Disclaimer: Nope don't own Naruto, and I never will. I'm only saying this because I'm at gunpoint. I do own Naruto…I mean I don't!
Story: Fem!Naru Minato tells Kushina to flee to Suna, if something were to go wrong in Konoha after his death. Because of this, somehow Naruto is raised in the Sand.
Set as an AU.
Spoilers: …Probably?
Warnings: The usual stuff? I mean, most people who read my stuff are repeated readers, so they should know…otherwise…eh…
Pairings: Yondy!Kazekage/Fem!Naru

Suna no Hoshi
Chapter Four: The Desert Prince

"Oi, Naruto! RENT!"

She grumbled to herself, getting out of bed and sleepily ruffled her short hair. Her feet plopped onto the ground and she trudged towards her door.

"Yare, yare. Hold on a tic, Hiiro," she yawned and fumbled around in a drawer, grabbing a handful of ryo as she continued onto her journey.

The door opened and the sandy apartment complex owner stood there irritably, tapping his foot.

"Did you get coffee in you yet?" she rolled her eyes, shoving the money towards him.

"No. Now stop getting late on your payments," he snapped at her before turning on his heel and striding away.

She huffed inwardly, slamming the door shut as she stumbled around her small apartment, looking for one of her uniforms. 'Course, she goes to the Ninja Academy and they don't really have uniforms…but it's the price to pay when you're an orphan and living on your own. The nicest and cheapest things she could filch from charity were a set of boys school uniforms.

And yes, in Suna, you have to pay for charity.

Not that she was too bitter about that. She knew that the village was in hard times and suffering from poverty, much as they tried to hide it. Still, why couldn't she have lucked out on some shinobi outfits instead?

The leather bracelet on her arm dangled off her wrist and brought her attention to it. Biting her thumb, she swiped the blood swelling on it across the leather band, summoning her newest scroll. Glancing down at it, she grimaced at the next thing that she had to focus on in her personal training.

Another chakra control exercise.

She cursed under her breath, but decided to get a start on it. Grabbing a water bottle, she slapped it onto her kitchen table and sat in front of it, holding her hands tightly around it as she focused on making her chakra try the first part of the exercise –making tiny waves and contain it in the bottle. If she could do this exercise, it would heighten and improve chakra control specifically in her hands. Which would be a big help with the medical jutsu she's been practicing all these years since she'd been entrusted with the leather bracelets she'd been given by that pretty blonde lady.

Aside from medical jutsu and other medical and personal knowledge from the Slug Sannin, whose name had been branded on all the scrolls and she'd looked up once she'd known to do so, she also had the original leather bracelet that had been on her since birth.

That had given her her origins, her identity, and a direction in her life to follow on her own in her current life, alone as she was. Her name had been engraved on the front, allowing the orphanage she'd been in to know her name at least. When she was older, funnily only by three, she'd managed to unseal the first scroll from the inside of her bracelet. Unable to read it completely herself, she'd gone to the Master of the orphanage, who was actually a retired shinobi, and asked for help.

Intrigued, the man had read it and then looked shocked, and shocked her in return when he willingly read it to her. The first scroll was a letter from her mother, explaining who she was and who Naruto was, and where they'd come from –Uzu and then Konoha. It then had several seals on the bottom that her mother had promised would hold several scrolls that would give her information on her clan, a scroll that was from her father, notes on how to deal with the demon in her seal, and anything else Uzumaki Kushina had managed to seal about Naruto's legacy before the attack of the Kyuubi happened on her birth. Kushina had also written that there were more seals on her bracelet that would contain all the Uzumaki fuuinjutsu that she'd managed to collect, as well as seals that she knew outside of their clan.

But the rarest would be the last two seals that Kushina had said she'd made to seal scrolls her father had left to her.

Within years until present, she had split her time evenly between learning and mastering fuuinjutsu and the medical knowledge left to her by Senju Tsunade. And her father, who'd she learned was Namikaze Minato, had left her his two prized jutsu –the Rasengan and the Hiraishin. Of course, Kage Bunshin, the first jutsu stressed that she had to learn first, was a big help in her training.

Then again, there was a price for her mastery or ongoing mastery of these things…

Hurrying up getting ready and slipping her water bottle into her pouch so she could practice in class, she almost bolted from her apartment to race to the Academy. By last minute, she glanced out her window and quickly stopped herself, watching from her high view to the Kazekage's office window across from her. It was actually a long distance, so she was glad for her superior eyesight. She made a mental note to thank Kyuubi and stroke his ego.

In the distance, she could see the Kazekage finally in his office, unusually late for once, and walking around, getting things ready. She gave a soft smile and continued to watch, even though she knew she was definitely going to be late to class for it.

This…was a habit that had started ever since she was kicked out of the orphanage and given her own apartment instead. In weary days when she was younger, the practically routine appearance of the Kazekage in the same view at the same time had given her much comfort. She would gaze across the village and watch him move around in his office, for some reason finding calm and reassurance from it. And even in the present, she still found that comfort.

Reluctantly moving away, she sighed to herself as she went to ninja school.

"Late, Uzumaki-san," the instructor frowned sternly, to which she just smiled charmingly and ignored the dreamy giggles and sighs from the class. "You shouldn't be so offhand in your schooling. You're only average in taijutsu, have absolutely no talent in genjutsu, and barely bothered to search out ninjutsu to practice for the several research projects that were assigned!"

Well, her focus on her interests and determination to master them had more or less cost her her Academy grades and attention in class, as usually she ignored whatever was going on and what they were learning in favor of focusing on her scrolls and working on her own stuff.

"I'm sorry, Shinoda-sensei," Naruto cooled her smile to a more diplomatic one. "It's not that it's your teaching, but my interests are unfortunately always wandering and selfish to what they want to focus on. It's purely my fault. I just can't help it."

Shinoda cleared his throat uncomfortably and nodded, looking away even with a telltale blush on his face.

"H-hai. Just try to focus for once somewhere in today's lesson. How else are you going to pass the Exam early, as you keep saying you will?"

Naruto just nodded and then looked out for an empty seat.

"Please sit here, Ouji-sama!" she heard one of them call and Naruto's eyes zeroed in on one of her more adamant admirers. She continued her polite but cooled smile, striding over gracefully and sitting in between the girls.

"Sari-chan, Matsuri-chan, thank you lovely girls for the seat," she flashed them a slightly wider smile, rewarded by two blushes.

"I-it's no problem," Matsuri mumbled out.

Life was good for the moment.

When class was over, she approached Shinoda, who nodded at her and reached into his desk for a piece of paper.

"Uzumaki-san, as the oldest in class, I understand it must be frustrating for you to be held back," he started out. "The only reason why you were not put into the class above is because your birth date was after the cutoff date, forcing you to enroll for the year after."

She nodded in agreement.

"However, as all shinobi villages allow, each Academy always allows for early graduation and for those who wish to, can take the Genin Exam earlier. There are three tries, two early ones and the last opportunity is with their graduation class. As you have requested, you will be taking the Genin Exam earlier, with the older class above you."

"The class I should have been in," Naruto noted with a playful pout, purely to entertain her teacher.

His rolling eyes indicated slight success.

"This will be your first try, Uzumaki-san. There is no need for you to feel you absolutely have to pass and rush yourself."

"Relax, Shinoda-sensei. I have this," she reassured him with an impish grin. She took the paper and plopped back into her seat, getting to start on it. It wasn't too bad, even though bookwork wasn't her thing. After that, she handed it in to her teacher.

"I will hand this to the teacher supervising the Genin Exam next door. When all the students of that graduating class have finished, I'll escort you over for your turn."

When she finally had to go next door, she had to do a simple kunai/shuriken accuracy test and then perform the three standard Academy jutsu. And then a quick spar with one of the teachers, which she could only thank her speed, stamina, and endurance for helping her last as long as she did. All that, plus the written test, she'd been warned of by her mother in one of the scrolls, which told her how Konoha usually initially test genin.

But this was not Konoha.

After what she knew was what Konoha ninja students had to do to pass, she also was to undergo what was specifically Suna-brand Academy testing. First, she had to demonstrate one or more of Sand-specialized techniques, with the rating scale depending on how good she was at it and how many of them she could do. The next part was a little more dangerous as she had to correctly identify the poisons she was given by the description they gave, and by her own observations. At least she didn't have to try any of them out or find out which ones were poisons or not, or something complex. They were all poisons, she just merely had to figure out which one was which by the information she was given.

And then there was the survival obstacle course in which all participating teachers were to try to attack her while she went through it, and try and get the best time.

In some ways, she wasn't sure how she managed to pass.

"Congratulations, Uzumaki-san. You are no longer an Academy student, but a grunt," Shinoda smirked. "You pass quite nicely. Although, I wonder how I will deal with your little fanclub once they find out and in the days you're gone."

"Thank you and I'm sure you'll do fine," Naruto smiled one of those cool smiles again.

"Che, so says the Suna no Ouji," Shinoda sniffed.

"Maa, don't tell me you use that nickname too, Shinoda-sensei," Naruto rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Hmph, just get on with it, Desert Prince," the man lightly-mocked.

She shrugged and gave him a salute, turning and deciding home was best so she could finish up that chakra control exercise she was on. If she could finish it by that night, she could work on figuring out the Hiraishin a little more…

Rasa rubbed a hand down his face tiredly, glancing at the stack of folders in front of him. It was the new batch of genin's profiles that he had to look through to make the teams, with the list of recommendations next to him. He automatically thought to do Gaara's team last, already knowing that at least Kankuro would be in it and that he'll just have to search hard for a suitable third member. If only he hadn't already promoted Temari to chuunin, but he had been desperate…

Trying to make quick work of the pile in front of him, he looked at the recommendations and searched out the correct folders from the pile, either approving or disapproving teams as he read. He'd rearrange the teams he hadn't approved for later. Finally finished an hour later, he rearranged the unapproved teams into ones he thought fit better and then looked at the team listing for his youngest son.

Of course, there was Kankuro's name right next to Gaara's as he'd requested. And then there was actually a recommendation for a third member for him to look into. Originally, he thought of just putting Temari on the team anyway, or already having resigned himself to having to look through the pile more thoroughly and scrutinized each file closely to see if there were any possible matches to his son's team –but he was rather pleased to see a recommendation, even if he wasn't too hopeful about it.

He froze as he saw the name, hands tightening around the list.

Uzumaki Naruto

The woman who'd died in his office years ago's clan name and the first name of a boy Kushina had begged for him to keep safe.

He darted to the pile and immediately searched through it, frantically trying to find the file that he needed to see. Finding it, his hands trembled as he opened it up to find out where had little Naruto been all these years. And the first thing he read had him start laughing lowly to himself, even if somewhat hysterical.

Of all the…

But it made sense. Kushina had fled from Konoha on a crazy stint without any thought but to reach him, just after giving birth in an attack that cost her Minato, and there really wasn't any time for anyone to know what sex the child was. It was an assumption that Naruto was a boy that had led to him missing her all these years.

And it was definitely Kushina's Naruto, with the telltale whiskers and the resemblance to his old friend Minato. Bright blonde hair and impossible blue eyes, features of the Fourth Hokage that seemed magnified and somehow more vivid and brilliant in his daughter. Her age and birth date matched up, though he had to wonder how her record was accurate about that information when she'd been brought to Suna later than her birth, unless Kushina had managed to put some kind of information on the girl.

He looked over the Academy profile of the girl and blinked. Her grades were…below substandard, especially with Sunagakure's strict standards. Though her scores on the Genin Exam was more promising at least.

Smiling softly to himself, for the first time in a long while, he approved the recommendation and hoped to see what kind of team his son's group would grow into, especially now that he'd found Naruto.

Later, after much trouble with his puppets, his older son was on the verge of a meltdown. Kankuro had just been informed by his soon to be teacher Baki who was on his team. Well, at least he was finally on a team, after being held back to wait for Gaara. And there was no surprise to know Gaara was on his team.

But who was this Uzumaki Naruto?

He had been tempted to go out and interrogate some students about who he was, as he didn't want to be caught off guard or anything by his new teammate…but didn't really feel like putting in the effort to do so and had rather stayed in his room to work on his puppets some more.

"What's your problem?" Temari's annoying voice cut into his thoughts.

He looked irritably to see his sister sauntering in, and he stared enviously at the chuunin flak jacket she wore. Gaara had also silently appeared, sitting at the table immediately and taking a book out and beginning to read. He only spared a glance at his younger brother before sneering at Temari.

"Gaara and me got a team finally. And we have a third member. Don't know who the idiot is," he huffed, searching out a mandarin orange, looking around guiltily.

Temari snatched it out of his hand and turned her nose up at him.

"Don't. They're Dad's favorite," she rolled her eyes, but Gaara's sand snuck over and stole it, handing it to the Ichibi jinchuuriki who calmly started to peel it and eat it.

Temari sighed and Kankuro pouted.

A piece was handed to him by some of Gaara's sand and he wrinkled his nose at him.

"No thanks, Gaara. Really? With your sand?" he shivered and stared at the piece in revulsion, just imagining all sorts of bacteria, germs, substances-that-must-not-be-named that was probably transferred on it from the sand. Not to mention leftover grains of sand in the first place.

A brief smirk flitted across Gaara's lips before disappearing as fast as it had come.

"So, who's this new teammate of yours?" Temari brought him back to the original topic.

"Naruto…Some Uzumaki Naruto," Kankuro grumbled.

Temari's eyes lit up.

"You mean the Desert Prince?"

Both male members there stared at her.

"Who?" Kankuro interrupted her happy humming.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you don't know the Desert Prince?" Temari asked sneeringly. When both boys looked at her blankly, she sighed again. "Ouji-sama is really popular in the Academy. Everyone likes Ouji-sama. More formally, it's the Suna no Ouji, though I think in the beginning Ouji-sama was called Sabaku no Ouji for a more literal translation of Desert Prince, instead of the Sand Prince –though some girls and boys like to call Ouji-sama that too."

Kankuro gaped dumbly at her while Gaara raised a hairless eyebrow.

"Why'd they change Sabaku to Suna?" was what Kankuro felt safe enough to ask without melting his brain anymore than it was supposed to.

"It might've caused confusion and think to be referred to Gaara," Temari shrugged. "After all, it's our family name."

Kankuro furrowed his eyebrows in his confusion. "Why would it be referred to Gaara and not me? I mean, I'm a Sabaku too. And older."

"Because you're not as popular as Gaara."

He pouted and Gaara briefly smirked again.

Baki glanced at the folders in his hand of his new genin. Gaara and Kankuro's weren't new to him, as Rasa had long asked him to take those two on as genin.

It was the new one…the girl of the group that set him on edge.

He'd heard of her. The Desert Prince. "Suna no Ouji" those teachers at the Academy affectionately called her, as well as the rumors of hoards of fangirls and fanboys at her beck and call…ready to act as an army on her behalf.

He'd heard all the things said about her. Silver-tongued and too charming for the charm not to be a jutsu of some kind. Such pretty looks that dazzled you up. Oh, Baki had heard all of that and then some, especially as he asked around the Academy.

The adoration spilling from everyone's lips! It was outrageous. And unholy, he could tack on. He knew this girl was trouble with a capital T, and he was going to suffer having this team.

And she'll be at the forefront of it all.

"Baki, you look like it's the end of the world," he heard his best friend and Kazekage speak dryly from behind him.

Baki turned slowly, numbly looking at the red-haired man with betrayal.

"Why did you do this to me? Why did you set this torture upon me?" Baki asked, twitching.

He knew the other man was happy he'd finally found the long lost Naruto, and he was happy for his Kazekage…but Rasa didn't understand.

Rasa blinked. "What? What on earth are you talking about?"

"This team! Especially this Uzumaki Naruto!"

Rasa snorted. "It's probably not that bad. Don't be such a worrier. You're just anxious about your first team and over worrying over things. Don't worry so much."

"You don't understand! You haven't even heard the things that I have about her!" Baki shouted hysterically. "You'll make me rue the day I let you have this favor!"

Rasa shook his head, staring bemusedly at the other. "Why don't we go and have a drink, and tomorrow you can tell me all about it? After you all meet and get together as a team?"

Baki frowned, thinking about it.

"Really. I think you're just over anxious about having a team and hyping yourself up over the things you've heard. You don't even know if the things you've heard are true."

Baki took a deep breath and gave a sheepish grin at his friend. Yeah, Rasa was probably right…he was just agitating himself prematurely.

"Y-yeah. You're right. I'm probably just overreacting. Let's go get that drink, huh?"

Yes, he most probably was overreacting.

Meanwhile, a blonde newly made genin had finally tackled and finished the chakra control exercise she'd been working on –noting that the water responded rather well to her, actually –and whooped and hollered loudly in her apartment.

And in her excitement, hadn't noticed that she was loading up chakra into the water bottle she was still holding onto, and therefore was unable to notice or escape it blowing up in her face and dousing her in water.

Started 8/11/11 –Completed 1/15/12

A/n: Hoho! Naruto's not quite angelic, anymore eh? But she will get those moments back every once and awhile. Also, I don't even know about when Matsuri and Sari are supposed to be in the Academy, and just took a guess. Don't care XD Anyway...next chapter everyone finally meets. Yep, everyone (in Suna). And more on why Naruto hasn't been found earlier. So Naruto's actual entrance, and this time only a glimpse of older!Gaara. I'll be trying to update this every Monday, so if you enjoyed, please review! I love hearing everyone's comments!

Also, Gaara and Naruto are 16, Kankuro 17, and Temari 18. Rasa's 34. And my original look/attitude Naruto was based on was Tenoh Haruka from Sailor Moon (which is still most my Naruto), but I think I picture her now (physically) more as Hongo Yui from Fushigi Yuugi (like the cover page pic), with Haruka still a little based in there.