Inoichi's POV

Choza and Shikaku often said they felt sorry for him for having a daughter. How were you meant to be a protective dad to a ninja? Being a regular father to a little girl was hard enough. What they never realised was he had two daughters. Both of them were strong, one of them overwhelmingly so. Even though one of them passed as a boy they were both beautiful, in personality and looks. And unfortunately for Inoichi, both his girls were surrounded by boys. Ino openly flirted with boys she liked. He wished she wouldn't but he admired her confidence. Luckily she no longer cared for Sasuke Uchiha. If she did, Inoichi would have to track down the little snot and beat him to a pulp. But that would also upset his other daughter. His other daughter, the one pushed him away to protect him at such a young age. Naruto was almost the complete opposite of Ino in the regards t boys. Naruto was oblivious to boys. She hadn't realised that boys had liked her when she was young. She hadn't realised for some time that the bartender, Varric, liked her. And honestly, Inoichi was fairly certain that she didn't consciously realise that Shikamaru loved her. He wasn't sure if Naruto even understood what romantic love was or how to recognise it.

He had been steeling himself for the moment when he would have to see his godson get his heart broken. But then he and Ino had ran down into the crater and seen Shikamaru cased in a ball of chakra. Ino was still young with her abilities so she couldn't use someone's chakra to get a glimpse into a person's mind like he could. The moment he touched the swirling chakra he had seen Shikamaru looking at Naruto seriously, telling her she wasn't a demon, Shikamaru laughing with Naruto over dinner, and surprisingly, a moment where Shikamaru kept pinching Naruto's arm and asking if she now hated him for it. Inoichi was sure that that moment would make more sense with context. But those memories weren't for him. They were some of Naruto's memories that made her most desperate to protect Shikamaru. They were some of her memories that summed up her relationship with Shikamaru. Inoichi was thankful that he didn't have to witness anything intimate. The closest thing to that was the last memory where Shikamaru commented about a date they had planned for when Naruto came back. Even if she didn't know what feelings she had for Shikamaru, she did know he was important to her and cared deeply for him.

Putting the box of blankets down for some Genins to sort, he looked around for one of his girls. He could see Ino cleaning cobwebs from doorways with Sai. Inoichi grumbled, wanting to pull them apart but figuring he has no real reason too. Instead he spotted Naruto giving some children a gentle push towards the temporary orphanage. With a small smile, Inoichi started to walk towards Naruto.

He stopped short when a woman in her late twenties- early thirties, and a man in his fifties can up to Naruto. The woman spoke to Naruto, looking at the blonde eagerly. Her words halted Inoichi's steps.

"Mr Uzumaki, sorry for my bluntness but I'd like to talk to you about the Children of Iron."

Inoichi had heard that title before, spoken mostly in whispers. He had always been curious about the Children of Iron but hadn't known who to ask about them. The few he had heard mention the group in a familiar way had been unwilling to explain or to talk about it with someone not in their organisation. He had no idea that Naruto was one or how she came to be one.

"You can just call me Naruto," the blonde stammered.

"Hi, I'm Masako, I'm a village historian, and this is my father, Gaku. Dad was the first Child of Iron."

Gaku huffed. "I was one of the first." He held out his hand to Naruto who shook it firmly. "It's a pleasure."

"You were the one who gave them their name." Masako smiled at her father before turning back to Naruto. "I have wanted to document the Children of Iron since my father first told me about you all. You all are a part of the village and you have been around for fifty years, and yet your story has never been told. I've done research and I've discovered that you were the last Child of Iron. I have a request, and obviously you can think it over. I want to write a book on the Children of iron from the point of view of the group. My father has agreed to write his experience and so have many others. I was hoping the last chapter of the book would be your story and if you agree I was thinking of getting you and dad to write the introduction."

"So you want me to write about what happened with… the iron?" Naruto muttered, looking around. Inoichi tried to hide that he was ears dropping from Naruto's gaze.

"Not just that," Gaku explained, "a lot of us suffered outside of that. What made us Children of Iron effected many areas of our lives. My daughter wants the raw, honest story."

"I'm not very good at writing though."

Gaku laughed. "You're not the only one. Masako can edit our writing. Fix the grammar and spelling but still keep our voices in it."

Naruto thought over his words before sighing. "If I agree to it, you can't tell people about it before it's finished. I want the chance to tell my friends about this. I don't want them to find out through your book."

"We promise that even if you don't agree to add your story we will still give you warning before it's published," Masako assured.

Inoichi bit down on his confusion as the father and daughter walked off. Before he could join Naruto, a Chunin came over to the blonde. The Chunin asked if Naruto was going to retrieve the rest of the civilians. Naruto gave an awkward smile and shrug before she almost ran from the Chunin. The woman looked at Inoichi when he started following Naruto. He had no answer for the confusion the woman had, but he was determined to find out what was wrong. He had let Naruto dictate their interactions for too long. He had missed getting to see her progress up close. He had been one of the last people to discover how close she and Shikamaru were. He had had to listen to Ino yell at him for never telling her that once upon a time she had had a sister, that she hadn't imagined the blonde girl buried in her memories. Ino had understood that it was Naruto's doing, but he had let her vent anyway. Mainly he let her because everything she said was something he had thought himself. But he knew, deep down, that Naruto had a legitimate and pressing reason for pushing them away. Whenever he had tried to discover the answer though, he had been met with a stubborn Naruto. The more he tried the more she pulled away from him. He had had to make a choice between getting to know Naruto in a small capacity or never getting to be in her life at all.

When he found Naruto she was hidden in a side alley. Her hair was the only indication she was in the shadows. She was crouching down, her back against the wall and her hands gripping her head. Slowly, Inoichi walked forward, making sure to kick a small rock or two so that Naruto knew he was there. She started wiping roughly at her face, smearing the tears over her cheeks.

Inoichi sat down next to her, staring at the opposite wall of the alley. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Naruto stammered, taking a shuttering breath.

"Naruto." Inoichi's voice remained steady, though there was a warning tone to it.

The woman took a deep breath. "They want me to be the one to lead the rest of the civilians out of the evacuation chambers."

"And you're worried about what they will do? I don't think they will hurt you."

"No… I'm… um… scared of the tunnels." Naruto ran a hand through her hair. "It's fine. If they want me to go, I'll do it."

"No, you will not! You are visibly shaken, and you clearly haven't gotten your chakra back from your fight. You think I haven't noticed how you keep holding your head, or nearly falling over. You're exhausted. You should be resting, not doing things you are clearly terrified of."

"But the village needs help."

"And they have it. Every able ninja is doing what he or she can, and as the civilians move back in they will be the most helpful, since they will be uninjured and have energy." Inoichi looked hard at Naruto. "Do you think Shikamaru is being selfish for resting instead of being here?"

"Of course not!" Naruto snapped instinctively. "He fought hard in the invasion and nearly got himself killed. He's chakra nearly killed him. If I hadn't funnelled some into him when he was trying to fight Pain he would have died in one of the most painful ways."

"And you think he did more than you? That he earned his rest when you didn't?" Inoichi raised an eyebrow when Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"Well, yeah. Shikamaru is a better ninja. The village needs him to get better because we all know there is more to come and we need him for that. I'm the reason Pain was here in the first place, and besides, there's nothing about me that the village needs."

"Right, because it's not like you are one of the only Sages this village has, it doesn't matter that you pretty much took out Pain, one of the strongest Akatsuki members, on your own. You were the one to suggest moving the civilians into the Uchiha Estate but who needs to make sure the civilians have a safe place to stay during the rebuilding. We could just let them sleep among the rubble and the blood. None of that shows your worth at all." Inoichi's words were coated in so much sarcasm that he was surprised none of it dripped from his mouth.

"I did the same thing that any other ninja would have done. Shikamaru has a keen mind, one that should be valued," Naruto snapped.

"I'm not saying you're wrong. Shikamaru has proven himself superior to his father, even with his inexperience in comparison. I'm just saying that because he is valued doesn't mean that you can't be. We were struggling to fight the Pains, but you, you have a warrior's instincts. Lord Jiraiya had it, and so did your father. Your father was smart, there was no doubt in that, but when he was in battle, he was almost clairvoyant. He knew exactly what he had to do and how he had to do it. You are the same. Watching you fight is almost like watching a dance. Every move looks natural and instinctive. You might be a different type of fighter to Shikamaru but that doesn't mean you are a lesser ninja. You've already faced your fear once today. No one would expect you to do it again, and no one is going to blame you for getting some rest. Now, come on."

Naruto looked as though she was going to argue with him. However, he fixed her with a stern stare, making her sigh and get to her feet. Inoichi walked her out of the Uchiha Estate and to the Nara estate. Although he wasn't fond of the fact that Shikamaru and Naruto had shared a bed earlier, he still led her to his room, figuring that she needed the comfort his presence would provide. When she had disappeared into the bedroom the man went in search of the one woman who could keep Naruto in line.

"Yoshino, can I speak to you for a minute." When the woman nodded, he gave her a brief summary of the discussion he had had with Naruto. "I have a bad feeling. Something is wrong with her but I can't work it out. Can you keep an eye on her? I would ask Shikaku or Shikamaru to watch for behavioural change, but they wouldn't be able to notice the emotional side very well."

"Of course. Do you have any ideas as to what's wrong?"

"It could be that she feels responsible for the village. She did comment that Pain had come here for her, but I feel like it runs deeper than that. And if you could find out what the hell a Child of Iron is that would be nice. That question is going to bug me but I didn't want to ask Naruto in the state she was in."

Yoshino frowned. "I thought that group was just an urban legend."

"Apparently not. I overheard a historian asking Naruto about it. The woman's father was the one who named the group. So it's obviously a thing but Naruto reacted oddly to it. She made it clear she didn't want those close to her finding out about it through the book the woman wanted to write."

"Should we worry that Naruto is part of a secret organisation?" Yoshino asked, her eyes darting towards Shikamaru's door.

"I don't think so. The Children of Iron aren't like the Foundation or anything. It just seems like a title some of them have. Something must tie them all together. But the fact that most people aren't even sure they exist shows they aren't doing anything of note… or even anything at all. But Naruto looked… uncomfortable talking about it so openly. The founder was fairly old though, and Naruto is apparently the last, so the group spans a few decades. Although the Foundation tries to remain a secret many people find out about them. The Children of Iron seem different. Once when Shikaku asked someone who sounded like a member what it was he just said that if we didn't know we didn't need to know, and that spreading it around could hurt the younger Children of Iron. Since Naruto is the last one I guess the historian who talked to her doesn't have that to fear."

"Well, I'll keep an eye on Naruto and let you know if I spot anything."

"Hopefully it's nothing. But if I'm right it could be like when she was younger. She hid how bad the village was getting until she was in the hospital." He sighed, rubbing at his forehead.

"Should I warn Shikaku and Shikamaru that there might be something wrong? If nothing else they can keep an eye on her in the village."

"No. Those two are easily some of the smartest men I've known but sometimes they can be so busy looking for the answers that they forget to ask the question. I need to know if there is something wrong, not how to fix it. But she's sleeping right now so that's something. I'm going to go rest myself after checking on my wife. No doubt she's pushing herself to help even though her health can't take it."

"If she needs any help just let me know. And if you all don't have anywhere to stay we will find a place for you here."

"Thanks. I haven't had a chance to check out the damage personally. I've been too busy organising supplies for the village, so I'll let you know." With that he left, wishing he could have taken Naruto back to his home, where she could share a room with Ino like when they were babies. Unfortunately he didn't even know for sure if his house was standing. But at least he knew she was in good hands in the Nara Estate. None of the Clan members had reacted badly when Naruto's transformation jutsu broke in front of them and it almost looked like some were used to her being a fixture in the estate. It did make him wonder how he hadn't seen Shikamaru's feeling for Naruto earlier. Choza had commented to him a few years back that Shikaku believed Shikamaru had feelings for a boy, but he hadn't been able to get the man to tell him which boy. Inoichi chuckled, realising his large friend probably didn't realise Naruto was a girl. He was still unconscious but once he woke up the blond man had plans to rub his supreme knowledge in his face. After all, what were teammates for?

Hope you all like. R and R.