Hey guys! Yay, another update! I can't help it, I just love writing for this story. However, as you can see, I have temporarily, for now at least, changed the genre from Humor to Family. Because while Misaki is sassy and has a mouth on her, I have realized that this story has, as one wonderful reviewer mentioned, been pulling more heart strings than it's been busting guts. Humor has never been one of my strong points, and most of my casual acquaintances from college have never heard my scathing, but sarcastic remarks, simply because I have at least enough social awareness to know that those should be attempted among good friends only, less I contract foot-in-mouth disease. Unfortunately, it is genetic in my family.

I will be skipping a large amount of time in this chapter.

I just realized that I never gave y'all a hint when it came to guessing who Woodpecker is, and I'm sorry about that. I had about five seconds left to finish the chapter before having to go meet my dad to be picked up. WOODPECKER IS NOT YAMATO. YAMATO'S ANBU NAME IS BEAVER. I chose beaver because the Narutowiki says he has a love for architecture, so I figured it was fitting. Dog is obviously Kakashi though. I will say that Woodpecker's real name has been mentioned several times in both my author's notes AND in the reviews. Also, Woodpecker is a reference to something said mysterious person always has on hand while off duty or not performing Anbu stuff. It's not a physical attribute, more like an accessory, but is always associated with him anyway. There, you now have your hint.

The Boy Toys List has yet to grow. Gai has been voted against once more. I'll just take him off the list. *scratches off his name* So now we have: Umino Iruka, Shiranui Genma, Raido, Hatake Kakashi, and Yamato. I'd like to point out that while I may decide the final couple, I won't stop you from shipping Misaki with ANYONE else. So those who want her with Kakashi, ship it to your heart's content. Hell, ship her with Yagura for all I care.

Romance will NOT play a big part in this story guys. I just like getting shit like this out of the way. At most, there will be only one or two chapters centered completely around the romance aspect. The only 'romance' I have ever written is the one between Kathy and Ultra Magnus in Rules of Nest, and that's mostly off screen. So don't worry 'bout it.

No one has yet to even mention who the potential pair Misaki will have regular, friendly interactions with. Regular, as in daily because they will be living with her and Naruto, interactions. The hint for them is that they're very close, almost like Father and son. There, that should do it. REMEMBER THAT THERE IS A PRIZE FOR THE FIRST REGISTERED REVIEWER TO GUESS WHO THEY ARE.

Disclaimer: I do not own my family's main PC nor do I own Naruto. However, I do own the coffee cup I am drinking from. It was a Christmas present.

Naruto and I ended up staying the night at the Uchiha house after a nutritious dinner of take-out stir-fry and microwaved eggrolls. I even saw Itachi 'sneaking' small bits of his vegetables and crushed steak to the babies, much to their delight. Mikoto, Fugaku, and I all shared an eye roll, but let him get away with it. Itachi hated steak, and had in fact ordered shrimp for his meal, but they had gotten it wrong. We made him eat it anyway, too tired to fight with the restaurant. He pouted of course, in that stoic, Itachi way of his.

The Uchiha main house was not as big as you'd think it would be. In fact, it wasn't much bigger than the house I used to live in with Naruto's parents. Yes, it was a strange mix between 'traditional' and this world's version of 'modern' but that didn't make it very large. It only had like five bedrooms, one of which was Fugaku's office and the other was used for storage. So there was the master bedroom, than Itachi's room, than Sasuke's. Naruto ended up bunking with Sasuke in his crib for the night, while I shared a bed with Itachi. Mikoto had offered to get out a futon for me, but I was sick of sleeping on the damn things. Yes, they were ridiculously comfortable, especially the one I have back at the apartment and no I am not biased, but Itachi's bed was huge, big enough to fit two grown men laying side by side. I know this because I had seen Fugaku and Minato do it when we had been visiting. Their friendship was a lot like Sasuke and Naruto's would be, best friends even if they acted like they hated each other.

We left late the next morning, all five of us having slept in and had a lazy Sunday morning. It was…. nice, to spend time like that with the Uchiha family. I often didn't get to have downtime, not in the last nine, almost ten months. Pausing to readjust Naruto's carrier, I allowed myself a small smirk, not un-Uchiha like. I could see myself in a few years, regaling Team 7 with the story of Sasuke's first birthday, with Sasuke trying not to be embarrassed in the corner of course, already. I'm sure Kakashi would enjoy it, at least. He should have the pole out of his ass enough by then to at least chuckle. Why yes, I am quite petty enough to still be angry with him after two years, why do you ask? Much less so by now, yes, but still angry. I finished fiddling with Naruto's carrier and continued my way down the street, now consciously enhancing my hearing to hear the gossip of the various civilians going down Market Street. I hadn't told anyone I had figured it out, and I wasn't planning to either. I'd like to claim that I'd figured it out all by myself, really I would. But in all honesty, an Inuzuka brat just graduated from the academy a few months ago and he decided to give out his old books to people who needed them. Inuzuka do not throw away anything EVER, so he still had his old Beginner's Chakra Control text book. Of course I grabbed it, and I'm pretty sure Tsume saw me. I told her it was for Naruto when he entered the academy, but I don't think she believed me. She did give me some tips though, 'for Naru-chan of course.' That woman is too smart for her own good. Hana was smart too. So why the hell did said intelligence skip Kiba?

"-she is! The Akuma no gādian*! Did you hear what she did at that party the Uchiha held for their second son's birthday yesterday?"

"No, I didn't! What did she do?"

"I heard she broke into the house and set the demon onto the other children there, before attacking one of the guests for no reason!"

"Wha-?"

"That's not right. I heard that she was invited by the Uchiha only so they could stay in her, and thus the fox brat's, good graces. But she's been so poisoned by his evil chakra, she's gone insane! So she took out a butcher knife out of her… you know where… and tried to stab poor Uchiha Itachi. He must be so traumatized!"

"Poor Itachi-kun!"

"I know! Hey, hasn't she done something like that before?"

"Yeah, she beat in the heads of some innocent genin just a few years ago, for no reason! They said they had just been standing there, talking to a few girls, when she came out of nowhere and beat them up!"

"Wow, she really is insane….. I-Isn't that her, coming up the road now?"

"Oh shit. Be quiet, she might not notice us."

I heard all that and more on my walk home that day. I didn't mind though. Some of the gossip was actually rather hilarious. And from the looks on the faces of several shinobi I passed and waved to on the street, they obviously agreed. Oh, it was obvious they wanted to know what actually went down and I answered the questions of the various ninja that actually bothered to ask. But otherwise, I didn't mention it. I was sure that the true story would be out among the people who actually mattered by the evening. I was just passing a teashop, where Anko's unmistakeable laughter could be heard half a block away, and cursing how my apartment was on the other side of the village when an Anbu operative dropped to a crouch in front of me. It was one of the pair who had taken the woman away, presumably to the hospital. He cocked his head at me. Oh yeah, definitely.

I raised an eyebrow but kept walking. I was too used to seeing even Fugaku, when he felt like showing off of course, do that, I didn't even flinch. He fell into step with me shortly, and it was quiet for several minutes. "So whatcha want Kunai-brain?" There was the distinct sound of a startled snort being strangled in its crib. He thought my nickname for Anbu was amusing, did he?

He didn't answer my question though, only kept walking along with me. Occasionally, a civilian would glance at us and either smirk triumphantly or run away. Whether they ran screaming depended on how straight-backed my masked companion decided to walk. We were passing Ichiraku's before I realized that yes, his shoulders were shaking, as if he was trying to keep from laughing. Glad to know even Anbu have a sense of humor.

"Seriously though, are you supposed to be following me out in the open like this? Aren't you supposed to stalk me from the trees or some shit?"

I almost opened my mouth to question him again, but he finally deemed my questions suitable enough to answer. Took him long enough, the bastard. "Hokage-sama has been informed of the Incident and expressed a concern over the possible backlash that might stem from the rumors. He is of the opinion that if you are seen with an obvious protection detail, such as a member of the Anbu, possible attackers might hesitate to do so." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "I have been assigned as a member of the first shift, and the only one to actually be out in the open."

I nodded and mulled over his explanation. It made sense, I suppose. I had caused an Incident, with a capital I, and was already disliked by most of the village, so this would not endear anyone of the civilian population to me. The shinobi could care less for the most part, but there were some exceptions (coughcoughMizukicough), but most were neutral. Shinobi didn't care for holding grudges, at least not without good reason. They did have a good reason to be resentful of Naruto, most definitely, but even the most mediocre Genin knew the basics of sealing. The container was not the weapon, end of story. And if someone brought up the demon, and they should know better, it was beaten into their heads. I had seen it happen many a time walking down the street. Jōnin sensei whacking their student, sometimes all three, for being stupid upside the head was a common sight, even before the Kyuubi attack.

"So~…. What's your name?" I asked, very curious. He stiffened, almost unnoticeably, and his voice was hard and clipped, almost disapproving, when he replied.

"Classified," was his short response before he sped up slightly, leaving me in the dust with my short legs and heavy, sleeping toddler as deadweight. I blinked up at him, brow furrowed in confusion. Huh? All I wanted was to know his na-…. Ohhhh. Yeah, sometimes I really can be just that dumb. It's a personal failing I try to ignore. Truth be told, I had almost forgotten that the people under the animal masks were just that. People, who had names and personalities, just like everyone else. I just wanted to know what his animal designation was. Hello, foot-in-mouth disease, we meet again. Long time no see. I didn't miss you one fucking bit.

Flailing my arm in mild panic, but mostly embarrassment because now he probably hated me, Anbu despised getting asked what their real names were, I caught up to him. "I didn't mean it like that! I swear I didn't! I just wanted to know what animal you are! I swear, I would never ask for your real name, not even if my life depended on it! ... Okay, maybe I would, but any other time I would never even consider it." What? I'm not prone to lying to myself or other people when it comes to events where an important choice had to be made. I would do what I had to if either my life or the lives of my precious people were on the line. Oh, I'd feel incredibly guilty later, no doubt, but still.

He slowed down after I had explained myself, and the mild tension in his back dissipated somewhat. But it wasn't until we had reached the apartment and I had unlocked the door did he speak again. His voice still sounded like he was irritated, but not nearly as angry as before.

"Owl. My designation is Owl." He headed inside. I'm pretty sure the smile I made in response was so bright, Mist could have used my skull as a lighthouse….. Wow, that sounded really weird. But it was totally something they would do if they thought they could get away with it. I giggled excitedly and followed him inside.

Things stayed mostly the same over the following months. Owl followed me around the village during the day, whistling while I worked. And he actually did whistle, too low for anyone not a tracker or me, to hear, the bastard. He's lucky I didn't tear off his mask and beat him with it. We became good friends over time, even if he couldn't tell me any specific details about himself, like his real name or appearance. I didn't mind though, because I still knew a lot about him. I learned that his habit of cocking his head when thinking or when he found something particularly amusing wasn't a habit he developed after he received his mask, but was why he was called Owl in the first place. I learned that he had once been dared to turn his head as much as he possibly could and almost broke his neck in the process. But it was worth it, according to him, because hey, he got 2,000 ryō* out the deal. I promptly told him he was an idiot, especially since the event occurred less than a month before he was assigned to guard me. It's sad when an eleven year old is more intelligent than a grown man, no matter her mental maturity. Of course, in typical Owl fashion, he just cocked his head at me.

I'll just… skip over Naruto's first birthday for now. It… It wasn't pleasant. At all. We had to have a full team of Anbu following us in the open, with another hiding in the shadows. Not even the Uchiha compound was safe on Naruto's birthday. I think Owl was afraid I'd absorbed his hand into my arm by the time we reached the Hokage Tower, with how tightly I'd been holding it. Naruto was still too young to safely use the body flicker. Next year, he wouldn't be and I fully planned on using that to my advantage. I don't think I've seen anyone, certainly not a whole crowd of anyones, volunteer so quickly.

Otherwise, the rest of the year, and the first half of the next, was rather uneventful, almost ridiculously so. Naruto began learning how to talk and often instigated elaborate and supposedly meaningful conversations with Sasuke-chan, Ino, Kiba, and Choji, or any of the other babes whose parents allowed their children near him. But it was still mostly gibberish. He also developed the habit of impromptu games of tag with Sasuke-chan when the both of them could actually walk enough to not fall over every thirty seconds. Itachi graduated from the Academy in under a year and we had a private celebratory dinner for him. Mikoto and Fugaku didn't even blink when I eventually got fed up, moved him to the couch and proceeded to sit on the poor seven year old until he promised not to push himself too hard, or I'd pop his head like a grape. Fugaku stopped laughing when he was informed I'd do the very same if he pushed either of his sons too hard, and realized I was completely serious. Especially after I told him not to let the Clan Elders get their shriveled old paws into them. The next day was the Graduation Ceremony. As the only (living) loud member of the Uchiha clan, despite not actually being an Uchiha at all, I, along with Naru-chan, was his designated cheering squad. Mikoto and Fugaku, plus various other Uchiha, just clapped politely.

I turned twelve, Fugaku was actually here, and we ate at Ichiraku's as a quiet, but somehow still rambunctious family. The stares from very confused passerby were a riot that reduced almost all of us to giggles. The end, because not much else had changed from the year before. I got virtually the same gifts from my various employers. I added my bonus money into my (happily) growing savings account. If things stayed the same pace, I could probably, just barely, buy a house by Naruto's second year in the Academy. I would be able to get all of his parent's things out of storage so he could see and use the same things they had. That is what excited me the most.

There weren't nearly as many people at Sasuke's second birthday party that year. In fact, all the non-Uchiha guests were the main families from the other major clans. I didn't get to speak much with them other than a quick greeting before I had to continue my pursuit of various ankle-biters of the toddling age. But pretty much all of the future Konoha 12 was there, except for Sakura, Tenten, and Lee. I should know, I had to chase after all of them. Even Neji, who wasn't a little asshole yet because Hizashi wasn't due to die for another year at least, and Hinata were allowed to play, even if it wasn't especially loud. Obviously, Hiashi wasn't so anal about clan traditions as much as the fandom thought, if he let his technically Branch-family brother and nephew attend such a 'high-profile' event, as I heard some women at the market call it. It was a two year old's birthday party for fuck's sake, not a ball held by the Daimyo.

It was at this party, I was offered a job. A full time, high paying, but difficult job. One that paid more than all of my part time jobs combined. Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, had originally said it as a joke after she had witnessed my miraculous motivation of her son, enough that he actually got off his lazy butt and went to play 'Ninja' with the other kids. I barely even head her because I was in my Zone. Children had always been my life, my sole purpose before I was shot was to make the world a better place for them. Weeds will strangle a garden and not allow it to grow, but if you remove that suffocating presence, the garden will flourish. Children were much the same. Taking care of Naruto was often exhilarating, and not without reward. He certainly had energy enough to make it seem as if I was a kindergarten teacher again, stuffed into a classroom full of some of the rowdiest kids known to man. But it wasn't the same, no matter what I told myself. You'd think after twelve years of not having to deal with so much stress, because three jobs were nowhere near as stressful, I wouldn't miss it as much, if at all. But it had been where I belonged, where I had always felt the most welcomed. The most 'in my element' so to speak.

"Kami above girl, do you babysit?" I could barely hear Yoshino over the din of the room, it was far too loud to use my enhanced hearing, but her voice still carried enough that almost every parent did instead. These parents didn't need chakra enhanced hearing to be aware of where their children were. They just knew. The Hyuuga Twins didn't count because of the Byakugan, of course. Almost as one, the various clan heads in attendance turned to face me, trapped as I was by a crowd of their children. Tsume grinned ferociously as Kiba began to use my ponytail as a climbing rope. I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach induced by Inoichi's pupiless stare directed at the back of my head, and began to soothe Ino's tears. Sasuke had stepped on her bare feet in his haste to eat his birthday cake, apparently.

I sighed as the horde of children finally scattered, screeching some nonsense about cake or something, and their parents crowded around me, looking quite pleased with themselves. I'm not stupid, I knew what they wanted and hated them for it. Even Hiashi looked like he was gonna bust a gut, even though his brats, which included Neji and I refused to disbelieve this no matter what the Hyuga Clan Elders said, were some of the most well behaved children here. Except for Shino, but that was only because he wouldn't stop clinging to his father's coat like a limpet. I sighed a very heavily put upon sigh and turned to face them. "….. I better be getting paid for this. And I want my birthday bonus from every single one of you before I even start." Hey, if they wanted me to babysit their little hellions, I want a fucking advancement. It was only fair. Their only response was to nod and grin rather sadistically.

In all honesty, it wasn't all that bad watching the brats. They behaved, mostly, and enjoyed exploring the Clan compound of the week, which was often selected at random via pulling a name out of a hat. It's not a good idea to have clan children, especially heirs, on a schedule. It would be far too tempting to potential kidnappers and none of us wanted to risk that. Good things came out of these daily gatherings though. Because the Uchiha had finally declared their intentions, and secretly informed the other clans about the checks, they weren't being ostracized by the rest of the village. Some people still treated them like shit because of the rumors of possible Uchiha involvement in the Kyuubi attack, but the clan was growing to accept that as a whole. Unfortunately for Konoha's administrations and their attempts to move the clan into a far corner of the village, the other major clans began to show support for the Uchiha and disdain for the unfair treatment by helping them fight back. The Nara and Aburame, who shared a corner of property on both family compounds, refused to sell the land needed to build the infamous Uchiha district from Canon. This was taken to be what was most likely the biggest, and most important, show of support the Aburame clan could possible give. It was a known-secret that the Aburame, despite being a Noble clan, weren't doing well financially because most villagers, including shinobi, were simply too afraid to buy from their family produce stall in the Market because of their kikaichū. The sale would have saved them from potential bankruptcy.

In response, Fugaku began to urge all members of the Uchiha clan to become active patrons of the family, his way of saying 'thank you,' I suppose. The Akimichi, and thus the Yamanaka and Nara, followed suit. I didn't take much convincing, let me tell you. Aburame produce is delicious. I don't think I have ever tasted something as good as the very first Aburame apple I ever ate. I don't even like apples! And they make the most delicious honey, even better than the kind most people import from the Land of Honey. And that shit is goooood.

Relations between clans were never better, those next few years. The Uchiha weren't planning their coup de tat, as far as I was aware anyway, and it seemed as if everything was wonderful. It wouldn't last though, and I knew that. It wasn't a whole year before both Neji and Hinata stopped attending my babysitting group. She had turned three and Neji received the Caged Bird Seal, and soon after that, the Hyuga Affair happened. Sometimes I would see Hiashi and Hinata while shopping with Naruto or touring the village with the kids, but I never saw Neji again. I probably wouldn't for a long time, unless I ran into him training with his genin team or even at the Chunin exams. He wouldn't be the same though, and probably wouldn't remember me. A lot of the clan kids I cared for daily wouldn't, not by the time they graduated from the academy. There would be no reason for me to watch any of the future rookie nine once they entered school, or even when they all turned five, except if their parents wanted to have a date night or something.

As Naruto continued to grow, so did our relationship. I was his ever present 'Nee-chan,' always there with a quick word of encouragement after an especially harrowing day on the town. When he was five, he reached the minimum age children were allowed to run around the village without supervision. I was scared to let him go, terrified really, but it had to be done. He had watched restlessly as his daily playmates all grew too old to require a babysitter and became 'big kids.' In the end, the only one who stayed and waited for him was Sasuke, the sweetheart. They were best friends, had known each other almost all their lives. They were still rivals and competed over everything, but it was all in good fun for them. The week after Naruto turned five and they met for the first time with neither their siblings or parents with them, discounting the Anbu but they didn't know that, the pair proceeded to share a Look and began to try and take over the town. Whooping and hollering included. I wasn't there for this of course, having already restarted my position at the bakery, but Owl was. He thought it was absolutely hilarious, especially the faces of people who couldn't comprehend an obvious Uchiha brat acting like he was, well, five years old. Apparently, there were quite a few people like that.

Five was also the age Naruto began his bi-weekly meetings with the Hokage and the age where I determined I had finally managed to save enough money to afford Naruto's first trip, in his memory anyway, to Ichiraku's. I was mildly concerned for my wallet so sue me. But those meetings with Sarutobi are what concerned me the most at the moment. Naruto had a bad habit of saying things one way, but meaning it another. Ex: "So Naruto, how does Misaki-chan discipline you?" "Oh, she hits me when I'm bad! I don't like it because it hurts a lot, but she always says it's for my own good." The week before, I had given him a spanking for purposefully spilling black tea all over one of my manuscripts because I hadn't let him go outside and play in the rain. Accidents are one thing and won't get you more than a light scolding in my house, but ruining something I had spent years working on and was finally getting published on purpose? That will get you an ass-whooping, end of discussion. It was how I was raised and getting grounded would only make Naruto worse. So I gave him five hard smacks on the butt, then sat him down to explain what he had done wrong exactly.

A Week Before...

I raised my hand to wipe one of Naruto's tears off his cheek, but paused when he flinched away. I hadn't wanted to spank him so hard, he'd never done anything bad enough to deserve more than a light swat on the butt as a reminder, but he really had gone too far. I wasn't a very strict guardian, only giving him a few ground rules. Don't go outside at night, ask me when he wanted to go play so I wouldn't freak out, check in with me around noon when I was working, don't talk to strangers unless there is an adult he knows present or he could sense one of his 'guardian spirits' (aka Anbu) nearby, and lastly, don't touch my writing supplies. Those were the major ones I actively enforced, but he knew to come find me if he wasn't sure about one of the minor rules. I sighed and sat down at the kotatsu* table. It was nearly New Years, and while it hadn't snowed at all this year, the rain had been nothing less than chilling.

It was silent in our little apartment, with nothing but Naruto's sniffles and the pounding of the rain on the window the only noise. "Naruto... Naru-chan, come here." My voice was soft and low. But he stiffened anyway and looked at me fearfully. I felt my heart shatter with guilt at making my little brother cry. "Please come here sweety, I promise I won't hurt you again." Slowly, he made his way over to my side of table, still sniffling. I pulled him into a hug, careful not to move too quickly. He clutched onto the fabric of my kimono shirt and sunk into my lap. "Naru-chan... Do you know why I had to spank you?"

"B-Because I did s-s-something bad, right Nee-chan?" He sniffled and looked up at me with watery, sky blue eyes. "You always say that if I did that, you would."

I made a sound of agreement and rubbed his back in soothing, circular motions. "And do you know what you did wrong?"

Naruto was quiet for a moment. "You said I couldn't go outside and I was mad. S-So I spilled tea on your papers... And that made you mad too?"

"Uh huh. It's true, that did make me very, very mad, and I'm sorry that I yelled at you. That was mean of me. But what you did was very mean too. I've been working on that for a long time Naru-chan. How would you like it if someone came and cut down your plants after you've worked so hard to care for them?" He gasped in childish disgust and realization. A few months ago, he had found the shattered remains of several innocent houseplants next to a dumpster in one of the many side alleys, and decided his new mission in life was to nurse them back to health. I figured it was a good way to teach him some responsibility, so I let him do as he pleased.

"I would be really mad Nee-chan! Like, really, really, REALLY mad! Believe it!"

It is very hard not to smile or laugh when holding something so adorable. But somehow, I managed to succeed. I should get an award. "Well, how do you think I feel, now that you ruined all of my hard work?"

He looked back and forth between me and the drying papers on the counter, an extremely guilty expression on his face. Finally, he turned back to face me completely. "…... I'm so sorry nee-chan. So, so, super-duper-uper sorry I did that! You work so hard all the time on your stories and I just messed one of them up! I promise that I will never, ever do that again! Believe it!"

"Ya give me your word sweety? Is that gonna be your Nindō?" Might as well get this out of the way.

"Nindō? Wha's that nee-chan?"

I allowed myself a small smile. "Your ninja way Naru-chan. You do want to be a ninja, don't you? Every ninja has a rule they follow, one that they live by. Most here in the village follow the Will of Fire, but you can have more than one."

Naruto thought for a moment before sticking out his hand, pinky exposed."Than yeah nee-chan! I'll never back down or go back on my word! That'll be my ninja way, my Nindō! I'll pinky promise you right now!"

I burst into laughter, but latched pinkies with him. "I'll hold you to that sweety!"

Later that same day...

It was silent in our apartment as I lay awake that night, under the kotatsu table. Naruto wasn't asleep, I could tell because the thin walls weren't shaking from the strength of his snoring. He was up a little late for my liking, but I let it go for now. The blonde usually only stayed up this late when he had thinking to do. I actively encouraged thinking in my home.

"Nee-chan?" Ah, there it is.

"Yes Naru-chan?"

Quiet. "...Do you have a Nindō?"

That was an interesting question I never thought someone would be bothered to ask me. I'd have to inform him in the morning that it was actually considered very rude by most people. "I'm not a shinobi Naruto."

"So? Do you have to be?"

Huh. "I guess not. Different people do different fighting, so I'd assume that everyone has some sort of code the follow."

"What's your's nee-chan?"

"I follow the Will of Fire Naruto."

"Oh."

It went quiet again for a while.

"Hey nee-chan?"

"Hm?" I was finally starting to fall asleep.

"Do you have more than one?"

"Uh huh." Damn, kotatsu were so fucking comfortable.

"What's your other one then?"

"…... To do whatever possible to protect the ones I love."

"That sounds like a good one..."

"It is... Now go to sleep Naru-chan, I have work in the morning."

"Okay, okay nee-chan." Ah, sweet, blissful quiet.

"Nee-chan?"

Never-fucking-mind. "What?"

"What's the Will of Fire?"

*thump* "Go the hell to sleep Naruto." I finally fell asleep, ignoring the sound of my little brother complaining about how I threw one of our spare zabuton* at him.

So there it is guys! This is probably my longest chapter yet! Over six thousand words! WHOO~ *throws confetti*

Akuma no gādian= romanji for "Demon's Guardian." Misaki thinks it's very original... NOT.

Kotatsu Table= A kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself. The type Misaki and Naruto use is electric. Kotatsu are used in the cold months because most Japanese housing is not as well insulated as in the West, so they rely on space heating.

Zabuton= those cushions Japanese people sit on.

OWL IS AN OC that I have yet to decide a name for. He is not a canon character. But did you guys like him? Seriously, did you? I have no idea what happened. He was only supposed to make the occasional cameo, but he decided to be a diva today and drop kick me from left field. But I think he's growing on me. Like a fungus.

Do you think Misaki handled Naruto's misbehavior well? I know some of you probably don't agree with spanking, but it was how I was raised, and I came out fine. All things in moderation is the motto if you use corporal punishment, you have to know both your limits and your child's. And always, ALWAYS talk it over and hug afterwards. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Bye guys! Please remember to leave a review and have a wonderful day!