A/N: I'm back! Hmm...pretty quick, I must say, compared to my other fics...

Mei: It must be 'cause you're looking forward to finishing this fic while you still have the inspiration for it!

Me: Yeah, that could be it...okay, minna, enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer:...do I seem like someone who owns these two anime series? Nope! The idea for the story is mine, though...

oOo

Chapter 6: Surprises

CRACK!

"What was that?"

Suddenly from outside came the sound of splintering wood, and everyone rushed to the door and slid it open to see what had happened.

There, in the courtyard, stood Kai. His blade was whirling to a stop beside a wooden column, part of the walkway to the west wing of the compound. "Gomen," he said, his voice barely audible, as he retrieved the blade. "I didn't know I had hit it that hard…"

"What were you doing?" Yuriko asked, stepping outside in order to survey the damage. It was minor, yes, but it had to be repaired.

"I was experimenting with different martial arts moves; I knew Dranzer responded to punches and I wanted to see if the same would hold true for kicks."

"Let me guess: the answer's 'yes', isn't it?" Yuriko said, slightly amused. She went over to the post and examined it; it was broken nearly in half, and if nothing were done to remedy it, it would collapse. She sighed and quickly performed the seals she needed for the technique; almost immediately, wood began to form where the column had fractured.

"So she's a wood user…" Neji noted, uttering his first comment since he got there.

"But...that isn't under any of the five elemental chakras..." Tenten added, looking confused. Neji just shrugged.

"There, that should do it." Yuriko said as she stepped back to view her handiwork. As she did so, she spotted something white lying on the ground, went over to it, and bent down to pick it up. She grasped it by one edge. "Oh, Kai, here! You're scarf - Whoa!" she said suddenly, eyes widening in surprise. "Hey, it's…heavy…" she grunted, struggling lift it though she was already using both hands. The slate-haired teen shook his head and went over to her.

"If you can't handle it at first, then don't waste your strength trying to lift it a second time," he said, smirking. Then he reached down, picked it up, and then placed it around his neck once more.

"You're very strong…" Yuriko said, straightening up and blinking away her initial surprise. Kai didn't reply but made his way back towards the house, where all the chuunins - and one jounin - were gathered on the porch, flabbergasted; Chouji even stopped eating his chips when he saw what the crimson-eyed teen had done.

"Lee, he's almost as strong as you!" Naruto half-whispered.

"I know…" the round-eyed teen replied, also in a half-whisper. "And they just said none of them are ninjas, apart from Yuriko-san, right?"

"Hai."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. This Hiwatari Kai was looking very suspicious right now.

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"Now, now, Sasuke, you're jumping to conclusions here." Kakashi replied, not even bothering to open his one visible eye. It was the day after the 'acquaintance party', and the Uchiha had decided to bring his suspicions to his former mentor. "They couldn't be spies from another ninja country; I helped decide to bring them here, remember? Besides, Yuriko-chan is a student of mine, just like you, Naruto and Sakura were."

"But don't you find it strange what this Kai can do, even though he claims to have had no proper ninja training whatsoever?"

Kakashi sat up, opening his eye to allow him to gaze at the gently rippling water. "True, I find it strange, but there are some things we can't explain, and Kai's abilities are part of them, I guess."

Sasuke sighed, and then sat down beside the jounin.

Suddenly, Kakashi stood up, looking agitated and startling the young Uchiha beside him.

"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"The compound…" Kakashi muttered. It was as if he had forgotten he had company. And then, like a shot, he was rushing back to the village.

Sasuke hesitated for a while, and then ran after the silver-haired man. What could have happened?

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"Hey!" Yuriko called angrily as she gathered energy in her palm. "It's me you want, not them! Leave the innocents out of this!"

"Very well…"

It had started off as a normal day for Yuriko and her friends. They woke up, one after the other, had breakfast together, and then decided to go for a stroll around the village. They hadn't had the chance to do so when they arrived the day before, so they thought to make the most out of the free time they had on their hands.

However, while in the marketplace, a handful of innocent-looking bystanders had 'opened fire' on them - that is to say, began to attack them with deadly projectiles both physical and chakral. Fortunately, Yuriko had been able to form a barrier to shield the civilians who hadn't been able to run for cover. And then she had made short work of two of the five assassins; she was now confronting the third assassin, who was threatening to kill one of the shopkeepers. Thankfully, he had forgotten his intended victim when Yuriko challenged him, and the shaken man was able to crawl to safety.

"Suiton! Mizuken Ha!" the amethyst-eyed teen yelled, thrusting her hand towards her dark-haired opponent - who stood around ten feet away. Quick as lightning, water jetted out of her hand towards the man. There was a sick wet sound, and when the water disappeared, there was only a bloodied body on the ground; the water had coalesced into a point just before it reached Yuriko's enemy, and pierced him straight through.

"These Shikino are persistent…" Rei observed, leaping nimbly over the toppled stall nearby.

"Yes, regrettably so…" Yuriko replied, turning and heading outside, where she was sure the remaining two were waiting for her.

"Yuriko!"

The auburn-haired girl turned at the sound of someone calling her, and spotted Kakashi running up to her.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she exclaimed, startled. "What…what are you-?"

"Are you all right?" The jounin interrupted. Yuriko nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thankfully, so are the civilians who 'accidentally' got in the way."

"It was the Shikino, wasn't it?"

"Hai, and there are two more waiting to be dealt with…" Yuriko had no sooner taken a step when something - no, someone fell through the air towards her. Instinctively she jumped backwards to avoid him or her…and saw that it was one of the assassins. She glanced up and spotted Sasuke on the nearby rooftop. Apparently, the man who lay a few feet from her had been trying to launch a surprise attack from the air, but the Uchiha had thwarted his plan.

"Sasuke-san!" she called, smiling. "Arigatou!"

The raven-haired teen said nothing, and Yuriko shrugged, deciding not to let his attitude bother her.

"Y-Yuriko-san!"

Yuriko turned around and saw Hinata running up to her. "Hinata-san? What is it?"

The diffident Hyuuga heir looked panicked somehow, a cause for concern for Yuriko. "Y-your friends! They're-"

"Hinata-san, calm down, please…" The amethyst-eyed girl smiled and took the distraught girl's hand. "I won't be able to help them if you don't help yourself calm down enough to lead me to them…"

"Hai!" Her jaw set, Hyuuga Hinata did what was asked of her. Kakashi and Sasuke followed close behind.

Soon, they were at the northeastern sector of the town, which was one of the main residential areas of the village. Yuriko halted when she saw Kai and his teammates battling around ten more Shikino ninjas. Takao and Max had teamed up to fight one of them, and so had Hiromi and Kyouju; Kai and Rei were dealing two ninjas each, leaving four for Naruto and Sakura - who had happened to be in the vicinity when the fight broke out - to take care of.

"Hiromi, how did you guys get into this mess?" Yuriko asked, rushing up to the ruby-eyed girl.

"Well, back at the marketplace, Rei and Kai both noticed one of the assassins trying to sneak up on you," the dark brown-haired teen replied. "They tried to tackle him, but he ran away and they followed. We followed them, and the guy led us here, where his buddies where waiting for him…"

"And they attacked us!" Kyouju finished, panting as he whacked the ninja on the head with his laptop.

"Whoooooooa!" Naruto suddenly came whizzing towards the three, flailing his arms wildly. Thinking quickly, Yuriko summoned a gust of wind to cushion his fall.

"Hey, thanks, Yuriko-san…" Naruto said, looking sheepish. "I lost my head back there when the guy suddenly rushed at me…"

"Nan demo nai… But perhaps you guys might need some help…"

"Aaaaaaah!" It was Sakura's turn to scream as she came tumbling towards them, but Sasuke caught her just in time.

"A-arigatou, Sasuke-kun…." The pink-haired girl mumbled, trying to hide the blush spreading on her cheeks. The Uchiha said nothing in reply, merely setting her down on the ground and then rushing to confront her opponent before he - the Shikino ninja - could go after the others, who were still busy fighting their own opponents.

"Sakura-san, Naruto-san, if you'll excuse me, I think I'd better help my less-experienced friends…" Yuriko smiled, and then turned and delivered a swift roundhouse kick to Hiromi and Kyouju's opponent; the assassin was immediately knocked to the ground. He tried to get up, but another whack from Kyouju's laptop took care of his semi-consciousness.

"That takes care of one…" Yuriko muttered, noting that Sakura and Naruto had gone to take care of two of the ninjas they had been fighting. "That leaves two more - whoa!" she exclaimed suddenly as she ducked, narrowly avoiding having her forehead skewered on a kunai. Hmm…she thought as she readied herself to attack, this is one of the ninjas Naruto-san and Sakura-san were fighting…Perhaps he didn't like being interrupted.

The auburn-haired teen glanced towards the spot where Max and Takao had been fighting off their opponent, and was pleased to see that Hinata had taken over - and was doing a good job of it, too.

Within a few minutes, Yuriko had knocked the ninja unconscious and was contemplating whether to wait on the 'sidelines' or to help her friends. All of a sudden…

"Ack! Max! What were you trying to do?" Hiromi shrieked, causing Yuriko and Kakashi - who had gone to stand beside the amethyst-eyed teen - to turn their heads to look at her. To their surprise, she was quite wet, but not so much that it was obvious at a first glance.

The blonde, too, was looking baffled. "I don't know, Hiromi. I just wanted to help Hinata-san. I just rushed at the guy, getting ready to punch him and then… then water just came from out of nowhere!"

"You mean like what Takao's doing now?" Kyouju's voice had risen above those of the other two, a sign that he was truly freaked by what was happening.

"Impossible…" Kakashi gasped when he glanced towards the stormy-eyed teen. Takao was standing in the middle of small whirlwind while around him, the ninja the Hyuuga heir had been battling was whirling around and around, buffeted by the strong winds. It would have made for an awesome scene, save for the fact that Takao was looking scared and bewildered at the storm he'd seemingly created.

"Yuriko-chan, you said your friends weren't ninjas!"

"I'm sorry, sensei, but I'm just as puzzled as you are," Yuriko replied, not taking her eyes off the spectacle. "And, unfortunately, I don't think they'll be able to explain how they pulled off those attacks…"

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, and then a strangled cry pierced the air. Almost at the same time, there was a scream of pain and then the sound of sizzling flesh. And then silence.

Yuriko glanced towards where Kai and Rei had been battling the last four ninjas - Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had defeated their opponents, and the unfortunate ninja who had been caught in the whirlwind was knocked unconscious, too. What she saw shocked her so much that she gave a small gasp.

A few feet away from the two boys lay four huge lumps of some black substance, no longer recognizable as having once been humans. Yuriko ran over to the two.

"Rei! Kai! What did you just do?" she called as she neared them, a mixture of relief, surprise, and horror swelling up inside her.

"I'm not sure…" Rei replied slowly, looking down at his hands. "It's like the lightning just came shooting down from the sky. The strange thing is, it felt like my body was moving on its own…"

"I see…" Yuriko turned to the slate-haired teen beside her. "Kai?"

"Same thing as Rei: my body seemed to be moving on its own." The crimson-eyed teen shrugged; he was trying to look nonchalant, but the auburn-haired girl could see that he, too, was shaken by the sudden display of what seemed to be power so well-hidden none of the four knew they had it in them.

Sakura, Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto had gathered around the silent, masked jounin. "Kakashi-sensei, did you see that?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Such p-power…" Hinata whispered, a bit frightened by the intensity of the four's attacks.

"I didn't even see them perform any seals…" Sakura noted.

Kakashi didn't react to any of the chuunins' statements; he glanced at the raven-haired teen standing next to him. Could Sasuke have been right about these people…?

"Interesting…" Tsunade commented, getting up from her seat and standing in front of the window, gazing out at the city that lay before her. "Are you absolutely sure that what you saw was real and not some illusion, Kakashi?"

The masked jounin nodded. "Hai. Sakura-chan was there, Tsunade-sama; she would have been able to tell immediately if it were a illusory technique or not, you know that…"

"Hmm…true." The blonde woman turned to face her visitor, her expression grim. "But then you said that none of the newcomers - except for Yuriko - had had any training in ninjutsu. How would you explain, then, what they did back in the northeastern sector?"

The silver-haired man smiled beneath his mask. "Uh…I'm sorry, but I have no explanation for that…And it seems, none of them know how they were able to do so, either; they're quite at a loss on that subject, each claiming that their bodies moved on their own."

"I see…" the fifth Hokage looked thoughtful. For a while, there was only silence, and then Tsunade opened her mouth to speak once more. "What were their names again?"

"Tsunade-sama, what are we doing in this dimension again?" Shizune asked, clutching her familiar, Ton-Ton, closer to her in case the small - and adorable - pig got it in her head to suddenly run away.

"To find information not available in the archives." The blonde Hokage said, glancing about her furtively. It was the day after the strange occurrence in Konoha, and Tsunade and Shizune had traveled, via portal, to Tokyo. "And keep your voice down; we mustn't let anyone know we are not of this world."

"Hai. But what sort of information are we looking for?" the raven-haired woman asked.

"Earlier, Kakashi told me something of interest concerning four of the seven newcomers." Tsunade replied as she started to walk briskly down the sidewalk. Shizune hurried after her. "I was intrigued when I heard that they four could utilize one element each, and according to their friend Yuriko-san, none of them had undergone any ninja training whatsoever."

"I never knew that…" The younger woman looked down at her feet as they alternately slapped the pavement. "…So where are we heading now?"

"The local archives - The Japanese National Library." The amber-eyed kunoichi quickened her pace when she recalled that they still had quite a way to go. Before she and her assistant left the village, Tsunade had asked Yuriko for directions to the library, and learned that the Japanese National Library was located in the central district - more than a few kilometers from the most protected portal. By 'protected', it meant that emergence from that particular wormhole would attract no attention from passersby. "Yuriko-san said that it was the most comprehensive one in this nation."

"I see…"

For quite a while, the two women walked along in silence. Tsunade recalled the directions Yuriko had given her, and recited them in her head; Shizune observed the buildings, the vehicles, and the people that passed by. Presently, the younger woman walked a bit faster in order to walk side-by-side with her companion.

"Tsunade-sama, how much further until we reach our destination?"

"It's just ahead." Tsunade replied curtly, and Shizune looked up. She stopped when she saw it, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Tsunade-sama," she began hesitantly, frozen in place. "H-how can that long pole be the archive we are looking for?"

"Yuriko-san called it a 'bus stop'. She said we were to ride the next bus to the central district and get off at the third corner from Hizashi Avenue…" the yellow-haired woman frowned slightly. "Strange name for a thoroughfare, though…anyway, she said we'd know we were on it because we would see a street sign. Another shop we were to watch out for is HMV; once we see that, we won't be far from the avenue."

"I'm beginning to wonder how people can live with all these confusing systems…" Shizune commented, bending slightly so she could put Ton-ton down. The small pig stood quite still on the curb, as though she sensed it would be suicidal to run ahead.

A few minutes later, there was a deep rumbling sound from the far end of the street. Both Tsunade and Shizune glanced up towards the source of the noise. The raven-haired woman's eyes widened. "W-what is that?" she asked when she spotted the rather large box-like metal figure of the bus.

"Shizune," the Hokage half-whispered. "Remember we are in a world not our own. Try to blend in."

Shizune forced herself to keep a straight face and calm down. "Gomen…is this the 'bus' we are supposed to ride in order to get to this library?"

The golden-haired woman smiled a bit. "It isn't, but the one we're supposed to use looks somewhat similar. I'll tell you when I see it."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called, her voice barely above a whisper; her companion heard it nonetheless and came hurrying over.

"What is it?" she asked as soon as she stood beside the raven-haired adult. The pair had arrived at the Japanese National Library around ten minutes ago, and already Shizune had mastered the computer search system available to the public. Tsunade had gone the traditional route and had come up with nothing.

Shizune didn't reply as she read the information on the screen. Tsunade pulled up a chair and began to read, too.

"No way…" Shizune murmured when she finished reading the article. Tsunade, who finished less than a minute later, said nothing in reaction to what she had just read, but the shock shone through her amber eyes.

"Shizune, whose name did you search for?"

"Hiwatari Kai. Then I logged onto the birth records and found this data sheet."

"Do the same for Mizuhara Max, Rei Kon, and Kinomiya Takao." the golden-eyed woman instructed as she pulled her chair closer to her companion's so she could see the screen better.

"Hai."

"Kakashi-sensei, why did you call us here?" Yuriko asked as she approached the jounin. Kakashi was standing in front of the door leading to the Hokage's office, and in front of him stood Yuriko and the four members of Team BBA. Hiromi and Kyouju had stayed at Yuriko's clan compound, both with the excuse of taking naps.

"Let's just say Tsunade-sama and Shizune discovered something that might be of interest to you." He glanced pointedly at Kai, Max, Rei, and Takao. "Especially you four."

Stormy blue eyes widened. "What? Why us? What did we do?"

The masked ninja smiled beneath his mask. "Oh, no, you didn't do anything. Anything harmful, at least. Hokage-sama just wants to share some information she found with all of you, the four of you in particular."

The rather large oak door swung open just a crack, and a bit of Tsunade's face showed through the gap. "Kakashi, are they all there?"

The jounin nodded, still smiling. "Hai. They just arrived."

"Good." Tsunade opened the door wider, a half smile on her face. "Now, why don't you come in? You, too, Kakashi."

In a few moments, everyone was in the room, and the door was closed and locked. Tsunade walked over to her desk and sat down on the swiveling chair. The seven teens were standing in a crooked row in front of her, and the one jounin stood off to the side, leaning against the wall. Shizune and Ton-ton were nowhere in sight.

"First of all, Yuriko, I'd like to thank you for giving me accurate directions to the national library of your adoptive city. Without them, Shizune and I wouldn't have returned as quickly."

Yuriko bowed slightly. "It was no trouble at all, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded, acknowledging the young girl's statement. "Second," she continued, turning her attention to Kai and his teammates. "I think we have found an explanation for the techniques the four of you pulled off yesterday."

"Really?" Takao exclaimed, eyes wide with anticipation. "Cool! I'd really like to know where that whirlwind thing came from!"

The incumbent Hokage chuckled, shaking her head. "I can definitely see the resemblance…"

"Resemblance in what?" Takao persisted, growing impatient.

"Takao, calm down…" Rei lightly scolded the younger teen. "Remember, this is the village leader you're talking to; show a little respect…"

"I'll start with a little history," Tsunade went on as though she hadn't heard the interruption. "Listed in the annals of this village are reports of kunoichi - four in total - who have gone missing at some point. The reasons for their disappearance are varied, from being reported missing to dying while on a mission.

"I discovered that these four women had somehow found their way to your world and had gotten married there. What's surprising is that their descendants are standing before me right now…"

A stunned silence hung in everyone struggled to process this piece of information. Yuriko was the first to speak.

"Hokage-sama, so what you mean to say is…"

Tsunade nodded. "Exactly. Contrary to what we first thought, Kai, Max, Rei, and Takao are children of Konoha, just like you, Yuriko. Even more shocking, they are related to some of the finest clans here."

"Which ones?" Kakashi asked. He'd taken a sudden interest in the conversation.

"Funny you should ask, Kakashi," the amber-eyed woman glanced at him, still smiling. "Because your nephew is standing right here…"

The masked jounin pinpointed where the Hokage was looking…and then he and Rei locked gazes. One slim gray eyebrow shot up questioningly. "Rei-san?"

The neko-jin blinked. "Y-you…you're my…uncle?"

"Grand-uncle, actually. Rei, your mother was the daughter of Kakashi's older sister, one of the ninjas reported dead on a mission." She turned to the silver-haired jounin. "Kakashi, you were only a few months old when this happened, so you would know nothing of an older sister.

"Unfortunately, there wasn't much to go on when it came to you, Kinomiya Takao." Tsunade continued. "However, I discovered that your maternal grandmother's name was actually in our archives. Further delving into history revealed that you-"

"He what, Tsunade-baasan?" a familiar voice cut in. Amber orbs narrowed, and Tsunade turned to face the offender.

"Uzumaki Naruto, what are you doing in the window?"

The loudmouthed ninja grinned mischievously. "I got bored so I decided to look for Kakashi-sensei. I heard he was with you, so I came here!" Without an invitation from the Hokage, Naruto hopped down from the windowsill and into the room, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Anyway, Tsunade-baasan, why don't you continue with what you were saying? It was getting interesting. So, Kakashi-sensei is actually someone's grand-uncle..." He chuckled. "Hard to believe; he's so young!"

Tsunade shook her head, smiling good-naturedly. "Even three years later, your general attitude still hasn't changed, Naruto. In ordinary circumstances, I would send you out, but since this concerns you, too, in a way, I guess you may stay…"

"Yes!" The black-and-orange clad teen pumped his fist in the air.

"As I was saying before we were interrupted, as it turns out, Takao, you and this loudmouth here are second-degree cousins."

"Right…so he and I are second degree cous-" Naruto stopped short as the message registered. "NANI?"

"Tsunade-sama was right…" Max whispered to Yuriko. "They do resemble each other, if attitude is any indication." Yuriko chuckled, putting a hand to her mouth to hide her grin.

"I have a ninja for a second-degree cousin?" Takao looked thunderstruck. "Whoa…Man! The traditional warrior thing is killing me! First, my grandpa is a swordsman, and now I find out about this!"

"The same thing goes for you, Max," Tsunade continued, raising her voice above the slight din. That did it. Both Takao and Naruto shut their mouths when they heard the golden-eyed woman mention Max's name.

"What goes for Max, too?" Takao asked, glancing at his best friend. Max flashed his famous thumbs-up and grinned.

"Just as you, Takao, are Naruto's second-degree cousin, so is Max a second-degree cousin to Hyuuga Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi."

"Aren't Hinata and Neji the two with the ghostly pale eyes?" Max asked, looking thoughtful.

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, they are. The eyes are typical of members of the Hyuuga clan. However, it's apparent that this trait wasn't passed on to you…"

"Good thing, too!" Takao commented, grinning widely. "I don't know what I'd do if Max had those freaky eyes instead of his blue ones…"

"Yes, well, that brings me to the last person on the list…" Tsunade piped up. "And surprisingly, it's the closest relationship so far." Her amber eyes locked onto Kai's crimson ones, and a small smile formed on the older woman's lips. "However, its quite easy to see it…"

"See what?" Naruto asked. He had flopped onto the nearby cushioned couch, one foot up on the armrest.

"The resemblance between Kai…and Sasuke."

Naruto shot up. "Kai…and Sasuke…are related?" he blurted, eyes wide. "NO WAY!"

Kai's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Hokage-sama?" he asked, imitating Yuriko's form of address.

"Do you recall your mother's maiden name?" Tsunade asked as she turned to the slate-haired teen. Kai shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't. All I do remember is that her given name was Masako," he replied in a quiet, controlled voice.

"That's the name Shizune found in the database when she accessed your birth records," Tsunade revealed. "And then we found that Sasuke's father, Fugaku, had had a younger sister named Masako who was reported missing after her last mission."

"What did this other Masako look like?" Kai asked. He knew that there could easily have been around two dozen Masako's in Japan, and any one of them could have been his mother.

"According to the records, Uchiha Masako - her name before she married, of course - had short, dark brown hair and eyes of blue so dark they looked black."

Kai stood quite still when he heard that. The description fit his mother - rather, what he could remember of her - perfectly!

"One more thing," Tsunade added, walking back to her desk and sitting back down. "There may be a few inherent physical traits, such as your crimson eyes, Kai, but of note is the affinity for a certain elemental chakra the four of you display. It is similar to the clans I mentioned.

"The Hatake clan is known for their use of lightning-based chakra; Naruto here is a wind user; and the Uchiha clan is famous for their fire techniques. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure if the Hyuuga are attuned to any one type of elemental chakra, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"So you guys are…" Yuriko began, glancing at the four. Then she smiled and turned back to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, I think you didn't call us here just for this announcement; there's something else, isn't there?"

"Hai. Yuriko, I want you to help them master and control their respective chakras."

"M-Me?" Amethyst eyes widened. "But…but why?"

"First of all, you've already established some sort of bond with them, right?" Yuriko nodded slowly, and Tsunade continued. "Second, since your bloodline limit allows you to use all five elements, I figure you'd make the best teacher for them."

"But-"

"That will be all." The amber-eyed woman said curtly. "You may go."

Kakashi walked over to the group, smiling reassuringly. "Well, everyone, you heard Hokage-sama; let's go." Gently he ushered the six teens towards the door, nodding his thanks to Tsunade before going out himself and closing the door behind him.

"Well, that was quite a surprise wasn't it?" The masked jounin asked cheerfully once he was out in the corridor with the group.

"I'll say!" Naruto replied, still grinning. He folded his arms behind his head and began to walk. "Looks like I've got family of sorts now…"

"Yeah, finding out something new about yourself is always nice," Takao added, glancing down at the floor and then rubbing his stomach. "But I think the shock of it all has made me hungry all of a sudden."

"Come to think of it, I could use a nice big bowl of ramen myself…" Naruto said, reaching into his pocket and bringing out his green frog wallet. "See you, guys! Ichiraku Ramenya, here I come!" With that, the blonde chuunin was off like a shot.

"Naruto! Wait for me! I'm coming, too!" Takao called, running after the fast-disappearing ninja.

"It isn't just the chakra they have in common," Yuriko commented. "Even the eating habits are the same…"

Everyone laughed at that, and then they started walking down the hall.

Just outside the window of the office the group had just left, a dark figure crouched, and then sprang up, landing silently on the roof of a nearby building. Obsidian eyes narrowed. "So…we are related, after all…"

oOo

A/N: Bet you didn't see that coming! Or maybe you did and your suspicions were confirmed! XD Anyway, please let me know what you think...Oh, and I edited Yuriko's attack from 'Mizuken Hame' (Water Sword Blast) to 'Mizuken Ha' (Water Sword Wave').

Dewa mata! Peace out and God bless!