Naruto; Stop with the water works already!
Sakura; She's worse than Inari.
LC; I almost can't believe I'm writing this!
Naruto; Geez, what's got you blubbering now?
LC; I'm going to blind you!
Naruto;...Wait a sec. In the story or here?
LC; HERE! *Takes acid spray gun and fires at Naruto's eyes.*
Naruto: GAAAAHHH! It burns!
LC; To story-chan!
Disclaimer; I do not own them, so buzz off already and let me get to my story!
Chapter 1; Lies and the truth often go hand in hand.
Minato panted with exertion as he watched his beloved predecessor, the Sandaime, Sarutobi, fall to the ground. First his wife, and then his father figure?
He walked over to the old man's corpse and looked down at his hour old daughter, Naru.
His daughter's eyes opened slowly and she looked up at him with a strange inteligence that infants simply did not have, ever.
The seal appeared to be intact, and yet, something, otherworldly was looking at him through her eyes.
"Naru, I have subjected you to this fate." He cursed sadly, hating the demon, hating her, but most of all, hating himself.
Two hours later, he had arranged for her to be taken to an orphanage under the story he had found her left on her own in the battle field.
He couldn't look at her, for her bright red hair and blue eyes reminded him too much of her mother, of Kushina.
Jaraiya believed the child had perished in the attack, Tsunade too believed that. No one knew that the red headed girl with whisker marks in the orphanage was his daughter.
Three years passed, and Kakashi found himself about to adopt one lucky kid from the local orphanage. Why he was doing it, he had almost no idea.
Iruka, (Who is a girl in this fic.) had told him he wanted a kid after they got married two months ago. However, it turned out that she was incapable of having a child herself.
So they were doing the next best thing, adopting one.
"The children are all playing outside today." The matron told them cheerfully. "Just watch them for a bit, talk to a few, and tell me your decision later."
Iruka looked over the small play yard and saw almost every kid was running around with some toy or other playing and having fun, not a care in the world.
For some strange reason, he was drawn to a corner of the play yard, where a small girl was reading a book.
She instantly recognized the book as the biography of the Yondaime, which had been released last year. "Kakashi, look at that one over in the corner." She nudged her husband.
Obeying his little dolphin, he too noticed the red haired girl reading the book, though that was all they could see with the book in her face.
In truth, this girl was very small, and her clothes seemed the most worn out. Kakashi noticed that her hair was cut short and lopsided, as though she'd done it herself.
The matron noticed where they were looking and decided to tell them about her, interesting charge.
"That's Kida, she's quite smart for someone only three years old." She told them. "Though she's also rather unsocial. She doesn't play with any of the other children."
"Could we talk to her?" Iruka asked. At the matron's nod they both went over to the corner where the little girl was sounding out a particularly long word.
"Oro-chi-mar-u." She sounded, looking at a picture of a snake like man. "A trai-tor who left the vil-lage be-cause of pow-er."
"Hello there!" Iruka greeted her, kneeling in front of her.
The girl gasped and cautiously lowered her book. "Um, yes?" She asked uncertainly, as though thinking they were talking to someone else.
"Kida, these two are prospective parents who are thinking about adoption." The matron said helpfully, gazing down at her shy charge.
Now that the book was lowered, they could see her remarkable blue eyes, floating red hair, and exotic whisker marks adorning each cheek. The only other thing of notice was the small fox pendant hanging around her neck.
"Kida is it?" Kakashi said unnecessarily. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"
Kida blinked. She couldn't help it! After a couple years of parents' eyes just kinda looking over you, you begin to wonder if there was a reason no one noticed you.
"I'm Kida, and I like to read, though I'm only learning." She said cutely, allowing a small smile to grace her features. "I know I'm small, but I'm able to take care of myself too." It was true, from a young age she'd been very independent. At two she began watching the cook as she cooked and thus learned how herself.
Her face grew downcasted though as she realized that was all she could say about herself. "You'd probably like Kiwa, he's bigger and stronger than me, and he's going to be a ninja too someday. Or if you really want a girl, there's Tsubaki who has pretty gold hair and is always really nice to everyone."
Iruka noticed how she was only trying to get them to think about the other children. It seemed she didn't see anything of value within herself.
"What about you? What do you want to do?" Kakashi asked, not letting something like that slip by him.
Kida flinched, almost like she expected to be hit. "Um, I want to be a ninja to, like the Yondaime." She said, cradeling her book to her small chest. "Someday, I'd like to be that strong. I want to show others I can be strong."
Kakashi smiled under his mask and Iruka positively beamed with delight. She'd always wanted a daughter.
They both turned back to the matron, Kakashi's hand wrapped gently around the waist of his wife. "Just tell us where to sign."
Kida almost couldn't believe it was really happening. She was going to be adopted! She smiled a one hundred watt smile and ran all the way to her bed in the orphans' room.
Under the bed was a box with her worldly possesions, few as they were, were kept.
In it was a red fox plushie she slept with every night, a blue blanket with a red swirl on it that she'd been wrapped in when she was brought here, a small diary, and scroll.
It was obviously a ninja scroll, and as such she wasn't suppossed to have it, but one day it just appeared next to her head on the pillow and she'd kept it.
Believing it was meant for her.
Putting the book over the scroll so it was hidden from sight, she hefted it up and carried out the door. The other children all called out good byes and fare wells as she left the building she'd been raised in for three years.
Once they got home, Kakashi-tousan showed her the room she'd be sleeping in. It wasn't much, just a bed, dresser, side table, and lamp.
But to Kida, it was a beautiful paradise. Her personal garden of Eden.
"Tommorrow we'll go shopping for some new clothes and things for you." Iruka-kaasan promised her. Frankly she'd do just about anything to see her new little girl smile at her again.
"New clothes!" Kida repeated, practically buzzing with excitement.
Truly it was an entirely new girl from the one who'd been sitting out of sight in a corner trying to struggle through a book meant for much older kids.
"Yep!" Kakashi said, ruffling her feathery flocks with one hand. "But today we start training by going shopping for ninja gear."
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LINE BUT I CAN'T MAKE ONE SO THIS WILL HAVE TO DO!
Minato had been happy for Kakashi and Iruka when they announced they were going to adopt. As he stared out his large window in his office, he wondered what kind of kid they'd choose.
Would it be a boy, or a girl? How old would the kid be? What personality would they have? Would they get more than one?
He never once gave thought to wether they would choose his daughter or not.
Boy would he be surprised when he went to meet the little gaki.
ANOTHER LINE THINGY WAS SUPPOSED TO GO HERE BUT THIS IS MORE FUN!
Kida was riding on Kakashi's shoulders when they entered the weapon's shop owned by the Twenty's. (That's Tenten's last name here since I can't find her last name anywhere.)
Tenten was listening to her father explain about the composition of the metal used to make kunai when she heard the little bell on the door ring.
(Tenten's like, four right now.)
"Hey daddy!" She said, pointing to the two entering the shop. "Looky looky!"
"I see Tenten, I see." Twotwo sighed tiredly. (Yes, that's his name.)
"Excuse me?" Kakashi said politely. "I was wondering if I could buy some training wieghts and see about getting a nodachi for my daughter." He said proudly, the word daughter just sent shivers of pride down his back.
Before, he'd never pictured himself as a father, in any way, shape, or form. But today, when someone small and weak needed him, he couldn't help but be proud that something so small and sweet thought of him as a father.
"Kakashi!" Twotwo cried happily. "You finally adopted? That's great! So what's her name?"
"I'm Kida!" The little girl cried happily, looking over her father's gravity defying hair. After rubbing it between her hands, she'd concluded he did not use any gel for it.
Which just made her wonder how it stayed like that even more.
Kakashi placed his little girl on the ground and she looked around the shop of all things pointy, and couldn't help but think.
'Oooh!' She thought happily. "Sharp and pointy objects...pretty!'
The weights were blue, like her eyes, and the more chakra she pushed into them, the heavier they became. However, if someone else tried using the weights once she put chakra in them, they would be normal wrist and ankle bands, nearly weightless.
The same for the mid-section band.
"A nodachi eh?" Twotwo scratched his chin and measured the little three year old with his eyes. "You chose a good weapon for her Kakashi." He acknowledged. "She's clearly going to be an unpredictable fighter, meant for close combat, maybe some mid range things."
After ten minutes, they finally found a nodachi of the proper callibre for Kida. It had a blue handel, and a red sheath, on it was an engraving.
It read; The past is history, the future a mystery, but today is a gift.
Kida reread the sentence until she was sure she had it memorized. "It's really mine?" She asked her tousan.
"All yours kiddo." Kakashi eye smiled when he was once again blessed with the beautiful smile. He frowned again when he had a new thought.
'I may have to buy myself a few new weapons if I want to have a chance of beating the boys off her in the future.' He gave some serious thought to the scythe leaning in a corner but in the end gave up the idea under the pretense he could always Tsukiyomi the first guy to hit on his daughter.
The risk was smaller than the consequences of Kida going on a date with the wrong guy.
On the way home, the two could only talk about starting her training after clothes shopping the next day. "I thought no one started ninja training till they were eight!" Kida demanded, slightly suspicious of her adoptive parents' motives at training her so early.
"Young ninja who come from clans usually begin learning very early on." Kakashi told her. After all, both Iruka and Kida were now Hatake's, so they were a part of a clan.
"Oh." Kida said, still more worried about the amazing abilities of her father's hair then her training as of yet.
The next day, they went shopping. They, being Iruka and her new daughter.
After buying up some pretty cute orange shirts and shorts, the two left for the hokage tower, where Kakashi was going to show his sensei his new daughter.
"I really get to meet the Yondaime?" Kida asked excitedly, clutching her book close to her heart. She was bound and determinned to get him to autograph it and damn it to Hell if anything was going to stop her!
Minato expected all sorts of kids to walk into the office with Iruka. He did not expect his own daughter, the exact vision of Kushina, to walk in clutching his biography to her chest and looking fit to burst.
He instantly retreated to his ninja face, as he liked calling it, to hide his surprise and act happy and cheerful.
"You must be little Kida Hatake." He greeted her kindly, shaking her small hand playfully while she looked fit to faint from being so close to her hero.
"U-um, mr. Yondaime, sir?" She started, stammering her way through her request. "W-would y-y-you sign my b-book?" She closed her eyes and thrust out her book hopefully.
Minato once again hid his surprise and anger at seeing her and signed the book quickly. "Here you are!" He said, handing it back to his own daughter.
Kida's eyes positively glittered like stars and her smile basked them all in a wonderful warmth. Kakashi smiled proudly to see his sensei getting along so well with his daughter.
"Minato-sensei, would you like to see her nodachi?" He asked pleasantly.
LINE BREAK RIGHT HERE BABY!
It was now late in the day, the Sun had set long ago. Minato sat at his desk and thought back to his feelings upon seeing his daughter Naru, Kida, he reminded himself, walk into his office.
He was still bitter about Kushina's death, and seeing a younger version of his lost love only made the anger rise again.
The only difference was the whisker marks, Kushina hadn't had those.
Were they because of being a jinchuriki at such a young age? He pondered over this, and eventually concluded he couldn't remember her having such strange markings when she was born.
What worried him though, is if she got Kushina's bloodline trait. Uzumaki's had the ability to sever their souls and put them into a physical body.
This body usually manifested as an animal. He worried that her animal would be a fox, because of the thing sealed inside.
What if the fox was the one released? What would he do then? The only way to kill a soul animal was to kill the owner.
Another worrying question; When would the soul animal appear? And how?
It seemed, he could not express his concerns for fear of revealing the girl's heritage. And that was something, he refused to do.
Not for the jailer of the monster who killed his men, nor for the daughter who had caused Kushina's death.
BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK...I THINK YOU GOT IT NOW.
For five years Kida lived and trained happily as a Hatake. For five long years, Minato was forced to hide his hatred for the girl who was innocence incarnate.
For five years, Kakashi and Iruka both watched over and loved their daughter. And now, five years later, things are starting to change.
Kida was sitting home alone, waiting for her parents to come back from the hospital. Kaa-san had been feeling ill for the last two weeks now, and they were going to go make her better at the doctor's.
She was worried that her Kaa-san was sick, and at such a bad time too. School would start again soon and this year she was joining the academy, but her kaa-san was sick a week before the first day!
As she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and reread the book that had remained her favorite unchallenged, the differences in her appearance were astounding.
Her fiery red hair had grown out, now it reached her shoulder blades, and she left it hanging loose. On her face she wore a blue face mask, like the one her tou-san wore.
She wore a dark blue long and wide rimmed sleeved shirt that nearly reached her thighs. While it was large, it also had many pockets that she could put things in.
Things like sealing scrolls, food, money, spare weapons, and on occasion, her white fang. The white fang was passed down to the eldest Hatake for generations, and her tou-san had given it to her as an early birthday present when he had to leave a week before her birthday on a mission last year.
She also wore a bright red jacket with the front unzipped, and regulation ninja pants with kunai holster and shuriken pouch around her thigh and hip.
She sighed as she lay her book back down on the bed side table before walking to the full length mirror again. She had to admit, she liked her new shinobi clothes.
But what she liked the best, was the fox pendant around her neck. The upright fox was a dark red in color, with saphire eyes.
She didn't remember where or when she'd gotten it. It just seemed like it had been around her neck forever.
Not that she'd given it much thought anyway.
Her ears pricked up as the door slammed open. Now, slamming of doors meant one of two things in that household. One, bad news, usually meaning Kakashi had come home injured from a mission.
Two, someone was excited and was letting all their energy show in any way they could, and the door just happened to take the punishment.
"Kida!" Kakashi called, barely containing his happiness and not wanting to betray the secret.
Iruka stifled a giggle as a clueless Kida walking into the living room through the sliding door. (It's a traditional japanexe house by the way.)
"Yes tou-san?" She asked timidly, wondering if she'd done something wrong and mentally going through the happenings of the past week.
A half hour later, Kida squeeled happily and glomped her parents. She was going to be a big sister! She was going to have a little brother or sister to play with!
"Is it a boy or a girl!" She demanded excitedly from her father's stomache, which she happened to be sitting on while he lay pinned on the floor.
"We don't know yet." Iruka told her daughter. "We'll know soon enough, and then you can make plans about taking the baby to the park and training and such."
The week passed in a happy haze for Kida as she awaited impatiently for the academy term to start and for her baby brother or sister to be born.
It was now the first day of school, and she couldn't wait to meet her new teammates. Thankfully, her red face mask hid hear eagerness as her body was perfectly relaxed in much the same stance Kakashi often stood in as she waited outside the doors of the academy.
"The past is history, the future a mystery, but today is a gift." She recited quietly, thinking of all the gifts she'd gotten in her short life.
With her nodachi tied tightly at her waist and a confident spring in her step that looked more like a skip, she bounced up the stairs to her new classroom.
(Her teacher will not be Iruka, it will be someone else, but everything else is the same.)
In room 208, was her new classmates. In it were some of the heirs to some prominent clans. Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and the one person she would never get along with if her life depended on it,
Tome Namikaze, son of the Yondaime.
He had married some time after the Kyubi attack and had had a son before his wife died on a mission.
Being the son of Minato Namikaze, a hero of the Leaf, had inflated Tome's head way past Uchiha and Hyuga standards combined.
He was also the one person, who got under her skin without fail, everytime they spoke.
This is why.
"Well if it isn't Whiskers!" Tome cried, seeing her enter silently. "Animals don't belong here, so just scat bitch!"
The Hatake's symbol was a white wolf, and he had somehow drawn the conclusion that since Kida was a Hatake, she was a female dog, therefore, the nickname bitch.
And of course, Kida paid him back in kind. "Oh, it's just you." She sighed sadly. "And here I thought it was somebody important. How could I mistake you for someone important?"
Tome gaped for five seconds until his eight year old brain caught up to the insult. "I'm the son of the Yondaime! You should show me respect bitch!"
"You call me a bitch, and then ask me to respect you?" She raised a brow challengingly. "And here I thought you'd learned from our past spars. Where does it stand now? 50 to 0?"
Ginka just knew, this was going to be one interesting four years. Kami have mercy, he was going to need it.
ANOTHER BREAK RIGHT ABOUT HERE WOULD BE GOOD!
LC; First mission a success!
Naruto; What mission? You've been laying in your bed all day!
LC; Duh. That was my mission.
Sasuke; Just give up trying to understand her Naruto.
Sakura; Yeah, it will only give you a headache.
LC; Review or else! Kida-chan will come and kick all your butts!