Author's Note: This story takes place after the return of Sasuke. Some characters are OCC and I intended it that way. No pairings. Iruka-centric.
"Tsunade? There is a gentleman here that would like to speak to you." said Shizune. Tsunade looked up from her mountain of paperwork.
"Send him in, Shizune." she said.
"Hai!" said Shizune as she left. "Lady Hokage will see you now." she said ushering the man into the room. The man carried a small bundle on his chest and a bag on his back.
"May I help you?" asked Tsunade. The man bowed before her but said nothing. "Sir?"
"Hai?" said the man.
"What is it that you wished to see me about? What is your name?" asked Tsunade.
"Hai maam. My name is Niku Sanori. I came to honor a request from my late niece." he said.
"Late neice? How long since she passed, may I ask?" said Tsunade. Looking away, the man said,
"Two weeks ago today maam."
"I see. I am sorry for your loss. What is this request that you must fulfill?" asked Tsunade.
"May I please sit? I have been travelling for a week. Then I will tell you all you need to know." said Niku.
"Please, sit. Would you like something to drink?" asked Tsunade.
"A glass of water if you don't mind?" said Niku.
"Shizune!" yelled Tsunade.
"Yes, mi'lady?" said Shizune.
"Would you please be so kind as to bring some water for Niku?" asked Tsunade.
"At once mi'lady." said Shizune turning around.
"Would it be too much trouble to ask for a glass of milk as well?" said Niku. Tsunade looked at the man strangely then nodded.
"A glass of milk as well, Shizune." she said. Shizune nodded and headed out the door. Returning a few moments later, Shizune handed the man the glasses of water and milk. Niku drank the water thirstily and thanked them both. He turned and placed the glass of milk on Tsunade's desk, ignoring it.
"Now as to the reason you are here." said Tsunade.
"Yes maam. As I was saying I am here to fulfill a last request for my niece. In order to do so I require assistance." said Niku.
"Assistance? How so?" asked Tsunade.
"I have...something... that my niece wanted me to give to someone. I only know his name and that he hails from here. I need help in finding him." Niku explained.
"Who is it? I can have him summoned here at once." said Tsunade.
"Let me see." said Niku as he grabbed his bag.
"I have the name written down here. Ah here it is!. The man's name is Iruka Umino." he said smiling.
"Iruka? What does he have to do with any of this?" asked Shizune.
"I am sorry but I have been instructed to only seek out this man and give him the umm...package." he said. Tsunade looked at the man for a few minutes before turning to Shizune.
"Go at once to find Iruka. If he is not at the academy, find Naruto. He will know where to find him." she said.
"Yes mi'lady." said Shizune heading out the door. Moving swiftly down the hall she went in search of Iruka.
Shizune headed towards the academy. "I hope Iruka is here still. Although it looks like the place is empty right now." she thought. As she got closer she realized there were no lights on at the school. Shaking her head, she went in search of Naruto. Wandering through the village she tried to think where he would most likely to be found. "Hmm.. Now where would he go? Oh! I know. Ichiraku's!" Shizune smiled and headed for the ramen shop. Sure enough Naruto was sitting there downing his eighth bowl of ramen.
"Naruto? Hey Naruto!" she yelled as she got closer.
"Shizune? What are you doing here?" asked Naruto.
"Eh, Naruto? Do you know where I can find Iruka? Tsunade needs to see him." she said.
"Yeah. This time of night he is usually at home. I can take you there if you want." said Naruto.
"Thank you. That would be helpful. I'm not really sure where he lives." said Shizune.
"Come on then." said Naruto as he slurped down the remainder of his ramen. He stood up to pay for his meal.
"Hey Old Man! Thanks for the ramen." he said.
"No problem, Naruto. See ya tomorrow!" said Teuchi. Naruto turned, taking Shizune's hand and led her out of the ramen shop.
"It's this way. Follow me." he said heading down the street. They walked in silence most of the way.
"We're almost there. His place is over the next block." said Naruto.
"Thanks Naruto." said Shizune. They continued walking until Naruto pulled Shizune up onto a porch.
"Here's his place, Shizune." he said turning to knock on the door. Shizune smiled at him.
"I never would have found this place on my own. Why does he live so far out here?" asked Shizune.
"He likes the quiet. He does have to deal with kids all day." said Naruto. Shizune laughed.
"Yeah I guess after a while you learn to like the quiet." she said. Soon footsteps could be heard. The door was yanked open and there stood Iruka, hair wet and wearing nothing but a pair of dark green pants.
"Naruto? Shizune? What are you doing here?" asked Iruka shocked. Shizune blushed and looked away. Naruto moved in front of her.
"Iruka. Tsunade needs to see you. Shizune didn't know where you lived so I brought her here." he said. Iruka looked at Shizune.
"What did she need to see me about? Nothing wrong is there?" he asked.
"No, no. Nothing is wrong, Iruka. I was just sent to fetch you. We must not keep her waiting." said Shizune.
"Just give me a minute to grab a shirt and I will be right out."said Iruka, heading back into the house. Naruto laughed a little as he realized that Shizune did not look directly at Iruka once. Iruka was back at the door after a few moments.
"Are we ready?" he asked as he closed his door. Shizune nodded and turned around.
"I'm heading off Shizune. I'm sure Iruka will see you safely back. Bye Shizune! Bye Iruka!" said Naruto as he headed off down the road.
"Bye Naruto! Thanks again!" yelled Shizune.
"Bye Naruto!" yelled Iruka as he and Shizune began the walk back to town.
Back at the hokage tower, Shizune and Iruka quickly walked into the office.
"We're back Tsunade." said Shizune. Tsunade looked up to see Shizune walking towards her, Iruka in tow.
"Ah. You found him. Thank you, Shizune. Iruka please come here." said Tsunade. Iruka nodded and went to Tsunade.
"You needed me for something?" he asked.
"Yes Iruka. There is someone here who would like to speak with you." Tsunade said.
"With me? Who?" asked Iruka. Tsunade turned to the man sitting against the wall. Iruka followed her gaze to the man.
"Iruka, this is Niku Sanori. He has travelled here to honor a last request from his niece." said Tsunade.
"A last request? What does it have to do with me? How can I help?" Iruka asked. Niku stood up and walked to Iruka.
"Iruka Umino. As lady Tsunade has said I am Niku Sanori. I am here to honor the last request from my late niece." said Niku.
"What was her name?" asked Iruka.
"Her name was Kimaru Sanori." said Niku.
"Kimaru! No! When did she die? How?" Iruka demanded.
"Iruka calm down! I take it you knew her?" asked Tsunade.
"Yes we dated for a while but we split a little over nine months ago. Niku, how did she die? What was her request?" Iruka asked quietly. Niku looked at Iruka as he untied the bundle from his chest.
"Iruka, Kimaru loved you very much, even after the breakup." said Niku. Iruka looked at him confusedly.
"She talked about you all the time when she came home. She missed you alot. I know it hurt her to be away from you." Niku said.
"Then why did she leave?" asked Iruka sadly.
"Iruka. Hold your arms out." Niku said. Iruka looked at Niku and then Tsunade, who nodded. Iruka held his arms out as he was told.
"Iruka. Kimaru's last request was that I give you this...bundle." Niku said handing it to Iruka. Iruka looked down at the bundle in his arms. He jumped when it started moving. Iruka quickly looked to Niku eyebrow raised.
"Iruka. Unwrap it now. It won't bite you." said Niku laughing. Iruka quickly uncovered the bundle and looked down into a pair of chocolate brown eyes. Iruka looked up in shock at Niku.
"Iruka. This is the reason Kimaru left you. And also the reason she died. She made me promise to bring her here to you after she died. That is your daughter." Niku said. Tsunade and Shizune looked at Iruka in shock.
"Your daughter?" they said in unison. Tsunade stepped closer to Iruka.
"Give her to me Iruka. You might drop her." she said. Iruka looked at the child in disbelief. Nodding he handed the baby to Tsunade and sank to the floor.
"How...how? Uh! What's her name?" he asked.
"Little one." said Niku.
"Little one? What kind of name is that?" asked Shizune.
"It's not really. Kimaru died before giving her one. Iruka will have to name her." said Niku looking at Iruka.
"Me? But... what should I name her? Why don't you name her? You're her uncle." said Iruka. Niku laughed and shook his head.
"But you are her father." he said simply. Iruka blinked a couple times falling silent. Suddenly the silence was broken with a small cry. Everyone turned to look at Tsunade who was looking down at the bundle in her arms.
"She is hungry, lady Tsunade." said Niku. Tsunade looked over at the man smiling.
"So that is why you asked for the glass of milk but never drank it." she said.
"Hai. Bring me the glass of milk, Shizune?" he asked. Shizune nodded. Niku turned to his bag once again and pulled out a small glass bottle. Shizune handed him the glass of milk and he poured it into the empty bottle. Standing up he made a few hands signs.
"Katon: Fire Burst Jutsu!" he said as a small flame warmed the bottle. Iruka watched in surprise as the man warmed the milk and then checked its temperature on his wrist.
"Bring me the baby." Niku said. Tsunade stepped forward and handed the crying infant to Niku. Niku winked at her, causing a confused look to appear. Niku headed over to Iruka and knelt in front of him. Iruka looked up questioningly.
"Here boy. Feed her." said Niku placing the baby in his arms. Iruka looked around panicked.
"What? Feed her? I don't know how! What do I do?" he said. The baby began to cry louder.
"Calm down boy. The more upset you get the more she will too. Take a deep breath and relax." Niku said. Iruka did as he was told.
"Feeding her is easy. I'll help you. Now hold her like this. That's right. Here's the bottle. Put it near her mouth. She will do the rest." Niku said calmly. Iruka stared in amazement as the baby turned her head towards the bottle and began to drink noisily. Tsunade and Shizune watched as Iruka fed his daughter for the first time. Shizune nudged Tsunade and looked to Iruka. He was smiling down at her while she ate.
"See? It's not that hard. You just need to remain calm." said Niku. Iruka looked up at him.
"Thank you for bringing her here. Are you sure this is what Kimaru wanted?" he asked. Niku smiled at the boy.
"Yes Iruka. Kimaru wanted her to be with her father. She looks a lot like you, you know." he said. Iruka just looked at him. Niku sighed and reached up to pull the baby's tiny hat off revealing short tufts of brown hair. Tsunade and Shizune gasped.
"Iruka. She does look like you!" said Shizune. Iruka looked down as he pulled the now empty bottle out of the baby's mouth. "She looks a lot like me." he thought. He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of crying again. Panicking, Iruka looked to Niku.
"She needs to be burped Iruka." he said. Iruka just looked at him unsure of what to do. "Hand her here Iruka. I will burp her." said Tsunade. Iruka nodded and handed her the baby while Niku grabbed a small cloth from his bag.
"Here you might want this." said Niku.
"Thanks." said Tsunade placing the cloth over her shoulder. Gently she placed the girl on her shoulder and started patting her back and bouncing her. Out of no where a loud burp was heard. Iruka looked startled at Tsunade, who was laughing.
"There. That feels better now doesn't it?" she asked the baby.
"Now Niku. I assume she is two weeks old right?" asked Tsunade.
"That is correct." he said.
"Has she had any of her shots? Any checkups while you were travelling?" Tsunade asked.
"No maam. She was not born in the hospital. She was born at home. She came too quick for us to make it. Kimaru had...complications after she was born." said Niku. Leaning in to Tsunade so only she could hear he said,
"I will discuss this with you later. No need to upset the boy further." he said. Tsunade nodded in understanding. She looked over to Iruka and smiled.
"Alright Iruka. Let's go get you some stuff to set you up for the night and get the little one settled. You still need to come up with a name you know." she said.
"But what do I name her? I'm not good at naming." said Iruka.
"We'll get a name book for you. You can go over it tonight while she sleeps." said Shizune.
"Sleeps? Sleeps where?" asked Iruka dumbfounded.
"Iruka. We are taking her to your house. She is your daughter after all. Where else did you think she was going to sleep?" asked Tsunade. Iruka looked down blushing.
"Here Iruka take her. I will make a list of things you will need to have set up before we get to your home. I will have ANBU take care of it." said Tsunade handing the baby to Iruka. Iruka took the baby and smiled down at her. She was sleeping now.
"Niku? Where are you staying tonight?" he asked.
"I figured I would find an inn. Why?" asked Niku.
"I was wondering if you would stay a few days at my place. Until I get used to...this?" asked Iruka. Niku chuckled softly.
"Certainly boy. I'll stay till you can manage on your own." he said.
"Thank you." said Iruka.
"Here Shizune. Give this list to Yamato and tell him to get whatever help he will need. I want this stuff set up at Iruka's place." said Tsunade.
"Yes mi'lady." said Shizune. Smiling at Iruka she said. "I'll be right back."
Iruka nodded as Shizune once again ran out the door.
"Now Iruka after we get you and the baby settled I will make arrangements for her to be looked at in the morning. Can you bring her in around nine?" asked Tsunade.
"Nine? What about classes?" asked Iruka.
"I can bring her in Tsunade. Just give me directions to the hospital." said Niku.
"That will be fine Niku. Iruka you need to be there as well. I can have Genma or Raido take over your morning classes for you." said Tsunade. Iruka nodded.
"Now let's get to the store to get some things. Milk isnt the best for a growing infant." said Tsunade. Tsunade and Niku walked out, followed by Iruka nervously carrying the baby.
On the way to the store Niku had noticed how nervous Iruka was walking and holding the infant. Sighing he took the infant from Iruka and handed her to Tsunade. He quickly took off the carrier from his chest and wrapped it around Iruka's. Iruka just watched the man in confusion. Niku reached back for the baby from Tsunade and slipped her into the carrier.
"There. She is safe in there and you won't worry about dropping her. As long as she can hear your heart beat she will sleep." said Niku. With that, they turned and headed into the store.
"You will need this, this and this. Oh you are also going to need that too." said Tsunade as she grabbed diapers, wipes, pacifiers, and booties.
"Do babies really require so much stuff? asked Iruka.
"Yes, this isn't the half of it!" said Niku chuckling. Tsunade kept adding stuff to the cart while Niku pushed it. Shizune soon joined them.
"ANBU are on their way to do as requested." she said.
"Good. Now come on. We must find some clothes for her." said Tsunade. The shopping continued for another hour. After everything was paid for the four of them took off to Iruka's home. Suddenly someone popped up in front of them.
"Hokage sama! Everything is done as requested." said the man.
"Ah thank you Yamato. You are dismissed." said Tsunade.
"Hai. Iruka? Don't worry. None of the ANBU who helped knew it was your place. I made sure of that." said Yamato peering at the sleeping baby.
"Thank you." said Iruka. Yamato nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. They continued on to Iruka's home. Upon entering Iruka noticed all kinds of baby furniture. There was a high chair in the kitchen, a bassinette in the living room and a swing. Heading towards the guest room Iruka saw a rocking chair next to a crib. Up against one wall was a changing table and a small dresser.
"There sure is a lot of stuff for one little person! And an awful lot of pink!" he thought.
"Iruka. Turn around for a minute." said Niku. Iruka turned towards Niku eyebrow raised. Niku carefully took the baby out of the carrier and laid her in the crib. Iruka unstrapped the carrier from his chest and put it on the dresser.
"Now what?" asked Iruka.
"We let her sleep while we put stuff away." said Tsunade. Iruka nodded. Quickly the four got to work and had everything set up and put away in no time. After it was done, Iruka invited everyone into the kitchen for a drink. Shizune grabbed the book they had just bought off the stand and brought it with her into the kitchen. Sitting down she opened it.
"What is that Shizune?" asked Iruka.
"Its a name book. I figured it couldn''t hurt to look. She needs a proper name, not little one." she said smiling.
"That's a good idea." said Tsunade. Niku nodded.
"I agree. Between the four of us I am sure we can find something to suit her." he said.
"Lylia? No. Daro? No. Ai? No. Um.. how about...? Kitu? Eeww no! I did't think it would be this hard to find a name!" said Iruka exasperated. Niku laughed.
"You sound like Danura when she was trying to name Kimaru." he said.
"Danura? That was Kimaru's mother?" asked Iruka.
"Yes. She said it was easier to find a boy's name." said Niku.
"What if you tell us about her birth? Maybe something will pop up then?" suggested Shizune. Niku looked to Tsunade who nodded.
"Whatever the complications were, he is going to need to know sooner or later Niku. Might as well get it over with now." said Tsunade.
"Ok. Let's see. Kimaru went into labor a week earlier than expected. Little one wasn't gonna wait any longer. By the time we realized what was going on, it was too late to move Kimaru to the hospital. I sent for medic nin but I knew they wouldn't make it back before she was born. She was coming to quick. She never gave her poor mama time to rest between contractions. About half an hour after labor started, little one was born. Kimaru laughed and said that she shot out like a kunai. I took the baby to clean her up as best I could. When I came back in the room a few minutes later, Kimaru was shaking and saying she was cold. I put the baby down and hurried over to her. She was hemorraghing badly. I couldn't get the bleeding to stop. Kimaru asked to hold her baby before she died. I tried to convince her she would be fine, but I knew it was a lie. Just before she died, she made me promise to bring her here. She died just as the medics got there. They were too late." said Niku with tears in his eyes.
Tsunade looked over at Iruka who was crying quietly. She stood up and went to comfort the man.
"I am sorry Iruka. I thought it would be best if you knew how she died. In case little one asks when she is older." she said.
"It's alright Tsunade. I appreciate knowing though. Niku? You are the only family Kimaru had left aren't you?" Iruka asked.
"Yes. Except for little one, I am the last." he said.
"I was thinking of a name for her. And about the way Kimaru said she shot out like a kunai. I was thinking of combining kunai and your name for her." said Iruka.
"Oh? And what would that be?" asked Niku.
"I was thinking Kuniku." said Iruka.
"Kuniku huh? I like it." said Niku.
"It's very pretty Iruka." said Shizune.
"It's also very unique." said Tsunade.
"Then its settled then. Her name will be Kuniku Sanori Umino." said Iruka.
"Kuniku Sanori Umino?"said Shizune.
"Yes. Kimaru was a Sanori. Niku is the last. I don't want the name to die out." said Iruka. Niku looked at Iruka tears falling down his face.
"Thank you for that. You don't know how much that means to me." he said.
"I know. I wanted a way to honor Kimaru. I thought this would be fitting." Iruka said. The next day found Niku and Iruka coming back from the hospital with a very upset Kuniku.
"Niku? How long is she going to cry like that? Is she still in pain?" asked Iruka.
"No. She is just mad right now. She will calm down soon. Here. Try to calm her down. Talk to her. That will help." said Niku.
"I'll try." said Iruka, gulping. Niku laughed as he handed Kuniku to Iruka.
"Alright little one. Go see Daddy." he said. Iruka stopped walking and looked at Niku in shock.
"What?" said Niku.
"Did you just call me daddy?" asked Iruka taking the baby. Niku laughed again.
"Yes. Why? You are her daddy ya know." Niku said.
"It's gonna take some getting used to, thats all." said Iruka blushing.
"Come on let's get her home." said Niku. They head back towards Iruka's place.
"Iruka! Hey Iruka!" yelled someone from behind. Iruka turned around to look and groaned. It was Kakashi Hatake and Team 7, both old and new. Niku looked at Iruka with a questioning look.
"What's the matter Iruka?" asked Niku.
"That's Kakashi Hatake and my former students. I was hoping for a little while longer before I explained this." said Iruka.
"Best to do it now boy. Get it over with. They may be able to help you after I leave." said Niku. Iruka looked at him and nodded.
"I guess you are right Niku. Might as well get it done. Hey Kakashi! Guys!" said Iruka. Kakashi caught up to Iruka with the others following behind. "What's going on?" he said once they reached him.
"Not much. We just got back from our mission. Uh Iruka?" said Kakashi.
"What?" answered Iruka. "Why do you have a baby on your shoulder?" asked Kakashi.
"It's a long story. Follow us to my place. I will explain there." said Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei?" asked Sakura.
"Yes?" asked Iruka.
"May I hold the baby for a while?" Sakura asked. Iruka looked at Niku who nodded.
"Go ahead boy. She won't break." he said. Iruka looked at Sakura and handed the still crying baby over.
"Oh she is so kawaii! What's her name Iruka?" asked Sakura.
"Kuniku. And this is her great uncle Niku. Niku? This is Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sai." said Iruka.
"Nice to meet you." said Niku.
"Same here." said Kakashi, the rest nodding in agreement.
"Uh Iruka? Why is she crying?" asked Naruto.
"Tsunade gave her shots this morning." said Iruka. Naruto, Sasuke and Sai all flinched.
"How old is she? She is so tiny!" said Sakura.
"She is 15 days old." said Niku.
"Who's kid is she?" asked Sasuke. Iruka paled a little but soon recovered. Kakashi noticed Iruka's reaction but said nothing.
"Let's get inside first ok? Then we'll talk." said Iruka as they reached the house. "Have a seat in the kitchen. Naruto could you get drinks and things please? Sakura follow me." said Iruka heading to the guest room, which was now the nursery.
"Wow. It's so cute Iruka." said Sakura laying the baby in the crib. "Awful lot of pink though." said Iruka.
"You don't like pink?" Sakura said pouting. Iruka looked at her and smiled.
"I like pink Sakura. Just not that much at once." he said. Sakura laughed and looked in the crib once more. "Let's get back out to the others. I'm sure you are all wondering what's going on." said Iruka. Sakura nodded in agreement as they left the room. Back in the kitchen, everyone was waiting for them.
"She asleep boy?" asked Niku.
"Hai." said Iruka.
"Better get started boy before she wakes up for food." said Niku. Iruka sighed and sat down at the table. Everyone looked at him expectantly.
"This all started yesterday when Niku here showed up to honor a last request for his niece, Kimaru. Kuniku is her daughter. Kimaru died after giving birth. She requested that Niku bring Kuniku to her father." explained Iruka.
"Who is her father then?" asked Sai. Niku laughed and pointed at Iruka who turned bright red.
"Iruka?" they yelled. Kakashi blinked a few times trying to comprehend what just happened. "How the hell did that happen?" he exclaimed.
"Kakashi, you remember Kimaru Sanori right?"
"Yeah. She was that girl you were dating for a while before she up and left. OH! She's Kimaru's daughter? Did you know anything about this?" asked Kakashi.
"Not till last night" Iruka said.
"How did you get all this stuff already then?" asked Naruto.
"Tsunade sent a list to ANBU and they picked out everything. They set it up too. Then Tsunade dragged us to the store to buy more stuff. Man that woman can shop!" said Iruka. Kakashi laughed at Iruka's expression.
"Bet you never thought you'd have to go through that, huh Iruka?" he asked.
"No and it's not something I care to live through again. Do you know how many things she had us looking at? I never knew they made so much stuff!" Iruka exclaimed. Everyone laughed again. As the laughter died down, they suddenly heard crying.
"Looks like its feeding time boy. Better go get her." said Niku. Iruka nodded and began to stand up.
"I'll get her Iruka sensei." offered Sakura.
"Thank you Sakura. Niku can you show me how to do the damn bottle thing?" asked Iruka. Niku laughed.
"It would be easier to do it the conventional way." he said.
Sasuke looked at Niku and said, "What bottle thing?"
"He's talking about the way I heated the milk last night." said Niku.
"How did you heat it?" asked Naruto.
"I'll show you." said Niku standing up. Niku walked to the counter and grabbed the container of formula and a clean bottle. He quickly made up the mixture and handed the bottle to Iruka.
"Here, hold this boy." he said. Iruka paled a little but nodded. Niku began to make hand signs and said,
"Katon: Fire Burst Jutsu!" Another flame burst up and Niku held it under the bottle Iruka held. After a few seconds Niku let the fire die out and showed Iruka how to test the temperature on his wrist.
"Not to hot is it?" he asked.
"No. It's warm." said Iruka.
"Good. That is the hottest you want the formula to be." Niku explained. Sakura came into the room carrying the baby.
"Sorry it took so long. She needed a diaper change." she said.
"Thank you Sakura. I could have done that." said Iruka.
"Have you ever changed a diaper before?" asked Sakura.
"Umm...no." said Iruka.
"That's what I thought. I can show you how on the next one if you want." offered Sakura.
"Thank you. I'm gonna need all the help I can get." said Iruka.
"Well Iruka, you do have the best babysitters right here. They have all done babysitting missions before." said Kakashi.
"That's true Kakashi." said Iruka sitting down and taking the baby to feed her.
"Iruka? Can I hold her after she is done eating?" asked Naruto. Iruka smiled at him.
"Of course Naruto. She's got to get to know her brother right?" he asked.
"You.. you mean I get to be her brother?" asked Naruto.
"Yes as are Sasuke and Sai. Sakura gets to be a sister if she wants to." said Iruka. Iruka looked at Niku who smiled.
"See? Now she gets a whole new family." said Niku.
"Kakashi? Can I ask you something important?" asked Iruka.
"Certainly Iruka. What is it?" asked Kakashi.
"Since Sai, Sasuke and Naruto are her brothers, and Sakura is her sister, I was wondering if you would like to be her godfather?" asked Iruka.
"Godfather? You want me to be her godfather?" said Kakashi.
"I could think of no one better." said Iruka smiling. Kakashi looked around at everyone else who were smiling at him.
"I would be honored, Iruka." said Kakashi, tears in his eyes.
"She will need a godmother as well, Iruka." Niku reminded him.
"I know. I was going to ask Shizune to be her godmother, and Tsunade to be her honorary grandmother." he answered.
"What about grandfather?" asked Sai.
"Hmm... I'm not sure on that one." said Iruka.
"How about Jiraiya? He would be good for that." suggested Kakashi.
"Jiraiya? That could work." said Iruka. Iruka looked down noticing Kuniku had finished her bottle.
"Sasuke? Could you reach behind you and grab me that small pink cloth?" he asked. Sasuke nodded and handed him the cloth. Iruka thanked him and set the cloth on his shoulder like Tsunade did. He gently lifted Kuniku onto it and started patting her back. Everyone watched Iruka in silence. "BUUUUUURP!" Startled by the sound everyone but Niku and Iruka jumped.
"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Naruto. Iruka and Niku just laughed.
"Sorry. Kuniku burps really loud." said Iruka. Everyone burst out laughing. When they finally calmed down, Naruto asked to hold her.
"Ne, Kuniku-chan. Want to say hello to Naruto-nii?" Iruka asked handing her to him. Sasuke and Sai moved closer to get a better look at her.
"Hi Kuniku. I'm your nii-san Naruto. These are your nii-sans too. Sasuke and Sai." said Naruto. Sasuke and Sai looked down at her. Kuniku reached out a tiny hand and grabbed Sasuke's finger. Sasuke looked startled for a moment then smiled.
"Hi little one." he said. Naruto looked over at him.
"Sasuke. You want to hold her?" he asked.
"Ok." he said sitting down. Naruto handed her to Sasuke. Suddenly two chocolate brown eyes stared up at him.
"Hey. She's looking at me." said Sasuke. Kakashi stood up and went behind Sasuke.
"She's beautiful Iruka." he said.
"Thank you." said Iruka. Sasuke held her for a little longer and then handed her to Sai. Sai froze when Sasuke put her in his arms.
"Sai. Take a deep breath. She won't break and she won't hurt you." said Niku. Sai looked at him and offered a small smile.
"I've never held one so little before." he said.
"You'll get used to it. Besides, they don't stay little forever. Just think of all the things you will be able to teach her as she grows." said Niku.
"I guess. Here Kakashi. I don't think I'm really ready to hold her yet." said Sai sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it Sai. That's what I did to Iruka last night after he figured out it was a baby." said Niku laughing. Iruka paled a little at the memory. Kakashi laughed and took the baby from Sai.
"If you are going to be her brother Sai, you will need to practice holding her." said Kakashi.
"I will. Not too much at once though?" asked Sai.
"Only what you are comfortable with Sai." said Iruka. Kakashi held Kuniku until she started crying.
"Uh oh! What's wrong with her Kakashi?" asked Sasuke.
"She probably needs a diaper change. That's all." said Kakashi. Sakura stood up.
"Alright Iruka. Time for your first diaper changing lesson." she said. Iruka looked at everyone and gulped. Niku laughed.
"Go on boy. It's not hard to do. I've done it quite a bit." he said. Iruka nodded as Sakura took the baby from Kakashi.
"We'll be right back out, guys." Sakura said as she dragged Iruka out of the room. They all nodded as Naruto and Sasuke stood up to clear off the kitchen table.
"Now Iruka changing a diaper is the easiest thing in the world once you get the hang of it. You need a diaper, wipes and baby powder. Let me just say it's easier to change a girl than a boy." said Sakura.
"Huh? Why's that?" asked Iruka in confusion.
"Because unlike a boy, when you take a girl's diaper off they don't pee in your face." Sakura said. Iruka blanched at that and Sakura started laughing.
"When it's time to change her, put her here on the changing table but make sure you have everything you need first. Never leave her alone up here cause she could fall off and get hurt." she said. Sakura looked up to see if Iruka was listening. He was nodding his head as he watched her. "Ok. You are going to do this yourself while I tell you how. Come over here. Ok. Stand like that. Unsnap her onsie and pull it up to her stomach. Yeah like that. Now pull the diaper open but don't take it off yet. Now get her new diaper. When she gets older and bigger you will have to place your hand on her belly gently so she doesnt roll off the table. Pull her dirty diaper off. Your lucky so far. She's just wet. When she gets soiled, you just use the wipes to clean her ok? Get the wipes and wipe her off. Gently. Ok. Now look at how the diaper is. See how the tabs are in the back here? That's the way you want them when you change her. Grab her feet in one hand and lift her butt up. Slide the diaper underneath her. That's it. Lower her back down. See? You're getting the hang of this. See the powder over there? Yeah you'll need that. Sprinkle some on her. There you go. Now you just need to fasten her diaper. Like that yeah. Now just pull her onsie back down and snap it together. Congratulations Iruka. You just changed your first diaper." said Sakura. Iruka looked relieved when he was done. He picked up Kuniku and smiled at Sakura.
"Thanks Sakura." he said. "No problem Iruka." Sakura said. They went back into the kitchen where the others waited.
"How'd the boy do Sakura?" asked Niku.
"Very well for his first time." she said. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it Iruka." said Naruto.
"Thanks Naruto" said Iruka as he went to sit down at the table. Naruto went to the door and answered it.
"Shizune? Granny Tsunade? Come on in. Iruka! It's Shizune and Granny Tsunade. Everyone's in the kitchen." Naruto said. Tsunade and Shizune looked at each other.
"Everyone?" asked Shizune.
"Yeah Iruka, Niku, and Kuniku, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai and Sasuke." said Naruto as he headed back.
"Iruka looks like you have a full house." said Tsunade. Iruka smiled.
"Yeah it's nice to have family around, huh?" asked Iruka.
"Family?" asked Shizune.
"Yes. I have Niku who brought me my daughter. Sasuke, Sai and Naruto-Kuniku's brothers. Sakura-Kuniku's sister. Kakashi-her godfather. I would like to ask you Shizune to be her godmother, and you Tsunade, to be her honorary grandmother since she has none." said Iruka. Shizune and Tsunade smiled.
"We would be honored, Iruka." said Tsunade, reaching over to hug him. Iruka blushed furiously and everyone laughed.
"You know Iruka? I think Kimaru would be very happy to see the new family Kuniku has now." said Niku. Iruka looked around at everyone's faces.
"I agree. Kuniku is very lucky." Iruka said.
"Just wait until Kuniku meets the rest of the family." said Sakura.
"Rest of the family?" asked Niku.
"Yeah. We aren't the only sisters and brothers she's gonna have." said Naruto.
"Who else is there?" asked Niku.
"Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Tenten, Neji, and Lee from here." listed off Sakura.
"Don't forget Kankuro, Gaara, and Temari from Suna." said Naruto. Niku looked around in disbelief.
"Iruka, I did not know Kuniku would have such a big family." he said. Kakashi looked at him and smiled.
"You are forgetting all the uncles and aunts as well." said Kakashi.
"Uncles and aunts?" asked Niku.
"Yes. Anko, Kurenai, Gai, Asuma, Genma, Raido, Izumo, Kotetsu, Ibiki and me." said Kakashi. Niku looked on in shock at all the names that were listed.
"She will be very well taken care of here." said Niku.
"Speaking of. Niku? You said you were the last of your clan?" asked Tsunade.
"Yes I am. I have no heirs of my own. I have never married." he said.
"Since there is no one in your homeland for you, would you like to become part of Konoha? To become part of this family?" asked Tsunade.
"Do you mean it? I can stay here with Kuniku?" asked Niku. Iruka nodded.
"Kuniku needs her great uncle too, Niku." he said.
"Niku. I, Lady Hokage, extend an invitation of citizenship to Konohagakure. Do you accept?" asked Tsunade. Niku looked at everyone and smiled.
"I accept, Lady Hokage." he said finally. Everyone cheered for joy.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this story. I am still deciding on whether to do a sequel for it or not. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please R&R either way. You are the deciding factor to continue it or not! Please no Flames!