Naruto Yūhi of the Phantom Blade

by Havoc-Teir

AU: Naruto is Kurenai's younger brother, just as masterful with genjutsu, though he has even more issues than he care to count. Tsunade is constantly meddling, Kushina hates his guts, and most the clan heads refuse to acknowledge him and thus the heirs typically call him out on his lack of clan support. He has the yin half of Kyubi; Kana Uzumaki, his half sister has the Yang.

1. Chapter 1 - Budding Thorns

AN: This is a rework of my original rework. I came across a few different Naruto's that used different arts and this is my take on a Naruto who doesn't prescribe to the whole, Team VII, must get Sasuke back, and all that. There are still plenty of 'Yeah, just being Naruto.' moments and that damn hero complex is so troublesome.

Chapter One; Budding Thorns

-Yūhi Household-

"GET UP NARU!" a young raven-haired Chunin with bright ruby ringed eyes, fourteen years old by the name of Kurenai Yūhi, calls through a door to a young boy's room. The one within groans and shifts as his similarly red ringed eyes blink slowly open, through his black bangs that fall over them, glaring at the clock on his bedside table before a growling sound escapes from the back of his throat, "…it's not even five… yet." The door is thrown open as a skimpily dressed teenager barges in. "OTTO! IT'S TIME TO GET READY FOR TRAINING!" the girl shouts singsong-like.

The boy in the bed turns to look at her with a glare so cold, the glacial peaks would look like a summer vacation. The girl involuntarily shivers but does not lose her smirk, in fact it seemed to grow in glee and lust, signified by the lick of her lips. "Ooo… just like your sister, that cold glare…" the woman was interrupted by a bonk. "Anko, stop hitting on my little brother." The raven-haired woman growls before turning to the stretching seven-year-old Naruto Yūhi. "Come on, Naru. Breakfast before we begin your training."

"Okay, nee-chan," the child responds, puts on some clothes, and follows them out.

At the table, the trio enjoy their breakfast before the final members of their group arrive in the form of Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yūgao, with the latter only just returning from a mission. "Ah, you guys are up already?" Yūgao comments as she throws off her sandals. "Not by choice," Naruto mumbles, which causes the Anbu member to chuckle. "You should get used to early rises..." as she takes a glass of water "...after all, once you get to chunin, I expect you to join my squad in Anbu."

"That's quite presumptuous of you, Yūgao." Kurenai responds, standing from the table. "Not presumptuous if you consider his trainers," Yūgao confirms, scooping rice with her chopsticks and swallowing before continuing. "He has me for kenjutsu, stealth, and tactics..." she points to Anko "...Anko for Ninjutsu, poisons, traps, and biology..." she points to Hana "...Hana for tracking, tijutsu..." and finally points to the bookshelf "...and you can help with genjutsu and anything else we missed." The others all caught on to her wavelength, realizing just how well-rounded they could train the young boy to become a formidable shinobi.

A few moments later, all eyes land on the seven-year-old who just put down his chopsticks, glancing around at them all. "What…?" they all smile. "Well, Naru…" Kurenai ruffles his thick black locks. "...you better go with Anko for your morning run, like we spoke about yesterday." The kunoichi perks up with a sickly sinister smile, causing the trainee shinobi to gulp nervously.

-Three Hours Later-

Anko carries the barely conscious Naruto into her sister's apartment, causing both Hana and Kurenai to look up. "Anko…" the latter sighs as they both stand from the table. "…you know he has to get to the academy in just under an hour, right?"

"He's fine, nee-san; a tough little squirt." Anko chuckles as she plops the boy down on the couch. Hana is already moving to examine him with her medical ninjutsu. "Well, he's fatigued, but a bit of rest and some food will help." Hana says, glancing over at the arguing duo and sighs. "Guess I'll do it myself."

-Academy-

"You sure you have everything?" Kurenai asks while fussing over her little brother, who sighs for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. "Yes ka-saannn…" he says, only to be hit softly over the head. "You've been spending too much time with Anko," she says, sighing in exasperation. Suddenly, a mop of red hair catches her eye, and she glances over at the legendary and honored kunoichi known as Kushina Uzumaki, surrounded by many clan matriarchs and their heirs, including her daughter, Kana Uzumaki.

"Nee-chan…" Naruto whispers, gripping his sister's hand. He had noticed her glare, which drew the woman's attention back to her little brother. "Don't worry…" she whispers, kneeling before him. They stare into one another's crimson eyes. "Remember what we spoke about," she says in a hushed whisper. He nods. "Good. Now, I'll be on a mission tonight, but Anko will be here to pick you up." He nods, knowing this. "And if anyone says anything…?"

"Give them the Yūhi stare." His whisper back and she smiles before nodding curtly. A puff of smoke at the front of the gathered parents and guardians alerts them to the arrival of the Hokage, the Fifth Fire Shadow and leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, Tsunade Senju. The young-looking lady stands tall while looking out at the newest group of her future forces. "I welcome you all to this brilliant day, a day that marks the first step on the journey…"

Naruto glanced around during the speech and could see the group of clan heirs on the opposite side, from Aburame and Akimichi to Hyūga and Inuzuka, even Senju and Uchiha, in the yard, which caused his breath to catch upon realizing that most were glaring at him. He sighed yet again, knowing that these next few years would be a pain to deal with, yet he guessed he'd master the good old Yūhi stare with all the practice he'd be getting.

In the classroom, Naruto finds himself in the back, staring out the window as his classmates chat among themselves, with a few glares from the clan children, which he ignores without any effort. Not one person approaches him or even looks his way, not that he expected it. However, he does notice a slight shift in the distant forest line, and a small smile graces his lips, which unknowingly causes every female heart in the room to throb, leading to the creation of the Naruto fan club.

"Alright class…!" a chunin calls out, drawing the attention of the dark-haired, crimson-eyed boy to turn to the front of the class. "…get to your seats." The kids continued to bicker and converse until the teacher blows up his head. "GET YOUR BUTTS IN YOUR SEATS!" Butts hit seats, mouths shut, and faces turned to the front.

The teacher nods in approval before introducing himself as Iruka Umino and his supporter Misuki. "Now, let's take roll call..." Naruto pretends not to pay attention, looking out the window while keeping his senses trained on the teacher for his name. "...Naruto Senju-Yūhi..."

"THAT THING IS NO SENJU!" a voice calls from the front row. Naruto himself sighs hard in response to this declaration, seeing this coming and wondering why the academy, or perhaps it was the village, or maybe the Hokage herself, had pushed his inclusion, which had always been an annoyance to him. Complaining to the most powerful figure in the nation, second only to the lord of the land himself, was pointless.

Confusion fills the room as the civilian students, clueless to the tense political situation currently brewing, hear someone shout, "A bastard like him is no Senju and never will be!"

"I agree!" Naruto states softly, which, despite its low tone and volume, was clearly heard by all, leaving many mouths agape as his voice was like velvet to their ears. "Sensei, can you please adjust your records to reflect that? I believe there must have been an error on the paperwork." His gentle, smooth, yet firm voice was so melodic that it seemed impossible to argue with, yet its effectiveness, especially against the female population, was doubled when he offered a very soft smile. Iruka just dumbly nodded while crossing out the Senju affix on his clipboard, as the class settles down, though a few had maintained a cautious side watch on the supposed Senju masked as a Yūhi.

By lunchtime, Naruto was sitting in a tree, having climbed up out of sight of his classmates. He hid mid-way up, behind the branches, out of sight of most. As he ate his homemade rice silently, he noticed a group of civilian girls looking around. This sent shivers down his spine. His attention then shifted to the group at the base of the tree. "Hey, Kenta!"

"Izunia?"

"What happened back in the classroom? Between that red-eyed kid and the Senju heir, Ken."

"According to my uncle, apparently…"

"I suggest you keep that to yourself, Hatake!"

"Shenra Senju. What is his royal highness doing here?" Kenta oozed an impressive amount of sarcasm. "Making sure an S-Class secret stays just that, a secret." Shenra proclaimed. "Butt out, Senju!" Izunia growled. "Keep it down, you two." Another voice cut in, drawing the trio's attention. "Shikamaru. When did…?"

"This tree is the best spot in the yard for shade, the breeze is soft, and far enough to be quiet from everything," The yawning Nara says as he smirks, knowing that the subject of their conversation was above them. "Aren't you gonna tell 'em that he's up there?" Choji questions his best friend while chowing down on his large rice balls, leaving the group somewhat confused. The Nara hair chuckles before pointing up. The group all glance up and see nothing. Snapping back to the Nara, "There's nothing…"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru groans, getting up while ignoring the three. "Later, Yūhi-san." He waves lazily over his back as Choji falls in step beside him, leaving the group somewhat annoyed and confused.

In the classroom again, Shikamaru sat beside Naruto, who was staring out the window. The duo didn't verbally acknowledge one another; Shikamaru slept while Naruto continued to gaze out the window. The bell rang, and the class resumed. Naruto's eyes returned to the teacher. "Okay, class, settle down," the teacher said. For once, the class did so without delay. This caused a pause for the two before the teacher continued, "We'll be doing a general test to see where you all are and assess what needs work."

"Troublesome." The two Naras of the class drone, one from Naruto's left and one in the seat ahead, causing Naruto to laugh inwardly but show no outward reaction. The test was passed out, and pencils began scribbling, but not even ten minutes in, Naruto was again staring out the window. Shikamaru, who had noticed this earlier, thus the reason for his relocation, spotted the faint signs of chakra usage caused by a minor genjutsu, which hid his actions from the teachers at the front of the room. "You already know genjutsu?" whispered the lying Nara. "Is that such a surprise?" Naruto grumbled back equally softly. "Not really."

"I see," Naruto responds, his eyes still tracking the clouds. A quick glance at the test sheets shows that he had passed exactly in the middle—neither too bad to look suspicious nor too high to arouse suspicion, but high enough to demonstrate proficiency. A perfect equilibrium. Shikamaru smirks, a gesture not lost on his cousin, who was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Later in the training ring, the spars Naruto was sitting beneath the lone tree, sleeping alongside the Nara. This made many of the girls in their class swoon over the picturesque sight. "Naruto Yūhi verses Yamanaka Shin," Iruka calls, which causes the teen to slowly open his eyes, unfold his arms, and stand as he makes his way to the arena.

The blonde stares down at the midnight-haired opponent put before him. "So, you're the current pretty boy? Thought you were nothing more than a bastard son." Shin taunts with a small smirk but freezes upon the glare from the Yūhi that the others now believe to be a bloodline of the Yūhi family. Iruka begins the spar, and Naruto takes a step forward, only for Shin to take a larger step back in response. He gets into the academy taijutsu stance, but his simple stare is enough to continue to pierce his opponent's soul. "What's the matter, Yamanaka? Scared?" a very slow, soft voice carries along the wind to the ears of those around.

The blonde snaps out and growls, "You're just an abandoned, unwanted..." A fist buried itself in his gut. For a moment, nothing moved until the Shin fell to the floor. Naruto moves silently and unnoticed back to the tree while the others fuss over the male Yamanaka twin and heir. "That was brutal, wasn't it?"

"I just didn't want to waste time…" Naruto's soft reply to Shikamaru's question "…but was that stare necessary?" Shuzaku Nara, Shikamaru's cousin, questioned. "He pissed me off." The simple response was cold, calculated, and ruthless. Shivers traveled down the spines of both Nara as they drifted back to sleep.

After all the assessments, the day ended with Naruto slipping out seemingly unnoticed as the class emptied out. Only after the kids all filed out did Iruka notice that he hadn't seen Naruto pass him. "Hey, did you see Naruto leave?" he spoke to his co-worker. "Now that you mention it..."

At the gates, children rush out, darting toward their parents or clansmen. Yet, many notice the deputy head of the torture and interrogation department, leaning against the gate block, picking her nails with a kunai. Although she acts like nothing bothers her, the stares she receives are categorized in two ways: the first based on the clothes she wears, or the lack thereof. The second, from her reputation as a traitor's student, which causes quite a few heads to turn in disgust. These were people who used to try and mess with her.

When she smiled then smirked as her eyes darted to her side, all their eyes were averted. "You're getting better at that." She softly speaks barely above a whisper, which causes a few of the nearby ninjas to startle. Naruto appears from the shadow beside her. "Not good enough to catch you off guard." His soft words prompt a very thorough hair ruffling, a smirk donning the face of the kunoichi. "True…" she says with a shrug, leading her charge through the gate. "...but none of them did." She responds with a throaty chuckle before taking hold of his shoulder, and the pair vanish in a leaf shunshin.

-Training ground 44; Forest of Death-

A loud thud echoed throughout the forest as Naruto smashed face-first into the dirt. Anko dropped beside him. "Not bad, squirt. You're getting better."

"If you say so…" Naruto groans as he picks himself up, rubbing the dirt off his face and trousers. "…though I still couldn't even get a glancing hit on your coat." He says with a soft glare and slight pout. Another soft chuckle echoes throughout the small clearing. "You're a hundred years away from that, kiddo." The special jonin chuckles.

Pulling out a set of water bottles, she tosses one at the boy, who catches, opens, and sips it in one smooth motion. "Where do you think my skills are at?" she asks, causing him to stop and stare at her owlishly with a blank expression. This went on for a full minute, neither breaking eye contact. To anyone else, it would seem like the two were about to argue or fight, but it was an ongoing theory among the Yūhi siblings that their stares were unbeatable.

Anko growls as she feels forced to avert her gaze. "Fine," she huffs. "…high-Genin, but after some experience, you'd be low-Chunin." This causes a soft smile on the boy's face. "Thank you, Anko-nee."

"You're getting soft, Anko." Yūgao says, appearing from behind a nearby tree. "Shut it," the trench coat-wearing woman growls, her cheeks a light pink. "You're so cute when you're angry," the off-duty ANBU operative chuckles, drawing her blade before launching forward at the ninja-in-training, who promptly blocks with his own sword that seemed to fade into view. The purple-haired woman smirks. "You've gotten better at that."

"I never go anywhere without practicing." Naruto speaks softly, and she nods before the two engage in a fierce kenjutsu bout at Chunin level.

After many minutes of sparring, Yūgao moves in for the finishing blow, deflecting Naruto's strike while twisting around his smaller frame and going for the knockout blow. However, her hilt passes through the image before her, only to find a blade pressed against her neck from the side. "Missed me," his soft voice carries on the wind, but it is overpowered by Anko's snickers. The ANBU sighs but smirks as a shadow clone appears behind Naruto, a blade to the back of his neck. "Not quite."

Yet, for some reason, Anko's snickers explode into full-on laughter as Naruto smirks with a shake of his head. "He got you this time, Yūgao," he says, leaving the purple-haired woman confused. Anko mouths "Genjutsu," causing Yūgao to flare her chakra, making both the Narutos fade away. However, the blade flips to show it coming from her other side, still at her throat. She sighs as her blade slips back into its sheath. "Should have known you would weave a multi-layered genjutsu that complex."

"Subtlety is the name of the game," Naruto states. "Mixed with the real strikes of my blade..." as he puts his own sword back "...makes it all the more believable."

"You're incredible… you know that, right?" Anko adds, but he shrugs. "Still can't hold a candle to Nee-chan."

"She is eleven years older than you. There's no need to worry about that too much." Yūgao ruffled his hair. "We should get back. I'll cook dinner before my date tonight."

"Nee-chan said she'd be late tonight too," Naruto mumbles as they all head back home.

-Academy-

The next day, the class filed in, none noticing the boy at the back observing them all with a critical eye. He knew most were heirs to clans, whether shinobi or civilian, but to him, they were all in the same boat. Despite being a year older, he had been held back for reasons beyond his or his sister's control. He surmised it was the Hokage trying to subtly influence his career in ways he wanted to avoid as much as possible. It irked him that, due to the actions of one, his freedom was being slowly stripped from him despite his best efforts.

An exhausted sigh slips from his lips as he lays his head down. "Guess I should just escape to the class above." This causes the dozing Nara around him to freeze up, realizing that if he leaves, their napping time would be heavily reduced. "Why say something so troublesome?" Shuzuka Nara asks as she jerks up from her desk. "I am more than a full year older than everyone else," he grumbles. "Then why…?"

"The Hokage, in her infinite wisdom, decided that I had to wait until this year." He growls softly, slumping back into his seat. "It's troublesome."

"Well…" Suzuka looks to her cousin who nods, taking over for her "…the best way to jump a year would be to score full marks on everything to the point of…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's just a pain to stand out that much." The red-eyed boy grumbled while staring at the ceiling. "You sure you're not a Nara?" Shuzuka chuckled as her cousin laid his head back down. "Pretty sure," he said, but Naruto just closed his eyes.

The classes continued with Naruto passively listening while he and his Nara classmates were lightly snoozing at the back. History was boring as he already knew everything explained by the teachers, which included the first and second great wars, their exaggerations, and propaganda in full blast. Naruto snorted internally, knowing full well how many would look at him funny, given his current village-wide reputation isn't that great. Another sigh slipped past his lips: "Troublesome."

"Definitely a Nara," Shuzka mentions from her seat at his side, chin resting on her palm while paying attention to the lesson currently going on ahead.

Days merged into weeks before anything that wasn't mind-numbingly boring, as one Nara told the Yūhi. Naruto left the academy at the end of the day only to find his sister standing at the gate with a firm look upon her face. "Nii-chan!" he exclaims, running over in a previously unseen bout of childishness and hugging her, much to the surprise of his classmates who had only ever seen his serious, cold expression. Before them, a happy, warm smile adorned the two Yūhi's. "Naruto, I have a favor to ask, which is why I'm here," she says, releasing him. He nods. "Okay, what do you need?" But she simply places her hand on his shoulder, and the two shunshin away, leaving a fading afterimage.

-Kurama Clan Compound-

"Where are we?" Naruto asks as he stares up at a clan compound. Its insignia is a feather-like outline. "This is the Kurama clan compound. A minor clan within the leaf." Kurenai explains as the door is opened by the clan head, Murakumo Kurama. "Greetings, Yūhi-san," he bows. "Kurama-sama!" she responds, bowing along with Naruto, who follows her cue. "This is my younger brother, Naruto Yūhi. I believe he could help with the current situation regarding your heir."

"Oh, really? Come in, please. Come in," he responds, giving only a glancing appraisal of the young man, and leads them across the yard.

It did not take long for the three to reach the clan head's house, a modest two-story house with a very quaint feel to it. Led inside and up the stairs, they stopped before a bedroom door. "Please be careful," the man whispered as he knocked, and a muffled "Come in" was heard. None knew this at the time, but when red eyes met brown for that first time, a new legend was set in motion that would shake not only the foundation of the clan, village, and nation, but the entire Elemental Nation continent.

"Hi, my name is Naruto Yūhi." His voice was low, soft, and flowed like velvet through the room. The girl smiled. "Yakumo Kurama! Heiress of the Kurama clan!" She bowed. "I have heard a lot about you from Kurenai-sensei. It's great to meet you finally."

"Naruto…" said his sister, gaining his attention. "…Yakumo here is an avid user of genjutsu via mediums that make her illusions physically dangerous." This earned wide eyes from the younger Yūhi. "Woah…" he snapped his head to his new acquaintance, who shyly smiled and nodded. "That's so cool." He paused a moment with furrowed brows. "Then, how come you're not at the academy with the other heirs?" This is when she hung her head, and the adults became noticeably more uneasy at such an innocent question.

Despite the sudden onset of sombreness, it was the heiress who spoke up, "Due to my clan's bloodline, my body is weak, and I can barely walk around the compound without getting winded. I've been working on it, but it is slow going." This earned a raised eyebrow, blank stare from Naruto for several moments before he closed his eyes in deep thought. "Yakumo-Chan, is your bloodline related to that physical genjutsu you guys spoke about?" Opening his eyes at the end, catching her nod, he sighed and nodded before looking to his sister.

"Nee-chan. You already know what's wrong with her, right?" Kuren nods, which causes him to stare blankly at her. She sighs, "It's the reason I asked you here. I want you to do your training here with Yakumo, as, just like her, we Yūhi suffer from the same issue." This earns wide eyes from the clan members within earshot. "Same... What do you mean by that, Yūhi-San?" Murokamo asks, eager to understand this plague that has hindered his clan for generations.

The two Yūhi share a look before the older one sighs, "Well, it's not anything too complicated when you break it down. Just like the Kurama clan, the Yūhi family has a much higher percentage of Yin chakra by default, just like how the Akimichi and Senju have Yang." Seeing the twelve clansmen paying rapt attention to her words, the chunin continues, "If we take a normal civilian-born shinobi as a base, the yin-to-yang ratio is about one to four, respectively. The Akimichi has one to six, Senju one to five..."

"Going by that logic…" Murokamo cut in. "…our non-bloodline users are one or two."

"We Yūhi are closer to three to two." Kuren states, earning raised eyebrows from the genjutsu specialist clan. "What does that have to do with me?" Yakumo questions, unsure if she's following entirely. "Well..." the older Yūhi looks to her brother, who nods and extends his hand toward her. "Give me your hand. I wish to check something out." With a soft, reassuring smile that none of the female gender could resist, he checks, and Anko verifies against a captured Iwa kunoichi in interrogation.

Hesitantly, Yakumo took the offered hand, and she immediately felt his chakra, which was silky cool, like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day, enter her coils. It ran swiftly all over, relaxing her mind and body alike, but just as she was succumbing to the comfort of this embrace, it ended when his hand released hers. Snapping out of the trance, with wide eyes at his ringed scarlet eyes, "Unexpected," Naruto said somewhat bewildered at what he sensed, "That bloodline did a lot to your balance."

"What do you mean?" Kuren asks, curious about her brother's discovery. He looks at her with a conflicted gaze. "Nee-chan, she's a four, barely a two."

"Four to one, then?"

"Explains the weakness of body." Naruto nods before sighing. "Fixing this will take years as, unlike with me, we didn't catch this earlier to mitigate the damage." Yakumo went pale. "…but… but… I want to be a kunoichi! That's my dream! Don't take my dreams away!" breaking down at the end. The other clansmen look on in pity. They all knew she wanted to prove their clans might more than anyone when she awoke the clan's bloodline, but that kind of disability is incredibly difficult to attempt to overcome.

"I understand that, dear…" Her father tried to comfort her with a loving hug, the girl crying into his shirt. "…but to even be just an average kunoichi, you'd have to work four times harder in everything physically demanding with four times less stamina." Her father reasoned, "…and as a kunoichi, you are in far more danger than any shinobi who will always be able to physically overpower you." This went on for a while, her soft sniffles echoing in the clan home, however, Naruto shared a silent conversation with his sister who glared at him at the end.

Sighing hard before glaring back, 'You owe me forever for this!' she nodded with a smile. Naruto sighed again, "There is another way…" gaining the room's collective attention, "…unfortunately." He sighs again, running his hand through his thick locks, all the way down to his neck. "It is after all, the reason my onee-san…" Kurenai flinched at that, now knowing how upset he was with her due to the change in title "…called me here. She suspected something like this and wanted to explain a solution we came up with for me. It helped speed up the process."

"Really?" Yakumo sniffled. He nodded. "It is not a long-term fix, just a jump start, so to speak. You will still need to put in the work…" he sighed again, this time everyone noticed how he sighed whenever he was annoyed or hesitant about something. "…we both will."

"What is it?" Murokamo asked, slowly releasing his daughter from his embrace. He looked at the young man skeptically. "I'll lend her some of my yin-laced yang to promote her own yang growth." Silence. Absolute silence for a good moment before the clan head glared at the boy. "Enough of your jokes, boy!"

"It's no joke." Kurenai glared at the old fossil who dared glare at her dear little brother, standing with said boy with a hand on his shoulder. "His chakra sensing is the best in the Land of Fire, perhaps the continent, but that is half of his specialty."

"Oh?" The clan head remained sceptical but filed that information for later use. "He has an affinity for chakra sharing." Everyone now looked at the duo incredulously, clearly not believing the word of this chunin. A snort from one of the other Kurama clansmen, "Yeah, like that's a thing."

"It's why my own genjutsu is so effective and difficult to dispel," Naruto said softly, looking at the man who raised an eyebrow. "Is that right? Prove it!"

"I already have." He says with a soft smile, rose petals flowing behind him as he does so. "Not my fault you couldn't tell." The man disrupts his flow and shatters the illusion before charging at the boy, grabbing him by his shirt. "You little shit! When did you…" Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and the Naruto in his grip shimmer into Yakumo's figure, staring at him wide-eyed. "Uncle…! You were under a genjutsu." The man was stunned for a solid moment, before gently placing his niece down and looking around at the amused eyes of the other genjutsu practitioners, including the seven-year-old holding his sister's hand, smiling innocently. Growling, "Well played, kid. Well played…"

After the commotion had passed, Naruto stepped forward. "The reason I said it was short-term is two-fold..." Everyone was paying very close attention now. "...one, is when I share my Yang with you, I lose it and have to work it back up again." This earned wide eyes from the group. "It gets faster the more I use it, but for a time, I will be physically weaker, but my genjutsu becomes more potent to compensate."

"Are you…?"

"Secondly…" Naruto continued over Yakumo's objections, rather brazenly deviating from his normal attitude, or maybe he was exasperated by the stupid question. It's up for debate. "…Once our ratios level out, it loses its effectiveness. Basically, as your yang levels increase, the borrowed becomes less potent and is rejected by your own body. At which point, we shall stop, and you will only be able to rely on your own work from then on." He fixed her with a firm look. "Are you ready to work hard for your dream? This is not a shortcut, just a temporary boost, so never lose your resolve, or I will stop lending. Clear?"

"Clear!" Her firm nod was adorable despite her trying to come off mature and unyielding. Murokamo chuckled lightly, "If I didn't know any better, I swear I'd think I was talking to a full-grown adult." Kurenai smiled awkwardly, Naruto sighing in exasperation, "When you have to deal with four emotionally immature women on a daily basis…"

"Oi!" Kurenai gave a scathing glare at her little brother, who returned it with a blank one. The two held their glares for a full minute, during which Kurenai's cheeks slowly gained a pink tint before she looked away. "…You have to grow faster than the norm."

"I see. You have my condolences." Murokamo nodded at him. The other men in the room all bowed and saluted in respect for this young warrior, née, legend of legends for surviving the infamous female fury so often. Yakumo felt incredibly vindictive for some reason, Kurenai on the other hand had genocide in her eyes upon witnessing this scene. Naruto saluted back, which was a wordless response that the men understood. His sister could never pin him with as she was too busy glaring death to notice her brother's antics, and Yakumo was too young to understand the byplay.

-Yūhi household-

The two siblings returned home to find Hana already cooking in the kitchen, which earned her two raised brows, something she always found amusing. In spite of their glaring differences in personality—Kurenai being silently passionate about helping others and rather social, whereas Naruto seems apathetic about most things but never leaves someone in trouble, though he shies away from any attention, which leads those he helps unaware of it—their reactions seemed to be a family trait and always perfectly mirrored between them.

"Are you going to stand there in the doorway or are you going to…?" The Inazuka heiress paused, then squinted and flushed her chakra coils of the double-layered genjutsu, and sure enough, both figures faded. Naruto was moving away from the kitchen, his inspection finished as he headed to his room. Hana growled at him, "It was one time!"

"One time too many," he snapped. His door closed as she sighed, "He's never going to forget that, is he?"

"Well…" Anko spoke up from the counter adjacent to the veterinarian, startling the cook. "…you did knock us out of commission for a full week with that stunt."

"Damn it, Anko, when did you get here?"

"Just after the gaki put you under," hoping down and off the ledge, discreetly binning her own poison testing papers though Hana noticed the movement, earning a growl which caused the integrator to smirk as she takes her usual seat on the large sofa, flipping on the television.

"So, gaki, how was your day off from training? Did you get up to anything fun?" Anko asks as they were all eating at the table, with Yugao's spot untouched since she was on village patrol at the moment. The heated glare Naruto sent his sister's way earned intrigued glances from the two guests, even more so at how hard said sister was avoiding said gaze with all the willpower she had at her disposal. "Well, Anko-nee, I think you should ask my onee-san for the details." The amount of Yūhi energy in his words froze the table over briefly, and only her experience in torture and interrogation allowed Anko to notice the flinch from Kurenai. A predatory grin split Anko's face. "Sounds juicy."

"Do we want to know?" Yugao's sudden appearance startled no one, her mask on the side as she ate, "No… not really…" Kurenai spoke rather mutely, before all eyes shifted to the lone male, "Spill it, runt." Hana glared at the boy, but it was his glare that forced her to submit, as always. That is why she had feelings towards her friends' brother, as though she had to wait a bit.

"No luck, huh?" Anko pouted at the cold gaze of both Yūhi, shivering from their frigid posture. "She has me working with the Kurama clan heiress to improve her physical conditioning," Naruto finally spoke up. "How bad?" Hana paused her food. "She's a four-to-one, almost two," Naruto announced, causing a uniformed "Whoa..." Yugao murmured. "Yeah..." the boy bopped his head. "...it'll be a hassle, which is why I was asked personally." Dawning comprehension crossed the others, before incredulously upon understanding the anger of the younger Yūhi to the older, "Ah... nee-chan... seriously?"

"No wonder…" Yugao muttered. "Yep, onee-san indeed." Hana breathed hard at the statement, nodding with her future man's anger.

-Academy-

Naruto slipped into his classroom, unnoticed by most, and arrived to be faced with his Nara cohorts, yes, he sees them as cohorts "'morning."

"…morning…" the duo of brunettes mumbled as the ravenette took his seat, looking around before his fingers flexed predictably and the Yin chakra flowed through the breeze of the classroom, reducing the perception of the trio. Sensing the chakra flare, both Nara offered a brief glance, with Shuka raising up "…say… Naru…" drawing the scarlet-eyed gaze to her, "…your chakra nature; it's heavily yin-aligned, right?"

"Right," Naruto responded, effortlessly ignoring the nickname assigned. "…you know that our clan, Shika and I, also have Yin-aligned chakra." Shuka continued, to which he nodded, already aware of the fact that the Nara techniques were all Yin-based. "…would you teach me how to utilize Yin release? Maybe some genjutsu too?" He studied the girl's face, pondering the proposal before narrowing his eyes. "Troublesome…" placing his head on the desk, Shikamaru smirked. "You're more Nara than a Nara."

Naruto jerked up, staring between the two Nara and with a critical eye "…an idea…" he mumbled before offering a hand to the Shuzka, "…what…?"

"…Give me your hand…" She hesitantly does, and immediately senses the invasion of foreign chakra, but she doesn't fight it, as she, along with the other Nara, is also curious about what will happen.

The flushed cheeks of Shuka felt the invading force flow through every inch of her coils, before flushing out from her tenketsu. A smile so soft, so full of contentment, that the mere sight of it caused a spike of jealousy in Shikamaru. "That was cool..."

"So, I've been told…" Naruto responded absentmindedly. "What was that?"

"Hmm… a two to three… unexpected." Naruto's voice caught their attention, his brows raised. "A two to three? What does that mean?" Shuka questioned, earning his attention again. "You know how chakra is a mixture of Yin and Yang…" he said, earning nods from the duo. He continued, "Did you know that everyone mixes their chakra in different values?"

"Logically speaking, it makes sense," Shino spoke from the opposite side of Naruto than Shikamaru, startling the two Nara but not Naruto, who just continued, "When I say 'two to three,' the two was yin and three was yang. Your ratios."

"Interesting deductions," Shino mumbled, while the two Nara gaped at that information. "Can you…?" pausing upon seeing the offered hand, the Aburame shook it and allowed the foreign chakra to flow through his coils, ordering his partners to leave it be.

"Two to two. Curious." Naruto eyed up the silent sentry of the shinobi in training, "Indeed."

"What about me?" Shikamaru questioned, only to get a soft "Troublesome." This earned a snicker from the other two students, but Naruto did check the boys and confirmed him to be a two to four.

The foursome would become known as the knowledgeable knights, based on an offhand comment from Shino and Naruto. During their tenure at the academy, they advanced chakra theory, including both Yin and Yang chakra control, with concepts never before contemplated. Those who utilized these skills grew exponentially in strength. Other nations often tried to find these researchers and their work papers but were never successful.

-Kurama Clan Compound-

Naruto was waved in and met by his sister at the gate. Before they reached the main house, they met the lady of the hour. "Hey, Yukamo!"

"Naruto! You're here!" the girl said, coming running, smiling and surprisingly full of energy. "Are you ready?" she asks, to which he nods. The trio reach the main room where her parents were. "Yep. We should be able to get a lot done."

"This is safe, yes?" Murokamu questioned. "Yes. This is not the first time we've done this," Kuren informed calmly. "So, this is for the best…" earning nods from everyone involved. Naruto offered both hands to Yakumo. "Are you ready for a workout?" he asked, slowly grasping her hands. "Yes, I am…" she responded, and he immediately began channeling chakra, his thick Yin-laced Yang creeping into her system. Her body was unable to distinguish the new chakra from its own, so it let it through and mingle with the core without issue.

Yakumo Karama had never felt this lethargic, at peace might be a better term to use, and full of energy at the same time. She could feel her reserves spike briefly, but it was soon to settle down, yet instinctively she knew something was different about it.

As her mind wandered, however, she started getting glimpses of memories she knew were not hers, a bombardment of thoughts, feelings, and... Her eyes widened before meeting his slowly clearing gaze, a soft smile coming to his face, and she knew, yes, he would never leave her side willingly. Her own smile was just as sincere as his.

Kurenai had an inkling of what just happened between the two, having seen this technique being used before, but even she could tell that something profound had just happened, a moment shared between them, and she just bore witness to it. It put her on edge, her little brother is all she has left of their parents, but also elated that her little sister figure is getting a friend. Yes, a friend and nothing more. She has not proved herself worthy of Naru-chan yet.

"Let's get to training." The older Yūhi clapped to get everyone's attention, "before that…!" Murokamu, stupefied by the display of skill just performed, stepped forward while maintaining an intense gaze on the two children. "...How did... no, why is... I can sense." Pausing and taking a deep breath to settle his fraying nerves, Murokamu sighed deeply before reaching out with his senses to confirm again; Naruto had absorbed a noticeable amount of his daughter's chakra, which was concentrated in his right arm's coils and was slowly being bled off. Yet his daughter only had her own chakra, though it felt off, according to what he was sensing.

"Umm… Kurama-sama…?" Naruto was almost whispering at this point, incredibly uncomfortable under the man's scrutiny as he gripped the hem of his Anbu-style cargo pants. This snapped the man out of his contemplative state, and he looked at his elder sister, who had a smug look. "I told you. His chakra transfer skills are the best in the nation." He did recall her saying that, but it seemed improbable until he saw it now. "Now, the training…"

Two hours later...

The kids dropped down to the sofa in the main house's living room. Naruto was winded but not tired, whereas Yakumo was beaming from ear to ear, having never been able to train like that before. Her entire body ached, from head to toe, but it wasn't unpleasant. This was awesome. Looking over at her dad, who was smiling warmly, "Papa… I… I…"

"I know, dear, this is great," Murokamu said with a smile that rivalled the moon's radiance. "You'll be up to par before too long." Kurenai handed the two cups of water, "I'll have to hold off on sparring with Yugao-nii for a bit then. Being this exhausted…" Naruto mumbled as his sister smiled, ruffling his truly thick black locks. "Go on, get some rest…" she whispered into his ear, to which he nodded and promptly did so.

-Academy-

"Hey Shino…" Naruto spoke softly as he sat beside the bug user in the corner of the classroom, the Nara duo not yet arrived "…morning Yūhi -san. How does this morning find you?"

"Well…" Naruto nodded, "You and your hive doing well?" the slight buzz he associated with the Aburame heir increased briefly, no doubt a sign of shock at being acknowledged. "We and my hive are indeed well. Thank you." Naruto barely saw it, but Shino was definitely smiling behind his tall, collared coat. Shino too noticed the slight twitch upward of his fellow academic student's lip, though only because he was paying attention and knew what he was looking for.

"Say Shino; your partners consume chakra, right?" Naruto's question brought Shino back to the room. He nodded his confirmation. "Yes, they do."

"Does that mean they have a chakra network, or a medium in which they store the absorbed energy?" Naruto questioned out of curiosity, unknowingly earning respect from the bug user and his hives. "A medium. Transferred back upon their return." Shino confirmed, earning a certain look that the Aburame had linked to a new possibility being formed within the ever-inquisitive mind of his friend.

The buzz of excitement from his entire hive couldn't be mistaken; it was only logical to hear what his friend had come up with now. "Say, can they release stored chakra as they fly over an area? Could be useful in a combination genjutsu collaboration." Naruto spoke while clearly still putting the final pieces together.

Shino and his hive wondered why none of them had considered that before. It was easily doable, but the lack of direction to do so meant that the logical thing was to avoid doing so. Pushing up his glinting glasses, "That is most intriguing, Yūhi-san. Perhaps we could try a demonstration at lunch…?"

"Could do…" Naruto nods, deciding to shelve it until such time. "Yeah. Lunchtime." he says, earning a nod from Shino. The duo is now joined by the two Nara and an Akimichi. "Yo." Shikamaru yawns. "Morning." Naruto and Shino's monotone voices are in perfect harmony, causing the new arrivals to shudder. The two share a low five out of sight.

-Aberame Clan House-

Shino knocked on his father's office door, entering after being instructed to do so. Upon meeting him, he bowed his head. "Father, I wish to report a new discovery and discuss possibilities moving forward." Although his tone was level, Shibi Aburame could tell instantly how excited his son was at a glance. It was obvious by Aburame standards, at least. Nodding to continue, Shino did so. "You are aware that I share a classroom with Yūhi-san, whom I have befriended. Today, we tested a theoretical combination technique that showed promise…"

This now even drew the attention of multiple clan heads and queens, as Shibi did not have any real opinion on 'Affair' child of the fourth hokage. As to the hive, it made little difference as to one's origin, as they were all part of the collective known as the Hidden Leaf. "A collaboration? I assume this was genjutsu-related, based on the Yūhi prodigy's skill with the art?"

"Yes. We used my kikachu as a medium to enlarge a wide-area genjutsu to shield our group from external observation during our lunch break." Shino reported, earning a raised brow from his father, basically announcing his father's surprise at the feat. It was a rather simple use of their bugs, but one not thought to be useful. "Have you explored further applications?"

"Not as of yet…" Shino shook his head negatively, "…as it is still in the early theory stage with many suggested improvements."

"Improvements?"

"A new breed of Kikachu. Yin-based instead of the common variety." Shino suggested, earning a nod from his father. "Indeed. This has been tried before, but its uses were limited. Perhaps your venture with Yūhi-san will provide new insights."

"I shall report them when able." Shino bowed as he left, his father pleased that his son was being so proactive in growing his hive with new ideas.

-Training Ground 44-

Weeks later…

Knocked back against a tree, Naruto was unable to stand as he was out of breath and coughing up spittle while exhausted, earning a sigh from his sadistic sister. "…Damn kiddo, only an hour?" Anko frowned at the drop in performance of her favorite gaki. It took more than a few moments for Naruto to gain enough breath to respond, "…Side effects of training with Yuko-chan."

"You're still training that heiress?" frowning harder with hands on hips, Naruto nodded his response as he slowly picked himself up. "My Yang levels are still rather low... they are recovering slower than expected."

"Is that so?" She kissed her teeth. "Well, this is no longer fun." She dropped down beside him. "How's school treating you? Is that Senju kid still giving you grief?"

"No…" a soft negative shake "…the Nara and Aburame normally block him, Hatake too actually."

"You've made friends, huh?" Anko smiled, but it dropped when the boy shook his head. "Research partners," the boy clarified, causing the teen to sweatdrop. "Research...?"

"Yin Release and its applications in relation to both clan and non-clan techniques." Naruto seemed to recite as if giving a dissertation. Anko's sweat drop grew twice the size. "Nerd much?" she sighed, standing up and extending a hand to the now eight-year-old. "Come on, I'll get you to your little lady." Spotting the obvious signs of a trap, Naruto avoided it like the pro he plans on becoming, tilting his head and using the puppy eye jutsu in a truly devious way. "Who?"

"…I uh… well… uh…" Anko's formidable defensive capabilities stood no chance against this sudden, unprovoked ambush on her sense of sensibility and logic, making her putty in the eight-year-old's hands. The boy smirked, displaying a Yūhi smirk that indicated you never had a chance to begin with and were foolish to try.

-Kurama clan Compound-

"…and done!" called out Anko, as the two eight-year-olds dropped down on their asses after their torture/training session. They were both breathing heavily but not completely out of it; their improvement had been steady and notable, doubly so for the clan heir, who was now on the tail end of the chakra transfusion therapy, what Naruto now called it, meaning she was largely standing on her own feet now.

Clapping could be heard suddenly; all eyes landed on "Lady Hokage?!" Anko nearly squeaked, having not sensed her there beside Murokamu, who himself looked somewhat smug. "Anko…" Her honey-brown eyes landed on the scarlet ones of her estranged grandson. "…Naru-chan..."

"Lady Hokage." Naruto's tone was perfectly formal, his face exquisitely blank as he bowed perfectly, as if rehearsed. This stiffness, at least to Yakumo, did not fit her best and only friend, but she knew now wasn't the time, so she too bowed towards the hokage. "Lady Hokage."

"Ah, little Yakumo, how are you feeling these days? From your display today, your condition has improved greatly since your last check-up," the medic approached the two kids, the crimson-eyed one subtly stepping back from his friend. "Yes. I have Naruto to thank for that." she beamed, turning to find a dark look over the boy's content briefly before it disappeared behind a blank facade. "Oh?" the busty blonde turned to her raven-haired grandchild "...and what did my favorite grandson do this time?"

"Family secret; a Yūhi family secret." Naruto spoke tightly, ice in his breath, an icy glare on hundred percent to give nothing away. "Oh, kiddo..." ruffling his hair, the boy remained completely still as if a statue, with a stoic face "...you're just so cute."

"So regardless of all that..." Murokamu cut in "...do you think she can attend the academy along with her fellow heirs and heiresses?"

"From what I saw in this session, I don't see why not..." Tsunade, still running her hand through the thick raven hair of her son's, said, "...we'll add her to the same class as my boy here."

"Thank you, Lady Hokage," the Kurama clan head bowed profusely. "We are grateful." Naruto continued to remain cold and stoic despite Tsunade's constant pestering to elicit a reaction. Anko was impressed by her little brother's resistance to the torture.

-Academy-

"Settle down, everyone!" Iruka bellowed, but the classroom showed no signs of yielding. This big head jutsu came out in force: "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" The speed with which these orders were followed was astounding, so much so that the teacher wondered if his students had been under a genjutsu or something.

Clearing his throat again, he said, "We have a new classmate joining us today…" He looked to the door and said, "You can come in now." And in steps a hazel-haired, brown-eyed girl of average build, stepping in with far more elegance than strictly necessary for the setting. Those trained in such arts raised their brows at the necessity of the display but remained silent as the girl bowed. "Hello, my name is Yakumo Karama, heiress of he karama clan. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to working with you all, mostly."

"Thank you, Yakumo-san. Now, about a seat…" Iruka began, only for the girl to walk off, making a beeline for the classroom's corner. "Umm… Yakumo-san…?" he called out as she stopped next to Naruto Yūhi, who was known as "Whiskers."

"Wallflower." Naruto's soft and instant response as she beams at him. "Mind if I..." Naruto shuffles over, and she sits beside him. Shikamaru moans as he was pushed out by Shino, moving down beside his cousin and Choji, who offers him a chip. "You know each other?" Iruka asks. Yakumo nods. "I was personally trained by his sister to hone my genjutsu skills, so we've trained together a lot."

"Genjutsu?" Iruka unknowingly voiced the question for three quarters of the class, earning a raised brow from her. "You didn't …?"

"Troublesome." Naruto muttered, earning snickers from the Nara, a buzz from the bug boy, and a tick mark from the heiress. "Oi. In that case..." looking back at the sensei, "...I assume you haven't noticed, but Naruto-kun here is a prodigy in the genjutsu arts, according to my clan head and father." She pauses upon seeing the wide eyes of the Chunin, offering a sly smile, knowing how irritated she was making her friend. "He even had one up so you wouldn't take notice of him until I dispelled it when I called out to him. You didn't notice it, did you?"

"No, I didn't…" Iruka frowned at the Ravenette, "…I suppose looking back, it makes sense now why we seem to forget about his group."

"You're going to regret this…" Naruto's soft voice reached the hazel-haired girl, who was only now slightly worried she may have gone a little overboard in exposing him. Swallowing hard, she maintained a confident exterior smile. "Oh, Whiskers… did I upset you?"

"You're going through with this, huh?" His icy response, Yūhi's glare at ten percent, which was enough to cause her to break out in a cold sweat. "I guess for our next training exercise, you won't need any of my help, seeing as you are clearly strong enough to stand alone, right?"

Eyes widened in horror as the realization of her actions fully set in, "You won't…"

"You have forced my hand," Naruto snapped in response. "If I didn't, the Nara would be up in arms, as their third nap time has now been cancelled due to your negligence."

"Preach." Both Nara glared at the newcomer, who looked away, pink-cheeked, and said, "I'm sorry."

"Too late, Wallflower. The damage is done, your hand played and caught. Vengeance must be wrought." Naruto spoke with such certainty that some, including the class teacher, actually felt sorry for the new girl. "This will be discussed later, as now our own research must be halted, and schoolwork dealt with instead."

"Wait, what?" Iruka spoke up. The four related students looked to their sensei with blank faces. He was assuming, in Shino's case, "You weren't doing the work?"

"No." They all stated flatly. Iruka facepalmed. "It was too troublesome," Shikamaru said with more energy than he's ever shown on academy grounds. "Our new Yin chakra theory was far more entertaining," Shuka commented. "It was only logical to explore this new avenue to further our goals," Shino finished. But Iruka paused, not entirely convinced of their claims. "Yin chakra theory? Care to share?" he asked, slightly smugly, as if trying to catch them out.

When the five shared looks, Iruka had a growing sense of dread about his decision with this group. "Okay." Naruto shrugged, and the five got up and moved to the front board, pushing Iruka clear as they began to unveil their current running theory's issue.

"As we all know..." Naruto began to explain as he continued to write out complex formulations on the blackboard, slightly corrected by the Nara as he collaborated with Shino to finish quicker. "...Yin is also known as spiritual energy that is required to mix with our physical, or Yang, to create chakra. It is used primarily in the two fields of Genjutsu and Medical techniques..."

The lecture/explanation went on for well over an hour, and throughout the entire lesson, many were left stunned at the depth and width of the group's little project. Very few were even able to follow, including Iruka, Yakumo, Sakura, Ino, and surprisingly Sasuke, who was actually in awe of it all. Unbeknownst to the general classroom, they had a number of high-profile guests, as Tsunade had been keeping an eye on them since they began.

She, Shikaku, Shibi, Hiashi, and Inoichi all came to listen in, they were mid meeting when the crystal ball caught the start. Anko and Kurenai were flagged down by Yugao, and directed to listen to the impromptu lecture on Yin natured chakra, and none dared intrude into the conversation as the quintet were bouncing ideas and solving issues as they came across them during the lesson. Sakura and Sasuke added in answers, the latter joining them up front as he studied part of the equation, Yakumo wasn't too far behind.

Had it not been for the lunch bell, Iruka feared that he wouldn't have stopped as everyone stopped abruptly, looking up from their notes or adjusting their values in the diagrams. Clapping, Iruka stepped forward. "Okay, lunch time. Thank you for such a marvellous insight into Yin chakra."

"Hmmhmm" Naruto, still staring at the board, spots something and gets an idea as Sasuke inspects his work. "…What if…"

"That works..." the Uchiha confirms with a twinkle in his eyes. "This is incredible," Sakura gasps, recording everything, having taken it upon herself to do so for the whole group. "I want in on this."

"What about if…"

"Enough!" Iruka stood up, "You can continue after lunch. Now go…" He waved towards the door, "…your classmates have already gone."

"Yeah, loser!" a certain Senju heir spoke up arrogantly, moving towards the ravenette, moving to shove him into the chalk-covered blackboard, only for the Uchiha to grab his arm. "Back off, Senju! This work is genius. The fact that you don't see it is telling." The blond snorted. "Yeah, right. This bastard couldn't..."

"Haaa… troublesome." Shikamaru sighed and yawned, placing down his half-spent chalk. "Let's get some food. All this theory's got me feeling like having barbeque."

"Seconded," Shuka commented. "Sounds good," Sakura said. "Acceptable," Nodded Shino. "I'll meet you..." Naruto began, but Yakumo grabbed his hand. "Lead the way. We're coming too." This earned nods from everyone and a sigh from the lone Yūhi, looking genuinely exhausted socially. "Troublesome," he muttered. Yakumo slapped him on the head. "Stop that!"

"Fine. Let's go so the adults can verify our work." Naruto resigned to his fate, unknowingly surprising the hidden group. Anko and his sister weren't though. His chakra sensing was a finely tuned instrument that he never allowed to slip below masterfully mastered.

"This is truly incredible," Inoichi comments, having come out of hiding along with the rest of the group after the class had left. "They are definitely not kidding around," Shikaku comments as he reviews their extra notes. "They did this on their own?" Tsunade questions, looking to Kurenai. "Well, I knew my brother was working on something like this after I gave him some of my old handbooks," she confesses. "...but they weren't nearly this advanced. Then, employing the help of his friends, all but the Abareme have an affinity for Yin release, so they have a vested interest in assisting."

"Indeed," Inoichi comments, looking back at the Hokage. "The Yamanaka clan wouldn't be opposed to funding this further, too. After all, our own techniques are Yin-focused, too."

"We Abareme may not directly have an interest, but my son is certainly interested in seeing this through and perhaps opening a new avenue for our growth," Shibi comments. "Mines self-explanatory." Shikaku adds. "Let's see how far the kids take it before graduation. After all, theory is one thing, practice is another." Tsunade instructs, earning nods from everyone present, and they all vanish one after the next.

-Training Ground Forty-Four-

Naruto sat on a fallen trunk. Those who many considered his squad had joined him for weekend training, at his request. This meant he was joined by the two Nara, Shino, and Yakumo. After several discussions, Shino had managed to breed a new species of dragonflies that were typically smaller than their wild counterparts. Thanks to the Yin-aligned chakra and their nature to hover silently, they had become the test bed for a new branch of Abareme-based genjutsu.

While Naruto and Shino were working on their control and basic formations, which altered the illusion shown, the others were working with Anko on their physical conditioning or with Yugao for their weapon handling.

It was proving to be a very productive day, which was broken up by the arrival of the parents for lunch break. Shibi and Murokamu, along with their wives, showed up, followed by Shikaku a little later. Kurenai arrived shortly after, having just finished a mission that morning.

As everyone was setting up the food, it was a surprise when two Uchiha showed up. "Here you all are," spoke the older male, donning an Anbu uniform. He revealed himself as he stepped into the light.

"Itachi? What brings you here?" Yugao questioned, along with Shikaku raising a brow. "Well, Yugao-sempai, my little brother here was looking for Naruto-kun," Itachi began, earning even more raised brows from the kids. "Me? Why?" Ravenette questioned. Sasuke stepped forward, hands in his pocket. "Your lecture on Yin chakra was interesting, and I wanted to ask some questions."

"I also heard of it and was curious about it." Itachi confesses, earning a heavy sigh. "Troublesome," Naruto mutters under his breath, earning a playful slap on the back of his head from Yakumo, a chuckle from the Nara cousins, and an amused smirk from Shikaku. "Our research is our own…" he pauses before looking to Shino. "Hey Shino, I have an idea…"

"Yes. I am curious." Spoke the boy in question as a fight of his dragonflies abruptly flies from under his jacket. Naruto turns back to the new arrivals. "Say, if you assist us with a few tests, you can join us today for our training…"

"Depends," Sasuke speaks up, despite his brother's wary stance, as he hasn't ever seen an Aburame using dragonflies. "See if you can break from a genjutsu."

"Easy," Sasuke said with arrogance worthy of his clan. Itachi sighed silently, as his brother still lacked self-awareness. "Once you break it, then you can join us."

"Sure." Sasuke, not seeing anything they could do as dangerous or unassailable for one such as him, smirked arrogantly while his brother stepped clear of him with his dojutsu spinning up at his rear. This allowed him to see the subtle wave of chakra released by Naruto across the floor, which was suddenly flicked up at several points. On closer inspection, he noticed the small insects at each point, which began to resonate with several other points around the two brothers.

It would take a good five seconds for Itachi to notice that he had still been caught up in the demonstration, despite having his Sharingan active, and almost a full minute before he broke Sasuke from it upon realizing he wouldn't on his own. "Interesting," Naruto comments as he scribbles down notes on his notepad. He wasn't the only one; Shino and Shuka were also doing so. "What was?" Sasuke asks, confused, before looking to his brother. "They trapped you in a genjutsu for the last minute."

"What…?!" Sasuke snapped back to his classmates, who nodded absently as they continued to write down their findings. "Itachi-san…" Shino looked to the older Uchiha, who nodded back. "Can you tell us what you saw with your eyes?" All pencil movement halted as the others too looked to him. His stoic mask prevented the unease from showing. "Better yet…" Naruto spoke up, twirling his utensil around his thumb. "Could you draw it out? It would be more effective that way."

"Agreed," Shuka commented. "Well…" Itachi began but was interrupted.

"Why not have him cast the visual as a genjutsu on Yakumo so she could draw it out for higher visual accuracy?" Shikamaru states with his usual lazy drawl, chowing down on another rice ball. "Yakumo?" Naruto questioned, earning a heavy sigh from the heiress. "Why am I always painting the visual aids?" she asked, earning flat looks from everyone. Her pout receded as she threw her arms up. "Fine!" she said indignantly before turning to Itachi. "If you would...?"

One Sharingan illusion and a quick sketch later…

"…interesting. Perhaps having them resonate with low power increased the efficiency overall." Naruto noted as both Shibi and Shino nodded. "Perhaps upping the…"

"No." Shino shook his head. "Our collaborative effort is just that. Learning to do so alone should be conducted in-house."

"Very well." Naruto then reached for his own rice ball. "The shadows also seemed to darken during the display…" Shikamaru pointed out, earning a raised brow from the Yūhi. "You noticed it too, huh?" Shikaku commented with a smirk. "A new three-way collaboration?" Itachi added, having joined the circle with his brother. "Interesting." Shibi commented as he was picturing the three groups' roles. "Doesn't that overlap with your current Ino-Shika-Cho?" Yugao added, sipping her tea. "Partly…" the Nara clan head confirmed with a nod. "Though, in place of Yūhi's, you could have a Kurama clansman or any genjutsu practitioner of sufficient skill." Anko added, earning a perking up of the mentioned clan heiress.

"Depends on their ratio though…" Shuka adds while joining her cousin in cloud watching. "…right, Shino?"

"You are indeed correct," the boy responded. "What's the range?" Naruto asked. Shino paused, clearly discussing the problem with his new hive queen. "Two to one is the limit."

"Damn. The rule straight out disallows over half the clan's shinobi." Anko chuckles at the end. "…but not the Nara or Yamanaka." Shuka points out. "Kurama goes without saying." Naruto states, and Yakumo nods with a puffed-up chest. "What about the Uchiha?" Itachi asks, earning the clearing's attention. After a moment, all eyes look to Naruto, who had his eyes closed, finger tapping his chin as he sat cross-legged on a tree trunk. "What is your ratio of Yin to Yang in your chakra?"

"Never checked." Itachi admitted. But, having enough of being out of the loop, Sasuke interjected, "Ratios? What are you talking about?"

"Troublesome." was heard, and Yakumo glared at Naruto, who had his hands up, shaking his head before pointing at Shikamaru, who abruptly sat up and glared at his father, who snickered. Itachi sighed silently, "They are talking about how many parts Yin to Yang their chakra is attuned to."

"Yin? As in the spiritual energy?" Sasuke comments, earning nods from the gathering. "You can use it without the Yang?"

"You can," his brother confirms. "Though, that is incredibly high-level chakra control and manipulation to use Yin or Yang without the other."

"What benefits does that give you?" the younger Uchiha questioned, earning exasperated sighs from the kids in his class and rolled eyes from the adults. "Benefit…?" an amused chuckle from the Yūhi, the first for many outside his familial circle. His eyes shifted between the two as the older one sighed with a headshake. "...You don't understand, do you?" The crimson stare he leveled on the young Uchiha was something between condescension and indifference.

Itachi sighed silently again. "It's not that simple, Sasuke," he said. The boy looked perplexed at why everyone was looking at him with pity.

---

A/N: This was an old idea made new, an AU that I've been meaning to work on. This Naruto is older than the OG by two years, Tsunade takes over from her son, Minato Senju, Sakumo Hatake is an elder adviser yet Kakashi is still always late. Still haven't decided on the pairings yet so don't ask.

2nd A/N: Slight touch ups, though I think the sites AI hates Kurenai, constantly replacing it with Kuren. Shikamaru's cousin's name keeps being replaced to, going over it so many freaking times. Her name is Shuzaku Nara, but most call her Shuka. Don't ask, she finds it to troublesome. 25/10/24.