Title: Naruto: Dual Chronicles

Rating: T (PG-13) for violence, language, and sexual themes.

Summary: It's the story of Naruto that you all know, except one small detail: he has a twin. His sister joins him on his adventures and has some of her own! An adventure with a bit of romance and a lot of funny!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!

Chapter 5: Revelations

"I'm home."

Namiko entered her and Naruto's apartment and found it totally silent, dark, and empty. She turned on the light, slid off her boots at the entrance, and carried her backpack to the couch in the center of the common room.

'I guess Naruto must still be on his escort mission. I mean, my mission only ended up taking three days and he said his would take a couple weeks probably. I shouldn't worry, right? I think I'll just rest for tonight since Kurenai-sensei is the one giving the mission report and we won't have training again until after lunchtime tomorrow. Maybe I'll just take this time to enjoy some quiet. Maybe read?'

She walked into her room and grabbed a book off her shelf that she borrowed from the library a week ago. History of Konoha. She opened the window in her room and climbed out onto the roof and sat down. Her favorite spot. She loved watching the village slowly start to change from bustling chaos to calm as the sun melted behind the village walls and the moon rose high in the sky.

Nighttime was another favorite. Everything was quiet. Serene. The cool March air held a hint of spring warmth to it. A nearby streetlight gave her just enough light for her book. She pulled her knees up to her chest and started reading.

Konohagakure was founded by two men, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. Senju Hashirama eventually became the first Hokage, and Uchiha Madara was angry that he was not chosen to become Hokage and planned to destroy the very village he helped to build by using the kyuubi. After Uchiha Madara's defeat and death, Senju Hashirama saved the village from the kyuubi's wrath by sealing it inside his own wife, Uzumaki Mito.

Namiko's head snapped up at that. 'Uzumaki? I don't know of anyone with that last name but Naruto and me. We couldn't be related, right? I mean, you don't hear the last name Senju often either, so maybe the clans weren't very large. It's weird though that she had the kyuubi sealed inside her too and we have the same last name. Ugh, my brain hurts trying to think about this now. Maybe I should just sleep on it and go investigate at the library tomorrow. Maybe I can find some genealogy records of Uzumaki Mito.'

She quickly closed her book and got up to crawl through her window. Her thoughts were starting to jumble together. She shook her head, tossing the book on the desk next to her bed. She quickly bathed and changed into a comfy nightshirt, flopping into her bed, letting out one last big sigh before drifting off to sleep.

"Come home quickly nii-chan..."

Namiko was not a morning person.

However, when she woke up at 7:00 the next morning, she was too eager to go to the library to go back to sleep. 'The library opens at eight, so I have an hour to kill before then. Might as well have some breakfast before heading over. Team training isn't until one, so I'll have plenty of time to explore the library until then.' She made herself some toast and eggs, along with some black tea with a smidge of honey.

After quickly finishing her breakfast, she dressed in her normal ninja gear: mid-thigh blue shorts and a green wrap-style top with a blue obi-style belt. She then walked to the front door and strapped her weapons pouch to her right thigh and slipped on her blue shinobi sandals. Grabbing her shoulder bag, she took another look at the empty apartment before whispering, "I'm going now" and closing the door behind her.

It felt weird for Namiko, she'd always had Naruto there. They had never known their parents, so they depended fully on each other. She knew this was part of growing up; that they'd have to start going their separate ways. They couldn't be glued to each other forever. That didn't mean she had to like the adjustment though.

Stepping out of the apartment and onto the busy street, Namiko smiled. She walked slowly because loved being outside. She loved looking at the beauty of nature and watching people was always interesting. She learned a lot about people, especially families, by watching. She'd sometimes sit and get lost in her own thoughts about what their parents would have been like and how different her and Naruto's lives would have been.

After a half-hour leisurely stroll through the main streets of Konoha, she arrived at the library. She stopped right after entering the old building, taking a long slow inhale. Old book and scroll smell were the best smells ever.

"Good morning, Namiko, here for another book?" smiled the older lady working at the front desk.

"Good morning, Yomu-san." Namiko smiled back at her, walking up to the desk. "Actually, I'm hoping you can help me find genealogy records."

The gray-haired woman's smile faded. "Dearie, I've told you before that I can't find your parents when we don't know their names…"

Namiko shook her head. "No, not my parents this time. I was curious about Uzumaki Mito's genealogical line."

Yomu looked taken aback. "Why-?" A lightbulb seemed to go off in her mind. "You want to know if you're related because you have the same last name?"

"Exactly!" Namiko said a little louder than normal. "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud in the library."

The woman gave a small chuckle. "You're still far quieter than your brother, and thankfully it's only us here right now." She walked around the desk and over to one of the tables people used to study. "Come, sit down. I'll tell you what I know because I highly doubt you'll find anything in the genealogy department."

Namiko pulled out a chair and sat down eagerly. "Why wouldn't I find out anything?"

"Well," started Yomu, "a lot of the information is classified, never written down, or was long lost during the wars."

Namiko's interest was definitely piqued and she leaned forward in her seat. Yomu took this as a sign to continue. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Well, I know she was the wife to the Shodai Hokage, and the book I borrowed last time mentioned she also had the kyuubi sealed within her. I really don't know much more than that."

"Hmm, yes, she did have the kyuubi sealed within her. She risked her life to become a vessel and protect the village. People who become jinchuriki are often hated because people believe they become the tailed beast they host, but they deserve a lot of respect because they keep the village safe. I was about fifteen years old when the kyuubi attacked the first time and Mito agreed to become the jinchuriki. She was so kind and gentle. I don't know how anyone could ever think that being host to a tailed beast automatically makes them a bad person.

"The Uzumaki clan was very strong and excelled in sealing jutsu. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, Mito actually performed the sealing of the kyuubi on herself.

"The Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure and Senju clan of Konohagakure were quite close despite their physical distance from us. When Shodai Hokage married Mito, we started using the Uzumaki clan symbol on the Konoha flak vests to help show our unity with them. Years later, the Uzumaki clan was nearly wiped out of Uzushiogakure, and those who survived were scattered throughout the nations."

Namiko's brow furrowed. "Wiped out? Why?"

"Their proficiency for sealing jutsu, large chakra reserves, and long lives made them desirable. People wanted their secrets and power which painted a bullseye on their backs. The clan was wiped out so suddenly that no one really knows how many survivors there actually are. I know we became a safe house, so to speak, for any Uzumaki that escaped, but I don't think many stayed in the village for long. The only Uzumaki I knew personally was Mito, and then of course you and your brother. Though it is said that most of the Uzumaki clan had red hair, so maybe that's where you get it."

"So, I'm back to where I started. Knowing nothing about our family or our parents," said Namiko dejectedly, slouching in her chair.

"I'm so sorry, my dear. On the bright side, you do know a bit more about your clan's abilities. It might explain why you and Naruto have such large chakra reserves. Some of the Uzumaki clan were good at chakra sensing, so maybe that explains why you've been chosen to be on a tracking-focused team. Perhaps you should start training more in that."

"Kurenai-sensei does say I'm pretty good at chakra sensing. Maybe I could do better…do you have any books on chakra sensing or sealing?"

"I do have books on chakra sensing, but the sealing scrolls are limited to jounin level and higher. I'd lend those to you, but I'd be in very big trouble. However…" Yomu had a mischievous glint to her eyes as she spoke in a whisper, "I may let you look through them as long as you read them here and we are alone. The moment anyone enters, I need you to put them up immediately."

Namiko's smile broke into a full-blown grin. "Yes ma'am! Thank you so much, Yomu-san!"

Yomu got a couple small sealing scrolls and a book on chakra sensing for Namiko, leading the young girl to a small, secluded corner where she could read without being immediately seen if someone came in. Namiko curled up in a nearby soft chair and started studying.

A few hours later, Namiko finally looked up at the clock. 12:58pm. "Oh crap!" She rushed to roll up the scroll she had been pouring over, handing them back to Yomu. "Thank you so much Yomu-san. I got kind of lost in reading."

"You always do," Yomu said with a chuckle, "but that's not a bad thing. I'll let you pick up where you left off next time you come by as long as no one is here. Make sure to take that book with you though."

"Thank you again, Yomu-san. See you soon!" With that, Namiko ran out the door and to Training Ground Four to meet her teammates.

When she got there, she stopped suddenly to catch her breath. Kurenai gave her a puzzled look. "You are late and you're never late for training."

"I'm so sorry; I got lost in the library. Though, I have a favor, sensei," Namiko started and Kurenai's confusion grew as she waited for Namiko to continue. "Can you teach me how to stretch my chakra sensing?" Namiko's eyes gleamed with excitement and hopefulness.

Kurenai gave a small laugh, "I wondered when you'd ask me. Kiba, Hinata, do you two mind to spar for a little while I work on this with Namiko?"

"I don't mind at all, Kurenai-sensei," replied Hinata politely.

"Sure thing, sensei," started Kiba before turning to Hinata. "Come on, Hinata, let's go over here." The two walked a good distance away so they could spar without interfering in Kurenai and Namiko's practice.

Kurenai knelt on the ground and motioned for Namiko to follow suit. "Most ninja can sense at least how many lifeforms are in about a hundred-meter radius but can't tell the difference between live humans, clones, and shadow clones, which is good for an enemy because they can fake their numbers. You already have an advantage because your range is already five times that. I want you to first walk me through how you sense another's chakra."

"Well," Namiko thought for a moment before continuing, "I try to push my chakra out from the bottom of my feet and into the ground surrounding me. It helps if I close my eyes sometimes."

"How does the chakra appear to you? Is it visual? A feeling?"

"More like a feeling, but I know the details normally. Like I can find any member of our team easily if I just focus on their chakra signature. That's how I was able to find that flower you sent me to find during our first team test. I memorized your chakra signature when you came after me, and then I just searched for the same feeling, but I found all three objects had your signature, so it confused me at first. That's why I want to get better."

"Hmm, there may be an easier way for you to disperse your chakra than the ground. Try seeing if you can send a pulse of chakra from your whole body," suggested Kurenai.

Namiko nodded and stood up, closing her eyes to increase her focus. She gathered her chakra to the surface of her body and attempted to 'shove' it out of her body…and she felt even more details than before. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at Kurenai before breaking out into a grin. "It worked!"

"Good, was there any difference?"

"I could feel a little more detail than normal. I could tell that Hinata's chakra is only about half-full, which means she's probably been practicing at home a lot. I also could feel Akamaru's chakra, which I never have before."

"Why don't you practice for a little bit and I'll check in on Hinata and Kiba, then come back to you."

About an hour later, Kurenai walked back over to Namiko. "How's it going?"

"I'm getting more details and able to recognize more chakras. I knew Team 10 was over at the next training ground before I saw them leave about five minutes ago. I also could feel Iruka-sensei's chakra over at Ichiraku. Sandaime is over at the academy, near Konohamaru-kun."

Kurenai looked at the redhead quizzically. "Namiko, both the academy and Ichiraku are over two kilometers from here and in opposite directions. Are you sure?"

Namiko nodded enthusiastically. "I'm positive."

"Kiba, Hinata, take a break from your spar for a moment and come here," Kurenai said, and the two stopped immediately. "Hinata, I want you to use your Byakugan and check something for me."

"Of course," came Hinata's quiet reply.

"Can you check and see if Iruka is at Ichiraku?" asked Kurenai.

Hinata nodded and activated her doujutsu, "Byakugan!" She scanned through the village until she saw Ichiraku…and Iruka sitting at the counter talking to Teuchi. "Iruka-sensei is there."

Kurenai had a smile starting to form. "Now, can you check the academy and see if Sandaime is there with Konohamaru?"

Hinata did as asked. "Yes, they're in a classroom with Ebisu-sensei."

Kurenai broke into a full smile. "Well, Namiko, looks like you've increased your range and made it more detailed. Your sensory skills are like a muscle though, you need to keep practicing and stretching them to make them last longer and push farther."

Namiko's grin matched Kurenai's. "I will! Thank you so much!"

Kiba and Hinata went back to sparring and Namiko kept practicing her sensory jutsu. By the end of the day's training, Namiko had extended her range radius to about three kilometers.

As Namiko was packing her shoulder bag to leave, Hinata's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts, "Namiko-chan? Um, would—would you like to come over for some tea?"

Namiko's eyes widened in surprise before a smile took over her face. "I'd love that Hinata-chan."

Twenty minutes later, Hinata and Namiko stood at the entrance to the Hyuuga compound. They entered, making their way past the various houses, and found Neji sparing with Hiashi outside Hinata's house. Hinata gave a low bow and Namiko followed suit. "I'm back, otou-sama, Neji-nii-san."

"Welcome back Hinata-sama," came Neji's reply. He gestured towards Namiko. "Who is this?"

Hinata stood from her bow and stepped to the side. "This is Uzumaki Namiko, she's one of my teammates on Team 8. I thought I'd bring her over for some tea. Namiko, this is my father and Neji."

Namiko kept her bow for a moment longer and then looked up. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Both girls noticed the awkward silence. Hinata quickly decided to find a way to get away from the situation. "We will let you get back to your sparring." The girls bowed again before entering the house. Namiko didn't miss the way that Hiashi seemed to end the spar anyway and rush off somewhere.

Namiko's eyes widened once inside. "I don't think I ever realized where you lived was so large."

Hinata led them to a sitting room and started to prepare some tea. "Naruto-kun said a similar thing once…" she cut off her train of thought and blushed lightly.

"Naruto has been here? I don't think I ever realized you two were that close," Namiko threw out subtly, trying to gauge her friend's reaction.

"W-well, we were both small children. It was just after my third birthday. I had run away from the compound and got lost. He found me and helped me get back safely. He never came in, he just stood at the entrance," said Hinata, even quieter than normal, blush still gracing her face.

Namiko smiled thoughtfully at her. "That's my brother for you, always helping others any way he can."

"Oh yes, his kindness is wonderful," said Hinata. "I mean—oh…" Her blush deepened.

Namiko let out a tiny giggle. "It's okay, Hinata-chan. I'll never tell him anything you tell me, unless you want me to, that is."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"It's good to hear times when he actually does something good instead of causing mischief."

"He once saved me from bullies…" started Hinata, trailing off at the memory.

"Really? He never told me!" Mild shock was written on Namiko's face. Normally Naruto loved embellishing stories where he was the hero.

Hinata took a sip of her tea. "It was shortly after we all started the academy. I was being teased by these three older boys about my Byakugan and Naruto-kun saw and stopped them. Well, he tried to anyways. These boys were probably close to graduating and he got beat up pretty badly. He did that for me though, and I can never repay him for saving me."

"I'll never understand why people have to bully others. It just makes them look awful." Namiko stared into her teacup. "I'm glad we're done with the academy now though and are on the same team. Kurenai-sensei is amazing and so kind, kind of like a big sister."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Yes, she actually came here a few weeks before we graduated from the academy and offered to train me personally."

"Oh!" Namiko straightened up her back, paying full attention to Hinata. "That is wonderful that she would do such a thing."

Hinata's face fell, the blush from before long gone from her face. "It was because she found out my father removed me as the heir to the Hyuuga clan."

Namiko shook her head, thinking she must have heard Hinata wrong. "What? But why? If he kicked you out, then why do you still live here?" Namiko clapped a hand over her mouth before slowly lowering it. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan, I shouldn't be prying. Please forgive me," she said giving a slight bow.

"No, no," said Hinata, compassion filling her voice. "it's okay! I'm still in the Hyuuga clan, but I'm just not the one who is going to be the heir of the main branch of our family. My little sister, Hanabi, will be the heir. She's five years younger than me, but she's stronger." Hinata's voice got quieter and she stared at her hands in her lap. "I've always been weaker than anyone else in my family, so my father said I wasn't strong enough to represent the clan. When Kurenai-sensei found out, she came here and asked my father personally if she could train me."

"That's…" started Namiko, but she couldn't find the words. "a mess. I'm glad Kurenai-sensei personally picked you to train, but I'm sorry that your father—"

Hinata interrupted Namiko. "I'm not sorry about it. It honestly takes so much pressure off me and I can focus on training on what I want and how I want. Please don't pity me."

"You're right. I may have overreacted a bit; Naruto and I may be different but we have the same views when it comes to justice and fairness."

"I'm thankful for you both," said Hinata with a smile.

Namiko smiled back, and then looked at the clock on the wall. "I probably should get back home. I don't want to overstay my welcome with your family."

"You're fine, but I understand. See you tomorrow at training?" asked Hinata as she walked Namiko towards the main door.

"Of course! And this time I won't get lost in the library," said Namiko with a small laugh as she waved goodbye.

Namiko walked home, enjoying watching people along the way. She noticed kids playing in the streets, vendors starting their normal shut down routines, and the occasional shinobi. It was still early evening, so she figured she'd probably make something small at home and continue reading her book from the library until time for bed.

Kurenai entered the Hokage building. She had received a summons ten minutes earlier, but for what, she didn't know. As she entered Hiruzen's office, she was surprised to see him there with Hyuuga Hiashi. She gave a slight bow and walked towards the desk. "You summoned me, Sandaime?"

"Yes," began Hiruzen, a weary tone in his voice, "Hiashi here has asked me to have you remove Namiko from your team."

"What?!" Kurenai angrily glanced at the Hyuuga clan head. "What on earth for?"

"He believes her to be a danger to Hinata."

Kurenai scoffed. "Not in the slightest. The two girls have an amazing bond already and they've only been officially teammates for two months. I'm not separating them!"

Hiashi spoke in a low voice, "That girl holds half of the devil in her! She is a loose cannon and a danger not only to Hinata, but to all of Konoha."

"That's rich coming from you. You couldn't care less about Hinata or who was on her team until you realized it was Namiko. You never gave Hinata the time of day once you realized how strong Hanabi was. You agreed to let me take over Hinata's training because you said 'the Hyuuga clan has no place for the weak'. But Hinata isn't weak, and Namiko isn't a danger. They complement each other well, and Kiba is an excellent teammate and friend to them as well. You'll have to get Sandaime to make the change because I will not." Kurenai stood tall in front of Hiashi, anger pouring from her in waves.

Hiashi stared at her for a moment, he wasn't used to being disrespected like that. He turned to Hiruzen. "You'll remove her, right?"

Hiruzen stood from his desk and walked in front of Hiashi. "I absolutely will not. I promised their parents that I would watch over Naruto and Namiko, and that includes making sure they're on the team best suited for them. Your judgements about the Uzumaki children are your problem, Hiashi. They are both good kids."

Hiashi's mouth became a straight line and he quickly turned on his heel and left the Hokage's office. Kurenai turned to Hiruzen. "Thank you for sticking up for her, Namiko really is a good kid. She's a bit timid, but she's a good balance between Hinata and Kiba. I'm thankful you trusted me enough to teach her even though I've only been a jounin a short while."

"I think your calm and motherly demeanor is exactly what she needs. Naruto responds better to Kakashi's tough love, but Namiko needed support and guidance from a gentle heart." Hiruzen smiled softly at Kurenai before giving a chuckle. "Also, bravo to you for standing up to Hiashi like that. I think you may have knocked his ego down a peg or two." Kurenai joined in his laughter.

Almost three weeks had passed since Naruto had left on his mission to the Land of Waves and Namiko was beginning to really worry. He should have been home a week ago, and Namiko was doing everything in her power to distract her from her anxiety.

Currently, that meant she was at an empty training ground around four kilometers from the A-Un gates, practicing her sensory jutsu. 'No one nearby I recognize. I wonder if I can stretch my range a little more.'

She had been working on stabilizing the flow of chakra she put out to sense others. The method Kurenai suggested had been more like echolocation and once her chakra bounced off someone else's chakra, she was able to sense them. It gave her more range and detail, but it was hard to keep the outflow steady. Over the last two weeks, she could keep it steady for about two minutes. That was a lot better than the ten seconds she started out with.

Kurenai had tried to get her to keep her eyes open when they met for team training, but for practice and 'exercising' her sensory abilities, closing her eyes strengthened her focus. Namiko closed her eyes as she sat on the ground, stretching her chakra out in all directions.

'I wonder if I can stretch it beyond the gate…' She took a deep breath and tried to force even more chakra out. Then…she felt a familiar chakra. One she knew as well as her own…her eyes snapped open. 'Naruto!'

She jumped to her feet and smirked. 'Maybe I should try to use the teleportation jutsu. I've been looking for an excuse to practice it.' She did the required hand sign and felt her body rush towards the village gate and jerking to a halt in a poof of smoke, right in front of Naruto.

Naruto attempted to jump back but lost his balance as Namiko threw herself into his arms, tackling him to the ground. "Nii-chan! I missed you so much! I was so worried about you!" Her freckled face had a bright smile on it, blue-violet eyes crinkled in happiness at finally having her brother home.

"Ack! Namiko, what the hell?!" Naruto tried to sit up, and Namiko quickly stood in order for him to do so.

"Sorry, I missed you and rushed here," said Namiko, smile never leaving her face. "I want to know about your mission! Why did it take you so long?"

Naruto stood and gave her another hug. "I missed you too! Hey, we should all go to Ichiraku and I'll tell you all about it. You guys in?" He turned to the rest of Team 7.

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked hesitant, but Kakashi was the one who spoke first, "I need to give the mission report, but you four go. I'll catch up after I give the report. Plus, it'll be my treat for a mission well-done." His mask may have hidden his smile, but this visible eye gave his happiness away.

"Oh yeah! Let's go!" said Naruto, raising a fist in the air.

Namiko raised an eyebrow then winked. "I'll race you three there."

Sasuke and Naruto were always up for a challenge, and said in unison, "You're on."

Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled. "I might as well join too. Let's go in 3…2…1…"

The four genin took off running, with Sasuke and Naruto choosing to leap on rooftops. Namiko took a different approach and decided to use her teleportation jutsu again, making a few stops due to her range not being large yet, and ending up right outside Ichiraku.

Forty-five seconds later, Naruto and Sasuke came to a screeching halt right in front of her. Naruto was flummoxed. "How do you do that? Why are you so fast?" Even Sasuke looked a little confused.

"It's called practice, nii-chan." Namiko said with a laugh as Sakura finally joined them. "I've been practicing the teleportation jutsu a lot lately, plus working more on sensory jutsu. I'm not very strong, so I've been working on things to help with tracking and speed since that's the basis of my team."

"Not a bad idea," said Sakura as the four sat down. They all ordered and waited patiently (or impatiently in Naruto's case) for Teuchi to serve them. The girls sat on either side of the counter, with Naruto in between Sasuke and Namiko.

"Where were you before you found us? Were you just hanging out by the gate? You got there awful fast," said Naruto, leaning over the counter slightly, watching Teuchi's every move.

"Training ground sixteen. I was training there and sensed you, so I used teleportation to get to you faster," said Namiko nonchalantly as she grabbed her chopsticks.

Sasuke's eyes widened ever so slightly. "That's over four kilometers from the gate. You sensed us from that far?"

Ayame put their ramen down in front of them. Namiko gave her thanks and then turned to Sasuke, giving an affirmative hum as she took a bite of her gyoza. "I can sense around a radius of about four kilometers, give or take some, but I can't hold it very long yet, just about two minutes." Sasuke smirked slightly.

"How'd jur missin goo?" said Naruto, mouth full of ramen.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Naruto! Swallow your food first, for goodness' sake!"

Namiko snickered and Naruto quickly downed the rest of his bowl before asking Teuchi for another. "I was saying, how'd your mission go, imouto?"

"It was successful. Turns out a child took the kimono to sell to get him and his sister away from working for the daimyo. He ended up getting it stolen from him by some passing thieves, but we were able to recover it and get him home safely. Kiba-kun kind of jumped the gun though and almost got me and him in trouble," said Namiko, setting her chopsticks down.

Sakura's interest was piqued. "How so?"

Namiko avoided eye contact with Naruto. "Kiba-kun didn't wait for Kurenai-sensei before going after the thieves, and I may have gotten stabbed in the arm in the process…"

"WHAT?!" Naruto turned to her, grabbing her by the shoulders in concern. "I'm gonna kill him! Kiba let you get hurt like that? Why that-"

"It's okay! I'm fine now." Namiko shrugged off his hands. "It was a dumb accident and Kurenai-sensei lectured him plenty on the way back to Konoha. I healed super quickly though, so no harm, no foul." She gave her brother a wary smile, trying to play it cool.

"There technically was harm…" started Sasuke.

"Says the guy who threw himself in front of Naruto and got impaled with senbons," said Sakura with a sigh.

Now it was Namiko's turn to be surprised. "What in the world happened to you all on your mission?!"

"Well," started Naruto, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "we kinda got attacked by a missing nin from Mist named Zabuza, Kakashi fought him and then overused his Sharingan so we trained while he recovered, then we got attacked again by Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi fought Zabuza while Sasuke and I took on Haku. During our fight, Sasuke woke his Sharingan then got stabbed a bunch of times with senbon and I thought he died so I kinda lost it and all this crazy chakra started pouring out of me. Haku ran to Zabuza and he died, but Zabuza didn't care and that just pissed me off. Then this gangster Gato came and Zabuza killed him, then Zabuza died next to Haku. Then we came home…"

Namiko's blue-violet eyes bore into her brother's baby blue ones, trying to figure out how to respond to that load of information and finally settling on, "That…did not sound like just a C-rank mission…"

A lazy drawl answered her, "Oh it certainly was not. I just got back from Sandaime's office and he labeled it as A-rank."

"Really?!" Team 7 all cried out in excitement.

Kakashi nodded. "Really. You three handled yourselves well on that mission. I'm proud of you all, which is why I told you I'd treat you today." He sat down next to Namiko.

Namiko was still trying to process all of Naruto's word vomit. "Wait…Naruto, did you say Kakashi-sensei has the Sharingan?" Naruto nodded and Namiko continued her train of thought. "Isn't that a trait exclusive to the Uchiha clan?"

"It is. Which is why I was meaning to ask you, Kakashi, how do you have it? You're not Uchiha…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi almost threateningly, yet seemed somewhat curious to find out the answer.

"I wondered when you'd ask me that." Kakashi sighed. "When I got assigned to my team after the academy, one of my teammates was an Uchiha. I lost my left eye on a mission when we were older because of a dumb mistake. Not long after, he was fatally injured during a different mission; he asked me to take his eye to replace my own as a last gift to me." That answer seemed to satisfy Sasuke's curiosity.

"Oh man," said Naruto breaking the silence with a stretch and rubbing his belly contentedly. "I'm full and right now bed sounds good! Let's go home, imouto."

Namiko stood from her seat and gave Kakashi a small bow. "Thank you for treating us, Kakashi-sensei. We'll see you later!" The siblings exited the shop.

Sakura waved the two goodbye, and Sasuke stood to leave as well. Kakashi rolled his eyes and asked Ayame for the bill. When he saw the total, he realized Naruto had six bowls of ramen, visible eye going wide. "Naruto!"

Outside Ichiraku, Naruto glanced at Namiko before giving an ornery laugh. "See you at home!" He quickly started jumping from rooftop to rooftop towards their home.

Namiko shook her head. "He's impossible…"

Sasuke had just walked out of Ichiraku and saw Namiko start walking towards home. "I guess I'll see you around. Later, Namiko."

Namiko smiled brightly back at him, crinkling her freckled nose. "See you later, Sasuke." She pushed her waist-length hair behind her shoulders and made the hand sign for teleportation, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

'She's something else…' he thought as he headed to his own home.

A/N: That's Chapter 5 down! Coming up is the Chuunin Exams arc, and the next chapter is the written exam. Let's see how Namiko makes it through the challenge and how Naruto handles his sister being put in even more danger.

I wanted to also explain Kakashi's Sharingan to Team 7 because I don't think he ever really mentioned to his team why he had it until the end of the series, if at all.

Also, little side note: "Yomu" means "to read" in Japanese. I got the idea to call her that because I got this image of little kid Namiko in my head learning how to read at the library and just calling her "yomu" because she wanted to read.

Please review and let me know if you have questions or suggestions; I do try to reply to everyone.

-Eriisu