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Here's Chapter two!

Phoenix Flame x.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The events of last night proved to be draining, much more than Naru had expected and thought normal, but she supposed she couldn't be too shocked. What she had done last night...all that wood that had trapped Mizuki-baka, it was amazing, is all that she could say. So when she woke up with arms feeling like to huge weights, and her legs like led, she wasn't that surprised, maybe a little annoyed, but not surprised.

The sluggish feeling soon disappeared as she moved around her dingy apartment doing her morning ritual, which included putting the kettle on to boil, and trying to do everything in that short of time: wash her face; clean her teeth; brush her hair and put it up into the normal ponytail and get dressed in that hideous orange jumpsuit for the day ahead. By the time she got back to the kitchen the kettle had boiled, and she quickly poured the scolding water into the instant Ramen and hurried to eat it all.

As she walked down the street, her mind whirling with what she could do today, she had a slight inkling in the back of her head that she was forgetting something, something important that she had to do today. But what was it...well, it couldn't be that important if she couldn't remember it.

It was when she turned a corner to make her way to the park that she was cornered by an ANBU, and she instantly tried to think of what she couldn've done wrong.

" Naru Uzumaki. "

She looked up at the Bird mask and blinked. " Yes? " She said suspiciously.

Bird looked down at her. " Hokage-sama requests to see you, " came the cold voice from beneath the mask, and it triggered a memory from last night.

" You! " She said, " you were there last night, weren't you? In the forest, after I...eh, well, you know... " She smiled sheepishly.

" Hai. "

Naru smiled cheerfully, " okie dokie, now that's over with, let's go and see the old man Hokage! " She exclaimed, pointing towards the Hokage tower in a dramatic fashion.

Bird simply turned and walked down the road towards the tower, and Naru had to rush to keep up with his long strides.

Obviously, it was not long before she became bored, and decided to entertain herself.

" Soooo, do you ever take that mask off? "

" Hai. "

" Can you see out of it? "

" Hai. "

" Can you breathe properly? "

" Hai. "

" Do you get to choose any animal mask you want? "

" Hai. "

" Do you ever say more than word one? "

" Iie. "

By the time the two got to the tower, Naru had managed to ask every question she could think of - most were the most annoying ones she could think of. Poor Bird was ready to do the only thing an ANBU would never do - run away screaming.

Bird practically shoved Naru into the tower before he walked away quickly, muttering something along the lines of, " she'd be a good interrogator. "

With a smile that could scare off anyone that knew her, she skipped into the Hokage tower and up to the office she spent a lot of time in, and she paid no heed to the glares being directed her way. " Jii-san! " She announced, flinging the door open and effectively startling the old man in the room.

Sarutobi glared at the young Genin without any real heat, before he cleared his throat and gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. " Take a seat, Naru-chan, " he said in such a calm voice that she was a bit worried, but she didn't show it.

Naru closed the door behind her, walked over to the desk, dropped into the chair, and put her feet up on the desk. She looked rather relaxed as the Third Hokage glared at her, his eyebrow twitching, which seemed to happen a lot whenever she was there.

" I assume, by your confused your look, that you did forget what Iruka-sensei told you last night? " He said.

Naru blinked in confusion.

" Your Genin photo for your ID, Naru-chan, remember? " Sarutobi said with a patience that only he and Iruka posessed when it came to Naru. He watched as her eyes widened in slight realisation.

" Oh! " She said, and she finally remembered what she'd forgotten earlier, and she wished she hadn't. She looked concerned for a whole second, before she shrugged. " If it's all good and well, I'd rather not. I'm not into this whole taking a picture thing, so if you don't mind, I'll be going - "

" It doesn't matter if you're not into it, " Sarutobi interrupted her, " it's for your Genin ID - no ID photo, no graduating. "

Naru's mouth opened and closed for a moment, before she sighed and said, in a defeated tone, " fine, fine, when is it? "

" Since you missed the first one, it is in an hour, below the Hokage Monument, " Sarutobi said with a small smile, and he put his pipe back into between his teeth.

" What ever, " Naru muttered as she stood up, and with a withering look at her grandfather figure, she stormed from the room.

" Remember to show up! " He warned, and all he received was a slamming of the door. He shook his head in fondess. No wonder he didn't miss his own daughters teenage years.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naru had never really planned to go to the photo thing because she figured that the old man would let her off since he liked her so much, but when, nearly an hour later, she noticed the two shadows lurking by the Ramen Stall she always went to, she was suspicious. " Hey, Teuchi-san, " she said, gaining the attention of the old Ramen Stall owner who turned to her, a kind expression on his face. " I'm going, arigato for the free food. "

To celebrate her becoming a Genin, Teuchi had treated her to two free bowls of ramen. He smiled warmly. " No problem, " he answered cheerfully, " congradulations on becoming a Genin, though, I know you'll do well. "

She beamed at him and stood up, but she also noticed that the shadows moved towards her. " Right, see ya! " She said, and went to make a mad dash for it, but the shadows became people, and she found her way blocked. She looked up and into the masked faces of two ANBU. " What is it with you ANBU stalking me these days? " All of them seemed to be intent on finding her.

A man and woman with masks of a Tiger and Cat stood there, the former obviously being a young man with a muscular former, but not overly so like Bear from last night, and Cat was obviously a woman with a lithe and slender body, and the roundness of her chest didn't hide anything, either.

" Hokage-sama has asked us to make sure you arrive at your appointment on time, " Tiger said calmly, his voice deep and soothing.

Naru's lips formed a pout. " I was going to go there now, " she lied brightly, but she could almost feel the amused look the male ANBU gave her, and she deflated. " Fine. Lead me to my doom. " Cat stepped forward and gestured in the direction of the Hokage Monument, and with a massive pout, the young blonde walked there. Cat followed her.

Tiger shook his head and followed after the two.

Having arrived at the place within a few minutes, Naru disappeared into the room provided to get ready for the photo, and she chuckled slightly as she pulled face paint out of her pockets. She peered out of the curtains and saw Tiger and Cat lingering around the edge, and she sighed. It seemed the two had been told to make sure she stayed and had her picture taken. She turned back to the mirror and got to work on her art.

After ten minutes, the curtains opened. Beneath her mask, Cat's eyes widened slowly, before she turned her head to prevent an amused sound being heard. Tiger shook his head and heaved a quiet sigh. Why him?

The photographer looked doubtful as Naru sat down on the chair, her expression innocent underneath the layer of face paint. " You sure, kid? This is going on your ID, " he said.

" Take it, " Naru said happily.

With a loud click, followed by a flash, her picture was taken.

Once that was done, she turned to Tiger and Cat, but she no longer saw them, and she assumed that they'd disappeared as soon as the picture was taken. Damn, they were fast. She stood up and walked back into the curtained room to wipe the face paint off. That was so worth it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Headaches were becoming far too common with Naru around. Sarutobi sighed as he rubbed his temples, his pipe held loosely in between his teeth, and it moved as he spoke, " Naru, this is not acceptable. " He looked at the photo he had thrown on his desk, the photo that did have Naru in, only covered in face paint.

" Why not? " Naru sounded genuinely confused, " it has me in it, doesn't it? " If the Hokage didn't know her so well, he would've fallen for her false confused act, but he was aware of her acting skills.

" Naru-chan, no one will be able to tell that this is you, " he said calmly, " this is for your ninja ID. It is very important that other villages are able to tell who you are when you go on missions - you'll have to take it again. " Then, just to show that he was serious, he went to rip up the picture, but Naru jerking forward stopped him.

" Ok, ok, I get it, " she said hastily, " I'll have my photo retaken, just don't rip that up. I like it. " She relaxed when he dropped the photo in a top drawer desk and closed it and locked it. She sighed and leaned back in the chair that should have her name on it, and rested her feet on the desk.

It was then that her attention was drawn to the door, which had been flung open, and she was slightly startled to see a young boy, maybe three years younger than her, charge in holding a kunai, shouting, " I'll defeat you this time, old man! And I'll become Hokage! " but luck was not on his side as the long blue scarf he was wearing proved to be too long for his short body, and he tripped as it caught under his feet. He hit the floor loudly.

Naru let out a loud laugh which earned her an angry and embarrassed glare from the young boy, but, for his sake, as she knew what it was like to be in his position, she calmed down a bit, but she was sure her eyes were laughing. She looked at Jii-san, who seemed slightly embarrassed and amused.

" Konohamaru..." he muttered.

The little boy, Konohamaru, jumped to his feet, " who are you laughing at! " He yelled at Naru, who blinked and pointed at him as if it were obvious. " Do you know who I am! "

" Eh..." Naru trailed off, staring at the little boy. He had a weird hat covering his spiky brown hair, and he had deep brown eyes which looked familiar, but other than that, she really had no clue. " Nope. "

Konohamaru looked shocked, and a bit hopeful, as he stared back at her in dumbfoundedness, before he raised himself up to his whole height of about four feet. " I am Konohamaru Sarutobi, grandson of the Third Hokage! " He announced, sounding very much like a spoilt brat.

Huh, there were similarities, thought Naru as she looked at Jii-san again; he nodded to confirm the young boys announcement. She turned back to the brunette boy, " so..." she said, unsure of what reaction the boy wanted.

" Didn't you hear me? " Konohamaru yelled.

" Oh, I heard you, " Naru said, " but I wouldn't care more if you were prince of the world. To me, you're a spoilt little boy who trips over his own scarf. "

It was then that someone else burst in, a tall and skinny man wearing a Jounnin outfit of blue, minus the green jacket they usually sported from their Chunnin years, and he had on a blue bandana and a pair of black sunglasses. He looked ready to shout, but when he saw Naru lounging rather unrespectfully in front of the hokage, he swelled up with indignation. It was the fox brat.

Naru seemed to feel the glare and turned back to look at him, her eyes narrowed at him when she noticed his body language. She may seem completely dumb to others, and yes, she wasn't the smartest person, but she could read peoples body languages - it helped to know when people were coming for her when she was younger.

" Honourable grandson, " the man declared, turning to Konohamaru, who looked sulky. " Why did you run off? "

" Ebisu-san, " Sarutobi said tiredly, " he came to defeat me again. " This was, apparently, a regular occurence.

Ebisu sighed loudly, and dramatically, " honourable grandson! You cannot hope to defeat Hokage-sama if you do not stay and learn. " He then glared at Naru, " may I ask what this...girl is doing here? " Why was she so close to his student?

Seeing his grand-daughter figure welling up to say something she probably had no way of knowing how it would sound, Sarutobi quickly cut in, " Naru-chan came to talk to me about her Gennin ID photo, " he said, and levelled the man with a disappointed look, which seemed to make the man deflate. He turned back to the young girl, and found that she was already standing up and looking a bit annoyed. " Naru, you will retake the photo later, understood? "

Naru made a protesting noise.

" Show some respect to Hokage-sama! " Ebisu said angrily, putting his hands on his hips in outrage, but the girl had other ideas.

" I think it looks fine, old man! "

The man made a strangled noise.

Sarutobi stared at her.

" Fine, " she said, " i'm going now. Have fun. " She turned to leave, but threw a dark look at Ebisu, and looked at Konohamaru. " See ya, brat. " She then left the office.

" Do not speak to the honourable grandson like that! " Ebisu shouted after her, before he turned to the Third Hokage, who sighed loudly.

Konohamaru was staring in the direction Naru had left, a thoughtful look on his face.

Ebisu looked at his leader, a look of annoyance on his face. " Hokage-sama, is it wise to allow that girl near your grandson? " He asked, choosing his words carefully in front of the elderly ninja, who was known to view the fox brat as his own grandchild.

Sarutobi's eyes hardened. " Ebisu, " he began, sounding severely disappointed, " I thought you were old enough to move past these silly things. "

The special Jounnin quickly tried to come up with another excuse, because when Hokage-sama got mad, he became furious. " Ah, forgive me, Hokage-sama, but that did not come out quite as I planned, " he lied, " I simply meant that Uzumaki-san has a history of trouble-making. " It was obvious, judging by the look he cast out the window at the Hokage faces, that he hadn't forgotten what the girl had done.

Sarutobi smiled. His eyes, however, were drawn to his grandson as he slipped from the room, probably to go and follow Naru. He didn't mind his grandson going to be friends with the blonde girl: he feared what things Konohamaru would learn from Naru now that she was obviously in a bad mood - she tended to get worse in a bad mood.

He looked out the window as Ebisu continued to rant out the reasons why the honourable grandson should not be allowed near Uzumaki-san. He looked at the Fourth Hokage's stone face, and he could just imagine it real and made of flesh, youthful without the stress of the attack, and lined with laughter and glee at such a prank pulled.

"...Which is why I do not think the honourable grandson should be allowed near that girl, " Ebisu said just as Sarutobi pulled away from his thoughts.

" Well, it's too late for that, " the Third Hokage said, nodding his head in the direction where his grandson stood a few minutes ago.

It was quite comical to see Ebisu's face go into panic, and he quickly looked around as if expecting Konohamaru to have moved, before he realised his superiors words, and he raced out of the office, yelling, " honourable grandson! Come back! "

Sarutobi chuckled. He could've warned Ebisu when Konohamaru had been sneaking away, but who says an old man couldn't have fun once in a while.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Now, Naru wasn't like the older ninjas who had that ' super-I-can-sense-everyone ' thing going, but she did know when she was being followed, and she had the feeling she knew exactly who it was. She left it for a few minutes, and walked down random streets just to prove that she was being followed, and after leading her follower down an empty street, she turned around, arms crossed, and a raised eyebrow.

Her follower, obviously Konohamaru, saw her looking, and he quickly dived behind a...lampost, really, couldn't he do better than that?

" I can see you, you know, " Naru said, shaking her head. He didn't emerge, but she did see his head peek round slightly, and she crossed her arms. " Come on! That's terrible hiding - you know what, just get out here and tell me what you want. "

Konohamaru emerged from his ' hiding place ' with the air of someone who had an important question.

" So, what do you wa - "

" Train me. "

Naru's voice abruptly faded as her eyes widened in shock. Hold on, had he just said what she thought he said. " Say what? " She had to make sure she wasn't hearing things...

Konohamaru sighed in annoyance but repeated himself. " I want you to train me. "

Nope, she wasn't hearing things then.

" Erm..." she wasn't quite sure what to say. " What makes you think I can teach you anything? " She was hoping to derail him with that question; she wasn't much of a student type herself, so having someone ask her to train them was a ridiculous thought.

Sadly, luck was not in her favour, as Konohamaru grinned at her, as though he had been expecting this question, and had the perfect answer for it. " You're an academy student, right? " He said, " you can teach me all the stuff you're learning there! "

" I'm a Genin, actually, " Naru said, " became one yesterday. " It was only then did she realise that she shouldn't have said that for Konohamaru's eyes widened in shock and pure delight.

" So you can teach me! " He beamed brightly, " if you're a Genin, then you must know a lot, right? "

Dammit to all!

" Look, don't you have that bandana idiot to teach you stuff? " She said, turning to walk back down the little path she'd purposely led Konohamaru up, and the little Sarutobi eagerly followed her like a little puppy.

Konohamaru sighed loudly. " Well, yeah, I suppose, " he said sadly, " but Ebisu-sensei is a Special Jounin, and he teaches Hokage hopefuls, but that also means he treats me differently, and he only teaches me the stupid book stuff. " He frowned angrily. " And he also says that the academy is useless to me if I want to become Hokage. "

Naru raised an eyebrow. Well, she wanted to be Hokage, but she certainly wasn't going to go to Bandana-idiot for help, not with that attitude. " But every ninja in this village has been to the academy, including Jii-san, " she said.

" I know. " He said with another loud sigh, before he grinned at her. " So, can you teach me? You've got to know quite a bit to become a Genin, right? Could you teach me that stuff? "

She hesitated. " Brat, it's really not that easy, " she said, tucking her fringe behind her ear, " I became a Genin in a slightly different way than normal, and I don't really know the simple stuff...well, I can't really do the simple stuff. "

Konohamaru drooped slightly, before he beamed again. " But you know the theory of it, right? You know what can be done and all that stuff? " He said eagerly.

" You don't give up, do you? " Naru asked, shaking her head in amusement, because in all honesty, he reminded her of herself. It actually gave her something to think about...

On one hand, she really didn't know how to do much of the academy stuff; everyone could vouch that she was crap at everything there; she didn't have the time to teach anyone, and plus, she really didn't want to teach anyone, either. But, on the other hand, taking Konohamaru under her wing would most certainly annoy the hell out of that Bandana-idiot, right?

" Alright, I'll make you a deal, " she said, a mischievous smile curving her lips, one that foretold trouble. " First, I want to try something. You pass my little test, and I'll agree to teach you. "

With an eager Konohamaru listening with rapt attention, she led him away to begin her plan to cause trouble.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Unbeknown to the two young people, six ANBU stood atop a building, all in various positions as they watched.

" We should really stop them, " Cat said, but she made no sign of following through on her words. " That's Hokage-sama's grandson; we really don't need him turning into a prankster like Uzumaki. "

Dragon leaned back against the wall next to Tiger. " It's just a bit of harmless fun, " she said, " and besides, she knows quite a lot if you think about it. At least, if someone were to ever attempt to kidnap Hokage-sama's grandson, he would be able to escape them, should he learn from Uzumaki's...unique way of training. "

Bird looked at the healer of his team. " You just want more amusement in Konoha, don't you? " He said knowingly, and although his voice was cold, his team could easily hear the amusement.

" You have to admit, the girl is quite talented when she puts her mind to it, " Dragon pointed out, before she looked up at the sky. " We need to get going. "

" Hai. " All of them said.

Each one gave a last, lingering look at Naru's retreating back, before they disappeared in swirls of leaves.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"..." Konohamaru stared blankly at Naru who was standing in front of him with her arms crossed, beaming widely and looking highly impressed with herself. " Y-you want me to what? "

The two of them were stood in the middle of the bustling market place, hopefully keeping out of sight of prying eyes that wanted to find them.

" Help me prank Bandana-idiot, " she said for the fifth time, and this time it was followed by a loud, exasperated sigh. " Look, pranking isn't as easy as it looks, ya know, you have to be able to sneak around without being seen, get a load of things to do the prank, and then actually do the prank without being seen as well, and you can't leave behind a trail to lead it back to you. " She didn't usually put a lot of thought into things, but when it came to her passion - pranking - she could spend days going over final details. Normally, she would think up pranks in seconds, and make them up as she goes along, but some things needed final details.

By the end of her little speech, Konohamaru was looking a little shocked at all the thought she put into it, before he looked a little doubtful. " If I pull this off, you'll teach me? "

" IF, " Naru said, stressing the word, " you do pull it off, I'll happily teach you some things. It's a promise. " That meant she would have to go and quickly look some things up in the academy, and even though she wasn't good at theory, nor would she be good at the jutsu, probably, but she could help him along; she kept to her promises. Besides, the thought of having an accomplice was too a tempting offer to pass over.

Doubt gave way to excitment as Konohamaru bounced on the balls of his feet. " Ok, so what do we do first? "

Naru glanced back down the street. She could see Bandana-idiot searching down every alley for Konohamaru. She turned back to the young boy and smiled, " first of all, we need to stay hidden, " she said and grabbed Konohamaru's wrist, " come on. " She then pulled him after her as she weaved through the crowds.

Ebisu arrived only seconds later to look at the place they'd just been.

" Do you know where Bandana-idiot lives? "

" Ebisu-sensei? " Konohamaru said, frowning slightly. " Hai, sure, I've been there a few times to read and stuff - why? " He saw Naru's evil smile and his eyes widened. " You want me to prank Ebisu-sensei? "

Naru looked around before she came to a stop. " Look, it's a rite of passage to prank your sensei - I did so with Iruka-sensei - and then you can prank to your hearts content, " she said happily, " so, where is it? "

Konohamaru sighed, but jerked his head in a random direction. " I'll show you, " he grumbled, and walked off ahead.

She followed him with a beaming smile. This would be so fun.

They arrived not too long later at a large apartment, which was in the nicer part of Konoha.

" Idiot left a window open, " Naru said, shaking her head as she walked down the side of the apartment to see a window open. " Right, Konohamaru, you first. " Although he looked worried, she had to give him credit when he puffed up, walked over to the window, and climbed in after a little leg up from her. She followed after him.

Once she landed on the carpeted floor, she stood up and looked around. It was decorated in plain colours with furniture scattered around neatly, and books lined shelves, but it didn't really feel homey. Ninjas, she supposed, were never at home long enough to make it feel all warm and comforting. That was a part she was looking forward too - not being in that dingy apartment for long.

" So, what are we going to do? " Konohamaru asked, looking highly uncomfortable at being in his sensei's apartment without permission. He was beginning to regret this, but if he could do this, then Naru would agree to teach him, and he would learn more than the stupid, boring book stuff!

Naru stood in the middle of the wide open space that was the living room and smiled brightly. " We? " She repeated, " We're not going to do anything - you are going to do something while I wait. " To prove her point, she sat down on one of the leather sofas and rested into it as if it were in her own home.

Konohamaru made a squeaking noise and he suddenly looked a whole lot more nervous about being in his sensei's apartment. " Um, this is my first time doing this, can't you, you know, help me? "

She shook her head with a cheerfully bright smile curving her lips. " Off you go, " she said, flapping her hands at him as if to dismiss him.

With a look similar to the one a man going to hallows would sport, Konohamaru trooped off to find something - anything - to do as a prank.

Once she was sure he was out of sight and hearing, Naru quickly got up from the sofa and decided to do her own little searching, just to amuse herself. She saw a photo up on the mantle piece over the open fire, a photo of three eleven year olds, with a Jounnin standing behind them - two boys, one with brown hair and dark eyes, one with light brown hair and bright green eyes, a girl with messy auburn hair and striking gray eyes, and the Jounnin had spiky black hair and bored dark brown eyes. It must be Bandana-idiot's Gennin team.

" What to do, what to d-hmm? " She walked over to the bookcase, her interest perked by the ridiculously bright orange spine of a thin book, and when she pulled it off the shelf, she recognised it as one of the ones she'd caught Jii-san reading a few times. " Closet perv! " With a slightly evil grin, she reached for a random pen that had been thrown on top of the bookcase and began her ' art ' work.

By the time Konohamaru walked back in, she'd rearranged the whole living room and was looking quite satisfied with herself. " This is so..." he muttered, and he held up some of Ebisu's underwear.

Naru hadn't expected anything different, really. Going for peoples underwear was the first thing someone thought of when pranking, or the old bucket of water over the door trick. " Oh, this could work, " she muttered, " yeah, this could work. I'm thinking..."

" A flag? " Konohamaru suggested eagerly, having apparently decided that he liked this idea. He was picking up quickly.

" A flag? I like it. " Naru nodded, " come on, our work here is done. "

The two then crept out the way they'd snuck in and ran off to do a prank.

It was not too long later that the two young trouble makers were now sat on a patch of grass near a place where ninjas trained.

" Well, it's official, " Naru announced, " I guess I'll teach you things. " She'd been half hoping that this would be a big failure because she really didn't want to help anyone when even she wasn't that good at stuff ( not that she'd ever admit that to anyone ) - she'd only been made a ninja because she kicked a traitor's ass, but the kid had done as she asked, and it was a pretty good prank for a first timer.

Konohamaru beamed. The moment, however, was interrupted by Ebisu appearing, looking flustered, as if he'd been running all over the place.

" Honourable grandson! " He said loudly, " I've been looking all over the place for you! What were you thinking running off with the fo-girl? She is a bad influence! "

Naru's eyes darkened. She held no doubt over what he'd just been about to call her. Her anger, however, was calmed when she remembered what she'd done to his apartment, and other things..." Yeah, well - "

" Naru Uzumaki. "

All three of them looked to the side where an ANBU, Dragon, stood quite casually. " Hokage-sama sent me to retrieve you and take you to get your picture taken again, " she said, " and then he has requested to speak with you about the other night. "

Naru bit her lip. In all of the excitment, she'd forgotten that Jii-san still wanted to talk to her about her little stealing of the scroll, and she'd figured he wasn't that angry..." Ok, " she said with a sigh and stood up. She looked at Konohamaru, who was looking disappointed, " we'll carry on another day, ok? "

Konohamaru smiled and nodded. Ebisu's face went red, and he looked ready to protest, but he had no chance.

Dragon began to walk away, and Naru had to hurry to catch up with the long strides, even though the female ANBU wasn't incredibly tall, but she'd probably been a few inches over Naru's height in her own youth.

" Good one, " Dragon said quietly and nodded her head in the direction that Naru and Konohamaru had set up their prank.

Naru beamed.

After getting her photo done correctly this time, Naru was led by Dragon to the Hokage tower, and her bad feeling increased. Did Jii-san want to talk to her, or yell at her? She was surprised that she hadn't been yelled at yet, especially considering that she'd stolen something valuble to the village...

" Go in, " Dragon said, opening the Hokage's office door, and Naru walked in. The ANBU closed the door, did some hand-signs, and then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naru sat in her regular chair in front of the large oak desk, which was occupied by Sarutobi on the other side. He looked unusually grave, which made her think that yes; she was definitely in trouble. " I am so, so, sorry! " She burst out, " I know it was wrong of me to steal the scroll - I had no idea - I wouldn't have stolen if if I'd known the truth - that baka Mizuki tricked me - I'm so - "

" Naru-chan, you're not in trouble, " Sarutobi said gently, amusement in his voice as the girl's voice abruptly stopped, her mouth snapping shut.

" I'm not? " She said in relief, before she sat back against the chair she'd been leaning forward in. Well, that was a relief, she thought and then she frowned and asked, " what am I here for then? "

Sarutobi sighed and placed his pipe down on the table. " Naru-chan, do you remember what you did the other night? "

She tilted her head in a confused manner. " I stole the scroll..." she said unsurely. He knew that already, so why was he asking?

" Iie, " he said, " I mean, do you remember what you did to Mizuki? " Why was he always left with the difficult conversations.

Naru paused for a moment, her eyes going misty as she was lost in memory. " Wood, " she murmured, " I made wood come out of the ground and grab Mizuki-baka, didn't I? " A pleased smile curved her lips at the thought of Mizuki getting his just punishment. She came back to reality and shrugged. " I don't know how I did it, if that's what you're asking. "

" Oh, I know how you did it, " Sarutobi said pleasantly, and he threaded his fingers - the ones that had formed so many hand-seals in his life time - together. " I just can't think of how to tell you. " He had learnt that lying, or masking the truth, never really worked with Naru as she usually found out the truth in her own way, anyway, and then she got incredibly angry, and the village suffered. It was something he could rather do without.

Naru's confusion was visible on her face. " It's just a ninja thing, right? I bet loads of people can do it, " she said, but even her own words did not convince her. She'd read about wood jutsu somewhere before...in the academy...but she just couldn't remember where.

" Naru-chan, " he said gently, " there has only ever been two people in all of Konoha, that I know of, who could do what you did to Mizuki last night. "

" Two? " Naru repeated, before her face lit up slightly and Sarutobi knew what she was going to ask before she even opened her mouth. " My parents? "

Sarutobi sighed. " I'm afraid not, Naru-chan, " he said sadly, but, as his eyes flickered, unseen, over to the portrait that held a young man with hair and eyes identical to the girl in front of him, he wondered if that were true. " The users of that wood ability - the Mokuton - are..." His eyes strayed over to the first portrait that held a man with long dark hair, tanned skin and warm brown eyes.

" The first Hokage? " Naru nearly shrieked, but she managed to keep her voice down, though she did sit forward in her seat. " I have the same ability he did? " Now she remembered where she'd read about the Mokuton - in the academy, in a history book, during one of the few lessons she'd managed to sit still in. No need to mention that she had been strapped to her chair, her hands tightly bound because she was notorious for being able to escape if her hands were movable.

Sarutobi sighed loudly. How could he explain this in a way that wouldn't lead Naru-chan to over reacting..." Naru-chan, the Mokuton is a Bloodline, " he said calmly, and, as predicted, the girl just looked confused. " You really don't spend much time in the academy, do you? "

Naru flushed in embarrassment and shrugged. " I can't sit still, " she admitted sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck, much like a certain parent of hers. " Anyway, what's a Bloodline? "

" A Bloodline is passed down through the family, through the blood, " Sarutobi explained, watching her reaction, and he smiled slightly when her eyes widened slightly. She may not be the smartest person in Konoha, but she certainly wasn't dumb. " Which allows the child or children to inherit that skill. " Since he knew that there was no way that Orochimaru had been able to experiment on Naru-chan like he had with Yamato, there was only one other option; she was related to the First Hokage.

" A-are you saying I'm r-related to him? " She pointed a finger at the portrait to further her words, " I'm related to the First Hokage? That means I'm also related to the Second Hokage because they were brothers! " She jumped out of her seat with a rush of excitment. " Oh, wait until I tell Sasuke-baka! There's no wa - "

" You can't. "

Naru deflated. " Why not? " She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. " People'll stop picking on me then! "

" Naru-chan, if anyone were to find out that you held the Shodaime's Mokuton ability, " Sarutobi trailed off, shaking his head. Even he couldn't imagine what would happen. " There are many people out there who want that ability, Naru-chan, and they will do anything to get it. Anything. " He didn't want to worry her, but he had to make his point clear that it would be a danger to even mention that there was a possibility of someone being born naturally with that ability.

She slumped back into her seat and allowed her arms to fall to her sides. " What's so good about it anyway? " She mumbled.

" The Shodaime was a force to be reckoned with because of that skill, " Sarutobi said, sounding, and feeling, like a teacher again. " The ability to control wood with only a few hand-seals was incredible, and, because it was his power, it was desired. " He sighed. " I understand your need to tell everyone, Naru-chan, but won't it be better to not tell anyone and keep it to yourself? "

Naru shrugged. " To you, maybe, " she said, and she did think about telling people, but she saw the Hokage's eyes narrow, and she knew he knew exactly what she was thinking.

" Naru, you're not allowed to tell anyone, do you understand? " Sarutobi said, his voice forceful, and she quickly nodded. She'd never heard him use that voice, well, not with her, anyway. " I don't mean to be horrible about this, but you must understand; there are some people out there..."

Not wanting to further the bad mood Jii-san was in, she nodded. " What if I end up using it while out on a mission? " She said, " I can't exactly control it, can I? " If what Jii-san said was true then she'd be pretty screwed if she was on a mission and roots randomly shot out of the ground. She doubted she would be able to explain it.

Sarutobi appeared to have expected this question because he pulled out an old wooden box that was neatly crafted and smooth. " Which is why you will be learning to control it, " he said, setting the box down in front of him.

Naru leaned forward to get a better look at the curious and pretty box. " What's in there? " She asked interestedly, her eyes sparking with a childish light at the thought of what could possibly be in there.

He chuckled. He ran his fingers along the smooth edges of the box, hooked his finger tips under them and carefully opened it as if it were a priceless treasure. " These are Mokuton scrolls that I managed to dig out when I discovered your ability just a day ago, " he said, peering down into the box filled with some old scrolls that hadn't been opened in a long time, not since the time of the Shodaime.

" Hey - didn't you say there were two people? " She pointed out, " you've only mentioned one. "

Sarutobi smiled. He thought she would pick up on that sooner or later. " The other one is alive right now, " he said, " but he is not any relation of yours, I'm afraid; he came by the Mokuton...unnaturally, you could say. "

" Oh, " Naru said, frowning slightly and looking thoughtful. " He wasn't born with it, you mean? " Sarutobi shook his head and she frowned even more. She could see that he seemed a bit uneasy to talk about it, and a bit sad, and she felt slight sympathy for the person they were talking about. What had happened to him to make him be able to use the Mokuton?

" Anyway, " he said, attempting to change the subject, and, thankfully, she seemed willing too. " These scrolls hold jutsus that only Mokuton users can master. "

She smiled brightly. " Jutsus only I can use? " She asked excitedly, nearly bouncing with excitment at being able to be one of two people who were able to use the wood thing.

" Hai, " Sarutobi said, opening the box, and he pulled out an old scroll that looked as if it had seen better days. He laid it out in front of him and looked back up at Naru, who was watching him with rapt attention, her expression curious. " These are very delicate, Naru-chan, and the only ones still in existence, please be careful with them. "

Naru nodded solemnly. " Can I have them now? " Her hands flexed, as if wanting to reach out and grab the box herself, but at least she contained herself.

Sarutobi chuckled. He picked up the scroll he had just lain out on the desk. " I'll give you this one first, " he said kindly, " It is one containing lower level jutsus, which are perfect for you, since you only discovered the ability last night. I was more than surprised that you did something like that when you weren't aware. "

Naru beamed proudly.

" Hopefully, now, you'll mature, " he said warmly. The blonde nodded hastily. " I can see you growing up already, I am very proud - "

Just then, a feminine scream rang through-out Konoha, but it clearly belonged to a man. Both inhabitants of the room looked at the window.

Sarutobi turned back to Naru. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

Maturing would have to wait just a little while longer.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I know this one is shorter than the first one, but it's still quite long, so it's all good :P

Chapter three will be up in a couple of days, or a few, but it will be up soon.

Can you all still continue to vote on the pairing you want?

Anyway, please review and tell me what you think my lovely readers!

Phoenix Flame x.