And here's another chapter for you guys!

Disclaimer; I do not own Naruto, the only thing I own here is Nariko and her awesomeness.

Nariko's POV

"Hey boys," I said playfully as I appeared behind them while they were speaking to their friends. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"You're late!" Naruto cried, pointing a finger at me as he whirled around.

I ruffled his hair gently before turning to glance at his friends. "I hope you all will not mind if I steal Naru-chan and Sasuke-chan from you?"

My eyes flickered over the small group of friends. There were three, a fiery-looking boy with fang markings on his cheeks, clearly an Inuzuka; a wider-framed boy munching constantly on food, an Akimichi; a lazy looking boy with intelligent eyes, a Nara. I narrowed my pale eyes, I would need to look out for the Nara, didn't need him drawing too much suspicion to me.

"Not at all," The Nara responded lazily, although his eyes glinted with a spark of knowledge. He was intrigued. "And who might you be?"

"You may call me Kitsune; I'm Naruto's anbu guardian." I dipped my head lightly, "It is a pleasure to meet you all, but I'm afraid that I do not know your names?"

"Nara Shikamaru," The lazy-looking boy supplied, his eyes narrowing slightly. I kept my body loose as he did so.

"Akimichi Chouji," The chubbier boy announced between bites.

The fanged boy grinned at me, "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and this is Akamaru!" The white dog popped out of his jacket as his name was called. I could see the mischievous spark in the Inuzuka's eyes, no wonder Naruto liked him.

"You smell nice!" The dog yapped at me.

I grinned and bowed my head to Akamaru, "And you are a very intelligent ninken, I appreciate the compliment."

The cute ninken pup gave a confused yip which matched Kiba's face. I was getting looks from my two charges as well, which made me faintly self-aware. I scratched the back of my head in my nervous twitch, ceasing it immediately when the Nara gave me a calculated look. "I grew up around foxes and other canines; I guess I just picked up on the language." I dipped my head again. "Anyways, we must be off," I grabbed Sasuke and Naruto around their waists and ignored their complaints as I flashed away.

"Your brother's back, Sasuke-chan." I said lightly as I ran across the rooftops, "He'll join us for dinner once he finishes reporting to the Hokage about his mission."

That quieted both boys down for a few moments before they began to ask me countless questions.

I sighed and ignored them for the rest of the time to the house where I summoned a clone to start working on dinner. I had learned from my parents that there was never enough time in a day to take care of everything, unless you had multiples of yourself, and then pretty much anything was possible.

The real me, however, took the boys out back in order to give them some training time before dinner.

I turned to the two boys who were waiting impatiently for me to teach them something new. "Alright you two, since Itachi will be back in time for dinner, I won't be teaching you anything new, but," I held up a finger in order to stave off complaints, "I will be sparring with you. Today you two will work as a team to try and take me down. You both will need to give this your all, and above all you will need to work together."

"But Kitsune-neechan, what if you get hurt?" Naruto asked, a worried look on his face, until Sasuke cuffed the back of his head.

"Baka, she's an Anbu, she won't get hurt by us."

"Just because I'm an Anbu doesn't mean that I shouldn't take this battle seriously. I expect you both to give it your all, and I might get hurt, but that's alright. I heal fast, and I know some medical ninjutsu that I can use if any of us get hurt." I said as I stood in front of them. "Now, I will give you both ten minutes to come up with a plan, and I will not move from this spot until you've made your first move."

The two of them nodded before Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him into the trees. I smirked, with my help in taijutsu; Sasuke could now rival most people with sheer speed and strength. He was progressing faster than Naruto in some aspects, but both of them were doing well. And Itachi had at least taught Sasuke the bare bones of genjutsu, or someone in his clan had. I had helped Naruto learn the subject a little, and he seemed to get it better than I did, which meant that I would have to be on the lookout for some basic genjutsu.

I sighed; I would probably have to be on the lookout for some sort of genjutsu attack on me, something I did not look forward to. I could see through basic ones, but if Sasuke had learned any of the more elaborate ones, I was screwed.

As for ninjutsu? Both boys were naturals in their own parts of that aspect. Sasuke was getting the hang of the few Katon jutsu that Itachi had taught him, along with the few Raiton jutsu that I had helped him with, while Naruto was excelling in the Fuuton jutsu that I taught him. I smiled softly; it wouldn't be long before we had to teach them harder jutsu.

I pulled out a small timer and set it for two hours. "Alright, your ten minutes to plan are up! You now have two hours to show me what you've learned." I called out to the forest, even though I could have faced their chakra signals and kept my voice lower. But where was the fun in telling them that I knew exactly where they were?

Naruto was the first to attack me, something I had guessed easily. My brother was the one to jump into something headfirst and then go pretty much wild. He had gotten better at controlling himself, but I could guess that they utilized his wild side in their planning.

We started with taijutsu, and I kept my speed to his level, allowing myself just enough speed so that I would block all of his blows, in order to test the strength he held behind attacks.

Sasuke jumped out at my back, aiming a fireball at my back. I ducked under Naruto's attacks and quickly formed the hand signs for a wind wall, watching as the swirling air dissipated the fireball before I grabbed Naruto's arm and threw him at Sasuke. The Uchiha caught him, both of them landing in a pile on the ground.

And that was when I knew I'd been caught, because both boys burst into smoke, shadow clones.

I closed my eyes and focused, searching for any signs of chakra. I caught a flash towards my right and I threw myself backwards, landing on my hands and flipping up onto a tree as another fireball whisked past my head. And that was when I heard the chuckle behind me without sensing the chakra signal.

"Hush dobe," Sasuke's whispered voice came from beside the chuckle. Again there was no chakra signature.

I vanished from my spot, reappearing halfway across the clearing, "Release."

The genjutsu faded away just as I heard Naruto curse as he shot over the spot I had just been, landing awkwardly on the ground below.

"Nice try boys, but you need to be quieter than that." I chuckled as I dropped into a fighting stance, one hand behind, and the other held in front. All of my muscles were tightened with anticipation of what the unpredictable duo might do next. I closed my eyes to make it more of a challenge for myself, forcing me to rely solely on my hearing and sense of smell to predict where the two would attack from next.

It wasn't the best way to fight, but by reducing my sight, I also made it harder for them to catch me in a genjutsu, unless Itachi had indeed taught Sasuke one that mixed with all of the senses. I inwardly growled at that thought, the older Uchiha had used those on me quite often, trying to teach me to see through them. It still rarely worked though.

I heard a swish of cloth from my left and I shifted towards it, catching the fist with my right hand and the leg with my left. Another fist shot towards me, but I brought my left elbow up to intercept it. A whisper of grass to my back had me thrusting myself forwards into my first attacker, pushing him underneath me as I vaulted above him. I dropped into a roll when I had ditched both attackers, and landed in a crouched position, one knee on the ground, my other foot tensed and ready to push off if needed.

The bell rang suddenly and I heard two groans of despair as I opened my eyes. I dusted off my pants and turned to look at the two dusty boys. "Great job today!" I told them happily, pleased that they had actually given me a workout.

"But neither of us landed a hit on you." Naruto said sadly.

I shook my head. "No, but you did catch me in a genjutsu, keep me on my toes, and work as a team. If I were someone else who didn't have enhanced hearing or my amount of focus, you probably would have beaten me. I wouldn't have been able to sense that genjutsu if Naruto hadn't giggled, and so you would have had me trapped. Now, if I was a genjutsu master but didn't have great taijutsu skills, I would have gotten around the genjutsu but found myself face to face with two who excelled in taijutsu, something I was weak in. And if I were someone who was adequate at genjutsu, lacked in taijutsu, and excelled in ninjutsu, I would have been limited by how fast I could perform my hand signs while both of you speedy ninja had me at your mercy."

"But you aren't any of those people." Sasuke stated the obvious.

"No, but I could very well have been. All I'm saying is that you should be proud to be at the level you are at now, and thankful that you didn't beat your teacher so soon in your development. If you had, well then I must be very weak and you'd need a new teacher." I flicked both of their foreheads in a very Itachi-like manner, grinning as they rubbed the spots I had flicked.

"Now, learn from this battle and we'll fight again another day to check your progress." I pulled both of them in for a hug before I started towards the house with the two of them under my arms. "Now it's almost time for dinner, so both of you ought to get cleaned up before Itachi gets here."

A few hours later saw me watching in amusement as the two boys came up with an elaborate plan to surprise attack Itachi when he came from the front door.

Of course, it probably would have helped if Itachi wasn't standing right next to me with an amused look on his face. "What are they trying to accomplish?" He asked me in a low voice, a smirk twitching slightly at the corners of his mouth.

"They're trying to catch you unaware," I responded, barely keeping a laugh back.

"Oh, I see," He says before he summons a clone silently a sends it around to the front where it is attacked by the boys, and just as swiftly dispelled.

The look on the boys' faces when they turned around at my loud laughing was priceless. I almost choked on laughter when Itachi gave me a look as he was attacked by first his brother, and then my own.

The way that they clamored about what all they had learned pulled at a memory that I had long since locked away.

"Kaachan!" I cried out happily as I ran towards my mother. I slowed significantly as I approached so as not to crush her large stomach. She opened her arms and I hugged her tightly while my sensei walked up at a slower pace. "Kaachan, Jiraiya-sensei taught me all sorts of new jutsu! And I'm faster now, although I'm not as fast as Otousan yet… but I will be one day, dattebane!" I covered my mouth as the word slipped out, and I saw my mother's laughing face. I giggled sheepishly.

"Where's Touchan?" I asked as I peered around my mother looking for my father.

"He's at the office right now, why don't you go pay him a visit?" My mother said as she placed a hand on her back to support herself. "I'll stay here and talk to Jiraiya about your trip."

I nodded and raced out of our house, practically flying across the rooftops as I tried to go as fast as my dad, trying to get to the office before he really had a chance to notice I was there.

I zipped through the window and all but collided with my dad who had turned to face the window as he sensed my approach. "Touchan!" I cried happily as he caught me and held me close.

I was glad that the office was empty since I was technically supposed to still be a secret; my father had too many enemies.

"You're back Nariko-chan!" He laughed as he held me tightly. "So when did my little girl learn to run so fast?"

"Jiraiya-sensei told me that you could run faster than anyone else and I told him that I wanted to learn, so he helped me get faster!" I giggled as he held me. "Will you help me train now? Jiraiya-sensei says that he needs to take care of a few things before he takes me for another training trip."

My father spun me around with another laugh. "I suppose I could teach you a few things while he's away." He put me down for a moment while he made a hand sign, a solid clone appearing next to him. The clone moved to take his spot at his desk before he grabbed me again, using his signature Hiraishin to bring us back home.

"Baka kit, don't randomly space off like that!" I heard Kurama growl in my head before he roughly shoved my attention back to the present, where everyone was staring at me oddly.

"Neechan, are you alright?" Naruto asked me in a slightly worried tone of voice.

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess you two just tired me out today." I said as I ruffled his hair. "Now, who's ready for dinner?"

The two boys instantly sat down, but Itachi gave me a look that told me that he didn't believe my excuse. 'Kami help me there,' I growled in my thoughts as I dished up everyone's food.

When everyone was done, Itachi sent the boys out to work on their shuriken throwing while I ate, a look in his eyes telling me that I was not free to leave once I had finished.

"What happened back there?" He asked me, "we were all laughing, and then you suddenly tensed up and stopped."

I shook my head as I replaced my mask. "The way they tackled you, it… brought up memories of my father, specifically a memory of the month before I lost him to the Kyuubi."

Itachi gave me a look, "There are no records of any 'Mairi' dying during the Kyuubi attack," He said solemnly, "In fact, there never was any record of any 'Mairi' living in Konoha at all. I know that you are not a spy since you clearly have history with the Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin, but I do know that you are not who you say you are."

I froze, "You've done research on me?" I said in a slightly pained voice.

"I research everyone I meet, Nariko." He told me bluntly before he paused. "You're Naruto's true sister, aren't you?"

I fought to keep myself calm, "What makes you think that?"

"You share facial similarities, you have the same elemental affinities, and you have the same nervous tick of scratching the back of your head while chuckling. Not only that, but I believe you know your relation to him by the way you treat him like a true little brother instead of as a simple charge, you are overprotective of him, and you're teaching him clan arts, something you wouldn't teach a random charge."

I simply sat still, my muscles tensed and frozen at the words that were coming out of his mouth. "What else have you guessed at," I spoke softly, barely allowing him to hear me.

"Your parents," He stated, "There was only one Uzumaki in the village at the time that the Kyuubi was around, and she was a good friend of my mother. I'm guessing that your parents are Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, due to your resemblance to both of them, and you skill types."

I didn't grace him with a response for a while. "You're too damn smart for your own good, Itachi." I said softly as I pushed back at the memories that threatened to overwhelm my consciousness. "But yes, everything you have said is true. I am Namikaze Nariko, hidden child of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, and older sister to Namikaze Naruto, alias Uzumaki Naruto." I finally managed to speak.

"Does…?" Itachi began to ask before I cut him off.

"No, Naruto knows nothing of his origins. He sees me as his older sister, but does not know the truth, and right now is not the time for him to learn of it." I pushed away from the table. "I will tell him eventually, when he is strong enough to not get himself killed with the information." I didn't look at my partner as I walked past him, "And if you truly care for me, Itachi, you won't question my actions."

With that I went out to assist the two boys, Itachi following me out a few moments later.

"Are the boys asleep?" Itachi asked me, his eyes softer than they were earlier.

I nodded tiredly as I pulled off my mask. "Yes, they are both asleep."

I closed my eyes for a few moments to refocus myself when Itachi suddenly pulled me into his chest. He simply held me for a few moments, the silence comforting. "You can tell me anything, Nariko; you don't have to keep it all to yourself."

He let go after a while before leading me to the couch where I ended up tucked in between his arm and his chest. "You look a lot like both of them," He told me after a few moments. "I met your parents quite a few times when I was a child, and you remind me a great deal of both of them."

"That only makes everything a whole lot harder," I spoke up eventually. "Every time I look in a mirror I see them staring back at me, and every time I look at Naruto… I am reminded once more."

"You should be proud that you bear such resemblance to them, Nariko. They both were heroes of Konoha, and if they raised you even slightly, they were great parents as well." He paused, "Why don't you tell me about them a little? Someone told me once that talking about things can take the sharpness of the pain away."

I thought about it for a while, before I finally caved. "My father, he was amazing. The jutsu that he developed and the seals that he and my mother came up with, they were breathtaking. And even though he was the Hokage and was always busy with paperwork, he always managed to find plenty of time for me. He was full of energy and was always smiling, even despite the amount of hardships that he had faced. My mother called him 'Sunshine' all the time, and he truly was." I smiled sadly at the bittersweet memories. "My mother, on the other hand was a prankster like me. She taught me a lot of different things, and was always there for me, even when I was on my training trips with my sensei."

I felt Itachi twitch lightly underneath me and I attempted a weak foxy grin. "You know about Naruto being a container for the Kyuubi, right?" I asked him softly. He froze beneath me, answering my question easily. "Well, my mother was the jinchuuriki before him, and when I was still just a figment of my parents' imaginations, I was strongly influenced by the Kyuubi's chakra. If you've ever wondered about my enhanced senses, that's your answer." I paused as I gathered my next words. "I also am able to speak with Kurama, that's the Kyuubi, through his own mind. And before you go yelling at me that it's dangerous, Kurama sees Naruto and me as his kits, his children, and refuses to hurt us. But anyway, because I can connect to Kurama's mind, I can also connect to his jinchuuriki's mind through him." I smiled faintly at a few memories that came back to my mind. "When I was away from home, we would speak like that, allowing my parents to know exactly what I was up to, even when I was miles away from them."

"And I lost them both the day Kurama was placed under a genjutsu and forced to attack Konoha after being wrenched from my mother." I cursed the masked man under my breath. "And after that I went on a very long training trip away from Konoha with Jiraiya-sensei while my brother was sent off to an orphanage for a few years."

Itachi was silent for a while after I finished, "And then you came back to Konoha to become an anbu and finally gain the right to watch over your brother as a guardian."

I nodded, "I was too young to claim guardianship over him on my own, and the council would have thrown a fit if I had done so anyways, so I did what I had to do in order to give Naruto the care that he deserves."

"You'd do anything for him, wouldn't you?" Itachi asked.

"Of course," I spoke quietly, "Wouldn't you do the same for Sasuke?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes, I would."

I played with his fingers for a few minutes, enjoying the change in tension of the room. "You know, I actually do slightly feel better," I said eventually, smiling softly when Itachi pulled me closer to him.

"I told you that you would." He said, his voice a testament to a small smile on his face, even though I couldn't see it.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, "You're lucky, Itachi," I said with in a tired voice, "You don't have to hide behind a mask." I fell asleep shortly after that, not catching his words back to me.

"If only you knew all of my secrets, Nariko," He said gently, touching his lips to my hair before eventually drifting off to sleep for himself.

Next morning, Nariko's POV

A loud banging on my door the next morning woke me up with a start. 'Can't they open the door themselves?' I growled angrily as Itachi released me, his eyes alert and curious. 'Oh right, no one can get into this house without my permission… right.'

"I'm coming! Hold your freakin' ninken!" I snarled as I grabbed my mask and put it on my face before opening the door, standing in front of it with killer intent radiating off of me as I did so. "It had better be super important because I'm pretty sure you just woke half of Konoha with your attempts to break down my door."

I could tell that the three anbu in front of me were fighting to keep calm with the sheer amount of KI that I was shoving directly at them. Heck, I could even feel Itachi twitching lightly behind me.

"We are here for Uchiha Itachi, prime suspect in the Uchiha clan massacre that took place last night." One anbu finally managed to speak up, his voice cracking faintly in the middle of his speech.

His words broke through my pissed-off mood, and shock replaced KI. "What?" I said; my body stiffening at his words.

"A civilian said that they saw someone looking like Uchiha Itachi fleeing the Uchiha compound last night with blood all over his clothes. This morning it was found that everyone in the compound was massacred."

I shook my head, "That's impossible, Itachi was here with me the entire night, we stayed up talking until just a few hours ago when I drifted off." I felt slightly dizzy.

"Despite that, we will need to bring Uchiha Itachi in for questioning." The female anbu spoke up, "Will you come without conflict?" She asked the Uchiha behind me.

"Now wait just a moment, I'm his alibi, I'll need to go as well." I spoke up, finally getting everything back in order in my mind. I would deal with everything else later, mainly finding out what had happened.

The third anbu looked me over for a few moments before nodding stiffly. "Very well, follow us."

I nodded, quickly summoning Kyemi and telling her what was going on while giving her instructions on what to tell the boys about what was going on. She would take care of them until my return; they could fend for themselves until then. On the way out the door I also raised the main barrier, locking Kyemi and the boys in the house while at the same time ensuring that no one else would be able to get in.

And despite taking a minute to take care of all of that, I still managed to catch up with the other anbu and keep up with them without breaking a sweat. I could still smell the fear that the first anbu male felt whenever he looked over and saw me.

A little bit of a change this time around with the Uchiha massacre, so be prepared for a few more changes coming up as well!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter; it should be around the same length as the others, maybe a little shorter, but not by too much.

Please review, they're what I live off of!