"Hey, hey, Yukiko-san?"

Yukiko looked up from her desk, gladly setting aside the technical manual for the boiler she had to repair that afternoon. "Yeah, kid? And good work -- you avoided my tripwire." Of course, even after three months he hadn't realized that she'd rigged the floor tiles to squeak in particular patterns when people approached her doorway. She wasn't going to tell him, either, not until he'd had a good long time to figure it out for himself. She needed every advantage she could get.

Naruto grinned. "Hehehe, now I know where your wire is."

Yukiko grinned back. "And who says I won't move it as soon as you leave?"

"That's not fair!"

"Tough. That's how it is -- you think enemy ninja would just give up as soon as you find one trap? No, they'll set new ones. Never assume you've figured out all the tricks." Yukiko leaned back in her chair. "So why did you want to see me?"

Naruto looked down and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his new orange jumpsuit, which he'd fallen in love with and bought despite Yukiko's distaste for the eye-searing color. "You're a ninja, right, Yukiko-san?"

"Sort-of, yes."

"So why don't you go on missions?"

Yukiko froze. That was touching too close to things she avoided thinking about. "Because I don't want to, kid. Now shoo. I have to get this boiler fixed by tonight."

"That's not an answer." Naruto scowled at her. "Come on, why don't you go on missions?"

"...I'm not a very good ninja," Yukiko said slowly, "so any missions I could take wouldn't pay very well. And if I went on missions all the time, there wouldn't be anyone to take care of this building."

That didn't seem to convince the boy. "But you could pay someone to watch the building. I could watch it! And I think you're a really good ninja!"

Yukiko sighed. "Kid, you haven't met many ninja, or at least you haven't seen what they can do. I'm only a genin -- that's the lowest rank you can have and still be an official shinobi of the Leaf. And I like watching the building."

"No you don't," Naruto said. "You're always complaining about the tenants, and about repairing stuff, and about collecting rent." He stared accusingly at her, blue eyes narrowed and whisker marks seeming a shade darker than usual. "And if you don't think you're a good ninja, why don't you try to get better? That's what I'm gonna do! I'm gonna keep working until I'm the strongest ninja in Konoha! Until I'm Hokage! That's my dream and I won't ever give up.

"Wasn't being a ninja your dream?"

Yukiko closed her eyes rather than answer. Leave it to this boy to kick her right in the metaphorical teeth.

When she was his age, she'd spent months badgering her parents until they finally enrolled her in the ninja academy. Her clan had lived in Konoha for generations, but they'd never been shinobi. They ran restaurants, built houses, sold clothes, and did all kinds of things that needed to be done in order to keep a village alive. She hadn't thought that was interesting, hadn't thought that was important enough.

"I want to be a ninja!" she'd told her mother. "I want to be the best ninja in Konoha so I can protect everyone. Our clan always builds things and fixes things -- I want to keep them from getting broken. That's my dream, to protect Konoha!"

She'd passed her graduation exam by the skin of her teeth, fortunate that they'd tested handheld weapon skills rather than her throwing accuracy. She'd struggled through the evaluation her jounin instructor set, corralling her teammates into forming a rough plan to overcome their survival training. She'd failed the chuunin exam on her first three attempts, but she'd gritted her teeth and vowed to work harder for the next one.

And then her parents had died. Not even in an attack, just caught outside during a windstorm and crushed by a falling tree.

There was nothing she could have done even if she'd been there -- her skills were in genjutsu, not in speed or strength, or in any ninjutsu that could have blasted the tree away.

What use was it to be a ninja if she couldn't even protect her family?

So Yukiko had set aside her forehead protector and taken over the apartment building in their honor. Konoha needed people to build and repair and maintain as well as people to fight. Konoha needed people to look after its residents during ordinary times as well as during danger. She was still protecting her village like she'd promised to do, still keeping her word. She'd just... changed her plan of attack.

Most days she didn't even miss the thrill of fighting, didn't miss testing herself against stronger opponents, didn't miss the heady rush when she sometimes won. She certainly didn't miss the boring missions assigned to most genin teams, the ones that had helped turn her team into a second family. And she didn't miss the warm certainty that she was helping Konoha, bringing money and prestige to her village and preparing to defend it if the worst happened. She didn't. She told herself that every week, and after a while she usually even believed it.

Actually, Yukiko recalled, looking at Naruto through barely open eyes, it was the Kyuubi that had finally ended her internal arguments over her decision, and had pounded her old dream into its grave once and for all. The demon fox had been so far beyond anything she could hope to match that she hadn't even bothered trying to fight. She'd ushered civilians into the caves for safety and laid illusions over the entrances, and she'd ferried the wounded and dead to the hospital and morgue, but she had stayed far away from the battlefields. Her teammates had died and Yukiko hadn't been there to watch their backs.

As with her parents, it wouldn't have done any good if she had been there -- but how could she call herself a shinobi if she hadn't even tried to help?

No, she was an apartment manager. It was better that way.

"My dreams are none of your business, kid, and I have my reasons for staying here," Yukiko said finally. "Trust me on this; it's better that I run the building instead of taking missions and letting people down."

"But--"

"Naruto. Drop it. We're not talking about that anymore, ever. Now shoo. I told you already, I have to fix the boiler."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The Hokage was looking out his office window when the Anbu guard ushered Yukiko in for their monthly meeting. He waved her over without turning, and gestured down at the view of Konoha. "It's a lovely morning, wouldn't you say? I always find that spring refreshes my love for our village."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Now he turned slightly to face her as she hung back from his side. "You are allowed to call me Sarutobi, Yukiko-san. But how is Naruto doing these days?"

Yukiko shrugged. "He still can't cook much more than ramen, but I make sure he gets some more nutritious meals. I had some trouble keeping residents on his floor and the one below, but I lowered the prices a bit and filled them with new immigrants to Konoha, people who don't know about the Kyuubi. And the kid's decided that since I'm a ninja -- even though I'm a terrible ninja -- hanging around me will help him become a shinobi himself.

"In other words, he's a nuisance but he's fine."

The Hokage gestured with his pipe. "I believe I recall watching one of your chuunin exams, Yukiko-san. Why do you think you're a terrible ninja? Your genjutsu skills struck me as remarkably subtle and precise, more than good enough for a chuunin."

The old man remembered watching her? Well, he was Hokage, so he probably did need to know at least a little about all of his ninja. "I may be good at genjutsu, but that's all I'm good at," she said. "My taijutsu is basic at best and my ninjutsu is pathetic. Genjutsu alone didn't get me very far, and it isn't much good in a straight fight."

The Hokage smiled. "Since when has our business been about straight fights? I think you make a better shinobi than you realize. You're also a good teacher; the last few times Naruto has tried to surprise me, he's come much closer than before he met you."

Yukiko blinked. Teacher? Her?

"In any case," the Hokage continued, "I'm pleased to hear that Naruto is doing well and enjoying himself. I'm also pleased that you're helping him with his skills, if indirectly. He should be able to enter the academy this autumn. Since he doesn't have any family or friends to teach him the basics, I was afraid he'd be left behind. Now he should have a much smaller gap to overcome."

"Oh. Well, at least then someone will keep him out of my hair. He escapes from regular classes far too easily."

"Hmm. Yes, it's fascinating how stealthy he can be while wearing such attention-grabbing clothes," the Hokage mused.

Yukiko winced. "I tried to talk him into something blue, but he wouldn't listen."

"That's Naruto for you. I've only ever met one person more stubborn than he is."

"Who was that?"

"The Fourth Hokage."

Oh. Well, the Fourth had famously refused to abandon Konoha during the Kyuubi's attack, insisting that there was a way to defeat the most powerful demon in the world. He'd found one, eventually, and then gone straight into battle despite knowing he'd have to sacrifice his own life to seal the fox. His determination was legendary.

"Are you sure determination is the same as pig-headed stubbornness?" Yukiko asked.

"Absolutely. The trick," the Third Hokage said, smiling, "is to know when to apply your determination and when to cut your losses. That's one lesson Naruto has yet to learn... although, to be completely fair I should add that the main difference between determination and foolish stubbornness is whether or not you win. If the Fourth hadn't been able to seal the Kyuubi, I'm sure the remnants of Konoha would even now be cursing him as a pig-headed fool."

"Huh." That was... an interesting way to look at village history. But not particularly relevant to Naruto's own behavior. "Well, he did win, thank goodness. Do you have any other questions about the kid, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage shook his head. "So long as you're satisfied with his condition, I see no reason to worry, Yukiko-san. You're a ninja of the Leaf; I trust you to keep your word."

"...Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Yukiko bowed and left the room, carefully suppressing her urge to scowl. Why did everyone keep harping on the fact that she was technically still a ninja? She hadn't done any good trying to fight, she was doing valuable work by providing housing for Konoha citizens, and she didn't want to go back to being a shinobi. It was nothing but backbreaking work in return for failure, guilt, and heartache.

She was an apartment manager. Nothing more, nothing less.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A week later, Yukiko found herself drifting over to the ninja academy, watching the terribly young students learn how to throw kunai and shuriken, to disguise themselves with genjutsu, to lay traps, to move untouched through minefields. They laughed and roughhoused like normal children instead of the miniature assassins they were becoming-- not that they were much good at the silent and invisible aspects, or had any real conception of death, but those would come on their own after a few years of bloodshed and brutal experience. The hidden villages had been at tentative peace for a decade now, and while battlefields offered easy moral choices and were forgiving of loud, flashy jutsu, peacetime missions favored stealth, cunning, discretion, and a firm grasp of situational ethics.

The last time she'd taken the chuunin exam, it had still been geared toward wartime conditions. She might do better now, when the villages would be looking for intelligence as much as brute power.

Yukiko shook her head. She wasn't a ninja anymore. She wasn't planning to take the upcoming chuunin exam. In fact, she wasn't certain why she'd come to the academy in the first place -- it did nothing but bring back awkward memories.

Hmm. A teenage boy was approaching her, walking just loud enough to be overheard. That was polite of him -- and also cautious; sneaking up on shinobi wasn't the world's safest thing to do. But she wasn't a shinobi. Yukiko nervously touched her forehead protector, fighting the urge to rip it out of her hair. She'd found herself wearing the thing more often lately and she couldn't figure out why.

"Hello," the boy said, shifting on his feet with the faint awkwardness of someone who hadn't quite finished growing into his body. "Are you a parent or here on official business? If not, you need to be accompanied by academy staff while you're on the grounds. It's for the children's safety."

Yukiko shrugged. "I was just passing by, remembering old times. I'm Ayakawa Yukiko." She nodded her head, making sure her hands were in clear sight and visibly empty.

"Umino Iruka," the boy said, ducking his head and setting his ragged ponytail bobbing. His hands were empty too. "I'm an assistant teacher here."

"Really? You know, I have a tenant -- I manage an apartment building -- I have a tenant who'll be starting at the academy this autumn. Do you teach the beginning classes? Can you tell me what they're like these days?"

Iruka shrugged. "The basics never change -- there are only so many ways to throw weapons, after all. I don't teach, though; you have to be a chuunin to teach alone. I mostly help with live demonstrations and keep an eye on the children when they're outside."

Huh. From the suppressed longing in his voice, the boy wasn't thrilled with his role and would definitely prefer being a full-fledged teacher. "...The chuunin exam is coming up soon," Yukiko said. "I hear it will be in Konoha this year. Are you planning to take it?"

Iruka shrugged again. "My old teammates passed a couple years ago. I'd need new partners and I don't know where to find any."

Hmm. Maybe she could be his partner...? No! Yukiko mentally slapped herself. No matter what Naruto and the Hokage thought, she wasn't a ninja anymore. She wasn't going to take the stupid chuunin exam. She didn't want to take the exam.

"That's too bad. Maybe you should post a note at the mission center asking for partners," she suggested. "I'm sure there are other people who want to take the exam."

"Oh! I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Yukiko-san!" Iruka glanced at his watch. "It was nice to meet you, but I need to get to a shuriken demonstration. Are you leaving now or should I walk you to the main office to get another staff member?"

"Don't worry, I'm leaving. It was nice to meet you too, Iruka-san."

The boy blushed at the honorific, probably unused to hearing it addressed to himself. He was cute, with that high ponytail and a friendly, open face -- the long scar across his nose wasn't even worth a second's notice in a village full of ninja -- and if she were a few years younger or he were a few years older, Yukiko mused, she might try something. As it was, she felt a bit motherly, wanted to ruffle his hair and keep an eye on him. That was Naruto's fault; before he moved in, she'd never had the urge to mother anything, not even lost puppies. The kid was really throwing her life out of its old patterns.

Iruka waved as he vanished into the academy building, and Yukiko kicked herself into motion, walking away from the grounds. She wished him luck. She might even go to the exam finals to cheer for him, if he made it that far. She wasn't a ninja anymore, but it was nice to see somebody working toward a dream.

Somebody besides Naruto, that was -- sure the kid had a dream, but pigs would fly before anyone let the Kyuubi's host become Hokage. Yukiko grinned to herself. She'd become a jounin before that kid would be Hokage, and that was certainly never going to happen.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Yukiko-san, Yukiko-san!"

An orange whirlwind swept into her office so fast Yukiko didn't have time to adjust herself to withstand Naruto's exuberant tackle-hug. Her chair skidded, caught on the corner of her desk, and slammed backwards, tumbling both of them across the floor.

"Ow."

"Yukiko-san, are you okay? Hey, hey, I'm sorry! But I had to tell you! I saw the old man today and he said the chuunin exams start next week, and he wants to talk to you about them. Maybe he wants you to try! Or maybe he wants you to help set them up!"

Yukiko extracted herself from under Naruto and propped herself up against her filing cabinets, hand pressed to the back of her head. The room seemed to waver slightly around her. "Run that by me again, kid?"

Naruto bounced on his toes, completely unhurt by his fall. "The Hokage wants to talk to you about the chuunin exams, Yukiko-san. He's waiting right now. Can I come too? I want to know what he wants!"

Yukiko froze as her pain suddenly became irrelevant.

Ten minutes later she dragged a panting, sweating Naruto into the Hokage's office. "What the hell do you want! I'm not a ninja anymore, I don't take missions, and I'm certainly not taking the chuunin exam. And other people can do better genjutsu if that's what you want. And if the kid just made this all up, tell me now so I can yell at him with a clear conscience."

The Hokage smiled awkwardly. "I see. Please let Naruto go, Yukiko-san; this isn't his fault. I called you here because I have a slight problem. I believe you've met Umino Iruka?"

Yukiko blinked. "Yes. He's a genin, works as an assistant at the academy. Has anything happened?"

"Not exactly. He took your advice and posted a request for partners in the chuunin exam. So far, he's found one other genin. Unfortunately, because Iruka has failed the chuunin exam three times, and because of certain issues surrounding the other genin, they haven't been able to find a third partner." The Hokage frowned. "I want the Leaf to make a strong showing in this exam; the Kazekage of the Sand has been making vague hints about dissatisfaction with the terms of our alliance and I don't want him to have any excuse to consider us weak. Iruka and Tonoike Naga -- the other genin -- have a good chance of passing the tests. I would very much like them to participate."

He looked gravely at Yukiko. "You would also do well, Yukiko-san. I remember your fight in your last chuunin exam; you're one of the most creative genjutsu users I've seen in years. And right now, Konoha needs all the shinobi we can find."

The Hokage wanted her to take the chuunin exam. The Hokage wanted her to take the chuunin exam. What on earth was he thinking?

Yukiko opened her mouth to refuse, but Naruto spoke first. "Hey, hey, Yukiko-san, see? I told you you're a good ninja."

"...But I'm not. Really. And I don't want to be a ninja anymore."

Naruto's face fell. "But, Yukiko-san! Didn't you have a dream to be a ninja? You had to try hard to be a genin, right? Why did you give up?"

"I didn't give up," Yukiko snapped. "But sometimes it's better to forget your dreams, kid. Sometimes dreams are just a way to beat your head against brick walls. And sometimes dreams are never going to come true no matter how hard you try." She met Naruto's gaze straight on, matching him glare for glare. The world wasn't fair. Some dreams just weren't worth holding onto. He had to learn that sooner or later.

Naruto scowled, his whisker marks stretching across his round cheeks. "I don't believe you. I'm never gonna give up, not like you. You're just a scaredy-cat! We don't have a deal anymore -- I'm gonna go home and spill paint all over your desk."

He stomped out of the room, pausing only to stick his tongue out at the Hokage.

Yukiko started as she remembered he been standing there all along, watching her argue with a six year old boy. She felt herself blushing.

"Maybe he's more pig-headed than the Fourth," the Third Hokage said with a small smile. "I don't remember the Fourth ever dressing down his teachers quite that bluntly, much though Jiraiya may have deserved it." He sighed. "I'll tell Iruka and Naga that I wasn't able to find a third partner for them." He turned and began walking toward the door.

"Wait."

The Hokage paused. "Yes, Yukiko-san?"

"...If I agreed to take the exam, would you help me find someone to manage my building while I'm busy?"

"Certainly. Should I begin looking, or was that only a hypothetical question?"

Yukiko wove her fingers together, clenching them until her knuckles turned white. She bit her lip, ducked her head, and took a deep breath.

"Yes. Yes, I'll do it."

The Hokage smiled and stuck his pipe back between his teeth. "Wonderful. Now, I suggest you hurry home and explain things to Naruto before he succeeds in destroying your office."

Oh, no. He'd said something about paint and her desk, and she'd been working on insurance forms when the kid had burst in just half an hour ago...

Yukiko bolted out the door, praying to all the kami she could think of that she'd make it home before the damage was permanent. Forget the chuunin exam -- she had far more important things to worry about!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

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