A few days after Kushina had been recovered, she was to return home with Shira. Before her arrival, Minato had been trying to get Naruto used to the idea of having a baby sister. The four year old didn't seem to mind, he was more or less more excited about his mother finally being home.

At around noon, Minato took Naruto to the hospital. He led him up to his mother's room. The minute they entered, Kushina waved. Naruto grinned and hopped onto the bed. He grinned and hugged her, then pulled away, feeling a being between them.

"Is this the baby?" he asked as he looked down at the tiny figure in Kushina's arms. When she nodded, he tilted his head. "She's tiny..." He commented.

"Well, she's a lot bigger than she was," she giggled. "She's a few months old. You should see a new born. Add in she was a preemie...Not by much, but..."

"What's that mean?" Naruto asked, sitting in Kushina's lap.

"She was just born a little early. About a month and a half."

Before Naruto could ask another question, a nurse came in.

"You've been cleared to leave, Mrs. Kushina."

Kushina grinned. "Ready to go, Naruto?" When the young boy nodded and hopped off the bed, she stood holding Shira. "Let's go then!"

The next few days were hell.

For the most part, Shira was silent, which Kushina was used to.

Minato was worried out of his mind that the baby almost never cried, but Kushina always told him not to worry, though wouldn't specify anything, no matter how many times he asked.

When the infant did cry though, it was an ungodly wail.

She only cried when she was hungry, which was often. Any other time, she was quiet, which was a hell in itself.

Both parents had to constantly check their child for the basic problems that would ail her.

Their other child soon became displeased with the lack of attention.

His mother had just returned, and he felt he wasn't receiving sufficient recognition from her. He even thought his father wasn't caring for him properly; causing him to act out.

The young boy started taking permanent markers and drawing on everything, including his little sister.

He broke glasses and plates, and various other things, including the television.

The family's resident grump wasn't taking the new child in the house well either.

Kurama was spending a lot of time out of the house, which also furthered Naruto's annoyance.

The fox had been seen as his friend since birth and he was now away, so no one was paying him any mind when he was gone.

When the demon was in the house, the two often conspired against the new life, though neither really planned on taken any action.

They'd joke about many things, most of which, when overheard by one of the parents, got them into deep trouble, which Naruto learned to take with a smile.

One day, Naruto thought about one of the things him and his canid friend had talked about and decided to go through with the plan.

He sneaked into his sister's room while his parents were napping. The baby didn't do much when he approached. Though she was old enough to show a few signs that she could recognize people and such, she never seemed to notice when her family acknowledged her.

The toddler looked down at his infant sibling with a devious grin.

"Hey, Shira, you want to go for a walk? I got something I got to show th- I mean you!"

As per usual, she didn't really do much beyond her normal whimper, which really had no emotion or meaning behind it.

He grimaced, annoyed she didn't seem scared, or any other emotion he was expecting. In the end he just shrugged and picked her up.

While walking out of the house, he passed his furry friend, who was watching television.

"Naruto...what are you doing with her?" He asked, feeling that since he was asked to watch the children he should probably inquire.

"Just out for a walk," the young blonde smiled innocently.

Of course, the fox could sense his ill-intent, but shrugged it off. He figured the youngster wouldn't go through with whatever he was planning

"Don't wander too far," he waved the kids off. "You're parents probably don't want you walking around the village alone.."

Naruto hummed and walked out.

About an hour later, Naruto sat, pouting on the couch of his father's old student's house. His parents had been called, and the white haired young man was waiting for them to show up.

They didn't have to wait long.

The door was kicked in and off it's hinges by an angry, yet anxious red-head.

"WHERE'S MY BABY?!" she looked around.

"Hi, Mommy!" Naruto grinned and waved, his happiness dying when she rushed past him to the young ANBU holding the infant.

She held the baby close before looking her over then letting out a heavy sigh. "She's okay..."

"Yes..." Kakashi nodded. "Seems he was trying to...find her a new home?" He wasn't sure he was wording it right. That was what Naruto had tried to do, but he was trying to make it sound less harsh, which he realized was a failed attempt when he saw the glare the mother gave her son.

"You what?!" She bellowed. "Why would you do that?! She has a home, Naruto!"

"Well, then where does that leave me?!" he matched his mother's glare before his expression turned to pure depression. "You love her more… You never treat me like her… It's like I'm invisible..."

Her anger dropped almost instantly when she heard his words. "Naruto..." She sat beside him. "You're not a baby, you don't need as much care as her. And it's not like I totally ignore you. We just had a movie night last night."

"You were asleep the whole time..." He muttered, starting to tear up. "You were gone forever… And now you don't want anything to do with me..." He wiped his eyes. "I waited that whole time, and you were just working on replacing me..."

"Naruto.. That's not true."

"Yes, it is!" His sadness turned to rage, his eyes narrowing in a way that concerned both ninja in the room. Even the baby reacted to the sudden shift. "You left, then came back with that!" At this point his eyes were red, and chakra was emanating from him in small bursts. "You know what..." he growled out, trailing off as he cocked his fist back.

It was his father who caught him, finally having decided it was time he intervene.

"Naruto..." Minato sighed. "You're mother didn't want to replace you. The baby was a surprise. Neither of us expected her."

The toddler didn't calm at all. "Well, she didn't have to keep it!" He tried to pull away from his father, but suddenly fell to his knees. "I...I just want..." His rage had been taken from him without warning and he fell into a fit of sobs.

"They kept you didn't they?" Kakashi said plainly, faltering slightly when he received glares from both parents. "What I mean is… You can't just give away your child. It's not easy to do. I'm not a parent, but I know that's how it is."

"Well…" Naruto whimpered. "Can't you send her back wherever she came from?"

"Naruto… You can't say you don't care about her at all," his mother was a bit heartbroken. Her son's words were getting to her. To top it off, she was worried about the way he was acting, and how he was accessing what seemed to be Kurama's chakra. "She's your sister… Your family."

"I..." the boy thought for a moment. "I don't." He tried to sound convincing.

"That's not true," Minato spoke gently. "Believe it or not, I've seen you try to calm her down when she's upset."

"Only because she won't shut up..." Naruto pouted.

Minato smiled. "Most of the time she won't cry when she needs something. You seem to just know and you try to help. If you didn't care, you'd ignore her."

Naruto looked at the floor, narrowing his eyes again, though this time it was an act of annoyance.

"Don't have a response for that?" his father teased.

"I...I love her..." the younger blonde finally said. "But… I wish she wasn't the only thing you two cared about… Only Kurama really spends time with me… And he hates her… He leaves so often I'm just alone..."

"Look," Minato said, looking at Naruto then Kushina. "I think we can work something out so you don't feel so..."

"Neglected?" Kakashi suggested.

Kushina silenced her husband's student with a pillow. She turned to her son with a smile. "Yeah, your father's right. I'm sure we can do something to help you feel less lonely."

"Helping us with your sister definitely keeps us less busy," Minato nodded. "And…" He smiled sheepishly. "I suppose I can stop checking her every ten minutes… Then I can spend more time with you at least."

"And we can get that damned fox to stay put for a while so he can keep you company when we can't." The term 'damned fox' was more used in annoyance of his behavior, than as one of hatred. Kushina stood holding her child. Since she had been silent so long she looked down and squealed at what she saw.
"Kushina, what is it?!" Minato mistook the happy sound as one of fear.

"She's smiling!" Kushina held out the child for them to see. "Her first smile!"

Naruto scoffed. "She smiles all the time at me," he boasted.

"Well, then..." Kushina pouted.

"She has a beautiful smile," Minato smiled before looking at his son. "You ready to go home?"

"I'd rather get ramen..." Was the response.

"Ichiraku it is!" Kushina's happiness returned as she led her family out.

Minato chuckled, not objecting to the idea as he followed her.

Naruto hesitated for a moment before smiling, finding some hope that he'd finally get some equality between himself and his sister. He ran out, taking his mother place as the lead.