MINAKO'S POINT OF VIEW

I dropped Naruto off at the Uchiha compound in the morning and dressed in my black fighting kimono top and spandex shorts. I put my ninja headband in my bright red hair and let Minato's necklace hang above my breast. It was graduation day for the next incoming genin, meaning I had to meet with my new team. Kakashi left for another long mission again, leaving me alone with the baby. I missed him but filled my day with training with Jiraiya, hanging out with Gai or Tsume, or taking Naruto around Konoha. I took Naruto with me almost everywhere except for when I had to train. I wanted to make sure he would be safe.

I entered the Academy ten years after I first walked through the doors as a five year old. I meandered down the halls, entering what used to be Irukei sensei's room to see a different chunin taking attendance. I went inside to see a rowdy class sitting down and talking to each other. A few jonin including Tsume were standing in the front of the class behind the chunin instructor. I quickly stood next to Tsume, grinning at her.

"Well look who decided to show up." Tsume smirked. I smiled in return at the wolfy woman.

"I got lost on the path of life ya know." We chuckled but quieted down when the instructor spoke.

"Alright class, today, those who graduated will be meeting with their senseis. These are the jonin senseis, their abilities and knowledge will guide you all to be top notch ninjas. I will now tell you who your teams are." I waited patiently for my new team to be called, the two boys I've been looking forward to seeing the skills of.

"Next, Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, your sensei is Minako Uzumaki." I walked forward and smiled brightly at the two black haired boys. I was by far the youngest jonin here and Itachi must have been the youngest genin graduate. Shisui looked a little older and less shy than Itachi. I was excited to finally work with someone and not be a stay at home mom anymore.

~~

"Alright boys, time to describe yourselves, let me get to know you, ya know." I said as the three of us sat in front of the memorial stone. My long red locks were billowing behind me, the warm air of the season blowing summer winds towards us. Itachi sat politely with his legs crossed underneath him while Shisui lounged in the grass, admiring the scenery.

"Well I'll go first then. My name is Shisui Uchiha, I like spending time outside and with friends. I love my village and clan. I am eight years old and my dream is to be a powerful ninja!" I smiled at him, I really started to like Shisui. I turned to Itachi next.

"Okay, now onto you." I smiled at him. Itachi blushed slightly before looking at his sandals.

"I am Itachi Uchiha... I don't like to talk very much... I do like my family and village a lot though... and Minako sensei. I am six years old...my dream is to be the best big brother ever." I really liked how close these boys were to their families. Obito never had much of a family but used us, his team, as his family instead. Even though I didn't have parents... I never felt like I didn't have family.

"My turn now... My name is Minako Uzumaki. I enjoy taking my time and eating ramen. I can recite Ichiraku's menu by memory as a secret talent of mine. My senseis were the Fourth Hokage and the sannin Jiraiya, so don't take me lightly ya know. I have an infant nephew who I sometimes refer to as my son. His name is Naruto. My dream is to one day become Hokage... for my own dream and one of my comrade's..." Itachi and Shisui's eyes went wide.

"The Fourth was your teacher?! And Master Jiraiya too?!" Shisui exclaimed. I grinned.

"Yep, so I'll kick your ass if you mess with me ya know." Itachi swallowed the air in his mouth while Shisui grinned.

"Being it on sensei!" It was amusing seeing how the boys were polar opposites.

"Hehe alright. Hey I want you two to both meet me here at six, I will take you guys out to eat so we can all get comfortable with each other ya know." Shisui celebrated that with a cheer and Itachi's face got even redder. That kid was adorable. The two boys departed from me and I sighed, sitting up from the grass. I then turned to the KIA stone to see the various familiar names etched in throughout the polished marble.

Irukei Umino
Rin Nohara
Obito Uchiha
Minato Namikaze
Kushina Uzumaki

Hundreds of brave leaf ninja were gone, the last remnant of them being a name inscribed on stone. I placed my finger on Obito's name... feeling my heart break once again. Obito will always and forever be my first love. No doubt about it. That doesn't mean I wasn't in love with Kakashi now, but there will always be a special soft spot for that boy in my heart. I wonder what life would have been like if he survived. I wonder if he would have been a good role model for Naruto.

"Do you know someone on there?" A teenaged boy with a full face mask on came to speak to me. He had dark black hair and was decently taller than me. The mask was odd, a strange orange color that swirled towards a single eye. The man was seemingly harmless, with no visible weapons on him whatsoever.

"I know too many people on here." I responded with a sad smile. He stood next to me and looked at the name I was touching, stiffening slightly before relaxing his posture.

"Obito Uchiha huh, was he your friend or something?" I nodded and looked up at the sky with a fond smile on my face.

"He was my best friend...I waited until it was too late when I told him I actually loved him. Pathetic right?" I jested at myself. The boy placed a hand on my shoulder and I suddenly caught a whiff of his scent. It was so incredibly familiar that I immediately turned to him.

"No it's not pathetic, I'm sure he felt the same way but just didn't realize it." I narrowed my eyes at him, his voice starting to sound familiar as well.

"Who are you?" I questioned. He chuckled before lifting up the very bottom on his mask and he kissed me on the forehead.

"Just a nobody."

And then he vanished.

~~

After the weird encounter I had with that stranger, I picked up Naruto and got us ready to go out to dinner. Naruto was a little bit older now, so he was able to sit in a high chair with no problem. I washed his face and hands for him, then cut up some chicken, squash, and carrot, grinding them into a baby mush. I put them in travel jars and heated up some milk in a bottle since he still hasn't grown out of that phase yet. Naruto was babbling happily, playing with a little toy in his hands. I packed up his food and bottle in a bag, changed his diaper, and was out the door.

I felt much less anxiety when I was holding Naruto in my arms. I knew he was safe and okay, I knew he was happy. When I'm not with him, I constantly worry even though I have nothing to worry about when Mikoto watches him. After all, she has two amazing boys of her own.

I waited at the KIA stone for a few minutes before seeing Itachi and Shisui's heads bobbing in the distance. Within another minute, both were standing in front of me, panting heavily.

"I... I won." Shisui boasted. Itachi shook his head before putting his hands on his knees.

"No...way...Shisui..." Itachi replied. I chuckled at the scene before walking towards the bustling city. Both boys looked at me oddly until I waved my arm over.

"Well are you guys coming or not? I'm not waiting all day ya know."

~~

"Man sensei, I'm stuffed." Shisui chuckled. I patted my full belly as well when I finished off the rest of my ramen. Itachi still was eating, taking his time. He was relatively quiet the entire time but I eventually learned Shisui and Itachi were actually best friends. Itachi was surprisingly really good with Naruto and would occasionally coo at him or wiggle his fingers when he thought no one was looking. Itachi was a lot like his father.

"So I want to ask you boys a question ya know." I said to both of them to get their attention. They stopped what they were doing and looked up at me to see a serious expression on my face.

"What do you think it takes to be a great ninja?" They glanced at each other before Shisui spoke up.

"Power?" He stated unsure. I turned to Itachi who looked at me confused.

"Mastering the ninja arts?" Itachi said. I shook my head and took Naruto out of his high chair and into my arms. He soon fell asleep, his belly full of dinner. I looked at his bright yellow hair and his crystal blue eyes that he inherited from his father. How I miss them... Minato... Kushina...

"No, neither." I said as I looked at my precious little Naruto, remembering his amazing parents.

"It's sacrifice." I said. Both boys looked at me, edging me to continue. The serious conversation caused me to lose my verbal tic for a moment.

"Sacrifice may mean many things. To some, it may mean not seeing family for awhile." Kakashi. "To others, it may mean giving up to protect the ones you love." Irukei Sensei. "Sometimes sacrifice is being left behind to help your comrades." Obito. "But the biggest sacrifice for the greatest ninjas is to give up your family, your home, your life... for the sake of the village." Rin...Minato...Kushina... "The greatest ninjas I have ever met have made a sacrifice at some point. The severity has ranged from little... to everything. As a ninja, you will experience pain that I can't shield from you. But as a comrade and your sensei, I will teach you what I can to make sure you can protect yourself and the things you love. But in order to understand how to be a ninja, you have to understand sacrifice. Tomorrow, we will train all day, and if you boys do not pass my training, you will not be a ninja." They stared at me with open mouths, fear and respect in their eyes. They thought I was going to be an easy sensei because I took them out to eat and I cared for a baby. Little did they know that I would be the toughest mentor and ally they ever had.

I just hope my tough love will make the Uchihas strong.

~~

"Okay boys, are you two ready for your test?" The two Uchihas were very nervous and slightly sweaty from the laps and such I made them run. They nodded and swallowed the spit in their throats. I held out two papers, one was a paper bomb, and the other a paper with the word pass on it.

"In a real life battle, there will be situations where it is kill or be killed. In my hands is a paper bomb, and the other is a pass paper ya know. You have ten minutes to figure out who will take the paper bomb, and who will take the pass paper. If one takes the pass paper but the other does not take the paper bomb, you both are dropped from the program. If you take the paper bomb, you alone fail. If neither of you take a paper, you both will be sent back to the Academy. Understood? Ten minutes start now."

The boys looked at each other in shock before glancing back to me. They started talking to each other, trying to figure out who should take the passing paper. They were both at first wanting to claim the passing paper for themselves, arguing with each other over who deserved it more. Then they tried to give each other the passing paper, neither sure on who should get it. Time was running out, only a minute left until Shisui and Itachi raised their hands.

"We came to a conclusion!" They said. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for their response.

"And?" I asked. Shisui and Itachi looked at each other before sighing and shaking each other's hands.

"We decided that it's either all or none. I won't have Itachi get hurt so I can succeed. I am willing to go back to the Academy if that means he's safe." Shisui stated confidently. Itachi nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Neither of us are taking the papers." Itachi agreed. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips.

"I guess you both know what that means ya know..." I said. They closed their eyes sadly, convinced they were giving up their dreams to save their friend.

I pulled the two of them in for a big hug before grinning. They looked at me oddly, not sure what I was doing.

"Congrats, you guys passed! You learned what it meant to sacrifice. I officially accept you both as my students." They turned to each other with huge grins before stepping away from the hug to celebrate.

"Thank you Mina sensei!" I smiled at my two new pupils.

I was proud of my two boys.

They could change the world.