A/N: Probably a filler, I'm not sure, but at least we learn a secret about the Uchiha twins in this chapter, and my compromise is revealed…do read and review would you kindly?

…

[The Streets of Konoha…]

"Where are you taking me Meilan?" asked Naruto as he was being led by his normal hand, "I know you said that there's a surprise waiting, but you're moving me around too fast. What's the rush?" And it was true, Meilan's pulse was very elevated in such a manner that it showed her glee. As a whole, she was a very happy child—and after what happened to her family, this was a good thing for her to be so again…it meant that she moved on. Even though he could still feel the taint of sadness in her aura, he could tell that her happiness was sincere. But it still didn't help the fact that he was scared due to the fact that while she was a very sweet girl, Meilan was also able to break every bone in his hand very easily if she wasn't careful. As it were, even though she was dragging him along to the source of her excitement with apparently good intentions, he almost felt as if his arm was getting ripped off.

"I'll tell you when we get there," she began, "but right now, we're having dinner…I just found this good place I know you're going to love!"

…

[Meanwhile, at the gates of Konoha…]

GSD sat at a hilltop overlooking the village…it was at times like these that he wished he had his eyes back. Unfortunately, his original path as an Asura was not kind—he felt like some god that had to sacrifice one of his eyes for wisdom. Perhaps it was in fact the reason that some of his students chose not to be Asuras…the total cost of their eyesight was too great a price to pay to them. And he couldn't blame them…he still missed the days when he would see Ellen's face, the days when he would savor in his victory, even the moments of watching the sunset with her until she fell asleep.

On the other hand because he went blind, he found that he started appreciating all the other more subtle details about Ellen while she was alive—he could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat in his mind as she embraced him. He also remembered such things as the feel of the calluses on her hands from wielding a pair of claws, the very natural smell of irises that she seemed to be steeped in, and even the sweet and tart taste of berries in her mouth as she kissed while making love to him. Oh, so many things he missed about her…she was such a beautiful woman, and strong as an ox to boot. He cried tears of sadness as he had wished to be able to see her again…to be with her again…to hold her again…

He simply sighed…crying about it wouldn't bring her back, and neither would dwelling in the past. What has happened has already happened…there was no turning back the clock. The only thing he could hope for was when Naruto learned all the skills he taught him, that he would be able to see her in the next life when his time came. Until then, he had some travelling to do alone…and as he remembered the times he had with Meilan and his student, GSD knew that the two of them would be in good hands while he is gone.

But for now, he had something he needed to investigate…if what he's been hearing as of late was true, then someone was trying to recreate the Curse of Kazan; and this was a task he needed to do alone…

…

[Meilan's Surprise Location…]

"We're here!" cheered Meilan, finally stopping at their destination. Once he gathered his bearings, Naruto started to get a sense of his surroundings: the area was a bit warmer and so it was likely that they were indoors, the sound of a pilot being on indicated that this was either a kitchen or a home, and there was a mix of so many smells—flour, salts, spices, meats, all of these were very delicious smells reinforcing the possibility that this place was mostly a kitchen. It was very, very likely that Meilan had taken him to a restaurant…and something about this place seemed very familiar, he just couldn't put his finger on it… "Welcome! How may I take your order?"

And then it hit him…why he felt so comfortable here, why he had this urge to sit down and ask for ten bowls of miso-ramen with barbecued pork, and even knew the voice of the speaker: "Teuchi-jiisan, is that you?"

The old man looked at one of his customers, and found a mop of blond hair on his head. Granted, he was blindfolded, but he still remembered that boy for those very distinct whisker marks on his face. "Naruto?" The older man was in shock…his favorite customer that had disappeared five years ago had finally returned! "Naruto! It's so good to see you again!" he shouted, giving the boy a hug, "After all these years, I never thought you'd be coming back! I…oh wait, I just remembered—AYAME! GET OVER HERE, THERE'S SOMEONE I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE!"

From behind the counter, Naruto could hear the lighter footsteps of a woman walking towards him. "Yes da…" before she could finish her sentence, she immediately recognized the face that her father was hugging…and she didn't blame him—truth be told, she wanted to hug that boy too. "Naruto's back!"

Ichiraku Ayame looked on at the boy she considered a little brother—Naruto had changed; he was a little taller, had a red arm with a chain attached to it on shackles around to his wrist and his upper-arm, was shirtless except for a hooded vest, but all those other descriptions were thrown out of the window as she noted that he was wearing a blindfold. The concern in her voice was clear as she spoke. "Naruto, what happened to your eyes?"

Teuchi finally remembered the fact that Naruto was wearing a blindfold…was he blind? "It was sort of a price I had to pay to learn a technique I was shown," he began, his joy beginning to fade slightly, "I wouldn't worry about it though…I've made my peace with it after I learned it. Granted, it was an accident that I learned how to do it in the first place, but I still made my peace with it." It was then that his mood brightened a little when he decided to change the subject—as it did, so did the entire area. "So, how about ten bowls of pork ramen for me and for Meilan here, a chicken ramen?"

The family of two had their moods brighten when they heard that. Even though Naruto had lost his vision, he was still their Naruto—their favorite customer. And both of them being ninja themselves (Teuchi having been a jounin before retiring and opening the stand and Ayame being a member of ANBU), they too understood that some jutsu had a price to pay in order to learn them…they were only thankful that Naruto didn't have to pay with his life. As the two of them went to the kitchen to prepare the orders, Ayame couldn't help but shed a small tear for Naruto and the price he had to pay to learn whatever technique he did…because now she would never see those glittering ocean-blue eyes ever again.

"So Meilan, what else is there aside from the ramen?" asked Naruto, the curiosity still in his voice, "I suppose the ramen is just a celebration right?" He could practically feel Meilan's smile on her face…whatever it was must be very good news. "We spoke with the Hokage earlier," she began, "we're getting an apartment!"

Now that was news enough to turn his head to her direction. This bit of news was surprising…still this was good news. Although he couldn't help but feel that there was something else in her joy…something that would cause her to strangle him with sweetness as she hugs him with a superhuman strength.

…

[Elsewhere…]

"Achoo!" Tsunade had just let it out…she was in front of a pachinko machine trying to score a victory when she suddenly had the urge to sneeze.

Upon hearing the sneeze, Shizune had walked towards her master, with concern in her eyes. "Tsunade-sama, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just have the feeling someone's talking about me…"

…

[Ichiraku's Ramen…]

He could feel the anticipation now…in fact it should be happening in about three…two…one! The movement was quick as Meilan pounced and embraced Naruto in a very passionate hug. "I'm going to school with you!"

Even more of a surprise! Now he didn't have to go to school without knowing anybody! Now he has a familiar face…well familiar to him anyway, given that he can't see anymore, but still the idea applied. And yet, as he was losing some air, he still managed to get enough of a breath to get her attention. "M-Meilan…y-you're…"

His strangled words had finally reached her ears, and suddenly Meilan remembered her strength…with a sheepish look on her face, she released Naruto from her loving embrace. "Sorry, it's just that I'm so excited at the prospect of going to school with you."

At that, Naruto started breathing in sighs of relief from being released from that affectionate and iron embrace. "I know, and I want you in school with me too, but you've really got to remember how much stronger you are than me." Noticing that she was about to pout, Naruto immediately pulled her into a hug with his right arm…if he touched Meilan with his left arm, he'd have one perverted woman that lived in it to deal with—not to mention all the dirty thoughts that she'd suggest. After the moment of affection, the two of them joyfully began to eat their meals…

…

[Meanwhile, at the Hyuuga compound…]

Oh she had witnessed it! She felt joy as she watched Naruto beat that arrogant Uchiha into La-la Land. She then watched as that sweet-looking girl took her Naruto-kun away! She even followed the two of them to that ramen stand that Naruto favored before he left Konoha on his training trip! As of this moment, one Hyuuga Hinata was red…not from shyness this time, but from anger! And if one could look closely enough, they would see that there was also an aura of green about her from jealousy. All Branch Hyuuga members that watched as she was barely restraining herself from stomping in rage had made a note to not get in her way…one particular branch member however looked at her with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"I hope you're ready, because fate has decreed that you will hereby and henceforth be a failure to the clan! Just like that boy you like so much—he will be nothing!"

The speed at which she stopped and turned her head to glare daggers at Neji surprised everyone witnessing the event. Target sighted…source of added rage confirmed…target currently classified as anger management session…response to insult to self and Naruto-kun: IMMEDIATE TERMINATION! With that line of thought on her mind, Hinata walked down and onto the arena with many Hyuuga both main and branch members watching the exchange. Several of the main clan members simply snickered to themselves that the 'failure to the clan' would indeed be so, and that they would get to bully her into submission…the branch members however, all noticed the look on Hinata's face, and began to question the fate of one Hyuuga Neji after he obviously pissed off the heiress.

As soon as she had stood a few inches in front of Neji, the fight had begun when Neji launched a Jyuuken strike at her forehead with his left arm—only for the unexpected to happen! At the last moment, Hinata turned away from the Jyuuken strike and used the momentum of the turn to slam an extremely fast and heavy left hook into Neji's temporal bone, sending him down and onto the gravel. Before he could respond, he watched as Hinata kicked him over so that he was flat on his back, and continued her savage beat-down upon her cousin by taking advantage of his disorientation and stomping on his right wrist eliciting a scream of pain from him, and then stomping on his left wrist, sitting astride of him with her knees on his shoulders, and then savagely landing no less than ten heavy punches upon Neji's face before finishing him off with a couple of double-fisted downward slams as she took every ounce of her anger and apparent jealousy out on him.

Once she was done and was sure of Neji's incapacitation and survival, Hinata began to stand up as she felt a little bit of the rage pent up at the moment subside…but it still wasn't enough. She needed more anger-management aids now. "WHO'S NEXT?" Everyone hearing that had wised up and started to run away, not wanting to be her next session in anger management. As all members of the Hyuuga clan watched as she started restraining her stomping again on the way to the family bathhouse, they had realized then and there that the worst thing to ever appear in the world was an extremely angry (and likely jealous) Hinata…like mother, like daughter…

…

[Uchiha District, Fugaku's Mansion…]

Much of the Uchiha district had been lost after the massacre a while ago, and so many of the stores that were once operated only by Uchiha clan members were now sold to other villagers in order to pay off the massive debt that the funeral had incurred, as well as to rid the district of all the painful reminders that she and the twins were the last members alive in the village. It was painful for Uchiha Mikoto in a sense, but at the same time she also found that this was an opportunity for a fresh start…as she thought back on the history of the clan she realized that it was founded on lots of blood and treachery; and it all seemed to start when the founder of the clan killed his brother, the Senju founder, right after their master and father named the latter his successor. And then there were other notable examples, such as Uchiha Madara.

All her thoughts were interrupted when she heard two sets of footsteps walking into her doorway, and then into the kitchen as she was preparing dinner for three. "Hi mom," came the voice of Tsukiko, "how was your day?"

"Same as any other, how about you?"

"A new kid came to class today," began Sasuke, "and…"

"…he beat up Sasuke!" finished Tsukiko.

Mikoto's knife blade cut the celery diagonally—barely missing the knuckles on her left hand as she looked to the twins in surprise. "Who beat you up? What's his name?"

Tsukiko knew how much their mother cared for the both of them, and quickly responded, "It wasn't like that! Sasuke challenged him to a duel at the bamboo grove after school while he was meditating!" It was then that Mikoto had listened to the whole story, and started feeling Sasuke's head to find the welt before putting ice on it…taking extra special care of everything. Granted, she'd been waiting for this day when nobody would need to hide anything anymore, but as of this moment, she needed to keep this lie up. The twins stumbled upon the secret on accident and the reasons for it, and so they agreed to keep the lie in one way or another until there was a certain future for the three of them.

"Mom, you were good with a sword in your time right?"

Sasuke's ears had perked up upon hearing that, though both mother and daughter had apparently not noticed it. Mikoto on the other hand, simply had a scandalous grin on her face, knowing the reason behind the question. "Looking to impress a certain boy are you Tsukiko?"

Tsukiko had turned redder than a tomato upon hearing those words, and turned to avoid her mother's look of amusement. "D-don't be ridiculous! I just want to try my hand at fighting the new kid later…besides, I saw that smile on Sasuke's face! I'll bet he wants those lessons too!" Her response was Mikoto bringing the twin into a very loving hug. "It's okay to be interested in boys," she said, before releasing them from her grip, "if the both of you want to take up swordplay, I'll be happy to teach you. Granted I may be a bit rusty after all these years, but I can still teach you the basics of what I know…and depending upon what I see in your training, I'll help you develop your own styles."

The twins jumped in joy. "Yes! Uzumaki Naruto, watch out!" began Tsukiko, "Soon, you're not going to be the only sword-master in this village!" finished Sasuke.

As the twins ran off to their room, Mikoto's eyes had widened upon hearing the name that Tsukiko had mentioned. Naruto was back? After hearing from the celebrations that the 'demon brat' had left the village, Mikoto had gone to the Hokage personally to question him about what she'd been hearing. After hearing of the arrangement, the old man had gotten an earful from her—the reason behind this was that legally, she was to be Naruto's guardian as stated in the will left behind by Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina should anything happen to the two of them. She knew why they hadn't named Jiraya to be his guardian, and many of the clan heads tried to adopt him only to be rejected by the civilian council and the Hokage (the latter being reluctant to do so).

She let out a sigh and went back to her cooking…she'll have to see Naruto herself to make sure everything was fine with him: granted, she had a lot of time to make up with him as his legal guardian, and five years was a long time to her.

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy, the next day…]

The day had started off normally—the majority of the class was noisy except for a select few. And it would seem that according to his roster, the Hokage had brought in another student into the academy. She had come on in with Naruto, but she was signed in as a Konoha citizen on the same day as her arrival. Iruka also scanned the note he had received in addition to the roster, and now knew what to expect: the girl had superhuman strength, and so extra caution needed to be exercised around her…lest one of the students dies simply because she was hugging them affectionately. He looked around the class until he found just the person he was looking for! She was sitting next to Naruto, sleeping with him under her right arm across his back and their heads right next to each other and on the table. Iruka could not help but feel the urge to say 'aw, how sweet…' to himself at this apparent sight of young love.

As he looked around the classroom even further, Iruka also noticed that many of the other kids were also looking in the couple's direction…while many of the civilian boys looked at the new student with lust in their eyes, the Uchiha twins were glaring daggers at the new girl (although it was a disturbing thought with Sasuke doing the glaring with his sister while ignoring Haruno Sakura's demands for a date, causing her to glare as well). Hinata was also glaring, and he noted that she was among the girls who wished she was in her position…Ino as well. Unbeknownst to him, Mizuki was deep in a brainstorm—oh how he was going to plan the death of the demon brat and 'save' this innocent flower from being deceived by him any further…

"Class, I have an announcement to make!"

Upon hearing this, the entire classroom had quieted down and Naruto and his companion had awakened. "Okay, as many of you are now aware, we have a new student amongst us. Please make her feel welcome! Now if you'll please come on down, we can get started with the introductions." Upon hearing that, the girl got up and started walking down the stairs, and stepped up to the podium. "Please tell us a little bit about yourself."

She was slightly blushing at being put on the spot, but she decided to power through nonetheless. "My name is Baihe Meilan, I'm from a town a far away from this village," she began, "I am a taijutsu specialist, and am pleased to make your acquaintance." Upon hearing of her name, and watching this ponytailed girl bow respectfully to them, there were murmurs amongst the students both male and female as to her identity. Among the whisperings were:

"Wait, did she just say 'Baihe'?"

"That's what I heard."

"The Baihe family…I've heard of them…didn't they get killed off?"

"I think she's the last surviving member…"

Iruka had heard of the Baihe family—they were a very powerful clan of taijutsu specialists that were said to have existed even before the time of the Rikudou Sennin. They were very well-known for infusing lightning chakra in many of their attacks, and even their novice students could take a lot of punishment from lightning-based attacks. To think that this girl came from such a clan was mind-boggling. It was then that he decided to clear his throat and regain his composure. "Thank-you Meilan, please take a seat."

The girl turned to Iruka, and bowed politely. "Yes sensei."

As she started walking up the stairs, Mizuki's brainstorm had gotten even more intense—fortunately for him, Iruka was too busy watching the girl and making sure the class didn't make any hasty moves to notice. So she's the last of the Baihe family eh? Oh the possibilities that were added to his plan! He could frame the Kyuubi brat for her murder…he could take her away to Kumo after tricking the demon into stealing that scroll for him—yeah, that would fetch a mighty high price…and if he could make a grab for the Hyuuga heiress as well, then the bonus would be too hard to resist! Then there was also the possibility that Orochimaru would want to use her as his next vessel. So many possibilities, and he need only choose one…but for now, he needed to write down his report to Lord Orochimaru on a possible vessel in addition to the Uchiha twins—no need to give him Naruto, the demon brat would probably be useless to him anyway (except maybe as a fuck-toy, given the rumors he'd heard about the Sannin).

…

[Meanwhile, Higurashi Arsenal…]

The sound that met Mikoto as she arrived at the store was the sound of a hammer striking metal as roaring fires filled the air of the store; it was the unmistakable sound of a blacksmith at work. As she looked around, she noted that the store was still lined with weapons and ninja tools of all sorts—things she would have wanted to buy were she still a ninja. However, given her retirement, and her new profession as an eye doctor specializing in people with dojutsu, Mikoto knew she didn't need these at the moment—what she was looking for was something to help train her remaining children, and the way to get that person's attention was… ah! There it was! She had just found what she was looking for: a ceramic wind chime hanging from the ceiling next to a cash register. The second she heard a lull in the 'ping, ping, ping' of the blacksmith's hammer, Mikoto took the string under the bell, and started ringing it.

"Damn it! Stupid sons of…why I ought to…oh! Mikoto, it's you."

The man that spoke had unkempt shoulder-length dark-brown hair and stubble on his chin. Even though it was clear that Higurashi Hiten was pushing forty-three, he was still a very large and muscular man…one that was still able to attract a good number of women despite his age. His family had been around Konoha for many generations, whittled down as it were due to several wars and the recent attack by Kyuubi, coming down from a proud line of samurai and bladesmiths before the world started using ninja and ninja villages—Hiten was one of the bladesmiths still operating today.

"It's good to see you again Hiten…you're looking good as usual. How are you holding up? The last time I saw you was just after Manten's…"

The look of jovial happiness that was starting to bloom on Hiten's face was immediately turned into a frown upon hearing that last word being uttered. Mikoto had just realized she had said something wrong, and was about to rectify her mistake when she heard his voice turn cold and hate-filled. "If you cherish our friendship in any way Mikoto, you will not mention that name in front of me ever again. That shit-for-brains animal was no brother of mine, and as far as I'm concerned, that fucking idiot got what he deserved. Am I clear?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…I let it slip—it's been so long since I last saw you that I forgot. I'm sorry."

Upon hearing that apology, Hiten sighed and relaxed. It was well-known in the village that Higurashi Hiten and his brother Manten never got along after the Kyuubi attack. Suffice to say, that relationship had deteriorated even further when the latter saw Uzumaki Naruto playing with his niece Tenten and even befriending her. Hiten's hatred for his younger brother was such that after the funeral, he went out and used the very same sword he tried to murder Naruto with to carve the words 'you deserved it you fool!' on it. "That's okay. It's been a while after all, so you're not to blame. It was him, and each and every one those other fucking morons who were involved in that mob, and nobody else. So, what brings you here?"

Mikoto's spirits were lifted when she heard him bring that jovial attitude back. "I'm here for some scalpels, and training blades for kenjutsu. Can you manage it?"

The look on Hiten's face was of joy…Mikoto was doing something other than spending time on her ass all day long. Perhaps the twins came along and convinced her to teach them the fine art of swordplay. "So scalpels for work, and training blades yes? If I didn't know any better, a boy has caught one of their eyes."

"Coincidentally, a boy did catch someone's eye…I'm not sure which one has a stronger intention of pursuing him though."

"Ah yes, I remember…I was told by my wife shortly before she passed away…although I wasn't clear as to which twin was which…weren't they…?"

The glare that Mikoto had leveled at her friend to silence him. "Yes they are, but you do of course know why I won't tell anyone?"

Hiten nodded slightly. He couldn't even curse when Mikoto looked at him like that. "Anyway, back to the order: I can provide you with a couple of shinai and solid oak bokken for four-hundred mon total until I can get around to making some iaito, and the scalpels I'll throw in for 3 shu per hundred you buy."

"Fair enough," began Mikoto, as she fished out her purse, looking for the exact amount of change, "by the way, have you heard gossip from the other villagers lately?"

"Can't say that I have…much of it is the squawking of idiots anyway. What's up?"

"Nothing much, I'm pretty sure that you and Tenten will be seeing him pretty soon…according to the twins, the person they're interested in is carrying four different weapons—three of which are swords which are likely to be in need of sharpening soon."

Oh he was interested—a kid carrying four weapons? Now this was something Hiten wanted to see…and perhaps Tenten would learn a thing or two about the trade that he had taken up shortly after retiring as a ninja…

…

[Konoha Ninja Academy, lunch time…]

Meilan had just run off after realizing that she had forgotten the thermos with hot water for the tea to come with the lunch that she had packed for herself and Naruto back at their apartment. They each had a box of three onigiri with salmon filling that the Ichiraku's gave to them as a welcoming gift (or at least a welcome-home gift in the case of Naruto). Figuring it was rude to eat without her he simply sat on the grass and started to meditate…trying to do the exercise that GSD had taught him to enhance his senses. So far, he'd been able to send a 5 kHz chakra pulse from himself to a distance of almost .5 km…he was hoping to extend its reach to a full kilometer before the end of the ninja academy.

His thoughts were calmed by the light breeze rushing against him…his mind was settled as he breathed in the scent of grass, and alder, and…what is this? As he tuned in his senses, his nose had picked up four different combinations of scents, his ears had picked up four different heartbeats, and lo and behold, his chakra sense had picked up four signatures around him. Three of the signatures were female, but the fourth belonged to Uchiha Sasuke—or at least two signatures that belonged to him. Ah well, perhaps it's time to call them up and see what they want…starting with the twins that were sitting in the branches of the alder tree directly behind him…maybe even investigate why fraternal twins would have exactly the same kind of scent and chakra signature…

"Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't smell or hear you," he said with slight annoyance in his voice, "if it's Meilan you're scared of, then you needn't have worried—she's a very loving and forgiving person, so you are free to come on out and speak with me in and out of her presence…all four of you."

The jab at all four of them had caused the four signatures to flinch as they started to come out of their hiding places. From the jasmine bush came Hyuuga Hinata with her face red from embarrassment and pressing her fingers together as she attempted to avoid using her Byakugan to get herself a peep-show of the boy of her dreams. Yamanaka Ino had a confounded look on her face as she walked out from around the corner next to Hinata. Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Tsukiko had both let themselves drop out from the tree they were sitting in, and crouched side-by-side of Naruto only to look at him with curiosity in their eyes.

"You can smell us all?" asked Tsukiko, "How is that even possible?" finished Sasuke.

"Being blind may be a downer because I can't see anything anymore, but the good thing is that I managed to sharpen all my other senses. I can pretty much tell who you are by the combination of smells that are wafting off all of you."

The look of curiosity on Ino's face was clear upon hearing those words. "Really? You can tell who we are by scent? If so then, what do I smell like?"

Naruto moved a little closer towards her, and took in a deep breath, causing Ino to blush—and began to analyze what he had just smelled. Upon reaching a conclusion, and sat back down. "I smell a literal bouquet—every flower you can name from azaleas to tulips, I can smell on you, suggesting that you spend a lot of time around flowers…probably at a flower shop. I also caught a strong scent of sour orange mixed in with some undrinkable alcohol, indicating that you've recently covered yourself in orange oil perfume…you looking to get someone's attention?"

Ino was surprised. He was dead-on. She cleared her throat, and regained her composure. "To add to your first comment: yes, I do spend a lot of time at a flower shop—my family owns it, and I help run it. As to your second question: yes, I'm looking to get someone's attention but it's none of your business as to whom."

Even the blind could tell that she was embarrassed to even admit who the lucky boy was that Ino was trying to get attention from. She had turned pink upon hearing the question. "Fair enough…now who's next?"

Hinata had brought her hand out, and put it in Naruto's—getting the message, Naruto took the hand close to his nose, and took a whiff. After a few seconds, he started to turn red from embarrassment. "Well…that's interesting…uh…it's none of my business, but I think that next time you want me to take a whiff of you, to not use a hand that you would use in private."

The other three people looked to Hinata in curiosity—it was Sasuke that asked, "What'd you smell dobe?"

"Don't get me wrong, Hinata smells divine as a whole…she has a dominant lavender smell about her, along with bath salts and medicinal herbs to aid in relaxation and in getting better. I'm guessing that her family runs a spa and a traditional medicine clinic. What I smelled on her hand however, I am not sure I want to say in public…it's too personal to say."

Now they were curious, what did he smell? Although Hinata was quick to guess what he meant, her turning red at being found out and fainting had brought their attention away from him briefly. "So, who am I smelling next?"

The twins looked to Naruto with determination in their eyes. "Oh no you don't!" said Tsukiko, "Not until you tell us all what you smelled on Hinata's hand!" finished Sasuke.

The two of them were so close that Naruto's brain went on overdrive as to why the two of them smelled so similar. And it wasn't because they were brother and sister…but then he caught a whiff of something in the air in the direction of the female twin, and then he knew! "I really don't want to say, because it's Hinata's secret—not mine. And besides, I smelled the both of you already, and I know your secret…unless you want me to tell Ino here that I suspect that one of you is…"

Sasuke was quick to understand what he was about to say…and so he reached a hand out to silence him. "Not here dobe! I get it alright?"

Ino was genuinely curious about the secret that Sasuke held back at this point. "What did you smell?"

Oh he could feel eyes on him…Naruto could feel the twins glancing at him with worry in their eyes. He knew then and there that this was a big secret. He also felt the now-revived Hinata looking at him with curiosity in her eyes rivaling that of Ino's look. "Out of respect for the twins and their newfound respect for privacy, I won't tell you what I think, but I'll tell you what I do smell. How about that?"

"You're doing the sniff test again?" asked a voice from behind the others, "You rarely do that with me anymore…although I suppose how I smell is actually a trip to paradise every day."

Everyone turned to see Meilan with an obviously heavier thermos in her hand, and a pair of paper cups. She was grinning with amusement, but they could still feel a hint of jealousy in her aura. It was Ino that started. "Out of curiosity, what does Meilan smell like Naruto?"

The answer came rather quickly—this was due to how good Naruto's memory was from smelling Meilan's presence so often. "Freshly-opened lotus blossoms in addition to the hot air from after lightning bolts hit…and a hint of water freshly-melted from ice in the mountains of Kumo and water lilies."

Meilan only grinned upon hearing the list of things she smelled of—yep, those were good things to smell…and judging by the fact that came from Naruto whose only version of beauty in a world of darkness was by his other senses. It was then that she remembered what she was going to ask. "Aw, I'm glad you like me so much Naru-kun…so, what do the twins smell like?"

Naruto had a small grin as he started to pull out the list on his head of everything he had smelled from the Uchiha twins. "They both smell strongly of cedar wood and freshly-ground cinnamon—I can smell it from the both of them as clearly as the fumes from rubbing alcohol," he began, before facing the twins, "I can't tell from how close the two of you are which of you is which, but I will say that between the two of you, I smell traces of two kinds of flowers in bloom; one of you smells like plum blossom, the other smells like peach."

The twins were astonished…this was a very deep estimation on their scents—but at least now they knew Naruto was not going to divulge their secret. "Anyway, as of this moment, I still smell salt, rice, seaweed, and salmon in the air, as well as the fact that the tea is ready…and I can pretty much hear that everyone is getting hungry, so why don't we just settle down and eat? Meilan, do you think you can be satisfied with one onigiri?"

Meilan knew exactly what he meant when he asked…he was going to swear an oath of friendship over lunch. But going by what she was seeing from everyone here, she knew that eventually that friendship would bud into the flower of love that she had for Naruto. This was another thing she cursed his lack of sight for, but she felt that it would make it so that he would appreciate all the finer details of her later on. She also knew that the damage to Naruto's heart far exceeded the pain of what had happened to her family, and so she had accepted long ago that she would not be the only girl in his life to love him. "To celebrate the beginnings of a beautiful friendship over lunch, I'm right there with you!"

The two of them distributed their onigiri among the other kids in the area—Ino looked at hers gingerly; she didn't want to impose upon the kindness of the new kid, neither did she want to insult him by not eating. Hinata on the other hand took the rice ball with care, cherishing it as if it were a gift from a dear old friend. Sasuke and Tsukiko took theirs with confidence, while Naruto and Meilan took theirs in a gesture similar to toasting. Naruto began the toasting. "I propose a toast…to our new friendship…may we hereby and henceforth be friends until the end."

Once he ate his onigiri, the others ate theirs—and the toast and the oath to forever be friends was complete!

…

[Uchiha District, after school…]

The twins' room was Spartan in appearance—a wall scroll with the kanji for 'fire' was posted on one side of the room, and the kanji for 'will' was on the opposite side. The entire floor was covered in tatami mats, and under each scroll was a small desk. After they were done with their studies, the twins were getting ready for bed.

"That actually felt good sis," said Sasuke, unrolling his futon, "to finally have someone as a friend." "Are you really sure you want him as a friend?" asked Tsukiko, doing the same, "Because I'm pretty sure I caught you blushing at the same time as I did when he said we both smelled like cedar wood and cinnamon."

"At least I know I'm not the only one who feels that way about him. But what do we do when time comes that one of us wants to marry him?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there sis. By the way, isn't it about time you let that genjutsu off Tsukiko?"

Sasuke simply frowned, and placed his hands together in the ram seal, and let out a 'kai' to release the illusion. When the steam cleared off, what was revealed was a girl that looked exactly like Tsukiko down to her bust size and body measurements. Yes…Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Tsukiko were really identical twin girls! "You know I really don't enjoy taking your place Satsuki. Those fan girls of yours are such an annoyance."

The twin known as Satsuki grinned in amusement. "At least you know how I feel when they do that. Those girls are scary!"

Tsukiko let out a chuckle. "Not to mention stupid!"

At this point, the two of them laughed, and spoke at the same time. "They throw all their efforts into trying to make a pass at a boy who is really a girl same as them!"

"All right you two it's bedtime!"

The twins looked at their mother, standing in the doorway with an amused look on her delicate features. "Sorry mom," started Satsuki, "we were just…"

"…talking about boys and fan girls. But enough talk, let's go to bed…you'll need it for when I train you after school starting tomorrow!"

The two of them cheered and hugged their mother…and the night ended when the lights went off. As Mikoto watched her daughters slip into the world of dreams, she could only laugh to herself at the irony of their predicament…she imagined the looks on their faces at the day that they would find out that Uzumaki Naruto was actually the last of not one, but two clans!

…

A/N: Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter, I wanted to set up for adding more potential ladies to the harem…as it stands, the other potential candidates that I have added so far are Ayame (I may consider pairing her with Iruka later), Tenten (she has a lot of potential to be in the harem due to how much work she has to do to make up for what her uncle did, and the head-start she's gotten from befriending him first), and Ino (in the long run, she could also go well with Shikamaru and Chouji). I'm still taking in challenges on your take of this story, and suggestions for additions to the harem just FYI, so please don't be afraid to comment. I'm also wondering as to the Fighter subclass I should make Meilan become in the Shippuuden arc: should I make her a Nen Master, Striker, Brawler, or Grappler? Your input would be most helpful.

…

Slayer Techniques Used:

None

…

Songs Used:

"Departure" by Noriyuki Asakura from "Rurouni Kenshin"—GSD leaving to investigate

"Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" from "Kung-Fu Hustle"—Neji gets mauled

"Kung Fu" from "Kung-Fu Hustle"—Mikoto enters the armory

"Fisherman's Song from the East China Sea" from "Kung-Fu Hustle"—Meilan's first day

"Song of the Ancients-Devola" by Okabe Keiichi from "Nier"—Lunch with the girls

…

Vocabulary:

"…some god that had to sacrifice one of his eyes for wisdom"—the god that performed this act was Odin, the king of Asgard, and the father of Thor.

Baihe Meilan—Meilan's full name…it is Mandarin for "White Lotus" (her surname, "Baihe") and "Beautiful Orchid" (her given name, "Meilan").

Shinai—a bamboo sword used for kendo practice…made up of four slats of bamboo, and used to practice sword forms.

Bokken—literally means 'wooden sword' in Japanese; this is a wooden practice sword in the shape of a katana said to be used to train one's arms for the weight of the real blade.

Iaito—an imitation katana used to practice swordsmanship; unlike the bokken or shinai, this is a metal sword.

Ancient Japanese Currency—4000 mon is worth 16 shu, 4 bu, or 1 ryo

Onigiri—the infamous Japanese rice ball, usually filled with a salty filling and wrapped in seaweed; it's eaten somewhat like a sandwich.