(Chapter 3-Painkillers)

Yuuki cringed, tossing about as her dreams imprinted an atmosphere of suspense. An exaggeratedly massive man cloaked in a dark shade had approached her. When she finally mustered the courage to attack, a concussive shock wave seem to blast out from him and knock her down. She closed her eyes in fear as the man unsheathed his sword. The sound that followed was a solid clank. Yuuki opened her eyes to find Takeshi parrying the blade. They traded blow after blow as her fear melted into hope. Finally, Takeshi had kicked the shady man back far enough to start a jutsu. The dark man quickly charged to stop him; blade ready to strike. From here it was all about speed. The anxiety of it all forced her heart to pound vigorously.

OoOo

"Ramen!" The door was slammed open with amazing authority. Yuuki screamed, throwing herself out of the bed and face planting on the floor. "Oh good, it's the right room this time!"

"Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?" She pushed herself to a sitting position and finally realized where she was. The adrenaline left. "Am I in the hospital?" Her stomach gnawed at her; a friendly reminder of her malnutrition.

"Yuuki, what would your mother think about that kind of language? I'll let that slide because you had such a rough night." Naruto stood tall now and grew very serious. "You know better than to train in the forest! I'm not as mad as I am disappointed in you." Visible guilt swelled up inside her. "Do you see the weight of your bad decisions?" Naruto inhaled and stopped himself from continuing. "I think this can wait." He handed her a fresh bowl of hot ramen and grinned. "Right now, I'm proud as a parent and happy you're alive!"

She gave him a matching grin as she accepted the bowl and prepared to eat. "Takeshi and I could have taken them all down if we weren't so hungry!" Right as the first bite was inches away she immediately put it back down. "Where's Takeshi? Why isn't he here?" She was in the early stages of a panic attack.

Before her father could answer, a familiar voice entered the room. "Did you really expect those scratches to bring me down? I'm almost offended!" A great smile came over as subtle tears forced themselves out of her.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto slurped down the rest of his bowl before continuing. "There's something I need to give you two." He shifted his eyes to Takeshi with a slightly more serious face. "Uchiha Takeshi, you remained vigilant even on the most peaceful of occasions. You looked fear in the eyes, completely outclassed, and protected those important to you. Despite the heavy beating you endured, you proved that leaf ninja can never be outclassed in heart." Naruto pulled out a battered, blood dried kunai. "From what I can tell, this kunai has significant value to it. It's also the very one that struck the assassin, survived a massive explosion, and found its way to my feet. Keep it as a symbol of your courage and tenacity." Takeshi's eyes widened as he received the kunai. He could still make out the engravings of his initials; the mark of his first kunai. He smiled as he showed his respect to the Hokage.

Naruto smiled and turned to Yuuki. "Uzumaki Yuuki, who did you inherit that intelligence from?" she chuckled a little. "You have always been full of energy and high spirits. However, even when you are frustrated, your decision skills and motivation remain unmatched. In hopes that luck and unique creativity continue to follow you, I present the weapon that saved your lives!" He pulled out the improvised 'parachute kunai' Yuuki made while losing consciousness. She'd almost forgotten about it, but Takeshi's sleeve was still fastened.

"So that's where the better part of my sleeve went!" Takeshi added. Yuuki snickered mischievously at his wardrobes expense.

Naruto handed off the creation. "This is a symbol of wisdom and strategy." She accepted it, feeling embarrassed by her father's praise. Naruto smirked. "Oh, and don't worry about the vomit. We cleaned it off for you."

Yuuki dropped it instantly in disgust. "That's just wrong!" The boys shared a brief laugh.

"Now that leaves just one more thing." He cleared his throat and stood a little more formal. "After a brief discussion with Iruka and several jonin, we made quite the conclusion. I suppose this really has never happened, but it appears no one has been dismissive of it." Yuuki and Takeshi leaned in a little closer in curiosity. "Uchiha Takeshi and Uzumaki Yuuki, under the authority of the Sixth Hokage, it is my honor to welcome you into the ranks of our ninjas." He pulled out two forehead protectors. "You are both top of the class genin graduates. We all as parents were proud of you, so this is our way of helping you symbolize your own pride."

They quickly grabbed the headbands and made several comments on them. Naruto could only smile as he watched his youngest child in so much joy. These two are going to be the heart of Konoha in the future. "I'll be at the front desk when you two have calmed down." He snatched the unattended bowl of ramen and snickered on his way out. You have to eat quicker than that, Yuuki. He showed mercy on the door this time as he gently closed it.

As they quieted down, Yuuki stared at the headband now with mixed feelings. It was a bittersweet way of becoming a ninja. Takeshi observed her for a moment before letting out a sigh. "That was one hell of a graduation exam, huh?" She gave a halfhearted smile as she firmly lifted her kunai. This may be difficult to discuss for her. Suddenly, she chucked it through the wooden door in anger. Oh man, this is way worse than I thought.

"If you're going to leave, leave damn it!" Takeshi panicked. She's snapped! How am I going to fix this? "And you owe me two bowls of ramen now!" Takeshi's eyebrows twitched in confusion.

A voice came from the other side of the door. "You've got some serious problems, you know that!? Now I have to pay for that door to! Do you think I can shit money?" Takeshi felt sweat drop on the back of his neck.

"Find a better hobby than stalking your daughter! And don't play the money card; you're the Hokage, dumbass!"

Naruto stomped away. "Bah, damn teenagers!" Tears were rolling exaggeratedly out his eyes.

She deeply inhaled and relaxed again. "Are you sure you're alright Takeshi?"

He was caught off guard and slightly pulled away. "Well I was beaten to a pulp, but I'm just a little sore now. I feel fine compared to last night."

"That's good, but you know that's not what I meant. We were attacked! We're fifteen years old and we almost died! I know it comes with being a ninja, but I can't believe so many strong people tried to kill two kids." Her fists were tightened and her facial expression was that of an angry confusion.

Takeshi looked to the floor. "It's not the same for me. I don't care if they tried to kill me twice or twenty times."

She swung an arm, as if trying to swat his lies away. "Bull shit! We weren't even genin and we were on a hit list!" She just knew he was lying, he was always like this. She stood in an angry stance as she waited for him to continue. He pocketed his hands and looked away.

"You never let me finish." She crossed her arms and waited for a response. "It really doesn't bother me that I almost died." He looked back to her but could only look back away in shame. "What bothers me is how powerless I was to save you." She instantly showed shock as he glanced out the window. "They say I was the top of our class; a genius. But not only did you save yourself, I was the one who ended up needing saving."

Yuuki saddened at the way he saw it. "It's not like anyone would blame you for anything. That clone wasn't me, and even if it was, you did everything you could to protect it. That kunai would have gone straight through its head if you hadn't pushed it." He remained staring out the window. "And in the cave, if you hadn't countered his jutsu, I would be dead. Do I also need to remind you who warded off the vicious onslaught of ninja tools and whose sleeve saved us in the end?" He appeared to be feeling better about his efforts through a rubbing of his head. She genuinely smiled. "If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago."

He started blushing faintly. "Well, I guess I am pretty badass."

She facepalmed as he laughed. "Way to ruin it."

He faced her now. "I do agree though. It's disturbing to think people would target us. But we fought." His words seem to be attempting to convince himself now. "Both of us together managed to beat the odds and live. We should remember that as wear these headbands." He put his hands on her forehead protector. "There's no rush, but let's shoot for chunin together." They locked eyes for a moment.

"Good lord, what did you do to this door, Uzumaki?" They quickly looked away as Takeshi withdrew his hands. "And what did you get Takeshi involved in, dry eyes?"

Yuuki gritted her teeth. "Noriko, why are you here? Freaking creeper."

Takeshi put his hand over his face. Of all the girls to walk in the door, why did it have to be her? Now it's going to get loud in here.

Noriko made no expression at all. "You can relax. I'm not here to show you up." Anger began radiating from Yuuki. "I'm just here to make sure you two made a full recovery."

"Why the hell do you care?"

Noriko looked at Yuuki with a fake smile. "For you? Strictly for job security. It's not like I was concerned about you." The flames building inside her would surely erupt any minute. "I'm here on my mother's orders. I did do the minor patch work on you two, after all. Putting differences aside, I honestly have sympathy for what happened." The flames died down. "I congratulate you two on how well you did. Judging by the headbands and Takeshi's injuries, I wager it was life-threatening."

Yuuki grinned. "It was nothing me AND Takeshi couldn't handle. They opted to graduate us top of the class." Yuuki stuck her nose in the air. "I guess that means I beat you."

Noriko's eye narrowed. "Yes, you finally managed to beat me in something that doesn't involve paper and pencil." Takeshi felt the flames rising again. "Let's see." She put her finger to her lips and looked up. "That puts our record at about ninety-nine to one." He backed away as he felt a quaking rage build. "Oh! AND I still have cute, normal eyes."

Yuuki flashed her byakugan and charged her. "Bitch, I'll kill you!" Noriko noted this and raised her hand to signal a stop. Yuuki barely restrained herself. "What?"

"This is a hospital. What is the logic in injuring each other in a place of healing?"

Yuuki lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, is that fear I sense, creeper?"

Noriko glint a subtle smile. "Yes actually. The thought of humiliating you in my place of work would reflect very poorly on my character." Yuuki let out an infuriated grunt, still seeing her point about the hospital anyways. One of these days, Noriko! One of these days… "Anyways, it would appear you are both in good condition. Please go check out at the front desk." She was already sifting through the medical papers.

Takeshi pushed Yuuki out the door. "Yes, thank you very much for your help. Have a good day!" As they got in the hall, Takeshi stopped her briefly. "Yuuki, calm down! Getting flared up over stupid things is exactly what fuels her. Besides, what are the chances of seeing her very often anymore?" She relaxed her fist and eventually nodded. They made their way to the front desk and were dismissed. "I should get home soon. I'm sure my mother is worried and upset. She told me something urgent arose."

Yuuki waved him off. "I have to wait for dad. He's probably snooping as usual. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel. See you around, Takeshi!" He withdrew a hand from his pocket and raised it as he walked away. She watched him until he was gone and smiled. After a brief look around the room, she noticed her father seriously reading a couple scrolls. Looks like those are pretty important. He'll be gone all day today. "Hey dad, let's go! I'm starving."

Naruto immediately tucked away the scrolls and smiled. "That's fine by me. I'm getting hungry myself." If she didn't know him any better, her jaw would have dropped. "We have to be quick though, your mother is really worried about you." She nodded and they headed off to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.

OoOoOoOo

Takeshi finally arrived at his home. He opened the door and carefully entered. It was pretty quiet inside, as the only noise was the steam of a cooking meal. It smelled abnormally good, so he decided to go check on how long it would take.

As he casually stepped into the kitchen, his face was smashed by a frying pan. The pink haired culprit screeched and began vice grip hugging the petrified boy. "Takeshi! My poor baby, you know you can't sneak around like that! Why didn't you keep your head on a swivel? Are you hurt? Are you feeling better?" Sakura began panting in anxiety. "Why won't you say anything?"

His face was already blue as he forced out the words, "Can't…breathe!" She instantly released him and facepalmed at her lack of strength control. As Takeshi recovered his breath, he stood back up. "I'm guessing father isn't home then?" She confirmed his theory and stood up herself. "I see…I was really hoping to ask him a few questions."

"It's about the sharingan, isn't it?" She went back to stirring the food. "Lucky for you, there is someone here who can help you out."

Takeshi's mood brightened. "No way, Hitomi is actually here today?"

"Yes, your lovely sister broke her arm on a mission yesterday. She insisted on taking a week off." Takeshi figured it must have been serious to actually slow her down. "And no, it's not that serious. She's malingering if you ask me. Go tell her to get over that attitude of hers while you're at it. Remember to keep your head on a swivel next time!"

Takeshi quickly took off to her room. It wasn't often he got to see his sister like he used to. She was a jonin and recently even became ANBU. He couldn't wait to catch up. He activated his sharingan before he went in. She'll never see this coming. As the door opened he was forced to barely dodge two books that literally went through the wall behind him. He snapped, "What the hell is wrong with the women in this house?"

Hitomi looked up and saw Takeshi. "Oh shit, my bad. Come in." She got up to close the door.

"What the hell was that? It sounds like your arm is just fine to me. If you broke the wall again, I swear-"

She shut the door and looked down at Takeshi and noticed his eyes. "I take it you had a rough night?" He nodded. "Aww, but look at the two totem left eye and one totem right. It's so cute." Her fingers widened his eyes for him.

He shoved them off and laughed. "Very funny, but I actually have some questions as you'd imagine."

She sat down on her bed and signaled for him to follow suit. "I'm not going anywhere soon, so I'm all ears. We haven't talked in a while, so let's catch up." They shared a smile as he thanked her and sat down.

OoOoOoOo

Ayame and Teuchi were exhausted. "There's no way we can keep this up, Naruto!" They had already torn through the day's supply of ingredients. "God bless you for your family's appetite, but I can barely account for just how much you guys eat."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing. "That's okay, my salary can barely account for it either!" Yuuki finished her twelfth bowl before sighing in satisfaction. "It looks like my love for ramen was passed down. Later old man; Ayame-chan!" They waved them off as Naruto and Yuuki left. Naruto looked to Yuuki. "I guess this is a good time for the discipline part." She frowned. "Don't try to give me that, you broke a rule I've been emphasizing for a while. As of right now, you're grounded until the rest of your class graduates." She grunted and rolled her eyes. "It's a lenient punishment if you ask me. Besides, you can keep your mother company. On top of that, Isami will be there until mid-day."

Yuuki showed surprise in his words. "What's the occasion? Brother actually has time off?"

"Well, I can't tell you who or what, but one of his members broke an arm on a mission. He felt bad about it, so he's making sure the member is in good shape."

Yuuki seemed puzzled. "So, this would be a female member then. He doesn't usually request time off for things like this."

Naruto sighed. "Perceptive as always I see. I think he's just trying to be his mischievous self as usual. He knows she's fine, he healed her himself. This could be good though. He can help you hone your byakugan." A light bulb seemed to go off in her head. "Just don't forget about shadow clones! They are pretty awesome."

Yuuki laughed. "Those are only good for distractions. I don't see a practical use for them in battle."

Naruto grinned. "You don't even know 1% of their potential." She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "No, but surely they're useless when you're training. I won't bore you with information about a useless forbidden jutsu."

"You've got to be kidding me. Just tell me." She was becoming annoyed.

"You'll figure it out if you use them enough. I wouldn't tell you to figure it out if I knew you couldn't handle them. I can tell you'll have the chakra for it. Hey, it even took me three years to catch on to their primary advantage."

She smiled. Bingo! "I guess I'll just have to figure it out in three days." They finally neared the house.

Naruto looked to her curiously. "What makes you so sure it'll be that easy?"

They stopped walking and she turned to him. "Because you suck at hiding information when you talk to me. If you 'caught on' to them, then it's just a matter of perceptiveness. And tell Hitomi to get well soon if you see her!" Naruto's jaw dropped. Did she really come from my gene pool?

"This is where I take my leave. Tell your mother I have work at the office, but we're still on for tonight. Good luck!" He vanished in a flash.

"Guess it really is important business then." She looked across the way at Takeshi's house and sighed. "You better not leave me behind you jerk!"

She rushed inside and yelled, "I'm home, mom!" Hinata jumped, as she was cleaning near the door. "Sorry mom, I didn't mean to scare you."

Hinata hugged her daughter gently before pulling away. "I was worried about you, Yuuki. Are you feeling alright? Did your father already talk to you?"

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just a little sore, that's all." She sighed. "Dad grounded me for five days."

Hinata smiled. "You know it's only because we love you. And I'm glad you're just sore, but you know that's not what I mean. First, Isami won't stay put forever. I know you haven't seen him much, so go talk to him."

Yuuki sighed again. "He's such a pervert though! I'm sure all he's going to talk about is the latest girl he's been chasing." Hinata gave her a stern look. "Okay, I get it. Where's he at?"

Hinata smiled as she went back to finish cleaning up. "He's in the backyard training." She thought for a moment. "I hope he's training anyways. Tell him to make less of a mess when he's here!"

Yuuki listened and headed outside. The yard was actually quite large and well suited for training. It wasn't as huge as Takeshi's, but it looked much nicer. She found her brother meditating on the small bridge that arched over the small decorative river. His hair was long. It was a deeper blue, holding a slight shag to it. She closed in and started a conversation. "Hey Isami, mom told me to come talk to you, so-"

The six-foot one man leapt up and pointed at her. "Finally! Prepare for battle, sister!" She looked at him in shock, unable to think. Huh?

"No, I'm really not in the mood for a spar." A clone jumped at her and dispersed before he hit her. She was getting annoyed. "That's not going to work, you won't make me!" Several clones showed up now, each dispersing an instant before they touched her. It was his famous annoy tactic. "Stop it!" They kept coming one after another before she kicked one between the legs and activated her byakugan. "Fine! Bring it on, perverted brother!"

He was crouched a little now for some reason. "One moment…" It would seem that his ANBU battle gear had failed to protect him from something. She seemed confused, but took the advantage to make two clones. He stood up again. "Not bad Yuuki! Exploiting a weakness in a jutsu is good. Let's see what you can do!"

She sent a clone to his back side and attacked with the other in front. He smiled as he began to parry every blow she threw. As goofy as he was, his gentle fist style was quite superb. What was he talking about, 'exploiting a weakness'? Maybe that's why I feel so sore. I found out the hard way that I see what my clones see. Is it just another reason they're bad news? She went for a leg sweep as her clone attacked for the blind spot.

He raised an eyebrow before shouting, "Eight trigrams palms heavenly spin!" Yuuki was launched away as her clones were released. She rubbed her head, frustrated. "I should have known you'd be able to pinpoint my blind spot now. That's all I wanted to see." He walked over to her and quickly healed all of the small scrapes. "Gentle fist is something that's honed from spars. You're getting better, Yuuki." He smiled and helped her up.

Yuuki smiled back. "It's nice to see you aren't in pervert mode today. You're almost like an older brother."

He laughed. "Yeah, well Hitomi is talking to her brother right now, so I figured I should talk to my sister."

"Wow, that's nice of you." She narrowed her eyes. "So you were being a pervert."

He started tripping over his words. "Come on! It's not like that! She was injured under my command, so I'm just checking to see if she's okay. Quit spreading rumors about me. Besides, she always did reject me. So what if I accidentally see something." She rolled her eyes and he smiled. "You and Takeshi dating yet?"

Her face turned pure red. "As if I'm interested in dating him! He's my childhood friend!"

Isami snickered now. "I see. Don't go peeking on him now that you can use the byakugan, pervy sister!"

She screamed as she kicked him as hard as she could between the legs, sending him down. "Don't put me in the same class as you! I can't believe you'd even think of these things! I'm leaving."

"Wait!" He slowly got back up and recovered. "I was just lightening the mood. I know something's bothering you. I'll behave; just tell me what's on your mind. I hate seeing you depressed, Yuuki!"

She stared at him and decided it was genuine. "Fine, but I get to vent all of it on you. Sure you can handle it?"

He smirked. "I've got five years on you, try me." They walked over to the bridge and sat down. There, she began to fill him in on what happened. After she finished, they both sat in silence. He turned to say something, but he just couldn't form the right words. "What's happening Isami? Why did we get attacked?"

He knew a good deal being an ANBU captain, but obviously if their father didn't tell her, he was trying not to worry her. "Yuuki, I know it's hard to understand. Dad and I want nothing more than to tell you everything, but we just can't risk information getting in the wrong hands." She looked into the pond with a sad face. He sighed. "This is something that won't be changed. It's been revealed that nothing is going to happen within the next couple years. Just accept what's happening and use it to get stronger." She turned to him, knowing he probably shouldn't even be saying this much. "They aren't trying to get you or Takeshi specifically. It was just convenient for him, that's all." He rubbed his face as if telling himself to stop there. "I'm sure you can piece it together from there." Isami stood up. "Actually, it was nice talking with you about everything. I've got to go to dad's office. I'll talk to you again when I can."

It was strange for them to share a conversation like this anymore. "Isami." He looked at her as she smiled at him. "Bring this brother back more often, won't you?" He smiled back, putting on his wolf mask. He quickly dispersed and she was left alone. Yuuki stood up, this time happy. "He's right." She began stretching. "Five days? I'll become stronger than Takeshi in that time. Who knew my brother still had his caring side?" She laughed. "I better start training and stop getting depressed."

"Wow, do you always talk to yourself?"

She turned around and yelled in embarrassment. "Shut up! Get your lazy ass to dad's office already. I take back what I said about you being useful!" Isami laughed as he disappeared in a flash again. Yuuki used the brief anger to pump herself up. "Byakugan!"

-A/N-

This was a step back as far as pacing is concerned, but the characters introduced in this chapter are massively important.