Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, things would be different. Very different.

Summery: A girl who looks strangely like Naruto appears in Konoha, and soon afterwards Naruto is whisked off on another training trip. What does this girl have to do with Naruto's past, and what is her connection to the Akatsuki?

Posted: 8/24

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Prologue

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Arashi Kazama had felt many things throughout his life. This is to be expected, considering he had been many things as well; namely a son, brother, student, teammate, teacher, and recently, much to the displeasure of the female population of Konoha, a husband. On top of all this, he was Konoha's Yellow Flash, the (very) recently named Yondaime Hokage.

With such a varied resume, it would seem inevitable that he would have also gone through a wide range of emotions.

But until now, Arashi had never been scared.

True, he had been afraid before. Only an idiot was never afraid, be it for his life, the safety of his companions, or of the rather disgusting ramen at Konoha's (formerly) singular ramen stand.

No, Arashi had been afraid before. But he had never been this terrified. He had never felt that if he took one wrong step, even breathed wrong, everything would come tumbling down around him.

Sort of ironic that the one thing capable of turning the Fire Nation's most feared warrior into a nervous wreak was a baby.

A pair of sky blue eyes studied the wailing contents of the bundle the Hokage held rather awkwardly, a pair of identical eyes currently shut as a tiny hand grasped the older man's thumb.

This couldn't be too hard, could it? He had, after all, helped take care of two other babies. Now, if he could just figure out why it was crying… Babies do cry when they need changing, don't they? Did he need changing? No… he had just been born, he hadn't eaten yet. Was that it? Was he hungry? But what was he supposed to feed him… Arashi's eyes traveled to the duffle bag full of emergency previsions that Kakashi had brought him earlier that day. He vaguely wondered if his son would prefer chicken or shrimp ramen for his first meal.

Hearing a fain sound behind him, Arashi immediately went on the defensive. Grabbing the closest thing to him (which just so happened to be a lamp) as a makeshift weapon, he crouched close to the ground, the rather… delicate bundle balanced precariously in one arm. Arashi studied his would be attacker.

A pair of eyes peered around the edge of the now slightly open door as the owner attempted in vain to go unnoticed.

Realizing who the intruder was, Arashi relaxed and straitened back up. Realizing that they had been spotted, the newcomer let out a squeal of surprise and jumped back. A faint thud and muttered comment of "baka" followed.

Arashi couldn't resist letting out a chuckle. "It's alright, you can come in." The eyes reappeared, and were soon followed by the form of a small girl hurrying across the hospital room. Stopping in front of the much taller man, the little girl stood on her tip-toes, attempting to look into the bundle which, amazingly, Arashi still held.

Wrinkling her nose slightly, the girl looked up at the Hokage. "It's too loud, ojisan. Can we put it back?"

Arashi burst out laughing. Setting down the lamp, he ruffled her pig-tailed hair. "He's not an 'it,' he's a baby; your new cousin, to be exact. And no, we can't put him back. But don't you want a cousin?"

The little girl shook her head slowly and dramatically. "No. I already have Itachi-nii-san and Kakashi-nii-san, even if Kakashi-nii-san is a big meanie…" She paused for a second, a thoughtful look on her face. "Can we put Kakashi-nii-san back?" She asked hopefully.

As Arashi burst out laughing, a slight snort from behind the still partially open door confirmed his suspicion of another observer. "No, we can't put Kakashi-kun back. And whoever's out there, the invitation to enter included you as well." There was a moment of silence, broken only when the door slid open a few more inches. A young, dark haired boy stepped silently into the room. Watching the older man for a few seconds with calculating black eyes, he bowed deeply.

"Hokage-sama," he greeted in an even tone.

Arashi shifted uncomfortably at the title. "No need for formalities," he said with a slight wave of his free hand. "So, what brings you to the hospital today, Itachi-kun? If I remember correctly, your mother already had the baby."

Itachi frowned slightly. "She did, but the baby's still the reason I'm here. Apparently the whole clan is required to drop everything and escort okaasan to the hospital every time Sasuke is running a fever," here he crossed his arms and added darkly; "I was in the middle of kunai practice, too." After a few moments of uncharacteristic sulking, he continued. "When I saw baka-chan over there trying to force a door off its hinges, I decided that whatever she was up to was far more interesting."

When Arashi sent her a questioning glance, the small girl pouted. "How was I supposed to know it wasn't a sliding door? And stop calling me baka-chan!"

Itachi smirked slightly. "I will when you stop acting like one, baka-chan."

Arashi restrained the urge to burst out laughing again. Instead, he turned back to the girl. "Why exactly are you here? I thought Asuma-kun was watching you today?"

The girl crossed her arms defiantly. "That baka's even worse then Kakashi-nii-san! I bet you he's sooo busy flirting with that blue haired girl he hasn't even noticed I'm gone!"

Before Arashi had a chance to reply, a very frazzled chuunin. "Hokage-sama! You're needed at the Hokage Tower immediately. It's an emergency!"

"What happened?" Arashi asked, silently dreading the answer he knew was about to come.

"Sir…it's attacking." Arashi's eyes widened in understanding. A split second latter, his face fell as he realized exactly what he was going to have to do. Crouching down, he looked the little girl directly in the eyes.

"Promise me that, no matter what happens, you'll always remember that I loved you, and would never willingly leave you. And promise me that you'll tell your cousin this when he's old enough to understand." Ruffling her hair one last time, Arashi headed to the door, leaving a very confused girl behind. Just before he left, Arashi paused and rested a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Try to keep her from getting into too much trouble."

And with that, Konoha's Yellow Flash was gone.

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On October 10, 50 years after the foundation of Konoha, the Kyuubi attached Konohagakure for the third time. Like the previous two attacks, Konoha sustained a great deal of damage and countless shinobi were killed. However, this time future attacks were made impossible by the Kyuubi's defeat by the Yondaime Hokage. By sealing the Kyuubi in a newborn, a Naruto Uzimake, the Yondaime ensured that when the child died, the Kyuubi would leave this world as well.

Amongst the many buildings destroyed was the new branch of the Konoha Hospital. This was, in fact, the very place that Kana Kazama, the Yondaime's wife, died during childbirth earlier that day. A good deal of records were destroyed along with the building, rendering it impossible to confirm the birth of their child.

Amongst the many deaths that day were those of Rin, one of the Yondaime's students, several doctors and nurses who were in the hospital when it was destroyed, and a young chuunin believed to be the one who delivered the news of the Kyuubi's attack to the Yondaime.

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So, how was it? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Well, REVIEW and let me know! Any praise or criticism is welcome. And if anyone is interested in editing, please let me know. I'm not exactly the best at spelling, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Anyways, I'll try to update as soon as possible!

--- Evil Clone Number 7