The Kunoichi cooed down at the tiny bundle as she carried it off. When she'd found out that she couldn't have children, she'd been devastated. She had always wanted a little girl of her own, and now she had one. Of course the father whom the child very closely resembled would be pissed when he got back to his base and discovered her missing.

She had successfully infiltrated the base and taken the poor infant from a lab. Unlike all the others she had found and put out of their misery, the baby she now carried was beautiful rather than grotesque, and perfectly healthy.

After naming her new daughter Yukiko because of her beautifully pale white skin, the Iwa nin turned and ran towards the absolute last place the child's father would think to look for her...Konoha.

&!&!&

The medic looked down at the child in surprise. This kind of thing was not unheard of, though it was usually the other way around. Other than this minor matter, the child seemed to be well cared for and there really wasn't enough evidence to request that the child in question be removed from it's home.

&!&!&

Yukiko smiled over at Naruto. He was her neighbor and only friend. Nobody else would play with her because her mother was from Iwa. Today they were starting at the Academy together.

She fidgeted with the brand new red hair ribbon her mother had bought her to both keep her hair out of her eyes and celebrate her entry into Konoha's Ninja Academy as the Instructor's Assistant took roll.

"Marakaito Yukiko" the teenager with a scar across his nose who had introduced himself as Umino Iruka called out.

"Present!" she said loudly and clearly as she raised her hand.

The Instructor's assistant stared at her for a moment, before calling out the next name. She ignored it. Lots of people either stared at her or did a double take when they walked past her for some strange reason.

&!&!&

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked out of the Academy after giving his traditional lecture to the first year students. He decided to look in on older students who were a week away from their graduation exam. They should be out in the training field doing target practice about now.

When he got there, he noticed that Naruto was up to some sort of mischief. He was running around with a red ribbon clutched in his hand, and a small dark haired girl was chasing after him, calling him every name in the book.

For some strange reason, the girl's voice sounded very familiar.

He took a closer look at the child, and his jaw dropped.

"No way..."

&!&!&

Yukiko curled up in a ball on the hospital bed. The Hokage had ordered that she be brought in for an exam for some strange reason. The exam had been exceedingly thorough and left her feeling somewhat violated. She'd been stared at and poked and prodded for well over an hour. They'd made her strip and looked at everything on her that could be looked at including up her nose, took her height, weight, blood pressure, blood, had a Hyuuga look at her, scanned her with Chakra, and ran her through a machine.

She had overheard one of the medics talking after the exam was over. He said that she looked exactly like someone called Orochimaru had at her age.

Right now, she wanted to go home, but they wouldn't let her. When she tried to go out the window, an ANBU had pushed her back into the room.

&!&!&

A week later, a dejected Yukiko was finally allowed to go home. When she got there she noticed that Naruto - who was sporting a Konoha headband marking him as a Ninja - was also headed to his apartment looking slightly dejected.

"What's wrong?" Yukiko asked.

"I found out that I've got the Kyuubi sealed inside of me." Naruto replied.

"What's wrong with you?" Naruto asked, noticing Yukiko's mood.

"I found out that I'm not a girl." Yukiko replied.