Hiruzen had made all the necessary arrangements for the twins. Accommodation had been easy. As luck would have it, Kushina's old apartment had been left vacant ever since the attack. Most of her stuff had been moved when she married Minato but some of her old clothes remained there. Clothes that Naruto and Kitsune would be able to use. Even if they were alone, the twins had neighbours around who were surprisingly kind.

They had a Jinchūriki there before. They wouldn't mind having two.

Attending school, the two would join the Academy the following year while they learnt the basics. Unfortunately, it was already August. Meaning they only had four months left. But if they were anything like their father, they'd be able to handle it.

Violent banging on the door snapped him out of his trance. He looked up at the shaking door but didn't move. That definitely wasn't any shinobi. They had the utmost respect for every thing he touched. Even a door. He looked back down at the scrolls he was signing. The banging continued, this time rattling the entire door frame. He sighed and tried to ignore it. How did this person get past the receptionist who was meant to record visits?

The door slammed open and in stepped a furious Yumi. Behind her, a bruised and burned Yoshi came in after her followed by Mako who was without his turban. All three were covered in bandages and were scraped and bruised.

Evidence of the fire. He had been wondering what happened to the three and the whole group of smugglers. Now he knew. They were alive and by the looks of it... pissed.

"Where are they?! What have you done with them?!" Yumi boomed, slamming her hands down on the table. That caused pens and scrolls to roll off of the desk. Hiruzen watched it and sighed.

"Thank you for disturbing the peace of my office. Now what is it you need?"

"Where are Naruto and Kitsune? I know you're hiding them somewhere! Tell me where they are!" Yumi growled, baring slightly yellow teeth.

Hiruzen looked up at her and saw the anger in her eyes. She was furious. Livid. Obviously, she had one job and she didn't fulfil it. Protect the twins. Instead they nearly ended up dead because of something she did when they wanted to explore their roots. He had heard about the serious wound on Kitsune's cheek that had to be stitched closed. It was healed up but it didn't erase the fact she had received it from Yumi herself.

"They're safe. Currently being treated in hospital. I'm not sure if they'd want to see you, however. Naruto is determined to protect his sister from anyone dumb enough to hurt her."

Yumi visibly grounded her teeth together and glared at Hiruzen. It was also then he noticed that that one of her teeth were missing and a large section of her hair was chopped off until her shoulder. The hair that was still long had burnt singes but either she was hadn't gotten to it or she had decided to leave it. Either way, it made her look like even more like a criminal than she was. Mako stepped around Yumi and pushed himself up to glare at Hiruzen, his small and dark eyes reflecting anger.

"Listen here, Jiji, those kids don't have anywhere else to go. We're as much their family as they are ours. To let them live by themselves would be stupid and fucking insane!" Mako snapped, his arms shaking as he tried to keep his balance.

If Mako hadn't sworn Hiruzen would have certainly thought something was different about the small man. He adjusted his robes and looked down at the scrolls, grabbing a spare pen and began writing away. "You had one simple task: Keep the Jinchūriki safe. And you couldn't even do that. This was a test to prove if you could handle that responsibility and the result of that trust was those very Jinchūriki nearly being incinerated. It'd be best if they lived here in the village where we can keep a watchful eye on them and their progress."

"Watchful?! These barbarians will kill them in a heartbeat! The fact they've been alive for four years with us means we can keep them safe. Letting them live alone will get them killed!"

"I'm touched by your sympathy for them but it has already been decided. The twins will live here and attend the Academy next year. Then they can become shinobi of the village."

"Shinobi?" Yoshi huffed, rolling his eyes. "They hate shinobi. They've stated it themselves."

Hiruzen eyed them all and shook his head. As determined as they were, he couldn't entrust the Jinchūriki to them again. He had only went along with the idea because the Keepers had suggested it; and their suggestions seemed to make his life a whole lot more easier. Besides, a Jinchūriki who couldn't control their power was a war waiting to start. Two very powerful Bijū resided within them and he needed them to be trained to the best. It may have sounded heartless but once they were older they would be the last line of defence in things went wrong.

He stood up from his seat and placed his hands behind his back. "You fulfilled your end of the bargain, Yumi. Now it's the village's turn. Naruto and Kitsune will both be safe."

"Like hell they will-"

"Where are they?" Yumi questioned. Mako looked up at his boss and saw the cold expression she wore. It had been like that for the past few days. She had searched everywhere for the twins, even the ruins of the slums expecting to find them hiding somewhere but to avail. Then the next bet was the hospital but the nurses wouldn't confirm or deny if they were there, and if they were there they would need special clearance to see them.

Hiruzen turned toward the window and didn't look them in the eye. "Konoha Hospital. While their accommodation is being arranged they are being taken care of over there. However, Ling has restricted those who can and cannot see them due to... sensitive reasons."

"Sensitive my ass! She just doesn't want smugglers coming in and 'infecting' the place for her own benefits," Mako dropped down and turned to the two behind him. "I told you we never should've trusted them!"

"I suppose it's for the best..." Yumi muttered as she looked down at the floor. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she was shaking slightly.

Mako stopped his constant grumbling and looked up at his boss in concern. "Yumi?"

She looked up again. A sad smile was on her lips. "After all, I didn't want the brats to begin with. Now here I am fighting to see them when they clearly don't want to see me. You're right, Hokage-sama. Maybe it is best if they live here instead of with us. I mean, they're too young to be dragged into a life of fraud and illegal doings."

The two men stared at her surprised. Hiruzen stayed facing the window but a small smirk was pulled over his lips. He knew that it was hard for Yumi to give up the twins especially since she had them for four years. The smugglers had even grown attached to the little rascals. Now they knew that the twins were alive and well and not able to see them. It was sad but it was also the truth. Hiruzen had wanted to keep the twins nearby for a long time but couldn't go against the Keepers orders. If they believed that letting the Uzumaki kids live with smugglers was a good idea then it was.

Hiruzen slowly turned back to the three. Yumi was staring at the floor again while Yoshi and Mako looked sombre. Yoshi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Can I ask? Why did you pick us to look after them instead of someone else?"

It was an odd question. If he could, Hiruzen would have asked the Keepers but only in times of urgency were they allowed to be spoken to. Other than that they were not to be disturbed. He had to work out the meaning on his own.

"It wasn't so I could overlook your criminal activities, far from it. It was so that those children would learn the reality of life and toughen up. Even though it was a brutal idea at the time, it has helped them in ways you can't imagine. Eventually they will see it was all for their own good. Being a Jinchūriki will fill their life up with hardships... but they will form bonds with people that will fill in as family. Your role was to teach them. Teach them about life. You did that role. Naruto and Kitsune are ready for the real hardships in life," Hiruzen said. He felt sad to speak about the twins like they were weapons but... that was how the rest of the world saw them.

Yumi slowly looked up at Hiruzen. Her brown eyes appeared glassy; as if unshed tears were threatening to spill at any given second. She blinked the tears anyway and stared at Hiruzen with a cold glare. Hiruzen noticed and looked her directly in the eyes. "Nothing will harm them, that I can promise you."

Yoshi and Mako shared a look then gazed at Yumi. She simply stared at Hiruzen but they could already tell. She was thinking about them.

Naruto and Kitsune. The sleepless nights, the strange habits, the constant issues of having to feed them. Even if it drained her every night, she had gotten used to it. When they got older and began to sleep in a bed of their own, they remembered how she woke up in the middle of the night because she thought she heard them crying, she'd check on them and they were sleeping sound as a log. Or the time she had to teach them to crawl and walk.

The Den was painfully bright that morning. Sunlight seemed to peek out of every opening even the smallest rat hole. Yumi sat on the worn out couch and looked at the two babies on the floor. Naruto lay on his back, knees upward and bent. He shuffled around uselessly as he tried to lift his head up from the ground, a line of drool trickling down the side of his cheek as he concentrated. The soles of his feet turned pale as he pushed himself up. His back lifted off the ground for five seconds before he collapsed again.

Instead of crying, he tried again repeatedly.

Kitsune was laying on her stomach, head pressed against the floor. She made gurgling sounds every time she tried to push her head up. Her small hands were pressed against the floor and as she pushed, the small veins seemed to bulge out. Yumi sat quietly as she watched the twins tried failed attempts at lifting their heads up off the floor.

Any help the smugglers tried to offer them they shoved off. They screeched violently and hit them away. Like they wanted to do this on their own without the help of anyone.

"Aww," one of the smugglers commented, watching Kitsune try to push her head up using her forehead. "They can't even lift their big-ass heads off the floor!"

Both twins glared at him. He stumbled back and chuckled nervously, afraid that they might release their Bijū for him insulting them. They went back to lifting their heads. Occasionally they'd stop and cry, sometimes for food or sometimes just because they wanted to get somewhere with their failed attempts.

Yumi stood up and was about to leave the room. Naruto giggled happily, clapping his hands together. She turned around and saw he was sitting up straight, the back of his head a bright pink through the thin mass of gold hair. Kitsune had fallen asleep and made a small drool puddle below her cheek. She mumbled in her sleep, her nose twitching.

Naruto turned to Yumi, smiling and showing off the small stumps for teeth pushing through his gums. "Ba... ba... ba."

"Ba?" Yoshi questioned, appearing from around the corner. His eyes widened. "He's going to say his first word!"

Mako walked out from behind him. He looked at Yoshi then at Naruto then at Kitsune. "We should all do what that teme is doing and just go sleep. She's being smart for once."

Naruto repeated what he was saying, his tongue sticking out every time he said it. Yoshi crouched down on the floor in front of Naruto, encouraging him and cheering him on. Mako simply stood by the door and watched Yoshi make a fool of himself. Trying to encourage a baby to say his first word. They had better things to do than watch babies but they were placed with this burden.

"Ba... ba... ba... Babady!" Naruto exclaimed happily, flailing his pudgy arms around.

"Babady? Is that even a word?" Yumi asked, folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow.

"You're wasting your time doing this," Mako groaned, turning around and walking back into the kitchen. "He can't even say basic words so he sticks with making up his own. That's the life of a baby."

Yoshi stared long and hard at Naruto. Long enough that Naruto scuttled away, using only his butt, toward the piles of pillows they piled up as a barrier to keep them from leaving the safety of the pillow square. Kitsune snorted as she awoke. Immediately once she processed where she was, she attempted lifting her head again.

Yumi watched them briefly before turning her head to Yoshi. "He was probably trying to say 'Baby'. It's the one word he hears the most from all of us."

"I'm not giving up on you, Naruto-kun. You can do it!" Yoshi urged, crawling after the small boy. Naruto stuck his head in between the small gap in the pillow, his cries muffled as he slammed his hands against the pillow barricade.

Yumi rolled her eyes and looked over at the red haired girl. She gave one final push and got herself up straight. She kept her arms out at her side and wobbled as she tried to keep her balance. A small smile spread across her lips and she giggled. Then she toppled over. A loud thud echoed around the room as her soft skull impacted with the hard concrete floor. She didn't cry. Simply remained still on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" Yoshi asked as he picked her up. Her arms swayed as he held her and her feet dangled, making her look like a doll. She still stared at the ceiling. Yoshi began to panic. "She's not looking at me. She's not looking! Maybe she has a concussion or brain damage!"

"You're overreacting," Yumi groaned. She stepped over the barricade, nearly stepping on Naruto who still hadn't gotten his head out. She stood beside Yoshi and looked at Kitsune. Her blue eyes remained fixated on the ceiling. She then looked at them, her small lips widening in a smile.

"Jiza!" Kitsune laughed, turning her to Yumi.

Yoshi laughed and ruffled her hair and looked to Yumi. Her face turned vermillion and her eyebrow twitched. The room shook as she screamed. "I'm not your jiza!"

Mako and Yoshi looked down sadly at the ground. A part of them didn't want to give up the twins. They made life a little bearable in the condition they were in. Living in the slums made you realize how things really were but somehow the twins looked over it and made it seem like a world without rules. As wrong as they were, it was nice to believe it.

Yumi inhaled deeply and raised her head to look at Hiruzen. "If that's what it takes to make sure they're safe, we'll follow those orders. Nothing good ever came from associating yourself with criminals anyway."

"Yumi-san... y-y-you can't be serious! Y-you're letting these assholes h-h-have Naruto and Kitsune!?" Mako yelled, grabbing her by the bottom of her shirt since it was the only thing he could reach.

Hiruzen didn't need to be an expert to know how Yumi was hurting. Her eyes gave it away. She left on bad terms with the twins and now she wouldn't see them at all. Even with the blank expression she wore her brown eyes were glassed over with fresh tears and her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. She turned around, droplets of tears sprinkling through the air. Hiruzen nodded slowly. "I can pass on a message to them, if you would want that?"

Yumi had been walking toward the door but stopped as soon as Hiruzen had said that. Yoshi and Mako looked at her, their emotions flickering wildly across their faces. Anger, sorrow, desperation, pity. She reached out and opened the door. "Just tell them... I'm sorry I wasn't the motherly figure they needed. They deserved better."

With that, she left the room. Yoshi and Mako stared at the place Yumi had once been in, gaping. They shared a look then looked at Hiruzen. "Just tell them we're gonna miss them," Yoshi said sadly, walking out of the room.

"It's gonna be really quiet without them, little fuckers," Mako grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Hiruzen watched them leave then sat down. He sighed and ran a hand across his face. Dealing with family issues had never been a strong point with him. He had a family of his own and he tried to avoid conflict altogether. He pulled out the Uzumaki twins' folder. It contained everything about them so far right down to the little glitch about their parents. He had had no choice but to alter that fact and state that their parents had been killed in the Bijū attack. If word went around that they were the Yondaime's children; not only would they be furious that they lost a Hokage over him sealing the Bijū within children, but also over the fact that they lost loved ones all for the sake of two kids.

People did stupid things when they were angry.

O~O

"Okay, what's that word say?"

Naruto frowned at the drawing of a red apple. Iruka had been spending most of his days at the hospital trying to teach him to read. In the slums, Yumi didn't really go out of her way to get them any books to read or pencils to write with. From what Naruto had heard in the short amount of time he was in the hospital, it was considered bad if a five year old couldn't read or write his own name yet.

He tilted his head to the side. "Ap..."

Iruka smiled and nodded his head. "Keep going."

Naruto stared at the word, hoping it would just sound out so he could hear it once. Right now he really needed Kitsune. She was getting injections and medication that would help with the concussion she received when she blocked him from getting hurt. She would be here with him learning. If she needed it at all. Iruka had already taught her to write her name and read until the letter K. Impressive coming from a girl who never read in her life.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at Iruka, blinking his eyes confusingly. Iruka looked at him, still waiting for his answer. Iruka was a young man with olive skin and a scar running across his nose. His hair was tied up into a ponytail and a Konoha forehead protector was around his forehead. He also wore the basic Konoha uniform. Naruto stared at the forehead protector then at Iruka.

"You still haven't answered," Iruka stated, smirking a little.

"Oh," Naruto looked back at the word. He thought back to when he was watching Kitsune learn. She had a special technique to help her remember. Her voice rang through his head.

"A is for apple, something that keeps that old needle man away. B is for bat, something dark that flies at night. C is for cat, my favourite type of pet. D is for duck, the little birds swimming in a line. E is for egg, something that comes out a chicken's butt... wait, are we eating chicken poop?"

"Apple!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Iruka smiled and gave Naruto a high five. "Well done. Took some time but it isn't always easy the first few times."

"I just thought of what Imōto-chan said when she was learning it. It helps me," Naruto smiled.

Iruka looked slightly confused until he realized Naruto was talking about how Kitsune linked the words she learnt with the way she saw it. A smart technique. Not something you saw with many five year olds. He laughed and turned the page. He pointed to the picture of a smiling bat. "Very good. Glad to see siblings help each other. What's that?"

"B is for bat, something dark that flies at night. Bat!" Naruto exclaimed.

Iruka laughed and they continued through the words until the letter K. Each letter he used the technique Kitsune used. So as soon as they reached K, Iruka knew Naruto would have trouble remembering it.

He closed up the book and placed it in the small backpack. "Guess that's it for today, Naruto. Unless you want to go over writing. It'll do you good."

"Writing's when you use a pencil, right?"

"Right. In a way it's speaking without using sound," Iruka reached into the bag and took out a folder. He took out a piece of paper and a pencil and used the folder as something to press on. He placed them in front of Naruto.

On the paper were several straight lines and in between each pair was a series of dots. "Now, Naruto. All you do is join up the dots from the top right downwards and when you finished that, you would have written your name. Take your time. I'm not rushing you."

Naruto picked up the pencil and held it nervously. He pressed it hard onto the paper. The lead snapped. Naruto sweat dropped and growled to himself. It looked easier when Kitsune did it.

"That's okay," Iruka said, sharpening the pencil again and handing it back to him. "You have all the time in the world."

Naruto sat still and didn't budge. His eyes darted around frantically at the page. It was natural for Naruto to be scared of something new. The smugglers hadn't really done much to teach them the alphabet or how to read and write. Not every child could do this. He taught children, he'd know first hand. Some children never went to the Academy pre-school and had to be taught extra.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to hit you if that's what's bothering you. No one gets this right the first time," he added reassuringly. "I'll be beside you and tell you how you're doing"

Naruto inhaled a breath then placed the lead on to the paper and slowly followed the dots up and down. He sat back as he made the first symbol. "It's bad, isn't it?"

Iruka looked at it. He was slightly surprised. "No actually," he said with honesty. Naruto knew by the certainty in his voice that he was telling the truth.

Naruto frowned and held up the page to stare at it. "It's not?"

"No. You're doing fine so carry on."

Naruto grinned and returned to the dots. Apart from the occasional wobble he wrote 'Naruto' in a smooth hand. Iruka smiled as he looked at the writing. "That's really good, Naruto."

"Is it?" Naruto looked up at Iruka with big eyes. Iruka nodded but had to think about something. Was Naruto ever acknowledged where he used to live. The difference between him and Kitsune was large. She had been eager to learn something new and had even taught herself a simple to remember it all. The first time she wrote her name, it was wobbly since she wasn't used to holding a pencil but the second time around she aced it completely.

Naruto on the other hand was uncertain of his work and needed to be become encouraged along the way.

Iruka pointed at the next row. "Do it again."

Naruto carried on following the dots between the lines until he had filled three extra lines with his name. As he wrote, Iruka got a clean unlined paper and drew two straight lines but didn't add any dots. Naruto looked up as he finished the last row. His eyes looked down at the paper.

"Must I write my name on that too?"

"Only if you feel up to it," Iruka answered, holding it out to him.

Naruto carefully took the paper and pressed it against the folder. He looked slightly nervous at having to write without the assistance of the dots but he did it slowly and cautiously. Without any dots, his writing came out smoother and Iruka was able to see Naruto's writing style. Big and sharp edged. Iruka picked up a spare pencil and a ruler, drew two straight lines and wrote 'Uzumaki' in between them and handed the pencil to Naruto.

Naruto drew another two lines and, while carefully scrutinizing the new word, copied it.

"That's really good," Iruka remarked.

"Is it?"

Iruka frowned at Naruto, who was turning the page sideways and upside down. "Don't you know?"

Naruto shook his head and turned the page the right way up. Iruka pointed at the Hiragana Naruto had written. "You just wrote your name."

Naruto rose an eyebrow as he stared down at the symbols. Part of him couldn't understand why those symbols were his name. Iruka took his hand and made him point to the symbols, going from right to left, sounding out each one. Naruto realized that each symbol made a plural sound like 'na' or 'ki' instead of singular sounds. That was a smart thought coming from him.

On his own, he started again and succeeded in sounding all the symbols.

"You picked that up very quick," Iruka said. "Really quick."

"That's good though, right?"

Iruka nodded. He let Naruto keep the papers so he could learn them over again. He placed the folder back into the bag and stood up to stretch his stiff legs. Time was something he lost track of when he taught. As annoying as it was to the students when he kept them back in a class a little longer, it was something he really enjoyed. Otherwise why would he teach children.

"Iruka-san," Naruto mumbled, pulling on his fingers nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

Iruka noticed the serious but anxious tone in Naruto's voice. "What is it?"

"Why do me and Imōto-chan feels so-"

"Iruka-san!" a man with short silver hair entered the room, dressed in standard Konoha uniform.

He stood up straight as he addressed Iruka so he was probably a lower rank. Iruka had also taught Naruto the different shinobi ranks. Genin, Chuunin, Jonin, and ANBU. Then there was the position of Hokage, the leader of the entire village. He or she, but there had only been men so far, ran the country and passed down laws to protect the village.

Iruka looked up at the man, his calm expression vanishing instantly. "What is it?"

"It's ready," the shinobi answered. He looked at Naruto and smiled. But for some reason, Naruto felt uncomfortable when the shinobi did it. A slightly eerie feeling.

Instead of validating further, Iruka knew instantly and nodded. The shinobi left the room and Naruto gazed up at Iruka. Iruka crouched down and smirked at Naruto. "Come on, Naruto. It's time to go."

"Go where?" Naruto questioned as Iruka grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Where else? To your new home."