I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

I meant to upload this yesterday, but then Wattpad crashed and I completely freaked out because I thought I lost everything... went to bed... came back in the morning and had to republish everything. 

But it's all good now (hopefully) hehe~

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Naruko and Gaara were currently in one of the empty training grounds, sitting in companionable silence. The preliminary matches, which had only taken place because of the abnormal number of Genin who passed the second phase, had wasted a majority of the day. At the end of it all, the finalists were then told they had a month to train before the final phase.

Currently, Fuu was training with her team — something Gaara was desperately avoiding. Naruko had simply decided to join him for some well-deserved down-time. Besides, she could tell Gaara was still very much hung up on how he had almost accidentally killed Lee.

The jinchuuriki had given Kakashi "her blessing" to go train Sasuke instead of her, reasoning that it wasn't as if Kakashi could teach her anything else. Sasuke would no doubt benefit from having a teacher who had the Sharingan and had the same affinity as he did — Lightning.

"Ne, Gaara, can I ask you something?" Naruko asked as she absent-mindedly re-sketched a seal of her own design. The redheaded boy hummed in acknowledgement of her question. "Why do you pretend you don't care?"

Gaara paused, his sand grains freezing along with him. "What?"

Naruko glanced up from her sketchpad. "I'm talking about with Temari and Kankuro... your real siblings. When you're with us — Fuu and myself, that is — you act like you. But when you're with them, you're someone else. I mean, sure you've always been stubborn as hell, moody and a little unpredictable; one day you'll snarl at me for getting too close, and the next day you'd hug me for the same thing. You'll be ridiculously set on something and then change your mind just because you felt like it. But this is different... you act like you don't care at all. Why?"

Gaara set down his half-formed sculpture. "I..."

The blonde shifted over so that she was no longer leaning against him, but sitting across from him in a cross-legged position. "You know that whatever you say, I'll never judge you, right? And this will always stay between us unless you wish otherwise."

Her brother nodded meekly. "I don't... I don't really know," he admitted. She was looking at him with that look, and that meant she wanted more of an answer than that. "It's hard. I don't know how to be... a brother... to them."

Naruko tilted her head. "You do a wonderful job of being a brother to me," she offered.

"That's different," Gaara shook his head. "With you two, everything is easy. I don't have to be... I don't have to be someone I'm not. There's no expectations for me to live up to. With Fuu, Yagura, Utakata, Bee, okaa-san... people who are like you and me, I'm free. Free to be who I am."

"Gaara, you're always free to be who you are."

She was looking at him so earnestly. She believed it. So why couldn't he?

The redhead sighed through his nose. "It's more complicated than that," he said quietly. "If they don't like me now, at least I know they don't like someone who's not me. But if I show them who I am every day, the person I am when I'm around you, what if they don't like it? I'm... afraid they won't like me, even then," he confessed.

Naruko hummed contemplatively. "I know how you feel." She shot him a rueful smile. "We're both jinchuuriki, after all. It's a valid insecurity, so you needn't be ashamed of it. But at the end of the day, that's all it is: an insecurity. You'll never know what they truly think of you if they live with a lie. But if you want my brutally honest opinion, I'd say that you annoy the heck out of me. You're stingy with your things, particularly photos. You ambush me, prank me and tackle me in a tickle-attack. You gang up on me with Fuu. You see everything with that damned Third Eye of yours and never give me any privacy."

Gaara was looking at her with a mix of surprise, indignance, and a little hurt.

The annoyed features relaxed into a gentle smile. "But I know you're stingy with photos because they were all you had to remind you of your biological family when we were living together. You ambush me and prank me because you want to have some fun. You tickle me because you know I'm not in a good mood and you want to cheer me up. You gang up on me with Fuu because you know you can't say 'no' to me by yourself. And you always checked up on me with that Third Eye to make sure I don't get into too much trouble or hurt myself." Naruko leaned forward to take his hands in hers. "You're always looking out for me, and I love that about you. You annoy me, but in case you haven't noticed, as my brother, it's your job to do exactly that. And regardless of what you do, I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

Gaara smiled at her. "Thanks. I'm not really sorry I annoy you, though, because you annoy me back, tenfold."

Naruko rolled her eyes with a laugh. "That's what siblings do. And sure you may have some bad habits that are real annoying and hard to ignore. But if you love someone enough — the same way I love you and Fuu — then those bad habits are easy to forget."

"I suppose," Gaara agreed, recalling his family's less-than-admirable, subconscious habits.

Naruko snickered. "You're thinking about how Roshi always leaves his underwear inside out on top of the laundry hamper, aren't you?"

Gaara's nose wrinkled. "It was so gross. I mean seriously, inside out? Disgusting."

Naruko raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember that entire ordeal when there was an unknown lacy bra in the hamper, and Utakata mentioned in passing that, if we were to find a bra that coincidentally had the exact designs on it, we should give it back to Yagura?"

Gaara tried not to laugh at the memory. "Everyone got concerned and thought he was either going to be a pole dancer or a transgender, and they kept dropping hints at being supportive and all, except for the pole dancing part. One of the best weeks of my life." (1)

"And it was actually their friend's that had gotten mixed up with his clothes during a mission," the blonde grinned. "Yagura nearly beat the living daylights out of Utakata then when we finally told him. I don't think I've ever seen either of them go that red before. Yagura was a spluttering mess and Utakata was choking on his spit."

"Best. Day. Ever," Gaara snickered.

"They'd sorely disagree with you," Naruko commented, and the redhead agreed. A comfortable silence befell them, and then the blonde spoke again. "You know, Yagura and Utakata fight all the time. It's strange to see them not at each other's throats every five minutes. But regardless, they love each other and when it comes down to it, they'd have each other's backs no matter what."

Gaara hummed in agreement. "Your point being?"

"My point," Naruko sighed, "is that if your siblings loved you the way our family loves each other, you have no reason to be afraid of being yourself. And sure, you'd be doing a 180-degree switch on your personality, but I think it's better than who you currently are around them. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed that, beneath the wariness, all they want is to have their baby brother."

"I'm not a baby." His voice was decidedly annoyed, and then it softened. "Although, I... would like to have an older sister."

"Brother?" Naruko raised her eyebrow.

Gaara shrugged. "I have too many. And they annoy me." He paused contemplatively. "But that isn't to say that I wouldn't like to get to know Kankuro. He seems nice. A little immature, but he could be quite fun. He's the more emotional of the two." A twinkle entered his eye. "Kinda like Yagura. Temari's more like okaa-san, though."

"I can see that," Naruko agreed. "Logical, no-nonsense, very maternal. Driven by a need to care and protect those precious to her." She leaned back on her palms, casting her gaze to the clouds above that drifted lazily from one end of the sky to the other. "I miss okaa-san."

"So do I. And I miss Roshi-jiji and Han-nii, too."

Naruko flopped onto her back and then rolled over so her head was in Gaara's lap. "Did you have any idea Bee-nii was coming?"

Gaara shook his head, his pale fingers twisted in the long blonde strands. "I knew Killer Bee was the name of the Raikage's adopted younger brother, but I didn't suspect he would be one of his bodyguards, as well. Although it does make sense — with Gyuki and that weird kenjutsu style of his, Bee-nii is a force to be reckoned with." He paused, and his voice turned lighter as he teased, "Although, okaa-san will probably knock him out of the park in terms of ferocity once she sees that a certain Uchiha has a crush on you~"

Naruko raised her eyebrow. "Sasuke? We're just friends."

"Sure," Gaara grinned. "That's what they all say."

"No, really. We're just close because we're on the same team, so naturally..."

"Mmhm. I believe you."

"You so do not," Naruko grinned, reaching up to gently slap him. "Anyway, speaking of Bee-nii and his weird kenjutsu, did I tell you about how I got trained by the infamous Zabuza Momochi?"

Gaara stared at her. "You what?"

Naruko's grin widened. "Apparently not." And so she launched into the story of how she and her team had been tricked into going into a B-rank mission as mere Genin, and while Kakashi had been detained by the Demon of the Mist, their beloved brothers Yagura and Utakata showed up in a true-to-nature, more-than-necessarily-dramatic fashion. She had then proceeded to "ditch" her team in favour of catching up with her brothers, and a few days later they once again faced off with the ex-head of the assassination unit the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Of course, this battle had evolved to include all of Team 7, and then Gato had shown up, prompting Zabuza's change of sides and another one of Yagura's appearances. Once everything had been resolved — namely with Zabuza's reformation and Gato's death — the swordsman had taken it upon himself to train Naruko in kenjutsu for the remainder of her mission.

Gaara sat back, letting out an impressed whistle. "Wow. I never realized Yagura's such a drama queen."

Naruko couldn't help but laugh. "That's what you got out of my story?"

Gaara returned her smile. "No, don't get me wrong — having a Swordsman of the Mist train you in kenjutsu is nothing short of amazing. I'm impressed, not to mention a little envious. I'd very much like to see how you fare against my sand. Seeing as how it was only okaa-san and Yagura who were able to slip past by ultimate defense, this will be interesting." He paused. "Although, I guess it can't be called "ultimate" anymore."

Naruko's eyes softened. "Hey, Lee will be fine."

Gaara looked away. "He won't ever be a shinobi again. I did that."

"He opened five of the Eight Inner Gates," Naruko informed him gently. "Perhaps if you had tried to injure him afterwards, yes that would've been your fault. But you didn't continue to hurt him."

"I almost did."

"But you didn't," she emphasized.

"I only stopped because you were here. You, Yagura, Utakata, and Bee."

"And we always will be here." She tilted her brother's face up to meet her eyes. After a moment, Naruko reached back to untie forehead protector and let it fall to the ground as she leaned down to touch her forehead to his. "I promise, we will always be here when you need us."

Gaara could only nod, searching her cerulean eyes. He saw nothing but compassion and endless love, the same that he had been introduced to for the first time in his life when he was six. Those emotions had never wavered, even two years apart. Something evaporated, leaving his heart feeling lighter than it had in years. 

There was nothing he could do, to take away those emotions.

She smiled that small, knowing smile.

Nothing in the world would ever take away the love she had for him.

Gaara closed his eyes and let peace wash over him as he basked in the serene moment that was so rare to come by these days. The warm presence of his sister was just a bonus.

Just like nothing in the world would ever take away his love for her.

"Come on Panda-chan," Naruko whispered, "spend the day with me. We deserve the day off... just like old times. Ne?"

Gaara opened his eyes, accepting her hand.

It was the same with every member of their oddball family — the love they freely gave would always be there, would never disappear.

Because their family was one brought together by the same pain from an identical burden. 

But it didn't seem like a burden, when there were more people like them.

And they'd be damned if they let anything get between them that easily.

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"Hi Alastor," Naruko chirped as she walked into Tendōkyū Weaponry.

A man in his late forties with deep auburn hair came out from the back of the shop, a kind smile on his weathered face. "Ah, Naruko-san. How are you?"

"Good, good," the girl smiled cheerily as she let go of Gaara's gourd strap and started to walk to the sword section. "I'm here to buy a sword because I promised Zabuza-sensei I'd keep up with my kenjutsu," she called as she disappeared among the blades.

Alastor raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Alright then, call for me if you have any trouble." He turned to her companion, "Are you here for something too, lad?"

Gaara shook his head. "Naruko dragged me here against my will."

Alastor chuckled again. "Yes, she has a tendency to do that. The Uchiha boy and Haruno girl have also been dragged here many times. Not that I or Mathilde — my wife — object, of course."

Naruko grinned as she heard their conversation before turning her attention to the blades that were in glass cases, hanging on the walls and the like. Through her training with Zabuza, she had come to realize her preference for katana and nodachi. And speaking of which—

"Kit. Kit. Kit." A pause. "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttt~"

'What?' Naruko snapped, slightly irritated at the incessant whine-like chanting in her head. And to think, this was a demon who had lived around the time of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. How the mighty have fallen indeed...

"Get that one, get that one!"

Naruko raised a brow as she walked over to a nodachi. 'Well someone's excited.' The handle was black with the typical diamond-shaped holes in a vertical line. However, a crimson-red cloth had been used to colour the diamonds, instead of leaving it empty.

"That, Kit, is the famed Nietono no Shana." (2) Kurama was as giddy as a child who knew one of his birthday presents included exactly what he wanted. "That nodachi was specifically made with my jinchuuriki in mind."

Naruko raised a brow. 'I thought the only jinchuuriki before me was my biological mother and the First Hokage's wife, Mito Uzumaki. And to my knowledge, neither of them were all that proficient in kenjutsu.'

"On the contrary, my dear Kit," the fox grinned gleefully, "as you know, the Uzumaki were very-well known kenjutsu users. Hence why Zabuza was so adamant at training you. I'm surprised you're only buying a blade now."

'Hush — I want to see if I can use it in the Chuunin Exams.'

Kurama snorted, "Doubt it. Anyway, a man named Tenmoku Ikko was the blacksmith who crafted this blade. The sword specifically channels demonic chakra — my chakra. You can use it to better discover and hone the Fire affinity you have from being my jinchuuriki, as well as the usual kenjutsu moves."

Naruko slowly reached out and picked it up; the nodachi seemed to shiver in her hand, pulsing with a chakra that could only be described as an inferno, however friendly it seemed. 'Nietono no Shana, huh?' She tossed it from hand to hand. It was a good weight. 'What kind attacks can it do with your chakra?'

Kurama paused. "One that I know of is "Great Blade of Crimson". Yes, yes, I know, not very original, so obviously I didn't come up with it. But basically, it coats that blade with a flame which you can use to hurl at enemies from a distance, whether as a wave of fire or fireballs. I'm pretty sure you can create fiery constructs to your bidding, too."

Naruko raised her eyebrows, impressed. 'Cool.'

"Find one to your liking, Naruko-san?"

Naruko whirled around to see Alastor behind her, and smiled. "Yes. I quite like this one."

"Ah, now that's a mighty fine blade," Alastor grinned. "Tenmoku Ikko's Nietono no Shana." He stepped back and scanned the girl's build before nodding in approval. "The sword is the correct height for you, in any regard, so it will work for you. It's especially attuned to Fire affinity, but no Uchiha ever looked twice at it, much less picked it up." He sighed, but smiled brightly. "Good for you, though. I'm sure it will serve you well."

Naruko smiled indulgently as she followed the old man to the register. "Is there a scabbard?"

Alastor looked almost apologetic. "Ikko-san didn't provide a scabbard with this particular blade, unfortunately, which is quite strange in and of itself..."

Naruko waved him off with a smile, "No matter. I can always seal it."

"Alright," Alastor smiled. "Just for the lack of a scabbard, I will reduce the price by ten percent for you. That will be 40,656¥." (3)

Naruko didn't comment on the price of the nodachi — considering its uniqueness, she was lucky it wasn't even more expensive — and dutifully handed over the money. With a quick seal on one of the empty mini-scrolls she always carried with her, the blade disappeared. Alastor waved off the thanks Naruko threw his way as she grabbed Gaara's gourd strap to drag him with her as she exited the weaponry shop.

Gaara pouted, smoothing down his clothes. "I wanted to look at the weapons more."

Naruko looked at him in wry amusement, "Yeah, well I want to train with my nodachi as soon as possible. Also, aren't you in the least bit hungry?"

Gaara pondered this before agreeing. "Where do you suggest going? And I would prefer not to go to a fancy restaurant," he added quickly, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"You and me both," Naruko agreed. "Come, Panda-chan, I have the perfect place in mind." And with that said, she grabbed his hand and dragged him off for the second time that day. It didn't take long for a familiar white stand to come into view, the delicious smell of broth, noodles and meat rushing to meet her. "Teuchi-jiji," she called as she entered the ramen stand.

A kindly old man looked over to see his favourite customer, and his smile widened. "Naruko-chan, good to see you. My," his eyes twinkled, "would this be a suitor of yours?"

Naruko blinked first at him, and then at Gaara before bursting into laughter. "Teuchi-jiji, meet my brother, Gaara."

"Ah, apologies," Teuchi said sheepishly. He didn't comment on how Gaara was clearly from a different village. "Now, what can I get for you two? Last I heard, Naruko, you were nominated for the Chuunin Exams. How did that go over?"

"The usual, jiji," Naruko smiled as the two jinchuuriki took a seat, "and Gaa-chan will have miso ramen. As for the Chuunin Exams... I suppose they've been alright so far. The second phase was by far the most dangerous." She began recounting her experiences while Teuchi listened with an indulgent smile like any other doting grandfather.

"Naruko Uzumaki, I should've known."

"Yagu-nii," both Genin greeted at the same time. Yagura stared at them, before shaking his head with a defeated sigh and sitting down. Utakata and Killer Bee followed shortly.

"Hey Little Britches," Bee grinned, reaching over to headlock Naruko and scuffle her head.

"Bee," Naruko grinned, hugging his arm. She had missed him so much, as quirky as he was. The blonde then perked up, "Oh yeah, I was about to ask — why are you guys here? I thought the Kage were only coming for the third phase, and that's in a month's time. Also, I thought Kumo had a tense relationship with Konoha?"

"That's the reason my brother and I are here," Killer Bee nodded. "I convinced him to come here to the Chuunin Exams while the other Kage were, too. Try patching things up and get a stronger alliance, y'know?"

"Are you sure it's not just so you could have an excuse to come here?" Gaara raised a knowing eyebrow, and Bee laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

Naruko smirked, and then asked, "I assume that's what Kiri's doing, too?"

"Hit the nail on the head, you little knucklehead," Yagura shot two finger guns at her with a grin before turning to Teuchi. "One tonkotsu and two miso ramen bowls, please."

"Coming right up!" Teuchi called, clearly having not recognized the three rather important — but foreign — shinobi.

"So are we going to have some down-time as siblings today?" Naruko was resting her cheek in her palm as she watched her supposedly-mature older brothers banter away.

"Yep," Yagura grinned.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have things to discuss with the Hokage? And won't the Raikage be missing you, Bee? Not that I don't enjoy your company," he added quickly. "But..."

The Kumo shinobi grinned, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "No offense taken, panda. And nah, I bet the Hokage's too busy dealing with my brother's hot temper to miss any of us. And even if he does, we left clones anyway."

Gaara's eyes widened. "You left clones?"

"Of course, we're not amateurs," Utakata said as if even the thought of them being such a thing were an insult. Gaara lowered his face into his hand, using his pointer finger and thumb to rub at his aching eyes. Dear Kami, why did the most lovable people also have to have outrageously large amounts of idiocy?

"I was bored," Yagura emphasized.

"And you don't think I get bored?" Gaara deadpanned. "I'm at least ten years younger than you and I'm also forced to learn all about politics and other diplomatic matters, seeing as I'm the son of the Kazekage."

"Too much talk. Too little food. Not much action. Speak no more. Brain, mush." Yagura slammed his head onto the table, and after a long pause, "...head hurt."

"Wow," Naruko shook her head in amusement. "He's really dying."

"And somehow, I don't think slamming his head on the table helped his rapidly decreasing brain cells," a familiar voice quipped as the cloth lifted for the third time that hour, and the petite form of a kunoichi slipped into a seat beside Gaara.

"Fuu," Bee leaned back to grin at his other little sister. "Done with your training?"

"I would ask how you know, but I genuinely don't want to know," Fuu giggled. "And yes. Even if I didn't make it to the third phase, we're staying for Yōrō-kun."

"Sorry about that," Naruko smiled sympathetically, "but hey, at least you have a reason to stick around. It would suck if you had to leave so soon."

Fuu agreed. "It's okay, though. To be honest, we weren't expecting to pass on the first try. I jumped at the chance to come to Konoha, and it just so happened that our sensei thought it was a good opportunity for us to gauge what level we were at compared to other shinobi. Taki's just a minor village, after all."

"Thanks, Teuchi-jiji," Naruko smiled as the man put down a steaming bowl of ramen in front of her. "So do you think the Takikage would come since your teammate got into the third phase? I mean, the Kazekage, Raikage and Mizukage are here." She pursed her lips. "That just leaves the Tsuchikage as the odd one out."

Yagura snorted. "Fat chance of that old fart ever coming around."

"Hey," Gaara intoned, "that "old fart" is the Kage of our dearly departed brother and grandfather. May they rest in peace."

Catching on, all six of them bowed their heads in respect to the two Iwa shinobi who were as far away from any of them as one could get. There was no doubt in any of their minds that, had Han and Roshi not had each other, they would've gone berserk by now.

"I wish we had somewhere all nine of us could meet up," Naruko said wistfully, playing with her noodles. "Somewhere secluded, yet close enough that we could travel to within a day."

"That would be the dream," Fuu agreed as she tucked into her own meal. "I've been wondering, how did you become Mizukage anyway, Yagu-nii?"

Yagura grinned. "Now that's a very fun story, and believe it or not, it has to do with the stitch on my face..."

Even when the six jinchuuriki had finished their meals, they stayed at Ichiraku's Ramen so they could continue talking and catching each other up on the many events that had happened in the two years they were apart. Yagura and Utakata had the most entertaining stories by far, seeing as they were both high-ranked and were a comedic duo in general. Utakata constantly hit his esteemed Mizukage over the head for over-exaggerating things, before correcting him in a deadpan tone. There were a few instances were someone would shout, "I was there too!" when someone was recounting a mission, and they would all freak out and bemoan the fact they were unlucky enough to miss each other. Gaara's stories were fun to listen to, since he had adopted a rather different personality altogether in Suna. He attributed it to not wanting people to think he was bipolar, since he could practically feel the seal cracking. Naruko had immediately gone off on a long seal rant, and Gaara's other siblings shot him death stares. It was safe to say, no one brought up fūinjutsu for the rest of that conversation, if they could help it at all. There were also reports on how their respective Bijuu were doing. Various laughs ensued as stories of sarcasm, inappropriate conversations during life-or-death situations, and other typical traits of the Bijuu surfaced once more in stories that weren't at all lacking in any department, especially hilarity. Killer Bee made sure he told stories of Yugito as well, seeing as she was on an two-month-long undercover mission and hence was unable to be there with them. Naruko enjoyed hearing about what had become of their lives ever since the separation — in fact, this was reminding her of the numerous conversations they'd have over the dinner table back when their family was whole — but she couldn't help wondering idly if she would ever have the opportunity to see the other three missing family members again... if ever. She shook her head quickly; she would see them again. Of that, she would make sure. Even if she had to bribe the Hokage and Kakashi to do so. She knew that if she asked, her teammates would have no qualms in helping her out with that particular part; Sasuke and Sakura had little to no outward respect for their sensei, which attributed to the many enjoyable training sessions that helped Team 7 grow as people, shinobi, friends and partners-in-crime.

"Oh look, pervert alert," Fuu noted absently. After at least five hours, a raging Fourth Raikage had come storming down the warpath screaming for Killer Bee. The poor shinobi had blanched and promptly ran away, dragging Yagura and Utakata with him to the forest. Said Mizukage and his bodyguard were similarly terrified. Evidently, they had been found out. The triplets opted to not stick around, and Naruko had taken them sightseeing. Currently, they were outside the hot springs.

Naruko cocked her head; there was a man with long, white spiky hair. 'Is he related to Kaka-nii?'

Kurama snorted. "No, Kit. That's the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya. You know, student of Lord Third, teammate of Orochimaru and Tsunade Senju? He's the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, a self-proclaimed Super Pervert, and your father's sensei."

'He's Orochimaru's teammate?' Naruko wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, but he's a good guy. Orochimaru was the... Sasuke of the team. He's rogue, and Tsunade's off gambling and getting drunk in the middle of nowhere. Jiraiya's cool, but a little too perverted."

'I don't know how to respond to the "Sasuke of the team", part,' Naruko sighed. 'So should I go over there and kick his ass for peeping?'

"Well, seeing as he's your godfather... sure, I believe that's well within your rights."

Naruko's eye twitched. 'He's what?'

"Your godfather," Kurama repeated in a nonchalant tone, grinning. This would be interesting to watch. Naruko somehow managed to quietly storm over to the peeping Sannin, all the while she thought of many various things she could do to the pervert, both to punish him for peeping and for not stepping up to take responsibility for her after both her parents died. Although, it did end up being for the best, seeing as she was raised by the jinchuuriki themselves.

A wicked look entered her eyes as she transformed while she walked — she became taller, her hair shorter and spikier, and eyes narrower and her feminine form turned into that of an adult male. She was dressed in the typical Jonin outfit, complete with a short-sleeved white haori lined with red flames and the inscription of the Fourth Hokage down the back.

Fuu tapped Gaara's arm, and catching on, the two quickly took shelter in the trees to watch from afar. When their sister got like this, it was best to observe at a distance that would benefit them by providing a quick escape route. Especially if they didn't know the man well enough to predict his reaction.

'So what did my dad call him?'

"Jiraiya-sensei. What else would he call him? Perverted Hermit?" Kurama snorted. "No, the name-calling and complete lack of respect for elders comes from your biological mother."

Naruko snorted mentally, and then reached out to tap the Sannin's shoulder. "Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Huh? Who are you calling "sensei", br—" His eyes almost bugged out of his face. "Minato? Wha— how— y-you can't— you're—" The Sannin stood there, spluttering for a full six seconds before his eyes rolled back and he fainted right on the spot.

Naruko sweatdropped. 'Well that was a little unexpected.' She dispelled her Henge and turned to wave over her siblings, who dropped down and dutifully helped her carry the Sannin to one of the training grounds. "I can't believe he fainted," she muttered almost irritably.

Fuu raised her eyebrow. "Why did you henge into a man?"

"That was my biological father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze," Naruko explained. "This man was apparently his sensei, Jiraiya."

Gaara threw her an amused look. "And you really thought he wouldn't freak out."

Naruko shrugged as she flopped onto the ground, resting her head onto Fuu's lap and dropping her ankles onto Gaara's. "I mean, he's one of the Legendary Sannin and hence Orochimaru's teammate... so you would assume he's at least somewhat used to weird happenings by now."

"Speaking of which, who was that Orochimaru-guy?" Fuu asked curiously.

Naruko sighed. "Orochimaru is a rogue Leaf ninja. He was trained under the Third Hokage along with his teammates Jiraiya and Tsunade Senju. Sometime during the Third Shinobi War, the Ame leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, gave them the moniker of the Legendary Sannin. They've been known as such ever since, even when they parted ways after the War. Orochimaru's illegal — and not to mention unethical — experiments were discovered and he fled as a high-ranked missing-nin. Though still loyal to Konoha, Tsunade also left the village because of the losses she suffered during the War, or something like that. And I think Jiraiya's always travelling in order to manage his extensive spy network and... that should be it."

"So your newly-revealed godfather is a powerful shinobi, a pervert, and a spy network manager," Gaara summarized.

"Pretty much," Naruko sighed. "Apparently he was my father's sensei, so I guess it makes sense." She paused. "I wonder who my mother's sensei was."

"So Orochimaru is evil, Jiraiya is a pervert... what's Tsunade's horrible flaw?" Fuu wondered out loud.

Naruko thought back to a conversation with Kakashi. "I believe she gambles and drinks. And she also sucks at gambling... she's the Legendary Sucker. Tsunade winning is an equivalent to a bad omen, but—"

"Minato!" the Toad Sage abruptly lurched up from where the triplets had stretched him out on the ground, causing Fuu to shriek and blindly throw some webbing in his general direction while Naruko jumped to her feet with the Nietono no Shana at the Sannin's neck, sand restraining his limbs. Jiraiya blinked. "Uh..."

"Please, for the love of lanta, never do that again," Naruko sighed as she lowered her blade. Fuu quickly dissolved the webbing with a sheepish apology, and the sand quickly slithered away and back into Gaara's gourd. Naruko dropped down to the ground, sealing the nodachi back into her storage scroll. "Will you please stop staring at me?" she asked as politely as she could, though a tint of irritation was audible, whether at her godfather for abandoning her or for startling them, she didn't really know.

At that, Jiraiya apparently found his voice. "N-Naruko?" he asked in an almost strangled voice.

The blonde tilted her head. "Apparently you do know about my existence. So would you like to tell me exactly where you have been for the past thirteen years, otherwise known as the entirety of my life... godfather?"

Jiraiya blanched. "Uh... I-I..."

"Cut him some slack, he was probably either chasing Orochimaru or Tsunade, or managing his spy network," Fuu sighed as she stretched her arms above her head. "Or, and I reluctantly admit this is the more likely scenario, he was peeping in the hot springs," she added.

Naruko snorted in amusement, and then looked over at the Sannin. "So, seeing as you have at least thirteen years to make up for, you can train me for the final phase of the Chuunin Exams. I might consider calling it even, then."

"You're in the Chuunin Exams?" Jiraiya's eyebrows nearly rose up and off his face.

"Surprise~" Naruko rolled her eyes. "I'm a genius like my father." Okay, so she admitted to being a little petulant, but could you blame her? This was the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, her godfather and quite possibly the last living link to her parents, and he hadn't even bothered to check in on her once in her thirteen years of being alive. And if that didn't clearly state something about said Toad Sage's character, then she didn't know what else did.

"You know your heritage?" Jiraiya asked carefully.

"My father: Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage and the Leaf's Yellow Flash. He was your student. My mother: Kushina Uzumaki, the last of the Uzumaki Clan, was brought to Konoha to be the second jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Known as the Red Hot Habanero," Naruko ticked off on her fingers. "Said Bijuu resides in me after the death of both parents, and since he detests being referred to as such, was forced to tell me his name — Kurama." She tilted her head innocently at Jiraiya. "Have I missed anything?"

The legendary shinobi was white as a sheet. "I thought that was all a secret," he finally said at last, wonderment and what sounded similar to pride lining his voice.

Gaara looked amused at the implications. "As if anything could keep Naruko from finding out what she wants to know."

Jiraiya finally noticed the other two Genin. "I'm sorry — who are you two, again?"

"Gaara no Sabaku, Chuunin Exam participant," the redhead introduced. "I'm Naruko's de facto brother since I hold the Ichibi. That over there," he nodded at the green-haired girl who waved at the Sannin cheerfully while simultaneously giving him the stink-eye, "is Bean-chan—"

"Panda-chan!" The girl cut off, attempting to look angry only to let out a laugh before turning to the Sannin. "I'm Fuu, from Takigakure. Also a de facto sibling due to jinchuuriki status."

"What the hell..." Jiraiya muttered, almost dazedly. "I must be dreaming."

"I assure you, you're not dreaming," the triplets deadpanned in identical flat tones. "Good lanta, Roshi-jiji would skin us if he was here," Gaara sighed as his sisters laughed. Naruko moved over to pull Jiraiya's cheek, drawing him back to reality.

The Sannin jumped, but smiled when he saw the inquisitive look in her eyes. "Your mannerisms are a perfect blend of Minato and Kushina," he murmured under his breath, and didn't miss the surprise lighting her eyes. He shook his head, and his nostalgic smile grew into an exuberant grin not unlike the Uzumaki Grin. "Well, polliwog, you wanted me to train you? I'll train you." (4)

Naruko couldn't help smiling. "Really?"

"Sure," Jiraiya nodded. "First off: what do you know already? Don't want to teach you something you already know, after all."

Naruko's smile grew. "My natural affinities are Water and Wind, and I'm fairly proficient in both. I also have the Fire affinity which is a side effect of being jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, but it's... a little complicated. I'll elaborate more on that later. Um, I can do a few minor Earth jutsu, but Kurama only had me learn them so I could be well-rounded, so I only know defensive-type jutsu, like Earth Style: Mud Wall. I think my chakra control's as good as it's going to get, seeing as I have an overabundance of chakra; one of the first things Kurama had me learn was walking up trees and on water."

Jiraiya looked rather impressed. "So tell me, do you know your father's signature jutsu?"

"The Rasengan and the Hiraishin," Naruko nodded eagerly. "Kurama had me working on stamina and endurance to prepare me for the Hiraishin, but I haven't attempted it yet because... well, things came up. I can perform the Rasengan, but it takes up a lot of concentration and I prefer to do it with the aid of a Shadow Clone, so... still working on it and it'll probably take some time since I haven't done it in practically forever. Oh, and a funny thing happened: I once managed to fuse Lightning into the Rasengan despite not having that affinity — I chalked it up to Kurama being weird. Oh and speaking of Shadow Clones, I can mass-produce them since, you know, lots of chakra to waste." She finally took a breath, and then glared at Jiraiya who was muffling laughter. "What?"

"Nothing, polliwog," Jiraiya chuckled. "You just... reminded me of your mom there. Talking a mile a minute without ever taking a breath." He cleared his throat to compose himself. "It seems you are rather well-rounded in most aspects, and well ahead of what I initially assumed. I guess we can thank... Kurama... for that." He looked a little uncomfortable at addressing the Kyuubi by name, and Naruko couldn't fault him for that. "I would really like to know how you did Lightning with the Rasengan, though."

"So would I," Naruko deadpanned. "I didn't think it would work, because Lightning and Wind are supposed to cancel each other out." She huffed. "I hate theory. But I also hate logic-defying Bijuu the most."

"Seconded," Fuu piped up, immediately followed by an amused, "Thirded" from Gaara.

Jiraiya was suitably amused, but didn't comment. "Well then," he loudly clapped his hands once and stood up. "I have a great idea."

"As long as it doesn't involve the hot springs, Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya's head whipped around, a greatly offended look on his face. "What did you just call me?"

Naruko smiled innocently at him. "Oh, so you're allowed to give me a nickname, but I can't give you one? That hurts, but no less than you abandoning me for thirteen years."

Jiraiya's shoulders slumped as he deadpanned at her. "You're going to keep guilt-tripping me every time you want something, huh?"

"Yep!" Naruko popped the "p" as she skipped over to join him. She turned to wave at the Taki and Suna shinobi, who were smiling in amusement. "See you in a month's time!" she called with a cheerful smile.

"See you," Fuu responded in kind, while Gaara merely lifted a hand in farewell. "She seems just as happy as when we found each other in the classroom during the first phase," the green-haired girl noted.

"I'm glad," Gaara said simply. "She deserves some happiness. I think she's more shaken up by the Forest of Death than she realizes."

"Aren't we all," Fuu murmured. Their brief moment of much-appreciated peace was interrupted when a familiar shinobi bearing the symbol of Oto on their forehead protector landed in front of them. Gaara narrowed his eyes and shifted so that his body was between the shinobi and Fuu. He could already tell this confrontation was going to get very ugly, very fast.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked back to see Fuu's amber eyes were unusually hard — almost as hard as a seasoned shinobi. Her face was stony and expressionless; she remembered him as one of the ninja who had attacked their sister's team, as well.

It was a good thing Naruko left already.

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"So what did you have in mind?"

Jiraiya looked down at the girl beside him — her arms were locked straight behind her back, and she was walking with a slight skip in her step. Her whiskered face was relaxed and slightly tilted up to a sky that matched the shade of her eyes. Her blonde hair — bright as Minato's and as long as Kushina's — was let loose and fell to her lower back. Her Konoha forehead protector was tied on her forehead, proudly displaying her shinobi status for all to see. She wore a short dark skirt under a short-sleeved, orange kimono-like blouse with a dark embroidered border and a bright red Uzumaki swirl on the lower left corner, held closed with a black obi. Dark stockings stopped at her upper thighs, and she wore the traditional black shinobi sandals. The outfit reminded him of Kushina when she had been a Genin...

In fact, everything about his goddaughter practically screamed Minato and Kushina — from her appearance to her personality, her admirable work ethic and her easy acceptance of things she didn't care to explain, and her now-apparent love for daydreaming, she had it down to a T. He wasn't surprised if she was a natural at kenjutsu and fūinjutsu either, seeing as she had Uzumaki blood running through her veins. And if her dream was to be Hokage... well, that was just more concrete proof of who she was.

At the lack of a reply, Naruko took a cautious glance at her godfather. She hadn't really studied him before hand — he was fairly tall and well-built, and his long spiky white hair reminded her of Kakashi. His coal eyes were currently vacant as if he were lost in thought. Two long thin stripes ran down his cheeks and vaguely reminded her of tears of blood. He had laugh lines around the corners of his mouth, and a wart on the left side of his nose. He wore a green short-shirt-kimono and matching pants over a mesh armour that was visible around his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional Japanese wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He also wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" — 油 — and had a large scroll on his back.

First impression: pervert and irresponsible. All in all, not great. But then he had instantly noticed things about her and connected them to her biological parents, and hadn't hesitated in telling her so. Minato and Kushina had obviously been dear to him, and Naruko couldn't help but wonder if she had misjudged his irresponsibility. He was, after all, training her to make up for the lost years. Although, there was the unforgettable pervertedness... Naruko sighed. Terrible as the first impression was, she had a feeling Jiraiya would grow on her in time. Naruko subconsciously harboured a hope that she would become as precious to him as her father had clearly been.

"Alright, this seems like a good spot," Jiraiya finally spoke, breaking the silence. Naruko looked up at him curiously, and he merely grinned at her. "I'm going to be teaching you a very special technique, but first I'm going to show you, so watch carefully."

Naruko's eyes lit up. Judging by one of his titles, she had a pretty good idea of what this special technique was.

Jiraiya bit his right thumb, swiped the blood onto his other palm and went through the handsign sequence before slamming his left hand flat onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke, and suddenly Jiraiya was standing on the head of a medium-sized orange toad, a scroll in its mouth.

"I knew it," Naruko whispered, eyes twinkling as a grin stretching across her whiskered face. The frog's tongue unrolled until the scroll was right in front of her; Naruko looked up inquisitively at the Toad Sage, the crushing hope almost knocking the breath out of her.

Jiraiya grinned. "Open the scroll. I'm sure you've already guessed this, but it's the summoning contract to the toads of Mount Myōboku." He watched as Naruko knelt to carefully unravel the scroll, revealing columns of names and fingerprints, all written in a dark red ink that resembled—

"Sign your name in your own blood and stamp the fingerprints of one hand in blood under that."

Yeah, it wasn't ink; it was blood.

"Then build up chakra in the place you want to summon and set down the hand you contracted. The signs are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram."

Naruko obediently bit her right thumb and started to write her name in an empty column. She tapped each finger against her bloodied thumb, and pressed all five fingers firmly to the empty space beneath her name.

"Good," Jiraiya smiled encouragingly. "Give it a try."

Naruko nodded and stood up, her hand contorting to the Boar sign.

"Don't worry, Kit," Kurama said calmly. "Just because I loathe toads with a burning passion doesn't mean you'll be unable to summon them. Besides, I know for a fact your father would've been overjoyed to have you sign the contract. You have enough chakra control for this, and you're well-versed in the theory behind it. Just you keep a clear mind and don't over-channel your chakra. Or under-channel, for that matter."

His jinchuuriki took a deep breath. 'Great... thanks for the vote of confidence.'

"You'll be fine. It's as easy as one..."

Naruko began to weave the required sequence. 'Boar... Dog... Bird... Monkey... Ram...'

"...two..."

Slamming her right hand onto the ground the same way Jiraiya had during his demonstration, Naruko called out, "Summoning Jutsu!"

"...three!"

A small ring of grey smoke surrounded Naruko before a young orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth and stomach appeared. He was wearing a navy blue vest, and was small enough to fit on top of Naruko's head. The only reason Naruko knew this was because, before either she or Jiraiya had the chance to say anything, the young toad had promptly hopped onto her head and made himself comfortable.

"Aha!" Kurama sounded extremely pleased with himself. "See? See? What did I tell you?"

"Hmm... not bad for your first try," Jiraiya grinned.

Naruko smiled brightly, and carefully tilted her head up so she could look at the summon. "Hi there, I'm Naruko Uzumaki. What's your name?"

"Gamakichi," the toad answered in a squeaky voice. "Nice to meetcha, Naruko Uzumaki. I'll be your personal summon from now on, if you'd like."

"Personal summon?"

"Yeah, you know, kind of like how the previous contractor always summoned Pops. When we're younger we're more of a companion, I guess." Gamakichi shrugged. "But usually, when you use the Summoning Jutsu, there's always a specific summon that'll always answer your call, unless they're incapacitated. Usually it's the first one you're able to summon." (5)

Naruko's face lit up. "That'd be great, Gamakichi."

The orange toad looked pleased, and even stretched himself out to lie more comfortably on the girl's head. Naruko didn't seem to mind. In fact, she started asking him questions about his likes and dislikes, pointing out that if he were to be her personal summon, they would be spending a lot of time together and therefore it would be in their best interests to know each other as well as possible. Gamakichi was more than happy to comply; he was, after all, a fairly young toad and despite being the eldest son of Gamabunta, was nothing like the grumpy chief.

The Toad Sannin felt something warm in his chest at the expression on his goddaughter's face — she only half-hid the emotions of joy, excitement and awe. Her eyes were twinkling almost as bright as stars against the dark sky, and for a moment, she was the spitting image of a particular redhead that his student had been infatuated with. 

But then Naruko glanced over at him with clear gratitude in her eyes, and her smile softened from an exuberant one to a smaller, albeit entirely genuine, smile. Jiraiya did a double take; it was Minato's smile on Kushina's face.

Jiraiya smiled back, and Naruko turned back to her babbling summon. The Toad Sage sat down on the head of the toad he had summoned. It had been a long time since someone last looked at him like that. Jiraiya decided, right then and there, that he was going to take on Minato's child as his student, even if it meant he had to stay in the village. He'd be damned if he let his techniques and legacy die with him.

And maybe, she and that team over hers would be the next generation of the Legendary Sannin.

Jiraiya chuckled under his breath. 'Huh... now that's a thought.'

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On a Konoha rooftop, an ANBU squad was standing in a loose circle as hungry crows circled and squawked above them. The ANBU were staring silently at their fallen comrade, emotions hidden behind their individual porcelain masks.

The comrade in question had been a Tokubetsu Jonin — his green flak jacket was ripped as the aftermath of a Wind jutsu, and he was lying in a pool of his own blood.

A purple-haired woman reached down to pick up the katana that was lying beside the man's body. She was gripping the handle tightly, the long blade resting in her other palm as, behind the mask, her eyes moved from the katana to the former shinobi.

Her voice shook as she whispered aloud, "Hayate... what in the world happened?"

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(1) So, funny story: exact thing happened when my cousin was staying at my house, and my family has a really bad habit of jumping to conclusions. So, when his brother mentioned in passing if they found a bra with specifications matching the unknown undergarment and to return it to him, naturally we came to the most insane conclusions. In the end, he had a secret girlfriend. I say "secret" because he was "waiting for the right moment" to tell us ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(2) The Nietono no Shana is the primary weapon the main character, Shana, uses in the anime Shakugan no Shana. Any special attacks with the nodachi also comes from the same anime

(3) I literally searched up how much a nodachi costs, and it's between AUS $299 to $1185, but I converted $600 to ¥ and it was 40,656. Also apparently the ¥ is behind the number, which I find funny because in Australia the $ comes first. And yes, I'm a perfectionist and that means I do research :)

(4) Fun fact: tadpoles are actually called polliwog. I thought it would be cute if Jiraiya had a nickname for Naruko which could also serve as something special between them

(5) I figure since Naruko's a bit more advanced in terms of chakra control and ninjutsu, she would be able to do better than summon a mere tadpole on her first try. Also I don't really know about the specifics about personal summons, but Gamakichi was listed as Naruto's personal summon Narutopedia. I made it up the explanation because Gamakichi is always the one to answer Naruto's summon and he's kind of like a companion to Naruto

A/N: So I'm thinking of doing a Q&A or something similar at the beginning of the next chapter, so if you guys have any questions about me or this fic, leave them below and I'll try to answer them in the next update! :)