Naruto returned every morning and every night for the next three days. She repeated the same words every time and sat beside the Kyuubi's cage waiting each day for as long as she could make it last. Then she would go back to training or sleeping, and the cycle would repeat. By the third day she had annoyed the Kitsune enough to have it shout at her in the morning, but that proved to have little success when their night came and went in silence.

Naruto came to with the light of the campfire shining on her face and two sets of eyes peering at her from opposite sides.

By now the heiress was used to the treatment. She had spent almost every waking hour with the two men and found out quite a bit. She was still slightly shaken up over the ordeal with Roshi attacking her, but she had moved past avoiding his gaze.

Over the course of the few days she had also gained several more bruises. Her body still ahced, but it was more pleasant than not after healing over. They hadn't made any progress on the Kyuubi, but they had improved her chakra control and helped with her strength.

And on the third day, Shisui and Yarui both dropped into camp. The two of them wouldn't have been too bad, but tagging along with them were Shisui's younger siblings. The little ones had sprung on Naruto without warning, while Shisui and Yarui had dropped in to prevent Han and Roshi from reacting from the ambush. Naruto fought with the two brothers, finding it hard to tell them apart at first, before she grew serious. She used Shunshin and appeared behind both of them, striking quickly enough with her needles to nail them both in their arms. She jumped back then and waited until the poison went through their veins and made both of the boys hit the floor.

"Shisui, why are your little brothers attacking me?" Naruto asked first, her eyes scanning over the downed bodies at her feet. She made sure to use a paralysis, but she knew the boys would have trouble feeling their limbs for a while. That tended to happen when one had a paralysis serum used to take down Jonin pressed directly into their veins.

"They wanted to test themselves, and as it stood, we needed help finding you." Shisui spoke up from where he held Roshi's arm. His eyes scanned over her, taking in her wounds and bruises with a calm yet silently furious gaze. No doubt either she or Roshi would get an earful from the boy over her state after everything settled down. Naruto was not looking forward to that conversation.

"And you came looking for us, why?" She asked, her eyes shifting across his body as she checked him for injuries and the like as well. They were a team, and that meant they looked out for each other at all times.

Shisui gave her a look, which she responded to in kind. Their silent exchange garnered Han's curiosity, while Roshi and Yarui sighed and went to help the twins up and to the campfire.

Deciding that she wouldn't win the argument, Naruto waved Shisui over to the fire. "Come on, you too Yarui. I don't want to repeat myself, so Roshi-Sensei will have to go get Darui." Naruto said as she glanced between the boys. A weight settled on her shoulders, for she knew that as of now, there would be no secrets between her and her teammates. She was trusting them with this information, and she could only hope it wouldn't mean the end of her.

"No need to fetch me, I've been following them." A voice called out, and from the trees Darui dropped down, landing beside Naruto.

Naruto jerked, barely containing her reflex to attack the boy. Her body went stiff and she could see the surprise in the faces of her friends as she willed the instinct down.

"Alright, sit down, let's get this over with." Naruto spoke up, gazing at the three boys. She didn't dare wonder how long Darui had been watching or listening, or about how he had trailed the boys without them noticing. As a sensor, he knew the best way to hide from one, even her.

Their attention was directed to her, and thought her pulse went wild with the looks they gave her and the stress on her shoulders, Naruto knew she couldn't back down from her decision. She only wished she could have spent more time with her friends, because she doubted they would see her the same way after she told them what she was.

"You may already know I was adopted by the Bomber Clan when I was younger…but you don't know that when I was adopted I was adopted only days after I was born. Recently, as in since the Wave Mission, I have discovered that I have something…sealed within me. More accurately…" She trailed off and then steeled herself for the inevitable rejection she would face.

She had seen it with Roshi and Han, though not as extreme as what she had heard of in other villages. She had watched them be used and abused by people only wanting their power, and she wanted no part of it. Her role as heiress was trouble enough, she didn't need to give the people of Iwa another reason to fear her. That night, the night her Clan was killed, she had been the only survivor. People speculated, those in power wondered. She alone had survived, so what was the harm in saying why she had survived?

The Kyuubi was just too much, and Naruto felt everything crumbling around her even as she reformed the earth beneath her feet and bent her future to her will.

"More accurately, I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, one of the nine Bijuu distributed across the Elemental Nations by Senju Hashirama himself." She finally said, getting it all out at once.

Her eyes shifted across her friends and she feared for the change, the shift in their eyes that would show the hatred she readily expressed to Hatake Kakashi. She feared for the look of resentment or even disappointment that she was so often faced with as a rising Heiress and the little sister of such a great Shinobi.

Instead, she was surprised when not only Shisui, but also Yarui and Darui, both surged forward and encased her in a hug.

"Naruto…We're sorry." They all told her, leaving her speechless.

How long had she heard the words, "I'm Sorry"? How often were those words uttered to her with an ulterior motive or as a means to an end? Words uttered to calm her down, to keep her complacent or garner favor for a faction. She had heard those words hundreds of times since her clan was taken from her, and yet never had they brought tears to her eyes or actually felt real like these did.

She shuddered and her body sagged under the weight of her friends, but as she fell she let them circle her and keep her close. She didn't fight, and for once, Naruto felt like she didn't need to.

Her team, the only people to ever say they were sorry without any thought to themselves. She wondered what she did to earn them at all.

I~~~~I

For the longest time, Sashiko had wondered what type of person her father was. She had been born when he was still around, but he had died early on. She had been told who he was, what he had done, and even some of the stories her mother could share before bursting into tears.

That didn't cover the fact that she didn't know him. She had no memory of his face apart from pictures, nor his voice. She had lived without going to eat with him or even without training with him. Instead, she had trained with her brother.

Then, Ichihara had decided to leave. She had been devastated and hurt to the point of feeling betrayal, because Ichihara had always been the strongest one. He had been the one to protect them when their mother couldn't, to teach and train them in the way that no other person could. He understood them on a level that not many did, and he threw all of that away to go traveling across the nations.

Thinking back on her reaction to it, Sashiko knew she had been childish in her anger, but she couldn't find it within herself to regret it.

Gazing down at the grave below her, she still didn't regret it.

She placed the flowers for her father down, sighing heavily as she thought about the last few days. The Chunin Exams were close at hand, and already foreign teams were arriving in Konoha. The Iwa Shinobi had yet to arrive, however, and she was waiting for the moment they did. The girl who had attacked her with merciless and deadly intent was a Jinchuuriki, and might even be her missing godsister.

Sashiko didn't know how to feel about the girl. She had saved her life, but she had also been the reason that she was dying. The girl, Hosha, had gone back and cured her for apparently no reason, and then she had gone to help those on the bridge. She had been terrifying in nature, what with the way she did not care for her enemy nor the blood on her hands. Her movements had been fluid and without remorse.

"Thinking?" A voice called from behind, dragging Sashiko out of her thoughts.

She turned to find Sasuke standing behind her, his hands in his pockets. He was alone for once, without her little brother. Menma must have been training then, since he never seemed to leave the Uchiha's side otherwise.

Smiling, Sashiko greeted Sasuke calmly. "Morning, Sasuke-Kun. What brings you here?" She asked, and in response Sasuke glanced toward the grave.

Sashiko looked back down, gazing at the white lilies on her father's grave. "Ahh, he must be happy then. You don't visit often." She said, stepping back so Sasuke could stand beside her.

They remained silent for a few moments, before Sasuke turned to look at her with a blank gaze.

Sashiko smiled sadly at him and then looked up. "You need to stop reading people so easily. It's not fair." She managed to say before shaking her head.

"The girl, Hosha, do you think we'll run into her in the Chunin Exams?" Sashiko asked Sasuke softly.

Sasuke gazed at her for a few more moments, before he looked away as well. "More than likely. I doubt Iwa would miss an opportunity to show just how strong their Genin are. If we run into her though…I want to take her down first." Sasuke said, his eyes shifting. Sashiko gazed at him in surprise, her eyes widening a fraction. She hadn't thought Sasuke held anything against the girl, but based on the steel in his eyes, she had done something to earn his ire. Did it have to do with her deception? Or maybe the damage she had caused? Sashiko could only wonder.

"Come on, let's go get some food." Sashiko proposed, walking beside Sasuke. The Uchiha sighed and followed alongside her, the two making their way into the village.

"We can discuss what we need to there." Sashiko said, smiling at him gently. Sasuke only shook his head and a soft smirk quirked on his lips as they walked down the cobbled paths.

The village was alive with noise and smells. Market stands were open and civilians littered the streets, buying and selling wares. Several restaurants vocalized their food and other stores showcased products. Shinobi moved along the roof tops and carriages rolled by as they walked. All in all, Sashiko felt it was a normal day in Konoha. She wouldn't have it any differently.

This was her home, and she would do anything to protect it. Despite the hell she had gone through and the fact she had nearly died and was still recovering from that experience, Sashiko couldn't think of anything that would make her choose to do otherwise. She loved Konoha and she would die before she let it fall. She betray even her closest friends at the slightest chance it could save them or the village.

She would even fight Hosha again, knowing she could die, just to keep the village safe.

I~~~~I

It had been a long time since Minato had thought about his daughter. Most days he tended to drown himself in paperwork just so he didn't have to, but today he just couldn't. No matter the fact that he and Kushina had grieved or that they had Menma, he could never forget the small girl he had held in his arms for only seconds before she was taken from him.

Gazing out at the village, Minato felt his body stiffen at the thought of his daughter. She had been beautiful, just like her mother, and he had never once doubted his love for her. He had wanted to raise her, to teach and fight for her. He never got the chance to chase away the boys that would have flocked her, or the chance to watch her smile at him as she pranked the living daylights out of him just like her mother loved to.

He could feel his emotions turning in his gut, and the wave of nausea that followed only made things worse. He wanted that time with Naruto, but he never got it. She had been ripped from him, from them, far too soon.

Turning away from the village, Minato glanced to the photo on his desk. Kushina was pregnant in this one, the first time around, and he was smiling. He didn't smile like that, so full of joy and happiness, anymore. He enjoyed his time with his wife and son, sure, but he never forgot that they were supposed to be a family of four, not three.

"Minato?" A voice questioned from the door. Minato looked up to see his friend Michiko standing with his longtime adviser, Shikaku. They both looked calculative, and Minato was reminded of the fact that they no doubt knew more than they let on.

"Sorry…what was it you needed?" Minato asked, gazing between the two with a forced smile.

They both could see right through him, could see the anger and pain boiling below the surface, but they knew better than to say a single word. Instead they looked at one another before turning to him.

"A letter from Iwa has arrived. The Tsuchikage has stated that his teams should be arriving later on today." Michiko answered, her eyes shifting across his face. She was always freakishly good at reading expressions, and her skill only improved after she met Ichihara.

Shikaku did not bother showing his interest, since he had already figured out what had Minato on edge.

"The Suna teams are already in their Hotels. I checked in with the Kusa, Ame, and Taki teams, and they have settled into other hotels away from each other. The only villages we await are Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and also the nin from Tsukigakure." Shikaku informed Minato.

The Yondaime paused, glancing down at his paperwork.

"Tsuki decided to participate after all? I had thought they wanted to wait for a smaller group." Minato idly spoke, riffling through his papers till he pulled out the file on Tsuki's Ninja.

Tsukigakure was a somewhat new village sponsored by the Land of Rice, or Ta no Kuni, and it had only sprung up a few years earlier. They had slowly grown and forged small trading alliances with nearby villages, though they remained rather small. Minato had extended the invitation to join the Chunin Exams on principle, but he hadn't expected the village to accept. They were probably looking for more experience and jobs rather than to actually promote their ninja, but Minato could be wrong.

Looking over the files on the teams that Tsuki was sending, Minato felt like there might be a chance for Tsuki after all.

He paused when he noticed a file out of place, and setting the one in his hands down, he lifted the picture that had fallen out from his Iwa binder. His eyes widened when he saw the photo of the serious kunoichi staring back at him, her blue eyes glinting with a dangerous, and yet familiar, light.

"Minato?" Michiko asked again, stepping closer to him when he failed to answer her.

Iwatoshi Hosha Naruto, Heiress to the Iwatoshi Clan and one of the few members of Iwagakure's Bomber Faction left over. In fact, she was one of two. She was thirteen years old, only a year older than Menma, and it was stated she should have been promoted long ago. Her mission roster was near spotless, and gazing at the amount of B-Ranks the girl had completed, Minato could see a pattern.

She looked far too familiar, almost like a ghost, and Minato felt he ought to be haunted by her picture alone.

"Minato." Michiko said again, and Minato's head snapped up to find her standing right in front of his desk, her hand on the edge of the girl's profile.

"What's wrong?" She asked, glancing down at the photo.

"It's nothing, distracted is all." Minato lied quickly, pushing the profile down and back into its folder before Michiko could see anything other than the name. Minato quickly stored the files away in his desk as he stepped around her, waving off her concern.

"Well, how about we go and meet these Shinobi? I want to talk with this Iwatoshi Deidara about his team's accommodations after all." Minato said as he walked past Shikaku and Michiko.

His two old friends shared looks behind his back, and though he could sense that they didn't believe him, he didn't care. That girl, Hosha, had looked very much like he had when he was younger. It made Minato wonder. She was a strong kunoichi, one with the Tsuchikage's praises on her roster. He would have to look deeper into the matter, and what better way to do so than to go talk to her older brother and get details regarding their stay in Konoha.

Minato froze as he walked out into the hall, however, when he took in the sight below him. Standing at the bottom of the staircase was a smiling blond and an angry redhead. Ken had a blade to the blonde's throat, and several blades to his own throat. Three boys held weapons to the boy's body, ready to tear into him. The blonde tilted her head, her blue eyes glinting as she waved the three boys off of Ken.

"Sorry about that, I take it you haven't forgiven me for hurting your teammate?" The girl prodded, and when Ken surged forward Minato was ready to lunge, only to find the girl had appeared behind his Shinobi and had her head to the back of his head, a senbon held between two fingers and poised right by his skin.

"You ought to think before you act though. We are guests in Konoha, and as it stands…I have all the rights to take your life for threatening mine." The girl said, her voice dropping an octave before she flashed out of the way. Her three friends, or guards as it seemed, all appeared next to her. Ken remained frozen in front of them, his hands shaking enough for him to drop his blade.

Minato gazed down at the girl, recognizing her instantly. She was the Iwa Kunoichi, Iwatoshi Hosha.

"Ken!" Michiko shouted from behind him, and without him or Shikaku registering it she was down beside the boy and helping him stand straight. His blade was already in her grasp.

"It was a paralysis serum, it'll wear off in a few minutes." Hosha told Michiko, tilting her head in a calculating manner. Minato was struck by just how…familiar the gesture was. Michiko raised her head to give Hosha a look as she helped Ken up by pulling his arm around her shoulder.

"You should know better than to attack a Shinobi on foreign soil, Kunoichi." Michiko spoke, her voice dropping an octave. Minato continued down the steps and called out in order to draw attention to himself, knowing that if things continued the way they were going then someone was going to end up hurt or killed.

"Michiko, stand down. Iwatoshi Hosha, I apologize for Doten-Shi's reaction, though I'm sure you can understand why he reacted that way. Even so, I ask that you all put your weapons away before my guard decide to reciprocate your actions." Minato greeted the group. Iwatoshi turned sharply to him and he could feel her chakra surge slightly, as though she had been startled by his approach, before she met his eyes. Her blue orbs matched his, and something cut through him as she inclined her head respectfully.

"I apologize Yondaime-Sama. We did not mean to cause a ruckus. My teammates are just protective of me and they reacted without thinking. It will not happen again." She said and nodded to him. Minato nodded back, keeping his arms behind his back as an easy-going smile spread over his lips.

"Of course, Iwatoshi-San. Welcome to Konoha." Minato says with a smile.

I~~~~I

This took way too long. I apologize, but I was super busy this summer and when I wasn't I couldn't write much. With school starting I'm more organized, but I don't have a lot of time outside of school. I'm in my third year now and I have a couple duties, as well as college courses, but hopefully I'll be able to update at least monthly. Thank you all for the amazing replies and for being so patient with me, I love reading your comments and adding them into my thoughts so I can expand on them.