EDITED!

AN: This'ooo' are timeskips just for your information. Let's move on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. We all know that.

POV: Obito

Sasuke never really warmed up to me even when he was a baby. He often cried when I carried him. He bit my hand a number of times and he pulled my hair. It didn't improve, but it did go up a level, which isn't good all the same. Now, when I come over he deliberately avoids me like if there was seat available either next to me or Shisui. He would choose to seat next to Shisui. I'm already used to his dislike of me, but I don't understand why. I'm not an evil person!

Mikoto-san told Sasuke not to trust strangers, but right in front of me inside their house Sasuke is more comfortable with having this girl we met earlier feed him! What the hell is wrong with this kid?! It feels like having Shisui hog Rins' attention all the time!

Sasuke walked ahead of me on our way back to their house. I was babysitting him while Mikoto-san went to buy ingredients for dinner. The brat had a knack for climbing trees lately especially the ones at their backyard. I left him for a minute when I heard someone knock at the door, seconds later I heard him wailing saying his arm hurt.

I brought him to the hospital to get his arm looked and we learned he fractured his arm. Great, Mikoto-san will have my skin for this. I just left him for a minute and he gets injured. On our way back to the house, when we were rounding the corner a girl with long grey hair showed up and almost knocked Sasuke down to the ground if it weren't for her reflexes. Before Sasuke could fall she had swooped down twisting in place and she had him in her arms then as she smoothly stood up.

"Hey, little guy, sorry about that." She told Sasuke smiling sweetly at the brat.

Sasukes' eyes then had been wide and shining as he looked at her.

"You're not—" She stopped when she saw the cast on his arm. "Oh, what happened to you?"

"I fell from the tree." Sasuke answered shyly blushing.

"Well, they already treated you at the hospital correct?" She said placing him down onto the ground before ruffling his hair.

"Yes."

"That's good." She nodded. "Sorry for earlier, who are you with?" She stood back up before her black eyes fell on me. "Are you his brother?"

"No way!" Sasuke said pouting. "My brother is cooler than him! He's a loser!"

"I am not!" I glared at the kid.

The girl smiled wryly at me.

"Well, I should get going." She said bowing to me and turning towards the left, but Sasuke wrapped his one arm around her leg.

"Don't go." He said. "Can't you come with us to my house?"

"Er, that's not up to me to decide." She answered eyeing me.

Sasuke glanced at me then at her. "Please?" He asked his eyes going wide and close to tears.

"Sasuke, come on it's getting late and—"

"If it's only for a bit." She answered smiling. "But I can't stay too long."

By a bit that's until ten in the evening and she has yet to leave, where's Mikoto-san?

I narrowed my eyes at the girl. She looked familiar after staring at her for a while. Her grey hair was long, and she had of half of her hair tied up with a black ribbon. She had a grey and dark green kimono styled blouse on and black knee length pants.

"I should really go." She said raising her black eyes to me. "I can't stay any longer."

"I don't want you to leave!" Sasuke wailed holding onto the end of the sleeve of her blouse.

"I'm sorry, but I have curfew." She said turning to Sasuke with a sad smile on her and somehow I felt my heart squeeze when I saw the way she looked at the brat. "I'll see you another time."

"When would that be?" Sasuke asked.

"You'll find out. Don't give your babysitter too much of a headache." She said before tapping her two fingers on his forehead and smiling.

"I'll walk you out of the compound." I said getting to my feet, but she shook her head.

"You can't leave him alone. What if something happens?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

Mikoto-san along with Itachi will probably have my skin, and if Iruna was here she would be on the same train as them.

"Right, but…"

"I don't care about manners right now." She said. "If something happens to him what then? You're responsible for him not me." And from the look in her eyes she wasn't budging on it either.

We settled on seeing her out by the front door and she was gone after she closed the door behind her.

"Sasuke" I said as he walked towards the doorway to the kitchen. "Did she give us her name?"

"She did." Sasuke answered glancing at me over his shoulder.

"What's her name?"

"You weren't listening." He replied before walking away.

"Okay, but what was it?"

"It's our secret." Sasuke sang as he continued to walk away.

That's strange. I was there the entire time listening to their conversation while eating, I didn't hear a name.

POV: Iruna

Now, I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to save Obito-nii, he had been strong because Madara taught him while he was in captivity of the guy that wouldn't just die. He had a goal, I wonder if Obito-nii still plans to be Hokage. I don't…well that's a bit judgemental of me, but it's already been what two or three years, judging from how big Sasuke is.

The night was serene, but while I hopped on the roofs towards the monument I saw someone headed towards the borders of the village and carried something. Minato-san said there wouldn't be anymore kidnapping that would happen after that case was solved, but the snake was able to escape. So much for using the snake to have the mummy be arrested for taking sharingan eyes.

I didn't come here to save someone right now, just to see Sasuke, but I can't just turn a blind eye. I can say that my conscience would kill me. I just hope it isn't a root anbu, and since the snake was labeled as a traitor to the village, he wouldn't dare come back here unless it was to do something with taking an Uchihas' body or more so the sharingan. Huh, maybe Danzos' obsession with the sharingan was transferred to the snake.

I activated my sharingan and with my restraining seals disabled I followed the shinobi, before they got any closer to the walls of Konoha. The shinobi had a mask over his face, so I couldn't see their face, not like that matters. I released the kunai I had in one of wristbands and I threw it at his lower leg and it hit its mark because the idiot shinobi thought no one would stop him.

"Good evening, sir, it's a lovely evening, but it's a crime to kidnap children from their homes." I said landing on the roof across from him when he dropped on one knee.

Of course, like any shinobi on a mission to accomplish it, remove the obstacle in front of you. That meant fighting the enemy shinobi.

"I suppose there's no room for negotiation then. I was hoping for that." I said grinning.

It was good time as any to test out how much I really learned, or to see how much better I got at using genjutsu with my sharingan. I guess re-reading about our clan kekkei genkai wasn't a bad idea. It helped me learn how to use it more efficiently and at times like this when the goal is to stop a kidnapping, genjutsu seemed to be the best option.

As the enemy shinobi fell to his knees, I jumped over to the roof he was on and pressed down on a pressure point to make him faint before I extracted the male Hyuuga. I wasn't sure if it was Hyuuga Neji…almost everyone in that clan looked alike.

It was too easy actually to save him, and I would know if I was in a genjutsu myself. After that operation with my chakra it was easier for me to tell if I was in a genjutsu or not. Something just wouldn't fit right with me.

"Release my nephew, now." I heard behind me after they landed on the tiled roofing.

"How am I sure that you're not someone that's trying to kidnap him?" I said over my shoulder. "I can't see you, and I don't know anything about this boy either."

Aside from him being a Hyuuga that was it.

"Leave him there and back away to face me."

I did as he asked, but I was still wary of the person behind me. When I met the pale eyes of the Hyuuga, I relaxed a bit, but he had a forehead protector on. That meant it was Hyuuga Hiz—wait he said nephew and this Hyuuga is male that means—I stared back at the Hyuuga in front of me, I don't know if this was one of fate's doing or me messing up the timeline. It can be both.

"An Uchiha?" He said when his eyes widened when I faced him.

"Well, Hyuuga-san, how can I be sure that you are really one?" I said.

"You would know if I am in a henge with your sharingan."

That's true, and he didn't have one on him. "Then, I leave the enemy shinobi and your nephew to you. I will be taking my leave."

"You're just going to believe me?"

"I don't really believe you a 100%, but I believe in what I'm capable off." I replied before taking off and in the direction of the monument. Thank you, Hyuuga-san. You just gave me an idea on how to fight with fuinjutsu.

It's only in the makings, but it's going somewhere.

ooo

"Look, little summoner, I agreed with Suzume for you to look around. I don't plan on being a part of your flock." Ami, the vagrant hawk, who is Suzumes's friend said venomously.

"Flock?" I stared at her before laughing at that before her killing intent came at me forcing me to stop laughing. "Ah, that's not why I've been coming here a lot."

"If this is about that tanto…"

I shook my head when she mentioned that.

"That tanto may have come from my sensei, but it was yours from the beginning who am I to keep it to myself?" I answered. "I came here to ask for your help."

"And that would be?" Ami raised her eyebrow at me.

"Just your skill, well, not the one that kills that is." I said smiling at her. "Oh, also can I ask to spar with you sometime, without the whole killing intent in the mix?"

ooo

"I found the mineral you said." I said placing the bag of rocks on the counter in front of Suzume, and it took me two weeks to find it with the help of my flock.

It was something like training in its own way, and it helped me decide who not to summon together unless otherwise I had no choice in that matter.

"Woah" Suzume said her eyes widening after she turned the bag upside down allowing the three blue rocks to fall on the counter top. "I just needed one."

I snorted. "You have the mineral. You said you would make them."

"Sure. I'll be done with them by next week. You can pick them up by then. Did you get Ami to agree?"

I just grinned back at Suzume it was an answer on its own.

POV: Kakashi

"Hey, Kakashi!" Obito called me in the streets. I was on my way to the house.

I turned to find him with Sasuke carrying a plastic of food. "Did you get another nickname?"

I blinked. "What are you talking about now?" I said to the oranged goggled chuunin. I've heard what they call me, but I don't recall getting another one.

"There's this shinobi they call 'grey trickster'." He continued.

"Just because I have grey hair does it mean it's me." I said giving him a glowering look.

"Yeah, but have you heard of this shinobi?"

"Only the name."

"They say this shinobi would use hand seals for a ninjutsu and wouldn't finish the jutsu, but then later on the jutsu would be used on them kind of like magic."

"Magic isn't real." I deadpanned.

"So? How do you explain what that shinobi does?" Obito said raising an eyebrow. "They also call that person 'Half-way jutsu user', but more so the Grey trickster, because no one knows how they're able to use those ninjutsu without finishing the handseals and their even high-leveled jutsus. Do you think their strong?"

"Probably, if they earned that nickname from their enemies, unlike you." I answered.

There was a pause before—

"Say that again cyclops!" Obito snapped his sharingan eye activating behind his goggles.

"Forget it." I said shaking my head before turning my back to him and walked away. "You haven't changed."

"Cyclops!" He shouted at my back when I walked away. I side-stepped him to avoid his incoming strike and left him to fall on the ground himself. To save him from further embarassment I took to the roofs to get back to the house, but not without hearing Obito shout my name.

"Hey, Kashi-san," Naruto said while he was on a chair by the stove cooking, and from the smell it was— "Want some ramen?"

"If it has eggplants, sure, if not you can pig-out." I answered.

"What so good about eggplants?" Naruto turned to me his brows meeting. "It's a vegetable!"

"It's not a vegetable, it's a fruit."

"How can that be a fruit?! It's not like oranges or apples or persimmons or kiwi or grapes or...or…or…it's not a fruit!"

"Just cook your ramen." I said shaking my head.

"And you're not getting any! Only dad and me will be eating this." He said grumpily, before a sad look came on his face and then he shook his head turning his attention back to the stove.

Honestly, this kid. "Naruto, are you sure you can finish all of that?" I asked looking at the three packets he had emptied out. Minato-sensei does tell him when I'll be back after all.

"I said you're not getting any. This is only for two persons." He said probably pouting.

I left him alone in the kitchen to finish making his ramen. I took a bath and changed into cleaner clothes before re-entering the kitchen. Naruto was done placing the bowls into a carrier which was too heavy for him. I went over before he could even try to lift it and spill the contents onto the floor, like last time.

I picked it up before he could and earned a glare from him. "Hey! I'm bringing this to dad and you're not invited!" He said.

"I know, and as a shinobi I have to report to him." I answered raising an eyebrow telling him to try and challenge me on that, he didn't have to know I already did go to Minato-senseis' office.

"Fine. I'll let you carry it for me." Naruto answered before he walked towards the door.

After three knocks on the door, we entered the Hokage's office with Minato-senseis' eyebrows meeting as he read the scroll in his hands.

"Dad! Time to eat!" Naruto said running around the desk and next to senseis' chair.

"Oh, is it time for dinner?" Minato-sensei said snapping his eyes to Naruto.

"You always lose track of time, it's why I keep bringing you dinner." Naruto answered earning him a pat on his head from his dad, to which the brat relished in, even if this five year old pranked some of the shinobi in the tower even the anbu at headquarters.

Dinner—ramen, I don't think I ever heard Minato-sensei complain about eating ramen for dinner everytime. This kid loves ramen that he'd eat it three times a day! If Minato-sensei or me or one of the anbus' on guard aren't the ones making the food, I would have sworn never to eat it.

"You're not joining us Kakashi?" Minato-sensei asked pulling out the scroll containing the small table, he and Naruto often used to eat inside the office when it's lunch or dinner.

"Naruto only made food good for two." I answered, but from previous experience Naruto wasn't that heartless.

Minato-sensei just laughed unsealing the table and I placed the carrier next to the table to pull out the four bowls Naruto placed inside. Two of them were for Naruto.

ooo

I was on my way to the west gate to head to Yugakure to escort someone back to Konoha. There were no specifics on how they looked only I was given a line to ask and the password the person had to answer for me to know who they are. It didn't seem like some of the mission I've had in the previous months. It was actually easy if I think about it, then again if I recall babysitting two kids should have been the same.

"Hey, Kakashi, another mission?" Asuma waved at me as he along with Guy and Obito were just reporting in with the guards.

I nodded to answer Asumas' question.

"I will not lose to you my rival! I will go to the Hokage and ask for another mission!" Guy said before he disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Asuma shook his head. "Let's go, Obito, or Guy might really convince the Hokage to hand us another mission scroll when we just got back."

Obito didn't glance at me as he walked away following after Asuma. I must have really gotten on his nerves, I was only telling the truth. He didn't have to take bear a grudge over it, it's already two years. If he wants to survive in this world, he'll have to get stronger.

I arrived in the Yugakure in the afternoon, not in my anbu clothes. I changed out of them and into more plain clothes. It was a covert mission and I was just here to look for someone, but this place is a tourist spot. I have no other way to find this person, but with the line I was provided.

I went around the village, but I didn't just directly go to any random person I saw. The place was filled with people and I'm sure it wasn't a child I would be telling the line to.

"A dove in a web?"

"Sorry, I can't help you."

"Is that a riddle?"

"A dove isn't an insect."

"Okay? And?"

"Is that a story or something?"

"Shouldn't it be a bug?"

"How can a dove get caught in a web of a spider?"

"The dove knocks into a tree because its disoriented and breaks it wings."

"The spider manages to capture the dove again and eat it, because the spider is a cannibal." That was one of the weirdest answers I received.

Damn it. I'm running out of time. It's already been three days since I arrived. I haven't even found that person yet and Minato-sensei said that this person would stay in this place for only four days when I arrived. I was running out of time. Why is it so hard to find this person!?

While I was walking in the streets I saw the white mane of Jiraiya-sama. Maybe it's him I have to bring to Konoha? Or not he does visit the village from time to time. I still went to the sannin.

"Jiraiya-sama" I called making him turn to me.

"Oh! Kakashi!" He said grinning widely. "What brings you to this place? On vacation?"

"No. Can you humor me?"

The sannin blinked at me before nodding. "A dove was caught in a web, and escaped."

"Sorry, not me." He answered.

Damn. I had one more day before they left this village.

"You're looking in the wrong place."

"Wrong place?"

"The one you're looking for isn't here for leisure even if they want to. Can't say I blame them for it? This place is filled with hot spring resorts and…a good place for research too." He said the last bit with a nod to himself, probably has something to do with his books. "But I can tell you that they're probably in the outskirts of this village."

I nodded deciding to check the outskirts. I hope I'm not on a cat and mouse game right now.

"Oh, and you're turning eighteen by next week, right?" Jiraiya-sama said grinning widely at me like he had a plan or something.

"Yes." I answered blinking at the sannin.

"That's great! Here take this as an early present." He said handing me small orange book with the title Icha-Icha.

"Ah, thank you?" I said not knowing why he would present me with this. I didn't read novels.

"Read it on your birthday." He said before turned and walked away.

I slid the book in my pouch before and headed to the outskirts where the steam was thickest. Through the steam, I could see a hazy shadow of a person. I walked closer to find a girl with long grey hair meditating on a rock in the middle of the hot spring with an old man with red hair and a beard behind her, also meditating. It was hot in this area, how were they able to ignore the heat and I'm sure that rock should be scorching they can't sit on it.

It was rude interrupting, but I coughed into my hand to get their attention. I waited for some seconds for them to move, but they sat there like statues. I wasn't sure if they were even breathing. I coughed one more time before the girl spoke.

"Yes?" She said her voice sounded familiar to me.

"There was a dove that was caught in a web, but they escaped."

"Good for the dove." The old man snorted. "Would they even want to return?"

"Maybe to return as a crow." She said before opening her eyes amusement glinting as she met mine.

We walked out of the steamy area and returned to the village proper. Our clothes were a bit wet from the heavy steam, and I think my hair was drooping down from the water. I eyed the girl as she bid the old man from Iwagakure goodbye.

She didn't look like a kunoichi, but looks can be deceiving. She had a navy blue long sleeved dress that reached to her thighs with slits on either side with white knee length pants under the dress, and an obi around her waist acting as a belt but it also brough out her feminine features.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing." I shook my head. Lucky for me I had my mask to hide the flush on my cheeks when she caught me looking. "Where are you staying?"

I gawked when we stood in front of the ryokan she was staying.

"You know for someone of your ranking I wonder how you managed to miss me if we lodge in the same ryokan. See you later for dinner." She said before entering her room.

Somehow that annoyed me. I was an anbu for kamis' sake! It should have taken me at least two days to find her if she was this close. I managed to find her in the end, so it's not a failure of a mission.

I opted to have dinner in my room instead of the dining hall they had that night before we returned to Konoha. I was done eating my meal when there was a knock. I got to my feet and opened the door to find her there. She didn't have her hair in a braid anymore, but it was in a ponytail. She was in a Yukata, the one the ryokan provided.

"You ate in your room?" She said looking past me and at the table inside. She had a stoic expression on her, no emotion flashed in her eyes or I just missed it?

"Yes. We'll be leaving in the morning when the sun rises." I told her.

"All right." She answered blankly before she re-entered her room.

The following day outside the ryokan, I found her leaning against the wall by the doorway outside of the ryokan.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully.

I stared back at her.

"What, not a morning person?" She asked still smiling.

"No."

"If you say so." She shrugged heading in the direction of the gate of the village. I never liked dealing with girls, or generally anyone even those in my age group, and kami just had to give me something I don't like.

I wonder if Minato-sensei knew about her. Her attire was different from her clothes when I met her yesterday.

She had elbow length mesh armor under a black sleeveless kimono blouse and a white obi around her, grey armwarmers with black diamond pattern by the arm area and I think there was a seal by the wrist of her armwarmers, white knee length pants and black shinobi sandals. She had her braided hair in a bun, and she had blue-green earrings shimmering a bit in the light. She didn't have a kunai holster by her thigh, but there were two scrolls on her back.

There was vibe of her being a civilian then, if I didn't find her in the middle of heavy steam and with a shinobi from Iwagakure meditating. I would have believed she's only a civilian, but from her light steps and how she held herself she wasn't.

"You know I can tell if someone's eyeing me." She said as we jumped through the branches.

I didn't reply. Knowing girls' took things to a different level.

We arrived in Konoha five days later, and it was mid-day. I glanced at the girl with me as we headed in the direction of the tower. She had her eyes on the monument earlier. There was something that flashed in her eyes then. Also, she didn't look around the village like a visitor from another place she seemed familiar with the streets.

"Something you want to ask me?" She asked without glancing at me.

"Did I meet you before?"

She chuckled. "Are you already in your old age you can't remember that?" She said teasingly.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"Yes."

"To which question?"

"Yes on both."

"When?"

"The latest was four years ago, the earliest was when I was three." She answered.

The earliest? Why would she mention that? The only thing I recall was Minato-sensei allowing her to eat dinner with him and Naruto at his house. Who is she anyway? Minato-sensei won't just let anyone eat with him and his child, not even the public knows about Naruto since he beared the name of Kushina-san.

I entered senseis' office with her behind me. Minato-sensei wasn't alone in the room, Itachi and Shisui were there. The duo that rose through the ranks in a matter of five years, and were a now part of anbu.

"Kakashi, just in time, too." Minato-sensei said when I entered and his eyes fell on my companion, the edge of his lips went up when his eyes met with the girl next to me. "Welcome back, Iruna."

"Thanks, Minato-san." The girl replied smiling sweetly.

AN: And there we have it, Iruna is back in Konoha! Finally!

If anyone's wondering about their ages:
Iruna, Itachi and Shisui - 15
Kakashi - 17 (going on 18)

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR READING AND THE TIME AS ALWAYS! Any thoughts for this chapter or questions you have? ^^ I'll see if I can answer them with the next chapter. Ja ne! ~burstenna