I'm back! It took me a long time to get back into it, but I'm back.

And in coming back, I have a favor to ask of everyone reading this.

I understand that in reading this story, you have some expectations. That's understandable. And if you feel that something could be changed or modified, I appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. But also understand that this is MY STORY. I dont appreciate reviews that just nag on my writing, because although i can take comments like that, i dont like to. So even if you have constructive critisism, put in something you DID like, just so i dont feel depressed after reading it.

My Number One Golden Rule: IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY (not even a huge thing, just something you liked about my chapter) DON'T REVIEW! MOVE ON TO ANOTHER STORY WHICH WILL SUIT YOUR TASTES BETTER!

Thank you, and i hope you all enjoy!


Chapter 7: Risk


It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves.

~André Gide


Minato stared silently at Tazuna – taking some minute pleasure in the fact that the man was fidgeting and sweating in nervousness – and his cerulean eyes were cool and distant as they flickered to the three ninja standing behind the sweating man. Hoshiko was leaning against the far wall, her emerald green eyes dark and indecipherable as she waited for Minato's verdict, sternly frowning at Kazuki, who was huffing under her breath. Kenji was the only member of Team Six that was the epitome of calm, and Minato took strength from that as he folded his hands in front of him. Tazuna had ceased to emit that nervous air, and Minato quickly amended that fact by fixing his icy stare on the builder once more.

Minato felt so unbelievably incompetent. He had knowingly sent his daughter into a mission that could have resulted in her getting hurt if it had gotten out of hand. Someone had gotten hurt, and it was only by a stroke of luck that the medics had managed to find an antidote as quickly as they had. It was now considered a C-mission, possibly even a B-mission depending on the level of ninja involved. But how could they trust anything this builder said? He could be downplaying any possible danger in order to have a less expensive mission fee.

The Hokage sighed, and closed his eyes briefly as he rubbed his knuckles against his forehead.

"Why are there ninja tracking you, sir?"

Tazuna was silent for a moment, and he frowned, his eyes nervously dancing from side to side. "I have no idea! They just appeared out of nowhere and–"

"–seemed oddly fixated on making you their target. Doesn't that strike you as odd, Mr. Tazuna? That two chuunin level ninja would just…appear, as you so accurately stated, and name you their victim?"

Tazuna was silent, and so Minato took a deep breath and asked again, trying to keep his temper in check. His eyes found his daughter again, and his dislike for the man before him grew slightly. This man dared put Konoha ninja at risk for selfish reasons, and if there was anything that lowered Minato's tolerance levels, it was that.

The builder swallowed hard. "I already said, I don't know! I'm just a common villager with a job to do! Why–"

Minato felt his control snap out of control, and in a flash his palm was slamming down on the table, filling the room with its echoing noise. The entire office went eerily still, and the Hokage saw out of the corner of his eye that Kazuki and Hoshiko had stilled, both staring at the blonde man as he slowly rose from his chair.

"Enough! I am a fully fledged jounin of Konohagakure, not to mention the Hokage! I've encountered plenty of liars over the years; some good, and some bad. In the interrogation room…if you want to survive you have to be a good liar, or you're helping carve your name on the tombstone. But even the good ones slip up, Mr. Tazuna. And it only takes one time…and then the interrogator has the arsenal to beat the rest out of you. So don't play childish games of ignorance with me, because I take just one look at you and know that you're lying through your teeth. It doesn't take bamboo slivers and carving knives to figure that one out, but I assure you, if I don't get the answer right here and now I will be happy to let the interrogation squad pry the information from your fingertips."

Tazuna's face was bone-white, and his fingers were shaking slightly at the expression on Minato's face. Let him be afraid. Minato knew that he could inspire fear, and in this case it would work in his favor.

"So let me ask one more time, why are there ninja ordered to take your life?"

Kazuki was calm as she stared at her father, and Minato didn't like the pleased look in her eyes as she studied the quaking Tazuna. But he pushed it aside as the builder wet his lips hurriedly, and let out a gust of air, taking a heavy swig of sake from his ceramic bottle before speaking.

"F-Fine. They're a gang…and about ten years ago, I promised them that I wouldn't build the bridge I was planning to work on, because that was before the economic depression in the Land of Waves. The bridge would bring in more commerce, but we didn't really need it, so I let the matter rest. But recently…things have gotten bad, and my village needs the trade more than I fear the ninja, and so I began building. The gang have been plotting against me ever since, and the threats got so bad that I came to this village for help. They're all the same as those guys we met on the trail…chuu-whatever-you-call-thems, I swear."

Minato stared at the man, and saw that it was hard to get a reading on him, because of the alcohol that glazed over his eyes and his words. But there was enough of truth in his gaze for the Hokage to be satisfied, and the man slowly sat back down, nodding.

"I see. Then this is still considered a C-rank mission, perhaps a low B-rank, if they're just simple chuunin thugs." Minato looked to Hoshiko, who was composed and silent as she stared at Tazuna, and her eyes were cold as they narrowed irritably at the back of the builder's head. Minato didn't blame her…one of her students had nearly been killed as a result of this man; she had every right to be angry.

Kazuki's head snapped up at the sound of C-mission, and her eyes pleaded as her father stared at her silently. What should he do? Should he send the remaining members of the team back on the mission, this time with more backup in case of another attack?

An idea popped into his head almost before he finished that thought, and a small smile appeared on his face as he reached for a scroll. His hands were already dipping his brush into the pot of ink, the mission report unveiling before his eyes, and he dismissed the three ninja with a wave of his hand before speaking to the green-eyed jounin.

"Hoshiko, please find Kakashi and his team and tell them to come here as soon as possible, preferably sooner than later. Kazuki and Kenji, please wait outside until Kakashi arrives." Hoshiko nodded curtly, and disappeared in a poof of smoke. Kazuki frowned at her father, who gave her a stern shake of his head. The girl huffed, but obediently followed Kenji out of the office, flicking her hair over her shoulder before quickly and insolently closing the door behind them with unnecessary force.

Minato shook his head at her childish antics, wishing that there was some way to get into her thick little mind and shake some maturity and common sense into her. He was then shocked that he was griping about how his ten-year-old daughter wasn't as mature as he hoped. Oh for the love of…of course she didn't have any inkling of a mature mind, look how young she was! It also made Minato sad, though, and he, for a moment, regretted his decision in allowing Kazuki to become a genin. Kushina had been furious with him, and they had had a huge fight about it, in which she had finally calmed down enough to hear Minato's side of the story. After that, she still hadn't been happy, but she grudgingly allowed it.

And of course, as Kushina had smugly predicted and constantly rubbed in his face even to this day, Kazuki immediately became their trouble-child. She was pampered and praised at the Academy, which gave her an unhealthy amount of arrogance and self-confidence. Although Minato spent many an hour trying to sternly set her head straight…a small part of the Hokage sunk in despair at the fact that it was too little too late. Minato and Kushina loved their children with every bone in their bodies and everything that was left after that, a thousand times over. To say any less would be blasphemy. But Kazuki was his secret pride and joy, so similar to him in all but appearance, and to see her excel so quickly filled him with undeniable pride and joy.

Naruto was comparatively easy to handle; he was a good-natured boy who was agreeable and playful – he was a bit annoying at times, with a fiery temper, but pleasant nonetheless – a good 98% of the time. He showed great promise in ninjutsu and taijutsu, and had the undefeatable spirit that reminded Minato fondly of Kushina back when they had been Academy students.

After all the hardships they had gone through in bringing Naruto safely into the world, Minato had tried to convince Kushina to perform the surgery many women underwent when certain that they wanted no more children, and even offered to go through a similar procedure on his part. But Kushina was adamant, refusing to let either of them go through with the surgery until she had at least one more child.

"If either of us, for some reason or another, dies in the near future…I refuse to leave our son alone in the world. Whether it be a sister or a brother…Naruto will need someone to grow up with, and to have as family when we're both gone."

It was a dangerous choice of action, and it was only after nearly two years of pleading that Minato relented. During Kushina's pregnancy, in order to prevent a similar situation that had occurred with Naruto's birth, Kushina was kept in hiding, with 24 hour ANBU guards and below ground in a maze of elaborate tunnels usually restricted to members of Root. Minato had Naruto stay down there as well for the nine month period, just in case Madara managed to get into the village and decided to target him to lure Kushina out. It was a difficult time, but Kushina endured it with a cheerful smile and lightened Naruto's spirits by reading him stories and cuddling him close even when her belly was huge and protruding.

Finally, after months of nervous waiting, the baby was born. Several medics were there in case of any complications, as well as Minato, who controlled the seal until the baby girl was safely delivered. Two year old Naruto was asleep when Kushina went into labor, and one of the ANBU guards stayed with him while the others waited outside of the delivering room, which was also underground.

Minato remembered watching as the medic lifted the baby girl up for Kushina to see, pink and clean, with a dusting of vibrant red hair on top of her round head. Her delicate fingers were clenched, and she was crying her little heart out, a strong and powerful sound that made tears of joy and relief come to Minato's eyes as he – for the second time – beheld the beautiful life he had a hand in creating. The idea that this creature, this beautiful, wonderful baby girl, was his daughter was overwhelming, and when he met Kushina's gaze he knew that she felt the same.

"What should we name her?" Kushina whispered, as soon as the ANBU and medics took their leave, and Minato, who was wiping his tears away, frowned.

"You didn't have this planned out?"

Kushina raised a tired eyebrow at him, cuddling the baby closer as she huffed. "Uh, news flash, I was underground for nine months…after a while all the names that came to mind involved the word dirt or boredom. What names have you come up with?"

"Oh…um…"

"You haven't thought about it either?"

Minato scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was kind of focusing on delivering her safely…a name didn't really fit into that picture."

"Wow…we're such horrible parents." She giggled, peering down at the little bundle in her arms. Minato moved so he could look down too, and smiled at the sleeping face of his daughter. "What should we name you, baby girl?"

Minato sat back, and thought hard. "How about Yumi?"

"Yumi? Bleh, it sounds like a fruit or something. I've already had my fair share of food names, thank you very much." Kushina fingered her red hair, her cheeks turning slightly pink at the memory. Minato chuckled, the sound quickly shifting into a cough at the dangerous look in his wife's eyes.

Kushina narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but eventually her attention was snatched by the warm baby in her arms. "I had a cousin back in Whirlpool…she didn't make it through the war. She would always give me piggy back rides when I was little, and she had the same red hair that I did. She always told me that one day I would learn to love it…I didn't believe her then. But now I do." Kushina sent Minato a glowing look, and the man smiled as she let her fingers brush over their daughter's plump cheek.

"What was her name?"

"Kazuki Uzumaki."

Minato thought for a moment, and moved to rest his chin on Kushina's shoulder, sighing in contentment as she tilted her head so that her cheek pressed against his hair. His eyes were soft as they stared down at the baby, and his lips quirked in a pleased grin.

"Kazuki Namikaze…that has a nice ring to it."

Minato smiled as he wrote, purposely oblivious to the fact that Tazuna was standing awkwardly in front of his desk, unsure of whether to leave and possibly incur the Hokage's wrath, or to remain standing and become increasingly more uncomfortable as the minutes ticked by.


Ryuu blinked fuzzily, his vision clouded slightly as he emerged from unconsciousness. The memories of what had happened trickled in as he registered the drab white ceiling above his head, and his eyes scrunched together in concentration as he struggled to sit up. He felt fine…just really tired, and his arm ached slightly as he registered the thick bandages wrapped around it. There weren't any machines attached to him, and so the boy relaxed slightly, running a hand through his hair as he let out a deep sigh. The room was clean and peaceful, and the boy looked around curiously, noticing with a small pout that there was no one waiting for him to wake up.

The door to his room opened with a click, and an elderly nurse slipped into the room, chuckling at the way the boy's head whipped around at the sound. Her eyes were a pale gray color, and her wrinkles creased even more as she smiled warmly at him.

"Hello, young man. It's about time you woke up…it's been a full twenty-four hours since the antidote to the poison you were afflicted with was injected. How are you feeling?"

The boy frowned, and glanced down at his bandaged arm, moving it with only a slight twinge of pain. "I feel okay…just a bit sore from being in a bed for so long."

The nurse nodded knowingly, and moved to check his temperature and vitals, her fingers gentle and careful as they tilted his head from side to side, her chakra pulsing to make sure his chakra levels were normal. Ryuu shivered at the alien feel of foreign chakra, and sighed in relief when the nurse finally pulled away, her chakra disappearing with it. The woman wrote several things down on a clipboard, and then patted Ryuu's hand.

"You'll have to stay for a few more hours until the results to your blood work come back, but after that, if everything checks out, you'll be free to go home. But no strenuous activity for at least a week; the poison took a lot out of your system, and you need time to fully recover. Understand?"

Ryuu nodded sullenly, his lip pouting out in frustration. No missions or training for a week? What would Hoshiko-sensei say? Worse, what would Kazuki say?

The boy sighed at the thought of his red-haired teammate shaking her head at his uselessness, the look of contempt that would be lingering just behind those vivid violet-blue eyes. Kazuki disliked anyone and anything that was weak, and her attitude was at times taxing. Ryuu liked the girl immensely, and in the three months that they had been a team he had found himself caring for the girl as deeply as he would his best friend…no, scratch that, she was his best friend. Her age had all but ceased to matter, because she was mentally and physically at the same level as the rest of them. A bit smaller and more delicate, but strong all the same.

Kenji was great, but Kazuki was the one he felt truly attached to. She was easy to like, and her clever nature and confidence was fun and engaging…outside of the ninja aspect of their team. When it came to missions and training, Kazuki shifted into a serious and methodical kunoichi, her eyes darkening in a way that reminded Ryuu of his older brother, Haru, when he was given a mission scroll that entailed assassination.

Ryuu knew that Hoshiko-sensei and Kenji often got frustrated with her when it came to missions, but that was because all they did was berate her, not try and understand her. If they did, like Ryuu did, they'd see that inside Kazuki was just restless, because she wanted to become strong faster than was physically possible, and that she was tired of people treating her differently because she was young and the Hokage's daughter. She wanted to prove herself, and yet as she did so, everyone just assumed that she was an arrogant brat who cared about nothing but her own advancement. Ryuu knew that that wasn't true, but it was hard to convince his team otherwise.

The door to his room opened, and a familiar head poked in. Ryuu smiled widely at his sensei as she moved to stand beside his bed, nodding politely to the nurse who was finishing up. The nurse nodded back, and patted Ryuu on the head before leaving the teacher and student alone. Hoshiko sat on the edge of the mattress, and ruffled Ryuu's hair playfully before asking how he was.

Ryuu lifted his bandaged arm. "The nurse says that I'll be able to go home in a few hours, but that I'm out of any training for at least a week."

Hoshiko nodded, and Ryuu frowned at the irritated look in her eyes. "I see."

"Is something wrong, Hoshiko-sensei?" The boy's brow furrowed, and Hoshiko took a deep breath, crossing her legs and pursing her lips.

"I'm just a bit annoyed with the Hokage right now. You know that mission you got hurt on? Well, we brought Tazuna back, and the Hokage decides to send Kakashi's team…along with Kenji and Kazuki. I'm ordered to stay behind to help you get back into shape after your healing period is over…"

Ryuu blinked, and his mouth dropped. "They ditched us?"

"I hate to say it, but…pretty much."

Ryuu scowled deeply. "Those bastards…"

"I couldn't agree more, kid."