-Hokage's note-

This generation is lacking true hatred and angst. How nice it is to be oblivious to what the real world is capable of. I fear that Takeshi and Yuuki have been thrown into something they're not prepared for...regardless, the only thing they can do now is become stronger. I can't help but think it's the next generation that must handle these matters. We'll see, they have three whole years. ANBU will ensure their safety on missions, so nothing should go wrong. As long as my brother is around, I can rest easy. And then there's those two…the men I've come to count on the most.

Chapter 5: Growing Buds

Yuuki had been stretching for a solid ten minutes. When her mother said she wasn't going easy, she meant it. The sores ached at every tense muscle and all she could do is demand her body wake up. As her joints loosened, she proceeded to go to her living room. She found her dad in a deep thought. He put down his pen and tucked in his journal.

"Morning dad, what's the occasion?" He turned and smiled at his daughter, signaling her to sit. She shrugged and pulled a chair. "I'm guessing since breakfast isn't cooking, we're expecting company?"

"Indeed we are: only the best company!" Yuuki rolled her eyes at his early morning sprite. "Uncle Konohamaru is coming over, and he's bringing the family!" Yuuki's eyes widened as she was ready to protest.

"You and him are the worst combo!" She sunk her face in her hand. "Here I was hoping for a peaceful day, but now I have to help keep you two in check."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And you are too good for Kumi now? You two are just as mischievous of a combo!" She huffed at his accusation, but it wasn't far off. For the most recent years, they had upgraded from hide and seek to hide important documents and Konohamaru's cigarettes. She frankly enjoyed her nieces company: It was like the little sister she never had. Kumi was starting to excel in her classes to. Naruto broke her train of thought. "At least you can stop getting teased about you're byakugan now. It did take you a while to be able to use it." She shot him a killing look. "H-hey, that's not a bad thing! At least you learned to fight and get by without it. Now that you're bases are well built, you can flourish into a bad ass like you're brother!"

Yuuki thought about what her father said, but her face became even angrier when she thought about Isami. "Isami's an idiot! He finds every little thing and teases me with it. Besides, there's nothing bad ass about being a pervert!"

"Objection!" Yuuki's fell out of her chair and looked up to the ceiling, finding the source to the loud disturbance. "92.7% of all pervert ninjas become bad ass! It's science!"

"Idiot! What kind of self respecti-" She was cut off as he seemed to lose his grip and fall on her. She braced for impact, but he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke before he hit. Her face was turning purple in anger as the front door swung open. "I'm going to kill him!" Konohamaru almost let his cigarette fall out of his mouth.

"Bad timing?" Anger turned to embarrassment as she looked away. A hand placed itself on her shoulder as a voice answered for her.

"Just a little family talk." Isami stood behind her and winked, signaling the 'be good' plan. She smirked.

"Right, we just like to vent frustration every once in a while. I couldn't ask for a better brother to have." Her uncle smiled. "Oh, and don't forget to put out the cigarette before you come in."

"Oh, of course. I forget it's there sometimes." He looked down and smothered it out on the bottom of his shoe. Yuuki took this time to swiftly raise her heel into her brother's crotch. Isami let out a subtle whimper. His legs wobbled and tears rolled out of his eyes as he attempted to hold his smile.

"Well at least let my sister in the door! She's carrying groceries!" Konohamaru quickly shifted out of the way at his wife's command. She was the kind of person that only asked nicely once.

"It's not a problem Hanabi, but thanks anyways." Hinata moved in and set her ingredients on the table. "It'll be about an hour before we get lunch up and running, so feel free to get comfortable." Naruto greeted his brother-in-law with a grin and a handshake. They sat down and had little trouble finding things to catch up on.

"Let me help you with the cooking then. I imagine the boys don't have interesting topics to discuss." She turned to her daughter. "Yuuki became a ninja, Kumi. I'll bet she knows all sorts of cool things now." Her daughter's eyes lit up and she immediately ran to greet her favorite cousin. Isami decided it was time for him to join in on the men's discussion.

"Hey Kumi! How's the academy treating you?" Yuuki wrapped her arm around her as they headed outside.

"Same old. You're so lucky to have a headband. I wish I could just skip a year and be done with it already." Once they were near the river, Kumi's mischievous side came out. "So what are we going to do this time? I was thinking we should first distract them by flipping all the furniture, then-" Yuuki cut her off.

"Or I could show you some cool ninja stuff." Kumi looked at her cousin and couldn't help but snicker.

"No offense, but I don't need the answers to a history exam. What do you know that I don't?"

"How about this?" The voice was Yuuki's, but it came from behind Kumi. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Yuuki and her clone started laughing hysterically. Kumi composed herself and gave the two a quick check over. She sighed, clearly unimpressed.

"I know how to do a simple clone jutsu. It's so basic, Yuuki."

She held a smirk. "Oh?" The clone fish hooked Kumi's mouth as Yuuki started poking her on the forehead. Kumi swatted at the two of them and jumped back, very confused. "Can a simple clone do that? I'm sure you already know how to do this then." Kumi re-examined the two, even poking them to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Both of them seemed to be her cousin.

"Okay, you got me. What is this jutsu?" Kumi got into a defensive stance. "At least I can use my byakugan!" Yuuki put up a single hand seal and grinned. Kumi observed carefully.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" A group of ten Yuuki's appeared in a cloud of smoke. Kumi's jaw dropped at the sight of such a jutsu. She activated her young byakugan to see that every single 'Yuuki' had chakra. "These are shadow clones. They have physical matter behind them, can use jutsus, and they can think for themselves. My dad taught me a couple weeks ago. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Wow! That's so awesome!" Yuuki rubbed her nose and almost forgot about her byakugan. She opted to activate it along with several of her clones. Kumi's jaw dropped once again. "You finally unlocked byakugan to? I never knew you were this cool!" Kumi gave a brief moment of consideration before nodding. "You have to teach me this! I'll do whatever you need me to do." She extended her hand. "I formally accept you as the boss."

They shared a devious grin as Yuuki accepted the hand shake. God only knows what they could accomplish with shadow clones.

OoOoOoOo

A scent carrying a potpourri of ingredients was carried in the steam from the kitchen. While it could make any lesser man's mouth salivate, the men were not fazed by it. The conversation had taken a more serious tone once Yuuki and Kumi went outside. It was a matter concerning her, but she was not allowed to know about it.

"So let me get this straight." Isami put his drink down and crossed his arms. "You want me to stalk this team without anyone knowing but their sensei, who in turn won't know who I am? Is someone stalking me while I do this?" Naruto went to answer, but Isami had one more thing to add. "Can it be Hitomi? A little role reversal is nice sometimes." His mind started wondering again. Konohamaru slapped him back into reality.

"No, what he's saying is you are to recon the area for any missions concerning the team while they remain inexperienced. You only have to do this while the team is out of the country. Don't call it 'stalking'!" Konohamaru turned to Naruto. "Are you sure you want me to be her sensei? She's not going to pick on me every day, is she?"

Naruto sipped his drink. "We know what we know. You're the strongest we have and they're the only targets thus far. It works out. This Guden man won't risk an attack on our teams with this kind of security. Besides, it brings back memories. I think I'll have Isami be Kumi's sensei later on."

Konohamaru's eyes widened a little as he looked at Isami. He was attempting to balance his drink on his nose. "I have a great deal of knowledge that everyone should be aware of. It only makes sense." His talking almost tipped the glass over, but he saved it by focusing chakra in his nose. Konohamaru mind raced as he went through the possible scenarios for his daughter. All of them made him shiver for the future. Isami finally put his glass down and smiled. "It's been fun, but there's something important I have to do today."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember having anything important needing done." He thought about it. "Actually, where have you been going the past few days?" Isami just stood and put his wolf mask on.

"I'm running errands for someone out of personal preference. Don't worry, we always eat somewhere before the events. I'll be back in the immediate future. By the way, I think it's about time I find a place of my own to stay." He vanished in a swarm of leaves; leaves that made a mess of the living room.

"You only put the mask on for ANBU missions Isami!" Naruto moped in his chair as Konohamaru started picking up the mess he left. "I wonder who this 'someone' is. What's the whole event thing he was talking about? When did he decide he was going to move out?" Naruto started scratching his head, not able to make any sense of his son. Then again, he never really could. Konohamaru made him snap out of thought and hold a trash bag. "Oh yeah, he made a mess again! I should go find him and make him clean this for once!"

Once filled, Konohamaru tied the bag up. "I'll take it out. I was about to check on those two anyways. Who knows what they could have hidden in this amount of time."

Hanabi's head swung around. "You mean you're going to go smoke again, right? Make yourself useful and tell them lunch is ready." He grunted, throwing the trash over his shoulder and waving her off.

As he ventured to the back, he was surprised to find both the kids doing something productive. He hid near the trash can and observed what they had been up to. Yuuki was explaining something with great enthusiasm that held Kumi's attention undivided.

"Well, I could explain the science of it all day, but now you know more of the basics. Just try to imagine taking a chunk of your chakra and what you want that chakra to mold into." Kumi held a critical thinking pose, considering the information carefully. Yuuki tapped her foot, feeling a sense of anticipation. "Come on! Don't give it so much thought, just try doing it naturally."

Kumi nodded, showing determination and a hint of nervousness. This time she wouldn't disappoint her boss. She formed her hands up and exhaled. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" A loud poof joined in and Kumi kept her eyes shut. "Oh please, tell me I did it this time." She slowly opened one eye and saw herself holding up the victory hand sign. "Whoa, I actually did it!" She started prodding the clone who swatted her fingers at every following attempt. Yuuki stood in a proud pose. "I feel kind of tired now though."

"That's because it took up a lot of chakra." A smoke trail approached them as Kumi's father smiled. "I see you take after yours truly. It reminds me of when I was young. I was going to teach you that jutsu in a couple years, but I guess it works out just as well."

Kumi rolled her eyes. "Dad, is there a reason you're trying to act all cool? We're kind of busy here." The wind was swept out of Konohamaru's sails as he hung his head.

"So cruel!" They both just stared blankly at him. "Fine! I guess you didn't want to know lunch is ready!" He turned away when their expressions instantly beamed with life. A tear came out as he walked away. "Now the smoke's in my eye…"

As he left, Yuuki casually back handed Kumi's shoulder. "No sense in killing yourself with that technique. Next time, I'll show you the latest and greatest of my arsenal!" Kumi dismissed the clone with a look of shock.

"No way boss! You already have a trump move? You're not bluffing?" Yuuki gave grinning wink as she started running back into the house. "She's zipping through this stuff like it's nothing! When did she get so much motivation?" She looked to her fist and clinched it. "That's why she's my boss! Guess it's time to move on from the pranks." Kumi ran in pursuit of her leader. "What a cool cousin. Well, cooler than Nagi anyways!"

OoOoOoOo

After a couple hours passed, the family began parting ways. Konohamaru turned to Yuuki and smiled. "Don't go overboard today. You've got a pretty important day tomorrow." She waved him and the family off as they made their way down the road. Once it quieted down, Naruto began gathering his things to prepare to catch up on some paperwork. Yuuki had a thought jolt into her head.

"Hey dad, who's on my team? I know you're the one organizing them." He showed an annoyed face.

"You'll find out tomorrow. Just because I'm your father doesn't mean I can break tradition." She gave him a crossed arm puppy dog face. He rolled his eyes at this. "Quit complaining! If it's any consolation, the teams gonna be badass." Her eyes flickered at that.

"Can I go over to Takeshi's house today?" He snapped his head back to her, but this time she had the saddest, most innocent face he'd seen.

He grunted. "Oh, give me a break! You're still grounded!" She didn't back down even a little. He sunk his head, feeling the defeat. "Fine, but don't say I never did anything cool for you." She practically vanished before he could finish his sentence. After an extended pause, he followed, "Hurry and leave before I change my…" Naruto turned to realize only Hinata left, laughing at him. His jaw dropped at the audacity of his daughter. "Damn teenagers!"

"What's this? The legendary sixth Hokage was defeated by a young girl?" Naruto felt his pride being pulled from under him. "I think it's a fair trade though. Those two are way closer than Isami and Hitomi ever were."

Naruto scoffed as he kissed her goodbye. "I'm leaving before I get chastised any further! Make sure Isami gets back at a decent hour. I think he's pretty suspicious lately." It was then when he noticed how quiet things were. Suddenly, he swept her into his arms, making her giggle in excitement. This time he gave her a longer kiss as she wrapped her arms around him. Once he pulled away, he gave her a foxy grin. "Don't say I never did anything cool for you either!"

Hinata rubbed his face. "Oh honey…" Her fingers pinched his face as she smiled back. "You need to work on those cliché lines a little more." They shared a brief laugh as she rested her hand on his chest. "It's a shame you're so busy on days like this." His hand drifted lower and firmly grasped her inner thigh. Her eyes jumped along with her body as she blushed.

"Who knows…I might put work on hold for a bit." They shared a stare, and felt the passion swiftly build. Finally, their lips locked in an inseparable kiss.

OoOLoLOoOo

Yuuki quickly crossed the street and pounded on the door. Sakura answered and greeted her. "Hello Yuuki. Looking for Takeshi?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Well, come on in. He's outside with Hitomi. They're about to start sparring and training soon." Yuuki navigated through the living room and into the backyard.

The two siblings were in the process of stretching when Yuuki interrupted. "Takeshi, what's up!" She ran up to him as he turned in surprise.

"Yuuki? I thought you were grounded until tomorrow." She laughed as she rubbed her head. "I see. So you talked down your punishment again." An awkward silence built between the two. Takeshi was trying to break the ice. "So…do you want to have a quick match?" Hitomi face-palmed at her brother. He was still too naïve, but it wasn't her business.

"Actually, how about you two team up and spar against me?" Hitomi helped her brother out a little.

"What? That may be a little too difficult." Yuuki crossed her arms and contemplated the idea. "But if it's Takeshi and I, there's no way we can lose. Right?"

Takeshi sweated a little as he smiled. "R-Right!" Yuuki tilted her head in confusion of his behavior. "Let's get started then." He avoided her eyes for some reason. It didn't make since why, but he couldn't stop acting strange. He let out a nervous laugh.

Without warning, Hitomi kicked her brother back into the fight. "Come on already! You said we started." Yuuki dipped low for a rotating kick, but Hitomi just leapt back. Takeshi got back up, wondering why his sister attacked so suddenly.

"Takeshi, quit day-dreaming! I need your help!" He had a quick flashback to that day he saw her die. In no time at all, he was right beside her. "Tell me all about it when we're done. Right now, I want to see if you've been falling behind."

Takeshi reached for a kunai. "Don't get arrogant. Just try to keep up with me." Yuuki grinned as she readied herself. He charged his sister, tossing the kunai at her left leg. Yuuki was quick to follow through with a kunai to Hitomi's right side. She escaped by jumping upwards and spinning. Takeshi was there to greet her with a taijutsu assault. Yuuki couldn't help but notice Takeshi had become faster and his taijutsu was more deadly. While no hits were making contact, it gave her time to create shadow clones and get her byakugan running.

Takeshi pushed off of her blocking arm and waited to synchronize an attack with Yuuki, but two clones were already in full swing. Hitomi saw them approach from either side. She flipped over one's leg sweep and grabbed the other's round house kick, continuing the flip to safety.

Yuuki pulled Takeshi aside and whispered her idea. "Those are clones I can dispel at any time, Takeshi. I would use your fireball jutsu while she's distracted with them." He looked back and gave a subtle nod. The clones were giving Hitomi a tougher time than he ever could. It was two versus one, and they could clearly see what her movements leaned towards.

"Alright, but this alone won't be able to take her down. She's just toying with us right now." He formed his hand seals and waited for the best time.

"I come prepared for these situations anyways." Yuuki crossed her arms in pride. As her clones backed Hitomi near a large boulder, another clone jumped down. Hitomi was forced to begin parrying them, making sure to not allow their gentle fist connect. Right as she considered countering one to even the odds, all three dispersed in a cloud of white smoke.

I see what they're thinking. Clever. A massive fireball consumed the white smoke and smacked the giant boulder.

"Yuuki, was that a hit?" Takeshi turned to see Yuuki run by him. "Hmm?" He shook of his thoughts. "Wait a second, don't just charge in alone!" He drew a kunai and followed behind. Yuuki rolled by the tree Hitomi leaned against and got in her stance.

"Not bad you two. How about we get out of warm up phase then?" As Hitomi opened her eyes, Yuuki noted the deadly, yet beautiful eyes of the sharingan. Yuuki smirked, masking the chills and jitters she felt.

"Sharingan already? Trying to scare us?" Takeshi wrapped a kick around the tree as Yuuki swept in close for a palm thrust. Hitomi, within a flash, pinned Takeshi against the tree and held a kunai to both their throats.

"Not so much to scare as to protect. I wouldn't want to kill you two, now would I?" Yuuki couldn't find words with the shock. Her eyes couldn't predict that kind of concise speed. A cold sweat drifted down her neck. Hitomi snickered as she grabbed Takeshi and threw him into Yuuki. The collision made them slide ten meters away.

Yuuki grunted as she pushed herself up with her arms. "That was a bit much. Is this how you've been training Takeshi?" A hand appeared in front of her to her surprise. The tall figure was silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

"That's not even a tenth of what I've been taking. Let's hurry up and land a hit on her while she's still toying with us." She smiled as he helped her up. Takeshi was getting tougher to keep down already. Hitomi stopped twenty feet from them. They were in an open area surrounded by a forest line. She crossed her arms and smiled deviously.

"Whenever you two are ready to get serious, come at me. I won't move from this spot. I'll even buy you ramen if you land a hit!"

Yuuki searched her pouch. "You'll regret making that wager." She pulled out a smoke bomb and slammed it into the ground. She grabbed Takeshi and told him her new plan. A good two minutes passed and Hitomi narrowed her eyes, growing impatient. Suddenly, several clones ran out to the left and right: Three on either side. Once they had made a circle, they closed in and attempted to flank every possible point Hitomi had. As they were getting countered and destroyed, Takeshi emerged from the smoke and drew a kunai. As the last clone was defeated, he began an assault of his own, but his style was completely different and more fluent. Hitomi instantly made sure to watch out for gentle fist.

"Not a bad idea, Yuuki. You even picked up on his kunai charging habit." The clone smirked as it dispersed and left smoke in her face. She instantly jumped over the fireball that swept through. She landed to find Takeshi charging behind a Yuuki and another behind him in a single file line. Staying true to her word, Hitomi gained a slightly wider base waiting for the attack. Suddenly, the forward Yuuki face planted only a foot away, making Hitomi chuckle. Takeshi Jumped high over Hitomi to avoid trampling the clone. As Hitomi's eyes couldn't help but drift up, she felt a sting in her legs. Losing her focus, she glanced down, giving the rear clone the chance to land a solid shove. The anchoring of her ankles was enough to send her airborne. Now the blinding sun made it too difficult to spot Takeshi's kick as she was now lined up perfectly with his attack. He planted his foot into her chest and sent her to the ground.

Despite her hard fall, Hitomi just busted out laughing. "What kind of ridiculous attack was that?" Yuuki and Takeshi high-fived while laughing themselves. "The face plant was a maneuver I've never seen before, so you got me." Hitomi rolled up and brushed herself off. "What a strange way to land a hit. I guess I owe you two ramen." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and exhaled. "I planned on letting you guys get a hit in regardless, but you really did quite well. Both of you will make Chunin in no time!"

OoOoOoOoOo

Yuuki slammed her fourth bowl down as Takeshi and Hitomi winced at her. They finished their only bowl and Hitomi proceeded to bargain with Teuchi to get a discount as Takeshi and Yuuki walked out. "Takeshi, you've gotten pretty good with close-quarters combat, haven't you? And it looks like your chakra has increased significantly." Takeshi scratched the back of his head as he laughed lightly. He had grown stronger, but it paled in comparison to Yuuki's new strength.

"Hell, I don't even know if I'm the stronger of us now. You're quicker, more fluent, more concise, and using shadow clones like their nothing." He pocketed his hands. "I can probably only beat you in speed and durability now. It's amazing how far you've come in just a few days." Yuuki blushed at what she heard. She didn't really notice just how far she'd come herself.

"Don't forget her tactics in the fight. She never made a questionable move and your teamwork was flawless." Hitomi caught up to the conversation. "You two better be in the same team. Complete trust like that is hard to come by in a generation." They shared a smile as they came upon the Uchiha house. "You guys should try to do the land-a-hit challenge with Isami in a few months. It's a good next step to check your progress. But you two can rematch me anytime."

Yuuki glared at her a little. "What can my idiot brother do that you can't?"

Hitomi smiled and opened the door. "I used to think the same thing. Currently, he's probably on par with your father. If not, he is likely on par with my father." Yuuki's jaw dropped. "I don't think you really know how strong he is in every area. He doesn't try, but he's a pure genius. I may hate his type, but you have to respect him sooner or later." She eyed Takeshi and winked. "Weellll, see you inside Takeshi!"

She shut the door before he could escape. He regained his bearing and turned back to Yuuki. She was still in shock at her brother's apparent strength, but it didn't take her long to snap out of it. "Yuuki, once again you were completely unpredictable." She smiled and gave him a sudden hug. He was shocked as his arms barely touched her. Her skin was far softer than he figured.

She pulled away slowly. "I'm glad we got to see each other before tomorrow." He began to notice how cute her face was up close. He had to fight to maintain a normal eye contact. "No matter what happens, we'll be partners, right?" She waited intently for him to respond. She became confused when she saw his absent look, so she moved her face in closer to get a better look. His heart raced as he turned red. "Takeshi, you there?"

Her face was even closer. He decided to abort mission. "R-Right! Anytime you need me, I'll be right here. Oh, look at the time. We need to get some rest for tomorrow. See you later!"

Takeshi quickly disappeared before Yuuki could say anything. Her eyes saddened. "What's with him?" She curled her finger under her lip. "Did I upset him? Maybe he doesn't like how fast I'm growing…" She slowly turned and walked back to her house, looking back to his on occasion. "I hope it's nothing."

-Authors note-

There was talk and only a little action this chapter, but I still enjoyed it. I wanted to put some romantic depth in this chapter, and I think it will be nice to develop from here. I wonder who's going to be grouped with whom? Hmmm…Guess you'll just have to see next chapter.

Konohamaru & Hanabi: I like these two. Originally I was going to leave Kono alone, but this gives him a deeper connection to Naruto and Yuuki. He picked up smoking when he was old enough. Asuma was one of my favorite characters, and all the Sarutobis smoke, so that's me pretending to justify the habit.

If you enjoy this story or want to voice concerns, you can leave reviews, PM me, or check out the forum I have on my profile page for all things Burning Leaves. I enjoy reading outside perspectives people have on things.