"MWAHAHAHA! THE INFAMOUS KIDNAPPER IS HERE!"

Smoke filled the room while Naru started grinning like a fox. Looked like he'd have more friends to play with back home.

When Iruka finally cleared it out (by breaking a window with a kunai) it took them a good ten minutes to figure out who was the target.

"GET BACK HERE!" shouted the other teacher through the window. Insane cackling met that cry as the kidnapper vanished without a trace.

Sasuke stared at the crazy lady and said "Who put you up to this?"

"Itachi. He was going to do something tomorrow and didn't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"...Is he finally coming out of the closet?"

Mochi started cackling even more at that bit.

"Sadly, no. Though I understand where you are coming from. You know how your dad and the other Uchiha act like they have a long serrated kunai stuck up their ass all the time?"

"The I'm-better-than-everyone-so-bow-down-to-me vibe? Yeah, why?"

Mochi stared for a second before grinning wider.

"That's the one. Your dad and the older Uchiha decided they know better than anyone else, and they were going to attack the Hokage in an effort to prove that. Itachi had orders to put a stop to it through any means possible. He wanted to make sure you weren't hurt during that."

"The Uchiha were going to hurt the Hokage? Why?"

"They seem to think that just because of their eyes they have a right to do whatever the hell they want. They need to see that actions have consequences."

Sasuke was more than happy to wander around Redpool with kids near his age.

Mochi stared at the devastation with shock. Itachi would never kill a child, no matter what the orders were. Something was wrong here. There had been no less than four children under ten who wouldn't have been involved in the plot, but someone had callously slitted their throats.

Anko walked up behind her in her ANBU mask.

"Something wrong?"

"I don't think Itachi was solely responsible for this. He doesn't kill children."

"...There were a few reports about a man with an orange mask, but no one confirmed it."

"Get someone to confirm it now! The Sharingan was reported at almost every death of the Whirlpool survivors! This might be the lead we need to find this guy!" said Mochi angrily.

The Bear mask ANBU ran. Later it was confirmed that a second Sharingan user was at the scene, and that he was solely responsible for the deaths of anyone under fourteen. Itachi had focused only on adults and anyone with chunin rank. He had deliberately avoided children and the younger genin.

However, the deaths of the younger ones didn't look like his style at all. They were far too vindictive, and Itachi was known for the fact he liked children. He even helped train a few.

Itachi was still called a traitor because no one knew about the plot against the Hokage...except the Hokage himself and a select few.

As a result, people were looking everywhere for the last 'loyal' Uchiha.

Mochi pretended to be her sister as she calmly dropped false trails that lead far from Redpool and towards a certain former ANBU captain.

She did not feel any sympathy towards what she unleashed on Kakashi. The fact that he hadn't considered looking for her after Naruto went missing told her volumes.

A month later, Sasuke reappeared at a favorite playground with Mochi wearing her ANBU mask. Her sister was a bird type mask, but her mask was a Wolf.

Since he was clearly being watched by a trusted ANBU member, no one tried to mob him.

She went directly to the Hokage and told him in no uncertain terms Sasuke was being selected for the Redpool genin program. Since it was an exchange program, they could claim that Naru would take Sasuke's place at the school.

It took years for the uproar over that to die down, and to her relief, no one bothered to really push the issue aside from the crotchety elders who were indirectly responsible for the mess in the first place. Since they weren't keyed into the seal wards, they couldn't retrieve the boy. And no sane person wanted to piss off Anko.

It was after a successful relocation of Whirlpool civilians and a small group of kekkei genkai users from Kiri that Mochi returned to the village. As far as the Chunin on duty knew, it was the Wolf ANBU returning from a mission.

Officially Mochi was on permanent loan from the Redpool village, under the office of the Hokage. Which meant the elders couldn't touch her without hard proof.

As she was passing the Hyuuga compound, she heard the distinct sound of crying. Since she was in uniform, she did a quick henge and looked around the corner.

Hiashi Hyuuga was beating his daughter, because there was no way that was training. Seems she would have to announce her return with a bang. Spotting the one person who actually noticed her there, she decided to kidnap two for a change.

Mochi broke into the Academy, set off plenty of harmless flash bangs outside, and in all the confusion, grabbed Neji and Hinata. Convincing the brats to stay quiet and watch the show was easy enough.

Neji apparently became obsessed with fate after receiving the seal on his head, and all she had to do to keep him quiet was tell him that the place she was taking was full of Seal Masters. Surely one of them would know how to undo the seal on him.

Hinata had never liked the sealing process, so she was all for it.

Hiashi was foaming at the mouth with rage. The Hokage was more amused than anything, since every time Mochi kidnapped someone, they got a new seal or genjutsu master in exchange.

Hiashi dropped the note someone had kindly left him, and the Hokage had to hide his amusement. Mochi was blunt as always when it came to children and keeping them safe. It was the whole reason why she wasn't going to kill Itachi on sight.

She wanted to know who killed all those children of his clan. If she ever came across the one who did that, she would...show...her displeasure in the most violent way possible.

'To the Hyuuga clan head,

Next time you want to abuse your daughter in the guise of training, make sure there isn't someone who knows the signs around. Clearly you need a class in parenting. Oh, and I'll be taking your nephew too. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to remove that horrible tattoo on his forehead, since you people are cruel enough to place those on three year olds. Enjoy the high blood pressure, you damn creep!'

Several of the Branch family had been chosen to live in the Redpool village, and even when the exchange period was over with, they had never come back.

The one person who had returned was nearly arrested by the ANBU for killing several of the Main branch. Someone in the Redpool village apparently knew the counter seal, or had created one, because the ones who had died did so while activating it. The branch member had taken advantage of the distraction to throw a kunai to the head.

It was a bigger hit to the clan than the death of Hiashi's twin brother by Kumo.

Neji stared at the man before him. Mochi told him the place they were going was far, far away from his uncle, yet here he was. At least, that was what he thought for the scant two seconds for him to undo the headband...revealing the Caged Bird tattoo.

"D...Dad?"

"Uncle Hizashi?" said Hinata in confusion.

"Did I forget to mention that I faked his death and killed the people from Kumo?" said Mochi innocently, cleaning her nails.

"A fact I was more than happy to help with. Even if it meant I could no longer return to Konoha without a henge."

Neji lost all semblance of the Hyuuga clan frost and tackled his father in a hug. Hinata wasn't far behind, because he had actually kept her father from beating her before his 'death'.

"I can leave these two in your hands, right Hizashi?"

"Of course. Ever since you freed us from that annoying seal, we have kept the true spirit of this village alive. A fact we can never truly repay you for."

"You should thank Kushina. If it hadn't been for her intervention, none of us would be here."

Hizashi nodded to her comment. It only meant that they would be making a side trip to the shrine the Uzumaki clan raised in Kushina's honor. She was considered the guardian spirit of the village, and their greatest heroine.

The Aburame clan was given a special mission. Find and capture the infamous kidnapper. There was just one problem.

She used seal arrays to get from one point to the other, and the chakra signature was always masked by at least four others.

It all came to a head when the heir of the clan itself, Shino, was taken while on his way to the Academy.

Shibi went to complain to the Hokage and mention that they still didn't have any luck finding the kidnapper, when they found out something rather disconcerting.

The order to find and capture the infamous kidnapper never came from the Hokage. It came directly from the elders, specifically Danzo.

The investigation lead by Ibiki and Anko revealed that Danzo had never truly disbanded the ROOT project.

Mochi worked overtime retrieving the orphans. Quite a few of them were on the first stages of becoming emotionless drones. Fortunately, it only took a few weeks of being in Naruto's care to break that. The ball of energy was like a force of nature. You could either go with the flow or be blown over.

(In the more extreme cases, they were blown over within months.)

With the removal of Danzo and Homura, things really started to change in the Academy. Within a year, several girls had been kicked out. Shortly after, a few boys joined them. Several classes which had been taken out to make the Academy more civilian friendly were brought back, to the relief of the parents.

Mochi also brought a placement exam for those who flunked out. Those who couldn't cut it in the Academy were put into apprenticeships around the village.

In an effort to create more shinobi who could survive on the battlefield, he started fielding D-ranks through the Academy. Several more girls dropped from the course, deciding they would rather join the ranks of the other fan girls.

And for the first time in nearly ten years, the genin who graduated lived to see their first B-rank mission. It was a welcome change.

Mochi stared at her charges with pride.

Hinata, Neji, Shino, Sasuke, Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru (who was actually kidnapped on his mother's request and he was a bit more active because of it) all stood there with grins.

Hinata and Neji had changed thanks to the training of Hizashi. While Hiashi nearly abused his daughter in the guise of training, Hizashi corrected her gently and helped her come into her own style based off the Gentle Fist.

Neji had long since lost most of his obsession with fate, since he seemed to think Mochi was Fate's messenger. Because of having the seal removed, he got along better with Hinata and saw her more as a sister than a charge.

Shino was no longer the social outcast, having found friends who didn't find his bugs creepy. He even added to his hive with help from the Village, which really made his day.

Sasuke was more interested in finding his brother and helping Mochi find the real reason for the Uchiha clan massacre. Someone or something caused his father and the clan elders to lose what little semblance of loyalty they had, and he was determined to find out what. He still loved his brother, who had at least kept him from stumbling onto the scene.

Chouji was still a bit chubby, but he had at least learned how to cook for himself, which meant he didn't look as heavy as his clan. He was happy to have friends like Naruto and Neji, who saw past his big exterior.

Shikamaru had lost some of his laziness, but his mind had been sharpened to a point. His strategies were used often by people in the field, so he learned to improvise as needed.

Naruto was glad with how his life had turned out. Because of Mochi, he learned what it was like to have a family and real friends. He never knew the pain of being looked down upon by an entire village, or being blamed for something that he had no power over. Konoha was entirely ignorant of the fact that the Kyuubi container walked among them. They may have known his name, but they never had a chance to see what he looked like.

Today was the day that the genin graduated. They had studied for a week straight so that they would pass.

They had already earned their Entrance seals so that they could teleport to the Village whenever they wanted. It was a mark of pride for a child to earn that. It meant they were trusted enough to carry the secret of the village. It also marked that they had passed the test to take missions.

"Everyone ready?"

"Hai!"

"Got your ninja tools?"

Nods met her question.

"Got your scrolls?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Your books on torture and medical techniques?"

They all grinned.

"How about your summon scrolls?"

They all held up a different scroll. Redpool was infamous for having the most seal masters, genjutsu users and for having the most summon scrolls in existence. Children were allowed to sign their name on any scroll which suited them. Tests were given at a young age to see which would work and what wouldn't.

Naruto had foxes and toads. Sasuke had a nekomata contract. Shikamaru had a rare prehistoric shark contract. Shino had found a contract for beetles. Chouji had a boar one. Neji had a large bat contract. But it was Hinata which had surprised everyone.

Hinata had been selected to carry the same summons as Kushina Uzumaki. It was a rare honor, because Kushina had been the one to carry the rare yokai contract. She could summon any youkai she put her mind to, provided they agreed to it.

Because of her status as the carrier of the Nine tailed fox, she rarely used it. It had been inactive all this time after her death.

"You all remember the hand signs?"

They nodded.

"Right. Everyone line up to the array, and I'll take you to the exam. For those of you with active clans, your parents or guardians are waiting for you at the Academy. Hinata, Neji, Hiashi has become...indisposed...so he won't make it in time. If any elders bother you, beat the crap out of them!" she said cheerfully.

Neji and Hinata shared a look, then they stared at Chouji. Mochi had spent and hour talking to him the night before, so they felt he had something to do with it.

Chouji shifted uncomfortably before saying "He'll be worshiping the porcelain throne for the rest of the day."

The cousins grinned as they said "Couldn't have happened to a nicer person."

Chouji beamed at them, relieved they didn't hold it against him. Say what you will about the Akimichi clan, while they are bigger than most in Konoha, they know their poisons. Particularly food based.

More than one assassination mission carried an Akimichi approved poison.

Naruto got them all laughing by chanting "Diarrhea cha-cha-cha, diarrhea cha-cha-cha..."

It was only after they could contain their giggles that they teleported to the outside of the Academy.

Mizuki did not like Naru Uzumaki. The brat was a prankster who annoyed him. There was something about the kid that drew people to him, but he had far too much chakra to be normal.

He had long since figured out that Naru Uzumaki's real name was Naruto Uzumaki...which would make him the Nine Tailed Fox. It was for that reason he planned to fail the kid no matter how good he did.

Alas, Naru was Iruka's favorite student. While his theoretical grades weren't the best, his practical skills were second to none. The other teachers didn't like him as much, mostly because he usually pranked them within an inch of their life. Naru didn't like it when people treated others different because of how they were born.

Naru had been told when he was eight that he had the fox inside of him, but that didn't give him the right to act better than anyone else. Mochi had kept him thoroughly grounded when he was growning up, so he wouldn't end up with an Uchiha-sized ego.

Once Sasuke moved to Redpool, she kept him from ending up like every Uchiha she had met aside from Itachi.

Naru walked into the room with a Fox-style grin, which only convinced Mizuki that he was the fox.

"You have to perform a henge of either me or Mizuki and a clone. What type of clone is optional, but you have to make at least three."

Naru grinned even wider and turned into Iruka. Then he shocked him by performing the Shadow clone instead of a regular one. Shino had passed this part by using a Bug clone variant.

"Well done Naru!" beamed Iruka.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei! By the way, Mochi-nee-chan wants to know if you're available tomorrow night?"

Iruka looked at the boy with a deadpan look.

"Naru, please for the love of kami tell me you aren't setting me up on a date with Anko."

"Of course not! She keeps up Mochi's kidnapper joke with all the bishounen boys! Mochi is her twin sister!"

Mizuki blanched. Anko had more than once kidnapped him because of his looks. Iruka was safe solely because someone else was interested in him.

It seemed his time had come.

"What is Mochi like?" he asked finally.

"She's like Anko-nee-chan, but she likes ramen as much as I do! She also hates the fact that people look down on them because of some Snake creep!"

"...Fine. But if you're setting me up for Anko I am going to prank you within an inch of your life."

"Deal!"