Whoot! I am now 38 dollars closer to my dream vacation in Japan. Baby-sitting has its benefits, even if I couldn't write during that time. But, it insipred me to want to write a one-shot about Yuri baby-sitting a little kid. Fun, ne? Well, there's going to be lot's of home-wrecking, and that unlucky kid's gonna feel Yuri's fist, for sure, but maybe a guy should unexpectedly show up. A guy good with kids? thinks I'm thinking red hair, green eyes. Guess who?

---------

Yuri stared in awe at the Konoha gates. She had spent the rest of the time after her and Benny's awkward conversation by annoying Naruto and Sasuke. But now they were the ones to taunt.

"Oi, Yuri-chan. It's so funny how you have to lean your head so far back to look at the top of the gates, "Naruto laughed.

Sasuke appeared by Yuri's left shoulder and put an arm around her in mock protection. "Naruto, don't be picking on our new team member," he said sternly, but with a hint of laughter. "Besides..." Sasuke leaned his face in close to Yuri's. "I think it's kinda cute."

Yuri blushed and thought about smacking him again, but she didn't get a chance. Sasuke abruptly pulled his arm away from her shoulders and took a few respective steps back when a tall woman with blonde hair appeared beyond the gate.

"Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, I see you completed your missions." Looking quizzically at the shy Yuri, who was now looking for a place to hide, the woman asked, "But who is this? Kakashi, are you sure you brought back the right person?"

Yuri didn't know what the woman was talking about, but the disrespect in her voice and the indication in Yuri's direction was enough to flame a meager wave of anger. "Oi! I don't know what you mean by that, but I'm a lot more than I look."

Kakashi sweat dropped. He hadn't told Yuri everything about his mission. And she obviously had no idea she was talking disrespectfully to the most important person in the village. "Yuri-chan, " he said quietly. "That is Tsunade-sama, the 5th Hokage of our village. You should probably apologize, and quickly."

Yuri looked over at her sensei. "Tsunade-whata? Hokage who?"

Tsunade let out a laugh. "What a cheeky little girl. But really Kakashi, she can't be more than 10 years old. There's no way she could really be the martial artist we sent for--"

"AHEM." Tsunade looked over in the 'little girl's' direction. Yuri had her hands balled up into fists, and they hung limply at her side. "One shot. Let me hit you once, and I'll show you what Yuri Takahata can do."

Tsunade laughed out loud again. "You cheeky little girl. All right, hit me once. I won't move at all, I promise. Come on, I'll just stand here."

Yuri raised her right fist and brought it up close to her face. "You're gonna be so sorry you said that." She immediately began to charge at the Hokage, but, untrue to her word, the older woman vanished, appearing a few feet to Yuri's left.

Yuri didn't have to think before acting. She had known the Hokage would move, and instantly veered in her direction. The sudden change in direction put her a little off of her feet, but she regained balance just before her fist collided with the Hokage's chest.

Yuri's punch hit straight in the center of the older woman's chest, and Yuri grinned, pleased at her accuracy. For a moment nothing happened, and the taller lady stood there, not a hair out of place. She was about to open her mouth to goad, but before she could say anything coherently, the speed of Yuri's punch caught up with her.

Team 7 watched helplessly from the sidelines as Yuri's fist punched Tsunade in the chest. They chuckled when the hit didn't do anything, and then gasped, yelped, and were in complete awe when Tsunade went flying backwards in a perfect arch. Naruto immediately went to congratulate Yuri on her so called 'victory', but Sakura rushed off to make sure her secondary sensei wasn't hurt.

"Ne, ne, Yuri-chan! Where'd you learn to punch like that!?" Naruto asked, clenching his fists and bouncing on the soles of his feet, making him look like a little boy wanting to learn a lame secret. Actually, that's exactly what he wanted. Yuri only smirked and said, "I'm not a black-belt for nothin', ya know? Besides, I've done lots of strength training, to make up for my small size."

Tsunade walked back onto the road with a hand on her head. Rubbing her scalp, she felt a bump rising, and knew she would be having quite a few headaches for a few days. "Alright, " she said grudgingly. "I admit it, you're helluva lot stronger than I thought you'd be. But still. How could ten year old be that strong already?"

Sakura whispered in the Hokage's ear, and Yuri watched as the older woman's eyes grew large and round. "WHAT? You're 13?" she asked the ever vigilant Yuri. Yuri just stared defiantly back and the old hag and said, "I told you, I'm a lot more than I look." Just to add a little amusement, the littler blonde also added, "I'm sure you know that'd I'm a master at my local dojo, having been the youngest lady to receive a black belt. I'm also talented in many other concepts; other than training and fighting, I lead a not so normal life."

Tsunade gasped, the punch had knocked most of the air out of her. "Damn, I knew you were talented, but I didn't think to look up much on you." Yuri nodded in agreement, and Kakashi interrupted whatever Tsunade was about to say next.

"Uh, hi. Can we just get inside and get to our apartments? My team's tired, as you should well know--" Kakashi sent Tsunade a glare- "and it'd be nice to recooperate before training tomorrow. Plus, Yuri-chan's still got to move into her apartment."

Yuri snorted quietly. "Not much to move, is there," she asked herself, glancing at the knapsack hanging dejectedly from her shoulders. A sudden thought caused Yuri to gasp. "Kakashi-sensei! Whatever happened to Benny-niichan?"

Kakashi looked dumbfounded for a bit, and then seemed to regain his senses. "Oh yeah, your friend. I guess he just up and disappeared." At Yuri's worried look, he added, "I'm sure you'll see him soon."

Later, at Yuri's apartment:

Yuri unlocked the door to her new apartment and opened the door unceremoniously. It was pretty plain, having a small sitting room with a tiny couch the same color as the walls, and a small wooden coffee table was perched in the middle of the floor. Yuri smiled, remembering the course she and her friend had taken a few years ago. 'The number 1 rule to remember when arranging furniture: Never stop or redirect the flow of traffic. Objects in the middle of the floor should be moved until they do not have to be avoided.'

Yuri opened a small door to the right of the door and found an empty closet. Supposedly for jackets and boots, but the bar across the ceiling was broken, and the floor of the closet was covered in mud from the previous owner's boots. Yuri closed the closet door and looked to the left of the door.

A few feet down was an entry-way Yuri supposed lead to the kitchen. Stopping to drop her bag on the couch, the curious girl walked into a tiny kitchen. It held barely more than a small table with two chairs, a stove, a fridge, a filthy looking microwave,a two-sided sink, and several hanging cabinets. Yuri opened one of the cabinets and was pleased to see several dinner-sized plates, but noted to wash them before using them.

The end of the kitchen also had an entry-way and Yuri left through that, and looked around to realize she was at a small hallway leading form the kitchen to the end of the living room. Walking across to the other side of the living room, Yuri opened a small window to let it air out. It was then that she noticed another door, only a little bigger than the closet door.

Antoher closet? What the hell good would that do? And why is it so conspicuous? Yuri opened the door and found herself looking down a staircase. That's right! I'm on the bottom floor, maybe we get basements? Yuri peered down into the black void, and when she couldn't make anything out, she groped around on the walls on either side of her for a light switch.

When she found the lightswitch, Yuri flipped it and peered once again into the depths of her newfound basement. Yuri took a few hesitant steps down the stairs. What she saw in her basement was far from what she had thought it'd be.

When Yuri looked around her basement, the first thing she's noticed were the walls. Each one was a different color, and they were all bright colors; varying from lime green to paradise blue, and orange sun to a lavender type purple. Then she noticed that it was also furnished with a few red and black beanbags, and a mini bar, complete with a mini fridge and a small microwave. The basement also had a small couch up against the back wall, facing a tv stand that was housing a fairly large tv.

Yuri grinned. She now knew where she'd be spending most of her time when she wasn't training or otherwise. The young ninja hurried back up the steps, remembering to turn off the lights before closing the door. Wandering around, it wasn't long before she also found the door to her bedroom.

Yuri pulled the door open and glanced inside. It was pretty dull, a bed in one corner, a closet in another. A small dresser was standing beside the bed, and Yuri could see past a small door and into a small, cramped bathroom.

Walking back into the living room, Yuri sighed. She now had a place she could call her very own! The young blonde stretched, and jumped at a knock on the door. "Who is it, " she called meekly, she didn't want any visitors, especially since she had just gotten there.

"It's Kakashi. Don't worry, I won't stay long." Yuri opened the door and smiled, "Nah, I wasn't worried about that. Actually, I just got done taking a look around the place. I like it, it's really nice."

Kakashi beamed at his student. "I'm glad, actually. My old friend used to live here, I thought his taste would suit you finely!"

Yuri grinned back at her beaming sensei. "I take it he's the one who outfitted the basement in such fine colors?"

"You can bet on it. But, uh...he was a bit of a slob, for lack of better word. I'd say you have a bit of cleaning to do, if you look hard enough."

Yuri nodded, she had just been thinking the same thing. "Yeah, I know," she said, recalling how filthy the plates and microwave had been. "I'm good at inspecting places, and the first place I looked was the closet!" Kakashi seemed to know about the mud, and he laughed along with her. "Well, I just came to see how you were fitting in. Oh, but, before I leave, Sakura-chan wanted to know if you would go shopping with her around five-ish, she said she'd come pick you up."

Yuri looked doubful, but Kakashi just laughed at her expression and said, "Which translates into, 'You don't have a choice, I'm coming and getting you, even if I have to drag you all over the stores.'"

Yuri laughed with him and said, "Yeah, well, I have to go shopping anyway. I highly doubt any food there might be in that wretched kitchen is actually edible, and I'd also like to get some new clothes to fill up that empty closet."

Kakashi gave her a thumbs up sign. "That's the spirit! Well, I better go now..." and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Yuri walked over to the window she had opened earlier. It actually has a pretty good view, she noted to herself. I thought only high places could have good views, but I was wrong, like usual.

Yuri picked up her knapsack from the couch and took it to her room. Unclipping the clasp and releasing the knot, she turned the bag over and dumped what meager possessions she had with her onto the dusty bed. Her new book, two other outfits, her change purse, her black belt, and a small packaged snack fell out, rasing a fine dust into the air.

Yuri immediately changed into her favorite outfit, a yellow t-shirt with part of the back ripped out, that nicely showed the curves in her lower back. Plus, the rip didn't start so high that she couldn't wear a bra underneath it, which was always a bonus. The capris she put on were white, and they had little yellow flowers embroidered into the sides.

Yuri ran her fingers through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror hanging in the bathroom. Her normally bouncing, shiny hair seemed lank and lifeless as it hung down from her sculp.

Yuri rummaged through all of the bathroom and closet drawers until she found what she had een looking for, a small hairpin. Running back to the bathroom, she clipped her hair up on one side. The effect was immediate, and Yuri beamed at herself in the mirror.

Stomach rumbling, Yuri grabbed the snack off of her bed and ate it, savoring the sweet flavor. She held it in her hand as she walked out her bedroom door and down the tiny hallway into the kitchen. Throwing away the wrapper into a trash can at the end of the counter, Yuri looked around for a clock. There was a manual one hanging about the sink, and Yuri took a moment to read the time, and even longer to let the number sink in.

4:47! She only had about ten minutes before Sakura would come to collect her. Yuri ran back to her room to put away her clothes in a drawer of the dresser, and wrapped up her black belt, gazing fondly at it before tucking it in between a shirt and pair of pants.

Yuri grabbed her book while she was at it, dropping it on the coffee table on her way back to the kitchen to make it look like she had been reading the entire time. Re-entering the kitchen, Yuri opened all of the cupboards. After counting all of the dishes, she came up with 7 dinner plates, 7 smaller, dessert sized plates. 7 cups, 4 coffee mugs, and numerous juice and sake glasses. In a few of the cupboards surrounding the fridge, Yuri found cans and boxes of food, but only glanced at them to remember where they were. Closing the cabinets, she moved on to the drawers. Yuri dug through a drawer of everyday cutlery, fancy cutlery for special occasions, and a large drawer filled to the brim with cooking recipes.

Yuri was looking over a recipe for brownies when there was a knock at the door. The young girl yelped, quickly putting away the recipe and closing the drawer before hurrying off to open the door.

"Hey, Yuri-chan!" Sakura greeted her friend when the door was open. "Ready to go? I've been aching to go shopping for like, ever!" Yuri ran back to get her change purse and the two set off for the shopping district, Yuri making sure she locked her door before leaving.

--------

I'm sorry if I spent too much time descriing the house. Not much else happened besides that...besides Tsunade getting her ass kicked!