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!

A/N: Okay, we've reached the time skip! This is where the canon divergence starts to come into play, so you'll see fewer scenes you recognize but more world and character exploration. (Fair warning, things may start to get a little dark and possibly angsty from here on out.)

Chapter 20: Homecoming

"This is not how I wanted this mission to end. It's such a pain," said Shikamaru with a heavy sigh.

Namiko slung the blood off her blade before placing her tanto in its sheath. "What? Do you think I like having to kill our target? There was no way to get out of it without killing him." She shook her head, irritated and whispering under her breath, "Bastard deserved it anyways…using innocent children for labor…"

"I heard that," muttered Kiba, just loud enough for his redheaded teammate to hear as he brushed by her.

"Okay you three, let's just go back to Konoha and call this mission done," said Ino, trying to calm the other members of the team. "In the end, the kids are free and safe with the authorities, and that's what is most important."

Namiko nodded. "Exactly. I want to go home and clean up."

A knock came from outside the Hokage's door, startling Tsunade from the nap she was having at her desk. "…come in," she said groggily, pulling off a paper stuck to the side of her face.

"Tsunade-obasan, the least you could do is be awake when you call me to your office." Namiko raised a dark red eyebrow in mild irritation at her godmother as she walked into the room.

"Unless you want to do my paperwork for me, you'll be quiet," quipped Tsunade, now fully awake, hands folded across the desk in front of her. "Shikamaru gave me the mission report…is there something you want to tell me?"

Namiko immediately went on the defense before Tsunade had the chance to accuse. "I didn't have a choice in killing our target. I used as little force as what was necessary to separate him from those kids."

"Separating him is not the same as killing him," stated Tsunade. "You were supposed to just arrest him and turn him in to the local authorities, not go on a vendetta!"

"He was going to kill those kids!" yelled Namiko. She started grasping at straws. "He tried to kill me too!"

"Let's see, a slimy civilian criminal or a Konoha Chuunin who can disappear on a whim? Who do you think will win? Despite your petite size, my money is on you every time." Tsunade shook her head disapprovingly.

"That's not saying much knowing your track record…" muttered Namiko, unfortunately, loud enough for the sannin to hear.

Tsunade's gaze narrowed at the redhead. "Enough! I get that you're upset, especially considering this mission had to deal with orphans being abused, but it's not an excuse. You're suspended from all missions until I feel confident that you're going to follow orders."

Namiko opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again. Arguing with Tsunade never went well for anyone. She turned and left Tsunade's office without another word. Maybe she should go find Hinata to train or talk or something.

Tsunade sat back at her desk, groaning as Kakashi appeared at her window. "You're late," she said as Kakashi stepped into the room. "Your student is getting out of control. You've got to rein her in or she's going to be more of a liability than she already is."

Kakashi nodded once. "I know. I think the kyuubi has been getting to her, though she won't admit it. I've noticed her spacing out, muttering to herself, and losing her temper far more often than not during our training sessions. I've already told you how she's semi-transformed several times due to her anger rising to the surface.

"I remember Kushina telling me that the kyuubi would taunt her sometimes, mostly on the days she was away from Minato-sensei. I'm assuming the same thing is happening to Namiko. Kushina said Mito-sama had told her that love was the key to not being taken over by the kyuubi."

"I think it's beyond time the other Uzumaki comes home," suggested Tsunade. "It's a good thing Jiraiya already told me they were on their way and should be back in Konoha anywhere in the next few days."

"I couldn't agree more."

Namiko left the Hokage's office. 'Suspended from all missions? That's just great. I'm sure Kurenai-sensei will be thrilled to hear that,' she thought, rolling her eyes and sighing.

She was restless. While it was unusual for her to be restless two years ago, now it seemed like a daily occurrence. Naruto had always been the restless one, never sitting still for a moment. Now it was her. It was a different kind of restlessness though.

She had to keep her mind focused on something or she'd hear the whispers of the kyuubi to her, relentlessly tormenting her. He'd whisper for her to do horrible things or put her down and tell her that no one cared about her. She knew she had some people in her life who truly cared about her, but the main one was gone.

Naruto.

She missed her brother so much it was painful. She worried about him every day, and it was only made more difficult by not having any contact with him. Tsunade would give her updates every few weeks when she got word from Jiraiya, but it was different from hearing directly from her brother.

The kyuubi loved feeding into that, feeding her paranoia and fear that maybe Naruto was dead. Maybe he would never come home. Maybe he ran away after Sasuke and Jiraiya didn't say. There were so many maybes that fogged up her mind.

The kyuubi also loved bringing up her past as an orphan. The abandonment she still felt knowing that both Kakashi and Jiraiya knew who they were and did nothing. Tsunade knew that Kushina had been pregnant and named the godmother, but she had left the village months before they were born and never looked back, not knowing that Minato and Kushina had died until Jiraiya and Naruto found her two years ago.

Kakashi had explained before that he was ordered to stay away completely by Sandaime, and technically he broke those orders multiple times by checking on them from a distance, sometimes giving them food. Namiko remembered occasionally finding onigiri in a basket in front of their door a few times when they were small, but Kakashi denied that was him. He admitted to dropping off fresh fruits and vegetables sometimes though, normally through their kitchen window.

Still, they had been ostracized by everyone else in the village just because of the kyuubi. She never handled anything that reminded her of their past well. She did better now that she had friends but if anything related to child abuse came along, her anger would take hold. That's why she killed the person in charge of those orphans. When she, Ino, Shikamaru, and Kiba were assigned this mission, Shikamaru was already worried about how she was going to handle it and maybe he was right to have worried.

They were just supposed to infiltrate the barn where the man kept the kids, save the kids, capture the man, and take him back to the neighboring civilian village. After the kids were safe, Shikamaru had planned to go back and use his Shadow Possession jutsu to hold the man in place while Ino scanned his mind checking for any other children and information. Kiba was then to escort him with Akamaru to the village.

But that's not what happened.

Namiko had subtly marked the wall of the barn with her Flying Raijin seal when they removed the children. Ino and Kiba escorted the children to the village safely, and once they were back, the four shinobi waited patiently for the man to return. Hours later when the man came back into the barn to look for the kids, she flashed inside and killed him without a second thought. By the time the others found them, she claimed self-defense.

But the truth was, she just never wanted any more children to be abused by him. She took justice into her own hands and became both judge and jury.

Namiko shook off her racing thoughts when she felt Hinata's soothing chakra signature up ahead. She saw the Hyuuga heiress directly in front of her, waving delicately with a smile on her face. Hinata finally grew out her hair, no longer ashamed of herself and she had strengthened her Byakugan tremendously. She could see for over an eighteen kilometer radius, covering most of Konoha; she could see farther and even more detail than Neji.

Namiko has grown in strength in well. She had mastered the Sealing Chains, but her father's Flying Raijin still presented its challenges. She could now place a marker with a single touch and go anywhere she could sense her markers, which now was over twenty kilometers in any direction, but she could only use it about three times a day to transport herself. The number of times she could transport objects was unlimited, but for some reason, her body couldn't handle transporting herself well and if she tried to force it, she would collapse unconscious.

Namiko jogged up to Hinata as she reached to hug the redhead. "When did you get back?"

"About three hours ago," Namiko said nonchalantly. "I went home and took a shower, but then Tsunade called me to her office to discuss something that happened on the mission."

Hinata's brow furrowed. "Did something go wrong?"

Namiko shook her head. "Just things didn't go exactly according to plan, and so I had to explain why, even though the mission was successful."

"Would you like some tea?" asked Hinata and Namiko nodded as they started walking towards the Hyuuga Compound. "She's hard on you sometimes, huh?"

"She can be. I know she feels extra responsible for me because she's my godmother, but she can go a bit overboard."

Hinata gave a sympathetic smile. "She loves you. I'm pretty sure she's just making up for lost time. She mothers everyone, not just you."

"She just extra mothers me," said Namiko with a laugh. "So, what have you been into today with Kiba and I gone on a mission?"

"Just training with Neji-niisan and sometimes Hanabi."

"I haven't seen him in a while," Namiko said as a grin spread over her face, eyebrows raising mischievously. "Has he asked out TenTen yet?"

Hinata giggled as they walked into the compound. "No, he keeps telling me he's waiting for the right time."

"For someone so 'brave', Neji-san is a coward when it comes to love," scoffed Namiko.

"Oh, I'm a coward now?" Neji said as he rounded the corner of the main house. "I just want to make sure I do it the right way. I thought women appreciated things like that."

Namiko tilted her head as she looked at him. "Girls do appreciate that, but TenTen has also liked you practically forever. She wouldn't say no, no matter how you asked."

Neji didn't say another word and continued walking away from the best friends. Though Namiko could've sworn she saw a faint blush barely tinting his cheeks. 'He's got it bad. He just needs to make a move already! TenTen would say yes in a heartbeat.'

Neji and Namiko had mended their bridge of friendship and often chatted casually whenever they saw each other. She had become quite fond of the Hyuuga genius and even started enjoying his company. His help to try to retrieve Sasuke, and by extension helping her own brother, had earned him quite a bit of respect from her.

The girls entered the main house and settled themselves in the sitting room while Hinata prepared the tea. Hinata cleared her throat quietly. "…so, when is N-Naruto-kun supposed to be back?" Her cheeks flushed a light pink; something she didn't do much anymore unless Naruto was mentioned.

Namiko shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Last time I asked, Tsunade-obasan said it could be anytime between now and two or more weeks. Regardless, I've been paying extra close attention to my chakra sensing. If he places one foot in my range, I'll flash to him so fast, he won't know what happened." She giggled. "I've placed markers all over Konoha, and I can't wait to show him what I've learned."

"You miss him," stated Hinata quietly.

"Of course I do," replied Namiko. "He's my brother. It's been hard to be in that quiet apartment without him. I enjoyed it for maybe the first week or so, but now the silence is so unbearably loud. I keep the TV on just for some sort of noise."

The girls continued to chat for a while about little things until Namiko noticed the sunset had started. She sighed as she stood. "Thank you for having me for tea, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning at ten for training?" Hinata nodded in response and Namiko took her leave.

When she arrived home, the deafening silence overtook her again. She turned on the TV in the background as she robotically fixed dinner for herself. After she ate, she cleaned up the apartment a bit and then took a bath, soaking in the warm water.

As she stared at the wall of the bathroom, a voice spoke in her head that was all too familiar, 'Alone again? How pathetic.'

"Shut up," she said aloud.

'All you have is your thoughts and me. And I could give you so much more power if you'd let me,' said the deep, gravelly voice of the kyuubi.

"Just leave me alone…I've seen what the love of power can do."

'Don't lie. You crave it too. Or you wouldn't have killed that man in cold blood today.'

"He was a monster! He deserved it!" Namiko raised her voice as she gripped her thighs, nails digging into her skin.

'You were his executioner…'

"I was saving those children from more pain and suffering! Like I wish someone had saved me!" Her nails drew blood and the bathwater turned pink, startling her out of her mental argument with the kyuubi. She quickly got out of the water and changed into her pajamas, braided her hair, and crawled into bed.

A lone tear slipped down her cheek. 'Naruto, hurry home…I don't know how much longer I can handle life without my big brother…'

Namiko woke up the next morning with a start. Something was off. She ran through her mental checklist as she looked at her clock.

8:42 am

Three minutes until her alarm was supposed to go off. She leaned over and turned off the alarm and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Another fitful night of sleep. It had been this way for several months now. She normally trained herself to exhaustion so the kyuubi would let her sleep without waking her multiple times, but with her being on suspension from missions, she didn't see him allowing her restful sleep anytime soon. Maybe she should go see Sakura for some of those sleeping pills she made. They at least tasted better than her soldier pills.

She shuddered at the memory of the awful taste and walked over to her dresser to pull out some clothes, a black long-sleeved top that showed a bit of her stomach and black shorts. She hadn't grown much in the last two years, only barely reaching one hundred fifty-three centimeters, and she was still the smallest of their friends, so lately she picked clothes that showed a little skin, making her feel a little taller by showing off her legs. They were easier to move in as well.

As she undid her braid and brushed her hair, something was still bugging her. She decided to do an active sensory scan of Konoha; she could sense chakra while she slept now, which was helpful on missions, but when she was this exhausted, it took her a while to focus on individual chakras. She stood scanning and brushing…and her brush clattered to the floor as she dropped it in surprise as she felt the warm, sunny chakra she knew better than her own.

Naruto.

He was home!

She ran to the door to slip on her shinobi sandals and searched for the mark closest to Naruto's location. 'There! Of course he'd be there…' She blinked as she felt the familiar pull of the Flying Raijin, popping right outside of Ichiraku.

She paused when all she saw was Jiraiya in front of her and no Naruto. Jiraiya was looking up high, so she followed his line of sight to the top of a pole, with Naruto standing on top. "Nii-chan! Get down here!"

Naruto looked down with a bright smile. He leaped down immediately, and she threw her arms around his neck tightly. He wrapped his arms around her back, squeezing her just as tight. After a few moments, he pulled back, his hands on both her shoulders. "I've missed you."

She grinned back. "I guarantee I've missed you more. Wait…how are you so much taller now?" She had to crane her head back to look him in the eye.

He rubbed the back of his head, the grin never leaving his face. "Guess I grew…unlike you, imouto." He pressed his lips together, trying to hold back a laugh.

Namiko put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him. "Hey! I grew thirteen centimeters, thank you very much!"

Jiraiya chuckled behind them. "Not even home five minutes and you two are already fighting. True siblings indeed." He walked over to the pair and patted Namiko's head affectionately. "Nice to see you, kiddo. You're getting more beautiful like your mother every day."

"Thanks, ji-chan," Namiko said politely before turning back to Naruto, eyes scanning over his new clothes. "I like the color change. Black and orange seems slightly more mature than blue and orange."

"Thanks…" Naruto froze as he finally noticed Namiko's outfit. "What the hell are you wearing?! You're missing the bottom half of your shirt!"

"Really, Naruto?" She raised a brow. "It's comfy and I like it. It's that simple."

Naruto took off his jacket and threw it at her. "…put that on."

"No, I'm fine." Namiko scoffed and threw it back, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I'm assuming you both have to check in with Tsunade-sama?"

Jiraiya nodded. "We need to give a short check-in with her and then Naruto can get settled back in."

"I need to get some groceries and then I'll head home and fix us something to eat," said Namiko. "Maybe we can come back here to Ichiraku later this afternoon since they're not open this early, even though I know you'd eat ramen any time of the day. Invite Sakura and Kakashi-sensei," she suggested and paused for a moment, "they're both in the Hokage Building. I'll see you at home in a bit!" She turned and jogged down the main road of Konoha to get what she needed.

Namiko was late. She was never late by more than a few minutes, but this was a half-hour late. 'Maybe she just overslept. I'll just go check on her.' Hinata thought for a moment before standing up and letting her feet lead her to Namiko's apartment.

When she arrived, she knocked gingerly on the front door. She heard some shuffling followed by a small crash. 'She must have really oversle—' Her train of thought was cut off when the door flung open to reveal familiar bright blue eyes she hadn't seen in two years, his blond hair slightly damp, standing before her with that brilliant smile of his.

And shirtless.

Hinata was frozen completely in place and yet burning at the same time. Naruto was oblivious as he hugged her so tightly, that he almost picked her off the ground. "Hinata! I'm so glad to see you!"

Namiko came up the steps to their apartment seeing her damp, shirtless brother holding tightly to her best friend who looked like she would spontaneously combust if her face was any redder. "Nii-chan! Let go! You'll make her pass out!"

"Huh?" He pulled back and noticed Hinata's red face. "Oops, sorry! I didn't mean to smother you."

Hinata took a few steps back and gripped the railing behind her, trying to take a slow, deep breath so she didn't pass out. "I-it-it's okay, N-Naruto-kun…"

Namiko flushed, whether in anger or embarrassment, she wasn't sure herself. "Naruto, you have to think things through before you do them! Sheesh, did you learn nothing from Jiraiya?" She shook her head. '…or maybe he did…'

She turned to her best friend who was staring at Naruto openly and still trying to focus on breathing. "Hina, are you okay?" Hinata nodded slowly and Namiko turned back to her brother. "Why did you answer the door half-naked anyway?"

"I just got out of the shower and heard a knock and I thought you forgot your key or something," explained Naruto. "I wanted to get cleaned up in my own shower at home instead of rivers or weird inns."

"Can't say I blame you there, but go put on a shirt," said Namiko as she motioned him through the door, groceries in hand.

Naruto quickly ran inside and went to his room as Namiko looked back at Hinata. "Would you like some tea?" Hinata nodded and followed Namiko inside. As Namiko set down the bags on the kitchen counter, realization hit her full force. "Hinata! I'm so sorry! I just now remembered we were supposed to train. When I woke up I felt Naruto's chakra in Konoha and all other thoughts flew right out of my head."

Hinata giggled. "It's okay, honestly. I'm glad he's back and I don't blame you for forgetting, I probably would have too."

"Well, you're welcome to stay for a while, especially since I bailed on training. We're going to Ichiraku for lunch—"

"You should come with us!" shouted Naruto as he walked in, wearing a clean white shirt with the Uzumaki crest in the center and his signature orange pants.

Hinata took a sharp breath in. "O-okay, Naruto-kun. I'd love to."

"Great!" said Naruto as he sat down at the small table and motioned for Hinata to do the same. She nervously sat down while Namiko prepared the tea for them all. Naruto leaned forward in his chair. "So, what all have I missed?"

Namiko busied herself putting away the groceries. "Well, everyone in our class is officially a chuunin and Neji is even a jounin now."

"I knew you two were good enough to pass the Chuunin Exams!" Naruto smirked for a moment before the realization hit him. "Wait…that means I'm the only genin! Oh man…" He groaned as he slumped down in his chair.

Hinata quietly spoke up. "Well, you're not the only one. Sasuke-san is still a genin as well."

Namiko gave her a sharp look. "Uchiha isn't part of Konoha anymore, so he doesn't count."

"I see you're still mad at Sasuke…" said Naruto with a sigh. "If he doesn't count, then why are you still angry with him?"

"He almost killed you!" snapped Namiko as she set the mugs on the table and sat down. "How can you forget that so easily?"

"You told me that Naruto-kun was unconscious when you found him. If Sasuke-san had wanted to kill him, he had the perfect chance," explained Hinata.

Naruto nodded. "Exactly, Hinata is right. Sasuke had the perfect chance to kill me, but he chose not to. He's still good."

Namiko rolled her eyes. "You're naïve."

"You're just being spiteful," shot back Naruto. He blew out a puff of air, trying to change the subject. "Any cool missions to talk about?"

Namiko's back went stiff. Hinata didn't miss the shift in her friend's body language and decided to prod. "Namiko, you did just get back from a mission yesterday."

"Ooh! Tell me all about it!" asked Naruto excitedly.

"It wasn't that interesting…anyways, Naruto, how was your trip with Jiraiya-jichan?" Namiko quickly deflected, but Hinata was still concerned. Her best friend was hiding something about that mission.

Naruto didn't notice the shift in her behavior though and answered her question without hesitation, "It was awesome! We saw so many different places and things. We went to the Land of Wind and I visited Gaara for a bit. Sand was everywhere! We stopped in a few smaller countries too. There are some interesting people and beautiful places out in the world. You both would love to see what's out there!"

"Sounds like fun," Hinata said with a smile.

Namiko took a sip of her tea. "Nii-chan, did you ask Sakura and Kakashi-sensei about lunch?"

"Oh yeah! They said they'd meet us there at eleven." Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall of the kitchen. "Oops…that's in five minutes, so I guess we need to go."

The trio quickly made their way to Ichiraku where Sakura was already waiting. "Let me guess, Kakashi-sensei is running late?" asked Naruto.

Sakura laughed. "Trust me, that definitely hasn't changed in the last two years, right, Namiko?"

"Yeah, pretty much. However, I don't think he was as late to our training sessions as he was to Team 7's. He's still a serial offender." Namiko shook her head. "Should we wait for him?"

Kakashi strolled up to them. "No need. I'm present."

"Alright! Let's eat!" shouted Naruto enthusiastically. "I've been waiting over two years to have Ichiraku in my belly!" The other four shinobi shook their heads in amusement as they followed the blond. They placed their orders as they all sat at the counter: Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, Namiko, and Hinata.

The group talked for a long while about what had gone on in the last two years, the good and the bad. Kakashi eyed his newest student; Namiko seemed stiff and guarded. "So…Namiko, did you tell Kurenai that you're suspended from missions until further notice?" asked Kakashi bluntly.

"Wow, sensei," said Namiko, sarcasm flooding her voice, "you went right there, didn't you?"

Hinata blinked at her teammate. "Suspended? You didn't tell me that."

"Sheesh, imouto, what did you do to piss off baa-chan?" laughed Naruto.

"Nothing!" Namiko held up her hands in defense. "I just made a mistake on my last mission. I'll be back on rotation in no time." Kakashi just made a curious "hmm" noise and Namiko shot him a glare. 'Why would he bring this up in front of everyone? He's just being a jerk right now. It was a mistake. That's it.'

'She's calling it a mistake? A shinobi killing a target instead of capture isn't a mistake.' Kakashi mentally sighed. 'Hopefully, with Naruto back, she'll be a little more stable.'

Later that night as Naruto and Namiko settled back down into a routine, Naruto knocked on Namiko's door and poked his head in without waiting for her to answer. "Can we talk?"

Namiko stayed silent for a moment as she sat at her desk brushing her hair. "Sure, though I'm pretty sure I know what you're going I ask."

"What happened on your mission?" Naruto said as he sat on her bed.

"It's complicated."

"How so?"

Namiko stopped brushing her hair and twisted the strands nervously. "Do…you ever hear the kyuubi?"

"Like when we saw him?"

"No, just his voice in your head. Taunting you." Her voice dropped suddenly to a whisper, "…telling you to do things…"

Naruto's face was filled with concern. "Namiko…what do you mean? Has that been happening to you?"

She didn't say anything, refusing to meet his eyes. Naruto looked at the floor. "I lost control of the kyuubi a few times while I was traveling with Ero-sennin. A few months ago things went too far, he was training me to put wind chakra in the Rasengan. I got overwhelmed and the kyuubi kind of just…took over."

Namiko finally looked at her brother, her eyebrows furrowing in bewilderment. "What do you mean 'took over'?"

"I exhausted all my chakra and the kyuubi forced his way out. Ero-sennin said it was like red chakra came out and spread all over my body and it even took the shape of a fox with the chakra shaped like ears, a tail, and everything.

"That happened a few times over the last two years but this time, it went farther than before. It developed four tails and I…it…whatever attacked Ero-sennin. He was seriously injured but able to snap me out of it with a seal to my forehead. I had to help him get to the nearest medic we could find. He almost died…it was terrifying."

"It wasn't your fault; you weren't in control of yourself," assured Namiko. "I guess the same thing has been happening to me a little according to Kakashi-sensei, although he's never seen a tail, just the red chakra." She took a deep breath. "But…whenever I'm alone, the kyuubi likes to tell me awful things…threatening me, you, Hinata, and Kiba, our friends…telling me how he killed so many people and liked it. Sometimes he pushes me so hard that I just snap…

"On my mission yesterday, we were trying to free orphan children from the man who kidnapped them and forced them into slavery. I was already on edge and the kyuubi pushed me, telling me that he didn't deserve to live and that if I didn't kill him, those kids would be right back in his hands again. I couldn't let that happen…I used Flying Raijin and killed him without a second thought…"

Naruto stared at her; his bright blue eyes clouded with worry. "You actually killed him?"

She nodded. "Those kids…I didn't want them to hurt anymore. It was the only way to ensure their safety." Her eyes dropped to her lap. "I don't regret killing him and…I'd do it again if it meant keeping those kids safe."

"Namiko, you can't just take matters into your own hands. It's one thing if his assassination had been your mission, but that's really serious." Naruto's face was somber in stark contrast to his happy-go-lucky attitude earlier in the day.

"I know, that's why she took me off missions for a while. Right now, I'm just hoping for rest tonight. Now that you're home, that might actually help me sleep soundly."

Naruto smiled. "Did'ya miss me that much?"

"Honestly, yes, I did." She stood at the same time Naruto did and hugged him tightly. "I'm so relieved you're home, nii-chan."

"I'm home for good, imouto," whispered Naruto into her hair. "We won't be separated like that again, I promise."

The next day, Naruto and Sakura met back with Kakashi to do a repeat of their bell test. Namiko sat on the sidelines with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune, all watching intently to see just how far Naruto had come. Namiko was quite aware of how powerful Sakura had become over the last two years; she and Hinata frequently sparred with the medical kunoichi. Sakura was a force to be reckoned with and Namiko couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her brother's face when he saw Sakura turn the ground into rubble with a single punch.

In the end, Naruto used quick wits to 'spoil' Kakashi's new book to pass the test, opting to hold off on showing his newest trick, Rasenshuriken, for fear he'd actually kill his beloved sensei.

As Naruto held up the prized bells, Tsunade approached the three shinobi. "You've shown growth. Uzumaki Naruto. Haruno Sakura. From this day forward, you two will be a team along with your old sensei. You will be called Team Kakashi."

"Really? That sounds cool…what does that mean though?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi grinned under his mask. "You two and I will be on a team as peers now. That's the long and short of it. The days of sensei and student are past. We're Konoha shinobi, on equal ground. Got it?"

"Oh yeah! You know it!" said Naruto excitedly. "So, when do we get to go on our first mission?"

"Always the eager one." Tsunade chuckled. "I'll be passing out some new missions at the beginning of next week. Take this time to get back into the swing of things."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, baa-chan."

A week later, Namiko had managed to not have a single episode of the kyuubi taunting her. It was a massive relief and she felt more at ease than ever now that Naruto was home. She knew it was a matter of time before one of them got a mission and they were separated, but at least this time she knew it wouldn't be years long and with zero communication.

Naruto tossed off his sandals at the door and practically ran to his room. Namiko popped her head in the doorway. "What's going on?"

"Team Kakashi has a mission!" Naruto hurriedly packed his backpack. "Gaara has been kidnapped and Tsunade-baachan is sending us."

"Why you?"

"She said it was because we had experience with the Akatsuki."

"I'll come with you!"

"You're still suspended from missions, aren't you?"

Namiko froze. "I…I'm going to talk to Tsunade-obasan." She used Flying Raijin and vanished without a second thought. She popped out next to the entrance to the Hokage Building and ran up the stairs.

She had the sense of mind to knock and wait for the okay to enter. Tsunade sat at her desk with Jiraiya and Shizune standing close by. "Tsunade-sama," she said respectfully, bowing deeply, "please send me with Team Kakashi. I can be an asset! I know Gaara's chakra and I could track him…"

"I appreciate the offer, but the answer is no," said Tsunade sternly. "You're still on probation and I can't have you and Naruto out there together."

Namiko's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Because we'd be a target…right?"

"Exactly," Jiraiya spoke up, taking a step toward the redhead. "The Akatsuki have gone after Gaara because he's a jinchuriki like you and Naruto. Putting you two on the same team would be the most foolish thing for Tsunade to do. Trust me, I don't like Tsunade sending him either, but he's the best one for the job and Kakashi will be with him."

Namiko didn't like it one bit, but they had good points. "Understood," she said, bowing again and heading back home, walking this time.

Shizune piped up as the redhead left, "That sure seems like a shift in attitude compared to lately."

"Agreed," replied Tsunade. "Perhaps Kakashi was right and something has been going on with the kyuubi since Naruto has been gone for so long."

Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "Probably. I noticed something similar with Naruto while we were traveling. Could be the kyuubi or it could just be that they've never been separated for so long and the kyuubi took advantage of that."

"Either way, we'll need to watch them both more closely than ever," stated Tsunade.

Three days had passed since Team Kakashi left to find Gaara when Namiko was called to Tsunade's office. Tsunade was sitting at her desk looking at a scroll intensely when Namiko walked through the open door. "Oh good, you're here. Close the door behind you."

Namiko quickly closed the door. "What's wrong? Is it Naruto?"

"No, no, nothing like that," said Tsunade with a wave of her hand. "This is about you. Do you think you can follow orders to the letter if I send you on a mission?"

Namiko straightened her back. "Yes ma'am."

"Good, you will need to follow the mission orders without wavering since your skillset is needed. Once your teammates get here we'll go over everything." No sooner did Tsunade finish speaking did someone knocked on the door. "Ah, great timing, ladies." Hinata and Ino walked forward and stood next to Namiko.

"I'm sending you on a B-rank mission; normally I would send Kurenai with you as backup, but she's already on a mission and I think you three are more than capable on your own." Tsunade stood up and handed a scroll to Ino. "Let me explain your roles and the mission objectives. You three will be infiltrating a brothel on the outskirts of the Land of Fire in a civilian village. We have received word that women are being kidnapped and sold to the man in charge of the brothel. You are not to attempt to free anyone or attack anyone in charge, you are gathering information only.

"Ino, I want you as captain for this mission; you will also be in charge of collecting the information. Hinata, you are responsible for reconnaissance and making sure everyone stays safe.

"Finally, Namiko, you are going to be the bait. I want you to find a way into the brothel, restrain the man to allow Ino to search his mind for the information, and then get you all out of there. The reason I picked you as the bait is because if something goes wrong, I want you to use Flying Raijin and get out of there as fast as possible. Do you three understand and accept the mission?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," they chimed together.

A/N: There's our first chapter! I apologize for the delay in posting; I was not feeling well and struggled to get everything written in time and to the quality I wanted. We should be back on track now, and I'll see you all next week as we find out what happens with the girls' mission and…see Sasuke again.

-Eriisu