I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND/OR THE CHARACTERS

Naruto's Gift

The next day, Naruto paid a visit to the orphanage and found Fumiko and some of her friends waiting for him.

"Hey, Naruto," she said with a smile on his face. "I told you guys he'd come."

"What these guys didn't believe me? I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way."

"It's not that we didn't believe you," one particularly rough looking boy said. "We just didn't believe her."

"And what's your name?" Naruto asked.

"I'm Shinji, you got a problem with that 'cuz we'll go right now, man," he said brandishing a kunai at Naruto.

"Hey, kid, take it easy," Naruto said fearing for his life.

"Shinji, calm down," Fumiko said. "Sorry, Naruto, we don't make any sudden moves around him, he gets that way with people from outside of the orphanage."

"Why?"

"Because I have to protect them," Shinji explained. "They're my precious people."

His words brought a smile to Naruto's face.

"Well, you know what? I'm from this orphanage too so I'm not really an outsider."

The kids all looked at him with great adoration and admiration.

"Someone as cool as you came from here?" one of the kids asked.

"Yep."

"I can't believe it."

"Okay, so, what do you guys want to learn?"

"Rasengan!"

"Toad Summon!"

"Hearing them, I never realized that I don't know any basic jutsu," Naruto thought. "I can't teach them those, they could hurt someone."

Naruto thought about it and came to a decision.

"How 'bout I teach you guys the transformation jutsu?"

To his surprise, the kids all pulled off a perfect transformation jutsu each.

"Oh, boy," he thought with his hand in his head. "I can't teach them Shadow Clone Jutsu yet and I don't know how to do regular clones."

"So, what are you going to teach us, Naruto?"

"Looks like I have no choice, I'll teach you how to summon the toads."

He bit his thumb and performed some hand signs, the slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The kids were amazed as a toad appeared with the summoning contract.

"Cool."

He showed them how to sign the contract and they all followed putting their names on the scroll.

"Okay, now I'm going to show you guys the hand signs," Naruto said.

He showed them each hand sign and they copied him.

"Now, do it without me."

They performed the hand signs until he was confident that they had the order then had them speed up.

"Okay, I think you guys are ready," Naruto said. "You're up first, Fumiko."

Fumiko stepped up and gave it a try.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

They all managed to perform the summoning but were really disappointed in what they summoned.

"I can't believe we only summoned tadpoles," Fumiko said.

"Don't worry about it," Naruto comforted. "It's the only thing I could manage to summon too."

"Why weren't we able to summon the big toads?" Shinji asked.

"It's because you didn't produce enough chakra," Naruto explained. "Don't worry you'll get it soon enough."

"Hey, can we see you summon a toad?" asked one of the other kids.

"Sure, Summoning Jutsu!"

"Whoa!" the kids exclaimed as he summoned Gamakichi and Gamatatsu.

As the kids played with Gamabunta's sons, Naruto's friends were looking for gifts for him. Sakura and Sai were walking through the village when Sakura walked by a clothing store and found an outfit that would be perfect for Naruto.

"It's orange," Sakura said. "He'll love it."

She went into the store and bought the gift before anyone else could, Sai, on the other hand was having a little trouble.

"I've never given a gift before," he explained to her. "I've never even been given a gift before."

"Really?"

"No, what should I do?"

"Just take the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Naruto and an idea will come to you."

Sai continued to think as they left the store, meanwhile, Team Asuma was searching for their gifts. Ino, knowing of Naruto's green thumb, already had her gift ready but Choji and Shikamaru were still out searching.

"Man, this is troublesome," Shikamaru said. "I didn't think Naruto would be this hard to shop for, not to mention that I have to get a gift for Temari."

"Yeah, she's going to brain you if you swing and miss on her gift," Ino said with a smile. "What about you, Choji?"

"I think I just found it," he said as he looked at a special container in a store that sold dinnerware. "Wait here."

He went in to buy it and came out with a bag.

"What is it?" Ino asked.

"It's a special bowl that'll keep his ramen hot when he needs ramen on the go," Choji said with a smile on his face. "Well, that's two down, you're next Shikamaru."

"Don't remind me."

On the other side of the village, Team Guy was going over what they were going to get Naruto.

"Lee and I already have our gifts ready," Guy said.

"Yes, I am giving him some of my new training equipment that I have developed."

"And I am giving him a new and better training suit, he told me how Lord Jiraiya destroyed his."

Naruto was about to begin another day of training with Jiraiya when he noticed a hint of green underneath his sleeve.

"Hold it," Jiraiya said. "Take your jacket off."

"Why?"

"Jacket off, now."

Naruto took his jacket off to show him wearing the green training suit that Guy gave him.

"How any times have I told you that you're not wearing that thing around me?" Jiraiya asked angrily. "Go change."

"Oh, come on, no one can see me wearing it."

"Change," Jiraiya said sternly.

Naruto went and changed out of the suit.

"Happy?"

"Not yet," Jiraiya answered. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, then through the suit in a general direction.

"Bunta, the oil!"

Gamabunta spit out a stream of oil as Jiraiya combined it with a fire-breathing jutsu and burned the entire area of the forest where he through the suit.

"Don't you think that was a bit much?" Naruto asked after Jiraiya finished.

"Apparently not, look."

Miraculously, the suit was unharmed as it lay among the ashes of the forest.

"Wow, that suit is fantastic."

After a few more attempts, Jiraiya finally came to an idea.

"I'll seal it," he said as he took out a scroll. "There, now I'll never have to see this thing again."

Yamato and Kakashi already had their gifts picked out for him.

"What are you giving him?" Kakashi asked.

"I've developed these seeds that should help him control the Nine Tailed Fox, you?"

"Oh, something from his father," Kakashi said. "I was waiting for the right time to give it to him and now seems as good a time as any."

Naruto and the orphans were having the time of their lives as Gamakichi and Gamatatsu were giving some rides around the village forest while Naruto was at the training field with the others playing games that taught simple shinobi skills until it was time to go.

"Oh, do we have to?" asked Fumiko.

"You guys have curfew," Naruto explained. "Let's go."

Naruto took them back to the orphanage and could see the sad looks on their faces.

"Will you be back tomorrow, Naruto?" Shinji asked. "Not that I care or anything."

Naruto could see the hopefulness he tried to mask and smiled.

"Of course," Naruto said. "Believe it."

"Believe it!" they repeated before going in for the night.

A few days later, Team Kurenai returned with the shipment of Christmas Cakes for the village and turned them over to Team Guy for safe keeping.

"Christmas Cake," every Akimichi said as they could sense its presence.

Hinata headed home where her father told her of the extension of her plan and she gave a smile that hid her mixed emotions.

"Well, it's for Naruto, which is important," she thought. "But I did want to spend some time with him. Oh, well."

Naruto was walking to the orphanage when he passed by an unusual site, Team Guy and some ANBU were battling with the Akimichi clan trying not the let them get their hands on the Christmas Cake.

"Get a hold of yourselves," Neji said.

"There's so many of them," Tenten said.

"Ha ha, yes," Guy said. "Their hunger reminds me of my hunger for youth, isn't that right, Lee?"

"Right, Guy-sensei."

This continued until Christmas Eve when each household was allowed to take a cake, after promising to spend Christmas at the orphanage, Naruto went home for the night. He was awoken the next morning to a knock at his door, he got up as the knocking persisted.

"I'm coming," he complained half asleep. "I'm coming."

He opened the door and was taken aback at what was waiting for him.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto!" the entire village said.

"What? What's this about?" he asked confused and surprised.

"Well, we all realized how sad you were that you didn't have a family to celebrate Christmas with," Tsunade said. "So, Hinata came up with the idea to have you spend it with her family but her father and I decided to spread it to the entire village."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really, we want you to think of the entire village as your family from this point on," one of the villagers said.

For the first time in his life, Naruto began to cry in front of people.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked as she beat some of the other girls to his side out of concern.

"Nothing," he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "It's just that…never mind."

At that moment, Naruto remembered the promise that he made.

"Hey, could you guys wait here? I'll be right back."

Naruto went to the orphanage where he met the orphans.

"Merry Christmas, guys," he said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas, Naruto!"

"Hey, I've got a surprise for you guys."

He led them back to the villagers where they joined in the festivities.

Lulamaemobster: Okay, that was the second chapter.

Ravercozy: Wait, wait, wait, I know you. It's a good story but where's the lemon?

Lulamaemobster: Lemon?

Ravercozy: You usually hit us off with a lemon or two by now and this is the second chapter but still no lemon.

Lulamaemobster: It's a Christmas Story, man.

Ravercozy: So?

Lulamaemobster: So? It's rated K+ and I really wanted to rate it K, I'm actually kinda worried about Hinata saying she wanted to "spend some time" with Naruto. I didn't write it to be suggestive but I kinda feel like it is, I'm hoping that the little kids don't understand double entendre. Besides, Rose Tiger likes the story the way it is, don't you?
Rose Tiger: Yeah, it's a nice touch.

Lulamaemobster: Thanks. Look, Ravercozy, I'll write another one chalked full of lemony goodness.

Chewie Cookies: Oh, yeah!

Lulamaemobster: Where did you come from?!

Chewie Cookies: I was here the whole time.

Rose Tiger: I didn't notice you.

Ravercozy: Neither did I.

Chewie Cookies: That's because I didn't want you to, freaked you out, didn't I?

Ravercozy: Nope.

Rose Tiger: Uh-uh.

Lulamaemobster: You scared me, I almost hit you with my laptop.

Chewie Cookies: Hurry up and write the next chapter.

Lulamaemobster: I'm writing, I'm writing. BTW, thanks for the help with Heliwood. Lula Mae Mafia.

Ravercozy/Rose Tiger/ Chewie Cookies: Mafia All Day!

Lulamaemobster: Also, Ravercozy. I have to disqualify this story from the challenge since I forgat that it was to be a one-shot. So, after this, I'll be back with the aforementioned lemony story. What up to the rest of The Ultimate Alliance Or Authors.