AN: Yet another story inspired by my rampant insane hyperactive ADD plot-bunnies, bless their insane souls.

"Talking"
'Thinking'

Techniques

"Biju talking" 'Biju thinking'

Naruto: Kinoko

The Orphan's Guild

"Ooi! Who are you then? Are you a Rat? Like us?" Glittering silver eyes bored into dull blue eyes.

"Go away..." The owner of the blue eyes shuffled behind a dumpster and settled into a crouch, burying his face in his arms.

"Statement: He wishes for us to leave." Glowing green eyes cast a peculiar glow on the alley, points of flickering orange light danced at the center of the luminous green orbs.

"Oh hush Sutegoma, he's hungry." The owner of the silver eyes held out her hand, a crisp red apple sitting in her palm.

In a flash the apple was out of her hand, and with several satisfying crunches, in the stomach of the blue eyed boy. He looked at the girl, his eyes a bit brighter than they were. "T-thank you.

She smiled, "Oi, no problem. Do you have a family?" The boy shook his head. "How old are you?" The boy shrugged meekly. "You don't know? Wow...uh...ok, you're six. You got a name?"

"N-Naruto...Uzu-Uzumaki."

The girl smiled, "I'm Shisoku Suigin, and this grumpy pile of scrap is Sutegoma Tetsuki. Naruto, you've got a family now. You're a Rat, just like the rest of us." Shisoku reached out towards Naruto and grasped his small hand. Pulling him to his feet she "tsk-ed" at his malnourished body. She pulled him into a hug, and felt him stiffen, every muscle in his body tensing as he prepared to flee. "Shh, shh, shh. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again Naru-chan. You're my little brother now."

The boy called Sutegoma stepped forward and, with slight hesitation, placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Confirmation: What Shisoku says is true. You are an orphan. You are alone. You are struggling to survive in a world that does not care for you. Thus; you are a Rat. One of us. We are family. We protect. Cherish."

A crooked smile spread across Naruto's dirty face. Tears streamed from his eyes, leaving trails of clean skin in their wake. For the first time in his life, someone cared about him.

One Year Later

Naruto stood perched atop a telephone post, his waist length hair filthy and matted. Long nails, sharpened to sharp points against concrete dug into the wood. Bright blue eyes focused on a portly man dressed in rich clothing.

A buzz filled his ears, and he nodded. "Yeah, blue waistcoat. He beat Aki-nee with a stick for taking a piece of candy from his store." He watched with glee as a brightly colored blur dashed through the midday crowd. The blur connected with the well dressed merchant. He shouted, fell over. The blur solidified into Shisoku. She perched on his chest, spat on his face, and punched him several times in the nose. She then reached into his coat and produced the man's wallet.

With one more punch to his face, Shisoku stood tall, "Don't fuck with the Rats fatty." Then she was gone, in a brightly colored blur.

Grinning, Naruto slid down the pole, his sharp nails keeping him from descending too swiftly. He met up with Shisoku in an alley, her knuckles bruised and bloody from the force of striking the merchant.

"Heyo Naru-chan. Shit! You'd think that all the fat he had would have made my hand hurt less."

Naruto just grinned, "Shi-nee, how'd we do? Ya know that Kijo-nee and Juun-nii need food somethin fierce."

Shisoku opened the wallet, "Naru-chan, we shall eat for a week with this money. We might even be able to buy some new blankets with the leftovers." Naruto's smile grew wider and he pumped his fist in the air.

"Let's go get some ramen!" Shisoku laughed and patted Naruto's head.

"Exclamation: Duck." The flat tone of Sutegoma's voice carried down the alley, and with reactions born of nessisity, the pair dropped into the dirt as a blast of fire and metal shot above them.

Naruto leapt up, his hair smoking from the heat, "Oi! What'd you get yourself into this time ya bastard?"

Sutegoma shrugged, the orange points in his eyes seemed to flicker amusedly, "Statement: I needed materials for my newest project."

"So you stole stuff." Naruto palmed his face.

"Affirmation: Affirmative." The boy spun around, spreading his fingers wide, a crackling net of iridescent chakra blocked off the alley against further attack.

Naruto sighed, "You've got to teach me that."

"Statement: We each have our own talents Naruto. Shisoku has her speed. Kijo has her strength. Juuniji has his sleep. I have my mind and projects. You have your stubbornness."

"Damn righ- wait what?" Naruto bristled. Everyone else had a cool ability and all he had was stubbornness? This would not stand. As he prepared to berate the older child, Shisoku grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Let's go!" As a unit, the three of them took off down the street, snatching small food items and trinkets from stalls as they went, laughing all the while.

~Later~

The Hokage sat behind his desk, with three shinobi before him. He motioned to the first, "Inuzuka-san, what is your report?"

The Inuzuka woman hesitated, and cleared her throat. "Uh..well. The 'Rats,' as they call themselves...I would liken them more to wolves. The move with a single purpose, no matter how disorganized they appear. They fend for themselves and each other, and nobody else. I saw they rob a merchant today. One of them somehow managed to climb to the top of a telephone pole and acted as a controller and lookout for the one that actually took down the target. It was like watching wolves kill a deer. Their teamwork is just...its amazing. Their oldest Rat is no older than eleven that I've been able to see, but they work together better than Jonin that have been working together for years. With a little training, we have a sizable shinobi force just sitting there, waiting."

The Hokage nodded, "Thank you Hana. Hakate-san?"

The masked man stepped forward, "From what I've gathered, many of the Rats are from so called 'Lost Clans', clans that have largely died out or have been forgotten. All of them are orphans, or have otherwise been cast aside, and very, very few of them are even counted among the citizenry of the village. As far as our records are concerned, and the majority of the village for that matter, are concerned, the Rats simply do not exist. I think that's a grievous error. Many of them possess innate shinobi talents, and advanced Kekkei Genkai. One that I was able to speak to, a..." Kakashi mulled the name over in his head for a moment, "Shisoku. She's a member of Suna's Suigin clan, and possesses their Jinton abilities. Her skill with it is such that she can use it without the need for conscious molding of her chakra. I concur with Hana-san. The Rats would be an invaluable asset to our forces, with proper training."

The Hokage stroked his beard, "I see. Uchiha-san?"

The youngest of the trio stepped forward, "Both Inuzuka-san and Hakate-san are correct in their observations, there is however additional information that I felt you should know. It is all in my report."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, "Would you be so kind as to simply tell me?"

Itachi looked down, "I am uncomfortable discussing such a sensitive matter in anything but total privacy. I assure you Hokage-sama, my report will be to your satisfaction."

Reclining in his chair, the Hokage nodded, satisfied, "I'll look through it, and I will make my decision regarding the matter before the day is done. Dismissed."

One Year Later

Naruto crouched on the branch of a tree, a number of Rats arrayed around him. They looked into a clearing in the forest, just far enough away that their outlines were indistinct, but their presence could be easily noticed.

Three adults stood in the clearing, they had laid out a simple square of cloth, and displayed a spread of hearty food. A young man with spiky silver hair and one visible eye stood easy, reading an orange book. On his right, a young woman with wild eyes and red marks on her face. On his left, a tired looking young man with crimson eyes. They came to the clearing, announcing that they wished to speak to whoever lead the Rats. So the Rats had arrived, and they sat in wait.

In her typical impossibly fast fashion, Shisoku landed on the branch next to Naruto. "Oi, they brought three, and we're taking three. Me, you, and Kijo. Her ability will be useful if things go south."

Naruto looked at his friend inquisitively, "So would yours. Why am I going?"

She smiled, and Naruto was dazzled by how white her teeth were. "Cause you're impossible to kill Naru-chan. God knows half the merchants have tried. It just makes you tougher. Let's go."

Naruto nodded, and scrambled down the tree.

The three Rats emerged from the treeline slowly, keeping low.

Kakashi noticed them as soon as they appeared. Shisoku was as he remembered, her mismatched clothing bright and gaudy. On her right was what looked like a member of the Hoshigaki clan, her blue skin mostly covered by a hooded black sweater over a pair of black pants and boots. On her left was a boy who's hair could have been blond or brown, it was impossible to tell through the dirt that covered the matted waist length locks. His eyes were a radiant blue, and his face was marred by three scars on each cheek.

They reached Kakashi and his comrades, and Kakashi felt like he was facing down the leader of some small country. "Shisoku-chan. How have you been? You know we've been trying to set this up for a year right?"

The small girl shifted from foot to foot. "We don't trust grown ups. Its how we've managed to stay alive. What do you want?"

The one-eyed shinobi pulled a scroll out of his pocket and opened it up to read.

"We can read you know. We taught ourselves." Blinking, he handed the scroll to the girl. She scanned it, unconsciously channeling chakra to her eyes to increase the speed at which they could process sensory input. "I...see. So...citizenship...a full pardon for every crime committed by all my people...but we need to become shinobi?"

"That's the gist of it, yeah."

Looking to her friends, she mulled it over. Suddenly, she whistled, and summoned the Rats that had remained in the trees. Hundreds of them, orphans and cast-offs all, assembled around their de facto leader. Wordlessly, the question was asked. Wordlessly, the question was answered. She nodded.

Spitting in her hand, she held it out to Kakashi, "We accept."

Somehow managing to spit in his hand without taking off his mask, Kakashi took her small hand in his own. "Then let me officially welcome the newest citizens of Konohagakure no Sato."