*peeks out from behind MUN research binder and Political Science notes*

I have a question.

If I apologized for the super late update, blamed it on my final exams and projects, how many of you would forgive me?
Really?
How about if I throw in Chapter 6 as well?

Funny story: I was telling my mom about this fanfic. And I mentioned how I didn't have time to update before. She quirked an eyebrow at me and asked: Well, why don't you do it now?

Okay, so maybe it's not that funny. But it filled in the empty space that was staring at me from the screen. Shush you.

Thank You to AnoXaero, Flies with Pigs, Blackheart9512, magifury, MercuryDawn, OrigamiTurtle, and several others for subscribing to my story and adding it to your favorite's list. It was such a surprise seeing all those names crop up in my inbox. I felt quite giddy I can tell you that.

PakiNoor would like to inform you all that the rumors about her having bought the rights to Naruto are false. She still owns nothing.
Yes, that was a Disclaimer.
:P

On with Chapter six!

There was something extremely refreshing about situations like these times when your students learnt something new. When they pushed themselves to achieve something and you could stand there in the background knowing that it had been all because of you. Though, Mizuki thought, it wasn't often that the students chose to steal classified information or ancient texts from the Hokage's sealed chest. He had to admit, he was impressed, he never thought they'd actually go through with it.

Then again, he thought, what else were we to expect from Konoha's no. 1 unpredictable Ninja Crew. It had been ages since they had used that moniker, but tonight's actions had proved that the children had no intention of losing their title anytime soon. In fact, Mizuki thought this particular stunt would earn them back their place in the Konoha Police force's "Most likely to be the cause of it" list. They hadn't lost their touch. If anything, they'd gotten better. The Chunnin instructor glanced at the teacher perched next to him.

"They grow up so fast, aye Iruka? "

Iruka smiled grimly. "Seems like only yesterday that Katana was struggling to perform a simple bunshin no jutsu."

"It was yesterday." Mizuki grinned.

Iruka frowned and after a moment, said "Not for another hour."

"You're planning on waiting it out for another hour? Iruka come on." When his fellow teacher didn't comment, Mizuki quirked a brow. "Shadow nin got your tongue Iruka?"

Iruka's silence was starting to irk him. That plus the fact that it had been Iruka who had refused to call back up as soon as they had located the children. Mizuki felt nervous. And that was never a good sign. When Mizuki got nervous, bad things happened. Very bad things. But he could be patient. Mizuki could be very patient when he wanted to be. And he would find out what Iruka was after. And how Iruka had known where the brats would be in the first place.

The man in question shifted on the branch and Mizuki turned to him again. His eyes narrowed and he dropped the teasing tone he'd adopted before. Screw patience. He'd been patient enough as it was. Three hours on the god forsaken branch were testament to that.

"Iruka."

The chunnin didn't move but Mizuki knew he finally had his colleague's attention. He fixed him with a stern look and waited.

It only took a moment for his patience to be rewarded.

"You want to know why I haven't stopped them yet." Below them Katana let out a particularly loud shout of annoyance and Mizuki assumed she'd failed at the jutsu once again. As Sakura chastised her friend not too gently, Iruka sighed. "You think me a coward. Or a traitor?"

"Just a teacher gone soft." Mizuki softened a bit. "I know they're your favorites Iruka. I'm fond of them too, but they failed. They can try again next year-"

"No."

Mizuki frowned at the interruption. "It's only they're first year Iruka. They get three tries."

"Not this time." Iruka turned to face his coworker. "Hokage Sama has decided to withdraw Katana and Sakura from the Academy. The Hyugas and Uchiha Sama are planning on the same for Sasuke and Hinata." His frown deepened. "Don't you see? This is their last chance." He turned back to the children.

Mizuki stared at the chunnin. He had heard rumors but hadn't bothered with them. Konoha's P4 removing their heirs from the Academy? Impossible. At least that's what the teachers had decided over their coffee that morning.

Well shit.

This was… disturbing. He hadn't counted on that. He hadn't counted on that at all. Suddenly he remembered Iruka's previous words.

Not for another hour…

"You're planning on letting them learn that Justu?" Mizuki's eyes were wide. "Iruka, you're not serious. Do you think they can?"

"I know it." The conviction in the older man's voice startled the younger Chunnin. If he was lying, Iruka's voice did not betray him.

"Iruka- they're children. Talented and gutsy no doubt but children nonetheless. Hokage sama himself said that it took him days to meet the Thousand Clone Jutsu's exact requirements. And even longer to master it! And that's the Hokage were talking about! He's-"

"-One man. And they're five. And they don't need to make a thousand. Just one each. Just one. And they pass."

"One clone, yes. But it has to be in front of a panel of judges." Mizuki argued, his eyes darting to the children –children- below them. But Iruka was nothing if not obstinate.

"Composed of their teachers" He turned to Mizuki and if he had been a lesser man, Mizuki would have quailed at the look in the older man's eyes. " I know it's a long shot Mizuki. I know. But we owe it to them to give them this time."

Mizuki's eyes hardened. "We gave them three years Iruka. If they couldn't get it right in three years, they won't get it in less than an hour. It cant be done."

"Yes. Yes, it can." Iruka met him, glare for determined glare, and Mizuki saw something in those eyes that stopped him short. A well known fact was that the only reason the Hokage had not promoted Iruka was his repute as an academy instructor. The man could come off as lenient and easy going, but when the situation demanded it, Iruka did not hesitate from unleashing what his students often referd to as "Demon Sensei mode." Veterans often joked about how the brats weren't off the mark. Iruka was famous in the field as well.

Konoha Yasha…

Mizuki had a healthy respect for his fellow teacher, but he would keel over and die before he let the fool's sentimentality interfere with his plans.

"No Iruka, it can't. Look, I care for them too-"

"Really?"

Mizuki frowned. "What?"

"Do you really care about them? Forgive me Mizuki, but I must say I'm beginning to doubt that."

Mizuki blinked before he understood that that had been an insult. He held back a snarl and chanced a glance below. The children had regrouped and were going through the seals together. They cant have…
He forced his mind back to the actual problem. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes briefly, making a show of controlling himself. Don't lose it. Not now. Not after you've come so far. Not. Now.

"Iruka," he opened his eyes to find he had his colleague's complete attention. "I know what they've been through- it- its been hard. On all of us." Iruka's eyes didn't waver, and Mizuki went on. "No one can know better than us. We lived it. Both of us. Or don't you remember?" Iruka's mouth tightened as Mizuki's eyes rested momentarily on the scar across the older man's face. "Yeah, I thought so. Look Iruka, they've had it bad, but that's life. How long do you expect people to molly coddle them? Maybe it's a good thing their parents made this decision. Maybe this'll shock them a bit. You know, kind of make them pull up their socks a bit and all. Yeah, it sounds a bit too harsh but…Tell you what. We'll go to the Hokage tomorrow. Both of us. We'll-"

"We?"

Mizuki glared at the interruption. "Yes. We. As in both their teachers. Why? Can't it be done?"

Iruka frowned at him for a moment before looking back to the where the brats were practicing. Come to think of it… They had been pretty quiet after the last time… Mizuki glanced to the ground quickly before looking back to Iruka.

And then he spun around, his eyes wide, almost choking on his own spit.

Because the brats were gone.

Something hard was pressed against his neck, and to his right, Iruka murmured calmly "Oh it can be done, but weren't you planning on a little trip tonight?"

"Neh… Sensei…" Mizuki's eyes widened- if possible- even more.

It was said that, in battle, an Uzumaki woman only spoke softly when her enemy was well and truly cornered. Katana may have been only half an Uzumaki, but her voice-suddenly deadly quiet-did the legend credit.

As quiet as death…

Mizuki swallowed and glanced at the man sitting beside him. Iruka's could've been sitting in the Teacher's lounge, so relaxed was his stance, but his eyes were hard and cold. Again, Mizuki's mind summoned the old nickname.

Konoha Yasha

He swallowed again. Those darn brats. They told him. THEY TOLD HIM. There was no other explanation. It had been planned from the start. It had all been a plan. No wonder they'd managed to steal the scrolls in the first place. And, as he made sense of it all, Mizuki relaxed.

In battle, all he needed, was to understand the situation. Once that was done, Mizuki was an unstoppable foe.

He smiled now and turned to his colleague (or I suppose… ex colleague would be more appropriate).

"So," he drawled, "How many ANBU are we talking about?"

Iruka's brow furrowed. "…what?"

Mizuki rolled his eyes. "You don't really expect me to believe that the children pulled this of alone do you? A high level operation of this caliber ? No, tell me Iruka, how many ANBU are here? Or Jonnin atleast. The Hokage wouldn't have spared his ANBU to track his daughter, would've looked too suspicious. After all its not like the man really cares about the demon child."

Iruka had looked amused a moment ago. But now his face was wiped clean of emotion, frozen in a horrified mask. Mizuki laughed and turned his head a little to meet his (ex?) student's eyes. "Come come little Katana, Mizuki Sensei only jests. Of course daddy cares! Konoha has already lost the Sannin and the Little Flash… it wouldn't do to lose its last greatest weapon too."

The girl was silent, her head bowed. It was a pity really, that her red air covered her eyes. Mizuki would've loved to see her expression. She must have been devastated. The Kunai at his neck how ever did not shift an inch. I suppose I managed to teach her something, Mizuki mused as he turned back to face his ex colleague. "Iruka, you're boring me. Come now," and he raised his voice "Are there no shinobi here?"

A moment of silence, and then the leaves rustled behind him.

At last. Mizuki turned fully in order to face his foe. But his taunt died on his lips. Because the sight before him was definitely not what he'd expected.

Three pairs of eyes looked back from the darkness. Two pale and ghostlike, darting from his neck to his feet. Mizuki realized that they were looking at his chakra points. Two jade orbs glinted as the girl shifted into a tai jutsu pose. But the third…

This was no gen jutsu, Mizuki realized as Iruka and Katana shifted into their own stances. Because you can't fake a sharingan.

"Are five shinobi enough sensei? Because we have five shinobi. And a traitor's blinding ego to boost."

A tense moment followed .

And then the branch exploded.

On the Hokage monument, Minato's eyes shifted to the right as birds erupted from the forests. But when the Hokage did not move and his top ANBU team also stood their ground, the remaining ANBU leaders maintained their positions.

A long moment passed. Minato turned and raised a brow at the remaining leaders.

"Well."

Silence greeted him, and his brow furrowed.

"What are you waiting for?"

No one spoke for a moment before one of the elite Yashas spoke.

"A reason."

"A what?"

And then the leader of team Yasha stepped forward. "Sensei."

Minato scowled and turned away, but his former student removed his mask and stepped up to his leader.

"Sensei," Kakashi was persistent "listen to me."

"You lied to me."

"You asked me if I knew where they were. I did not. Neither did my team. You asked if I knew where the scroll was, I did not. I did not lie Sensei."

"You knew the children had it. You knew that Iruka knew where they would be. I should hang the lot of you."

"I guessed. I did not know."

Minato scoffed. "Then I should've listened to Danzo and waited a year more before granting you ANBU status. A simple chakra sweep would've solved that problem. Why did you not do so?"

There was a moment of silence in which Kakashi seemed to struggle with himself. A long moment before he turned around and looked helplessly at the teams gathered behind him. One of them, a mountain of a man with a scarred face stepped forward, and Kakashi visibly sagged with relief.

"Because they deserved this chance to prove themselves. And because there is something deeper a foot."

Minato who had bristled visibly the moment Ibiki started speaking, turned around slowly.

"Explain."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed.

"Iruka came to me this afternoon. He requested that if anything happened to the scrolls tonight, that we should delay informing you." He held up a hand as Minato opened his mouth, "Let me explain. Hokage Sama, he had a plan." The Hokage frowned.

The head of interrogation explained in brief what the plan had entailed. Kakashi winced. Well. When you look at it like that

A moment of silence passed after Morino Ibiki was done… That is of course, before Minato exploded.

"He what?"

Those thrice damned brats! Mizuki panted as he stopped to clutch at his wounded arm. The gall of that little Haruno! I'll skin her alive!

"Over there!"

Shit. He'd forgotten all about the Hyuga. Mizuki leapt to the right to avoid the rain of shuriken. He had to swerve to avoid a round house kick from Iruka. Grabbing Katana's approaching form, he flung the girl into the tree to his left. At her scream, Iruka changed course and leapt to grab her. As planned. He dodged the kunai thrown his way and turned to jump-

"Oof!"

He winced as the young Uchiha kicked him in the diaphragm, hurling both of them to the ground. The boy made to kick off of him but Mizuki grabbed his leg and pulled. Sasuke poofed and turned into Katana. Both teacher and student, lost in their struggles, fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Katana!" four voices chorused in panic.

There was a moment of silence as the dust cleared. The observers waited with bated breath as a figure rose from the ground and one look at Hinata's face let Iruka know what he needed to know.

Oh no…

Mizuki weezed. Man, the kid was heavy.

"What, no concern for your sensei? Why children, I'm hurt." He panted as he shifted the prone figure on his shoulder. "Don't worry, she's just stunned. For now," And he grinned maniacally at the four as they leapt to the ground. "But if you don't do as I say…" he held up a kunai and flipped the unconscious girl so that the kunai was aimed at the child's jugular vein.

Iruka stepped forward, hand raised, the scroll behind his back. Bingo. Mizuki grinned.

"Aah Iruka, I was wondering where that had gotten to."

"Mizuki," Iruka's voice wavered. "Please… no. You can have it. Just… please."

Mizuki shrugged, "I'm curious Iruka. Why? Why bother?"

Iruka frowned. "What?"

Mizuki rolled his eyes. "I can understand wanting to save the Hyuga and the Uchiha- those amazing eyes-" the girl paled even further as Mizuki licked his lips. "What I couldn't get for those." His eyes shifted to the pink haired girl. "The Haruno, well, her mother was the Hokage's best friend. He couldn't let her die… But the Kyubi brat? Really?" Mizuki's eyes hardened. "Have you forgotten? This thing killed our parents. Have you really forgotten that night?"

Iruka was frozen, his eyes on the motionless girl in the deranged man's grasp. Mizuki turned on the three petrified children to find them in the same condition. "And you." Three pairs of eyes met his. The sharingan had finally died out he noted in satisfaction. "This thing is the reason you are orphans. Her brother murdered your family," he spat at Sasuke. "And she killed your mothers." Sakura's eyes were wide. The Hyuga brat was shaking violently. "This" and he shook the silent girl in his grasp "is the reason our village is at its knees. This thing is the reason we lost the Uchiha clan!"

There was silence in the clearing save for the deranged man's ragged panting. The group watched as he pulled himself together and stood up straight again, the smile back on his face.

"But I'm nothing if not merciful. In fact, you don't even have to hand me the scroll. All I want is an answer. So tell me, Iruka," and he brought the girl up straight. "Why do you care?"

"Because,"

Mizuki's grin froze on his face as the Iruka before him "poofed" and turned into a red haired child.

That wasn't Iruka.

And he looked down slowly , to meet the blue eyes looking up. Lips drawn grimly parted as the girl spoke.

"Because, I believe in her."

There was a loud "poof!" and Mizuki found himself airborne as a foot too large to be Katana's caught him in his midsection. Iruka straightened himself as he prepared to launch himself into the clearing dust cloud. But suddenly fell to his knees, coughing up blood. The children, jubilant a moment before, stared in horror at the unusually large shuriken sticking out of his back as he fell to the ground. From where he had thrown Mizuki, the dust cleared to reveal a log.

"Sensei!"

No one had ever heard Katana scream like that. Mizuki hadn't thought it was possible. A night of firsts.
Normally, his heart would've sung for joy at the sight of the Jinchuriki falling to her knees and crying. But right now, he didn't care.

He wiped the blood from his own face as he stood up from his crouched position behind the fallen shinobi. "Enough." He growled. "I've had enough. You - " He snarled at the children behind the sobbing red head. "-You brats should be thanking me. You should be thanking me, begging me to kill her. Don't you know? She is the Kyubi!"

The children were frozen in their stances, and their eyes went to the suddenly still girl on the ground. Then, as one, they turned to each other. Finally, Mizuki grinned. Finally they will understand. Everything I am doing. It is for them. For Konoha. For a better Konoha. He stood straighter, opening his arms. They will come with me now. They will be mine now. "Come children, I will protect you. There's nothing to be scared."

"We know." Said Sakura, strangely calm. Mizuki's smile faltered. What NOW?

"And we're not scared." Hinata said.

"But Sensei," the Uchiha's eyes bled red. "You should be."

He had not paid attention to the prone figure at his feet, not noticed it's fingers twitch, not seen the wires closing around him. He saw them at the last split second- but could not dodge the blur that had attacked him.

Mizuki crashed into a tree. He twisted and writhed but he couldn't move- the wires were holding him firmly in place. And as he tried to break through he realized that his chakra had been cut off.

Coughing, spluttering, he looked up.

And froze, his eyes suddenly very, very wide. Because there were three pink haired girls dragging Iruka to the nearby tree, and three more, panting next to no less than four Hyuga Hinatas. And because there was another Hyuga Hinata and a Haruno Sakura taking their place next to the now erect Katana and the red eyed Uchiha. Because that red glint in Katana's eyes was definitely not the result of a Sharingan.

And because those hand seals the children were going through were most definitely not the regular seals for a shadow clone jutsu.

And then Sasuke spoke.

"We grew up with Katana. Our families were part of her personal guard. She's my best friend-" Unnoticed by the rest, Katana's eyes shifted to the boy at her left, the red glint fading a bit. From his place by the trees, a winded Iruka stared. The boy snarled at the man in front of him "-Did you think we wouldn't know?"

Mizuki recovered quickly. "You little coward,"

The red spark in Katana's eyes returned.

As one, the children completed the final seal. The clones next to Iruka disappeared before the sound of a collective shout filled the air.

"Jurro! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Mizuki coughed as the smoke cleared. He turned back to the children. What are they-?

He never got the chance to finish.

The clearing was filled- filled - with clones. From the branches they stared down at him, from the roots they stared up. Their eyes – Sharingan red, Hyuga white, Haruno jade and bright, bright ocean blue- stared back into his own wide eyes. Iruka, staring in disbelief, found himself choking on tears of pride. Yes. YES.

And suddenly, for the first time that night Mizuki truly felt very, very afraid. The Katana in the front rolled back her sleeves almost lazily. And Mizuki stilled as her voice dropped to a murmur.

"You're going to regret that… Sensei."

Minato had not moved from his post on the Hokage monument. The man's lips were set in a grim line, his arms crossed. A sudden gust of wind made his white coat billow behind him but he did not move. His eyes remained on the patch of green in the distant forest that had been the source of much disturbance that night. There had not been a sound from it for a whole five minutes. Silent as the shadows, the ANBU stood behind their leader, their eyes trained on the same patch of green.

Five more minutes passed.

Nothing.

The Hokage's head moved ever so slightly and Kakashi snapped to attention.

"Five minutes to midnight."

Namikaze Minato's lips grew even tighter. Somewhere in the sea of masks, Rin trembled. A hand touched her shoulder and she turned to look up at Morino Ibiki's scarred face. Hardened veteran he may have been, but it was well known fact that he held a soft spot in his heart for the jinchuriki, and vice versa. When the Namikaze heir defected from his village all that time back, it had been Morino Ibiki who had brought Katana back from the blind rage the Kyubi had sent her into. He had somehow shaken her out of it. And Rin knew suddenly that if any one cared about the children now, it was him. As if he had heard her silent plea, the man nodded. They'll make it. But Rin couldn't find it in her to nod back as she murmured a silent prayer- little did she know, it was the thought on every ANBU's mind.

Come on kids. Please. Please. Come back…

"Four minutes."

Genma's frown deepened under his mask and next to him, Inuzuka heir's lips parted in a silent snarl.

If there's a God around here, I've had enough of your mysterious ways. This has got to be the worst possible-

"Three-"

The ANBU suddenly tensed and slipped into their stances. Rin's eyes widened as she felt a large chakra source drawing closer. A split second passed.

And then, bloodied, bruised and supporting their panting- but grinning- sensei, an unconscious figure beaten beyond recognition- Genma winced- and an impossibly large scroll, twelve children appeared.

As the smoke cleared, the red haired triplets up front blinked up at the incredulous look on the Hokage's face. Her lips split into a grin and for a second, Minato saw, once again, the six year old that had sworn to become the first female Hokage. He blinked and the grubby toddler changed back to the exhausted triplets. Minato felt a surge of emotions- anger, horror, shock, love, relief,pride-emotions that unbeknownst to him, the onlookers shared in different degrees. The crowd's eyes went from the band on her head to the bare forehead of her teacher, to the dusty Hiate once again. Now what?

"Hi Dad!" Katana chirped. And then, true to her name, the leader of Konoha's most unpredictable ninja crew did something that was completely unexpected.

She let the clones disappear. And then her eye lids shut, and-grin still firmly on her face- the girl buckled and fell-

-straight into her father's arms.

*peeks out from behind Political Science notes-don't-judge-I-have-a-final-tomorrow*

Well?