Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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„blah blah...", speaking
'blah blah...', thinking
„blah blah...", Bijuu speaking
'blah blah...', Bijuu thinking
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Hello everyone this is a little Christmas special that shows that you don't need to have to be related by blood to have a family. I hope you like it.
My other stories will be updated soon so don't worry.
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Please Review and please don't hold back. Tell me if something bothered you, I can handle the truth.
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It was a cold day in the village hidden in the leaves. For the first time for many years it had actually started to snow. That was weeks ago and it had yet to stop. A sharp wind shot through the main street. Many of the citizens hurried their steps to get their business finished and get back into their warm homes. Well everyone except one. One blond male sat on top of his apartment. The snow covered most of his body and made his blond hair look white. He didn't bother to shake off the snow or shiver because of the cold that crept deep into his bones. He was apathetic to the world around him. This was one seventeen old Uzumaki Naruto, lately revealed Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto.
Just three months ago did the Yondaime and his family return to the village. They citizen where shocked at first but after explaining that they did it for the good of Konoha the family was welcomed with open arms. That alone had broken something in the young man. He knew who his parents were since the fight against Pain and cherished their memory but seeing them now alive and well was to much. While he suffered alone his parents and sibling had a happy life away from him. Then to add salt to the wound they had the audacity to come to him and talk to him like they did nothing wrong. The boy kept smiling through the whole conversation but only three people noticed his anger. One was Hyuuga Hinata who knew the young man better then any other mortal. Then thee was Kurama who knew the boy since his birth and surprisingly one Yamanaka Ino. But the people that Naruto hoped the most to notice his discomfort didn't and even put more pressure on him. Tsunade and Jiraiya even applauded the family on their marvelous plan. Ever since that day Naruto had fallen into a depression.
The sound of crunching snow reached the young man ears but he didn't care. Not even the warm and slender hand on his shoulder got any acknowledgment.
"You're going to freeze to death if you stay her Naruto-kun." a soft female spoke.
Narutos eyes wandered from the village before him towards the voice. He took in the snow white coat with purple accents and the white fur trimming and the slightly round face covered by the hood. Teal eyes looked at him with concern. He gave the girl no indication that he heard her so she pulled him to his feet. Ino knew that she needed to help him or he would stay there till he died, not that the Kyuubi would allow him to. She guided him into his apartment.
"Take off your jacket and go take a warm shower. I'll make you something warm to eat." she ordered stern and he followed her order without a word.
She looked after him as he walked into the bathroom. As the door closed she leaned against the kitchen counter and set herself to work. She knew what had him so down. Naruto had been a orphan and had only one goal in his life. He wanted to be Hokage to prove to everyone that he wasn't some kind of freak. After seventeen years of hard work and battles he was finally seen as a hero. A hero like his idol the Yondaime Hokage that had died for the village he loved. Now said man had returned alive and well but also with a family and told everyone how Naruto was his son. She growled as she thought about that family. She had seen Narutos eyes as his soul broke during their first meeting. Ever since then she and Hinata had done everything to help him. But all their efforts were bombarded by the Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan. They would barge into his apartment without information and act like he was just a spoiled brat that ran stayed away from home. Naruto took their words without a reaction. His sister Hibiki, a complete clone of her mother, was non better. While she knew that her parents made a mistake by leaving him behind she demanded for him to act like a loving brother to her.
What neither of the oh so high and mighty of the Uzumaki-Namikaze Clan realized was that with each visit they weakened the seal that held Kurama in the young man. Ino had found about it one day when she came over to get him for a mission with her and saw a small nine tailed fox sitting on the table talking to Naruto. At the sight she had fainted and that was the only time Naruto had showed any emotion. When she came to a bit later she saw his concerned eyes resting on her as he waited beside her. He had explained that he and Kurama had long since become friends and with the weakened seal he could summon him in a smaller form now.
The sound of a door opening caught her attention since she still heard the shower. So she turned around and froze. There before her stood the accursed family. They looked around like they owned the place till their eyes fell on her.
"Oh hello Yamanaka-san. What are you doing here?" Minato asked confused completely unaware of the killing intent aimed at him.
"Yeah what are you doing in Anikis apartment?" Hibiki demanded.
Just as Kushina wanted to add her own demand they were silenced by a knife barely passing by Minatos face and embed itself hilt deep into the wooden door frame behind them. The three stared at the knife in shock before they turned to a glaring Ino. The aura of death around her made them shiver but they would back down.
"What is the meaning of this Yamanaka-san?" Minato demanded.
"The meaning is that you and your family should fuck off right now because you have no right to be here!" the young blond growled.
"What do you mean? Naruto is our son! So we have every right to come and visit whenever we want!" Kushina yelled in a pissed of tone.
"I don't care who you are right now! You have caused Naruto enough pain just by coming into this village! EVER SINCE OYU CAME HERE HE LOST HIS WILL TO FIGHT! HE LOST HIS DREAM! AND FOR WHAT? JUST FOR SOME FUCKED UP PLAN YOU CAME UP WITH!" Ino growled before she unleashed all her anger onto the family before her.
The three stared at here in shock before they narrowed their eyes on her.
"For you behavior you will be put on four months of probation and you'll be stripped of your Chunin..." Minato growled but was interrupted by a new and malicious wave of KI.
"I would stop speaking if I were you boy!" a cold demonic voice echoed through the apartment.
The Uzumaki-Namikazes turned and paled in shock. There before them stood a horse tall Kyuubi no Kitsune and glared at them.
"The soup is boiling over." a monotone voice shattered the tension like glass.
Only now they noticed Naruto beside the Bijuu. Ino blushed seeing him in only a pair of black ANBU pants but realized what he said and turned the stove off. She walked past him into the bathroom and got a towel. As she returned no one had moved and she gave the towel to the young man.
"Dry your hair and put on a shirt." she ordered and he nodded still with a blank expression on his face.
"Would you also like a bowl of soup Kurama?" she asked not really bothered by the fox anymore.
"I would appreciate it but first I think I'll have my pound of flesh from these intruders!" the fox nodded to her before he snarled at the three.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS CHUNIN YAMANAKA? ARE YOU CONSPIRATING WITH THIS DEMON?!" Minato finally snapped out of his stupor.
"I'm merely offering my friends father figure a bowl of soup. Is there a problem with that Hokage-sama?" she explained calm but put enough venom into the blond man title.
"Get out you filthy ningen! You have caused Naruto enough pain with your presence!" the fox growled and added his KI to his statement.
The three intruders felt their knees shake under them. Even Minato who had faced this Bijuu before felt fear grip his very soul being so close to it.
"Kurama please refrain from getting blood on the floor. It's so hard to remove." she gave the fox a gentle smile before she turned to the Hokage and his family.
"You and your family are no longer welcome here Hokage-sama. As of today Naruto is under the protection of the Hyuuga and the Yamanaka Clan. You are to stay away from Naruto unless it's for Shinobi duties. I even went so far to get a restraining order from the Fire Daimyô himself and he approved of it after I explained the situation to him." she explained with a cold voice and threw them a scroll from her coat.
Minato barely caught and and unrolled it. His eyes grew bigger with each word he read and so did his families.
"Bu... YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Kushina yelled.
"I already have and now get out if you don't want to be imprisoned!" Ino growled and the three left but not before throwing her a venomous glare.
Once the door closed the tension left. Kurama relaxed his tails and walked to the table to get his bowl of soup. A minute later the blond man joined him at the table just as Ino put the bowls down. Ino and Kurama began to eat their share while Naruto only stared at Ino.
"Is something the matter Naruto-kun?" she asked with a teasing grin though it was lost on his blank face.
"Why did you do that Ino?" he asked monotone.
"Cut the crap kid. She's worried about you." Kurama growled and hit him on the back of his head.
"I understand that Kurama but I don't understand why she is though. We never got along very well so far." the man explained not bothered by the hit.
Ino slumped in her seat as she remembered how she had treated him during the academy.
"I'm sorry Naruto. I never was the kind of person you would want to be friends with but please give a chance to redeem myself." she begged him.
"Seeing as you and Hinata are the only people beside Kurama that actually went out of their way to help me I can say that I already see you as a friend Ino-chan." Naruto sighed but gave her a small smile.
Inos heart leaped when she saw his smile. Until now she never knew how much she had missed it.
"Well I guess the saying 'Family is where the heart lays' is true after all." Kurama chuckled.
"Didn't you get something mixed up there Kurama? I thought the saying said 'Home is where the heart lays'." Ino giggled at the fox.
"Oh quiet you..." the fox gave her a playful shove with his tail.
"I like them both." Naruto smiled at the two.
Ino couldn't help but blush as she took in his real smile, not one of those faked ones he gave ever since the Hokage returned. A sudden noise from the door caught her attention though and she scowled.
'Are these idiots still there?' Ino and Kurama growled.
But to her surprise another Naruto walked into the apartment. In his hands he held a small purple package. Both Narutos smiled at her before the newcomer handed her the package and pulled another from his back that he handed to Kurama before he dispelled. The two looked at the packages in shock before they faced the young man.
"Seeing how you helped me out so much since I became so un-Naruto-like I thought a small present would be in order. I already send one to Hinata too." he smiled and the light slowly returned to his eyes.
"B... bu... but..." Ino stuttered with a heavy blush which made the fox grin.
Kurama only shook his head at her behavior and opened his own present with his sharp teeth. What he found made his eyes widen and his mouth water. There before him lain a perfect piece of meat, no not just a piece of meat but a whole cow leg.
"You really now how to appeal to me boy." he grinned at his host before he picked his present up and walked to a corner to enjoy it in silence and give the two blonds some privacy.
Ino didn't listen to the fox and stared at her present with big eyes.
"Don't you want to open it Ino-chan?" Naruto asked with a concerned tone.
"Wha? Oh yeah. I'm on it." she came out of her shock.
She began to unwrap it and felt Narutos eyes on her taking in her every move. When the last piece of paper fell aside she gasped. Inside was a silver bracelet with a stylized Kyuubi engraved into it and a band of silver beads and amethyst gems (AN: think Jack Sparrows hair decoration). The silver beads were engraved with flower motives. She picked the bracelet up and looked at it before she adjusted it to her left wrist with a shaking hand. She admired the piece of jewelery and Naruto walked around the table.
"May I?" he asked as he picked up the second piece of jewelery.
Ino gave him a weak nod not knowing what he was about to do. With gentle movements he began to braid it into her hair. She felt her blush creep down to her shoulders.
"Beautiful." the young man muttered under his breath but she heard him and felt like fainting.
"Th... Thank... you." she stuttered.
"Oh get a room you two." Kurama growled from his corner and got just what he wanted.
They two blushed like mad.
"KURAMA!" both yelled at the snickering Bijuu.
The three glared at each other for a while before Ino began to giggle, shortly followed by Kurama and finally by Naruto. They laughed like nothing weighted on them anymore. A few minutes later they calmed down and git their breathing back under control.
"I guess Kurama was right..." Naruto smiled as he leaned back in his seat.
"What do you mean?" Ino asked with a big grin on her face.
"Family really is where the heart lays. Why would I need a biological family if I have you guys." he smiled at them.
That made Ino and Kurama smile at the Jinchuuriki.
"I would say that we miss only one thing now." Ino smiled as she enjoyed the feelings Naruto gave her.
"And what do you have in mind?" Kurama asked already guessing what she meant.
Ino and Naruto shared a look and she finally saw the mischievous glint return to his eyes. Kurama also noticed it and they nodded to each other with big grins.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!" the three yelled on top of their lungs.