Niotomi Dai was overprotective and paranoid: possibly the worst combination one could ever hope for in a father, yet those two traits defined the Niotomi clan.

At any point in time, Madoka usually had at least three small, female Black Widows in her bright red hair, thanks to her father. Normally, people would panic at the sight of any Black Widow spider, but what most didn't know, was that the males were harmless. It was the deadly females that were feared by the most informed.

Spiders were the Niotomi summon, as the hawk was to the Uchiha, yet they weren't normal summons. In a village of ninja, why would anything be mundane? A deal had been struck with the spider kingdom by one of Madoka's ancestors. As long as there were things to eat and a place to inhabit, the spiders would remain faithful to the Niotomi clan.

Of course, this "place to inhabit" had to be the clan compound. Madoka had gotten used to seeing large Camel spiders scurrying throughout the compound to deliver messages. She'd gotten used to finding a nest of spiders under her bed or around her room, usually Jumping or Crab spiders. She hadn't gotten used to finding arachnids scurrying through her clothes, which they'd made a new habit of their's. Of course, when she found them in her closet, she politely asked them to get out, which they always did.

The "things to eat" were bugs and insects found throughout the forests of Konoha. At no point in time, would any flies be found buzzing throughout the compound. If the umbrage visitors decided to buzz in, it was an intense race throughout the spider colonies to catch the annoying pest first, as flies were considered a treat in the spider world. Of course, only the smaller spiders went after flies.

The larger species, like the Camel or the Goliath Birdeater, went after things like rats and mice, sometimes birds if they were fast enough. Why wouldn't the spiders be fast enough? The knowledge from their human counterparts aided the 8-legged creatures in their feasting habits, plus the mere fact that the spiders and Niotomi had worked together for nearly a century contributed to the fact that the spiders were faster than they had been.

Of course, there were drawbacks to living with the arachnid kingdom. Silky webs were everywhere. It was rare to find a place within the clan where there wasn't any sticky webs. Another was that although the spider kingdom had learned not to scurry on the ground, people constantly had to be on the lookout for a young arachnid that hadn't learned that lesson yet.

It was a small price to pay for living with such tiny, yet deadly creatures. That was also the reason why visitors were discouraged throughout the clan.

Madoka was always confused on how the spiders understood Japanese. They never spoke it, but they understood the language, which was how the clan ordered them around. It had Madoka dumbfounded, but she didn't question it.

"Madoka-san!" Iruka-sensei exclaimed from the front of the room, "Are you paying attention?"

Madoka, the ever loving book reader, had not been paying attention. She'd been too wrapped up in The Inbetween to bother listening to Iruka-sensei. After all, it wasn't everyday one comes across such an entrancing book.

"No, Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry," she offered with a sigh, closing her beloved hardback. It was her third week at the Academy, and this was the second time he'd gotten on to her. She suspected it wouldn't be the last.

"Detention!" It appeared as if he wanted to say more, but he resumed his lecture on chakra, which the class wouldn't start exploring till next year, due to undeveloped chakra coils.

So, with a sigh and a dreary mind, Madoka exchanged The Inbetween for a pencil and paper.

Iruka's Perspective:

This class was probably his most difficult as of late. Through some unimaginable twist of fate, he'd ended up with 8 clan kids, 8! Four of them knew how to behave, like Chouji, Sasuke, Hinata, and Shino. The other four... well, two of them acted out and the other two didn't pay attention.

He somewhat understood why Shikamaru dozed off, but Madoka was a mystery. In fact, her entire clan was a mystery to the chuunin. Upon reading over the kids he'd be teaching for the next four years, Iruka was... puzzled. Seeing as how they weren't ninja, it was Iruka's job to create and manage their files for their jounin-sensei, should the graduate the Academy. He also took the time to research the clan kids, to look out for any behavioral issues in class.

The first mention of the Niotomi clan came out of an old textbook, of all things. Had Iruka been teaching kids 8 years ago, he would've heard of them.

"...and the oldest noble clans in Konoha are the Uchiha, Aburame, Akimichi, and Hyuuga. The known clans include the Aburame and Niotomi. While the Aburame is included in the noble and known clans, note that the Niotomi are as old as the Uchiha and other similiar clans."

After scanning through the same textbook, Iruka found that it only said 'Niotomi' twice. It perplexed him, seeing as how they were as old as the beloved Uchiha clan, and they weren't mentioned in the latest editions of the Academy's history textbooks. His next source was from one of his jounin friends, Asuma Sarutobi, of all people.

"The Niotomi? Eh... they've always been a puzzle to me. Always secretive and paranoid, at least that's what I've heard from rumors. Never actually met the Clan Head, oddly enough..."

Iruka's interest was peaked. His last source came from a book called, "Summonings in Konoha," an old book he'd picked up from the Shinobi library. When he asked why there was only one copy, he was told that the Niotomi had requested that the copy be destroyed three years ago, after finding out it existed, and the Third Hokage had denied their request, but only allowed chuunin level or above to access it.

The Hatake family is currently in possession of the Dog summoning scroll.

The Hiruzen family is currently in possession of the Monkey summoning scroll.

The Niotomi clan is currently in possession of the Spider summoning scroll. Note: The shinobi children of the Niotomi clan usually contain female Black Widows in their hair, if their hair is thick enough to conceal them. If not, the spiders are hidden elsewhere on the children.

Whatever Iruka had expected, it wasn't spiders, of all things.

AN: Sorry to cut this so short, but the holiday season is upon us and I've got to pack. Let me know what y'all think! Disclaimer is in the first chapter.

Re. AN: I just got done packing and am off to the airport. I just want to know if any of y'all would be interested in a holiday themed chapter? Or a chapter explaining how the Third Hokage met the Clan Head of the Niotomi? I'll try to type some stuff up, but for now, I've got to go.

Also, I don't know if anyone here likes the switched perspectives, so let me know if you guys like it or don't like it, please.