AN: This is a re-do of my older story that I deleted. I hope it teases your imaginations. ^-^

Grief. Mourning. Anger. The three emotions which stirred from the destruction that befell Konohagakure.

Their cries of sadness brought the village into a state of depression. Many corpses were buried and what was left of the villagers gathered at the Monument of Heroes. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, spoke heartfelt words and encouragement that the villagers would not forget. This was also the day the law of speaking of or about the Kyuubi and its Jinchuuriki to the next generation was formed.

It had only been a day since that tragic day, yet being a village centered on ninjas, they had already begun reconstructing what they could and mourned for all the loved ones they have lost in the midst of everything. There was no time to stop and talk to others about the good times.

The busiest of all was the Hokage, Sarutobi.

"Hm," he clasped his hands behind him and stared warily at his former teammates. "This is truly disheartening news, old friends." They were discussing in a room bound with seals which prevents information from leaking out. It was not as extravagant as their meeting room, but it did its job well. It was a secret chamber for the Hokages and a select few, thankfully it did not perish as it was neatly tucked away underground.

"It is a fact that the council will not allow you to adopt him." Mitokado Homura, the second aging man stated the obvious before adding, "There is no need."

Sarutobi closed his eyes in thought. "But they will allow lodging and allowance monthly. That is the same idea as adopting him into my home."

Their female member, Utatane Koharu shook her head. "They are doing what is best for the people. Think of the kind of uproar they will bring if news of you adopting the jinchu-"

"His name is Naruto." He opened his eyes with a fierce fire and gazed at them. "He will not be addressed as anything but in my presence. Regardless of your council positions." The other two frowned slightly but knew better than to anger their friend. He didn't become a Hokage without a reason.

"Until he is old enough to understand basic needs, he will be placed in the orphanage." She placed the documents on the table between them. "One Anbu guard will be present at all times if he…happens to lose control."

"I will pick the most suitable amongst our Anbu." He saw them fidget at his proclamation, but he ignored it. "I do not want to argue about his adoption. He is only a baby and the seal is one I have never seen before, a powerful one." The seal he had seen on Naruto's abdomen was certainly one used to seal a Bijuu into a human, but from the looks of it, it had been modified.

"Arrangements will be made as soon as possible." Homura paused. "About our other matter, we are currently monitoring them. There has been no update on their status."

"I see." Sarutobi visibly frowned as wrinkles creased his forehead. They were done talking at this point and his two teammates left to tend to other affairs. Once they had left the room, an Anbu appeared from within the shadows. "You know what you have to do. I expect reports at the end of each day."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The masked ninja bowed and disappeared as quickly as they had come.

He unclasped his hands, picked up the scrolls and left the protected room. "He must use his mother's name for his own safety." A faint hint of a smile worked its way up. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Four years later…

There was nothing but the remains of the village left. It was truly a sad sight for one's eyes. What was built in years only took mere days to destroy. He could see no hints or signs of life here. The famous copy-cat ninja, Hatake Kakashi, was sent on a Rank B reconnaissance mission. It may have been simple to others, but it was the location that bumped it from a C to B.

Kakashi moved a piece of debris, hoping to at least find something, but to no avail. He had been at it for three days now. "Uzushiogakure, huh?" The whirlpools surrounding the village proved to be quite an interesting feat to get past. If it wasn't for the Yondaime's wife, he would have been a goner. Thank goodness for her slip of the tongue.

Not one of them has returned here in years. They are wise in staying away from their homeland.

The country had close ties to Konohagakure and two of their ninjas were born in said place; albeit those ninjas' reason for coming to Konoha was not a pleasant one. Before the war, the village was feared for their excellent skill in sealing techniques which lead to their drastic downfall.

"Now is as good as any to head home." Kakashi had prepared a scroll with his findings, which wasn't much; it revolved around the unchanged state of the village and that there were no signs of human life.

KA-BOOM!

He pulled out a kunai and went into a defensive stance. Was someone here and trying to ransack the beat down village? "What in the world was that explosion for?" Kakashi was already moving after having sensed chakra. "Must move quickly." The direction of the explosion was easy to spot, but the chakra spike he felt earlier was very familiar.

His Sharingan eye was visible for all to see.

Sarutobi was surprised, but you could not tell with the mask of indifference he kept up. Kakashi had just returned, grimy as a ninja should be after a mission, but with extra baggage. "Care to explain?"

"Gladly, Hokage-sama." The bundle in his arms raised curious questions from the village guards, but since it was Kakashi it was more than likely pertaining to a top secret mission. No one knew what was really underneath. "I inspected the village as requested, every detail of my search can be found here." With one hand, he produced a scroll and placed it upon the Hokage's desk.

"And?" Sarutobi didn't acknowledge the scroll but merely kept his gaze on whatever it was in his arms.

"There was an explosion. At first I thought it was thieves but normal thieves would not have been able to penetrate the whirlpool barrier without knowing the proper way. I quickly sensed one, maybe two chakras and headed there quickly." He paused as he was perplexed at what had happened next. "When I arrived at the site, the chakra signatures had disappeared. As if they were never there in the first place. My take on that is that they were highly classed ninjas."

"That is a high possibility if they were able to escape even you, Kakashi."

He took no offense to that. "If I had only been quicker, I would have been able to tell if they were in the bingo book." He shook his head. "Although I failed to see who, I found something else amidst the rubble." Kakashi took this moment to reveal what he had been hiding.

"Is that…"

"Yes."

"Hm, are you thinking what I presume you are?"

"We need to verify."

"Indeed." Moments later an Anbu with weasel emblazoned mask appeared. "Leave your report here and have Yamanaka Inoichi come immediately." The Anbu bowed and set about to do as told.

It wasn't long before Inoichi knocked on the door and entered the room. He politely bowed at Sarutobi, "You requested me, Hokage-sama?"

"We are in need of your abilities. It's vital that whatever you discover is not to be spoken of to anyone outside of this room without my permission. Is that clear?"

"I understand." Sarutobi nodded in affirmation and explained what they wanted done. "I need to be very careful to avoid brain damage…" Inoichi was caught off guard by his request.

Kakashi explained a little more. "We do not need an interrogation. Focus on the memories if at all possible."

"Even if it is only memories, I still need to be careful for one so young." He walked closer to the bundle in the other ninja's arms and placed his hands over their head. "I'll begin now." The room went into silence, with the occasional breathing of air. Minutes passed before Inoichi's eyes snapped open and he took a step back. "This child..." He widened his eyes at Kakashi, to which he raised an eyebrow, before turning to Sarutobi.

The two were quite curious as to why he would react as such. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "Tell us immediately."

"Itadakimasu!" The boy clapped his hands in thanks before digging into his ramen. "Ahhh that hit the spot!" He grinned in triumph and gulped down his glass of milk with ease. Picking up the now empty cup of ramen, he threw it into the nearby trash and placed his glass into the sink.

He wasn't one for leaving a mess, especially in his own home. He had been reprimanded enough times from Sarutobi. Today being the worst day of the year, deciding that it was safer being indoors than roaming the village streets. Yet that didn't stop some villagers from breaking his windows with rocks. Some of which had notes written on them such as, 'Leave the village!' and 'DISAPPEAR!'

He took none of them as seriously as he should, but it still hurt. He was merely a boy yet they treated him so poorly. That was the reason why he ran away from the orphanage last year. At least they were smart enough to let him have a place of his own, albeit small. He was all alone after all.

"Huh?" He turned his head to his apartment door. It was suddenly quiet outside, which was strange. He walked towards the door cautiously, holding a kunai at his back, and opened it. "Oh. It's just you." Opening the door wider, he left the person at the door and walked back to the sink.

The elder man motioned behind him before walking in and locking the door. "It is a pleasant sight that you have been listening to me, Naruto." He surveyed the room in what could be perceived as clean.

"Whatever, Jii-chan." Naruto rolled his eyes and placed his glass to dry on a towel. "Why are you here of all days?" He turned around and gazed at him with his hardened blue eyes.

Sarutobi wasn't surprised by the look in his eyes. "I have come with a gift."

The light in the boy's eyes sparked momentarily before they narrowed. He had never received a present, why now?

The Hokage chuckled amusingly before he side stepped to reveal what was behind him. "I want you to meet someone."

Behind him was a child, a girl, and was peering at Naruto with a curious gaze. She had short, red hair with a small ponytail at the top of her head, and violet-blue eyes. She had hints of baby fat still left, but would eventually lose it as she got older. There was a faint scar on her left hand.

"What kind of a present is this?"

"Now, now, Naruto." Sarutobi led the child closer to him. "That is no way to treat a relative." Blue eyes widened in disbelief. "She is a relative from your mother's homeland."

"My mother…"

"She, too, is an Uzumaki." He smiled and pulled Naruto closer. "There was an accident and she was found all alone. Right now, you are the only family she has."

Naruto gulped and stared into the eyes of the girl. "I have…family…" Blue eyes clashed with violet-blue until the Hokage broke the silence.

"Officially, we will have her registered as your cousin." He closed his eyes and headed for the door. "But you must treat each other as brother and sister. You will be the same age and today marks the day of your new lives together."

The boy was at a loss for words, but managed to utter one thing. It was directed at the girl. "Name?"

The Hokage shook his head disappointedly. "She is unable to speak, Naruto, so you must-"

"Uzumaki…" Sarutobi widened his eyes in slight surprise. "…Naomi." Her voice was soothing and tickled your ears, yet still young, but she could speak contrary to the Hokage's words.

Naruto's smile was wide as he cried tears of joy and proceeded to hug the girl. "Welcome to the family, Nao-chan! I'm your new brother, Naruto!" She was bewildered at first before hugging him back and genuinely smiling.

Happy…

He blinked and looked at Sarutobi wondering if he heard right. No, it wasn't him that spoke. He looked down at the slightly shorter girl in his arms. Was it her? Naruto shook his head, "Thank you for the present, Jii-chan! I will protect her with all I have!" The boy exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

Sarutobi nodded and opened the door. "Tomorrow, a bunk bed will replace what you have now." He closed the door to leave the two to get to know each other better. "Protect them at all costs."

The weasel Anbu nodded in affirmation. He had been hard at work keeping the area around the apartment secured. He was the reason no rocks or people had been disturbing them from the moment the Hokage arrived.

"Your task will become more difficult in the coming days, but I know you are able to handle it." He patted the Anbu's shoulder gently.

"I will satisfy your expectations, Hokage-sama."

"I know you will, Uchiha Itachi."

Sarutobi left the Anbu to work on his task, papers that needed signing, mission debriefings and everything else that was left for a Hokage to do. Life of a Hokage is never easy.

Itachi stared at the door through his mask. "Uzumaki Naruto and Naomi." With his index and middle finger, he poked the door. "I will make sure the both of you and my brother grow up well." He disappeared to deal with another passerby that was planning to sabotage the now peaceful apartment.

Thus marked the end of the fourth year of October 10th, as eventful as it was, this was only the beginning for what was to come.