Foreword: Okay, I've been working on this story for a long time now as well as a few others. Sadly, my stepdaughter thought it was an awesome idea to steal my laptop and sell it to a pawn store... So for the time being as I try to recall the "Save Anko Arc", I'm going to the next arc, which happens immediately after.

Enjoy The Rewrite of The Wave Arc with some twists and a curve ball...

SSTR87

Kakashi sighed as he looked over at Naruto. The blonde boy was currently covered in black soot, his face a grimy mess and his hair matted to his scalp as he made his way over to joining his teammates, a scowl on his face and grumbling under his voice. "Well, I'm sure you have some story to tell, Naruto," Kakashi worded carefully as he eye smiled.

"Are you kidding me, Kakashi-sensei," he asked, his voice flat and incredibly annoyed. "Shikamaru managed to corner me on the way and pinned me in place while his freaking clone attacked with exploding tags. I barely got away," he grumbled.

Kakashi nodded, though his attention was no longer on the blonde boy, his eyes fixated on a small orange book. Sasuke sighed and shook his head while Sakura flushed lightly at the way Naruto's clothes were peeling away.

"You know you could at least pretend to care."

"Sorry, what was that," Kakashi asked as he looked up. His answer came in the form of the blonde ninja standing on his head, crouched as he piledrove Kakashi's face into the ground. "Oh, pay attention, I got it..."

Sasuke looked over at the duo and shook his head in annoyance. "Seriously. I swear my team is a comedy act," he grumbled as he stood to his full height. "What are we doing today, Kakashi-sensei? More gardening, chasing cats, something else annoying?"

Kakashi managed to rotate himself to an upright sitting position, his single exposed eye glaring at Naruto. "You're a lot like Ranma, you know," he grumbled before pulling out a small scroll that gained the interest of all the children.

Naruto grinned ear to ear. "It could be worse, you lazy cad. I could be like grandpa Genma or Master Happosai," he retorted, earning confused looks from all around. Seeing the looks of the gathered, Naruto merely shrugged and laughed it off. "Just take my word for it! Dad had to make a special seal just to prevent the Grandmaster from getting this side," he added with a smirk, not really helping anyone with his supposed explanation.

Kakashi sighed as he noted that like Ranma Naruto also instantly recovered from being a burnt piece of charcoal, even his clothing was now pristine and without blemish. "Too much like Ranma," he drawled. As Naruto stretched out and threw some punches into the air, Kakashi turned to his students. "Alright, sorry for taking so long as I was a bit distracted with Naruto being weird," he confessed. Each of the teens of Team 7 turned to give Kakashi their full attention.

"So, we have an escort mission that I had to beg the Hokage for. You wouldn't believe how big Iruka thinks he is, telling me I can't take a C-rank mission for Genin from the academy," he grumbled at the end, shaking his head as he considered his former subordinate.

Naruto was vibrating as he was ready to get back on the open-road. "Alright, we get to leave this stuffy village and head somewhere cool? When and where are we going," he asked eagerly, his bright and sunny smile splitting his face.

Sasuke shook his head in annoyance. "When are we going to start actually training? I want to get stronger," he grumbled in annoyance. While he was more than a little eager to spend time with his beloved Naruto, the thought of leaving the village to babysit some old fogey was not sitting well with him.

Sakura, on the other hand was fantasizing about sharing a tent and sleeping bag with Naruto...

The skies were clouded over and a terrible wind howled through the trees. As the first flakes of snow came down and the temperature around the lone tent dropped impossibly quick, Sakura found herself seated alone with a female Naruto (essentially Ino, but Sakura refused to acknowledge the resemblance).

"Oh dear, it's so cold out here," Sakura complained as she turned her body slightly away from the blonde girl. "I fear we may freeze to the death."

Female-Naruto wrapped her arms around Sakura, enveloping the pinkette in her warmth and both blushing demurely as the blonde girl spoke. "I would never let anything bad happen to you, my love! After all you're way more important to me than Sasuke," she confessed and moved forward as her lips pursed, puckering to deliver that dreamed about kiss...

"Oi, Sakura-chan... You're drooling," Naruto remarked with a bit of a nervous edge. For some reason he could feel the cold fingers of death massaging his back.

Sakura shook her head, clearing the fantasy and looking to the assembled males. "N-no I'm not, Naruto-baka! And I'm not fantasizing about you either, so get that thought out of your head," she commanded aggressively.

Naruto raised his hands defensively as he shied away, Kakashi and Sasuke watching the interplay with interest. As Kakashi nudged Sasuke, he spoke, "do you get feeling that Sakura just killed us off in her fantasy?"

"Sadly, that's exactly how it feels, Kakashi-sensei," he returned with a glum sigh. A warm wind blew through the training ground, bringing with it a few lone leaves as the pair felt depression overcome them.

(Slightly Later)

"Hey dad, I'm heading off on my first mission," Naruto cheered as he ran through the borrowed Uchiha house. With a mindset to achieve his goals, Naruto raced unerringly towards his bedroom and began packing items he'd need for living on the road.

Ranma, seated on the porch, was busily staring out into the backyard where a koi pond now resided alongside a rock garden with a few large bonzai, several full-sized bamboo stalks and a small bridge over a stream that Naruto could swear he hadn't seen this morning, looked over at Naruto. "Hm? Leaving the village," he asked in a dazed thought. "Where are you heading to and what's the mission gonna be?"

Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he bounced in front of his father-figure and held up the mission scroll Kakashi had earlier. "We're escorting a bridge builder named Tazuna to Wave Country tomorrow and the mission should take at least a month," he returned with a cheeky jibe.

Ranma nodded his head softly and picked up a cup of steaming green tea that Naruto hadn't noticed five seconds ago. 'Seriously,' Naruto considered as he frowned at the cup, 'I need to start really paying attention to things.'

Ranma settled his cup on the tatami flooring that now encompassed the first floor of the house. "I remember when I would leave for a week at a time on training missions. It's like it was yesterday," he fondly whispered as his gaze drifted off, however no flashback accompanied the look. "Just be careful while you're out there. And remember, you have family everywhere, just use that seal tag I gave you and someone nearby will help you. Oh, and never trust Kakashi, he's a lazy bastard, but he's really tricky," Ranma advised like a sage.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Hey dad, when did you redecorate the backyard and the lounge," the boy inquired as Kiba and Hinata slid the front door open.

"Tadaima (We're home)," came the dual call of the pair of teammates.

"Okari nissai (Welcome back)," Ranma and Naruto announced in return before focusing back on their conversation. Ranma gave a simple shrug. "I started with the backyard a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure if this looks the way I really want it to or not," he answered noncommittally.

Kiba strolled up to his father aggressively, his pooch atop his head as he fell into an offensive Inuzuka clan stance. "Are you ready get yer ass handed to ya, old man," Kiba barked as Akamaru leaped down from his head and whimpered.

Ranma held up a hand to Kiba, stalling his teenaged ninja son that he was still having trouble wrapping his head around. He looked to Hinata, a soft smile on his face as he waited for the Hyuuga girl to kneel beside him and softly kiss his cheek with a heavy blush. "Wow, Hinata, you're such a sweetheart! If not for the old man and his stupidity I would even give up my single card for you," he acknowledged making the girl stagger and nearly faint from her heated blush.

"Um... E-excuse me, Anata (sometimes used as a pronoun for husband/wife/you)," she whispered as she scooted out of the room demurely, heading for the kitchen. All the boys in the room heard a soft squeal come from her the moment that the door closed.

"Too easy," Ranma gloated as he grinned cockily.

Kiba growled lowly. "I can't believe my dad is a pedophile and worst of all he's engaged to the girl I have a crush on," he cried out in annoyance, shaking his head.

Ranma's eyes suddenly widened to incredible proportions. "K-Kiba... Don't ever get all moody like that again," Ranma shouted aggressively, standing over the thirteen-year-old. 'Oh my god, with those fangs and looking so upset and moody he was almost a dead-ringer for Ryouga!' Shaking his head of the disturbing thoughts, Ranma looked to Naruto. "Well, son," he offered as he hugged the blonde boy and pulled away, holding Naruto by the arms. "Go have some fun before your mission begins. Oh, and remember the fact that you're the last of the Uzumaki line, so it's your responsibility - according to Ma - to replenish your family line," he offered warmly.

Naruto nodded his head, but looked more than a little confused. Nodoka Saotome had some really odd ideas of a manly man; and unlike Genma, Ranma was actually raising Naruto to be a testament to the Uzumaki name, even if the boy preferred to go by Saotome.

Kiba, on the other hand... Ranma shook his head sadly. "Kiba, go upstairs and pack a bag, we're heading off on a training trip," Ranma commanded with a disappointed growl so deep and powerful that poor little Akamaru peed on the floor. With a tic forming over his right eye, Ranma just pointed away from himself.

Kiba and Akamaru shivered at the sheer amount of power radiating off of Ranma, enshrouding his body with a sickly dark aura that more resembled the fires of Hell. Without asking where or how long they'd be gone, the pair of pups scurried away.

With no one else around and a bit of a grumbling Ranma cleaning the floor of scared dog piss just as Hinata entered the main room again. "R-Ranma-sama," she addressed formally, her voice quiet and soft. Ranma's entire presence changed in an instant, now being jovial and lighthearted as he grinned at the girl like a young boy. "C-can... I go... with you?"

Ranma paused in his actions, his face going serious. "Normally Pops and I go alone, no distractions and all. 'N I was kinda hopin' ta do tha' same with Keebs," he returned seriously, hoping to not offend the girl.

Hinata looked down at her hands and nodded, her heart sinking. While marrying Ranma had not been her idea, nor her ideal type, he was what she was given. And if the man typically left on ten year training journeys then she may have just been given the sentence of a very lonely life.

Ranma could sense the tension in the girl and sighed. "Look, it ain't nothin' like that. I'm not takin' Keebs out for any great lengths. Just like a week to a month to fix his bad habits," he offered. "What if..."

Hinata looked up as Ranma paused in his verbal thoughts to look at the sky and sigh. "..." she wanted to say something, but her nerves were shot once again and she couldn't get the words to form. But, luckily for her, she needn't wait long before Ranma continued.

With a great sigh, sounding like he was lifting a ten thousand ton boulder on his shoulders he said what needed to be said. "Look, I'll bring my mom here to spend the time with ya. She's really good female company," he offered. Seeing the thirteen-year-old girl brighten at the thought of meeting her future mother-in-law, Ranma shook his head. He knew he was gonna regret this, but there wasn't much else he could do. The last thing he needed was for Hinata to grow lonely in his frequent absences.

The thought of not leaving on training journeys never entered the Saotome's mind, and it never would in the future. After all, how could one train to get better unless they removed themselves from distractions? It's not like a ninja village had training grounds one could lease for any given amount of time...

(With Naruto)

"Saotome Naruto, Prepare To Die!" came the decadent cry of a young man as said blonde leaped to the right, evading a spray of a kunai. As Naruto landed on the ground a distance away, sliding in a tight arc to see who attacked him from behind, he could only rub his head in annoyance.

"Of all the people out to kill me, why the hell are you after me, Shino?"

Shino, dressed in his long trench coat could only shrug his shoulders as he held up a mission scroll. "I and my team were hired on a C-Rank mission by Shikamaru Nara to threaten you with preparation for death. Although, we are not sure why an entire team should be hired for this," Shino offered as he gestured to the right where the sun backlit three figures on a series of roofs, each standing up to full height ominously.

"Wait, I was just at home with Hinata and Kiba," he puzzled as he made out the faces of his pursuers. "Why didn't you guys just attack me there," he asked in curiosity.

Shino pointed at a few red painted "x" marks on the ground. "Well, we set up an elaborate trap that was poised to go off exactly at this time in order to obscure everyone's form," he answered as he showed Naruto a rolling chalkboard with a game plan on it, showing cartoon versions of everyone, Naruto's character having a massive head on it.

"Hey, my head's not that big!"

Rather than replying, Shino fired off another volley of kunai, followed by Hinata hurling shuriken which had Naruto dodging back and forth in artistic twists and turns. The final two figures, Kiba and Shikamaru, himself, leaped down at Naruto while Shino took position on a roof opposite Hinata. Naruto continued to dodge the attacks easily, making the Genin feel like maybe they grossly underestimated the boy.

"You know, I'm gonna regret having to pummel my own step-mother," he addressed, causing Hinata slip and stumble, her shuriken throws halted for all of a moment. But that was all that it took for Naruto to close on each member surrounding him, utilizing the Splitting Cat-Hairs technique Ranma had shown him.

As each ninja flinched, the images of Naruto faded away, leaving only one real Naruto that landed with a fist embedded in Kiba's face. "But, I won't regret kicking your asses at all!"

Kiba rolled backwards, absorbing as much momentum from the blow as what he could bleed off which led to him finally coming to a halt halfway down the street unconscious. Shikamaru wasn't idle and his shadow binding quickly snaked its way up Naruto's legs, holding him in place.

"Heh, I realized my mistake earlier today," Shikamaru addressed as a slight smirk started to spread over his face.

"What's that? The fact that I outclass you in combat of all forms?"

Shikamaru grimaced and bit back his angry denial. "While that is true, I learned that you can't see everything going on around you. And as such, I hired enough distractions to keep you from escaping your fate this time, Naruto! Now die so that I can date Ino!"

Naruto watched as Shino and Hinata hurled kunai at his person once more. He sighed in consternation, it felt like everything was moving in slow-motion. Of course, when he was already fighting his adoptive grandpa full-tilt and Ranma himself at half-strength, a group of kids were never going to be a match for him. As the bladed weapons reached Naruto, the blonde pulled off his white t-shirt to reveal a full-body covering white robe, in which he used the sleeves to catch all of the kunai and shuriken.

Shikamaru, Hinata and Shino all paused and stared at Naruto. "But, tha-" Shikamaru was in the process of saying when Naruto suddenly buried his fist into his face. When Shino looked to the captured ninja in a Shadow Binding, he witnessed it fade into nothingness, a simple after-image.

"He's so fast," Shino admired as Naruto was suddenly standing on his head and took a moment to pull away Shino's shades followed by donning them himself. "Hey, I like these shades," he admitted as he started to walk away, leaving the three male ninja's unconscious and Hinata to stare back and forth in worry.

"N-Naruto-san, you're not going to beat me up too," she asked softly. So softly that Naruto barely heard he girl's voice at all.

With a simple wave behind his back the blonde continued on his way. "Not a chance, dad would kill me for hurting you. Any other girl and it was would be all over," he admitted cheekily, his Saotome smirk flaring wildly.

Hinata nodded her head in agreement. While Ranma rarely allowed Naruto to hold back, the only rule he seemed to be emphatic about was treating Hinata as if she were made of glass. Sighing, the kunoichi went about gathering the defeated ninja and dragging them to the nearest infirmary. "I wonder where our Jounin instructor is any way? It was her idea to take this mission in the first place," Hinata considered, looking around for Kurenai...

Naruto waved at Sakura with a flippant grin, wearing a long white robe and black shades. The Haruno frowned as something, an image tickled her mind at the sight. She could swear that she had seen such an appearance once before, but couldn't place it. "Yo, diggin the shades, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled softly at the blonde teen and nodded a bit slowly. "Say, Naruto-kun. Since we're going to be traveling for a long time on the road, don't you think you should take your female form since hot water is harder to come by?"

Naruto looked at the girl like she had lost her mind, at least until he felt an arm drape over his shoulder and whisper husky words into his ear. "There's no need to become a woman, Naruto. The great scholars have often said the love shared between men is the most important," Sasuke addressed, flippantly waving Sakura off, his eyes only for the blonde boy.

As Sasuke continued to cling, Sakura splashed Naruto with her canteen and smiled prettily. "Oops, would you look at that? I'm so clumsy sometimes," she noted as she stared at her own hands.

Sasuke glared lightning at Sakura, who returned the look just as heatedly.

In the meantime, the Ino lookalike sighed and shook her head. She pulled the white robe off to reveal a black mini-skirt and tube top with mesh armor over one upper thigh, and the knee and calf of the other leg, her hair somehow in a loose ponytail that cascaded down her back. Fluffing up her collar, Naruto looked into a mirror and smiled as she put up a "v" for victory.

"I look so hot," Naruto enthused, but was a little surprised when his reflection didn't mirror his words. Instead, the blonde girl's eyes widened.

"Oh my god! DADDY, MY REFLECTION JUST SPOKE TO ME," screamed Ino as she raced down the street, terrified.

Naruto rubbed her nape as she watched the cloud of dust. "Huh, I thought I was looking in a mirror for a moment there," she admitted as Kakashi walked up with the client in tow. "Hey Kakashi-sensei," she enthused with a happy wave.

Kakashi sighed as he looked at the blonde boy-turned-Ino-clone. "This can get really annoying, you know?"

Sakura found herself attached to Naruto's left arm in a flash as she glared at Kakashi. "Leave my darling Naruto-chan alone! Besides with her being a girl it makes the team more evenly balanced," the pinkette returned as she kissed Naruto on the lips.

It was of course at this moment that Ino had returned with her father. "Oh god, I'm missing another hot kiss! Even if it is with Billboard Brow," she complained as she sat on the street curb, wishing she could finally have that moment when she could enjoy a real kiss.

While Ino sulked, Inoichi was having a brain-fart. He had said for so long that Ino was only imagining these out of body experiences, but being here now, he had to wonder if maybe the girl made a clone and was just messing with him. "Kage Bunshin," Inoichi whispered, trying to put his fingers on what type of clone that the girl could be.

Naruto, finally pulling free of Sakura's embrace gagged. "Geez, Sakura-chan, at least given me warning next time," she bemoaned. With a gentle shaking of her head, setting her ponytail to dancing, Naruto turned to the old villager. The man was a drunk and reeked of booze, he was dressed in well-worn pants and a shirt Naruto could swear hadn't been made this century. A wide straw hat was nestled at the back of Tazuna's neck, fastened by a drawstring and a pair of thong sandals adorned his feet.

"Well, I apologize for the gawking of my students," Kakashi offered with an eye-smile. "But, I'm fairly certain that you'll be safe with us."

Tazuna flinched at the words and looked back and forth between the tall silver-haired man and the three preteen children, all standing around him in close proximity. "This is it? You expect a bunch of children to protect me?"

Kakashi grew suspicious at the man's concerns, but as he had never actually led a team of children, he ignored his instincts. Besides, there were very few people in the world capable of giving himself a run for his money. And there was no way such a paltry villager was worth the hassle of hiring an A or S-rank ninja. "I assure you, Tazuna, my team is more than capable of handling some bandits," he offered genially.

Naruto grinned prettily as she looked up at the civilian man. "We will definitely keep you safe, dattebayo," she cheered as she sent the man a thumbs up.

Despite himself, Tazuna found a calm smile on his lips. "I guess I can't break the heart of such a cute little girl," he remarked.

(A Few Hours Later)

"You're... a boy?" Tazuna intoned. His face as pale and his legs were trembling under him. In all of his life, the man had never seen a girl turn into a boy, much less the reverse.

Naruto grinned like the sun as he nodded. "Yep, that's right," he cheered.

At present the group of travelers were walking about a long a dirt road, enjoying the heat of the sun. In other words, everyone was fanning themselves off and whining about the heat. That was when Naruto spotted a couple puddles of water a short distance away.

"Water!" the blonde boy shrieked and raced headlong to the water, totally forgetting about his curse and shoving his-now-her face into the pool. Surprisingly the pool was far deeper than she thought it was, as her entire blonde head went in. She swished her face back and forth and grinned widely. Then she opened her eyes...

She found herself smiling into the face of a blushing Mist missing-ninja. The man, Meizu, flushed at the girl waving to him in his water trap hiding place. Demurely, he waved back.

As the Ino lookalike came free of the water, she turned to the group and they continued on forwards while Gozu, the brother of the first Mist missing-nin, sweatdropped. Meizu was pulled up in the edge of his pool, propped up on his elbows as she stared longingly at the blonde. "Man, did you see that girl? She's so perfect," he informed his twin.

Gozu frowned as he looked at the form of Tazuna. "Hey, isn't that Tazuna? Y'know, The Bridgebulider?"

Meizu sighed as hearts floated in his eyes, "My Fairest Well-Spring Sprite, I shall date with you," he decided firmly.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Not now, Gozu. I'm busy," Meizu informed. Gozu looked back to where his brother had been throwing eyes at the blonde, only to see the spot was now empty. He looked about his location and finally located Meizu. He was sitting with crossed legs and drawing an old Japanese style tapestry of the girl who had passed with a great big grin on her face.

"That's kinda creepy, Meizu," Gozu offered as input, hoping to at least get his brother's attention.

"Yeah yeah, you're sleepy, I'll tuck you in later," he called out, waving his hands flippantly before returning to his artwork.

"Never mind," Gozu whined as he dived back into his pool.

(Elsewhere)

"Ohhhh hohohoho!"

Gato shivered as he looked at the "Hideout". At one point in time it was a simple warehouse set on the edge of town, but ever since he'd made the grave mistake of hiring Zabuza... Let's just say, bright blue neon signs advertising his name and circling spotlights drew more attention than Gato wanted.

"Um, Zabuza," he called out into the building that used to be his establishment. He was currently wringing out his hat as he shifted from foot to foot. "Can I have a word with you, in private?"

Zabuza Momochi, S-rank missing ninja from Kirigakure was currently tightly bound in a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon while his "fiancee" fed him some strange concoction. He nodded violently, with eyes as wide as saucers. "Y-Yeah! That's right, we had that serious business meeting right now," he tried as an excuse to get away.

Kodachi paused in her feeding of Zabuza to look at the chubby man with money. "Oh dear. We have company; perhaps I shall put on another pot of stew," she considered as she placed her small finger beside her lips and displayed the five of her Akatsuki rings on her right hand. While it should have seemed gaudy to have so many rings on a single hand, she made it appear elegant.

Zabuza and Gato each shook their heads vehemently. "N-No, you don't need to do that, Kodachi," he pleaded.

Gato nodded as fast as his neck would allow without snapping. "Yes... I... uh, I already ate! Yeah, that's the ticket," he offered with a weak smile.

"Oh?" Kodachi inquired, her eyes narrowing speculatively. "I'll allow you boys to talk for a few minutes, but Gato-san, be a dear and walk Mr. Green Turtle for me," she requested, tossing the man a cute, bedazzled, pink leash.

Gato began to sweat even worse than before as Zabuza managed to free himself. "Mr... G-Green... T-T-Turtle?" he asked, receiving a heavy reptilian hiss as a result. The sound of a splash of water alerted Gato to the crocodile eyes peeking from the water at him.

Zabuza shivered and made his way outside. "Hurry and put the leash on him," he shouted from outside the building.

Gato paled and took a few tentative steps towards the edge of the murky pool.

SPLASH!

With the speed well known to crocodiles, the beast lunged at Gato. Gato, meanwhile, showing speeds he's not typically known for was clinging to a ceiling fixture kicking at the croc in desperation.

Zabuza sweated. "This could take awhile," he considered more than a little enthusiastically.

(Team 7)

After a smooth and uneventful trip to town, Naruto and company arrived at Tazuna's house. It was a humble house if humble houses are two stories tall with a minimum of four bedrooms, a full kitchen suite and a family room. That doesn't even count the number of bathrooms, the running water or the electricity.

Naruto scratched her chin in thought. "Hey, this place doesn't seem to oppressed by a tyrannical businessman to me," the blonde girl noted.

Kakashi sighed and looked at Sakura prompting the pinkette to punch Naruto over the head. "Your dad already told you not to plotbot, Naruto!"

Nursing his sore head, Naruto reclaimed his feet, somehow having changed genders between being hit and getting up. "Ouch, that really hurts Sakura-chan. I thought you were supposed to be in love with me?"

Sakura huffed as she crossed her arms defiantly. "Only when you're a girl," she noted, glaring at the now male Naruto.

Sasuke slid up to the boy, leaning against him, shoulder to shoulder. As he played with Naruto's short male hair, he spoke sincerely. "It's alright, Naruto-kun. I love you in both forms," he cooed softly.

A quick smack knocked Sasuke away. "I only have eyes for Konoha! I don't need a girlfriend or a boyfriend, damnit!"

Kakashi shook his head as he read from his Icha Icha book while Tazuna read over his shoulder. "Well, anyways, the mission is nearly complete. We've protected Tazuna from bandits, now he just has to finish his bridge and we're home free," he informed the team of kids.

The three nodded in turn and wandered along behind the adults. Upon entering the house, they were greeted by a homely young woman with long black hair and black eyes. She cast the sweetest smile upon the entering group, but froze when she laid eyes on Kakashi.

Kakashi looked up from his book when the group went silent. His gaze locked upon on the woman in the kitchen and he dropped his Icha Icha in shock. Naruto took a moment to peek around Kakashi's legs, poking the downed book. "Looks dead," he whispered to his teammates.

Kakashi with an eye tic swatted the blonde boy. "Hey, where trying to have a serious moment here, Naruto," he barked animatedly.

"EEE," Naruto noised as he smiled broadly and sidestepped away.

Tazuna pulled the straw hat from his back and held it in his hands as he spoke. "This is my daughter, Tsunami," he introduced. As the kids greeted the woman and Kakashi regained his wits - his daughter having done the same - Tazuna put his hat on a coat rack and moved deeper into the house.

"Wow, it's been a long time, Tsunami," Kakashi greeted with a gentle smile.

Tsunami blushed lightly and nodded her head. "There's some things I should tell you about, Kakashi," she noted as she turned around to head for the kitchen where she was putting together a simple dinner.

Naruto came walking out the kitchen carrying a stick of dango he had procured. "Hmm, the fridge is fully stocked and this house looks like it's been well kept throughout the last several years. So much for poverty on the island," he considered before narrowly avoiding Sakura's swipe. "NYAH!" he noised as he pulled down an eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

"Naruto..." Sakura growled as a palpable aura sprung up.

"Mom, I'm home!" came the exuberant call of a young boy. All eyes turned to the sound of a closing door and silence reigned once more.

Standing in the doorway looking at the group in curiosity was a small boy, maybe six in age with silver hair ruffled wildly and a half face mask covering his nose and down. He looked at the group with a lazy expression. "Yo," he greeted...