~~Flashback~~

The doors to the Hokage's office were kicked open and Namikaze Minato was sure that if he looked up, he would see one of two things: Either his pissed off girlfriend or his bored and irritated brother.

Personally, he was hoping for the former.

"Nii-sama~!" Naruto sang out as he entered the office, making the Forth groan loudly and smack his head on the desk, "I want a mission!"

"Naruto, you just got back from one in Kumo," Minato sighed out as he rubbed his forehead, "And E sent me the damages..."

"First of all, E-sama is just as at fault as I am when it comes to the broken wall in his office," Naruto said with an extended finger, before pointing with said finger at his brother, "And secondly, that mission was three months ago!"

Minato blinked and rubbed his eyes, "No, you returned yesterday morning..."

"From a spar with Obito and Kakashi," Naruto finished with a roll of his eyes, "You wanted me to assess them and see if they were ready for ANBU, which I gave the go-ahead but you declined, preferring that they had received a bit more missions of a higher caliber."

The Forth frowned and cupped his chin, "Oh yeah...I did say that yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did," Naruto agreed with a nod as he crossed his arms, "So gimme a mission!"

"You'd think one like the Great Captain Konoha would at least give his elder brother some respect," Minato growled out as he glared at the smirking blonde standing across from him, "Why not go find Jiraiya-sensei?"

Naruto snorted, "And get chased by women after I find him, thanks but I'll leave that to you, Ero-nii-sama."

Minato's eye ticked, "You and Kushi-chan will never let me live that down..."

"The price of being well known and very fast, dear brother o' mine," replied the Captain with a smirk before he fell on his knees, "Come on, Nii-sama! Give me a mission, I'm going nuts in here...Oh, I know, why don't I find out what the ROOT is up to! Please? It's so fun pissing Danzo-teme off."

"Hell no!" Minato snapped back, making Naruto pout. The elder brother sat and recomposed himself before sternly talking to the blonde, "The last time I had you 'spy' on Danzo, I nearly lost three ANBU squads trying to restrain that...thing."

Naruto frowned and gave his brother a pointed look as he stood, "That thing is just as alive as you or I, Nii-sama. Danzo had no right torturing it and trying to understand what it was without your consent."

Minato crossed his arms and leaned back, "Suppose you're right. That thing...whatever it is...Is now loose because of your interference and I had to scrap the entire up ROOT mission."

"I stand by my decision, Nii-sama," Naruto replied before muttering under his breath, "Though I should probably track it down so I'm sure it doesn't hurt anyone..."

"What was that?" Minato asked his brother, who only smiled dumbly. The Forth eyed his brother before sighing and interlacing his fingers, "Fine. You want a mission, the Kazekage has requested one of our top sealers go and investigate the Ichibi Pot to see how the seal is holding up."

A growl in the back of Naruto's mind made the blonde roll his eyes before he spoke, "Fuzz-ball says that the Ichibi's proper name is Shukaku."

Minato frowned, "How long has he been talking to you, is Mito-baa-sama's seal weakening?"

A scowl crossed his brother's face and the younger blonde pressed a fist onto the desk before he spoke, "The seal is fine. Part of the reason for that mission was to learn more about my status. Like I said about that thing, Kurama is a living entity."

"You cannot trust Kitsune," Minato pointed out with a frown, "They're tricksters."

"Then you cannot trust Jinchuriki," Naruto snapped back at his brother before walking to the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the wincing Forth, "They're unstable. I'll see to the Pot. See ya in a few weeks, Nii-sama."

Naruto left and slammed the door behind him, making Minato groan and pinch the bridge of his nose. He stopped and looked at a picture on his desk with a frown. On it was a redheaded woman standing behind a younger Naruto and Minato, before they went to Uzuoshigakure no Sato to transfer the Kyuubi into the younger brother. Naruto had his normal beaming smile whereas Minato had a smaller one gracing his face, both of them being no older than three. Mito had a small smile much like Minato's, but the mischief glistening in her eyes was much like his younger brother's.

'Dammit, Baa-sama…' Minato thought as he put his head in his hands, 'You said he'd be cut off from the fox...Why didn't you ever clarify over it being good or bad? We might not be at each other's throats if I knew what you really thought…'

~Present~

"Could you please repeat yourself, Naruto-Kun?" Sarutobi asked with a frown, "You want me to do what?"

"I want you to release all of Nii-sama's and Neechan's belongings to me, and I want Akane-chan's legal name changed to Namikaze," Naruto pointed out with a frown on his face, "I have nothing against Neechan's clan name, but Akane has no need to be protected now that I'm back."

"The other villages aren't aware of your return yet," the Sandaime pointed out, "And your brother's instructions strictly say to keep hold of his scrolls concerning the Hirashin because he doesn't want anyone to-"

"I'd never say I was going to try and replicate it," Naruto grumbled with crossed arms, "I tried that years ago and got nowhere fast. The Hirashin's notes need to be destroyed if we want to ensure no one is to ever use it."

"You intend, to destroy the very jutsu that won us the war?" Sarutobi sputtered out in disbelief, "Are you mad?"

Naruto scowled and started ticking off fingers, "First of all, hell no! I'm perfectly sane. Secondly, Nii-sama made that jutsu out of years of studying and researching Fuinjutsu with Ero-Sennin. I'm certain, no, positive that even if I could get my head around one one-thousandth of the formula, I'd never figure it out in less than ten years. No one else will ever get it. And Finally, what am I, chopped liver? Killer Bee would've trampled the seventh squad without me, and E-sama would have crushed Nii-sama if Kushi-nee-chan wasn't there. So save that 'war-winning technique' crap to one of the kiddies at the academy."

Naruto finished listing his reasons and crossed his arms, "Did I miss anything or do you want to keep trying to keep me and Akane-chan from our family scrolls. I could, if I so wanted, just take them, God of Shinobi..."

Hiruzen scowled and lifted an open hand to keep his ANBU at bay. He was known as the God of Shinobi due to an all-out Kage brawl that had engulfed a small section of the continent in the Second Shinobi World War, but that was back when he was in the prime of his life. Standing before him could be the next God of Shinobi if he so wanted to be called that, and the fact that the man before him had a good forty years on him only made the prod feel worse.

The Sandaime lowered his hand and sighed heavily before looking at the blonde, "You do realize the hell this will bring forward in a council meeting?"

"As would the hell concerning a Hyuuga's taijutsu secrets being released," Naruto countered with a smirk as Sarutobi hung his head, "I know this village's dirty secrets old man, why do you think I was in charge of ANBU during Nii-sama's reign?"

"Kushina was," Sarutobi corrected, getting a snicker from the blonde.

"Nee-chan might have been after my disappearance, but she was my cover," he said with a smirk, "My face is too well known as a nice guy, so if I was listed as the ANBU head, everyone would be pestering me to join ANBU or to train so and so. No one would dare try and bother Nee-chan with that crap."

"...You're smarter than I thought, Naruto-Kun," Sarutobi chuckled out after he let the blonde's words sink in. He sighed heavily before nodding, "Rationally, you are right. I suppose that having a technique in storage that no one could figure out is the equivalent to handing said technique to our enemies on a silver platter."

'So is the way of the ninja; If you want it and don't have it, Steal it,' Naruto thought with a smirk before he calmed himself and nodded, "Thank you, Hiru-Jiji. Now, Akane-chan is getting out of the Academy shortly and I promised I would walk her home."

"I still can't believe you had her enrolled at such a young age," Sarutobi said with a sigh, "Then again, you and her parents did fine starting so young...as did Kakashi."

"Damn right," Naruto said with a grin as he turned and walked away, "See ya later, Hokage-Jiji. Oh, and think about what I said concerning the Chunin Exams!"

Naruto walked through the village with his hands behind his head, inadvertently making his midsection seem slimmer and his arms larger, which would explain the staring and drooling females watching him as he strolled. His armor was back at the Namikaze estate, hung in its normal case within his room, and he was dressed in a tight white T-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on both shoulders. He wore the normal shinobi slacks but had forgone the normal tape that most used.

"Cap'n-sama!" Naruto turned to find the owner of the voice that called him and smiled at the approaching pinkette, lowering his arms and nodding as she approached.

"Hey Sakura-chan," he greeted with a smile, making the girl blush at the title from an older man, "You seem in a hurry, what's wrong?"

Shaking her blush from her face, Sakura donned a worried look, "Kiba-baka is scuffling with a Suna nin in the alley. I tried to-."

"Say no more," Naruto instructed with a nod before lightly ruffling her hair, "You did right going to find a superior officer when it pertains to a foreign shinobi. I'll require you to go pick up Akane-chan from the academy in my stead-."

"That's why they're fighting though," Sakura interrupted with a frown, freezing the blonde in his place, "Apparently, Akane-chan had run into the Suna nin when she was trying to go home, he had threatened her and Kiba and I stumbled upon the scene. Kiba Kawarimi-ed with her and head-butted the shinobi-."

"Which. Alley?" Naruto growled out, frightening the genin into silence. Nodding his thanks, Naruto vanished in a blur, leaving a sweating pinkette to fall to her knees from the Killer Intent the blonde released.

"Kiba-nii-chan! Please stop!" Akane cried from her spot near the entrance to the alley hugging the growling white puppy. She had tried to wait for Naruto-oji, she really did, but she wanted to hear more stories about her tousan and kaasan. Her impatience had gotten the better of her and she tried to remember the path her Oji took to get her to the Academy. She got lost and in her fear, she tried to double back to the Academy in a hurry.

Then she ran into the makeup boy and things went downhill.

"Kankuro no baka!" the blonde girl wearing a periwinkle dress scolded from the opposite side of the scuffle, "he won't like seeing you fight! Stop before-!"

"Kiba, Heel!" a man's voice called into the alleyway, making everything stop. The angered heir to the Inuzuka clan froze and jumped away from his opponent, standing at attention with his back parallel to the fence. Kankuro, the opponent, fell to the ground and rubbed his nose, preparing to shout at the dog ninja before he froze at the sight of the newcomer.

He was, for lack of any better words, big. Not big as in 'fat', but big as in 'build like a brick house'. The guy looked like he benched mountains! Ok, maybe not mountains but he sure as hell benched more than the puppeteer did. Kankuro looked back to his sister for help, only to feel his jaw drop at the hearts in her eyes.

"What the hell is going on here?" the man demanded quietly. Before either of the boys could speak, the young girl turned around and ran to the blonde crying, "Naruto-oji!"

Kankuro paled. 'That guy...was her uncle? Oh, this was bad. Very, very bad.'

The man's angry visage dropped from the intense disapproving glare into a small look of relief as he looked down at the girl latched onto his leg. The scowl returned as he looked at the sweating Konoha nin.

"Kiba, Sasuke. Front and center!" he barked, getting the Inuzuka and the Uchiha before him in a flash. Kankuro gaped, where did the raven-haired guy come from? The blonde's attention went to the trees and he narrowed his eyes, "You too, Tanuki-san."

Whatever color was left on Kankuro's face vanished as his younger brother reappeared with a look of worry and unease on his face. Gaara, the redheaded boy that had reappeared, was never unnerved. He never worried about meeting someone. This guy walks into the alley and makes beads of sweat fall on the redhead's forehead!

'Just who is this guy?' Kankuro asked himself as he slowly got to his feet and listened in on what this guy was saying to the two Konoha genin.

"...I'm disappointed in both of you! Kiba, while your intentions were good, you never attack a foreign shinobi! I should have you in the T&I building just for that!" Naruto scolded the whimpering genin, before he looked at Sasuke, "And Sasuke! You should have stepped in and stopped the fight while Sakura went to get me! We are Konoha shinobi; No man gets left behind! That is our motto, that is our way, that is why we work. I want you both to thank Kami that I'm not turning either of you in for these misdemeanors, but know that I am informing Tsume-sama and Kakashi. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes Captain-sensei, sir!" the two boys repeated, having gotten a bit of training from the blonde on their journey back from the Yuki mission, as they were used to by the soldier-like shinobi. They stepped to the side as he crouched to detach Akane from his leg.

"Akane, as relieved as I am that you're safe, do not leave the academy grounds without myself or any of Team 7. Do you understand me?" he asked sternly with his hands on either of her shoulders. The still crying girl, nodded her head, getting a soft smile back before she was brought into a hug, "Thank kami you're safe..."

"C-Capi-sensei?" Sasuke's worried voice made the blonde look at him. The young genin glanced over at the Suna genin and the Tokujo nodded in understanding. Naruto handed Akane to Kiba, who carefully moved her to her feet and held her hand before he stood and approached the three Suna genin.

"You three are here for the Chunin exams, yes?" he asked, getting nods from the three of them. Naruto looked at them all before stopping on the one with red hair and black circles around his eyes. The symbol for 'love' carved into his head gained his attention and Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You, Tanuki, what is your name?" he asked calmly but with suspicion.

The redhead swallowed, which made his two teammates shudder in fear, before he spoke, "S-Sabaku no Gaara, Konoha-san."

Naruto kept a soul-piercing gaze on Gaara for a moment before his features lightened and he smiled, "Well, Gaara-san, I hope you understand that while killing is allowed in this exam, I don't approve of losing comrades. Keep your feisty teammate in check and don't feed any tanuki, understood?"

The beast screaming in Gaara's mind to run away was now muttering orders to obey the man before him in the redhead's mind. The genin nodded curtly before vanishing in a swirl of sand, making Naruto arch a brow and rub his chin.

'Impressive. Shukaku seems to have understood my threat, and from the look in the boy's eyes, he must have a large hold over his container. If I could break through to him like I did Killer Bee and Roshi…' His thoughts derailed as he realized the two Suna genin were staring at him in fear. Sheepishly chuckling, Naruto waved them off, "You're free to go-."

"That's it?" Kankuro blurted out, getting all eyes on him. He continued, "You get those two to snap into soldier mode, you make my nee-chan go googly-eyed, and you boss Gaara around like he's your student! Just who the hell are you! What are you? Don't you care why we were fighting? How'd you know I didn't start that fight?"

"Kankuro. Shut. Up!" Temari hissed through clenched teeth as she blushed in embarrassment at her brother's words. Her brother continued despite her warning.

"And your freaking brat of a niece ran into me, I almost punched her! And you...you probably didn't know that...fuck me," Kankuro whimpered as the blonde's eyes narrowed. Naruto leaned into Kankuro's face; a firm glare on his face before he spoke.

"You threaten kids at home?" he asked, getting a quick shake of the head in the negative as a response. Naruto arched a brow and asked, "Then why the fuck did you threaten my niece?"

"I-I-I-I-I..."

Naruto poked Kankuro once in the chest, making the boy shriek girlishly before he fainted. The blonde glared down at the unconscious puppeteer before looking at the girl, "Next time he threatens to harm a child, I'd better not be informed, or I'll be sure he can never have one. Tell him that."

"H-Hai!" Temari squeaked out. Naruto turned around and went back to Akane, picking her up under her arms and carrying her home while the two boys quickly followed. Temari swallowed heavily and put her arms under her brother's, dragging him along the ground before dropping him. She left him and decided that if he was attacked, he deserved it due to his stupidity.

"...Kaasan, you have to tell Kiba," Hana said as she sat across from her mother in the clan's head office. The woman stopped checking over the ninken's health reports and looked up with a frown. Hana had started pestering her about this a few days ago after she returned and had learned the truth. Despite being such a short amount of time, it was quickly getting on Tsume's nerves.

"I should have never told you the truth," she growled quietly before getting back to the reports. Hana scowled and crossed her arms.

"You should have told me that I had a father-figure rather than allowing me to forget him! Don't punish Kiba for an accident-" "He gave me his word, Hana!" Tsume interrupted with a snarl, slamming her hands on the desk to face her undeterred daughter, "When Namikaze Naruto gives you his word, he follows it through to the letter!"

"And he did," Hana shot back as she matched her mother's stance, "Cap-no, Tousan, swore he'd come back and he did. He came back. What you're mad about is that it took him so damn long!"

"No, what I'm mad about is that he left me alone!" Tsume snapped, her eyes softening into two wounded brown orbs, "He left me, left us when we needed him most. He could have stopped Danzo...He could have..."

"Don't you dare pin that on him!" Hana snarled, getting a growl from her mother, "He didn't know about it until we left Yuki! And if you want to play that game, why didn't you go to Kushina-Oba? Or adopt Akane?"

"Dammit, I would if I could, but I didn't know-" "Bullshit!" Hana interrupted, pointing at her mother, "You knew damn well whose daughter she was! You can't tell the difference, she's a damn clone of Kushina-Oba!"

Tsume stubbornly looked away, making Hana growl before the younger Inuzuka threw her hands in the air, "Kami! Fine! You wanna play that game, fine! I'll be at the kennel if you want to continue this, Kaasan. C'mon boys."

The three lying Haimaru got to their feet and followed their partner out of the room. The dogs had remained quiet during the spat, deciding that involving their own opinions could have led to an altercation with Kuromaru. Said elder canine waited until the door was slammed behind the heiress to the Inuzuka clan before he spoke, "She's right."

"Shut up, Kuromaru," Tsume growled. The one-eyed dog rolled his usable eye.

"Hey, I'll admit that he pissed me off, too," the dog started as he scratched his ear, "but you can't seriously be considering hiding him from Kiba. Soon enough, someone else is going to see the similarities between the two, and they'll bring it up. Kiba may even see it. What will you do then?"

"Kiba's smart, but he's not that smart," the clan head scoffed. She frowned, "And if it comes to that...I'll tell him off."

"You can't deny a child their father, Tsume," Kuromaru scolded in disapproval, "Just because he hurt you doesn't mean he'd ever hurt Kiba. You and I both know he'd never hurt his own son."

Tsume didn't reply, deciding to keep quiet and go through the paperwork. Kuromaru sighed and laid back down before he spoke again, "I won't go against you, whatever you decide, but know that I disapprove."

"...I know..." she quietly replied. Her own thoughts swirling over the situation. Does she tell her son the truth now, or risk losing him by lying even more?