DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe. This story and the first couple of chapters came from the author Piro-san in her book, Piro-san's Fan Fiction Corner. A long time ago, I asked Piro-san if I could continue it, and was recently told yes. I hope I can do the author's original story ideas justice.


Thinking (+ flashbacks, etc.)

Emphasis

Bijuu, etc. speaking

Bijuu, etc. thinking


Naru blinked in confusion as she picked her head off her desk. It wasn't the first time she'd fallen asleep or passed out at work, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

She stood gracefully, pulling her long red hair back behind her shoulders, and stretched until she heard a few pops. Tired or not, there was no way she'd let her grandfather figure, the Sandaime Hokage, catch her snoozing.

In her mid-twenties, Naru was a sight to behold. Her blood-red hair was incredibly striking and her skin was a flawless cream color. Her eyes were a very striking and clear azure blue, but if one looked closely enough, they might notice the violet flecks within them - and anyone would notice her long, dark eyelashes. Pouty pink lips, high cheekbones, and her mother's small nose made many swoon when in her presence.

Wearing her normal Jonin attire which matched in style to what her (original) biological mother once wore, one would think that people would recognize who at least one of her parents were. However, no one ever seemed to.

But considering the fact that Namikaze Naruto was born a male, while "Uzumaki" Naru was very clearly female, it was understandable.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Kushina had surprisingly given birth to fraternal twin boys 16 years ago, while Uzumaki Naru appeared to be - and for all intents and purposes was - in her mid-twenties. What the botched sealing of the Kyuubi and nearby chakra signatures gave Naru was only the beginning of her story.

Two foreign chakra signatures had imprinted themselves on Naruto's genes, brain, and chakra system when the Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto's twin, Kenji, and back into his wife. Senju Tsunade had been right beside Naruto, healing Kushina, when half the demon was sealed on the second attempt. Uchiha Obito, who had attacked and set the Kyuubi free from Kushina, had gone back to steal the nearest twin, Naruto, but died from demonic chakra poisoning during that second attempt at resealing the beast.

From Tsunade, Naruto eventually received memories, skills beyond any a young person should possess, changes to her genetic makeup, chakra system, as well as a second X chromosome. What the Uchiha had given her was equally precious, but they'd only learned of it one year ago.

The Hokage had fallen asleep on his paperwork when Naru had snuck in through his private study after running a few minutes late. Waking with a start and hurling a kunai at what he thought to be an intruder, Hiruzen was stunned when Naru's blue eyes turned red as a single tomoe Sharingan swirled to life. Uchiha Obito presumably hadn't meant to leave the younger Uzumaki twin with his dojutsu, but he had and now Naru was trying to learn to use it.

…Or at least Obito giving Naru this ability was the theory they were going with. Until today, it was all theoretical and they didn't worry about it. Today, however, they were concerned.

The biggest change to the child, of course, took place on the day that Naruto unlocked his chakra as the result of an attack: his system collapsed. The 5-year-old child was found dead and put into the morgue on one of the saddest days of the Sandaime's life. Making it worse, his body was stolen, but a few years later, Naru snuck into his office, replacing him.

"Hey, old man - excuse me, Sandaime-sama - remember me?" Seeing the man whom she remembered as both her sensei when he was young and grandfather figure more recently puzzled the young woman at the time. "I got away from Orochimaru, and well… I'd like to come back if you'll have me."

Lady Chiyo, an old "friend" of the Sandaime whom he chose to consult, believed that Tsunade's chakra overrode and mutated Naruto's genetic code. Whether it was Orochimaru or one of the echoes that had caused Naru to age rapidly in her youth, the young woman preparing her grandfather's paperwork was now happy, healthy, and (and amazingly) always full of surprises.

"Naru-san," the Hokage called as he signed his last piece of paperwork for the day.

"Hokage-sama," the redhead came in and offered a polite bow.

"I suppose you are excited about today," he said with a smirk.

"Indeed, I am!"

A very aggravated ANBU member interrupted their pleasant conversation. "Hokage-sama," Inu called grimly, "they're on their way."

Although he spoke to the Sandaime, his eyes were on Naru.

She smiled softly at him and closed her eyes before bowing to the masked ANBU captain. Aware that the man's eyes followed her, she left to carefully prepare the village leader's tea. "Ojiji will definitely want his headache powder for this," she sighed to herself before ensuring the leaves, water, and sugar were poison-free. Re-entering the room, she smiled at the dog-masked ANBU captain before turning to her grandfather figure, bowing her head to him before Inu jumped out of the window. "You are troubled."

"Of course, I'm troubled," Hiruzen groaned as he rubbed his temples. "They'll be here in a few hours."

"Ah," Naru said, truly understanding. "Take your powder and relax in the meantime," she said, closing the window that had been left open when the captain departed. "You always feel better when you have an opportunity to put your feet up and read your… book," she said with a cough.

"But what about the -" the Hokage grumbled when his secretary held up her dainty hand.

"You're finished for this morning, Hokage-sama," she said in finality. "This afternoon I'll retrieve the reports from ANBU, the Academy, and the gates." Naru's reassurance only made Hiruzen sink lower into his chair.

The Sandaime really didn't know what he would've done over the past three years without the woman he saw as his granddaughter in all but blood. Since Naru came back and eventually took over the secretary's role, she had made many positive changes in more than just the village's reporting structure. A med nin thanks to the gifts she had unintentionally been given by Tsunade, Naru had been placed in ANBU shortly after finding her way back to Konoha and being personally trained by him.

She was known as a second Tsunade, which was far more accurate than most knew.

He had never had a secretary stay so long in the job, and never had Hiruzen felt safer, for both himself and the village. Today was already a big day for the young woman, but how would things change when they arrived?

"May I take my lunch break, Hokage-sama?"

"Of course, you may, my dear," Hiruzen said, perking up. "I trust you won't be delayed by your date?"

Naru wanted to pout but found that she could only smile, thinking about him. "I am a professional, Hokage-sama," she reminded him with a wink and polite bow before grabbing two bento boxes and sunshinning away.


On a nearby training field, a spandex-wearing Jonin shouted, pointing his finger as the muscles in his face pulled tight. "Kakashi! I challenge you to a duel!"

The man identified now as Kakashi only raised a single silver eyebrow as he peered up at the man clad in green from behind his book. "I'm sorry, Gai. Did you say something?"

Naru giggled as she approached Training Ground 7. It was typical that the two men would be together, but today was a special occasion. She'd been waiting two years for this moment! Smoothing out her kimono, she approached the "eternal rivals" in front of the Memorial Stone.

"Maito-san," she greeted, "it's nice to see you today!"

"Uzumaki-san! So good to see YOU," Gai responded cheerfully. "Are you here to share your radiant smile with us this fine afternoon? To cause the very ground to blossom?"

Naru shook her head and found herself thrilled to admit the truth. "No, I'm actually here to visit my husband."

"I didn't know you were married," Gai said quizzically. "But… but this is a monument to the dead! Forgive me, Uzumaki-san," he nearly shouted as tears welled up in his big black eyes. "What a poor fate! Married and to be widowed so young!" He fell on his knees and began to wail.

Kakashi began to gape, which caused Naru to break out into giggles. She handed him one of the bentos she was carrying.

"No, Maito-san," Naru replied with a soft laugh as she approached his rival and took his partially-gloved hand, stroking the ends of fingers as she let out a large sigh accompanied by a relieved smile. "I'm here to VISIT my very alive and handsome husband."

Gai blinked in shock, then confusion, then shock once more. Finally settling on joy, he burst out in fresh tears. "ETERNAL RIVAL! I'M PLEASED TO KNOW YOU MARRIED SUCH A FINE EXAMPLE OF YOUTH"

Naru covered her mouth while Kakashi shook his head in exasperation. "Maito-san, please remember where we are," she begged sweetly.

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT, I mean… no!" Gai said, quieting down - something that surprised his rival. "You are practically FAMILY now, Uzumaki-san! I insist that you call me by my given name, Gai! Just Gai!"

Naru turned from smiling at her husband to agreeing to Gai's request. "Then you shall call me Naru. Thank you, Gai." She smiled up at her husband again, squeezing his hand with both of hers. "Kashi-kun, Ojiji-sama said that it really is time."

Kakashi tensed at the veiled message, but hope filled his heart. "You mean that we're allowed to be… open?"

Naru stood up on her tippy-toes and gave a soft kiss to the Jonin's masked cheek. "That's right, my hip and cool husband! We don't have to hide our marriage anymore because we're both finally off the ANBU roster as of today!"

Kakashi paused at the light touch of his wife's kiss before pulling her into his arms and swinging her around in circles, holding her tight. He completely ignored Gai's shouts about youthful eternal love, although he'd secretly agree with the meaning behind it. He buried his face in Naru's thick waist-length hair and took in her scent when he put her down. "Finally," he sighed. "Seeing you at Sandaime-sama's office every day and pretending we meant nothing to each other was driving me insane. Your scent is in his office even when you're not there!"

"Oh sweetheart," Naru sighed, really feeling for him. "I think Ojiji's surprising offer to put you on the Jonin roster this early is because they're returning today. I'm pretty sure of it… Everything else? That's just icing on the cake."

Kakashi swallowed hard, thinking about their return, but buried himself back in his wife's warm scent and chakra. She soothed him like little else. He could feel Naru smiling into his chest until she reluctantly disentangled herself from his arms. Realizing that Gai was continuing to nearly wail about springtime, he sighed, wondering how his wife had so much patience with the green-clad man.

Naru was worried about Gai, and she had long felt guilty for not letting Kakashi's best friend know of their relationship. "Gai-san, will you come to our place for dinner tomorrow night?"

Gai's mood shifted again and he bounced into one of his more powerful taijutsu stances. "Yosh! I'd be happy to attend," he agreed, punching his fist into his other hand. "May I safely assume that you are the reason my eternal rival has had such wonderfully tasty and nutritious meals?"

"Naturally," Naru sniffed almost haughtily as she passed her bento to Gai. She'd had a snack earlier and just couldn't eat right now. "Goodness knows that without my cooking, Kakashi would probably starve. His cooking is dreadful."

Kakashi's mouth obviously fell open behind his mask, making Naru chortle while Gai, on the other hand, fully agreed with the redhead. "Let us pray at this hallowed ground that he never attempts to cook again," he said, shuddering as he remembered the last time his rival burned down his apartment.

Naru covered the laugh that threatened to spill out with a slight cough before getting more serious. "It will be delightful to have you, Gai. But there's one rule in our home: there is no shinobi talk at the dinner table."

"Of course," Gai shouted in agreement, posing dramatically. Naru, however, was glowering at both men, daring them to defy her.

"If you do, then you'll have to eat elsewhere, no matter what I've made." She then turned to her husband. "And YOU will be sleeping on the couch, too, alpha or not!"

"Maa, your orders are received and will be respected," Kakashi said, offering her a quick salute as he stood up a little straighter.

"Good," she said, perking up until a messenger hawk's shrill caw echoed from overhead. "Oh, dear. It looks like I need to get back." Giving her husband another kiss on the cheek, she tenderly ran her fingertips along his masked jaw. "Until tonight, husband dearest."

"Gai, can you please turn around for a moment?" Kakashi asked blankly. As soon as Gai agreed, Kakashi pulled down his mask, pulling his wife into a deep kiss immediately afterward. Gai was crying and Naru was swooning, so overall, he'd call it a win - and that was aside from the way his wife kissed! Despite them coming back, today turned out to be a great day. Their kiss was passionate and lasted long enough for both Hatakes to begin forgetting where they were until the messenger hawk nearly attacked them.

"Oh my gosh... I'm sorry: I'm going to be late," Naru said as she staggered a bit. "Ojiji-sama will want me unmarked, love."

Kakashi pulled up his mask. "Too late for that," he whispered, making his wife shiver. Receiving a final hug and watching as his wife gave one to Gai, too, he pulled his book back out and tried to ignore Gai after Naru sunshinned away.

"KAH-KAH-SHI: my eternal rival! We really must go out and celebrate your union with a drink!"

"You know what Gai? That actually sounds great."


Naru gracefully smoothed out her appearance, entering the Hokage's office simultaneously.

"I take it he's pleased," Hiruzen said, knowing that it wasn't even a question. He pulled more smoke from his pipe and gave his secretary a smirk. "You realize that you'll have to begin going by Hatake-san, now."

"Of course," Naru said happily. "Although YOU will still refer to me as Naru."

"Whatever you say, Hatake-san."

Naru looked back at him with her eyebrows raised. "Make fun if you will. He's the alpha of my family's pack, so I'm going to enjoy being called 'Hatake-san!'"

Hiruzen began coughing over her word choice, causing Naru to blush. That only made his reaction worse. "Yes... Well. Please return to work now, Hatake-san," he finally said, although the woman was already on her way to her adjoining office.

The dazzling smile she threw over her shoulder in response was breathtaking. Naru almost skipped through the hallway and had to take a moment to collect herself before she remembered what exactly she needed to do next. Although she still had quite a bit of work before the day was over, she loved her job. As she was about to sit down, she noticed the time and realized she needed to begin gathering the day's final reports. After going to the Academy and ANBU HQ - where she saw her beloved once again - she grabbed a snack and headed to the main village gates to gather their combined intelligence and records.


Minato Namikaze smiled warmly as he verified his identity to the gate guards of Konoha.

Their plans had been executed perfectly. 16 years ago, the Kyuubi, which had previously been sealed solely in his wife, Kushina, was set free by a masked Uchiha after she gave birth to their son. Following the attack that decimated so much of the village, the Uzumaki-Namikazes had fled to Kushina's homeland of Uzushio. Now, with the Village Hidden in the Leaves almost entirely restored to its former glory, the Namikaze family was returning.

On their way back home to Minato's birthplace, Lady Tsunade and her niece, Shizune, had joined them at the request of the Yondaime. The Toad Sage Jiraiya, Minato's sensei decades earlier, had previously been traveling with them, but at the request of the Yondaime Hokage, went back to his duties as Konoha's spymaster mid-trip.

There had been a sacrifice to their plans, but that would be rectified today! Naruto, the younger twin brother of Minato's heir, Kenji, had to be left behind. Although Minato had attempted to split the Kyuubi's chakra between the two boys, things had not gone as planned. At the moment he believed that the Shinigami would take his soul, something had gone wrong, but Kushina had saved him. She had taken the Yin half of the Kyuubi back into her while Kenji's seal on the Yang held strong.

Because Tsunade was on hand to pump healing chakra into Kushina from moments after the Kyuubi was taken until after the whole fiasco was over, she stayed with Kushina to help with her tenketsu issues for years. Where Tsunade went, followed Shizune and the Toad Sage, meaning that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune had been living in Uzushio all this time, too.

Believing their second child to be fine it would be many years before they learned of the echo effects the botched sealing caused on little Naruto.

"Ah, Konoha," Minato smiled, genuinely happy to be back in the village of his birth. "It's so good to be home."

The Namikazes were greeted by a beautiful young red-haired Jonin, who first greeted the Chunin gate guards. "Good afternoon, Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san." Minato smiled at the woman and at the reaction she received from the young men manning the gates. She was obviously well-liked.

Naru wouldn't allow herself to be intimidated. Plastering on a polite smile after procuring the records Sandaime-sama required, she greeted the people who might have once been her parents had they not left their child to a village filled with heartbreak and loss - and thus fear and hatred. "Yondaime-sama, Namikaze-sama. Welcome back," she said with a deep bow. "Senju Tsunade-hime, Kato Shizune-sama: it is wonderful to have you in the village once again. I know Sandaime-sama will be pleased."

"Thank you! It's good to be home," Minato said, repeating himself.

"Lord Yondaime, the reporting structure of the village has changed in recent years. My name is Hatake Naru; please allow me to escort you to the Tower."

"Thank you - and did you say Hatake?" Minato asked, his eyes going wide, clearly in disbelief. "As in Hatake Kakashi? As in... Kakashi got married?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Kakashi-san is my husband." Considering that everyone in the group began gawking at her, including the gate guards, Naru decided to move the party along. "This way, if you please: I can lead you there, unhindered." The redhead turned toward the fawning duo. "Thank you, Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san," she said with a polite nod before leading the way toward her grandfather's office.

"Yes," Minato said after a minute or so. "I should admit I was hoping to meet and speak to someone else first."

"I see," Naru replied a little stiffly. "Perhaps Sandaime-sama will be good enough to arrange this?"

"I'm sure he will," Minato agreed.