"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH, BABY!"

He glared at the overly enthusiastic redhead as he jumped around in excitement. As soon as his friend had calmed down, he slapped him upside the head. Angry blue eyes darted at him.

"Hey! What was that for?" his friend growled.

"For acting like a complete idiot," he answered. "I swear…Kioshi, I don't know why you're so…"

"Awesome?" Kioshi finished for him. "I know. Don't butter me up, Kazuki. I know I'm amazing."

Kazuki palmed his face. He just wanted to have a normal day. He was entering into the Shinobi Academy alongside his friend, but Kioshi had decided to act like a narcissist after they had been accepted. Pride would only destroy a shinobi in the end. He didn't have to read any books or learn any lessons to know that much.

He groaned as Kioshi continued to blather on about all the wonderful things that were in store for them. If someone would look in a dictionary and search for the word "chatterbox", a picture of Kioshi would be in there; Kazuki had no doubt about that. Despite his initial acclaims, Kioshi was actually a modest person. He was kind and loyal, which was why he could never find a better friend anywhere in Konoha. He was the yang to Kazuki's yin, so to speak.

The crimson-eyed child kicked a rock as he toned out Kioshi's attempts at conversation. He had other things on his mind. How would his parents react, knowing that he had been accepted into the Academy at such a young age? He had been praised as miracle by his Uncle Hashi and a prodigy by his Uncle Madara. However, his superior intelligence and talent for ninjutsu had been downplayed by his poor physical capabilities. He was "underdeveloped" compared to other children his age. It was because he tired easily and was more susceptible to injury that his parents always fretted over him.

In a way, he loved and hated it.

He loved and adored both his parents immensely, but their overprotective natures tended to bother him. At least his dad knew his physical limits and tried to slowly train him to overcome those limits. His mom taught him many unique jutsus and he was always intrigued by their complexity and their power, but his mom refused to teach him any high-ranked jutsu until he was older and an official shinobi. He smiled, thinking about what other sorts of secret jutsus his mother knew or was coming up with.

"Kazuki! Kioshi!"

Kazuki jerked his head up, spotting his cousins running toward him. In perfect sync, the twins stopped in front of them.

"Hey, have you seen Nee-Nee around?" Akio asked.

Kazuki shook his head. "No. But isn't she supposed to be training with Papa and her boyfriends for the chunin exams?"

Ryo snickered. "I wonder if Saru has proposed to her yet?"

"I thought they were friends," Akio obliviously stated. "And I thought Danzo and Kagami were her teammates; not Saru."

"I'm joking, you dope," Ryo huffed. "Zumi-nee and Saru have been friends forever. Besides, they aren't old enough for that yet, idiot."

Akio pouted. "I am not an idiot!"

"Sometimes I wonder…"

"And they're supposed to be older and more mature than me…" Kazuki mentally sighed. "If the other kids in the Academy are like them, I'm doomed…"

"I suppose we might as well scout her out," Ryo suggested. "I need to practice my sensing technique anyway."

"That you suck at," Akio teased before running off.

"Akio! I heard that, you jerk! Get back here!" Ryo seethed as he chased after his chortling younger twin.

Kazuki watched his cousins disappear into the distance with a deadpan expression before he turned to Kioshi. "Remind me how I'm related to them again."

Kioshi shrugged. "Blame Hokage-sama?"

"When in doubt, blame Uncle Hashi," Kazuki laughed. "That sounds about right."

"Your parents are gonna freak about this when they find out."

"Maybe they might actually let me go. I really want to become a shinobi like the rest of my family, especially Mom and Izumi."

"I always hear you praising those two. Are they really that strong?"

"Of course!" Kazuki snapped. "Mom is known as the fastest shinobi alive! His jutsu innovation and Water Style prowess is unparalleled, whatever that means! He's everything I want to be when I grow up."

"What about Izumi-san?"

"She's like the older sister I never had. If I could hang out with one of my cousins, she'd be the one I'd pick. I've seen her train with Papa and it's amazing how skilled she is. I want to be able to learn and achieve goals as quickly as she does. I know she'll be a chunin in no time!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Yeah…"

"I should go. Aneue will be wondering where I am."

"Alright. That's okay. I know Naomi-san is scary when she's mad. So is Mito-hime."

"Yep! See ya, Kazuki! Hopefully I'll see you in the Academy!"

Kazuki waved goodbye as he watched his friend run off. The five-year-old began heading back towards his home, wondering how he should tell his parents about his Academy acceptance. He was so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed when he got home. He looked around, feeling surprised when he recognized the familiar furniture and walls of his home. He laughed to himself, knowing he would have to work on taming his deep thinking if he ever wanted to be a shinobi.

He felt his mouth water, smelling the delicious scent of ramen in the air. With a devious smile, he dragged a chair over to the simmering pot. He stood atop the chair, hungrily eyeing the noodles and vegetables boiling in the broth.

"Don't even think about it, Kazuki."

He stiffened at the voice. He sheepishly turned around, smiling innocently at the man before him.

"Think about what, Mama?" he replied sweetly.

His mother gave him a knowing look. Kazuki ended up sputtering before outright laughing.

"Okay! I was thinking about it," he admitted. "I love ramen! I couldn't resist."

"I know. That's why I knew you'd be in here," Tobirama replied, picking up his son and holding him in his arms. "You are too predictable. You're just like your father in that respect."

"Eh…Mama?"

"Yes, Kazuki?"

"Is Papa home?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well…I got to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I got accepted into the Academy," he said really fast.

His mother looked at him with a blank face. He immediately felt anxious as his mom carried him into another room. He spotted his father lying face down on the couch, snoring loudly as a bit of drool dribbled out of his mouth. Kazuki tried to stifle his laughter when his mother nailed his dad in the stomach. Izuna cried out in pain, curling up and rolling off the couch before landing on the floor with a thump. He glared at Tobirama.

"What was that for!?" he growled.

"It's the most effective way to wake you up. It's also the most entertaining method," Tobirama explained with a smirk.

"Even so! What the hell do you want?"

"Our son was accepted into the Academy."

Izuna jumped to his feet, pride shining in his coal-colored eyes. "Really? That's wonderful!"

"You aren't mad?" Kazuki asked.

"Of course not," Izuna said, ruffling up Kazuki's spiky locks. "I'm happy for you. After all, it's what you wanted for quite some time now. You earned it, Kazuki."

"What about Mama?" he mumbled unsurely.

"…If it's what you truly want to do, who am I to deny that from you?" was Tobirama's answer. "Just be sure not to overdo it."

"Thank you, Mama!" Kazuki gleefully cried, wrapping his small arms around his mother's neck in a hug. "I'm gonna be the greatest shinobi ever! I'm gonna be just like you and Papa when I do!"

"Kazuki."

He blinked. "Yes, Mama?"

"We have some news of our own."

"What is it?" Kazuki curiously inquired.

"You're going to be a big brother!" Izuna announced, prompting Tobirama to glare at him.

Kazuki blinked again, this time in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Mama's going to have a baby," Izuna explained, further angering Tobirama. "That means you'll have a little brother or sister to look after."

"Really!? Yay!" Kazuki cheered, once again hugging his mother. "This is the best day ever! Now I really need to be a shinobi so I can protect my little brother! I can be just like Izumi-chan!"

"Yes…" Tobirama said, giving Izuna the stink-eye. "Your father surprised me too."

"You'll thank me for it later," Izuna responded audaciously, cheekily grinning the entire time.

"The sad part is I probably will…"

"Don't sound so down. You love Kazuki. Why should another kid be such an issue?"

"I never wanted to face that uncertainty again…nor did I want to fail in my duties like I did before…"

Izuna pulled Tobirama into a one-armed hug. "You can do things right this time. You have that chance now. You know what to expect and how to deal with it. Everything will be better; I promise."

"Fine. But you're on diaper duty for the first nine months as soon as he or she is born and every time I have to vomit, I'll be aiming at you," Tobirama stated. "You'll also have to temporarily fill my position as sensei with my team until I'm back to a more suitable physique. If I have to go through that hell again, you have to as well."

Izuna sighed in defeat, smiling ruefully. "Deal. The things I do for love."

"I don't get it," Kazuki blurted out. "I'm confused, Mama. What's going on?"

"Don't ask," Tobirama answered as he nuzzled his nose against Kazuki's. "Trust me. You'll find out on your own eventually."

So, a hellish nine months of pregnancy later, the Uchiha-Senju family introduced yet another little bundle of joy to the world. Though tired from hours of labor, Tobirama couldn't help but melt at the sight of the newborn before him. A mop of thick white hair lay atop his daughter's head and coal-colored eyes stared up at him with bedazzlement and wonder.

Yes, a little girl. His little girl.

Beside him, Izuna looked fondly down at his new child with as much love as he remembered feeling with Kazuki six years before. Only this time, there was no separating the three of them this time.

"Where's my thanks?" Izuna teased.

Tobirama elbowed Izuna hard enough to knock the Uchiha over. "Thank you."

Izuna twitched on the ground. "You're welcome…ow…"

The door to the hospital room opened. In rushed Kazuki, a look of excitement and curiosity on his face. He climbed on top of the bed, hurrying over to the bundle in Tobirama's arms. He peered at the chubby face before him, cocking his head to one side. His sister did the same, smiling brightly and giggling while doing so. Kazuki chuckled, lightly poking the baby's cheek. She squealed in delight as she reached out to catch the finger that kept prodding her.

"She's so happy," Kazuki commented, allowing his sister to grab his finger. "Can I hold her?"

"Be careful with her," Tobirama said softly, gently handing the baby to Kazuki.

"Hi!" Kazuki happily greeted his sister. "I'm Kazuki. I'm your big brother! I promise to protect you with my life once I'm a legit shinobi, imouto."

She babbled some more, still beaming at him. Kazuki couldn't help but grin back. It was as if she was a radiant ball of sunshine, filling every person around her with joy.

"What's her name?" he suddenly asked, feeling incredibly stupid for not realizing his sister didn't have a name.

"Um…that's a good question," Izuna awkwardly replied. "I have no idea. We were going the surprise route this time, so…."

"Yuko."

Kazuki and Izuna simultaneously turned to look at Tobirama. "Huh?"

"Yuko. That's what I want to name her," Tobirama answered. "Unless you have objections."

"I like it!" Kazuki declared. "Yuko-chan, my imouto!"

"I don't know how you do it," Izuna commented. "The names you pick are out of leftfield, but they end up being the perfect choices."

Tobirama smirked. He took Yuko back from Kazuki, feeling nothing but pure love for the tiny child. She was still smiling brightly at him. He could tell she was going to bring light to the darkness of the shinobi world in her own way, becoming the sunlight that nourished life from the brink of ruin.

Never once in his life did he believe this was where he would end up in life. Here he was, living in the village created by his optimistic elder brother after the end of the clan wars. He was married to his former friend, rival, and enemy. He defied the natural order of the world and brought two wonderful kids to life. He kept his promise to Izuna. He'd made his dream a reality. He silently swore to himself that he would protect and cherish those gifts with his life.

He couldn't ask for anything more.

And here we have it, folks! The end of Three Promises! Thank you all so much for reading! It's shorter than Three Words, mainly because Kazuki arrived early. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it. After all, Tobirama and Izuna have been blessed with a baby girl as well! What's not to like? And where's the love for TobiIzu/IzuTobi and the families they can make!? There's no mpreg fics for them either! Is this the first one or are they hiding in the deepest crevices of FF and I just haven't found them yet?

kitsunelover300, many thanks to you and I'm grateful for all your wonderful help! It's always great working with you and I look forward to working on more stories with you in the future! You are AWESOME! :D

Either way, as I mentioned before in Three Words, kitsunelover300 and I have plenty more material to work with. If you liked this and TW, never fear! Expect the next installment of the TW universe to come up sometime in the distant future. It'll be longer than both TW and TP and it'll focus more on the children once they've grown up a bit and how they're forced on a journey none of them ever could hope to expect. Hearts will be broken, tears will be shed, blood will be spilled, pranks will be pulled, innocence will be comically shattered, and certain people will get the biggest shock of their lives; or afterlives in some cases! Stay tuned for the next installment!

Coming soon: Three Legacies