Okay, I was too lazy/impatient/tired to have this beta'd...so you'll have to forgive my random errors and what not...Damn chapter just kept getting longer and longer (0.o) when it got over 7700 words I just had to stop - umm not much else to say except that I am writing this purely for Hououza's and Belldragon's entertainment- and of course yours too and since I don't own nuthin

- go me

Recipe for Disaster

by achitka

Those Voices In My Head

Yon glared at the old man. He was getting seriously tired of being ignored and shouted, "Hey!"

The old man shifted Hito into a sitting position and said, "So you can speak, I thought as much. Now, I need you to wake him up."

Why? What's wrong with Hito?

"Do you always talk back to your Sensei?"

The question made Yon blink. He'd forgotten that little detail and unsure how to answer, Yon shrugged. The old man sat back on his heels and regarded him with his unblinking gaze as if waiting for something and Yon wondered just what was going on inf the geezer's head. Something close to a growl escaped the old man as it only just occurred to Yon, that shrugging probably wasn't the best response to make to a blind person, but before he could say anything, the old man said, "New rule, I will allow you to attach one, and only one of your chakra strings to me, but that's only so you can hear me when I give you instructions, any others I will sever. It will be to your benefit to use that voice of yours as I intend to ignore any non-verbal responses in the future, understood?"

Though surprised by the severity of the restriction, Yon had no intention of letting the old man get to him. "Hai, Sensei," he replied. Whenever they got too rowdy Moegi-Sensei, would just tell them to knock it off and they did…usually.

"Good, now give me your left hand and make sure you pay special attention to the paths your chakra takes, it may come in handy."

Yon couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right as he set his hand on top of the geezer's outstretched one. He knew the old man could definitely 'see' something, since Yon never once saw the old guy come close to running into anything, but now he didn't seem to be able to. It was an oddity that stuck out and really got him to wondering just what sort of limitations the geezer was working under. If it was anything similar to the ones he and Mi were having with that weird void then...

"Just follow my instructions and your brother will be fine. Ready?"

Yon's attention snapped back to task at hand. Because Yon hadn't let go of the link he made with Hito earlier, he could tell his brother was more than just unconscious. In an instant, Hito's breathing and metabolism had been slowed to a crawl...whatever the old man did, he meant for it to totally incapacitate his brother. Hito's usually pointless ramblings from the night before, were starting to make a lot more sense and Yon agreed.

The geezer was definitely dangerous and not in a good way.

Hito blinked and seeing Yon standing over him he wondered what the hell was going on. The geezer was nearby, but Hito knew something wasn't right. He didn't remember being hit by anything after the old guy released the genjutsu, so why was he laying flat on his back? Hito slowly sat up and decided there was no point in worrying about it now, since the way things were going, Yon was likely to rub his nose in it later.

"So I take it we failed, Sensei?" Hito asked as he stood.

"No, you were both spot on," the old man said and Hito looked over at his brother. Yon was still weirdly silent so and Hito decided that he was either still really pissed off at him or he knew something that he wouldn't or couldn't talk about in front of the old man.

"This way," the old man said.

Hito fell in step with Yon behind their new teacher. Just where they were going was a mystery, but at least it gave Hito a little time to think.

Things were obviously a lot worse than he thought, but that only became apparent when he and Yon turned up at the hospital the night before. His mother was not at all pleased and the argument that followed still bothered Hito. His parents rarely fought but if they did, it was never in front of them. So it was odd that they would do so, even if they were all stuck in Mi's hospital room.

Not only was his mother flatly refusing to allow Mi and Yon to be trained by 'that one', she also let it be known she wasn't real happy about the previous arrangement involving himself. His mother laid out lots of logical reasons why his father was going to assign them to someone...anyone else while Moegi was unable to continue as their Sensei. Stranger still was that fact that his father listened without comment. The only sign of his growing irritation were his fingers impatiently drumming on the weird looking container he was holding. It wasn't until she fell silent that his father's hands stilled and he set it aside.

There was no hesitation when his father responded and Hito could tell just from the way he said it that as far as his father was concerned his decision on this subject was made and he would not go back on his word. Team 7 would be trained by the teme.

Hito's unease grew as time stretched itself into what felt like an eternity. It wasn't until his father put his hands on his mother's shoulders and leaned very close that Hito felt any relief. His mother turned her face away and shut her eyes in what looked to Hito like an attempt to deny what ever it was he was about to say. From her change of expression however, it was clear whatever his father was whispering was not what she was expecting. She searched his father's face for some sign that what he'd said wasn't true. When she didn't appear to find it, she looked over at the three of them, her eyes settling on him. Her countenance turned thoughtful, almost calculating and Hito slouched in his seat. This was the second time that day someone had looked at him that way. Uncomfortable under his mother's scrutiny Hito looked away.

In the strained silence that followed, Hito looked over at the still form on the bed and his guilt found new life. Mi was probably much worse off than he was told, he didn't think his mother would be this upset otherwise. Yon fidgeted next to him on the bench and Hito elbowed his little brother and whispered that eavesdropping on a private conversations between their parents was still a no-no. Hito rolled his eyes as Yon's face got really red and he turned his back on his brother. Hito smirked but after catching a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror, the dark eyed, white haired boy staring back at him frowned. Hito wondered what it was they saw when they looked at him like that. It couldn't be anything good and Hito stared straight ahead wondering if his father had in fact told his mother about his status change and what he'd done to warrant it.

That's probably what that look was about, he thought.

Hito was not surprised when he returned his attention to his parents to find the argument over. Not that he thought there was ever a chance in hell that his father would change his mind, his stubbornness was legendary, but Hito did regret dragging his brothers into it. He really couldn't have screwed things up better if he planned it.

When his mother walked away from his father and stopped in front of him, Hito straightened up in his seat as his mother sat down next to him. She nudged Yon, who got up and went over to stare at his unconscious twin.

His father stood quietly for a moment before picking up the object he'd set down earlier. He called to Yon as he motioned for him to follow and waited until his youngest son left the room before exiting himself.

Hito watched the door slide shut and steeled himself for the lecture he knew was coming. His mother's lectures were the worst. Not because they were overly long, but because she was usually right. Still he wished he could be spared the reminder as to why they were all here and not at home, but if he was confused before, the conversation that followed certainly didn't help.

"So how are you feeling?" his mother asked.

"Fine," Hito responded warily.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," Hito answered as he nodded. He could feel his irritation mounting but he somehow managed to keep his voice even. This conversation was too frustratingly normal.

"Did you eat?"

What the crap? Right now he should be getting a good talking to about he needed to work harder, pay better attention to his Sensei, be a better ninja, clean his room.

"Good, I was afraid you hadn't. "

Hito's stress level reached critical mass a lot faster than usual and he just couldn't take it and as usual that frustration spilled out of mouth before he could stop it.

"Mom, what the hell is going on? Why is everyone acting so crazy?" Hito's eyes went wide as he clapped a hand over his mouth. To his utter amazement, his mother didn't crack him upside his head as he was expecting.

Instead she said, "Aaah, that's better." She smiled and made an exaggerated show of relief.

Hito just gaped and let his hand drop into his lap as he tried to decide if it was him or his parents that had completely lost their minds.

"You haven't said two words since you got here. You had me worried, Hito-kun. It's not as bad as all that, things will work out."

Unconvinced, Hito stared at the floor. No matter how she glossed it over, he was still a loser. Wasn't Mi injured because he chose to be lazy? Wasn't Moegi-Sensei put on suspension because of his attitude? Even Yon was angry enough that he wasn't even speaking to him and it confused him greatly that his mother wasn't.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

When he didn't respond, his mother got up and returned to Mi's bedside. She checked his IV and sighed.

"Pop…put me on notice," Hito said quietly. Even though he was sure his father had already told her, Hito felt a little better telling her that, but she surprised him again when she didn't pause or look up from what she was doing and asked, "Did he? That explains that nick in your hitate then."

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really." She finished up returned to her seat next to him and said, "Hito-kun, whatever you may think this isn't your fault."

Hito didn't agree. He couldn't shake the feeling that if he hadn't been such a selfish dumb ass lately, things would have turned out better. He let himself get worked up over a vague statement, made by an old man he'd never even laid eyes on before a few weeks ago. Let it overrule everything he knew to be true. Still…Hito noted his mother's candid expression was back and a bit nervous now he asked, "What?"

"You have that look again, Uzumaki. Spill it."

Hito was seriously beginning to wonder if his mother was psychic on top of being a medical ninja, but figured he really didn't have anything to lose.

"I kinda have a question, but..."

"But what?"

"It's one of those: I want to know, but I don't."

"No?"

"I'm afraid of the answer."

"Must be something pretty bad then. This isn't about that one, is it?"

"Uh no. I do have questions about that geezer," like why he's even alive "but that's not what's bugging me."

"Oh?"

"It's about Pop."

"Your father did mention something about that."

"He did?"

"Mmm, he said you were under the impression that I hated him when we were children."

She said it so matter of factly that Hito shifted uncomfortably in his seat. No wonder his father choked on his food…just hearing her say it made him realize he'd indirectly insulted his own mother...

God I'm an idiot

A new wave of guilt washed over him and Hito said in a rush, "I'm sorry Mom, it was a dumb question. I don't even know why I want to know. It really none of my business…I just..." Hito drew a blank as to how to express what he was feeling.

"Were morbidly curious?" his mother asked with a nudge of his shoulder. Hito sank a little lower in his seat, yup that was it. Unfazed his mother asked, "What did your father say?"

Though still very hesitant, Hito felt like his minor obsession with the reason was slowly gnawing at his subconscious. He needed to get this out of his head and the likelihood that his mother would ever give him this sort of opportunity again was probably non-existent. Unsure what or even how to phrase it, Hito decided to just repeat what his father said and hope for the best. So even though his head continued to scream at him to forget about it, once again his curiosity overruled his good sense and Hito stated, "He said he was loud, impatient, desperate for attention and seriously annoying."

"Ah," she said with a nod, "that is so very true."

"So…" Hito faltered, he just couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth.

"I did."

There was no hesitation or denial of it and all Hito could do was stare at her hoping he'd heard wrong. His mother must have noticed, becasue she turned in her seat and made sure he was looking her in the eye before she continued.

"Just the sight of Uzumaki Naruto was enough at that time to me cringe. As annoying as your father was, it really was kind of hard not to. I never really talked to him before entering the academy. I may have run into him or might have seen him around the village, but I was told I shouldn't get involved or even try make friends with him. I was never told why, but I decided that since he had no parents, family, or anything, of course there was something wrong with him. Why else would such a small boy be living by himself?"

Hito understood now why his father took Yon out of the room. She wasn't kidding. His mother continued but she wasn't looking at him anymore; she was staring out the window. Hito said he wanted to know...but now that he was hearing it, he wished he'd never asked.

"By the time we graduated from the academy, every unkind thing I had ever come up with to say to him, I had. I was very certain I had your father all figured out. Not only was he just another rude, selfish boy without a proper upbringing. He was definitely an idiot. A failure at everything and as a ninja he was nightmare. Loud, clumsy, constantly struggling with the easiest of assignments and here I was stuck with Mr. Dead Last on my squad. He even had delusions of being Hokage. I was quite convinced he was a complete and total loser."

"That's really harsh, Mom."

She returned her attention to him and said with a sad sort of smile, "Yes, it was. I guess it's lucky for us both he was able to change my mind, eh? Curiosity satisfied now, Hito-kun?"

The old man's hand blocking his progress interrupted Hito's reflection. Since he hadn't really been paying attention to where they were headed, he was a little surprised to see where they'd ended up. The apartment building they were standing in front of was a bit run down, but was otherwise sturdy looking. The old man stood stock still for a full 5 seconds before he headed up the stairs and the boys exchanged glances before following.

Hito noticed Yon's fingers were moving in that particular fashion that meant he was weaving something out of his chakra. It was a peculiarity that only he and Mi shared, but both of them had been doing since they were before they entered the academy. Since they never did it front of anyone except himself and Futa, it meant his little brother was preparing for something.

They continued climbing until they reached the topmost floor and walked down a long breezeway until they reached the only door. The old man produced a set of keys and unlocked it and paused again before entering. That was twice he'd done that and it made Hito wondered why, but his head still hurt so he didn't ask. Instead he shoved the question to the back of his head. He'd just have to figure it out later.

Though dark there was enough light from a window to see that the apartment, though of decent size, was a dump. Hito ran a finger across a piece of the old mismatched furniture near the door and frowned at the layer of dust. This place had been empty for quite awhile.

"Why are we here, Sensei?" Hito asked.

"Since your house is currently missing a few walls, this apartment will be your living quarters for the duration of its repair," he said and tossed the keys to Hito.

Great, Hito thought but said out loud, "Okay, so now what?"

"Now you clean. I'll be back in three hours and I'll expect that you two will have the worst of it taken care of by then. All the utilities are working and there should be a light switch somewhere on your right," the old man said as he walked back out the door.

Turning, Hito found the switch and flicked it on. The extra light didn't help, but only confirmed the obvious, three hours was not going to be enough time.

"Take this," Yon said aloud. Hito pulled up short at the unaccustomed sound of his brother audible voice. Hito turned around and held out his hand and Yon dropped something into it. The small item he handed him appeared to be a band of some sort woven out of the threads of Yon's shirt. It matched almost exactly the one Yon always wore on his left wrist. The only difference was the color. Yon's was green, with some white flecks; the one he's just been handed was solid red. Hito slipped the band onto his wrist and was a little surprised when it adjusted itself to fit snuggly against his skin.

"This is what I think it is, right?"

Expecting Yon to answer in his usual fashion, Hito was thrown off when his brother answered aloud, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Precaution."

"Against what?" Hito asked and Yon frowned. Hito realized then it must have something to do with the old man. "You don't have to tell me, Yon. I can probably guess. I don't know why the geezer is forcing you to talk out loud, but just remember to take it easy, you don't use them vocal chords that often."

Crazy geezer.

Yon nodded and Hito said, "Alright, let's get started."

The brothers worked in silence until the old man returned exactly three hours later. Hito noted that this time the geezer did not stop at the door they way he did last time. Just walked on in, carrying several bags of what Hito hoped was food. It wasn't and after brief inspection of their work the old man sent them out to the breezeway.

There were several bags of random household items and most of their gear stacked neatly against the wall. Hito wondered who brought all this stuff but figured it didn't matter so he picked up as many as he could manage and brought them inside. By three o'clock most everything was in order and the boys dropped onto the couch, ready to call it quits for the day.

A knock on the door a short while later, startled Hito out of his half nappy state. The old man and Yon both ignored it when the knock came again and neither appeared inclined to answer it. Hito grudgingly got up and trudged past the geezer who was sitting motionless in a chair near the window. Not entirely sure the old man was awake, Hito decided if he was asleep, then he'd no intention of waking him. Hito was sure the old man was the sort to wake up cranky.

Pulling the door open Hito was surprised to see his mother standing there.

"Hey, mom. What brings you here?" Hito was genuinely curious.

"Dinner," she said and looked around as she handed off several bags, which were exuding the warm smells of something delicious. She didn't enter the apartment, she just smiled as Yon waved from the couch. Hito already had his nose shoved in one of the bags and pulled it out in time to see the frown that briefly flitted across his mother's features when her eyes settled on the old man. Likewise the geezer's only indication he was aware of her presence was a similar expression that was just as quickly masked.

"After you visit your brother later, please stop by the house, there are some things I need to give you both."

Hito recalled his father saying that when she was younger, his mother was quite the fan girl of the geezer. The old guy was creepy, true, but it did make him wonder why that changed and Hito realized his private list of pointless questions had just gotten exponentially longer. Deciding he'd better get away from the door before he let one of them slip out, he motioned for Yon to join him and the pair left the living room and headed into the kitchen.

Yon began to rummage around some of the previously received items to find some chopsticks while Hito set the food on the table. As he headed back to close the door, he heard the old man's voice, but could make out what he said or asked. What stopped him was the hint of amusement in his mother's voice when she responded.

"Just remember your promise, Sasuke-kun."

When there was no response from the old man she must have left, since Hito heard the door quietly close. Score one for Mom, Hito thought and stored another question or ten as he returned to the table for some food.

Sasuke listened to the door close with a mix of anger and befuddlement. It irritated him that even after all this time she still managed to get under his skin. Sasuke allowed a small smile to replace his usual frown as he recalled the events that led up to what he thought of as one of his odd moments of weakness. How different thing could have been, but what's done is done and he'd long since moved on so dwelling on it was pointless.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he headed for the kitchen and paused when he entered. He really hated small spaces like this. Close proximity and too many variables to try to render in it properly in his head. Being stuck with these two boys also meant there was the added challenge of dealing with things being moved.

Both boys were eating, but Hito said through a mouthful of something, "Two forward, one left. Yon, you didn't happen to see any drinks in any of that stuff, did ya?"

"No."

"That sucks."

"Yes."

So the brat noticed, Sasuke thought and took two steps forward, one left and found the chair. "There are drinks in the refrigerator on the bottom near the back," The old man prompted.

"Yes!" Hito immediately got up and retrieved three of them. Tossing one to Yon, he set the other down saying, "One o'clock." Opened his own and took a long sip.

Sasuke's initial irritation with being forced to deal with the pair faded a bit as he sat down and discovered a place set with a covered bowl of something already in front of him. It was an unusual gesture considering the day he'd already given them.

He also noted Hito was the only one talking, since the younger boy only supplied one or two word answers if spoken to. There were also none of the younger boy's chakra strings lying about and Sasuke realized then that the younger had taken his earlier restriction one step further.

Damn stubborn brats.

Once the meal was over and the rest of the mess cleared away, Sasuke was not about to stop them from their aforementioned rendezvous with their mother. After the boys showered, changed and left he sat back near the window after opening it.

The silence was almost blissful.

"Would you like us to follow them, Sasuke-chan?" The question came from one of a pair of cats moving along the windowsill.

"Yes, Hina, I would be in your debt."

"Nya, no debt for now, Sasuke-chan." the tan cat responded, "They are...entertaining for us. Perhaps you should sleep for a while. We will remain until you recover."

"Thank you."

Futa's last memory of the waking world was the floor rushing up toward her. She couldn't move her body anymore and for some mysterious reason, doing so felt like work. So tired, Futa thought and let herself drift deeper into the darkness.

Futa-neechan!

Mi?

Neechan!

Nah...couldn't be, no way.

Are you stuck here too?

This is stupid, Mi is at home

Futa, you gotta tell mom and pop.

Sure sounds like the twerp though

Futa, dammit...I can't reach them for some reason, it's too dark here

Of course it's dark...why are you here...you hate the dark...

Futa, you gotta hear me...Yon can't find me...I can hear him...but...Futa, there's something else here... please Futa

Mi...

Blue eyes shocked awake as Futa bolted upright and immediately wished she hadn't. A fierce wave of pain rushed through her head blinding her for a moment. When she tried to raise her hand to fend it off, she realized one of her arms was wrapped securely against her body. A rush of nausea made her empty stomach clench and Futa used her free arm to grab her midsection. Gentle hands helped ease her back onto her pillow and Futa curled up on her side to keep from throwing up.

"Try to be still, Futa. You're not well enough to sit up."

Her Sensei's voice calmed her and Futa thought, Mi's not here...it was a dream...just a really bad dream...thank goodness.

Letting her eyes open a little, she took in what she could of her surroundings. About all she registered was that she in a room she didn't recognize with her Sensei sitting nearby. Futa took unusual comfort in the fact that she was there at all. As she understood it, Hyuuga Hinata had refused to take on a genin team prior to her assignment with Team 8.

In fact Futa's chakra control and speed improved to the point that she might actually be able to take on some of the more advanced medical training she'd wanted to in the past. Movement at the end of the bed made Futa shift her eyes to the boy sitting crossed legged there.

Nara Shinto gave her leg a nudge and said, "That was a bit dramatic. You are such a nuisance sometimes, Uzumaki."

Futa ignored the impulse to kick her teammate and asked, "Where am I?" Her voice sounded barely above a whisper and Futa wondered if she'd even managed to say it aloud.

"You're in the hospital," her Sensei said.

Her confusion must have been clearly visible on her face since Shinto added, "You were attacked in our room, remember? You're lucky the Kazekage showed up when he did. I overheard one of the doctors say it was some sort of chakra lee-"

"Shinto, why don't you go find one medics and let them know Futa's regained consciousness." The gentle interruption was enough, and the genin hopped off the bed and headed out the door.

That fuzzy did this?

"How long, Hina-Sensei?"

"Only one day, Futa. Still plenty of time to train. Try to relax and drink this," she said and held a straw up to her lips.

Futa was not expecting the tart tasting liquid that assaulted her taste buds and choked as she tried to swallow it. After a few more sips, Futa found she felt markedly better. She still didn't want to get up, but at least the headache subsided enough for her to think.

As the previous days events ran through her head, a warming sensation on her unbound wrist caught her attention. She stared at the wristband Mi made for her prior to her leaving the village and struggled for a minute to remember what her little brother said it could do.

When the memory finally came to her, Futa remembered how she patted Mi on the head not really believing him when he told her that it would let him talk to her all the way in Suna. Her little brother was smart, but not that smart. Futa caught sight of the wristband again. When he'd given it to her it was a solid bright orange, now there were six white threads running through it. That almost made sense, since that was the number of time he'd spoken to her. Maybe the brat really was that smart and Futa realized her little brother must be in real trouble.

If Mi was also attacked by one of those fuzzy things maybe he couldn't find his way back to the waking world. Futa shuddered remembering those nasty teeth, if he was bitten, then the effect would probably be a hundred time worse than waht she was dealing with. She need to tell someone but the people still in the room had moved closer to the door. They stood with their backs to her so no one noticed as Futa again struggled to a sitting position. The headache returned with a vengeance and Futa almost collapsed under the strain.

She did throw up and from the metallic taste, she knew there was blood in it. The first one to notice, of course, was Shinto. He nudged Hina-Sensei and pointed in her direction. A strangely worried expression on his face. Futa felt weirdly hot, but dammit she was going to make sure they heard her out.

"Futa, please lie back down-" the medic tried to say.

"Hina-Sensei, someone's gotta tell my parents..."

"A message has already been sent, Futa," Hina-Sensei said, "please do as the doctors says."

Futa was trying without success to wriggle out of the medics grasp and cried, "No, it's not about me...please listen!"

Her Sensei moved between the medic and herself and Futa allowed Hinata to ease her back on to the pillows. "Sensei it's Mi...he's in some kind of trouble...he said he can't find his way out..." A painful prick in her arm told her she was being sedated. Futa panicked as her thoughts started to gum up, she couldn't fall asleep, not yet, "Tell them for me, Sensei...he says somethings chasing him...please," Futa could tell her voice was fading, but she managed one last thing before she passed out, "...He said it's dark there...Mi hates the dark..."

Walking back to the apartment, Hito nudged Yon and said, "We're being followed aren't we."

Yon nodded and Hito frowned. His chakra sense still felt muted, but not a badly as the night before. Whatever was in the tart tasting concoction his mother whipped up for them was helping that. Not that Hito had actually told her about it. Arriving at their destination, the boys sat at the base of the stairs and Hito tried to pinpoint the source of the chakra. Whatever it was, it was sure was small and was headed straight for them. Kinda just like...

"Oh crap! Come on Yon!" Hito shouted as he snagged the back of Yon's shirt and dragged his brother up behind him. Yon didn't resist, but they'd only gone up a few flights when the old man appeared. He held up a hand as a signal for them to stop and Hito did, pulling Yon to a halt with him.

Both boys turned around to find a larger than normal man and woman standing there. The woman was rather thin and willowy with tawny hair that was offset with dark stripes, the symbol for 'Ki' was visible on her forehead. The symbol for 'shinobi' was tattooed on the man's dark squarish face. His body was just a solidly built and the intensity of his green eyes matched his companions amber. Even their 'at ease' stance was imposing, causing Hito to take a step back. Both were armed to the teeth and stood with arms crossed as if waiting for something.

That came when the old man pointed to each in turn saying, "Boys, meet Hina and Denka, they'll be helping out with some of your training."

Yon elbowed him and Hito shut his mouth, since it was hanging open and both boys bowed to the them saying, "Thank you for your assistance, Hina-Sensei, Denka-Sensei."

Denka let out a curious growl, and Hina laughed and said to the old man, "Such polite little kittens you have found, Sasuke-chan. Not at all what I was expecting. Until tomorrow then."

The old man bowed and the pair vanished from sight. Returning to the apartment, the old man returned to his earlier seat by the window and said, "So where did we leave off, Hito."

It took Hito a moment to realize what the geezer was talking about, but when he did, he told the old guy and the old man picked up the thread of the story from there.

Naruto had fallen into a churlish silence. He didn't actually need anyone to remind him of the circumstances of his life and he preferred not to think about it anymore. Even before Iruka-sensei recognized him, Naruto already decided he would be the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf and not just any old Hokage. Nope, Naruto was going to surpass them all. He planned to be the greatest Hokage ever. Then everyone would have to recognize him and stop treating him like he was some sort of monster. The more he thought about it the more it pissed him off. Luckily his rather grim train of thought was broken when Konohamaru asked him what he needed the stuff in the bag for. When Naruto told him, Konohamaru fell silent for a time as he contemplated the problem.

"I got it, boss!"

Naruto favored the younger boy with a look of pure disbelief and resisted the urge to whack him when Konohamaru stated confidently that he knew where some eggs were and they didn't have to ask anyone for them. While Naruto was hopeful he was wary of Konahamaru's claim, most of the plans the boy made tended to end up being painful for Naruto.

"Look over there, boss," Konohamaru said pointing at a nearby pond. He did, but there was nothing unusual about it.

"What am I looking for Konohamaru?"

"Ducks."

"Ducks?"

"Yeah, they lay eggs this time of year, a lot of them and it should be easy enough to grab a few."

Naruto's gloomy mood brightened and he said, "What a great idea, Konohamaru," and Naruto clapped the boy on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Let's go check it out."

As they neared the pond, they knelt in the deep grass near the waters edge. Not wanting to spook their potential prey, both he and Konohamaru studied it for signs of duck habitation. The pond itself was clear and bright, however, it was just as silent and empty as the rest of the Uchiha District. Disappointed, Naruto turned over in the grass and stared up at the sky. Things were just not working out for him today.

"Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for helping me today. I know you have other things to do now that you're a ninja but you're the only person I know who knows stuff about plants. I meant to ask you before, but your team left on that mission and you were gone for months."

"It's alright, Konohamaru, your princess was worth the time. I think the gardener who used to care for her would thank us too."

"Eh?"

"Yeah, you can tell by where she was in the garden that the gardener thought of her as something special. Right in the center, where she would never be overlooked."

"Oh…I never thought of that." Konohamaru fell silent for a time and bored with looking at the empty pond he asked, "Naruto-niichan did you ever wonder if the palm princess was a real person? It would be sad if Gramps just made her up."

"I don't know Konohamaru, but it's nice to think she was," Naruto said as a picture of a pretty girl with long red hair and eyes the color of the sea floated up in his memory. Just like Sakura-chan's.

"In that case, once we get the eggs, will you tell me the rest of the Princess story? You tell it way better than Gramps."

Naruto blinked, and smiled at Konohamaru. It didn't matter that the boy was only eight years old. Few people of the village took the time to speak to Naruto, let alone compliment him. So even if his original plans for that day were turning out to be a complete failure, that small request made it a little easier to bear. "Thanks, Konahamaru," Naruto said, "Let's get moving, there's nothing here."

"Okay!"

After the pair collected the cart, they continued toward the exit and after thinking about it for a moment, Naruto realized why he like this story so much and picked up his story where he left off.

Like I told you before, Kushima lived on the edge of her village and she had no friends. There were people she knew, but they were just ones she bought supplies from. Everyone else just avoided her. Whenever she went to town, she somehow managed to endure the cold eyes of the villagers. This happened for many years until one day, after her tenth birthday, Kushima had a bad run in with some of the locals on one of her trips to town. Suke, being a rather wise crow, knew how much the taunts of the others hurt the girl and he urged Kushima to run. Though the girl usually took Suke's advice, this day Kushima was tired. Tired of running away, tired of being called a freak but most of all, Kushima was tired of being alone.

Anger burned in her heart, fueled by a secret hatred for these people. Kushima was afraid of that feeling it was so strong sometimes. She'd never done even one of them any harm. Why did they hate her? Why couldn't they see? She wanted just one person in this stupid village to recognize who she really was. Someone brave enough to see past the part of her they feared so much and Kushima whispered her hopeless wish into the rain. But there was no one and Kushima stood alone, head bowed, rain pouring down as the group cornered her, calling her a monster and other such bad things.

Maybe it was her wish but as it happened, there was a boy who had just finished his shinobi training and was home for a short visit with his parents. When he happened upon the group and saw what they were doing, it made him angry. Pushing past them, he stood protectively in front of the girl.

"What are you bunch of brats doing out in the rain, go home."

"But Minato, she's a freak! Don't get to close or that crow of hers will...will..."

"Will what?" he asked.

"Uh...eat..."

Minato looked back over his shoulder at the bird. The crow cawed to him and shinobi cocked his head in surprise. If he wasn't a sensible person he could have sworn the bird just said 'We're saved'. During his training, the shinobi had seen many weird things, so a talking crow wasn't all that scary for him.

Suke spoke to Kushima then, telling her to be brave and the bird left Kushima's shoulder. The girl froze, Suke never left her shoulder when they were out. A few of less brave kids ran off as the crow landed on Minato's arm but Kushima didn't move at all. Maybe...looking up for the first time she realized she remembered this person. She'd not seen him for a long time, but he used to always be around and that memory made her smile for some reason.

The shinobi now held out his arm and the crow settle on his elbow. Again there were shouts and to the group that was still there he asked, "You can't seriously mean this scrawny thing, neh?"

There were a few nods, so Minato transferred the bird to his wrist and stared at the bird. The pair stayed like that for some time until Suke pecked at the shinobi's nose and Minato covered it with a shout.

Several of the kids cried out, "You see! She is a freak!"

Minato dropped his hand as he laughed, pointing at the group saying, "Gotcha!"

"Minato that was mean!" one of the older children shouted.

Minato waved it off saying "Tch, and what you lot were doing was nice? You guys sure are dumb. Where'd you get the idea that a crow could eat you?" No one answered and the shinobi said in a stern voice, "Go home." The group started to wander off and Minato added, "And I better not hear of you doing something like this again."

Turning back around, Minato discovered the girl missing. It took him a second to realize, she hadn't left, she was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up under her chin and she was crying. The crow returned to the girl and sat on her shoulder, gently pressing its head against her face.

"Hey now, no need for the waterworks...Kushima, right?" He was surprised when the bird cawed at him a third time and he clearly understood what it was saying.

"Why did you help?" was the question the bird asked.

"Why wouldn't I, friend crow?" The shinobi pulled out an umbrella and after opening it he waited.

It took Kushima a moment to realize that it was no longer raining on her head. Looking up, Kushima was surprised to see the smile on the shinobi's face. Kushima felt the heat as it rose in her face and was hit by an sudden rush of panic. Kushima wanted only to go home and hide, sure that this boy, just like all the others would turn on her.

All the while, Naruto was telling his story he'd been carefully tracking the chakra signature. Whoever it was, was sticking to the rooftops, but it was very frustrating that he couldn't remember where he'd felt it before. He knew he knew it...the answer was so close. As they crested a hill Naruto was relieved when he realized they were almost out of the Uchiha District. Stepping up his pace, Naruto wanted nothing more than to be out of there. They hadn't gone far when Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when the chakra he'd been tracking intensified. There still wasn't any menace to it, but Naruto recognized it now and his earlier relief turned to a moment of pure dread. The person following them was Sasuke.

"Okay Sensei, I need to ask you something."

"If I told you no, would still ask?"

Hito shrugged and said, "Probably."

Sasuke shook his head. "What's the hang up this time, boy?"

"Why are you still telling this like it about a bunch of strangers…you're in it right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"That's just creepy, old man."

"Is it?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Good. Now is there anything else?"

"How do you know all the stuff that went on when you weren't there?"

This question was met with stony silence from the old man and by the time Hito realized he wasn't going to get an answer, the old man was up on his feet. The younger Uzumaki glared at Hito for the interruption since it was clear they'd get nothing else out of the old man now. Hito rolled his eyes deciding his brother must still be doing his best to be invisible. Either way he tired and didn't care as he left him there. Walking into the bedroom, he noted some one had already set out the bedding, so Hito wasted little time changing and crawling into bed and promptly fell asleep.