I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

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"Well, here goes," Naruko muttered to herself as she gazed up at the Konoha gates.

"Halt, who goes there?"

'Fuzzball, what do I do now?' Naruko asked her tenant as she was suddenly surrounded by men in masks. 'Who are they?'

"They're the village's ANBU Black Ops," Kurama answered. "Yugito left a blood clone to fill in for you while you were living with the jinchuuriki. She would've dispelled it the moment the Alliance broke apart, so all you have to do is tell the Hokage the truth and he'll make up a story to cover you."

'Sounds easy enough.'

"Now go quietly with them and they'll take you to the Hokage."

Naruko obeyed, so when one of the masked men stepped forward, she didn't object or try to struggle when her hands were tied and they led her into the village, forming a circle around her so if she tried anything, they would be able to stop her immediately.

Naruko rolled her eyes internally at the pathetic restraints. Sure, they restrained her chakra but she knew moves that could get these ropes off without using chakra. The invisible seals in her wrists could shoot out a kunai at any given moment if she just pulled the trigger, and the ropes would be off in an instant.

But where would be the fun in that?

When the ANBU took Naruko in, the blonde noted with slight surprise that the Hokage was an old man who, Kurama informed her, was Hiruzen Sarutobi, student of both the First and Second Hokage and former sensei to the Legendary Sannin.

"Naruko?" Hiruzen looked confused. "What are you doing?"

"Um, Hokage-sama, I need to tell you something," Naruko said as she shifted uncomfortably. Noting her discomfort, the Hokage quickly dismissed the ANBU, and received a grateful smile from the young blonde.

"The, um, Naruko you knew was just a blood clone," Naruko started uneasily. "When I was born, my mother gave me away to someone she trusted with her life, and I have been living with them for the past ten years until now, for classified reasons."

Hiruzen slowly nodded, not really seeming that surprised, much to Naruko's slight confusion. "So that's why you suddenly disappeared a week ago."

Naruko nodded. "Do you think you can maybe make up a story to cover this?" she asked shyly, still not very comfortable in the Hokage's presence.

Hiruzen smiled gently. "Of course, child. Now, I assume you know your heritage and status?" At the nod, he continued. "Well, here your name is Naruko Uzumaki, and you are an Academy student. Pretty much all of the clan heirs and heiresses are in your class," he explained. "You— I mean, your blood clone, has been taking on the personality of a hyperactive idiot... I take it by your expression you are nothing like that?" he said in amusement when he saw Naruko's face.

The blonde's mouth twisted. "No, sir. I can be playful and... excitable at times, but not hyperactive. I think my family said once or twice that I can sometimes act a bit too mature for my age, and I'm also very good at making plans in a blink of an eye. But when I'm with my best friends, I can be rather childish, like I was when I was younger."

Hiruzen nodded. "I see. Now Naruko, tomorrow you have the day off from Academy because it is a weekend. The day after that, however, you must go to the Academy. You may act as you please, however I suggest that you keep up the hyperactive act until you are twelve, when you graduate and receive a Genin team."

"Well then, Hokage-sama, I would like to act like my blood clone," Naruko said politely, and Hiruzen nodded, pleased.

He noted that this Naruko listened, observed and generally just had the makings of a prodigious child, unlike her blood clone. A perfect mix of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. The Third Hokage still had trouble wrapping his mind around this new situation, and was struggling to suppress his curiosity as to who raised the child that was his surrogate granddaughter, however Naruko didn't seem like she would be disclosing that information yet.

Hiruzen then got up from his seat and swung open his portrait that was hanging on the wall, revealing a secret compartment were some orange clothes were lying. "Here." He offered them to Naruko, who took them with a raised eyebrow. "Your blood clone wore these," he explained. "Until you graduate in two years' time, which is when you will drop your act, you might as well dress as you did before."

Naruko smiled. "Arigato, Hokage-sama. Would you mind telling me how I'm supposed to act?"

"Your blood clone was always hyperactive and rather happy-go-lucky, and you often use the verbal tic "dattebayo", something that was passed down to you from your mother's side. You were never one to be respectful towards your elders, or your classmates either for that matter. You never pay attention in class, you always play pranks and you are the deadlast of your class. Also, don't be surprised if you find ANBU tailing you — they're for your protection as some of the villagers do not... appreciate your status."

Naruko's smile grew slightly bigger, seeming unfazed by the last statement. "Well, I do enjoy playing pranks."

Hiruzen sighed, but he was smiling. "Also, on another note, your clone called me "jiji." Naruko nodded slowly. "Now, your apartment is around here." Hiruzen handed a map to the little girl, the route to her apartment outlined in red and her destination circled.

Naruko smiled slightly. At least she had a place to stay. It would be lonely, yes, but at least she had Kurama with her.

The old man smiled kindly. "I'll be dropping by soon, and if you need anything, just tell me."

Naruko nodded again. "Arigato... jiji."

As the blonde whiskered child walked out of the Hokage's office, hugging the orange clothes to her chest and gripping the piece of paper that showed her to her home, Naruko felt her heart grow heavy, with an empty hole in it that seemed to be caused by the separation of her family.

"Demon..."

"Monster..."

Naruko flinched as she walked along the streets of Konoha, and could feel all the glares piercing into her back, burning through and stripping her bare before their hate-filled eyes, leaving her as vulnerable as she was when Yugito first saw her.

"Doesn't deserve to live..."

"Let's just kill her..."

"Before she kills any others..."

Naruko's steps quickened as she felt a presence trailing her. Oddly, it felt like it wasn't stalking her and waiting for the moment to pounce — no, it was trailing her from the shadows, as if ready to jump to her aid at any given moment. Then she remembered that the Hokage had said that ANBU often followed her to protect her, and the villagers were the reason why.

"You alright, Kit?"

'I'm not sure, Kura,' Naruko answered as she leaned against her apartment door. 'I knew the villagers would be ignorant and everything, but having to put up with rotten vegetables being thrown at you and glares from every direction... it's all so very new.'

"Well that's expected, Kit. Only very few jinchuuriki experience a good childhood, a good life. It was only because of Yugito and all the other jinchuuriki that the first ten years of your life were so good," Kurama said as kindly as he could.

Naruko sighed. 'I know that, but adjusting is going to be hard.'

"No one said you had to be used to all of this in one day," her tenant said comfortingly.

'I wonder how all the others are doing...'

"First day of Academy starts the day after tomorrow. Think you'll be able to live through it? You have two more years of this."

Naruko snorted. 'I have to, don't I? I don't have another choice. I have never wished more in my life that I had at least one person who came from the same place I did, even if it was annoying Yagu-nii.'

"You say that, but you know you love him," Kurama said teasingly.

Naruko sighed as she sat on her bed and stared at the folded orange clothes on her lap. 'Before? Yeah, he's fun and caring, but most importantly he's my big brother, so of course I love him. But now?' Naruko scoffed at her own pathetic loneliness. 'More than ever, Kurama. More than ever.'

Taking a deep breath, Naruko decided to stop wallowing in her own self-pity, and pulled out a sealing scroll to unpack what little she had brought with her. As jinchuuriki, there was always the risk of having to move at a moment's notice. Yugito had raised her to be a minimalist, and the few possessions that she did own were either essential or extremely precious to her. 

As she pulled out some of her regular clothes, training equipment, books and other things, a leather-bound book fell onto her lap. (1) Naruko blinked at it in surprise; she didn't recall packing this. 'Kurama, what is this?'

The fox shrugged, "How would I know? I was asleep for most of the journey. Didn't feel like watching you all get teary-eyed and all emotional saying goodbye. Makes me feel awkward since I can only watch, you know."

"Typical," Naruko muttered to herself, though a smile quirked her lip. Hesitantly, she lifted the cover, and abruptly dropped it in surprise.

"What?" Kurama asked curiously. "What is it?"

'I-It... it's...'

Naruko was speechless as she stared at the book that now lay flat open in front of her. On the very first page showed a photograph of a much-younger Yugito standing next to a beautiful girl of similar age, with bright red hair and violet eyes.

"Mother," Naruko murmured. While she acknowledged that Kushina was her biological mother, the title of "Mom" would always belong to Yugito. Hesitantly, her eyes lingering on both faces, she turned the page.

This one held a photo of a boy with a spiky mess of bright blonde hair, his blue eyes equally as bright. In fact... they were the same shade as Naruko's own eyes. He was holding the redheaded girl in his arms, and radiated a determined air around him. The girl was blushing slightly, but a smile was on her face.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki; Minato saved Kushina from the Cloud's attempted kidnapping.

Naruko's eyebrows rose; her mother had been kidnapped? And her father had saved her... the blonde couldn't help grinning. The rest of the story wasn't hard to figure out from there.

The next photo depicted her parents standing with another boy and girl — the girl had pale skin and long dark hair, while the male had slightly darker skin and dark hair that hung just above his shoulders. The girls were hugging quite enthusiastically, while the boys only had eyes for the girl in front of them. While the unknown girl appeared to radiate gentleness that balanced Kushina's exuberance, the dark-haired male seemed to be trying to appear be sterner than her father, but the playful spark hidden in his eyes gave him away. Minato was smirking at his friend out of the corner of his eyes. Naruko wondered if they still lived in the Leaf.

Kushi-chan's best friends: Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha.

One page over, and her parents — now adults — with three pre-teens. Her father had a hand on each of the boy's heads as they glared at each other, while her mother was in the front with her arm around a sweet-looking brown-haired girl with purple stripes on her cheeks.

Team 7 under Jonin Sensei Minato Namikaze: Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara.

Naruko wondered where the children were now. What was their relationship with her parents? Were they still alive? Did they know of her existence?

Naruko chewed the inside of her cheek, burning their faces into her memory in case she would ever have the luck to meet one of them on the streets. Granted they would be grown-up by now, but surely it wouldn't be hard to recognize a boy with gravity-defying grey hair, a boy wearing orange, and a girl with purple stripes on her cheeks?

Shaking her head, Naruko continued. She almost dropped the book, her breath hitching. It was another photo of her parents, but in this particular one, Minato was kneeling in front of Kushina, his arms wrapped around her torso and his head resting against Kushina's swollen belly. Naruko couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the love that shone in both of the adults' eyes; love for their unborn baby. Love... for her.

Kushi-chan's going to have a baby girl!

But the next photo was of Yugito and herself as a baby. Yagura was laughing in the background, the blonde woman shooting him an annoyed look through the corner of her eyes. Naruko swallowed; the abrupt change happened because her parents had died the night she was born. Shaking away the thought, she read the caption.

Naruko's first teething mishap.
(Yagura wouldn't stop laughing long enough to actually help)

Naruko chuckled; she could only imagine how hectic it must've been for them to suddenly have to raise a baby. She was grateful they did. She gently traced the words that she easily recognized to be written in her mother's smooth, loopy handwriting. Flipping over to the next page, Naruko found a photo of Blue B feeding her as an infant.

Naruko's first words: "Bu-nii".

As Naruko progressed through the album, she noticed that every single one of her family members, past and present, were featured. Whether in the images themselves or in the captions that made her laugh — they were either short and sweet, or held palpable annoyance towards a certain family member. The book wasn't made just by Yugito, Naruko could tell that much by the different handwriting styles. Little notes and opinions of particular days could even be found scrawled on the sides beside the photo.

From Ritsu and Mio, all the way to Gaara and Fuu. It progressed through her entire life. Memories rose to the surface with each photo; sleeping on Yugito's lap as the woman read a book, playing with Yagura and Utakata, riding on Han's broad shoulders as he completed his daily routine. Han had always been her favourite since he was the tallest, until Killer Bee came along. Naruko felt a wave of longing sweep through her as she came across a photo of herself sleeping in Yugito's lap as the woman read a book, her fingers threading through the long blonde hair. She had never been aware of when the photos were being taken...

The good and the bad times were recorded, something Naruko was grateful for. 

One particular photo brought up a memory; it showed her six-year-old self sitting on the grass and crying. That day, she had been climbing the weeping willow tree in their "backyard", and a branch and cracked and she fell. Yagura had managed to race there and catch her in time, but she had such a terrible scare she started to cry. Yagura had taken her into his lap and hugged her for a while, constantly murmuring soothing nonsense words to her until Yugito came to get her.

At the time, Naruko hadn't understood why Yugito wasn't there in the first place. She was always there if Naruko hurt herself. Later, she would find, Yugito had had even more of a scare than Naruko herself had when she was falling. After seeing that Yagura had caught her and she was not in any immediate danger, Yugito had to take a minute to compose herself enough to go out.

Naruko sighed; she had been a regular Tarzan as a child. And even now, she enjoyed sitting in the high branches of a tree. You'd think that experience would scare her off, but no. According to Yugito, she had the stubbornness of her biological mother, Kushina. 

And at the very last page was a photo of the entire jinchuuriki family. But what caught the young jinchuuriki's attention was the words carefully written beside the photo.

As you go through life you'll see

That there is so much that we don't understand.

And the only thing we know

Is that things don't always go the way we planned.

The writing transferred from Yugito's handwriting to Yagura's "neat chicken scratch". 

But you'll see every day

That we'll never turn away

When it seems all your dreams come undone.

Naruko smiled. It seemed her entire family had put together a little song for her. She wondered if Gaara and Fuu received the same present. Once again, Yugito's handwriting wrote;

We will stand by your side,

Filled with hope and filled with pride.

We are more than we are,

We are one.

But the next handwriting was a source of surprise; it was Mio, characterized by her small style. But if it was Mio's handwriting... when had this been written? Surely the separation hadn't been planned since the very beginning? Naruko was then struck by a thought; what if the song itself was written by Mio originally? After all, Naruko only discovered her hobby after having spent the day with Mio babysitting her.

If there's so much I must be,

Can I still just be me the way I am?

Can I trust in my own heart?

Or am I just one part of some big plan?

Naruko grinned at the familiar handwriting that was often scrawled on sticky notes stuck on the fridge; Roshi's handwriting.

Even those who are gone as with us as we go on.

Your journey has only begun.

Naruko blinked; what was Ritsu's handwriting doing here?

Tears of pain, tears of joy,

One thing nothing can destroy,

Is our pride, deep inside, we are one.

Every stroke was carefully placed in Han's perfectionist handwriting:

We are one, you and I,

We are like the earth and sky.

One family under the sun.

Utakata's hand took over then:

All the wisdom to lead,

All the courage that you need.

You will find when you see

Naruko's eyes widened as she recognized her own handwriting, albeit messier and written with a shaky hand. Had she written these last three words?

We are one.

It was all Naruko could do to not cry. She closed the book and hugged it close against her chest, curling up into a little ball on her bed.

And in the far corners of the Five Great Nations, two other children her age unknowingly mirrored her actions as they tightly hugged their own leather-bound books against their chests, and one question resonated in all their minds:

Will we ever be a family again?

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Two years later, twelve-year-old Naruko wore her orange jumpsuit for the last time.

'Well Kurama, this is it,' she thought as she tugged on her orange jacket.

"Yup," Kurama grinned within the blonde's mindscape. "Your last day of Academy and the Genin test. Are you going to pretend-flunk it, or ace it and blow everyone away?"

'Hmm, probably ace it,' Naruko hummed thoughtfully as she put her long blonde hair up in twin pigtails on each side of her head.

Kurama grinned within his host's mindscape. The last two years had certainly been interesting, both for him and his host.

Naruko had, under Kurama's tuition, trained herself beyond the Academy's curriculum, and now had a large repertoire of jutsu, varying from E-rank to S-rank. They discovered early on that she had the affinities of both Water and Wind, the fox deducing it to be the result of being the child of Minato and Kushina, in addition to the element of Fire which came from being the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. And merely a year after moving to the Leaf, Naruko was able to perform one of her father's signature technique, the Rasengan, and was currently thinking of incorporating another element into the jutsu.

Kurama had decided to get her started early, in case the need ever arose or if her village turned on her. It had happened before to another jinchuuriki, it might happen to his. He'd rather let his host kill the village than let them kill her, as he had grown rather fond of the Uzumaki child.

'Ne, Kurama.'

"What is it, Kit?"

'When I become a Genin, we'll finally start on Bijuu Mode, right?'

"Yeah, sure. We can start on it then."

Kurama, being the overly-cautious "big brother" and the blonde's only companion for the past two years, had refused to teach her Bijuu Mode until she made Genin. He was fully aware that this prevented her from the only form of contact to the other jinchuuriki — not that she was aware of that — but he would rather have her be lonely for two years rather than burn her chakra coils to an irreparable state.

"Oh crap, it's 5:45!" Naruko panicked, speaking aloud. "I'm late!"

Kurama sighed as his host rushed out of the door, locking it before she jumped for the rooftops. Naruko always made it a point to be at a training ground at 5:30 to train for at least two hours before heading off and arriving at the Academy at 8:00, which was still quite early seeing as class officially started at 8:30. She filled up that half an hour by reading a book.

Naruko did her warm-up stretches, ran fifty laps at top speed, then walked up a tree to mediate while sitting on a branch. After thirty minutes of meditation, the sky started to grow a lighter hue and the blonde walked down the tree.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

A large blast of searing hot flames burst out of Naruko's mouth, incinerating the tree trunk that she was practicing on.

"Nice job," Kurama said, impressed. "For someone who has the Water Style, that's quite an impressive feat. Despite the fact that you got Fire from being my jinchuuriki, your primary element should still have an affect on it, but you're not letting it hinder you a bit."

'Thanks fuzzball,' Naruko grinned.

"Now, do your Wind Style jutsu, and then after that practice your Water Style," Kurama commanded.

'Hai.'

Naruko proceeded to do so with a simple Wind Style: Great Breakthrough which destroyed the training ground on a meter radius, and then a rather large Water Style: Water Dragon that was followed by a relatively smaller one when Naruko performed the jutsu without a body of water.

"Hmm, you will need to work on creating one that is as big as the dragon you can create with a body of water," Kurama frowned. "Now, fifty laps! Top speed! After that, a basic Earth Jutsu and then mediate on water!"

Naruko nodded mentally and started on her fifty laps. After thirteen minutes, she was done and her tenant and trainer was fairly pleased with her constant speed. On the first day Naruko was in the Leaf, Kurama had her narrow down her options to see what she would like to specialize in. Not surprisingly, the result was speed. The first thing they worked on was stamina before they began to increase her endurance and speed, and she was well on her way to resembling a flash of yellow just like her father. Kurama was quite proud of this achievement, and wanted to give her another year or so before getting her started on the Hiraishin.

Like father like daughter, he guessed. Wait, wasn't it "like father, like son"? Eh, who cares. 

"Earth Style: Terra Shield," Naruko muttered and a medium-sized wall of earth appeared in front of her. The blonde gave an unsatisfied "tsk" and set about dedicating five minutes to creating a bigger wall until Kurama interrupted.

"Kit, that's not Earth Style: Terra Shield anymore," he said bluntly. "You're now doing the B-rank defensive jutsu, Earth Style: Mud Wall. Congratulations, you leveled up."

Naruko rolled her eyes at the fox's sarcasm. 'Gee, thanks Kurama. Now I have to mediate on water, right?'

"Yep."

Naruko muttered under her breath as she walked onto the lake as if it was dry land. She then sat down and started to meditate. She lost track of time, but at some point she travelled out of wherever her mind went to when she was meditating to her mindscape where Kurama was lying on a grassy plain.

"You are supposed to be meditating, not conversing with me," Kurama said with a raised eyebrow.

Naruko ignored him. "You can call this a form of meditation. Now, tell me about the Bijuu Mode."

"I would, Kit, but you're being watched."

"So?"

"So, you've been mediating for thirty minutes and you should start practicing your jutsu now," Kurama said plainly.

Naruko cursed. "Dammit, I should've gotten here sooner."

Kurama chuckled. "All in good time, Kit. All in good time." Truthfully, Kurama was just slightly scared of what his host would do when she discovered that linking fully with Kurama would allow her to enter the Bijuu Psyche Plane where Bijuu and jinchuuriki could talk telepathically. The Nine-Tailed Fox shuddered just thinking about the Uzumaki's reaction.

'WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONELY I'VE BEEN?! IF YOU TOLD ME SOONER, I COULD'VE KEPT IN TOUCH WITH MY FAMILY! DAMMIT KURAMA!'

Oh, he could just picture it now. The horror.

'Kurama, snap out of it!' Naruko's voice called him out of his horrifying imagination. 'What am I doing now?'

"Work on adding a Lightning element to the Rasengan."

'Wait what? But I don't even have the Lightning element!' Naruko protested. Was Kurama finally losing it? She knew it wasn't a good idea to keep him cooped up for two years. 'Besides, you said I was being watched! I don't think this is a good idea, Kura...'

"Just try it!" Kurama barked. "I cast a genjutsu over you so it just looks like you're working on the Henge. You're welcome!"

Naruko shrugged. 'Alright, but I can almost definitely guarantee that it won't work.'

A Rasengan was slowly formed in the small, tan hand, and Naruko slowly started filtering in the Lightning chakra. It was a foreign feeling, seeing as she didn't have that particular affinity, and how she was able to do that was beyond her. Wisely, she chose not to question it as her "trainer" would probably yell at her. She simply chalked it up to Kurama having something to do with it.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. The Rasengan was crackling, spreading out into a different shape. It looked like...

"A galaxy," Naruko breathed as she stared at her hand. (2)

Kurama sat up, interest piqued.

"It looks like a galaxy," Naruko repeated, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the new jutsu in her hand.

"Judging by the sound it's making, it seems to be a combination of the Chidori and the Rasengan. The Chidori is the original jutsu of your father's student, Kakashi Hatake," Kurama explained as he eyed the jutsu from within his host. "Ha, what did I tell ya, Kit?"

"Chouginga Chidori," she murmured.

"Chouginga— oh I see," Kurama chuckled. 'Meaning, Super Galactic Chidori,' he thought, chuckling to himself. 'Looks like she takes after her father with the strange jutsu naming.'

'Ne, Kurama. If I can get the Lightning to fuse with the Rasengan, does that mean I can do it with any element?' Naruko asked excitedly.

Kurama hummed. "I guess so."

Naruko gave a mental cheer as the jutsu dispersed. "Now I just need to see if I can do it faster until it becomes as natural as walking on water," she muttered to herself and shook her hand once before attempting to redo the jutsu.

Kurama glanced at the sky. '7:45... ah, but she's making such good progress,' he grumbled to himself. '15 more minutes.'

15 minutes later, Naruko was nursing a burnt hand as she dragged her feet to the Academy. If it wasn't for the fact that today had the Genin Exams, she would've just sent a Shadow Clone to attend for her while she worked on her exciting new jutsu. But unfortunately, today could not be completed with a mere clone. No, she had to do it herself.

"N-Naruko-san," a quiet voice piped up and Naruko spun around as she arrived at her classroom entrance.

A girl an inch or two higher than Naruko was standing behind the blonde, twiddling her thumbs and blushing as she stood in a way that immediately told Naruko that she was a shy, timid type that was easy to push around.

"Yes..."

"Hinata Hyuuga," Kurama rolled his eyes. His host really needed to start paying attention the children around her. She needed friends, and so far her only one was him. She insisted her family were also her friends, but as they were so far away with no form of contact for two years, Kurama didn't allow them to count.

"...Hinata-san?" Naruko added, fighting down her slight embarrassment. "What can I do for you?"

"P-P-Please, j-just c-call me H-Hinata," the dark-haired girl stuttered.

Naruko smiled. "Well if that's the case, then call me Naruko!"

Hinata nodded and then asked shyly, "W-What are you d-doing here s-so e-early, N-Naruko?"

"I always get here early," Naruko replied simply as she walked into the classroom with Hinata following her. "What about you?"

"I-I'm j-just here b-because my o-older c-cousin was g-going out to t-train, s-so my f-father had him d-drop me o-off," Hinata stuttered. "I h-hate causing h-him s-so much t-t-trouble."

"I'm sure it was no problem for him at all," Naruko frowned. "And uh, if it's not too offending, why do you stutter so much?"

Hinata let out a quiet "eep". "I-It's j-just t-that I-I'm r-r-really s-shy..."

"Well, we're going to have to work that, aren't we? If you're going to be a kunoichi, you can't be shy and give off the vibe that says "push me around"," Naruko said confidently. "You need to be as confident as you can! Otherwise people are never going to take you seriously."

Hinata twiddled her thumbs. "B-But N-Naruko, w-what about you? Y-You're always s-so loud... i-is there a r-reason for t-that?"

Naruko paused and pursed her lips. "Well, there is one... Hinata, I can trust you, right?"

Hinata nodded rapidly.

"Finally, Kit," Kurama sighed. "You need to trust people more."

'Hush, Kurama,' Naruko sighed. 'Can you blame me if I'm wary? I'm a jinchuuriki, and subjected to some not-so-kind treatment from the villagers. I'm only lucky I know the Henge, otherwise I wouldn't be able to anything!'

Kurama chuckled. "If only Yugito could see what they were doing to you..."

Naruko internally shuddered. 'They'd never live to see another day.'

"Well, you see Hinata, I'm not really hyperactive and happy-go-lucky all the time," Naruko confessed before the Hyuuga could ask why she was spacing out. "It's just an act. I'm actually a rather... hmm, how do I say this? Blank sort of person, I guess."

Hinata blinked. "S-So you're n-not h-hyperactive and h-happy-go-l-lucky? T-This was a-all j-just an act? A m-mask?"

Naruko nodded.

"W-Why?"

The blonde sighed and leaned back into her seat, tipping her head up to stare at the ceiling. "Why? I often ask myself the same question. I guess it's just because I feel like covering up who I truly am until I become a Genin, when I'm acknowledged by my village to have grown to the stage where I can protect them, and by base, myself."

Hinata kept quiet.

"I had a family for the first ten years of my life... and then I lost them. So I kind of swore to myself that I would do anything at all to get them back, to be able to protect them like I wasn't able to in the beginning."

"To be able to protect them?"

Naruko's and Hinata's heads snapped towards the window, where a young boy with duckbutt-shaped hair was standing just outside.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Hinata mumbled and Naruko's ears twitched.

"Sasuke," she murmured, testing the name. It sounded... okay. Not stuck-up or annoying or give off the prestigious aura, but in contrast to the name, the owner was giving off some serious emo vibes.

"Naruko," the boy acknowledged as he ducked into the classroom via window. "Who do you want to protect?" he asked with slight curiosity tinging his voice as he sat down on the other side of Naruko.

"My my, this is a first," Kurama said mischievously. "A boy is sitting next to you voluntarily."

'Shut it, fox.'

"And not just any boy," Kurama continued, "but the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan, and the object of affections from all the girls in your class, with the only exception of you and Hinata."

'Really now...' Naruko rolled her eyes at the fox, her tone clearly implying she could care less about who the boy was or what his sob story was. "I want to protect my family," Naruko told the Uchiha. "I lost them when I was ten, but they're still out there. They're just... not together. So that's why I'm making it my goal to bring them back, and to be strong enough to protect them and everyone precious to me."

Sasuke "hn"ed, folding his hands in front of his mouth as he stared at the blackboard.

"What about you?" Naruko asked quietly. "Do you... have a dream? An ambition? A goal to work towards?"

"...yes. I will revive my clan, and kill a certain someone."

"K-Kill?" Hinata squeaked.

Sasuke glanced at them from the corner of his eyes. "Someone like you wouldn't understand," he scoffed.

Naruko frowned slightly. "But I would."

Sasuke shifted his head to stare at the bright blue orbs that held his gaze unflinchingly. The Uchiha nodded after a minute and then said, "My brother."

"Why?"

"He killed my clan just to test his strength, and I will avenge them," Sasuke growled darkly as his interlaced fingers tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Naruko stared at Sasuke, and Hinata noticed that her normally sparkling eyes were blank and void of emotion. Her face was, as well. How long had the blonde's eyes been sparkling with fake happiness? How had she not noticed this before?

A flash of orange, and Sasuke's yelp cut her out of her musings.

Sasuke was staring in disbelief at Naruko, who was staring blankly back at him. He was holding his head, still shocked that his normally hyperactive, obnoxious, loud and idiotic classmate had just hit him on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" he breathed, too stunned to be angry.

"You were being an idiot," she replied simply. "He's your brother. No matter what he did, he's still your blood, your family. Sure he killed your clan, but do you really believe that he did it out of the need to test his strength?"

"Of course!"

"Baka," Naruko sighed. "What was your brother like when you were a child?"

Sasuke paused. "He was... kind. He was a prodigy, and spent most of his time training. When he found me sneaking after him to watch him train, he never got mad at me."

Naruko smiled. "Would a kind man like him kill his family?"

"But he did."

"Don't forget Sasuke, that he lost his family as well," Naruko said quietly. "Yes he killed them, but he could've had a reason. My family is spread across the Five Great Nations because of a threat. They broke us apart to keep us safe. They loved us enough to let us go, to prevent us from being taken."

Sasuke completely moved his head to stare at Naruko. "Loved you enough to... let you go?" he mumbled, a far-away expression stealing across his face.

Naruko nodded. "Sometimes people don't go about it in the best ways, but they could be hiding true intentions beneath outward appearances. What if your brother was only acting as the villain to prevent, oh I don't know, your assassination? What if he was blackmailed?"

Sasuke's lips formed a thin line. "What would he be blackmailed with?"

"You."

Surprise flickered in his onyx eyes. "Me?"

"I never knew your brother, and I don't know you that well either, but let me tell you this: I had quite a few big brothers, and all of them were protective over me." Naruko stared at her hands which curled into loose fists. "They swore so many times that no matter what happened, they would be there to protect me. And look at me now: an orphan child with no one."

'What if Itachi really did have a hidden motive? But how could I be his blackmail?' Sasuke thought as he returned to his brooding position. 'And... what is up with Naruko? She's never this quiet, never this thoughtful or...  smart.' His eyes slid over to the blonde who was staring at her hands. 'It's like she's a completely different person. And I'm finding myself, dare I say it, enjoying her company.'

"SASUKE-KUN!"

"Oh Kami, the demon spawns are here," Hinata groaned under hear breath.

Naruko's head snapped towards the dark-haired heiress. "Hinata!"

"W-What?" Hinata looked fairly scared at the intense gaze she was being subjected to, and she shrank back instinctively.

"You spoke a full sentence without stuttering!" Naruko cheered. "I knew you could do it!"

Hinata blinked. "I... did? I-I did!" she exclaimed, almost stunned with disbelief.

"Um, congratulations Hinata," Sasuke said as he started to shift, staring at the door warily. "But on another note: Naruko, can you meet me on the roof at lunch?"

Naruko stared. "What for?"

"I need to talk to someone, and you're the only one who understands me... and the only person I can tolerate."

A soft smile tugged on Naruko's lips. "Sure."

And that was all they had time for before the door burst open and thousands of feet poured into the classroom.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

"MARRY ME!"

"NO HE'LL MARRY ME!"

"NO, ME!"

"WHAT ARE YOU, CRAZY? I'M HIS OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR A WIFE!"

"KEEP DREAMING!"

"YOU KEEP DREAMING, STUPID!"

"THERE'S NO WAY SASUKE WILL CHOOSE EITHER OF YOU!"

"OH YEAH? AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK HE'LL CHOOSE YOU?"

"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?"

"Be honest," Naruko muttered as she leaned a little closer towards Sasuke. "Which one of them would you marry?"

Sasuke grimaced. "Not one of them."

"Okay then, which female in this village would you marry?"

Sasuke's pale cheeks were stained with a pale, barely-there blush and he immediately looked away. Naruko lifted her eyebrow in amusement but shrugged and turned to Hinata, who was glaring at the deafening fangirls while simultaneously stifling her giggles at the Uzumaki/Uchiha exchange.

Sasuke's eyes slid to the side where Naruko and Hinata were talking, pointedly ignoring the ear-piercing, headache-inducing screeches and shrieks from the demon spawns that humans called fangirls.

'...you.'

= • = • = • =

"My my my my my," Kurama chuckled as he entered the Bijuu Psyche Plane. "You will not believe what is happening right now."

"What is it, Kurama?" Isobu asked with slight amusement lacing his tone, curiosity sparkling slightly in his eyes.

"Our little girl is getting quite popular with the boys," Kurama chuckled.

There was silence.

"Say what now?" all the Bijuu yelled at once.

"Naruko," Kurama said plainly, "has been getting quite popular with the boys. The Uchiha boy voluntarily sat next to her, and talked to her in full sentences."

Matatabi opened and closed her mouth, disbelief shining in her mismatched eyes.

The Bijuu were all very fond of their respective jinchuuriki and that, of course, applied to the "family" they had formed. They had always been fairly protective over the younger ones, even if they couldn't actually do anything to help. Particularly Naruko, but that might just be because the Bijuu felt like they had raised the Uzumaki just as much as the older jinchuuriki themselves had.

"Wait until Yugito hears this," Matatabi said at last.

"Oh, you can't tell her," Kurama said quickly.

"What? Why not?"

"She'll be storming into Konoha and tearing that poor boy to shreds within seconds, that's why," Gyuki said dryly.

Matatabi smiled. "Well, can you blame her? That is her instinctive nature as a mother, after all."

Gyuki sighed. "Yes, well... our jinchuuriki don't even know about this plane, so how would you explain to Yugito that you know this?"

"Point taken."

"Anywho, how is Yugito doing?" Kurama quickly asked, curious after the welfare of his host's mother-figure.

Matatabi sighed. "Better, I suppose."

The first year after separation, Yugito had thrown herself into training with an extraordinarily harsh regime she designed herself. Every one of the Bijuu — as well as Bee — knew that this was her way of coping with the separation, though she constantly denied it.

Matatabi had been constantly trying to get her to take a break and rest, maybe even meet some friends, but the stubborn woman refused to listen and only allowed Bee to talk to her. Everyone else in the Village Hidden in the Clouds might as well be dead to her.

"At least she's not drinking herself sick," Son Goku muttered under his breath, though every Bijuu heard him.

"But it's been better, hasn't it?" Kokuo said comfortingly. 

Roshi's way of coping was drinking. Han often had to haul him home where he would throw up the next morning. This continued for at least half a year, and at last Son Goku was so sick of his host being stupid that he had threatened to quite literally break the man's mind if he didn't pull himself together and start acting like a shinobi, because if he did then maybe he could get sent to one the villages that harboured one of his jinchuuriki family as a mission. That got him back on his feet pretty fast.

"No, she isn't. But she's working herself to the bone, and she might as well be trying to train herself to death," Matatabi sighed, truly worried about the woman. She wasn't dealing with the separation as well as the other jinchuuriki had. For example, Yagura had also thrown himself into training but he wasn't taking it as far as Yugito was. He even had a few friends and was acting, well... normal. And that was all the Two-Tailed Cat wished for her own host.

Shukaku laughed. "Well, this is interesting — all the older jinchuuriki taking the separation pitifully, all worried about Naruko and the other young jinchuuriki when in reality, they are taking it so much better than they. Gaara wasn't exactly the most popular to begin with, but he's trying, and Suna is slowly accepting him."

Kurama almost laughed as well. "Yes, my Kit has been training seriously and is aiming to bring the jinchuuriki back together, but at least she's acting like a normal child would. And, she's even beginning to gain some proper friends. Thank Kami for that."

Chomei grinned. "Looks like Naruko is taking the separation exactly the way Fuu is. No surprise, really, since those two are a lot alike."

"I wonder how horrible it will be when our jinchuuriki find out they could've contacted each other this whole time," Gyuki mused, causing all the Bijuu to shudder in fear. Particularly Matatabi and Kurama.

"My sympathies lie with you, Matatabi, Kurama," Isobu said sympathetically.

Kurama snorted. "Sympathies you may give me, but will you grant me the freedom of not having to face an Uzumaki's wrath?"

"Unfortunately, my brother, that is not possible," Shukaku said smilingly. "I, as well, fear my host's wrath, however I give the award for most life-threatening reactions to you two."

Matatabi shuddered again. "Shukaku, you have it far better than Kurama and I. My host is a mother, and her reaction after finding out she could've kept contact with her daughter in the two painful years will be devastating."

Kurama grimaced. "My host's reaction may not be as devastating, but she sure as hell will be blasting a whole lot of Killing Intent, and believe me, when she starts to threaten people she will go through with them. She's been very lonely and often wonders how her family is faring..."

"Our sympathies lie with you," the other jinchuuriki said simultaneously, heads bowed in sorrow as if the two Bijuu had already passed. All the jinchuuriki reactions would be terrible, no doubt, but Matatabi and Kurama had it the worst. As they say: like mother, like daughter. Screw blood, they were practically family in every other way.

"Oh, Naruko is— oh my," Kurama said as a smirk came upon his whiskered face. "My my my my my... looks like the Uchiha survivor has a little crush on Naruko~"

"What did you just say?" all the Bijuu growled dangerously in sync.

Kurama's smirk grew bigger. "Sasuke asked Naruko to meet him at the roof for lunch, and when Naruko asked him which fangirl he would marry if he had to, he replied "None" and when asked which female in the village he would marry, he didn't reply. However I could hear his thoughts and he was thinking 'you'," he explained gleefully.

"If he dares harm our Naru-chan..." Matatabi trailed off dangerously.

"There will be hell to pay," Isobu continued.

"And a slow, painful end to the Uchiha clan," Son Goku growled.

"Forever!" Shukaku cackled manically.

Kurama stared at his siblings like they were insane, and in a way they did look that way. The only ones who looked sane — at least partially — were Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei and Gyuki. Although they did look fairly furious that a boy was after their "precious, innocent Naru-chan".

'Well this just got a whole lot more interesting,' Kurama thought gleefully. 'Oh Kit, whatever have you done?'

= • = • = • =

"Naruko Uzumaki!"

"Finally," Naruko muttered under her breath and stood up.

Sasuke smiled slightly as he came back into his seat, a headband on his forehead. He flicked Naruko's small, tan hand as they passed each other, however both continued walking as if the small interaction never happened.

"Naruko," Iruka smiled warmly at the blonde child who smiled back at him. "So, we need you to perform the Kawarimi, Henge and Clone Jutsu."

Naruko nodded and flawlessly replaced herself with Iruka's desk before transforming into the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

Iruka's eyes widened. How did she know what Lord Fourth looked like? The scarred teacher shook his head and smiled at the blonde. "And the Clone Jutsu?"

Naruko pursed her lips slightly and lifted them to place in them in a "+" position. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," she muttered under her breath and ten immaculate copies of her poofed into existence.

Iruka raised an eyebrow but nodded, passing her a Konoha headband. "Congratulations Naruko — you pass! I'm very proud of you."

The whiskered girl smiled at her teacher and left the examination room, tying it to her forehead. She flicked her eyes to Sasuke, who was staring at her forehead protector before he looked back at her and smirk-smiled.

"C-Congratulations Naruko," Hinata whispered shyly from her spot beside the blonde.

"Arigato Hinata," Naruko smiled at her new friend.

"Hn," Sasuke merely hummed in response to Naruko's expectant look, hiding his small smile behind his interlocked fingers. Naruko rolled her eyes at the Uchiha's typical behaviour before turning to the front where Iruka was standing.

"Congratulations — all of you have passed," Iruka said with a big smile. "You may all go out for lunch, and when you come back I will assign you your teams and provide you information on tomorrow's activities. After that, you are free to go home."

The moment he finished speaking, the students immediately began chattering. Sasuke stood up abruptly and, to Naruko's amusement, jumped out the window to lose the horde of fangirls who had instantly come up to him to congratulate his graduation.

"Well, I have to go meet Mr Emo Duckbutt at the rooftop — see you later Hinata," Naruko smiled.

"B-Bye Naruko," Hinata said softly as the whiskered blonde patted her shoulder before jumping out the same window the Uchiha had.

"Well, at least you have two friends now."

'Shut up Fox... say, what was Iruka-sensei talking about with the teams that we are assigned to?' Naruko asked curiously.

"Every Genin is assigned to a three-man team led by a Jonin sensei."

'Are there any patterns in particular?'

"Generally the Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara heirs or heiresses are in a team, as they have been for generations — the InoShikaCho. Another team formulation would be the Rookie of the Year, Top Kunoichi and the Deadlast. That's to balance the teams," Kurama explained. "And at the rate you're going, you're most likely going to be placed in a team with the Uchiha, seeing as he's Rookie of the Year and your little act plummeted you to "Deadlast"."

Naruko sighed internally as she kept walking up the side and climbed over the railing. 'Oh well — I'll live.' She cast her cerulean eyes around and found the boy she was looking for leaning on the tree trunk beneath its shade, and started to make her way over.

"Yo, Mr Duckbutt. What did you want to talk about?"

Sasuke looked up and a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. "You remembered."

"Well, obviously," Naruko scoffed. "You told me to meet you up here for lunch, and I agreed. I'm never one to break my promises, I'll have you know that. If I say something, I mean it and I will make it happen, even if it takes three years."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Loyal to the fault."

Naruko shrugged. "We all have faults. It's just a matter of whether you acknowledge them or not."

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. "Who taught you that?"

Naruko sighed through her nose and leaned her head back to rest on the trunk as her eyes gazed mindlessly at the sky's view that was obstructed by branches and leaves. "My mother."

Sasuke glanced over at the girl beside him. In many ways, she was like him — she had lost her family, and it was obvious she missed them. She also wanted to bring them back together, while he wanted to revive his clan. Sasuke's mind went back to the question the blonde had asked him that morning and idly wondered if there was a possibility that he could love her that way... or she, him.

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(1) Think the photo album Hagrid gave Harry Potter

(2) A made-up jutsu I found on the Naruto Fanon Wikia :)