't friends. I couldn't see that happening any time soon (or ever really). We weren't rivals (I was so not fighting my brother for that spot). We weren't teammates (and hopefully never would be). We were just classmates who remained indifferent to each other.

Just the way we liked it.

Or at least I did.

Other than that though, nothing else happened for that year.

I gave a tired yawn, my brain having worked itself into a frenzy contemplating the motives behind the First Great Shinobi War just half an hour ago. I had returned to our dismal home, tired and hungry and alone. I had assumed Naruto was off on one of his pranking adventures and paid no mind to it, focusing instead on dinner. It was nothing elaborate, or anything really special; it was just some fried rice with chicken, peas and corn. It was one of the few meals I had learned to make on my own.

After dinner was made, I set up the table and sat down to eat. Naruto still hadn't returned by then, but that sometimes happened. I finished eating my meal before wrapping Naruto's meal in plastic and sticking it in our fridge. Glancing out the window, I noted that it was dark outside.

I moved at a lackadaisical pace towards my faded-blue bag and pulled out my homework from the academy. It only took me ten minutes or so to finish it, and by then, Naruto still hadn't returned.

My brow furrowed and I moved to put my shoes on to search for him, when our front door opened and a surly Naruto entered. He was covered in mud and, from the smell of him, blood, too.

The ANBU were normally very thorough in their job at protecting us; however, that protection dissolved the moment we started the academy, as according to the law (seeing how we were technically qualified as shinobi and kunoichi and no longer just civilians, if we wanted the extra protection, we had to hire it).

And for a while, no one bothered us. But when it became apparent that we were on our own... Well, usually it's just other children or teenagers. Rarely, very rarely, would an adult bother us, and normally when that occurred, someone would intervene.

It wouldn't do to paint Konoha in a less-than-positive light to any tourists around, with adults randomly beating children.

I fought down a growing sense of anger and chose instead to focus on my brother. Looking closer at him, I saw his face was scratched up, and bruises dotted his skin.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded, already moving towards Naruto. He snorted, about to take a step forward when I snapped, "Shoes and clothes off first."

Naruto scowled for a moment, before flushing and grumpily beginning to strip. "Nothin'. Just a bunch of idiots, okay?"

"No," I disagreed, moving off to the bathroom to run the water, drawing a bath. Knowing he was out of earshot, I muttered, "It's never okay, idiot..."

Moving back to the front room, I managed to squash down my absolute fury at seeing Naruto's entire front side a bruised blob. I stormed over to the first-aide kit and grabbed it before jerking my head in an annoyed fashion for Naruto to follow me.

He's cheeks gave off a rosy complexion, showing both his embarrassment at having the injuries and his annoyance with them. He followed behind me indolently, stepping into the bathroom and standing before the tub, per usual.

I sat the first-aide kit down and began to disinfect his injuries and wrap up the worst of the gashes. I knew that by the time I finished this process, Kurama would have already automatically healed all the wounds that had broken skin - at least, to the point where Naruto wouldn't be bleeding out into the bath.

When I was finished, Naruto gingerly stepped into the tub and sat down, facing away from me and drawing his knees up to his face. I stripped out of my clothes as well, not wanting to get them wet, and sat by the tub while grabbing a soft towel. Dipping it in water, I squeezed some soap on to it and began to wash the mud off of his small form.

"So who was it?" I finally asked.

"Does it matter?" Naruto retorted.

"Well, if I want revenge..."

Naruto turned around to give me a mischievous look. "You can't get revenge; you suck at getting revenge."

I flushed hotly. "I do not!"

"Yes; you really do. You either over exaggerate it, and actually injure someone, or you over exaggerate it to the point where it blows up in your face."

"Fine! So I don't have the finesse you have when it comes to pranking," I grumbled, my eyes twinkling with taunting amusement. "At least I don't get in trouble for every little thing."

"Argh! Even when you do something, I still get in trouble for it. How is that fair?"

"It's because you're almost always behind the trouble, Nii-chan," I said, smiling. "You're our little trouble-maker."

Naruto grinned at me. "That's king trouble-maker to you!"

"Right, of course, how could I have forgotten? Forgive me, oh great and powerful king."

Naruto gave me a haughty look, sniffing. "Well... I suppose I could forgive you this once. You have been such a loyal servant so far."

I stood up, choosing to bow lowly. "As you wish, my king."

Naruto snickered, and I gave him a smile, kneeling back down. "Now, my king, I must ask you to turn around so I can get the rest of you."

Naruto stuck his tongue out and did as I asked. "Why can't I wash myself?"

"Because you tend to do a horrible job at it. After I finish getting the mud off your skin, I'm going to have to redraw the bath to wash your hair."

"But I'm hungry," Naruto protested, not caring too much for the idea of another bath.

"Then while I redraw the bath, you should probably eat. Your food's in the fridge," I advised, smirking.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully.

I gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry, Nii-chan... but the fried rice will last tomorrow. I'll eat it for lunch, and make you some ramen for dinner."

Naruto beamed brightly at me. "Thanks, Imouto!"

I smiled at him. "Whatever you need, Nii-chan."

('･ω･')

It didn't take long to discover the group of individuals that had beaten my brother.

It didn't take long to set up my revenge.

And it certainly didn't take long for said group of individuals to fall into said plan and end up limping home with a mass of broken bones.

I smiled at my usual perch in Konoha - on top of Minato's head - and listened, pleased, to their cries.

Whatever you need, Nii-chan, I thought softly, even if you don't realize you need it.

('･ω･')

The next year started as any other year, and I took up my ninjutsu studying again because I was getting more than a bit sick of studying just seals.

A couple more months into the next year and I decided it was time to try out my first ninjutsu.

Kakashi was out on a mission so he wasn't able to train me that afternoon. So instead, I went off to training ground seven on my own, a slip of chakra paper in my hand and a handful of scrolls in my arms. In each scroll was one basic elemental ninjutsu and the training needed to use it.

Today I would find out my chakra nature and begin training.

I sat down on the grass, crossing my legs as I held up the slip of paper.

Nervous, gaki?

Yes.

Why? Kurama taunted. Do you somehow actually think you could fail such a simple test? Then again, considering how Naruto is your brother, it wouldn't surprise me.

Are you always this mean? I wondered.

You've known me for how long and you're really asking that?

Never mind...

I channeled a small portion of chakra into it.

It crinkled.

Lightning.

For the oddest reason. I felt an akin sense of relief rush through me. I placed the paper down, opening the appropriate scroll and staring at my first jutsu.

Raiton: Undercurrent.

The user channeled lightning chakra through his hands—to his palms to be more specific—and pressed it against the opponent, shocking them. There were no handsigns for this jutsu.

I took a deep breath and exhaled out slowly. Okay... let's get started.

('･ω･')

Time passed once again and I found myself reaffirming my disdain for Konoha and now indifference to the Rookie Nine. Years passed by and I was relatively content. Between training under Kakashi, being with Naruto or Grandfather and studying, my mind was sufficiently occupied enough that I didn't really dwell too much on reality.

But I was satisfied with my progress.

"Shisho?" I asked one weekend afternoon of training.

"Mm?"

Kakashi was relaxing against a tree, right next to me. I was laying on my back, my arms barely brushing against his legs. I tilted my head back to look at him.

"Are you going to be there?"

"Mm? Oh. You'll be graduating the academy soon, won't you?" Kakashi murmured, looking down at me.

"Mm-hmm."

"Maa, I'll think about it."

"Okay."

We lapsed into silence.

"Shisho?"

"Mm?"

"Do you know who my parents are?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"I look a lot like Minato-sama does."

"I admit that you bare some resemblance to the Yondaime..."

"He was dating the only Uzumaki in the village—Kushina. She had a speech defect too."

"Well... yes..."

"She was pregnant and due to arrive on the same day Ku—the Kyūbi attacked."

"Yes."

"I'm not stupid."

"I know."

"So am I right?"

Kakashi stared at me.

I knew I was right. I knew that. But I wanted Kakashi to know too. That I knew, I mean. I didn't like hiding my knowledge from him. He was my shisho, my master. I wanted to be able to confide in him for everything. I knew that I couldn't—definitely couldn't tell him about my past life—but I at least wanted to have the knowledge that I could.

I couldn't flat out say that I knew this, though. Not exactly.

"I never understood why the Hokage didn't tell either of you," Kakashi murmured.

"So I am?"

"I can't say," Kakashi said.

"It's another law isn't it?"

"Maybe."

"Does that mean I have to go bug Jiji about it?"

"Perhaps."

"If he says that you can tell me, will you tell me about them?"

And that was the other reason I brought this up. Kushina and Minato were strangers to me, yet at the same time they were my parents. My new parents.

People that loved me beyond belief and sacrificed everything for my benefit. I felt a sort of strange obligation to love them in return, but how could I do that when I didn't really know anything about them? Really know anything about them?

"Maybe," Kakashi allowed, his eye calculating.

"Okay," I replied, relaxing again beside him. "Thank you, Shisho."

"... You're welcome."

('･ω･')

Grandfather sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair as I finished pointing out my parentage.

"You're going to insist on telling Naruto this, aren't you?" Grandfather asked.

"Of course," I said with a tilt of my head.

"On the day of the graduation... I will take Naruto aside and tell him everything you and I have discussed. I do not think Naruto is quite ready to hear about his parents, yet, and I will ask that you do not argue with me on this. It's too dangerous for him."

I raised an eyebrow. "'You and I have discussed.' Does that mean there's more that we haven't discussed? Do we have a godparent? A will? A house? Anything?"

Grandfather pursed his lips. "We cannot share your parentage with the world. That was something the council decided on unanimously until you both make Chūnin. It's too dangerous for the two of you. Your father had many enemies that would undoubtedly want to pursue you both if they knew.

"It would have been better if you had not made the logical jump in the first place, but with you, I know that you can keep this to yourself. As much as I love Naruto, we both know he can be a bit hot-headed at times, and can be a bit of a loose mouth when it comes to secrets at this point in time."

I nodded my head. I could understand that sort of reasoning. It stunk, yes. But it was logical.

"You do have a godparent," Grandfather continued. "A Godfather, in fact."

"And it's not Shisho," I guessed. "Otherwise I'm pretty sure he would have hinted it to me. Which means it was someone else close to Minato or Kushina and the only other notable person would have been Jiraiya... Is it Jiraiya?"

Grandfather stared at me. He sighed. "I will not confirm or deny that. If your Godfather wishes to present himself to you, then he will do so. If not, I suggest you leave the subject alone."

Fair enough. "Okay."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me, Miwako-chan?"

"Not that I can think of. Have you decided who's going on what team?"

Grandfather only shrugged. "Who can say?"

"So yes you have. Alright. I'm going back home. You promise to tell Naruto everything on graduation day?"

"You have my word."

"Okay."

('･ω･')

The exams were... simple enough. I passed the written test with relative ease, though I wasn't able to perform the bushin, I was able to cast a small genjutsu over the horrible bushin well enough that it looked like I passed.

I was a little surprised when Kurama had suggested that—and even more so that it worked. I guess, because I had shown no promise in chakra control, they wouldn't have considered the use of genjutsu possible. Oh but it was. A genjutsu was only just as good as how much chakra you put into it. So by putting a shit ton in it, I just made it look almost... better.

Naruto didn't end up passing. He didn't even glance at me when I was given my hitai-ate, and just left without a word.

I wanted to go to him. To tell him words of comfort and confess to him that I cheated, but I didn't. He needed to be alone right then. So I returned to our apartment alone, just barely able to contain my surprise when I found Kakashi leaning against the door, waiting for me.

"Miwako-chan," Kakashi stated, peering down at the hitai-ate that I had tied around my neck.

"Shisho," I replied, a little curious to why he was there.

"I have... a present for you," Kakashi began, pulling out a thick scroll.

My eyes widened and I stared, speechless, as Kakashi unrolled the scroll. I blinked once or twice, as if trying to see if it was an illusion or not. When it proved that it was in fact not an illusion, I looked up at Kakashi.

"Are you... are you sure, bayo?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes," Kakashi hummed. "I know you've always wanted to be signed on. And you're tracking skills are superb. I thought it would be a waste if you couldn't at least have this advantage in that field."

My eyes watered and I felt my stomach clench. I wiped away at my eyes, overcome with such a strong sense of happiness.

It was his summing contract for ninken.

The fact that Kakashi was allowing me to sign on meant numerous things. The first and most important being that Kakashi accepted me as his student. Acknowledged me before anyone else and wanted me to be the one to carry on his ninken.

It meant that Kakashi had grown to like me enough to want to fully acknowledge me to the world that I was his student. It meant that now, officially, I belonged to that precious teacher-student bond that I had always read and dreamed about. A bond that would, hopefully develop and strengthen in time like Naruto and Jiraiya's, Tsunade and Sakura's, Zabuza and Haku...

But most of it all... it was just... so touching. Was this how Naruto felt when he and Iruka bonded? That first bond... to be accepted by someone outside of your group. To be really accepted. Was this how he felt with Sasuke? In a weird sense I could understand why he desperately chased after him all those years.

After being virtually alone... it was so... so... nice. It felt so... good.

I felt so incredibly happy.

I wiped away at my eyes. "Th... Thank you, bayo."

Kakashi placed a hand over my head. "Maa. Don't cry."

"I'm not," I mumbled, watery, biting down onto my thumb.

"If your sensei allows it, I'll train you on the weekend with them," Kakashi said.

"Thank you," I repeated, signing my name next to his own.

Kakashi patted my head again. "Maa, maa. Don't cry, Miwako-chan."

I sniffled again, wiping away at my eyes. "I'm not. I just have a bug in my eye."

Kakashi's eye crinkled. "Is that so?"

"Yes, that's so, bayo."

('･ω･')

"So Grandfather told you?" I asked, lying next to a quiet form of my brother.

When Naruto had come home, it had been with a more sullen atmosphere than I was used to. Immediately, once he was in bed, he had curled into me, snuggling closely. I snuggled right back, not being one to deny a good cuddle.

It was late when he arrived (or early), a little tattered. He mumbled his story to me, explaining how afterwards Grandfather came and explained everything to him at my earlier request.

"Yeah," Naruto whispered.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," I whispered sincerely. And I meant it. I hated not telling something so big to my own twin. But I knew the reasoning behind it. I knew it. I just hated it.

"I forgive you," Naruto murmured, patting my cheek. I instantly felt an akin sense of relief. I released a breath I hadn't even known I was holding.

"You know I love you, right?" I asked.

"I know," Naruto answered.

"Good. Because after we meet our teams tomorrow, I'm going to take you to meet him."

Naruto blinked at me. "Who?"

"You'll see, Nii-chan. I don't want to hide this secret from you. Not you."